Full term

Today is baby's due date, but she's still camped out in my abdomen. Some reflections on this pregnancy as its days are numbered...

How completely different-feeling to carry a baby that isn't footling breech! (Still love Chuck Norris facts, though.) Aside from the weight loss in the 1st trimester and major indigestion throughout, this has been a very comfortable pregnancy. No bowling ball embedded in my ribcage; just a bowling ball flattening my bladder into a prolapsed pancake. Because my thyroid was under control beforehand this time, I did not have to take a ride on the hormonal roller coaster. And I've gained a less weight, ranging between 20 and 25 pounds depending on how much edema I'm rockin' on any given day. Gotta love having elephant legs.

I did need maternity clothes with this pregnancy, and started to need them early on. Almost everything was given to me secondhand from friends or was purchased at the thrift store near my house. I bought a couple of new Liz Lange shirts at Target, and the quality:cost ratio is very disappointing.

Although we found out baby's gender and chose a name for her early on (so we could tell Mo what to expect), I'm still inclined to think of it as an "it" until it is out in the world and alive and screaming. I felt that way last time, too. It's a defense mechanism. So many things can go wrong, even up to the end.

But seriously, she needs to get the hell out of my belly. Like now. Pregnancy has fully lost what little charm it had.

Also, we're planning to let our family know when baby arrives, but we're keeping it off social media until we're headed home from the hospital. (PLEASE be polite and do not post our news publicly until you see that we have posted something first!) Last time I was bombarded with phone calls and visits, and I've gotta tell you that was really difficult for me. I had had major abdominal surgery, and it was the first time I was ever hospitalized for anything in life. I was trying to figure out breastfeeding with a jaundiced baby who wouldn't gain weight. And I was suffering serious sleep deprivation. I let the pain get way ahead of me before starting any drugs, and I was fearful that the baby would evaporate if I closed my eyes. I think I maxed out around 36 hours before Robb started acting like a bouncer for me. I'm hoping the hospital can be a little more peaceful this time around. Well, as peaceful as the hospital can be...

"Chuck Norris can gargle peanut butter."

Um, I'm getting sidetracked.

Oh, right, the old wives tales. So I'm NOT drinking castor oil. Too gross. And evening primrose capsules seem like a bad idea. But I have been sitting/bouncing on an exercise ball and taking long walks around the neighborhood. Also I ate a whole fresh pineapple per my friend Brenda's recommendation. Do yourself a favor and never eat a whole fresh pineapple: it changes the acidity of your poop and makes you want to sit on an inflatable donut for a few days afterward.

Robb's out fishing this afternoon because it's a beautiful day, and he realizes his free time is going to take a major hit in the near future. Mo has a headcold and is watching "The Cat in the Hat" downstairs. And I'm sitting here trying to use Jedi mind tricks to induce labor. Wish me luck!

Mommy had to get creative this morning

"How many pony tails would you like?"

"All of them."

Mother of the year

When we took Sukey for a walk today, Mo started saying, "Humdinger!" And when we got home she said, "Arabesque!" I asked her what does arabesque mean, and she said, "Means spin around." So having the tv babysit her a little while I'm not feeling well isn't all bad. She improved her vocabulary. I think these words came from Sheriff Callie's Wild West and Olivia respectively. But then right before bedtime she said, "This...is....Oxyclean!" Perhaps we overdid it on the tv today.

Wildlife carnival

Our bird and squirrel feeder was wildly successful and is providing hours of entertainment. Now, what project are we going to do today?

Snowing again...not like that's news

Dear winter storm Titan,
Let me start by saying I'm sorry that we're just not as excited about you as we might have been in December. It's been a busy season. If you want to get our attention you will have to give wedgies to puppies or learn to tap dance. It's not your fault, but you are really late to the party. So move along now, honey. That's quite enough.
Sincerely,
Me

Today we are actively being snowed in. Again. Again again. Last I checked they expect us to get 8-12 inches and not climb out of the 20s. I have a little activity planned for the morning. Mo and I are slathering some pine cones with peanut butter and rolling them in bird seed. Please note we collected the pine cones Saturday morning when it was 50 degrees and sunny. We are going to hang all the pine cones from a stick and then suspend the stick from the big hook outside the kitchen window. Then we can watch the little birds feast. And we'll watch to see how long it takes our friendly neighborhood squirrels rip the whole thing down. Usually quite acrobatic and providing at least several minutes of entertainment. They are efficient little rascals. Then maybe we'll bake cookies and watch movies and shovel as little as humanly possible. I mean, it's supposed to be 80 by Thursday, right?

Real winter

After enjoying several very mild winters in a row--this time last year we were at the playground in sweatshirts--we are being squeezed under the thumb an an extended period of real cold. The snow lingers on the ground long enough to become dirty looking around the edges. Quite astonishing after being essentially winter-free for a few years.

