Holidays Almost Over

Even though we haven't travelled much(with the exception of a day trip to my parent's place), it's been an exceptionally busy holiday season. The kids have gotten through it without killing each other, or provoking me into killing them(although they've come close a couple of times). Aidan did sustain an injury just this morning inflicted by his sister throwing a piece of ice crusted snow right at his face(he has a cut above his left eye and a bump below it). I got my holiday knitting done right at the last minute(completed the final rounds of a fingerless mitten for one of my brother's girlfriend's girls within the hour of arriving at my parents), which means I forgot to take pictures of them before wrapping them. I had planned on doing regular mittens, but Kevin thought fingerless ones would go over better, so I simply modified the pattern I used for the adult sized ones I gave as Christmas presents to Jess, Julia, and Peggy(fewer stitches, different needle sizes).

The kids cleaned up for Christmas. Caleigh got my old Cabbage Patch doll along with a wooden crib and a high chair that were hand-me-downs from our neighbour; a Fairy Tree House play set(paper doll/furniture set, really neat); an interchangeable watch set; kid oriented knitting needles, some yarn and a very pretty basket for it all; a bowling set to share with her brother; a toothbrush; some slippers and a few other small things. Aidan got a remote control Mustang; a felted polar bear; safety goggles for when he's helping Kevin split wood; The Very Hungry Caterpillar game; a noisy helicopter; and some cars(including a wooden one and some hotwheels). Brynna got a bunch of small baby toys that she loves equally. Bill and Jenn gave the kids a Barbie Power Wheels jeep that Jenn's girls used to play with along with a new battery for it b/c the old one is just about done(my parents will be bringing that up for us in the future since it wouldn't fit in our car).

Now I'm on to my next knitting project: a Swallowtail Lace Shawl for someone special. I've already had to rip out my practice run at it with some spare yarn about 5 times, so it's a good thing I didn't just dive right in with the yarn I purchased for the project yesterday.

What You Get When You Put 2 Tired Kids in a Chariot

This is what I saw when I looked into the Chariot when we got home from the grocery store yesterday morning. Snug as 2 bugs in a rug they were, until mean old mommy woke them up to go inside and warm up before heading to the bus to pick up Caleigh.

Parent-Teacher Meeting

Kevin went solo to the meeting with Caleigh's teacher this time around because trying to have the 5 of us in the classroom, and one of us trying to keep Caleigh and Aidan in check while holding on to Brynna would've just made it completely impossible for the other to concentrate on what was being said by the teacher.

It seems as though Caleigh is having a much better year than last year, and with the implementation of the behaviour book that we're going to use for this year to map/reward her positive behaviour, she's getting even better. While leafing through her work so far this year, I'm very impressed.

Tigger is Fine

I wasn't home on Wednesday morning to take the phone call, but the results of Tigger's bloodwork showed that he was healthy as the proverbial horse, except that he's a cat. We still have no real explanation for the 3lb weight loss, but it could be due to the stress of having a new baby in the house along with him eating a food for senior cats exclusively. Kevin decided that to try to prevent any further weight loss(which may put him at a weight that is unhealthy for him) that we would increase the amount of food they get per meal to see if that helps. It is so good to know that Tigger is healthy and there's nothing wrong with his thyroid, which I'm not sure we would've been able to afford to have fully diagnosed and treated.

Waiting

Took Tigger to the vet this morning for his annual visit, and everything seemed fine, except that he's lost a little over 3 pounds inside of a year, which is not good for a cat. So I decided to go with the vet's suggestion of doing the "geriatric" blood profile for Tigger so that we can see if there's something going on that needs to be dealt with. We'll get a call in the morning to let us know the results of the bloodwork.

Also ended up taking Caleigh to the dentist this afternoon, which was interesting to say the least. The older two behaved quite well until we were headed back to the car. Caleigh had her first dose of fluoride this time, and we've booked Aidan for his first official visit for a check-up for next summer. All this afternoon stuff took from 1:45 until after 3:30, and then when I got home, the cats had taken a package of uncooked pasta off the counter and spread it around in two big piles in the dining room(I'm pretty sure it was Tigger b/c I found a bunch of the pasta on the blanket that he was lying on when we came in to the house before I discovered the mess. This all meant that I couldn't get to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription, or the dvd that we were thinking of getting while it was on special for the first day of it's release.

First Snowfall

And Brynna decided to sleep through her time out in it. I have to admit it was a rather pitiful snowfall to start with, so she didn't miss much. One snowflake did land on her cheek as she slept in the Ergo, and it made her cheek twitch. She's also mastered the art of the raspberry, and looks so darn cute while doing it that you can't be offended by it, even if you try.

Christmas Knitting

Is going rather well so far. I just finished one fingerless glove in rather short order and I've got the second one going(I'm already 10 rounds in on it). Granted, it took a week from the day I cast on until today when I finished, but that was just because I couldn't really get in to knitting it until yesterday(which had absolutely nothing to do with the pattern, it was all lack of energy on my part), and then it just flew. I think I see a number of pairs of these in the future for gifts rather than other items.

Another Milestone

Bites the dust! Brynna has just mastered rolling onto her tummy and then back onto her back, with the exception of those times when she gets both arms out to the side and then she just can't figure out that she needs to bring them back in to get herself back onto her back. This little girl is just growing up way too fast for my liking. She's also babbling away(saying "da da da", of course) and biting periodically. Christmas is going to be such fun.

The Latest from School

Seems as though Caleigh's teacher was talking to the behaviourist from the board when he visited the school today, and both he and the teacher think it would be good for us to have another meeting this year to see where things are at re Caleigh's progress in her behaviour while at school. Mrs Young has also informed me that she has put together another book this year to track/encourage Caleigh's behaviour/listening skills. Although this year it's written for Caleigh rather than for us, and I think that's a really good idea. There are going to be 2 categories, with 3 or 4 time periods to be tracked throughout the morning, so it's not all or nothing on getting a sticker or whatever. It's going to have things like: "am I where my friends are?" and "am I listening?". Mrs Young wants to show it to the principal to get her approval, but she's already got mine.

She's also informed me that Caleigh seems to have a more even mood throughout her mornings, and it also seems that Caleigh is having more good days than bad now.

Well that started a bit too soon

Brynna, at just over 4 months, has started biting :( and OUCH!! at the same time. I just had to give her a "3 strikes and you're off " treatment. She's been gumming for a while now, but only this evening has she actually closed her jaw down to the point where it's hurt me. Now I just hope that she's a quick study in consequences.

She's also just started making sounds, like Kevin's favourite: "da da da". I swear, if she says "daddy" or "dada" as her first word, I'm going to flip. Why can't I just have one that says "mama" first, just one? Is that too much to ask? Especially since she's the only brown-eyed baby of the bunch, and, barring any unforeseen accidents, the last.

Another Weekend Closer to Christmas

and I still don't have much done towards the gobs of knitting I have to do. It was a busy weekend, and for some reason I've been super tired and have very little motivation to do anything. It also doesn't help that my elbow and both my knees feel terrible. I have a hard time standing up from changing Brynna's diapers and I can't even bend my elbow fully w/o pain.

Kevin took the kids to St Laurent Shopping Centre on Saturday to check out the TVOKids DSS Tour show with Mark and Ryan. Caleigh weasled her way right up to the stage while Aidan apparently found it too loud so he stayed back near the back of the crowd with Kevin. Caleigh "met" Mark after the show(after apparently following both of the hosts for a bit before coming back to Kevin). Brynna and I had a nice quiet time together at home after our grocery run. Kevin even made dinner: Shepherd's Pie. Sunday I did another grocery store trip to get a few more things that will take us through until Wednesday and this time I took both Aidan and Brynna. Sunday evening we went to Kevin's parents to help celebrate Jess' birthday with Jess' version of... Shepherd's Pie, lol!!

