5 Green Speckled Frogs

I only had to sing this song once to Shaun and then he took over! We don't have any frogs in the tubby toy basket so a racoon, 2 squirrels and a baby tiger had to do. He didn't seem to mind!

Five green and speckled frogs

Sat on a speckled log

Eating some most delicious bugs

Yum Yum!

One jumped into the pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there are four green speckled frogs

Glub Glub!

An Adventure with my Boys

I love spring! I love winter too... and summer and fall, but really, I LOVE SPRING. I think it's because I just feel so rejuvenated. After a long cold winter with too much snow and not enough vacation, along comes spring with flowers everywhere, sunshine almost every day and temperatures warm enough that I don't have to worry about a jacket. The birds sing so loud it's amazing they don't need throat drops to soothe themselves. And everyone's happy. It seems no matter where I look in spring, there's happiness everywhere: in the animals, in people, in the sky. Did I mention that I love spring?

We decided to head down to the river today to search for tadpoles. Shaun and I went down there this time last year and the water lapping at the shore was thick and black with billions of tadpoles. I went armed with an empty pickle jar this year, hoping to scoop some up and bring them home. I was disappointed that there weren't any tadpoles yet - well, we did see one. Yup, one lonely tadpole. I didn't have the heart to take the only one in the whole river. Shaun and I will return in a couple weeks and hopefully all the mummy frogs will have spit out their eggs by then so I can borrow a few. Shaun's so interested in anything having to do with nature right now that Craig and I thought having tadpoles would be really cool. I just have to do some research on what to feed those tiny things. Any suggestions??

Since there weren't any tadpoles we walked a trail to a long dock jutting out into the middle of the river. Last year there was a muskrat that swam out from under the dock that nearly sent me flying into the river with surprise. The muskrat wasn't there today. Shaun figured it was out fishing. *shrug* The three of us sat on the dock in the warm sun for a while and then Craig decided to go exploring with Shaun further down the trail. They found a skeleton and deer tracks. I wish I'd gone with them. I'm fascinated by skeletons. When I was a little girl, my dad and I found a skeleton of a raccoon under a bridge by a river where I grew up and he brought it home, bleached all the flesh off the bones and glued it all back together. My brother and I had the best show and tell EVER! I still have that raccoon skeleton in a shoe box in my daycare chest, just waiting for the time when I start my own daycare in my home and can pull it out to impress all the kids.

28 weeks belly photo. The blur in the front is Shaun trying to scoot quickly in front of the camera before hearing the "click". He was too slow. Lovely.

27 Weeks

Okay, 27 weeks. I can't believe how much this baby grew since the last photo! My uterus has grown to just below my ribs and is causing them to expand out a little, meaning my bras don't fit quite as nice anymore! I was wanting to wait until the baby was born to go and buy some new nursing bras but I'm going to have to get some earlier than I thought if I'm going to avoid having the underwires digging into me!

Also, my midwife moved my due date back 3 days so I'm now officially due on August 8. It's actually better I feel, because this way I have that much longer to go into labour on my own before there's worry of complications from going overdue (although I HOPE I won't be). Because of the new due date, I'm taking photos on Friday now instead of Tuesday, so maybe the amount of belly-growth is more due to the fact that it's been 2 1/2 weeks since my last photo instead of only 2 weeks, like the gestation would otherwise indicate.

Oh, and that thing at the bottom of the photo beside my hand, it's some of Shaun's toys that I was rotating that I hadn't gotten around to putting away yet. I'm usually really conscious of what's sharing the photo with me but the bag of play food missed my attention. No worries.

Buddy

I heard Shaun talking to someone a couple of weeks ago while he was eating dinner and I had quickly run to the bathroom. I chalked it up to him talking with the fat cat that always sits on the empty chair and wills food to drop to the floor so she can nibble on it. Then a couple days ago it happened again; he was talking to someone while I ran down the basement for a moment.

Finally when he turned and spoke to the air yesterday while we were sitting eating dinner together I asked him who he was talking to. "My friend, Buddy, Mum," as if I should have known. Apparently Buddy is Shaun's new friend who sits beside him at the table. So far I haven't seen Buddy appear anywhere else in the house except when we're eating. Buddy is a boy but only talks to Shaun and his favourite food is corn. Go figure, that's one of Shaun's favourite foods too.

