filling our days

Lest you think that the only thing going on around here is waiting, waiting and waiting, let me reassure you dear reader that our days have been filled with oh so much goodness.

Yes, there has been waiting, and a wee bit of anxiety that comes with that, but mostly we've simply been spending our days together. 

This waiting has actually been a gift that our dear sweet baby has given to this family of five, before we become a family of six.  After all, our time has been spent playing together and special meals together and reading together and snuggling together and extra ice cream together and a special breakfast out together and playgrounding together and board games together and outside play together. 

All together.  

So, thank you dear sweet baby.  Soon all six of us will be all together.

Our lucky day!  We received the only blue plate in the restaurant, which means the endless waffles we ordered were free!

I am excited to announce that after the baby is born I have some very, very special posts that will be coming to you from guest mama bloggers.  I am so honored to be able to share their stories about birth and mothering with you!

dear baby

Dear Baby,
Hellooo  in there.  (little tap, tap on the belly) 

This is your Mother.  We're ready for you to come on out and play.  We can't wait to have you join our family, like in the out-of-the-womb-and-into-our-arms kind of way.  As a matter of fact, we've been ready for a couple of weeks now.  After an amazing display of organization, hard work, and lots of help the nesting list has been completed.

Every day we wake up wondering if today will be the day we can finally meet you face to face.  After all, it seems like we know you so well already...

You like to squirm and wiggle and move.  I have no doubt that you will be able to keep up with your big brothers and sister.  No doubt.
You have a great sense of humor.  Made evident by the couple hours of good labor that occurred then dissipated early on April Fool's Day.  The joke was not lost on us.
You sure like being cozy.  I know that must be one comfy uterus, but be assured we do lots and lots (and lots) of snuggling together at home too.
You know what you want and will come when you are ready.  Well yes, your Dad and I want you to have a mind of your own, certainly.  But I can only sweep the kitchen floor so many times in anticipation of you!
You are loved beyond belief!  I would hope all of the kisses and hugs and whispers (and prodding and pokes) from your brothers and sister make this clear.  But in case you need reminded, there is plenty of love awaiting you outside of my belly.

Lovey is ready to share the breastmilky.  Munchkin has offered to change diapers.  Buddy has determined he is in charge of strapping you in and out of the car seat.  Daddy and I simply want to gaze at your beautiful face and soak in the miracle that is you little one.  See, we got it covered.

So you can be born now.

I love you,
Mama

gratitude indeed

I've mentioned before my continual gratitude for the countless ways that people in our lives have been generous with their time and help these last number of weeks and months.

I thought I had this gratitude thing down.

And then this week Christine, a friend from church, stopped by just so I could put my feet up for a bit.

To her, giving me a chance to "put my feet up" meant making me a cup of hot tea and then taking all three kids (ALL THREE!) out of the house and to the library for a bit, and then on errands to COSTCO.  I rarely go solo with all three of my kids on errands, and I don't think ever to COSTCO!  But I imagine three seemed quite doable to Christine, after all she is the mother of nine.

She had the kids out of the house a long, long time.  Long enough for me to drink that hot tea, lay down and listen to my childbirth meditation, and fully and deeply rest on the bed.  I don't remember feeling that restful in months.  Every time I began to pull the warm covers back and get out of bed to begin lunch for their arrival back, the comfort and peace of resting overcame me and I covered back up and thought it could wait until their actual arrival back.

So glad I did.  As it turned out, they had enough samples at COSTCO that lunch was a moot point.  She is one savvy Mama.

The kids were excited to return with a box full of fresh produce for us and pink flowers for me and baby.  Christine kept saying "this brings back memories, it is the time of your life."

And I believe her.  Yes, I believe her.

Oh, and later when we drove the mini-van, we discovered she put gas in it too.

Gratitude indeed.

this moment {extra rest}

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are savoring this week!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

so then you wait

We are well into that magical time of waking each day and wondering "maybe today..." 

There are even moments when a lovely contraction comes and I have to determine if it is the start or if it is just practice.

Just practice so far.

So then you wait.

And I've tried to make this waiting a time of slow pleasure and gentle excitement.  Not just for this little lovely baby I will be birthing into our world, but for our family, and for myself.