This is a quick video that Kevin shot. You get bonus points if you can spot Caleigh(hint: she's in a pink shirt with no sleeves, near a kid with a green baseball cap on;-) )

Getting so Big

Brynna had her 4 month check up yesterday(which included 2 needles) and it went well. She now weighs 14lbs3oz and is 25.5 inches long. She did really well, only crying a bit for her first needle, but that second needle evoked a blood-curdling screech that just about broke my ear drums. Thankfully it only lasted for about 10 seconds.

Unfortunately, she didn't have such a great night, being up screaming and crying at 11:30 and 1:30. I couldn't get her settled until almost 2:30 this morning, so I'm a bit tired and bleary eyed today and am on my third cup of coffee and I'm not planning on going anywhere today and am going to cobble together dinner from what I have in the house, which means spaghetti, salad and if I get the energy up, home made rolls.

Baptism Day

Everything went pretty much without a hitch today, thanks to Brynna falling asleep in church until the priest poured the water over her head, the kids were so well behaved and did a great job sitting still and helping carry the collection offerings to the priest, and especially the hard work of Kevin's family helping to get things set up in the hall for us both before and after the mass.

It was kind of a sad day also because it's the last time any of our children will wear the baptismal gown made from my mother's wedding gown.

: ( and : ) at the same time

It's been such a busy and sad time in our family, and I haven't really known what to say until now, I still don't, but will write it out anyways, and apologize if it doesn't make any sense. While Kevin was away for work(the day after he left, in fact), we got word that his grandmother had passed away. Kevin came home via bus from the Gaspe on the Wednesday(a day early), then we hit the road Thursday afternoon(much later than intended due to gas leaking from a fuel line). We didn't make it for the visitation, and didn't get in to the farm until well past 9pm. When we arrived at the funeral the following morning, we were told that Kevin's grandfather wasn't well and couldn't attend the funeral. After the funeral, Kevin was told that he should go visit with his grandfather, so he spent about an hour with him. It became his last visit with him, as we received a call at the farm from Kevin's father telling us that Donal had passed away.

This weekend will be Brynna's baptism, and so we have a third big weekend in a row, but fortunately this is a happy occasion instead of a sad one.

No, Not Yet!

It looks as though I may have to break out the amber necklace that I purchased a couple of months back in anticipation of the big time. Brynna has been chewing her fingers and knuckles for a little while now, but just last night she started gumming on me too, owie. It's so soon :(

Don't Want to Jinx it

But Aidan is wearing underwear!! With no training pants over them!! He started out with training pants over top of his underwear, then he had a successful pee, then a poop, in the toilet. After that he decided to not put his training pants back on afterwards, and so we are in experiment mode here. Hoping we don't have too many accidents. He does know that for naps and overnight he has to wear his training pants.

One Day Down(almost)

and so far so good. Except for this morning. We were at the bus stop 5 minutes before the scheduled pick up because we were told that the driver planned on being early, so when 9 came and went, Caleigh wanted to head home for the car. We got just around the corner onto Cline, and I thought I heard the bus, sure enough, it was coming, and fast. I started waving my arms up in the air trying to flag the driver down so they would stop and pick her up. Didn't even slow down. So I guess that someone waving their arms and hurrying in your direction doesn't warrant slowing down to see what's up.

Otherwise we've had an uneventful day, which is coming to a close with a treat meal from McD's to try to give Caleigh a bit of a cheer-up(kiddo was heartbroken this morning). We also had a visit from our neighbour to buy a calender from the school. Since we sold the last 2, we'll have to request an extra from the school tomorrow morning.

I hope Kevin's drive through Quebec was as uneventful as our day was.

What a Pain, and Something Nice to Hear

We knew there was going to be a replacement driver this morning. So we knew it was likely that the bus would be later than normal. Didn't expect them to totally miss our bus stop(which we heard from the older girls on the bus, which was at the school by the time we got there), on top of being 40 minutes late. I gave up waiting at 9:30 and brought the kids back to the house, got them in the car and drove Caleigh to the school, bringing everyone in b/c I had to park on Garfield this morning. I called the Transportation Authority this morning to let them know of what had happened so that they can hopefully rectify the problem. I've also put in an email request to have the bus stops changed over, hopefully they accept it.

On a positive note, we got a call from Caleigh's teacher in the afternoon letting us know that while things were going really well(she's been helping the younger kids with their snack, and was doing really well until the younger kids got there and the # of students got much bigger than she's used to), there are a few problem times when she resists doing as she's asked by stomping her feet, crossing her arms and saying no, or hiding in the closet. Caleigh has a sticker chart(as do all the other kids) and they get stickers for a job well done. We just need to encourage Caleigh to work at her co-operation so she can fill her sticker chart every month.

Counting Down the Days

Until Kevin is gone for work. He's going to be leaving early Thursday morning and won't be back until sometime late in the day the following Thursday. It's going to be interesting, to say the least. I rely on him to provide me a bit of relief/back up in the evenings and on weekends. I really am not sure what I'm going to do without him here. I've stocked up on a few things(incl some disposable diapers for Brynna jic I don't have the energy in me to wash diapers on top of everything else), and told the kids that so long as they co-operate with me, I'll treat them to McD's once while Kevin is away. I know that's bribery, but I'm gonna go with it and hope to heck it works.

I'm hoping that things will go smoothly and that the kids and I will have fun. Maybe one night of the weekend that he's away, I might let the kids stay up way too late watching videos and eating snacks(it might get me out of cooking an actual dinner ;) ). Of course, I'm not going to tell them this just yet, let it be a total surprise. I'll probably regret it the next morning b/c Brynna will probably decide that she wants to get up early.

3 Months

It's kind of difficult to believe that 3 months have already passed since Brynna was born. It has just flown by in a complete blur. Brynna is constantly smiling, squealing and making all kinds of different sounds. She's also chewing on her fingers/hands like crazy. We went to the doctor for her check up this morning(after making a super rushed, and tear/scream filled, drive to the school to drop Caleigh off b/c the bus was over a half-hour late and just showed up at the school as I was going back out to the car) and she's 13lbs, 13oz, 24 inches long and her head is 16 inches around, putting her in the 75th percentile. This makes her a bit smaller than her older siblings, but I think that's to be expected since she started out smaller, and has been sleeping through the night since so much earlier than them as well.

We have to prepare for Kevin's trip starting next week. He'll be somewhere in the middle of nowheres-ville on the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec for a week. I still haven't gotten around to calling and changing Caleigh's dental appointment for the morning of the day he'll be back, so I'd better get on that first thing tomorrow. I'm not concerned about taking all 3 of them out in public, it's just that it's right about when Brynna likes to have her second feeding. Hmmm, maybe I could see if she'll wait until 7 or slightly later that morning to feed her and then she might wait until we get home, or back to the car at least, to nurse again.

Fall is Here

It's getting much cooler outside, and so the fireplace is now up and burning this afternoon to take the chill off in the house. We may even have to keep it burning tonight to avoid turning the furnace on. The only problem with it right now is that it has a bunch of dust on it from sitting idle all summer and that stuff is burning and making a stink, but not much worse than what we'd get with the furnace.

Caleigh also gets her school pictures taken tomorrow, and we have to choose the "pose set" and background colour. I don't ever remember my parents having to do that sort of stuff for my school pictures. Hopefully this year we'll get the poses we select, and they won't look like they've added someone else's hand in place of Caleigh's like we think they did last year.

Brynna's First Tummy-Time!

On Sunday afternoon while Kev had Caleigh and Aidan out for a bit, I decided it was time for Brynna to have some tummy-time where she woudn't be pestered too much. She seemed a bit confused, but wasn't upset at all.