We had a lovely Christmas with family and then celebrated Mo's 3rd birthday in style. Amy and Mike came from Pittsburgh for the birthday weekend, which was a real treat. We played this game called Head's Up with them one evening and laughed until we nearly peed our pants. The main source of hilarity was Robb's ability to free associate answers that sometimes had little to do with the subject at hand.

Now we have a visit from Jenny to look forward to in two weeks, before she ships off to her next assignment in South Korea. What an adventure!

Robb is experiencing a winter of the soul, if you consider our refrigerator and pantry to be the vessels in which Robb's soul lives...and I do. Robb needs to lower his sodium and protein, and I need to eliminate saturated fat. I'm not exactly turning cartwheels over making these changes because it means more work in the kitchen from me. We are getting rid of most processed foods and cooking as much as possible from scratch, that way we control the contents of what we eat. But Robb is especially despondent over dietary changes. He will move toward better health kicking and screaming. I remind him that we are also modeling good habits for Mo. I don't think that makes it any easier for him.

We are still in computer limbo. The new tower (refurbished) had a power supply issue. It was still under warranty, so Robb swapped it out for another new (refurbished) tower. And it has a power supply issue too. Very frustrating. So it also needs to go back, this time we're thinking of swapping it out for a different brand/kind/whatever. This must be a problem specific to the one we purchased. Our old computer was a refurb, and it lasted about 4 years, so I still have faith in refurbs. Hopefully we will get this resolved by the end of the month and be on our merry computing way.

I also went with a friend to see the Van Gogh show at The Phillips Collection before it closes.  It was fascinating, especially the Rouin family portraits.

Happy New Year!

Whew-wee it's cold

I found an ugly Christmas sweater at the thrift store this week. It's a vest that is covered with beaded tree ornaments, and upon each bauble rides a creepy elf.  I need it for my book club's holiday pot luck and ugly Christmas sweater party in three weeks. It set me back four dollars, and I was feeling guilty about spending so much--until I saw that new ones are $18.99 at The Walmart. That made me feel a little better. So when you see me sporting my leering elf sweater this holiday season, you'll know that I'm trying to get my four dollars' worth out of it.

This morning Mo and I worked on her homemade ornament project. Last year we made salt dough ornaments for our loved ones. The first batch were too thick and many of them never fully dried even after HOURS in the oven. The second batch went smoother, but then the clear gloss varnish was really stinky... This year we worked with foam stickers to create snowmen and women. Mo finished 16 of them before melting down into a sticker-grabbing monster, so I consider this a very successful project. She still needs to write her name on the backs, but we'll do that part another day. Sorry no previews photos.

11/25/13 .PS. - Just for the record it was 18 degrees with the windchill this morning!

Let it snow

It was so warm today we spent a good chunk of the afternoon at the playground. Sunday we're headed for the 30s, so we have to take advantage of the dregs of autumn. Mo made this artwork at school today after reading The Snowy Day. We love that book!

Just another Wednesday

I realized we've been watching too much tv when I heard Mo repeating, "P B S Kids Dot Org," while she played by herself in the living room. Yikes. I made some decisions about Mo's sweater which allowed me to make some forward progress. It's going to be a tunic. Also Mo did some nice coloring with markers while I cleaned the kitchen this morning. And she kept right on coloring while I put together an enormous dish of enchiladas--like could feed a family of 5 for a week--and in the process re-messed up the kitchen. Sigh. Good coloring, though.

Best friends fall photo shoot

Last week. Even when they are driving each other crazy they refuse to be parted. Even when Mo insists that Sukey IS a pony. They are always always so in love.  That last picture cracks me up.

Our little world

I sang "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to Mo yesterday. At the end she said, "Waterspout scary." I asked her, "Why is the waterspout scary?" She said, "Spider on it." Makes perfect sense.



She knows the words to songs but won't sing them outright. Although I can play fill-in-the-blanks with her. I sing, "Twinkle twinkle little...," and she sings, "Star!" And so on.



We have been eating dinner on the deck. This reminds me of when I was little. We ate outside or on the screened porch as often as we could. And the sweet corn this summer is out of this world good.



The painter is starting work on the basement this morning. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

It's been a good week

Stickers and M&M's all around!

A week in the life of Mo

Our new library has been open for 2 weeks. It has a terrific children's section complete with a massive bead maze, play kitchen, bins full of toys, comfy chairs, and of course books. We have been there several times now. Last week saw temps around 90, so Mo and I hit the playground early before the slides got too hot. She's becoming a very proficient climber. Our bananas browned on the counter before we ate them all, so we baked banana bread together. Jessie joined us for Jefferson Patterson Park's annual Children's Day on the Farm. We became members of BCNES and have been to the Battle Creek Nature Center twice this week. Just when we were getting used to the distant whir of bug-song the cicadas are starting to die off. And as you can see from the last three photos Mo is very into wearing flowers, smelling flowers, and picking flowers these days.