I've known for a while that Shaun really needs a friend his age to just be a kid with. His play is so different when he's with another child than with me or Craig. Now that the warmer weather is here we've been spending a fair amount of time outside and he's made friends with a little boy from our complex who is only a week or so younger. I've felt relief that this may be the social aspect of Shaun's life that has been missing. I guess I was wrong because now Buddy has appeared. It's too cute to listen to him ask Buddy what he'd like to eat and encourage Buddy to take "just one bite". That's our rule: you have to take at least one bite of everything that's being served. Buddy doesn't talk much and Shaun hasn't played with Buddy as of yet but I'm sure the more he explores the world of pretend and imagination that Buddy will become a permanent feature in Shaun's life. It's sort of creepy that Shaun has an imaginary friend but it's really cool at the same time. He's only 2 1/2 and already has identified that having a friend is important; and if he can't have a real friend, he'll make one up.

I wonder what Buddy's mum thinks of him eating here all the time instead of at home? I have to remind myself to let this whole story-line follow Shaun's lead and not get too involved. I tend to want to direct play too often and don't let it find its own course. He's awake from his nap right now but playing in his room. I can hear him over the monitor talking about planes and helicopters. I wonder who he's talking to...

And So, We Meet

Craig and I had discussed back in the first trimester getting a 3D ultrasound done. Extra ultrasounds above and beyond the standard aren't covered by OHIP so it would cost us $169.50 out of our pocket. Originally I decided I wasn't going to get it done but the more I felt the baby moving inside me, the more I realized how much I wanted to meet this baby early. Shaun and I went today and Mum joined us. Craig couldn't get time off in the middle of his shift so I'm thrilled my Mum could come and share the scan with me. It would have been so different if I was by myself.

Peek a Boo!

I was amazed at how much the baby moves that I don't feel. It was squirming the whole time! And we got some great shots on DVD of the baby yawning and stretching. One yawn was so big it stuck out its tongue and everything. So amazing that this a life we started together.

We had decided back at the last ultrasound that we don't want to know the gender this time around. I knew the chance of the gender remaining a mystery after this scan was slim but baby cooperated and kept its legs closed! It must have known that we want it to stay a surprise until its birth day. Funnily enough I don't have any strong feelings one way or another. I had been thinking for a while that I may be carrying a boy but now I'm not sure. It's strange that so many people say they just "know" the gender of their baby before even an ultrasound. Do they say that AFTER they know that their hunch was right? What does that feel like, to know what gender your baby is without actually knowing for certain? I have to admit that I haven't even had a single dream about the gender of this baby. That must mean that it really doesn't matter to me and that it's not on my mind. I've been dreaming of all sorts of bizarre things lately, from the brakes not working on the van to my favourite TV show being nothing but commercials for the whole half hour, but the baby hasn't appeared in any yet.

I'm finding it harder to bond with this baby. When I was pregnant with Shaun I would sit and read after coming home from work and nudge my belly whenever he'd kick or squirm. I remember spending hours in the rocking chair before he was born, reading outloud and singing favourite songs from childhood. I haven't done that specifically for this baby yet. Granted, I read every night aloud to Shaun and I sing countless children's songs every day with him (his favourite right now is Herman the Worm) so that helps with the guilt I feel that I don't have as much time to enjoy this pregnancy. I always knew that this pregnancy would be different. I'm busier. Our routine has changed. I've been here before and the little nudges throughout the day aren't new anymore so I don't notice them as much. It's sad, really. I'm almost mourning this pregnancy before it's even 3/4 done. Craig commented to me tonight that it seems to be going a lot quicker than with Shaun. I agree! I'll probably have just as many days to enjoy having a tiny life all to myself as I did with Shaun but I'm busy caring for another little life at the same time. I wonder what it will be like with 2 children? No wonder so many people plan to have their second child when the first is old enough for school.

A New Bike for Shaun

So this morning, Poppy and Nana brought by a new bike for Shaun. The first one was a little too big for his short little legs so we quickly exchanged that one for a smaller one and Poppy and Nana threw in a helmet in the deal! Shaun spent the whole afternoon driving up and down the path behind our house. At first he would get frustrated because his legs aren't strong enough to do a complete rotation of the pedals but then he figured out that he could push from the back like a scooter and that just made his day!