Aidan's ABC's

Kevin caught this cute video of Aidan singing his own version of the ABC's, all mixed up as only Aidan can do :).

2 Weeks

We lasted 2 weeks before our first cold of the season got brought home from school. The only one of us who has escaped so far is Brynna. I'm just hoping that that lasts and she doesn't have to suffer through this congestion, b/c it will not make her a happy nursing camper.

Of course, this meant that the bathroom project got put off for the weekend in favour of rest and recuperation. Hopefully we'll be able to get back on track with that next weekend and have it done before it gets too chilly out to have the windows wide open to air out the paint smell.

Better Day

Today has been a much better day than yesterday. We got out of the house with no arguments or hassles. Lunch pick up was good too. I managed to get my workout done this morning so that I'd have time to work on making cookie dough. I got 7 "batches" of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough made and into the freezer, and once I get some more eggs and margarine I'll be able to make some more dough which will probably end up being oatmeal raisin.

The grapes finished in the dehydrator this morning, and now I just have to clean the parts and get the apples and plums prepped to go in tomorrow or Sunday.

Day 4

Well, not the best of days. Caleigh and Aidan were not in a co-operative mood for the entire afternoon, and I just could not get them to calm down at all and so I threw in the towel for the afternoon and let them just go wild in their room. I figured that while they were in there, if they damaged anything, it was theirs and they'd have to deal with the consequences. As a result of choosing to continue to bounce on her bed after being told not to, Caleigh is sleeping on her mattress on the floor for now and is not going to lunch with grandma tomorrow(which has deeply disappointed Caleigh, grandma and me).

Brynna had her 2 month check up today(I can't believe that she's 2 months already!! :( ) at which she got 2 needles and so she's not exactly the happiest of campers. Late this afternoon when she woke up it was obvious the Advil had worn off and she was uncomfy.

The highlight of my day was the discovery of the Fish gadget for the sidebar of my blog here. Aren't they cute?

We've Made it Halfway

The week is almost done and we've so far survived. A little worse for wear, but still here. I've felt most days that I didn't get much done, but then I write down what I did do, and it actually is a lot, considering that every afternoon I've got the 3 kiddos, one of whom is cranky/going through a growth spurt at this point. I've been doing a lot of dehydrating of fruits for snacks for the kids since a number of things are on sale this week(lots of berries, bananas, peaches and apples).

Day 2

Well, it was super busy this morning getting ready to go. To the point where I kinda forgot to eat breakfast until there was only some time to grab a hard-boiled egg while rushing around getting everybody ready. Yesterday didn't end so well, so we'll see how today goes. I hoping for better since Caleigh served out her no tv/movies for lying about taking a chocolate bar from the fund-raising box from school. She's also paying us back for it by clearing the dishes from the dinner table for 2 nights and crushing the cans for recycling on Wednesday night.

Last night I got some more fruit ready for the dehydrator to make snacks for the kids. On the weekend I did peaches and strawberries, both separately and pureed together for fruit leather. This time I've got raspberries and bananas. Tonight I'm going to try out some grapes, plums, and blackberries, maybe with some more bananas b/c they're on sale for $0.49/lb at the grocery store right now, along with the berries for 2 1/2 pints for $5. This is going to save us money on snacks and fruits, and make the dehydrator pay for itself.

Day 1

Kevin is back to work now, and everything was going really well up until Aidan got up from his nap, and then everything went haywire. Aidan climbed up on the dresser 3 times, falling the first time. The kids fought and yelled and screamed, creating a lot of noise and disturbance that Brynna did not like at all(me neither). Somehow Aidan also ended up with 2 punctures in his lower lip(self inflicted) and got blood all over his hand and my arm when I was trying to clean him up and check the damage.

At least all I had to do towards dinner was cook some rice and make a salad b/c the meat was already in the slow cooker(Polynesian ribs, yumm). Here's hoping the rest of the week improves.

Picked the Paint

We went to Home Depot this morning, looked at paint colours and picked one from Behr called Spiced Butternut. In the can it looks way brighter than it does on the chip so we'll have to wait and see what it looks like on the wall. We also decided not to go with the marble option for around the window that Kevin was thinking of, but are going instead with a vinyl trim designed for exteriors/wet places. It won't need to be painted, but we might end up painting it after we see what it looks like on the wall.

The Bathroom

It's long been in need of some tlc, and it's finally getting it. Kevin is in there cleaning the ceiling and removing the old, rotten wooden trim from around the window. Tomorrow we're going to Home Depot to pick out a colour for the walls and ceiling(probably will be all the same colour so that we don't have extra paint hanging around that we'll never use). Not sure how we're going to frame the window because when they put the trim on, they just smashed nails into the wall through the tile and broke it in the process :(

Scared Poopless

I'm more than a little scared for the time when Kevin goes back to work on the 14th. I'm scared that I'll have a complete and total breakdown and simply run away screaming the second he walks in the door on the first day. I'm worried that I will screw up even further with the kids than I already have(I know I've messed them up royally so far, and I'm pretty sure we're going to run in to the same issues with Aidan going to school that we have with Caleigh as far as behaviour goes, pretty much b/c of me and my stupid behaviour).

Not the Best Day

Today was not a good ending to the week. Another day at school, another "toy" brought home. Caleigh says it's stuff from the teacher's granddaughters, but she's supposed to have Mrs Young full time this year, so I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm not sure I appreciate all this stuff being handed out to the kids, even if it's a "reward" for good behaviour, it's not a good way to start the year off, b/c they'll be expecting stuff like this throughout the rest of the year.

Caleigh has also had her second accident in as many days. This time she did get it in the tub, but still, it's a mess to clean up and more laundry to wash. I'm not sure where this is coming from all of a sudden, but I wonder if today's was related to the fact that she was watching a new movie and didn't want to leave to "just go to the washroom".

Having Caleigh ride the bus to school has made things much easier, both in getting ready for school and coming home(except for the fact that the home-time bus seems to fly and gets to the stop within 2 minutes of the time school is supposed to let out). Having Caleigh pick out her clothing the night before only worked until this morning, unfortunately. We'll have to see if we can't get her back in to accepting that tonight.

Today wasn't my best day parenting-wise, and it's the first time I've had people stare at me while out with two kids. Brynna was crying her heart out for some unknown reason in the Ergo and Aidan was not paying attention to what I was asking him to do, so everyone at the self-checkout thought it was okay to just stare/watch as I struggled to calm Brynna down, get Aidan to behave and check out with my groceries. I felt like just leaving them all sitting there and walking out with the kids b/c they just were not in good moods.

Caleigh's First Day Back

And her first time riding the school bus to and from school. I think everything was a success. The bus was a tad late, and we were waiting in the wrong spot. Oh, and they changed the pick up bus # and busline w/o any form of notification other than on the website(which we didn't check, we just went by the letter they sent us about a week ago that told us it would be the same busline and # as last year). She only has one teacher this year, so I hope that the consistency from one day to the next will help out with things.

We're also looking at the possibility of enrolling her in Sparks this year(saw the sign-up date in the school newsletter). Maybe the structure and activities will help her with self-confidence(among other things) b/c no matter how many times you tell her she can do something if she would only try and/or practise, she keeps saying that she can't.

Birthday #3!!

I can't believe that it's been 3 years already since Aidan was born. He's grown up just way too fast for my liking. It seems as though he went from being a sweet little baby to the running, chattering, crazy bundle of energy big boy that he is today in the blink of an eye.

