Goal for the Week

SLEEP!!! (easier said than done with two irritable babes and a kicking one inside my belly)

23 Week Baby Bump Watch

All I can say is:

*  a desire for a soft taco with shrimp turned into an aversion to seafood instantly
*  food cravings are taking a dive from salty, fatty to sweet and natural....although a few "treats" are allowed
*  swollen feet
*  piercing abdomen
*  left-side pain
* uncomfortable movements in the hot-hot heat
* a crazy dancing babe

This is going to be a long summer.

Lately...

What I did While Bored....

Me as Julia Roberts.

 Rainbow Bright.

Summer Reading List

(weheartit.com)

As a goal for this week I plan to write several lists.  The first is the Summer Reading List 2012.  Before we know it summer will arrive and leave and I would love to get some reads in also before the Littlest Babe arrives.

As I love our library and I am not into purchasing a book that I have yet to read, I have placed some books on reserve.  They will be the Summer Reading List:

1.  The Hunger Games.  The Papa mentioned that he was really interested in this read so we decided to read it together.  We will have our own little book club.  How fun!

2.  The Jane Austen Book Club.  As I was telling my friend Jacqueline, "I have yet to read a Jane Austen!".  Then I realized that I did happen to read Pride and Prejudice but I haven't caught the Austen bug as many others have.  Maybe this book will open my mind and heart to the well-loved writer.

3.  World War Z.  In anticipation of a zombie apocalypse...nuf said!

4.  The Paris Wife:  A Novel.  The premise seems vaguely like Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.  And I like anything Woody Allen (movie making that is) so I will give this a try.

5.  Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

6.  The Great Gatsby.

Although almost all books on my list have been made or will be made into movies, I have not seen them nor did they have any effect on my book choosing.  You see we don't have cable so I really haven't been into the buzz of movies for sometime.

Here is to a fun summer of reading!

What is on your summer list?

Goal for the Week

This is the embroidery family portrait that I started.

My goal for this week was to accomplish three of the four family portraits.  Well, I completed one. Of 

the Eldest Babe.  It is not that they take so long...it is just that I get completely distracted and this past week was full of a sickness I haven't shaken and moving about.  Oh yeah...and a busted laundry machine.  So I am going to be a bit more realistic with my weekly goal:

To complete a summer to-do list, to write down a list of what to make and do for the Littlest of Babes before their arrival and to make a summer reading list.

22 Week Baby Bump Watch

More than half way!  The bump has really grown in the past week I feel.  Although the all day sickness has dissipated, the hotter days are really being felt.  It makes getting around so awkward.  Last week I purchased my first ever pregnancy pants.  When I showed them to the Papa he was intrigued.  He had never seen pants with an elastic for a growing belly.  My non-use of the pregnancy pant definitely showed in his amazement.

The growing bump has also made me realize that...Oh My Gosh!  We are going to have a newborn in our home very shortly.  I need to craft, I need to organize, I need to wrap my head around this.  We spent an evening in Ottawa at the G-units house because I was meeting a dear friend.  While there, I rummaged through the children's clothes closet.  All of us parents stick the clothes that the babes have grown out of there.  It was neat to go through and see clothing that both my Babes have worn and that our Littlest of Babes will have clinging to her chunky breast-fed body.

Today, I ordered her the first item from Mama.  It is a cute little onesie from Vital on Etsy.  Check it out!

Anyways, the last week has been a bust with a sickness, moving about from here to there and realization of the impending Babe.

The Paper Mama "Eyes" Photo Challenge

Chelsey at The Paper Mama posts these amazing photo contests that are to incorporate a theme and your animals or children.  I enter my fave photos I've taken and this is my fave of the Littlest Babe.

Enjoy the summer love!

The Mama

New Feature: Currently...

Danielle from Sometimes Sweet, a tattoed mama blogger, comme moi, has a Currently Feature which I quite love.  I thought I would give it a try to put some self-reflection into my Monday.

Reading: Where to begin.  My friend passed along an amazing read called "You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise Hay.  If you don't believe heavily in the universes influence and the power of your thought then it isn't for you but I have found it quite motivating.  It is helping to rid myself of the negative self-talk that accompanies my everyday.  I really should sit down and write a summer reading list though.  The opportunity for independent time will soon take a back seat when the Littlest of the Babes arrives in early fall.

Watching: The season finale of Once Upon a Time.  The magic in Storybrooke has returned.  I can't wait for it to pick up again.  The Papa and I, after the Babes head to sleep will settle down into the movie Away We Go.  It starts John Krasinski and Mia Rudolf from SNL.  If you are a mom or expectant mom you will so get this.  

Thinking about: The Littlest Babes arrival and how much I would like to accomplish.  We had such a scare this past week and knowing how healthy she is has inspired me to eat healthier for the duration of the pregnancy.

Anticipating: everything!  The Littlest Babes arrival, summer, gardening, drawing, prospects, future, life.  I don't know what to say except I am pretty overjoyed and elated.


Listening to: the pages of the Papa's book as he sits quietly, patiently beside me.



Eating: tofu spinach samosa and salt and vinegar chips with a side of pomegranate cherry juice. We are working as a family at eliminating soy but pregnancy cravings kick in at night and sometimes I just have to give in.

Working on: myself...always.  And the elimination of coffee.  I had a huge headache hit in the afternoon today and realized that I needed a soy moccacino on ice.  Bad news.  So I am on a delete caffeine kick.  This week I will have a cup a day and then the following week add decaf.  I will meddle with the ratios until it becomes a fully decaffeinated cup.  So sad but so necessary.  These headaches are killer.