Thanks Poppy and Nana for the awesome present!!

25 Weeks

I'm right in the middle of my favourite point of pregnancy: 5 to about 7 months. Although it would probably be longer if I wasn't always pregnant in the dreadful heat of the summer. By this point I'm obviously pregnant and no longer just 'letting myself go', plus I have the energy of a race horse and feel like my old self again. Maternity clothes still fit well and my boobs aren't leaking all over the place just yet. I get gentle reminder throughout the day that I have a human growing inside me but not enough to make me uncomfortable. The zits of early pregnancy seem to have disappeared along with the morning sickness. Overall, I think I'd like to be 5 1/2 months pregnant forever. Well, maybe not forever, but if I could arrange to be feeling and looking like I'm 5 1/2 months pregnant for the entire 9 months, I'd have a dozen kids at least by now! And I'm sure Craig would be more open to having more children if I had the emotional stability of a 5 1/2 month pregnant woman for the whole time. :)

Fore!

We were finally able to make it out to the driving range as a family today. Shaun's been practicing his golf swing all winter and we've been talking to him about eventually going to the range so he can hit some balls. He was impressed at all the people there and gave us a running commentary of everyone around us: 'Daddy, he just made a good shot," or "Mummy, that man isn't very happy with his golf club." Last summer Craig cut down a couple of his old clubs and made them Shaun-size. They're still too heavy for Shaun to swing properly and he's compensated for the weight by using a reverse grip. We're working on encouraging him to change his grip but it's pretty engrained now - just like thumb-sucking and nose-picking!

I enjoy golf but I'm terrible at it and with a big belly in the way these days I decided I wasn't going to drive any balls. Besides, Shaun needed a few reminders to stay within the ropes and not steal the balls from the people beside him.

Spring is Here

Boy, after the early arrival of the long and drawn-out winter, it seems that spring is finally here. My tulips in both gardens in the backyard have all popped out of the ground. Most are close to 8 inches tall and a few have the buds peeking out from between the leaves. There seems to be so many more than last year. I guess that's how bulbs work: they keep multiplying year after year. Maybe eventually I can have a full garden of tulips rather than a skinny little row like I had last year.

Today was a glorious 26 degrees Celcius. Shaun played outside all morning in just shorts and a t-shirt and went back out after dinner as it started to cool down. He was devastated when he got up from his nap at 4:00 and I told him we had to do groceries before he would be able to play outside. He moped around for the next 20 minutes while I dressed him to go and we drove to the grocery store. But by the time we got there he seemed to be out of his funk, thankfully. There's nothing worse than shopping on a busy Friday afternoon with a toddler than shopping on a busy Friday afternoon with a miserable toddler. He was incredibly patient and understanding while we waited for 5 customers ahead of us in line. I'll never know what caused his patience. Some days he's more patient than me and I understand the concept of time. I can only imagine how hard it must be for a 2 1/2 year old to wait patiently when his mother tells him no less than 6 times that the line will only take a minute. That must be a long minute in his mind!

The kitchen reno is really moving along. I got a call this afternoon while I was out that the countertop is ready for pickup, a whole 4 days earlier than we were told! We haven't even removed the old countertop yet because we weren't expecting the new one until Tuesday! I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. That and preparing for my sister Tara and her husband Wes to visit. They're coming to town for a wedding in the afternoon and will join us for dinner before heading home early evening. She's pregnant too and it's always fun to groan and complain with someone who's going through the same things, just 10 weeks behind. I'll try and remember to post pictures, that is, if I remember to take any! The battery in the camera was dead this afternoon when I tried to use it outside. I'm terrible at remembering to turn it off when I'm finished uploading to the computer.

24 Weeks

There's something about this magical number that makes me sigh with relief. In all reality, I could be days away from reaching the 24 week mark of this pregnancy or I could have reached it last week some time. Whatever it is, going by my original due date of August 5, I'm at 24 weeks today. I know that the chance of a baby being born at 24 weeks and surviving without any complications is still less than favourable - 20-25% I've read - but that's still really good odds! Top that off with the slim chance that I'll actually be delivering this baby within the next few days or weeks and I can admit that I feel really great that we'll be bringing home a new human in only 4 months time.