6 Weeks

I had my 6 week post partum check with the ob yesterday, and everything seems to be fine. He wants me to work on getting my muscle strength back. We also discussed contraception options a bit. He said that I would be a good candidate for an iud, to which I said no thank you. I know they've made a lot of improvements to them over the years they've been available for, but I still don't trust them. By that I mean that I don't trust that I won't be one of the unlucky ones who end up with complications/problems b/c of it. I mentioned that I generally have over-supply issues when it comes to milk, having to do multiple feedings per side to ensure baby gets to hindmilk, so that isn't a worry. The only worries are the transfer to Brynna and/or change in taste for her. He gave me 2 sample packs of Yaz and an rx for a 6 month supply with 3 repeats. We'll see if it works and doesn't cause any problems.

Brynna's First Road Trip

and it was a success (once I got over the stress of packing /loading /preparing that I always am afflicted with). Once we got on the road, everything was fine. We had really great visits with Kevin's Grandfather and his parents (who were kind enough to bring Donal out to the farm), Luc and Antonio, and Andrea, Henry and Hazel. Thursday night was exciting/scary b/c we were right in one of the areas with a tornado warning. During dinner the storm started coming in and the power went out a few times, but thankfully came right back on (kids were a little worried that the power would go out and stay off like back in May). A little later, just as I finished nursing Brynna, the strong wind and seemingly horizontal rain hit, making us run for the basement. While we were down there the power did its off/back on thing a couple of times, and there was a lightening strike somewhere very close by.

The road home was another story. Not long after we got on the 401, heavy rain hit(I had to slow down to 40kph to be able to sorta see the road), and then when we got close to the exit for Hill Island, the traffic just stopped. We sat there at an almost stand still for close to an hour. We ended up stopping in Brockville for some food, as we probably wouldn't make it home until late.

All in all, though, a very good trip.

I'm in Shock,

sorta. Since we'd been able to make the change to Brynna's health card that we wanted to, we went ahead and applied for all of her other i.d. documents online on Monday. Saw a Purolator truck stopped out in front of the house around 1pm, and sure enough, he was coming to our door. I opened the inside door before he got to the porch since Brynna was sleeping and I didn't know if the doorbell would wake her or not. Her birth certificate had arrived!! Only 3 days after the day I applied for it. I checked online this afternoon out of curiosity, and the order was processed the day that it went in!! Record time, unlike Aidan's that took them FOREVER to get done, and they lost his registration at one point/said they had no record of him.

That electronic Newborn registration they've implemented seems to really have helped a lot. One good thing I can say the government has done.

Licence Renewed

But I couldn't get the enhanced one this time, stink! I would've had to make an appointment online and download the application form a while back to be able to get it in time for my expiry date. I'll keep that in mind for 5 years from now, maybe.

I also made a stop on the way home to see a former co-worker and see if there was a chance of a haircut, but she had just started a client, and I only had about an hour left before I could be pretty sure that Brynna would be hungry again, so I booked in for tomorrow morning, yay!! She asked me to bring pictures, but she's gonna get the real thing, b/c I can't be absolutely sure of when missy will want to eat in the a.m., so I figure it's safer to bring her with me, and hopefully she'll sleep through most of the appointment in the Baby Bivy.

Pretty in Pink

Kevin couldn't help but snap a picture of Brynna as she slept in her Baby Bivy for the Chariot yesterday after our trip to the grocery store. She was all in pink, from her sleeper which came from one of our wonderful neighbours, to her pink Nunu that was given to her by one of Caleigh's classmates and her family. This was after I ran into another neighbour on the bike path home and mistakenly said that Brynna was going to be 8wks old on Tuesday. D'oh! She's only going to be 4 weeks old on Tuesday. My brain is still swiss cheese-like.

All Registered

I went today to get both mine and Caleigh's health cards renewed(all the way downtown @ City Hall, which is only marginally more convenient than the Albert St office), and also made a slight change to someone else's that will be revealed soon ;-) . After all that, I filled out the online forms for Brynna's birth registration, birth certificate, and Social Insurance Number.

Now all I need to do is renew my driver's licence. Hopefully I can apply for the enhanced one and have a licence and passport all in one. That's going to be left for tomorrow, though. One government office per day is quite enough, tyvm.

The Planning Begins

We've gotten the ok from Kevin's grandfather to stay at the farm during the week of the 17th(we'll be leaving on the Tuesday b/c we're having a company in to install the stainless steel liner in the furnace flue on Monday) through until the 23rd. We'll see what we can and can't fit into our car. It's definitely going to have to be pared down as far as possible, leaving what we absolutely don't need/can't fit behind. I think our plan is to only take clothes, linens and what training pants/diapers and foods that we'll need for the day, buying what we'll need for the week once we get to the farm. We do need to look into a stroller for Brynna for our trip/s into Toronto to visit people to make things a bit easier.

Now we just need to try to co-ordinate with Luc and Antonio as to what their schedules are so we can visit with them.

3 Weeks

It's kinda hard to believe that Brynna is 3 weeks old already, and is managing to hold her head up just a bit while lying on my chest. We're trying to plan a trip to the Toronto area to visit with everyone down that way(hopefully the farm will be available for us to stay at). We're going to experiment and see if we can fit everything in to our car. I'm not sure that will be possible, but it'll be worth a try, just as long as we can get the playpen, enough clothes for all of us, linens, maybe a small stroller for Brynna on those times when we go to the city(we need to find one that we can afford and that will be okay for her to sit in), we'll be good.

9 Years

I can't believe that Kevin and I have been married for 9 years already. It just doesn't seem like it's been that long at all, what with the buying of the house, having kids, etc, etc. We won't be doing anything super special today/tonight because of having such a new baby in the house who has decided that she's not sure just how often she wants to nurse(this morning it was snacks roughly every hour or so, but this afternoon she nursed around 1 or so and then didn't wake up until about 5, go figure).

Kevin is out with the other 2 picking up the car from the dealer after having the right rear wheel bearings replaced and is going to pick up dinner on the way home(not really sure what that means, and I had no preferences as to what he gets, so who knows what we'll be having).

Not so Good

Not sure yet, but it seems like Brynna may have reflux like her big sister and brother. She's spitting up a lot more than before, constantly "snacking" during the day, and having lots of wet sounding loud burps, despite all the anti-reflux measures we've been using. I'll be mentioning the symptoms at her next appointment on Friday and we'll see what the doctor has to say. I was so hoping that at least one of our kids would get away from the reflux monster unaffected. Although it could just be the sudden heat and humidity or the amount of caffeine I've been ingesting. I've decided to cut my caffeine by making half caf/half decaf coffee in the morning and trying to not have any caffeine in the afternoons(we'll see if a: it makes any difference, and b: if I can last on that little caffeine).

Brynna at 2 Weeks

Well, she's 2 weeks old, and has already created a lot of upheaval in our lives(most of it good, but some of it not so good). I think Caleigh and Aidan are getting used to the idea that I don't have quite as much time for them as I used to, although Aidan isn't really so happy about it all the time. It makes things a little interesting in the behaviour department to say the least. I'm hoping that Brynna will settle into a more predictable routine soon and I can start planning on things to do with each of the other 2 that will give them my full attention for a good period of time at least once a week.

I gave Brynna her first full bath at home last night, and was reminded at just how squirmy newborns are, which reminded me why I've always deferred to Kevin when it comes to bath time. It's just way more nerve-wracking than I can really handle. I've also been reminded of the oddball positions that newborns can sleep in and find comfy, which give me pain just looking at them.

First Week with Brynna

at least our first full week of having her home. I don't really count last week since we didn't get home until very late Wednesday night. It's been interesting. I didn't manage to get out of the house with Brynna until Thursday morning. We tried to get out Wednesday afternoon, but Brynna decided that that would be a good time to start vomiting all over everything(Baby Bivy, herself, clothes, crib) not once but 3 times. She did the same thing the next afternoon at almost exactly the same time, and her dirty diapers started looking slightly green and no curd-y bits in it. I've started doing things that I used to do with Caleigh and Aidan while feeding them to avoid the issues of reflux(burping often, taking her off during let-down, and feeding multiple times per side to make sure she gets what she needs). We've noticed an improvement already in both her vomiting and diapers. She's starting to smile and make gurgling noises and is sometimes staying awake for longer periods of time. She's also wriggling around in her crib to the point of not being in the same spot where we put her down sometimes.

