playhouse update

Look at this thing of beauty! Dad has really been outdoing himself and mom has been a great assistant to him as well as running all around interference with kids, meals AND cleanup. I wander around getting consulted occasionally, sitting in the shade sipping iced tea. Does it get any better? Of course I'd rather be helping and feeling useful but this is good living. Everyone is safer with me and my belly out of the way.

The kids are delighted that there's a project for them to help with today - priming the nails so we can paint on a pretty colour soon. I expect that to hold their interest for at least 10 minutes. I'll have to see if we can get some inside shots that show the loft and it looks like the deck will go on today. That off-centre opening in the front (from this angle) will be a cubby door onto the deck. I can't wait to move into this thing! Oh wait, it's for the kids. Right.

nine

Here we are at 9 months and baby is now feeling huge. Still happy, healthy and feeling remarkably wonderful although if this hits the "10 month" post you're likley to witness some issues cropping up. I've had my thoughts on August 1st for a while now (methinks that would make for a very happy Tante T) so we'll see if I'm even close for the first time. Let me see...I'm going to hazard some more guesses just for entertainment. I'll say a shade under/over 9lbs, trust the ultrasound tech on the "boy" analysis and hope for a labour much like I had with Ella. I wouldn't either be shocked if it was wrong on all counts though, there have been plenty of surprises with this pregnancy.

no spoilers

This post contains a brief and completely benign reference to the "Deathly Hallows" for those of you rabidly trying to avoid any info on it. I'd rather pull out all my toenails than spoil someone else's excitement in reading it.


I've been living in a strange reality (or lack of?) this week. Some random notes on the last few days...

- Harry Potter mania. It may be my only mass pop culture infatuation. I got my hot little hands on Book 7 Saturday morning and finished the last chapter when I woke up at 7am today. Not saying anything. I also went to see the Order of the Phoenix movie this week and it was good brain candy for my lady-in-waiting headfog. I didn't have to think to follow the plotline and it was fun to do the theatre thing which is so rare for me. Nobody paused the movie for my multiple washroom breaks though.

- Ivy got her first loose tooth when she bit into a carrot yesterday. The glow on her face as she realized the long waited for event was happening was priceless. It managed to shock me because it seemed to drive home the enormous changes going on. First born growing up rapidly and a new family unit configuration in the next few weeks. It's like I'll fall asleep and wake up with Ivy leaving for college (or a trip around the world), Ella in the throes of teenage drama and jr. pulling hijinks in middle school. It's a good reminder to appreciate the present, not rush things along because time will fly. Remind me again when I moan about not getting enough sleep.

- Had the impulse to check my own blog to see if I had the baby.

nope

This is not the post you've been waiting for.

The weather has cooled off and I'm not minding the rain one bit. It will keep things growing and the smoke out of the air a few weeks longer. And the house stays cool. My parents arrived from Manitoba earlier this week and have gone gallivanting to Vancouver to see Mark for a few days. Must be nice to retired!

Dad and I worked on at least three different playhouse plans this week and by the time I could make up my mind it had started pouring and it was too late to start. Okay, he mostly worked and I mostly dithered. It was fun though, we had some good laughs and I'm looking forward to seeing it take shape. If it takes a year to finish I don't mind but I'd love to see a roof on it. It's pretty frustrating to feel crippled when I know he'll be working so hard on it. I can carry about the weight of a feather without doubling over from various muscles cramping. The joys of being almost 9 months along...

feeling the heat

Feeling hot, hot, HOT. But not unbearable by any means (yet), in fact the feet are barely getting puffy (yet)! With 38 degrees in the forecast I can't expect my sleep to improve though. The pregnancy is still going fabulously well, despite the bad couple of days I noted in my last entry. The nights are getting less restful and I wonder if it's a hormonal change as much as the heat. It's like I'm drinking 3 cups of coffee just before bed (I'm not) and I'm having a lot of trouble stopping the buzzing. If they were at least interesting, productive thoughts the time would pass more quickly. I'm usually dog-tired by then and resent the half-wakefulness because it means I have to turn over/hit the washroom far more often. Yes, the old wives would tell me that this is nature's way of preparing me for a newborn. I say if nature wanted to prepare me I'd be sleeping 18 hour nights for the month before the birth. Then again, maybe it is more than a month away.

I am delighted to have passed a significant milestone on the weekend, the 37 week mark. It's a big deal for us because it's when the medical community declares the baby to be technically "full term". For most women that means if they go into labour the hospital will no longer try to hold it off. To me it means clearance for the home birth. I now have a 5 week window where it's officially sanctioned - from 3 weeks before the due date until 2 weeks after. That would be July 7- August 11 if I counted right. So please, nobody bug me about still being pregnant before August 11.

Unfortunately in explaining this all to the girls after they heard us talking about it, they are now on high alert and expect the baby at any second. I don't feel anything like full-term most days and am trying to mentally prepare for carrying this one over into August, while sincerely hoping I don't. That said, I'm not feeling any urgency about it yet. I'm having a lovely summer where I get up early while it's still cool and have my coffee before anyone else wakes up. I love this time. We try to get necessary errands done in the morning and then by mid-afternoon there is nothing to do but head to the lake for as long as possible and then stop by the fruit stand on the way home to find some supper ingredients. Repeat.