Our waiting has been:

:: taking family scavenger hunt walks

:: cutting daffodils for a new vase

:: planning Daddy's birthday cake

:: eating a bit more ice cream than usual

:: keeping up with laundry, oh those glorious empty laundry baskets!

:: sitting in the sunshine

:: letting the kids discover Woody Woodpecker, for a bit much longer than would usually be allowed (but that is the trade off for sitting in the sun!)

:: participating in a kid-organized backyard miniature golf tournament, including cheering section, golf snacks, and winter coats taken back out of storage after putting them in storage last week

:: feeling constant gratitude for the many helping hands that have spent time at our home, giving the gift of their presence and assistance

:: spending extra time with Poppy as his being with us simply helps make the waiting more enjoyable, not to mention he brought me the doughnuts I've been craving and a steak, oh boy!

:: reading extra storybooks at bedtime 

:: making a very short to-do list by the day, always knowing "maybe today!"

from big brothers and sister

As I've neared the birth of each of my children, I've felt the need to make.  Make something as an act of mothering or welcoming, or maybe just a productive way of waiting.  That making has usually included sewing.

This nearing has been no different, but with the sense that it would be fun to include these now older siblings.  So a stop at a local fabric store that I've been wanting to visit gave the perfect making inspiration.

The design of this rag quilt is very forgiving, so the kids easily could do the top stitching of the squares and the sewing together of the strips.  Ultimately I snipped all of the raw edges to give the texture, so any unevenness was easily hidden.  The kids even created their own designs with fabric markers on several squared that were included.

And possibly the best part of the whole project was that once the blanket was done, Munchkin Spidey woke up the next morning and said "let's sew something for the baby."  Warms a Mama's heart, that does.

So he did.  And what a lucky baby this little one will be.

ready {almost}

The infamous list.

The list as of Tuesday afternoon...

Well it looks like we are oh so ready.  At least if the lists means anything, we are.  We've gone from almost a hundred to-dos down to a handful.  So I think we are about ready.  (Honey thought we would be ready after car seats and crib.  But that is oh so another story!)

So what does one do when everything is ready?  Well, everything but the baby is ready.

Get to creating of course.  While Honey's list has gotten smaller and smaller and smaller, mine has grown a bit with my wishes for things to make and do before baby actually arrives on the scene.

A quick stop in a local fabric store?  Inspiration!  Oh yes, there should be time to have the kids make a baby blanket.

A brainstorm for presents I can give to the big brothers and sister once labor has begun?  Oh, yes a late night of stenciling fabric paint.

Tie dye a matching onesie for the baby?  Who wouldn't?

Working ahead on birthday presents for Honey...someone stop me now.

So as baby finishes creating inside, I am keeping my hands busy creating outside.  And of course I will share all of the fun details once I can.

this is me

This is me sitting.

This is me sitting some more.
Yep, more sitting.

Sitting, soaking my feet.

Sitting in the sunshine.
Sitting at the playground.

Feet definitely up.

So despite the longest nesting list in history, there's been some actual sitting going on around here.  But apparently mostly by me...I don't seem to have any pictures of Hubby sitting, after all he is taking care of most of that list!


P.S. To my dear readers, lest you think this is a silly, silly post, know that it is mostly for my parents, who are among my regular readers.  Just wanted to give photographic evidence reassure them that I am resting too in preparation for baby!
Sending hugs to all!
Claudine

this moment {checking baby}

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are savoring this week!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

right now, I'm

:: Re-discovering how much I adore (and honestly, need) pre-natal yoga.  Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa is a superstar in my book.
:: Happy I've finally been able to make and send along to Tonya, a very patient giveaway winner, the Loving Hands Pillow.  Lesson learned.  Have the giveaway ready before, ahem, giving it away.
:: Enjoying the spring-like sunshine and breezes, even if just for a few days.  The fresh air is divine.
:: Feeling pride in Honey, who runs, even in the freezing cold.
:: Loving all of the creating going on around here by kids and grown-ups alike.  (Painting jobs on the nesting list count, don't they?)
:: Relishing the mornings spent in pjs, playing games.
:: Grateful for an amazing OB that always makes the littles feel like they have an important job during my pre-natal visits.  Always.