Wishing: I could somehow have every moment in the day to do something productive.  But legs are sore, headaches persist and baby is coming and growing regardless.

New Feature: Goal for the Week

(image borrowed from the lovely Lucky)

I  came upon this little thing at Te and Baby.  I thought it would be mighty helpful to write down a goal and accomplish it.  Although a million things are on the go at once, if I write one down and put it out there I may stop procrastinating and actually get to it.

This week's goal:  To complete 3 family portraits.  I started this project last week by picking out amazing fabrics and embroidery thread.  I am eager to get started.  My inspiration is from the blog 365 lucky days. She is completing a yearlong project of embroidering a portrait each day.  I didn't want to draw the family portraits and was hence inspired by this lovely project.

Pictures to come.  Possibly at the end of the week because hey!  I am trying this goal thing.

Happy Mother's Day

My mother's day was just as I wanted: simple, quiet and full of special moments.  Although I feel that becoming a mother has been the most monumental, defining role of my life, and one that I feel society should acknowledge more readily, I also feel strongly about having a day infused with my Babes.  After all, my role would not exist if it were not for their spirited arrivals.  I want my day to be shared and to flow without force.

This day is also poignant for it celebrates the growing babe in my belly.  We had a scare this past week about her development which resulted in an unscheduled ultrasound.  The evening before the ultrasound I had a serious panic attack.  I could not breathe.  It felt as though my chest was collapsing and my heart was going to burst.  I just wanted to throw up.  I also could not have the Babes around me.  It made it too difficult to think about the babe in my belly with their warm, spirited selves clinging tightly to my side in bed.  I was a mess.  All in all, we were reassured that the Littlest of Babes is developing amazingly.  So on this day, I am very thankful to be blessed with another babe to add to my resume of mom.

All in all the day went pretty much like this:

*  sleep in
*  poster size abstract representations (think paint, sparkles, feathers, and pasta noodle) of our garden
*  soy moccaccino on ice with tea bisquit
*  The Eldest Babes first major bike ride
*  potato picnic in our community garden
*  nap
*  frolic in the park
*  country drive as the sun set

Good night to the mother's out there.  Hope you had a wonderful day!

xoxoxo The Mama

The Paper Mama "Pink" Photo Challenge

A picture of my little strawberry shortcake.  I could just gobble those cheeks.

Needing Some Positive Vibes...

19 Week Baby Bump and It's a....

Well...before I get to that, let me tell you about the day.  The Papa and the Eldest Babe woke at the crack of dawn to finish a masonry project.  The Littlest and I awoke to a quiet house, practically a first.  It was a bit odd for her to be without her sister and it upset her a little, but she quickly realized that she had alone time with Mama, another first, and we relished in it.  We talked, we danced, we hung out.

The worker bees finally arrived home so we could rush into the car and race to a midwife appointment. The Babes were left on the doorstep of the G-unit house (Grandpa was waiting), as we raced.  We got lost on the way but finally we made it.  It was a wonderful appointment.  Our midwife is amazing and I discussed some issues I was having as well as the birth faery.  She eased my mind.

After that appointment we raced to another appointment...the morphology ultrasound.  We would find out the sex of the baby.  Time was running out on the meter, so the Papa left briefly to fill our time, while I headed to the room.  He arrived shortly after the technician had checked out the brain and arms of the Babe.  The ultrasound technician is absolutely amazing.  She is vocal, playful, intelligent, thorough and sweet.  The Babe twinkled its toes and crossed its legs, placed its thumb on its nose with fanned fingers almost to say..."Na. Na. Na. Na. Boo. Boo. Try and catch an image of me."

We saw the chambers of the little heart, an amazing spine, eyes.  It was so amazing and human.  Although I have been through this before nothing compares to the ultrasound when you discover the sex because it becomes a reality that yes, a beautiful being is on board.  They will arrive in 4 and 1/2 months time and you will care for them.  The responsibility and thought is overwhelming a little.  But now I can look forward without trepidation and concentrate on the arrival of the Babe...a Babe who is a GIRL!!!

Yes!!! We are adding more estrogen to this family.

The news is still settling for me.  I had somehow convinced myself that there was a boy in my belly.  And although having a girl seemed a bit less daunting to me, I still had that possibility lingering in my mind.  This is decidedly our last pregnancy so there are many emotions that I am feeling today.  Regardless, when I looked up at the prompter and saw the most healthy babe, I was so overjoyed and happy that we have been blessed by the universe with another being.

The Papa and I, after this big discovery, headed out to a cooking store to get some ramekins, white bowls and a goldfish cookie cutter.  We have been holding onto a credit at the store from our wedding and needed bowls desperately.  So we cashed in.

From there we ventured to a vegetarian bakery for slices of pizza and then to a cute store to pick up a gift for our niece (Hello Kitty themed) and an item to break the news of the sex of the baby to our family.  We settled on a rubber duck.  Although we aren't one to follow the typical pink is for girl and blue is for boy in our home, we did today.  We wrapped a pink ribbon around the duck's neck and when no one was looking I snuck to the back to place it in the pond.  It drifted waiting to be discovered.

Once it was, it was happiness all around.  It was nice.  I later called my sister.  Although I could sense surprise in her voice, because how could one person possibly give birth to three girls, it quickly turned to congratulations and an offering of baby girl clothes.

All I can say is we are overjoyed, happy and full of love for this baby.  And now I get to create some baby crafts.

Love to all,

The Mama