As yet unnamed!

Fun day

We had a really late start to the day as Noemie didn't wake up until 9am! I think that's a record even for her as she's usually up by 8:30. Kirk woke up and I think he was a bit worried as she hadn't woken yet. I was still snoozing as I tend to sleep better in the morning hours than at night. It was nice we all got to sleep in but it does make the day feel a lot shorter so I think tomorrow we'll get up a bit earlier. I had to take this photo of Noemie in her little outfit as I think it's just so cute. I bought it earlier in the summer, put it away and forgot all about it until I went through her closet the other day. So glad I did as it won't fit her next year and it's too cute not to get worn a few more times.   

Today was a pretty warm day, not the warmest day by any means but warmer than it's been the last few weeks. We had bought a little blow up pool for Noemie earlier in the summer along with a cute little bathing suit so we decided we'd do the pool thing today as chances are, it's going to be cooling off as we approach Fall. I really wanted her to get to wear her bathing suit at least once! She was fascinated by the pool while I was blowing it up and she's definitely a water baby. So sweet how she's helping Kirk fill the pool as well. The two photos of her in the pool are her first reactions... she's never been in a pool before and I think the water was a tad cold as she splashed around for a bit and then stood up and wanted to get out. I found a cute little towel dressing gown type thing in her closet the other day as well so that seemed to do the trick. She also kept going back into the conservatory where her sand and water table is stored so we brought that out for her and she spent a long while playing with it. 

And then she did this: 

Please don't take any notice of how fat I am in these photos. Yes I know I'm pregnant but I'm also fat at the same time. Anyway, she took great pleasure in throwing water over me repeatedly and then would look at Kirk who would be smiling with approval so she'd keep going. I was soaked by the time she was done and she thought it was the funniest and silliest thing ever. I have to admit it felt nice and cold in this heat and it was great watching her have so much fun with it all. Not much else to report for today. 

Have been plodding along in my room to sort stuff out and have 4 boxes going with stuff to donate, stuff to rak, etc. I figure my folks will be here this week so if I get it all done I can get them to take it all for me. I don't want to stick stuff in the dining room in case it turns into the storage zone again. Better get back to tidying a bit more before bed time!

A post about Peanut for a change

I figured it's time Peanut got a blog entry all of his own. He's pretty much been an afterthought as Noemie is so distracting. We had a growth scan today and he's growing really well. 5.5lbs so far at 33 weeks 3 days. Average weight is around 4.5lbs for gestation so he's a big boy. Glad I won't be pushing him out and that he'll be coming out the sunroof like Noemie. He's laying transverse at the moment despite being head down the entire pregnancy and as recent as a month ago when I last had an ante-natal appointment. My OB pretty much said "this explains why you've been so uncomfortable". I had emailed him several times complaining about pressure and aches and pains that I didn't have last time around. His butt is up in my ribs to the left, his head is to the right hand side of my waist and he's facing downwards (usually it seems that a transverse baby is facing upwards) so his hands are playing the drums on my bladder. That explains having to get up 8x a night. I have to have a rescan in 2 weeks to see if he's moved at all. The main thing my OB said was that IF my waters break on their own, I have to zoom to the hospital as the cord can drop due to the baby facing downwards and also the combined fact I have an anterior placenta. So, fingers crossed he either turns and goes head down or my waters don't break on its own. No scan pics as baby's face was smushed into the placenta. He apparently has a full head of hair though and is *definitely* a boy. No doubts whatsoever about that. I also had another blood test done to check for Obstetric Cholestasis as I've been itching like a lunatic, especially at night, including my hands and feet. Am hoping it's not the case as it means delivering at 37 weeks which is not ideal of course.   

So I've come to the conclusion that the kids should have their own room as there is no good reason for me to hold onto my craftroom at the expense of the two having to share a bedroom. I figure I'll repaint the 2 pink walls to blue or something neutral over Christmas break, move the spare cot down and borrow Noemie's changing table so that Peanut can have his own room. I found this cute wallpaper border that I think I want to use. The alternative was a border with cars and trucks but the pirates are so cute. I just need to clear out more stuff that I own, store my trestle desk in the garage for use again some day, move my huge dollhouse down to the dining room where we have space, and then put all my stash into one of the two cupboards in the craft room so Peanut can have the other one for his stuff. I figure I can put a lock on my cupboard when the time comes but he'll have to share that part of his room with me. 

Anyway, time for bed. So glad it's Friday tomorrow, the week feels like it's dragged for some reason.