The kids are really enjoying having their baby sister at home. Although they seem to have taken her coming home as an opportunity to really act up in terms of behaviour and not going to bed properly.

Welcome Brynna!

We welcomed our third child into the world at 6:27pm on July 14 2009 after about 4 1/2hrs of labour that ended up being completely un- medicated. I went in to the hospital around 10:30, waited for about 45mins until being taken back to a case room to be assessed prior to the inductions starting. This involved the resident taking down my history, vitals being taken, then an NST. I ended up having time for lunch before they did an exam(which the senior resident asked if the junior resident could perform as well, I said that I would prefer the fewest # of exams as necessary, which was apparently a good thing b/c my cervix was difficult to find) which told them I was still at 4cm, so not much changed from last week. They decided that AROM was the way to go, so that was done around 2pm, Fluid was clear, so I was able to be mobile around the floor(they said I could go pretty much where I wanted to, minus the elevators), which, as it turns out, was very helpful. I started having mild contractions roughly every 10-15mins. Every half-hour or so, they wanted just to listen to baby's heart to make sure everything was still good. My nurse said they'd give me until about 4pm and if there wasn't any more progress that they would unfortunately have to start a small oxytocin drip, and then I'd have to be monitored, which would mean being stuck in the room on the bed. By the time 4 came and went, the nurse asked me how the contractions were progressing, and I told her they were getting stronger and closer together, starting around the top of my belly and going around my back. That and the fact that the fluid remained clear, and baby's heartrate was strong, was good enough for her to keep me off an oxytocin drip and monitors.

Between 4 and 5, the contractions started getting stronger, and coming roughly every 5mins but only lasting about 45 seconds or so. Then my nurses did a check and found me to be at about 5.5 and 50% effaced and baby was doing fine, so I got to keep going on my walks still. But by that time, the contractions were strong enough and close enough together, that walking too far was getting very uncomfortable, so I decided to stay in the room. Tried the birthing ball, but it was just way to uncomfortable to sit on during a contraction(which were starting to come about 1 minute apart and lasting almost a minute), tried lying on the bed on my side and that was even more uncomfortable. I ended up kneeling on one of the chairs they had in the room and putting my face over the A/C vent, as I was getting really hot and sweaty by that point.

My nurses(who were the absolute best, right from start to finish) came back from their break around 5:45 or so, and wanted me to get up into the bed for a check, as I had told them how far apart contractions were and how I was considering wanting some pain relief as it was beginning to get really painful for me. They found I was at 9cm+ , baby's head was right on the cervix and I was almost ready to push, except for a small bit of cervix still in the way. The senior nurse had me get on my hands and knees on the bed to see if that would get that lip out of the way. I really don't remember how many contractions I was in that position for before I heard the doctors and nurses come in behind me. She then told me I had to get on my back b/c the baby was about to be born, and the doctor needed to be able to reach to help. I had troubles keeping my breathing slow and deep, and really wanted to just yell and scream with each contraction/push. I kept repeating that I couldn't do it, and then the nurse looked me in the eye, and said that I was the only one who could do it, so I would have to. Also at that point, Brynna's heart rate dropped to 90 or less, so she was in a bit of distress. That gave me the push I needed to get the job done, although I still wanted to yell.

At 6:27pm, after less than half an hour of pushing, I was holding my new baby girl on my chest before the cord was cut and while the doctors were trying to assess why/where my bleeding was coming from. I needed to be taken to the o/r so that they could put a spinal in, otherwise I would've been in too much pain from the stitching they had to do. Kevin accompanied Brynna to the NICU for her assessment(basically blood sugar monitoring) where she ended up receiving a tiny amount of formula even though they knew we wanted her to have none. They also gave her a pacifier to try to help keep her calm b/c she was apparently the noisiest one in the room looking for mommy. Both her APGAR scores were 9s, so she was very good.

After about a half-hour in the o/r I was in recovery where once I was checked in, Kevin went to get Brynna from nicu(which was right across the hallway, thankfully). It took a couple of hours until I was able to be taken to the room I was assigned in the Mother and Baby unit(unfortunately it wasn't the private room I had requested as there were so many new moms and babies, there just weren't any available). Our night was relatively calm as Brynna slept quite a lot(I think the morphine they put in my spinal gave her a bit of a buzz), but definitely not quiet so we didn't get a whole lot of sleep.

41wks, 2 days

I'm being driven insane by all this waiting/non-productive crap happening. I got woken up at least a half-dozen times overnight by some really strong, quite painful contractions(a lot of the pain was centred in the area around my c/s scar, so that kinda worries me a bit), but they amounted to nothing in the end.

Got up quite early again(around 5:45) but this time I decided to be productive about it and made some coffee, got dressed and headed out for a walk to the grocery store just after 6:30 since we needed a few things and they opened at 7. Got back just as Kevin was getting the kids up, so that was pretty good timing, and I'm glad I thought to go out the back door to try not to wake anyone up. I have had quite a bit more bloody show this morning on the way back from the grocery store(had to stop at a Timmies on the way back to use their facilities) and once I got home too. Hope that actually means something today.

41 wks, 1 day

and I'm still here. Had a whole bunch of contractions last night, even some that were seriously uncomfortable, but not much this morning. Now I can't be sure that I didn't dream that I was having contractions for most of the night instead of actually having them b/c I honestly can't remember waking up at all until about 5:15am. Hopefully more walking today will help get things going again. I was feeling quite positive yesterday, but now am beginning to think that the induction my OB was sure I wouldn't need is going to happen.

Everything's Ok

for now. The u/s showed plenty of amniotic fluid, a good heartbeat, practise "breathing", but no movement. The tech also had a hard time getting the measurements accurate(head is down so far that she couldn't get a clear shot) and so her weight estimate of 12.2lbs is kind of doubtful for me at this point. So too is the fact that she changed the due date to yesterday(07/09/09) from the original of 07/04/09, given her estimate for weight which is right off the growth chart. Time will tell. So, we ended up being sent to the hospital for a NST, which showed a baby with a good heartbeat and plenty of movement, so we were cleared to head home after 30mins. Also got the scoop on the induction method Dr S wanted to use for Tuesday. It won't be the method of choice given that he said I was 3-4cm already. The ob nurse who administered the NST said that they'd probably just break waters and let things go from there.

40wks, 6days

We have the u/s this morning. I know I've already talked about this, but it's got me a little concerned. What if there is something wrong, like baby can't come out on his/her own b/c they're wedged or something? Although that's not that likely as my bones have separated to the point where I feel like my legs are ready to just drop off sometimes. Baby is still moving quite a bit, although not in the mornings that much, so I hope that they take my word for it if baby doesn't move too much for them. I will not take what is said by the tech as the gospel b/c this is being done at the same clinic that messed up my 18wk u/s even though they had 2 tries at it. I will take it under advisement and if baby gets a "less than perfect" score(whatever the heck that means) I will request a second opinion, possibly at the hospital(like a NST combined with an u/s).

40wks, 5 days

and I'm still here, darn it. The ache/pulling pain I had on Tuesday is back with a vengeance and has not eased up at all. I have that darned u/s tomorrow and got a confirmation call late this afternoon about it. I've also had a few signs today that maybe very shortly we'll be making a trip somewhere and am keeping my fingers crossed but not holding my breath. I don't want to say anything to anyone for fear that it'll just peter out again and I'll be disappointed.