I can't help but continue to worry that this pregnancy is well. It's funny because I feel the baby moving inside me all the time, a reminder that it's happy and healthy; I had a great ultrasound a few weeks back; I continue to measure on-target for growth and weight gain; so why do I continue to worry? I have to admit that most of the worry I've created on my own but with the amount of sad stories on internet blogs and my own experiences with miscarriage I know that a baby is never a for sure thing - even once they're born there's still so many things that can happen to have them taken away. I actually didn't mean for this to be a somber blog entry. I more wanted to celebrate that I'm at 24 weeks! So I'll end here before I dig this hole any deeper.

Picnic in the Tent

I got a tent for Shaun at IKEA last weekend and set it up in the living room as a reading corner for him. I placed a blanket on the tent floor and added pillows and a basket of books as well as his little radio and some markers and a notebook. He spends a lot of time in there; as do the cats!

Today Shaun decided he wanted to have a picnic in the tent for lunch. Who am I to say no? I thought it was a terrific idea! I made him Kraft Dinner. Now, seriously, I hate that he loves KD. It has absolutely no nutrition and the powdered fake cheese smell makes me want to run from the kitchen. I'm so glad he loves broccoli though because I was able to give him a bowl of that along with the KD and he ate all the broccoli and left some of the Kraft Dinner. At least I got a little nutrition in him at lunch today.

Tonight swimming lessons begin again. Shaun's in the pool on his own for all 11 classes this time. I'm pretty confident he'll do great but I still have this nagging doubt that he'll spend the first 5 lessons having a fit at the side of the pool. It kills me to see him upset but I tell myself that he's not upset for any good reason. He just wants his mummy in the pool with him and needs to realize that he and I can't do everything together. He's 2 1/2 afterall!

22 Weeks

I really should continue to take photos during the day because I look so much better than at night, which is when this one was taken!!

Twinkle Twinkle @ 21 Months

Twinkle Twinkle @ 21 Months

I was going through some older stuff this evening and found this short video I shot of Shaun last year when he was 21 months. He had just learned how to sing Twinkle Twinkle. If you're interested, you can read the post from last year!

The Big Shop

Since I've been so behaved with the whole kitchen-reno budget lately, Craig let me head out this afternoon to IKEA and Lime Ridge Mall in Hamilton with Tara to spend some of his hard earned money. I had a great time shopping with Tara for maternity clothes and we chatted like old times. It's wierd that we're 5 years apart in age but can talk like old girlfriends. I guess that's a bond that only sisters can have!

Shaun stayed home with Craig and they had our 2 nephews, Matthew and Joseph, over to play. Shaun had all sorts of stories to tell me when I got back late this evening about his play adventures with the boys. He really needs the socialization with other kids. Thank goodness swimming lessons are starting back up next Thursday.

I had briefly considered preschool for him but I'm really hesitant to fork over the cash when I know I can provide quality care for him here (more than likely of a higher quality than any preschool in this neighbourhood anyway) so all he really needs is the contact with other kids and the chance to be away from me for a while too. This next session of swimming lessons is 11 classes and cost just over $60. He'll be in the pool on his own with up to 2 other children for half an hour a week and I'll be able to watch from the observation deck above the pool. He enjoyed last session so much that I just had to sign him up again.

21 Weeks

21 weeks.

This Made Me Cry

I found this poem online and it made me cry. I have no idea what the title is or who the author is but it touched me so I wanted to share it. Everytime I spend a long time with the bedtime routine for Shaun I wonder if it's best for him in the long run. But this poem totally put it into perspective.

It's 3AM, they're all asleep, and no one's here to see
As we rock back and forth, my baby boy and me.
His little head is feather light tucked up against my chin
I hold his tiny hand in mine and stroke his baby skin.
The house around us creaks and groans; the clock hands creep around
He snuggles closer to me still and makes his baby sounds.
I love these quiet hours so much and cherish every one
Storing memories up inside my heart for lonely times to come.
All too soon he'll be grown up, his need for mama gone
But until then I still have time for kisses and a song.
Time for quiet hours like this with him cuddled in my arms
Where I wish he'd always stay, protected, safe, and warm.
And yet I know the day will come when his tiny little hand
Will be much bigger than my own; he'll be grown into a man.
But until then he's mine to love with no one here to see
As we rock back and forth, my baby boy and me.

