Bodies

Breakfast for dinner is how we rolled yesterday.
                                                                                                     

I got an hour and a half to myself yesterday when the babysitter came and took the kids to the park.  I put myself back to bed and contractions with pain started!  I knew they were mild and sure enough, they went away when I was back on mom duty.  Last night, I was up from 1am-3am with the same type of contractions.  I am a bit overwhelmed with my current state because I am one, big contraction without pain and it is quite uncomfortable.  Will the ball get rolling again soon?  I pray so.

Prepared?

My pre-laboring has slowed down and things are quiet within my body.  It is getting more uncomfortable each day though.  There is a restlessness and an all over feeling of preparation that I can't describe in words.  Go hormones!  I would love to say I am sitting and waiting, but there is still so much to do with two kids that chilling out just isn't an option.  Blake and Reade are always stopping to feel my baby and send the baby good thoughts.  Reade leaned over and yelled into my tummy so I know baby knows she is part of our family already.
 

Supplies are being organized.

Blankets are washed.

Friends are ready.

Sushi Brownies

Everyone run, don't walk, to Iron Sushi in Newark, CA.  Our friend's family owns the restaurant and I had the pleasure of eating there for the first time.  I left the kids with a babysitter so I got to dine in peace and enjoy my superb, adult company.  They treated us like royalty and it is a damn shame I don't eat sushi!

My veggie tempura.

Appetizers!

If only I could remember the name!

My pre-laboring is back and it is getting longer and stronger, but without a lot of pain.  My midwife comes tomorrow night for the "home visit" so she can familiarize herself with our home and plan of attack.  Andrew has been the best husband ever and has fed me fabulous vegetables and healthy homemade breads while still giving in to demands like making me that box of brownies from the cupboard that I really shouldn't have.  No judgment!  He's my king.

Six

We were originally supposed to have friends over last weekend, but we rescheduled for this weekend. It ended up being great because Blake's friend Aiden's sixth birthday was today so we got to add a birthday celebration into the mix. It was a nice diversion from thinking about my body to focusing on what is going on in other people's lives. I really feel like I got a break today because I only had a few Braxton Hicks throughout the day. Happy Birthday Aiden. I can't believe he is six already.

Production

I was making tacos for dinner and was able to watch a "concert" put on by my boys. I love this house. I had a dream I moved into a mid-century condo and was so happy to realize I was still in our house when I woke up. I never want to move, but I can't help but drool over the four bedroom floorplans next door. The "concert":
Speaking of production, baby #3 seems to be waiting eagerly in the wings. My body is sending me signs that things are probably going to be happening sooner than later. Yesterday was the first day when my Braxton Hicks moved south and started to get things moving. I could barely get to sleep as my body squeezed tight and baby wriggled around in what I couldn't discern as on purpose or out of force. This morning was super calm in my belly, but when kicks were made, they weren't in the same spot. I picture her strapping on her diving cap and assuming the position. It is still early and each day counts towards healthy development so I beg her to stay in (I pre-labored for about seven days with both boys) so we can avoid the hospital and the title of preemie! Come Tuesday (the full term mark), I will be willing. It was also funny to notice that last night resulted in a duck walk where my heels shuffle forward no matter how straight I try to keep my feet.

NB

I call this my Runaway Bunny dress. This size is newborn, but it still looks so big. Again, the fabrics come from my Nana's stash and I love the contrast of the deep red and blue checkers.

Wrought

Our patio post is up and 80% painted. The post will hold our Ikea sail cloth and the solar lanterns are just itching to be attached to shine in glory. My copy of Atomic Ranch magazine came yesterday and now I am scouring craigslist for a funky patio loveseat to add to the backyard. I don't want to have to paint the thing so it would be nice to find something in decent condition.

Check these cools things out:

$475 on craigslist gets you this fine specimen.

I just learned that the patio chairs I have pieced together are Brown Jordan.  Here is a very cool rocker.

Will I be able to find a vintage Homecrest chair like this for cheap?

Frothy

Baby wanted a homemade strawberry milkshake so baby got one. Weird craving if you ask me.

Fresh strawberries.

A dollop of homemade whipped cream.

Don't miss this tomorrow!!!  I don't think it will be hot enough for us to cash in on this.

Trial Run

Labyrinths are special to me and we have walked a different labyrinth for each pregnancy. I chose one close to home this time to make it easier (Blake's was in SF and Reade's was in Calistoga) with time running out. We had originally wanted to walk the labyrinth at Grace Cathedral a couple of weeks ago when we were in San Francisco, but it didn't work out for us.  This labyrinth is in the courtyard of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in downtown Palo Alto.  It was a nice walk together and hopefully our birth journey will be as smooth.

Centered

Thanks to him I remain centered!

Shadow bump.

Humming

Ellen and David took the kids to their house for a practice run overnight sleepover to get them used to sleeping at their house for when baby comes.  Andrew and I had a great date night out and an even more relaxing Sunday without the kids.  Andrew misses the kids and I have to admit that I am kinda bummed we don't have one more day to ourselves!!!  Today, I made a huge mess by dragging out all my sewing stuff to test out my sewing nook (table will be done soon too thanks to Ellen).

First dress for baby girl made from my Nana's vintage fabric.