I was glad that last Friday was Mo's last day of school at the Judy Center. -- She goes for 1 hour one day a week during the school year. The program and staff are great. And I think Mo enjoys the program. But I still feel really conflicted about the concept of "school readiness" for a 2 year old. (For example, consider Sweden.) It's sort of the same sick feeling I get when I see commercials for online early learning academies. Classrooms and screen-time do not seem age-appropriate venues. -- Regardless, I was happy that school let out and looking forward to the summer being a less structured time of play and cooking and hiking and trips to the zoo and swimming and ice cream and library books.

I have a mommy-friend who is a real planner, though. While I want to be polite and not tread on her toes, I am learning to say no to her well-intentioned machinations. No, we're not enrolling Mo in xyz. She will not be an over-scheduled kid. The sanctity of the summer will be preserved.

That said, our vacation begins when I get off work Saturday afternoon. We canceled our trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto because we need a new heat pump this year. At first I was really down in the dumps about it. But then we altered our plans to fit the tight budget, a cheap-cation if you will, and it's going to be a more comfortable and relaxing 10 days. On agenda are swimming, fishing, a visit to the zoo, time with grandparents, and a trip to Pittsburgh. Should be really fun!

Tri-terra cardigan

I finished this little sweater for Mo at the end of March, just in time for her to wear to an Easter egg hunt at the community center. I used the Tri-Terra Cardigan pattern by Cosette Cornelius-Bates and improvised a little fake fair-isle colorwork into the yoke. Mom asked when I will start making them in adult sizes. Maybe next winter. My knitting has fallen by the wayside--as it usually does once the weather warms up--and painting has taken its place. Incidentally I had a little free time this weekend and updated my art blog. Have a look-see. By the time I finally know what I'm doing with HTML it will be completely obsolete.

An orchard for a dome

Some keep the Sabbath going to church;
I keep it staying at home,
With a bobolink for a chorister,
And an orchard for a dome.
(from poem number 57 by Emily Dickinson)

We hung a suet feeder just outside the kitchen window at the new house. Each morning Maureen and I watch the songbirds--we all eat our breakfast together. The variety of species that visits each morning is impressive: eastern bluebirds, northern cardinals, white-breasted nuthatches, tufted titmice, black-capped chickadees, red-bellied woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, blue jays, red-winged blackbirds, American robins, boat-tailed grackles, northern juncos, purple finches, and white-crowned sparrows.

As each takes its turn and flies away, Mo says, "Back!" She hauls my Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds around and pages through the illustrations. The daily bird watching is a quiet sort of routine we share. When I write "quiet" I mean simple. I find myself looking for more ways to cultivate simple, peaceful routines for Mo, for all of us.

About 50 years ago Elise Boulding wrote, "It is possible to drown children and adults in a constant flow of stimuli, forcing them to spend so much energy responding to the outside world that inward life and the creative imagination which flowers from it becomes stunted or atrophied." More apt today than when she wrote it.

I worry that there is too much noise in our lives. And as my mommy-friends encourage me to sign Mo up for this or that, to buy the latest learning gadget, I resist. We go to storytime at the library and meet our friends to play. We color and play with puzzles and read books. We listen to music and dance and sing. We pretend to cook, and we actually cook. We do laundry and put away dishes together. I'm not some kind of luddite saint--we watch tv, too, but try to keep limits on it. All the while I see people racing around us. I try to do it the way my parents and Robb's parents did it. Their model works just fine.

Making freezer waffles

One of our cooking projects with Mo was waffles. While I pre-measured the ingredients and lined everything up on the counter, Robb rounded up our little chef.



First, we all washed our hands and donned our aprons. I think the donning of aprons is Mo's favorite part of cooking. Robb wore a Valentine apron made by Great Aunt Sissy, Mo wore a green checked apron that was made for me as a child by Barbara Streaker (my namesake), and I wore a white and pink apron made by Theresa.



Sukey could feel the excitement buzzing in the kitchen and came to see what was going on.



Up on the step stool, Mo's first task was to mix the dry ingredients together in the big bowl. At first she was tentative, but then she gained confidence and enthusiasm.



Robb tried to deflect everything that was flying out of the bowl. But you know what they say: you can't make a dozen waffles without spilling a cup of flour...



Mo was really concentrating.



Then we added the wet ingredients. Robb assisted with the mixing.



The batter looked good. So just when Mo's attention was fading, Robb got her cleaned up, and I took over cooking the waffles.



Fast forward a bit, and we have a bag of Mo-made waffles ready for the freezer.



And the next morning I warmed them up in the toaster, and Mo enjoyed a breakfast that she made herself!