40wks, 4 days

Well, going further over here and nothing seems to be happening so far. Not really having any contractions to speak of(although I had some around 4 this morning, but that was after getting up to clean up Tigger's hairball that he puked up on the living room floor). I'm hoping not to make it to the u/s on Friday, but we'll have to wait and see.

Went to the movie last night, out at the Kanata movie theatre that has the seats where the arm between the seats goes up out of the way, which really helped me to get comfortable. It wasn't too busy like I thought it would be, and even though the movie was real close to 2 1/2hrs long, I made it through without having to get up partway through. It was a really good movie, violent, but really well done and not gory.

I walked to the grocery store today with Aidan, as my left side seems to be much recovered from yesterday's pain(which made me really cranky and upset). That leads me to believe that I did indeed pull something the other day that took a little while to present/clear up.

Crap

Looks like I have to have another u/s come Friday morning(at a clinic that I really can't stand b/c in my opinion, the "technicians" haven't got the expertise necessary to get the job done right), if I haven't gone into labour yet b/c, in the words of the doctor, the placenta might be just about ready to fail. She said as long as they give the baby a score of 8 or higher, we'll stick with the scheduled induction on the 14th, and if not, they'll move it up, to when, I have no clue. I had contractions last night that seemed to be building, but then they totally petered out again.

I feel like I'm being backed into a corner again. This happens every time. On top of all this, I can barely walk, as I think either someone is hitting a nerve, or I pulled something within the last 24hrs, and somebody wants to go to a movie tonight. Yeah, great, I can't even sit down comfortably, let alone walk fast enough to keep up with everyone, and it's cheap night(and rainy), so it'll be busy.

40wks, 2days

I was hoping not to make it to Tuesday's appointment, but right now it kinda looks like I might be going. Today I walked to the grocery store, around it, and back. Then when I got home, I put the groceries away, started a load of laundry and then went for another walk. I ended up going to Michaels over at Pinecrest Mall. I browsed around there for a bit, got some educational stuff for the kids for 1.50 each, then came home. While at Michaels, I ended up being asked by a random stranger when I was due, and when I told her I was 2 days over, she says: "poor dear", talked a bit about how far overdue she went and how doctors were smarter about it these days, asked me if this was my first. When I told her, no, it's my third, she said it was unusual to go over. I just smiled and told her my first 2 were both a week late, so not too weird for me. She wished my luck and left me alone(thank goodness). I was considering telling her that I was, in fact, in labour and that my water could break at any time now just to get her to leave me alone. But that would've been borderline lying, and she might've felt the need to tell staff, which would've caused a scene of some kind, I'm sure.

I've been having some contractions again this evening, but nothing impressive, time-able, or consistent, so probably just more false alarms. Looks like I'll be at least a week over, again.

Happy Due Date To Me

Well, today is the day. 40 weeks. Not sure if anything is going to happen today, but I'm going to try to get mega amounts of walking in. As long as it doesn't rain, that is. I'm also going to sit down and do the calculations for the next pair of shorts I'll be knitting for the baby. I also need to redo my measurements for Aidan and then do a gauge swatch for his shorts. I'm going to be very busy this summer, I can see it now. Just hope I get some time in to practise my spinning.

Oh Darn

Before supper this evening, I thought that maybe, just maybe, my water had broken. Nope. Turned out to be a false alarm. Went for a nice, medium length walk along the bike path from one end of our neighbourhood to the other and then back along the streets. about 45mins altogether. I've been having off and on contractions this afternoon/evening, but nothing super regular or gaining in strength. I'm really hoping that things will start happening within the next 12-24hrs. I really don't want to have that appointment with the back-up OB on Tuesday, but would like to not have to cancel Caleigh's orthodontic appointment for Wednesday.

I think I'll be trying to clear out the baby's room the rest of the way this evening to see if keeping in motion gets things going. Just have to clear out the old bunny cage, microwave, ceiling fan(ready to be installed in Caleigh and Aidan's room), a couple of boxes(one with old clothes and one with stuffed animals), and some laundry. We really just need the space to be able to set up the crib, as the change table top still needs to be replaced. We can always either use the floor or maybe even the coffee table as a changing spot if need be.

One More Day

and then I'm at my due date. I shouldn't be surprised that I'm either going to be right on time, or at least a few days overdue. I had hoped that I would be early by a bit, but it looks like that's not going to happen. Today is Kevin's last day at work before he's scheduled to go on leave. He asked what would happen if there's no baby by the end of the weekend, and he was told by the HR person that since the paperwork would be such a hassle to sort out, that he should just stay home. Sounds good to me, since he has all that wood to split, and it would give me a break from looking after the kids all by myself every day. My plan for tomorrow, if I'm not occupied in L&D already, is to go for as long a walk as I can handle, finding as many hills as I can to help things go.

One Year Ago

A year seems like such a short span of time. It was one year ago to this date that we found out that the baby we were expecting for this past January, the reason I started this blog, had died. Now, we've got another baby that we're waiting for who should be here any day now. So much has happened in a year. Today is going to be a very weird day for me. I'm already snapping at the small stuff, ready to cry at the drop of a hat, and just plain tired, right down to my bones.

Happy Canada Day!

Well, it's starting off as a rather grey and muggy day here in Ottawa, but so far it's been a pretty good day. I had mentioned to my mil yesterday about the old swing set from next door that the kids have been harping on about having, and she said that if we could get it to their house, it could be set up at the cabin. This would be great and would give all of the kids something different to do when they visit other than trying to run around everywhere and/or get under foot when there's work being done. The kids are really psyched about it since they wanted it in our backyard, but there's no where to set it up where they wouldn't smack into something.

Free Firewood

Well, at least we got a bit of a bonus for listening to 3hrs of chainsawing, chipping and hammering. The trunk of the tree is up for grabs for anyone who wants it. We've currently got most of it in the driveway(I picked up some pieces this afternoon with the kids when I went to ask about it) and more is going to come since Kevin borrowed his dad's old Suburban this evening to load it into and haul it back here(all of 3 doors down). It's more than likely with the thunderstorm and rain that just came through, that we'll end up with all but 1 piece of it, since not too many people seem to be actively interested in it at the moment. The tree was a good 50-80' tall.

Car in the Garage, Tree being chopped down,

and now at after 3 in the afternoon, the weather has cleared out...just like it did yesterday. Why couldn't it have been like this this morning when it would've been cooler and easier to take the kids for a walk. I'm going to have to go to the grocery store at some point today(most likely after supper), b/c we're running out of 2% milk for the kids, and I didn't realize that yesterday when I was there picking up some bread, and with the holiday, they'll be closed tomorrow, and somehow I don't think the kids will like skim milk.

And we're going on hour 3 of listening to a huge blue spruce tree being chopped down a few doors down. I told Kevin and he said that if I was feeling adventuresome, I should go ask what they plan on doing with the trunk, but I noticed they were spraying the branches with something from a can after they hit the ground, so maybe there's some kind of infestation that we wouldn't want anywhere near any of our other wood.

Finally, the car is in the garage. Kevin has been waiting for them to call him and let him know how much it's going to cost, and apparently, they've decided to do a front to back inspection of everything, wth?!?! It's only supposed to be there for the right rear wheel, and as of 2:30 this afternoon, there was still no word. So the darn car most likely isn't going to be fixed today, and most likely won't be until next week. Just great!

We Have a Plan

So, the appointment was more positive than I thought it would be. I've gone from zero cm to 3-4 in a week, but still "hard and high" as he puts it. I am on the appointment list for his vacation back-up on July 8th with an induction to be scheduled by/through the hospital on the 14th. Either way, unless I have this baby in the next few days, I probably won't have Dr Shabib deliver this one :-(
This is way more progress than when I was pregnant with Aidan. One week post-dates, on the morning I was supposed to have a c/s I was only to 1cm. So, I'm not quite half-way there, but I've already made it much farther. I think I was only 2-3cm before I agreed to an epidural(although my water had broken and I'd been in early labour for almost 12hrs by that point.