The sound of humming machines made me happy.

I had just cleaned up this room and now look at it.

H I P S T E R

What is with my obsession with hipster blogs? I got overwhelmed with the sewing blogs and now I just want to put more funk into our family! Enjoy some of my fruitless labor.

Bluebird Blog

Can someone explain my obsession with hipster weddings?  Hipster Bride.

This woman's article cracked me up about Mormon hipster mom blogs.  A blog she linked to.

Tattling

I am in fear of blogging about this because what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Team Building Stress Reflief

He can't help but smile at this!  Men!

Life

My blog thoughts just didn't piece together in my head this evening so I am slapping up two photos of my kids.  There is definitely no shortage of entertainment around here.  Blake commands so much energy all day to watch and be part of these circus acts that I am left saying things like, "Go be creative somewhere else."  Terrible things for a parent to say to their kid, but necessary for a mother's sanity.

Today was a naughty donut day.  At least he ate carrots and dip today for the first time.

What Blake put together when the gardeners were here.  They had a blow off through the window.

Chickadee

This platter was giving to me by my MIL for Mother's Day. It is so pleasing to look at and makes me smile each time I walk by it.  Sometimes a material possession can bring you such joy that you just want to hold it and stare at it for hours.  Happy little birds.

Crate & Barrel

34 Weeks

Here I am only a day away from hitting 35 weeks.  I can't believe that baby can come in two weeks (when Blake came) or up to five more weeks.  I am feeling super healthy besides the constant heartburn and having to walk super slow to let my pelvis catch up.

The Braxton Hicks contractions have come back and stop me in my tracks to remind me not to over exert myself.  I got one big time because I forgot to turn on the fan when I jumped in the shower.  I tried really hard to reach carefully across the room for the switch so I wouldn't slip and fall out of the shower.  My body immediately went into put-that-baby-back-where-she-was-mode.  I also got two more this afternoon from panic.  The first would be when a mama duck walked her ducklings across a six lane, busy street in front of us.  Thank goodness no one ran over them and the car in front of us stopped to let them pass.  My second, fear induced contraction happened at the BBQ last night when Laz dropped one of his drink glasses on the floor to prove to me it was shatterproof.  Thanks for that contraction!

Hello cankles.

Past bump picture here.

M's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there.

I picked up the desk yesterday and am so pleased with how it fits into my nook.  Like a good daughter-in-law, I dropped the desk off at Ellen's so she can sand and prime the thing for me.  Isn't that nice of me to offload that project on her?  I owe her big time!  We had a great lunch over there and I can't wait to show you pictures of the new shelves/sewing space.

The last half of the day was spent BBQ'ing with friends in their backyard. Fun having all those kids run amok.

Megana holding Taliesin and Penny

I went outside and found Taliesin trying hard to get to the watermelon.

Spring time food.

Enzo and Turtle racing around the backyard.

George eating watermelon while being a unicorn.

Kids prompted to yell "Happy Mother's Day."

Diligence

Off to SF I go (tomorrow) to pick up this table off of craigslist. I loved that the title of the post said, "Selling Grandma's Table." Those are always good words. I am ditching the family and get to enjoy a few hours just to myself (Happy Mother's Day to me!). I can't promise my minivan won't veer off at exits where thrift stores may be lurking.

Would love to paint this baby white!

My drawers are starting to fill back up with fresh, laundered baby things.

I usually don't like knit pants, but the ruching got me (and the $0.99 thrift store price tag).

Named

We did it. We named baby-to-be. It is a normal name too! An actual first name you find in baby books. We can't wait to introduce her to the world with her new name. You will have to wait 2.5-5 weeks to find out since we aren't telling a soul!

Photo

Seashore

                                                                                                                         

Sandpiper

I found this pattern:














I found these fabrics:

Coral Weed

Urchin

Now, do I have the time to make this?  Oh, and the fabrics are not available anymore!

Creams

I am not a product junkie.  I usually buy what is on sale or what looks good in that moment.  Here are a few things I just can't seem to live without these days.

1) Coconut Milk Shampoo from Organix.  I can't believe I have found something that can get past my pregnancy-induced, superhuman sense of smell.  Instead of wincing, I take deeps breaths when I am in the shower.  Yum and it doesn't break the bank:

2)Only weeks ago, I wore a scarf and jacket while on a neighborhood walk.  You should have seen the look of surprise when a mosquito buzzed up and bit me on the face.  We hadn't had any warms days so that only meant that mosquito season would be extra horrible this year.  So far, so horrible.  Everyone has lumps and bumps all over their exposed skin.  Ellen gave this to me and so far it is the only thing that cuts the itch and helps the kids stop scratching.  I am not a fan of homeopathic remedies (um, what was I thinking when I got pink eye from the kids I was nannying for?), but this stuff seems to do the trick for now.  SssstingStop:

3)I have a crush on this Spoiled Mama Tummy Butter.   I picked up a jar in a chic mommy boutique only to be blown away by the $70 price tag for the large jar that is the size of a $5 Vaseline tub.  Anyways, the woman sent me home with a sample.  Damn her!  Now I am hooked on the stuff and even went back to blow my money on the smaller, $31 jar.  I know it won't help my skin look any better, but it makes a difference in how it feels today.