Never again will I feel guilty for abusing every opportunity I have to snuggle with that little man. I love being a mum and can't imagine anything else more rewarding. I will cherish every single second!

20 weeks

Shaun wanted to have a belly picture too but wouldn't look at the camera!

Kitchen's Coming Along

Just quickly: the kitchen's coming along. I bought stuff for the new drawer today and ordered glass shelves for above the sink. About half the kitchen is sanded. Once the sanding is done, after that is painting, make the curtains, do the backsplash then final features.

I need to move things from the microwave shelf and bakers rack so we can send that stuff to mum and dads. I'll clean out the cupboard where the toaster is to accomodate the pots. I can't wait to see how much it opens up the kitchen!

19 weeks tomorrow!!

Another Cousin for Shaun

Shaun's playing Dora right now on the computer all by himself. He's propped up on 2 pillows on the computer chair doing the game completely independently. I can't believe he's getting so big.

We've started the kitchen reno: we're sanding and completely refinishing the cupboards, putting in a backsplash, new counter top, ceiling fan, moving the microwave and hanging new window treatments. I'm going to ask Mum to make some false Roman blinds for me. My sister, Tara, says they're easy and cheap - sounds like my kind of blinds!

Tara's pregnant!!! Due the middle of October sometime. I'm guessing October 18 will be her due date but she hasn't had an ultrasound to confirm yet. She came here a couple weekends ago to share the good news. It's going to be great to be pregnant at the same time. Pretty exciting!

I see my backup midwife, Pooja, on Thursday next week for a check up. It's March Break next week too so no Isaac but the drive isn't that bad. That baby hasn't been moving very much this week and I had a bit of a panic attack yesterday thinking the baby had died. I'm so worried this time that there's something wrong. But by this morning I felt a couple of really good kicks so, hopefully, everything's okay.

Aww, Shaun's emptying out the dryer on his own. What a helper he is!

The big ultrasound is 2 weeks from today. If feel pretty good that everything is fine but we're not finding out the sex. I'd love for it to be a surprise! Mostly I don't want to be disappointed if we find out it's a girl (that that I'd really be disappointed, because of course we'll be thrilled either way, but there'd be less of a chance for a #3 if this baby's a girl). I want to hold on to hope until the very end!

Toddler-isms

Shaun's been such a delight these past couple of weeks. He's healthy and has been eating like a horse, which I'm sure is contributing to his great mood. Last week he said three things to me that were so innocent and cute that I just have to write them down.

He'd been saying to me for the whole day that he had "a wack" in his ear. I kept saying to him, "a rock? How'd you get a rock in your ear?" He'd get so mad! "Not a rock, a wack!" Well, I finally figured it out, he was thinking that the word wax was plural so he had a wack in his ear. :)

Then later in the week he said, with tears in his eyes, that his grampe went down by itself. I thought it had fallen in the couch or something so I told him I'd find it later. Then he started crying and told me that his grape went into his tummy all by itself; he'd swallowed his grape whole! Ouch!

Finally, you know how creamy butter and suger get when they're mixed together in baking? We were making cookies last week and I let him use a spoon to take scoops to taste. Then we added the eggs and corn syrup and when it was done mixing I offered him the beater (I know, raw eggs, but unless your egg is hard boiled or over-hard, the yolk is raw too!). He didn't want them and was very insulted that I'd offered him a drippy mmxture. Shaun told me "I want it really tasty," meaning he wanted it thick like before. What a goodball!

I went and saw Maggie, my midwife, yesterday. My blood pressure was 120/80 but I'd been chatting a lot. And I heard my baby's heartbeat! It was in the 160s which is nice and strong. The baby's about as big as a lemon this week: 4 inches. I'm feeling less movement but I think that's because the placenta's in the way. But still 1 or 2 strong kicks a day. Also, I was wickedly constipated on Monday. So much so that I couldn't move. I've had a BM since then and I'm feeling so much better but I need to up my intake of water and fibre. Time for All Bran Bites!

15 weeks