When I called my mil to update her on how things went, I think I freaked her out a bit by using my cellphone. I also have a feeling that now that she's said that I'd better not go into labour tomorrow b/c our car will be in the garage that that might be exactly what will happen, Murphy's Law being what it is and all that jazz. That would also mean that the possible movie date that Kevin has alluded to would be scrapped. Darn. I really want to see Public Enemies on the big screen. Oh well, some things just can't be put on hold ;-)

Just Feeling Defeated

What will likely be my final OB appointment(at least with my OB) is tomorrow morning, as he goes on holidays for 2 weeks come the end of this week. I don't know what he'll want to do or want me to do, given that I will most likely go overdue again(and here I thought I might actually deliver early this time around-that'll teach me to get my hopes up at all). I don't want to feel like I'm backed into a corner. I don't want my options limited b/c of being overdue(and the whole larger baby/previous c/s thing) with a different doctor who's completely unfamiliar with my history.

I've become a crying, hormonal mess this past week. It's hot, humid, and I'm now starting to retain enough fluids that I have troubles with my wedding rings and I have almost no ankle bones on my right foot by the middle of the day. I just want to crawl into a hole and stay there, which is making it hard on everybody.

Let the Games Begin

the final push towards getting Caleigh out of training pants permanently has begun. Kevin and I decided that once school was over, we would start what I'm calling Kamikaze Toilet Training with Caleigh. This morning at the grocery store, I picked up another waterproof mattress cover so that there'll be one on both the kids' beds. Then, after a bit of a breather, Caleigh and I walked over to LaSenza Girl where I let her go crazy and pick out 6 pairs of underwear(hey, they were 3 for $4). Then I saw that they had board shorts and UV protective shirts on sale, so she also got a new set of swimming clothes, and then she wanted "something funky" which turned out to be a kerchief/headband thingy for about $5. So, here's hoping that things go relatively smoothly with minimal accidents(she can keep herself dry all day and all night, she just needs to put some thought into it).

Tired, Cranky, Done

That about sums up how I'm feeling these days. I'm also wondering why I'm having a third child. I can't even properly parent/love the two that I already have, let alone afford everything we all need. All in all, at the moment, life isn't all that great.

I'm seriously considering asking the doctor what he thinks of doing an inducement sometime next week, although I highly doubt that: a) he'd want to do it b/c of my past c/s, and b) that it would work b/c I don't think that much has gone on in that department since Monday's appointment. I'm worried that baby isn't even engaged anymore, as things don't feel quite the same. Who knows? I don't.

It's Only the First Day???

Of summer vacation that is. Already my hopes of less stress in the mornings are shot to h-e-double hockey sticks. I've already tried to break up numerous fights/disagreements between the kids in the hour and a half or so since Kevin left for work, had to change plans about going out to get a couple of things for supper and other meals at the grocery store b/c I don't have the energy or desire to fight with the kids to get them ready/willing to go.

So, now I have a load of laundry in the washer, might try to get Caleigh's skirt done, and maybe get some more of the baby's room cleared out(that someone keeps tossing stuffed animals in at night when people don't go to sleep, after I've cleared space there).

Almost Done

with Caleigh's knit skirt. I've just changed back to the variegated yarn for the bottom trim. I knit one row straight, then did the eyelet row, then another straight knitting and have now switched to seed stitch for the rest of the trim. I might even have it ready for the weekend and she could wear it to church. I had hoped to get it done before school ended, but that just isn't in the cards and I don't think she'll be able to wear it come Fall. We'll see. Maybe I'll just make the trim a little longer than originally planned and hope for the best.

I Can't Believe

that tomorrow is Caleigh's last day of school for the summer!! How did that happen so fast?!? There's going to be an end-of-school-year picnic at the park 5mins from the school, so Aidan and I will be busy tomorrow. Drop Caleigh off, head home and get some food, drinks ready to take to park, go back to school for 10:45 to meet them as they walk to the park, have picnic(which will most likely entail me trying to chase after the two kids more than anything else), then hopefully come home before the rain is set to start.

I've been having some off and on contractions, but sometimes I can't tell what's a contraction and what's from someone stretching. I'm also almost afraid that someone has disengaged, as I sometimes don't feel anyone's head where it should be, and I now am feeling something hard a full hand-span up from my belly button(although that could just be someone's foot/knee/thigh.

Looks like

I'll be getting a bit more time to get things done before baby decides to make his/her arrival. Had my OB appointment this morning, and found out that all those contractions I had on the weekend meant absolutely zilch. I guess I will be able to have more than just the middle of the baby's room cleared out for the crib, and my mil will be getting her haircut tomorrow.

It fits and He fits it!

So, Saturday we took the long slow route to the carseat store and tried the Graco Turbo Booster seat(with the adjustable high back) in both sides of the car with the Britax Roundabout in the rear facing position in the middle, and it all fits! More importantly, Aidan fits in it!!! The seatbelt crosses his shoulder in the exact right position, and he seems happy as a clam. Caleigh isn't quite as happy b/c once the seats are installed in their final positions, she will be unable to reach the seatbelt to undo it when the car is parked and turned off. This is a bonus b/c it means that Aidan will be unable to reach the seatbelt and unstrap himself either.

I know that it would be safer for him to be in a 5-point harness for a quite while longer, but since he meets the requirements to be in the seat in both height and weight, and it will allow us to get the repairs done on the car, pay down some of our debt(definitely not all of it, but hopefully a good chunk of it), and save up for something new-to-us in the next 6mths to a year. I feel comfortable having him in this seat for the time being.

Potential Solution

After getting Aidan to co-operate with me, and taking more accurate and up to date measurements of his height and weight today, it looks as though we will be able to use the same seat for him that we can use for Caleigh, which is the highback Graco Turbo Booster. I really didn't think he was A) that tall(39"), or B) that heavy(40lbs), colour me surprised. Anyways, all that remains is to make sure that we can fit the two of them in on either side of the Britax(and get the car repaired). I'm keeping my fingers, toes, and anything else that I can crossed.

Not Good

Well, now, on top of the carseat issue, the car needs between 8 and $900 worth of repairs :-( This is in addition to the about $3,000 we spent earlier in the year on the shocks/struts. We know this b/c the car started making a funny noise on Sunday, so Kevin called the dealership yesterday to see if they could get it in to check it out. He also happened to spot a used 2002 Outback on the lot for 14K. Not sure how much better this one would be in terms of space/where the tether anchors are in the rear of the car. Kevin thinks we should just fix the car, so that we can use it to swap with his dad when we want to go somewhere as a family, but there's no guarantee that we could fit the seats all in the truck either, or that the truck would be available. I don't want to ask them to borrow/change plans at the last minute just to accommodate us. I mean, it is their truck after all.

This stress is something that I really don't need right now, as I'm pretty sure that it will prevent things from progressing in the labour department. I know it's probably stressing Kevin out just as much.

Getting Closer

Had my 37-38wk OB appointment this morning, along with a final weight estimate u/s this afternoon. Sandwiched in between that was a trial of different carseats, and a peek at some new Subarus b/c it looks like the only way to maybe fit 3 carseats across is to buy 2 new seats at almost $300 each and one at about $70, where the 2 more expensive ones only go to 65lbs and ditch the Britax which is only 2yo, or admit that our current vehicle has the end of it's useful life breathing down the back of it's tailpipe and find something new-to-us that we can all fit in.