Photos

Three of Noemie's favorite activities. Climbing into a basket/container and having Kirk shake her around. She empties things out, carries the container over to him, climbs in and waits for him to pick her up and start the wild ride. She also LOVES having her hair brushed. She started it with Kirk but he managed to get a photo of her getting me to brush her hair this weekend. She grabs my hairbrush (despite the fact she has her own baby brush), climbs up on the bed, hands you the brush, turns around and wiggles in and leans back against you and waits for the brushing to start. We did this about 8 times today. Her hair is super soft. Last but not least, she still loves eye poking. I think she's just warming up for when she pokes her brother's eyes. She's such a little character and every day she turns more and more into this little person who does fun stuff. I almost "regret" that we're having another baby soon as I don't want to miss out on the little things she does just because a baby is commanding my attention. Kinda wish we had waited a bit longer but I suppose it's too late now. I'm ready for this pregnancy to be over soon but at the same time I'm sad that my time alone with Noemie is drawing to a close. It's almost like feeling this unborn baby is going to be an intruder. I know that won't be the case once he arrives and there's enough love and space in our family for him but still, we've been such a happy family of three for nearly 17 months now so it will still be a change and adjustment. 

The other photos to share are the latest progress shots from my Victorian house. I finished gluing down the patio and walkway tiles and grouted everything. It took forever but I'm glad I made the effort. Next is to cut the fiberglass brick sheets to the various sizes I need to finish off the outside of the basement. I'd also like to do some more wallpapering but have to admit it's gotten a tad difficult to contort myself with this belly of mine. We'll see if I can manage this weekend or something. 

Bedtime. I struggled today as I was so sleepy so I clearly need to go to sleep earlier than midnight these days. The getting up to pee a gazillion times a night isn't helping either. Only 40 more days to go now until my c-section.

Boo hoo the weekend is over

So sad as it's the last bank holiday of the year I think so no more long weekends/short weeks until Peanut arrives at which point Kirk will be home for 3 weeks. We had a busy day today after relaxing yesterday. Our cleaning lady comes on Monday and for some reason that always fires me up to tidy the house and finish off the little jobs that never seem to get done. So, while she cleaned, Kirk and I set up our new patio furniture in the garden, cleared up old spider webs and dirt in the unused conservatory in anticipation of the new one being fitted next week, put away the Bugaboo and accessories and pulled out the P&T Vibe to get us all used to it (I hate it so far and I think Kirk's amused as he's never seen someone have such a reaction to a stroller), and then we finished clearing up the dining room and had it cleaned. Several loads of laundry got done as well. We did a few other errands in the afternoon and now we're both a bit exhausted. It felt good to get it done though so I'm glad we didn't procrastinate as we usually do. I have a few other photos to share but am too sleepy for now so hopefully tomorrow I'll get them uploaded. For today I've just uploaded a profile shot of Noemie staring at Mimi.

A day of deliveries

What did we do before the days of internet shopping and having it all delivered to your doorstep? I think I spent a lot less money but life is much more convenient these days. We took delivery of our new patio furniture (which needs to be put out in the garden tomorrow), a new doormat for once our new conservatory is in place, some gorgeous pale blue with white polka dot oil cloth so I can make a curtain for our bathroom window, a bunch of sleepsuits and vests for both Noemie and Peanut and then last but not least, this cute kid's beanbag for Noemie. It's still a bit big for her but it was so cute I had to get it. It's in our living room so she has a seat all of her own. She wasn't too interested as she'd rather be running around but I figure at some point she'll want to sit and rest as well. They have cute boy ones as well so once Peanut is old enough we'll get him one. I actually wanted to get her a rechargeable jeep that goes up to around 4km/hr but Kirk asked where she was actually going to drive the thing and he had a point so I resisted. It just reminded me of when I was her age and I had my first "car". It was a sports car of some sort with pedals though I think I was too lazy to pedal so my Dad pushed me around. I'll have to dig up the photo to see what car it was. I may still end up getting it for her as she could drive it around in the Mew's on the weekends. We'll see. I just think she'd look so darn cute tooling around in a little jeep. 

I had next to no sleep last night as I was up until around 4am or so and I tried a nap today but that didn't work out either as I thought of all the things I'd rather be doing than spending my day asleep. Hopefully tonight will be a bit better. I got some work done on my Victorian house again this evening. I finished laying the patio tiles so tomorrow I'll hope to get the grouting done. I'd love to get the decorating work done on it so that I just need to focus on the insides as and when I have time in the future.  

Leaving you with a photo of Noemie and Mimi this afternoon. Mimi has gotten a lot braver lately and stands her ground when Noemie comes chasing after her. Noemie still squeals a tad too loudly in excitement which stresses the poor kitty a bit but now she'll tolerate being touched. Shame it took her this long to accept Noemie was here to stay. I hope she doesn't pack her kitty bags and leave when the next baby comes home with us. I still remember the first few months when Noemie came home and if she cried really loudly, Mimi would throw up. It's not been too bad lately but I get the feeling we're in for round two pretty soon. It's all fun and games around here.