On the wonderful news side, baby is still head down, but has now also engaged(which is something that Caleigh never did, and Aidan didn't do until the last minute), is between 8.56 and 8.9lbs, was practising breathing, and moving around a lot. I also found out that my gbs swab was negative, and that my OB is going on vacation the first 2 weeks of July :-( , so here's hoping that labour starts really soon on it's own(which it might b/c I've started having some contractions tonight).

So much to get done still, and so little time to do it in.

The Appliance is In

and we're really having a hard time understanding what Caleigh is saying! She's also having problems with drool, which should only last a day or two. We only gave her some advil this morning before going to the appointment, and haven't given her anything else as she hasn't been complaining of any pain/discomfort(I've made sure to ask her at regular intervals during the day).

I just hope that her classmates don't tease her too much about the way she's talking right now, which should hopefully normalize in a few days.

Getting Stressed

I'm starting to feel just a little bit down, discouraged and worried. I'm 37wks, big as a flipping house, uncomfortable, and really moody(that's probably an understatement of how I'm acting, but that's the nicest, most reader-friendly way I can phrase it here). I'm starting to worry about the u/s on Wednesday. What if they estimate this baby to be close to or more than 10lbs already? Will my OB try to make me have a c/s? Do I have to go along with it or risk not having him keep me on as a patient at this stage? This is just stress that I don't need right now, it's one of those things that will make it so that my body doesn't start doing it's own thing. It's making me revert back to my old habit of eating when I'm depressed/stressed/worried.

I really need to find something to do to relax me, and nothing that I can think of really is doable at this time. I don't think I'll find a babysitter for the kids for even one night out with Kevin, or even be able to justify the cost of having chiro, massage therapy, or any esthetics done(like a pedicure or facial or anything like that), as we have to look into buying one or more new carseats, or even a new-to-us car. Gah! More stress I don't need right now.

More Stuff Done, But...

the cats decided to give me more to do while we were out today. They decided that it would be great to knock the freshly washed, brand new Kissaluvs dipes and the wipes off the laundry pile and onto the floor. Not to mention I think they used my dress as a bed as well, b/c it's covered in cat hair. So, the dipes and wipes will need to be washed again.

We also have to rethink our carseat solution :-( We purchased a backless booster for Caleigh, as she's the right height and weight to fit one(and the seat she's in now does nothing in terms of positioning the seatbelt for her), but she's too danged tall for the back seat of our car. Her ears are above the top of the seat-back, and so she has no head/neck protection in the case of a sudden stop or accident. Also, Aidan has just about outgrown the Britax, so we need to figure out another seat for him too. I just hope we can find something that we can fit into the back seat of the car, b/c I really don't want to be looking at a new vehicle under pressure, nor do I think this is the best time for us to buy a car, either financially for ourselves, or b/c of all the crap happening with the car makers.

Washing, washing, and

lanolizing! That's what I'll be doing this weekend. Today I sorted through all the "too small" clothes and got out all of the baby stuff in the 0-6mth size range and threw them in the washer. They should be done in time to put on the clothesline to dry this afternoon.

I'm also getting started on the washing/lanolizing process for all our woolies. First up, the pair of shorts I made what seems like ages ago. Then I've got a couple of soakers/covers and a sleep-sack and then we'll be all ready for baby.

I think I've decided that we'll do sposies in the hospital and then start cloth for the trip home so that woolies can be part of the coming home outfit, that way I'll only need to pick out a shirt for either gender and not worry too much about other stuff ;-)

Maybe Soon

Lots of stuff has been changing in the past couple of days. Starting with it looking as though baby has dropped quite a bit lower, and today I've been having a lot of braxton-hicks contractions that only go away/ease up when I've been sitting down for a while. They're also starting to involve my back. I've got the more critical stuff ready, and will get my butt in gear on getting clothes for baby to wear home picked out and all the other stuff washed and ready for him/her to wear when we get home. I just need to put stuff in the bag for the hospital and we're ready. Kevin could, worst case scenario, set the crib and change table up while I'm recovering in the hospital. We just really need to get the new car seat for Caleigh and get the seat Aidan will use installed and the Britax turned rear-facing.

The top picture was taken tonight, and the bottom picture was taken one week and one day ago.

Haircuts and Lost Teeth

Well, gave Aidan his summer haircut the other day(buzzed him right off with a #4 so I won't have to worry about it for the rest of the summer-hopefully), and Caleigh insisted that she wanted her hair the same, and that I'd done that before(never mind the fact that I've done every haircut the girl has ever had, and she's never had her hair buzzed off). So, yesterday, we said goodbye to the possibility of ponytails in Caleigh's hair for at least the next few months.

Also this week, Caleigh lost her first tooth on Monday night. It had been loose for a few weeks already and was just barely hanging on(I was actually a little worried that it might fall out in the overnight hours and get stuck in her throat), so Kevin and Caleigh decided that it was time to give the tooth a little help.

Veggie Garden

Got the veggie garden in this morning. Caleigh helped out by digging the holes to transplant some of her strawberry plants into to give us more room for the veggies(those strawberry plants really spread out!). This year we've really scaled back on what's in the garden. We've got 3 tomato plants(golden variety), 6 sweet red peppers, 5 cucumber plants(fully expecting some to not make it) and 2 spaghetti squash plants. I've also planted some chives, sweet basil, marjoram, curly parsley, and oregano.

I really like garage sales

We can scratch one more thing off the list of things to get today thanks to a bargain I found while peeking in at a local garage sale on the way back from the grocery store this morning. Got what looks to be a very gently used Fisher Price Kick and Play bouncy chair for $10!! This thing usually sells for upwards of $50(I'm just guessing here b/c the only place I found a price listing for it online was in British pounds). I also picked up a neat Little People airport kinda thing for the kids complete with a car, airplane and helicopter for $5. They also had a folding jogging type stroller, but I don't know what the price was on it, and I only had $20 on me(that I'd just gotten as cash-back at the grocery store). We'll wait and see if we need anything like that later on.

Now all I need to do is wash/lanolize woolies, get the room set up and a bag packed. Not too bad progress for 1 week.

Some things done

Over the last 2 days, I've managed to get all the diapers re-washed and line dried. All that remains for them is to fold/stuff/whatever and put them in the cabinet for use. I've decided that it might be too much for me to do cloth starting at the hospital, as I really don't think I want to have to wash dipes as soon as I get home.

Now all that's left is bag-packing, room clear-out, crib set up, bouncy chair buying, and baby clothes sorting/washing/drying.

Can this be over now???

Pretty please? I'm really ready(although none of the "stuff" is ready, but that's beside the point) for this whole pregnancy thing to be over. I'm tired of being asked when I'm due, told I'm bigger than the last 2 times, told we're going to need a new/bigger vehicle pronto, whatever. I just want to withdraw from the world and get this over with.

I really need to sleep better, too. I think that might make a world of difference. It doesn't help that I can't sleep anywhere for any significant length of time(I'm talking about 45mins-1hr at a time, sometimes 2-3hrs if I'm really lucky, so really not great either way) other than the couch.

5 Weeks or Less

left to go, and nothing's done. Maybe that's why I haven't really been able to sleep so great at night(although last night I slept for 2 3hr stretches on the couch-not exactly healthy for the marriage, iykwim, but I slept). I have to wash diapers(and pick up a few more just to pad out the smaller sizes and compensate for the fact that a number of the bGs have less than stellar leg elastic), get the room ready, get the crib put back together, figure out how to fix the top of the change table, pick up a bouncy chair(sanity saver for us with both Caleigh and Aidan), clean the rest of the house(which includes ripping out the rest of the carpet in the living room/dining room), sort through and get stuff ready to go out to the curb for this weekends' "give away days", and pack a bag for the hospital(which I will, of course, be expected to include stuff for Kevin in).

I can't believe we're getting this close to the wire on this without getting stuff done. This is the first time I've been this unprepared. I think I'm starting to get scared.