So tired and in a pissy mood

Thank goodness it's Friday. I'm so tired, more so than usual and am in a really irritable and bad mood. Nothing specific, just in a mood. Maybe my mocha frap a little later will cheer me up! Or my walk to Cath Kidston that didn't happen yesterday. We'll see. 

We all slept in a little bit this morning with Noemie not waking up until 8:30! Kirk did a conference call from home, I took a long shower and after that she finally woke up. She then helped Kirk get ready for work. It's really sweet as she sits on the floor near him and watches what he's doing. So when he reached into his closet for a tie, she stood up and grabbed another one off of his tie hanger and handed it to him. He thanked her and put it aside when she wasn't watching but she got back up and got him another one. When he told her he could only wear one at a time, she draped it over her shoulder and ran around the bedrooms. I wonder how drool does on silk ties? I wonder how many times I'll be picking up ties from the floor today and hanging them back up?

Next up, Noemie helped with Kirk's shoes. She pulled one out and handed it to him and then actually pulled the matching pair. But she thought maybe he should wear a 3rd shoe so out came another one. When she realized he only has two feet, she tried to work out how to put the shoe on her own foot. She couldn't quite work it out so she ended up holding it on her lap instead. Luckily Kirk has already put away his cufflinks and other items as she was being helpful with those a few weeks ago. She is certainly Daddy's little girl. 

Time to get a few things done while sleepy head has her morning nap. Hope the afternoon goes by quickly. I just need a good night's sleep but it's not happening at the moment. I remember this toward the end with my last pregnancy and while people told me my sleep would be even worse once baby arrived, they were so wrong. Noemie was a good sleeper so we easily got 4-5 hour blocks at a time from the beginning. Hope this next baby is as good as his sister!

Just a quick one...

Had a lovely lunch with my parents today and our dining room is now void of all the bags of stuff for charity! Just a few bits left to dig through and we'll be sorted. I've decided to call a decorator tomorrow and see if they can repaint for us in the next week or two and then see if I can get blinds made and fitted within the next 6 weeks as well. I'd love to have the dining room done so this Christmas isn't spent in an ugly room. 

Kirk went back to work and I was reminded how exhausted I am by the end of the day when chasing Noemie around. We had fun though and played with some stickers. I put a bunch on her hand, feet and clothes which she promptly removed but for some reason the ones I put on her forehead she left alone. She spent an hour before dinner with these on her head, ate her dinner and then I finally took them off right before putting her in the bath. She found it all very amusing as you can tell. 

It's meant to be totally crappy weather tomorrow but if we have a clear spell I think we'll walk up to the Cath Kidston store and buy some fabric (the oil cloth stuff) as I think it would make a cute temporary shower curtain. 

Anso asked the other day about the tote and Maria asked me about it today so just in case anyone else was wondering (I replied to them via email already) they were from CraftsuLove at a bargain price of £13.99. MUCH cheaper than the AMM totes and prettier to look at too. I'm determined to fill mine this weekend when I have a bit more time.

A little bit of everything

I spent another several hours working on the teapot shop yesterday. It's amazing how long things take and yet there isn't a ton to show for it all. I hinged the shop door, laid the tiles for the walkway (need to grout), glued on the roof tiles and displayed as many teapots as I could. I need to still paint the 2 cabinets for a second time, do the lighting and paint the windows. I'm done with it for now I think, I've lost interest/burned out. 

Today I spent hours decluttering. I went through all the kitchen cupboards and got rid of 3 large trash bags of stuff. Expired foods that were long forgotten, spices and stuff that had expired, old cereal that I think was mostly stale, etc. I cleared so much space in the cupboards that I managed to put away almost everything that has been taking up space on the countertops so the kitchen looks a lot neater in general. Then I cleared out a shelf unit in our hallway and last but not least, got my closet done. Two large trash bags gone which meant space for my maternity clothes that were residing in the spare cot in our bedroom. It's now all ready for Peanut (but hopefully not for a few more weeks). I'll keep plodding along on my craftroom every weekend and hopefully it will be done by the time he arrives! My parents are coming over tomorrow for lunch and have kindly agreed to remove all the stuff for charity. Good job my Dad's car has good trunk space. Or boot as they call it here. We also threw out 8 bags of recycling and 7 bags of normal trash today. The trash guys will be busy tomorrow. It feels so good to get organized, I wish we lived like this regularly as I know I will never be pregnant again so can't count on nesting! 

Back to reality tomorrow as Kirk goes back to work. It's been nice having him at home so I can spend time with him and Noemie and also have more time to get stuff done in general. It's also been great having some adult company during the day. Luckily it's only 3 days until the weekend and a bank holiday weekend at that! So, he'll be home on Monday again :) Then 6 weeks after that he'll be on paternity leave then Christmas not long after that. I'm guessing January will be a shock to the system.

Bedtime. Must get my rest so I can chase after Noemie all day. At least it's kept me from gaining too much weight this pregnancy!

Sunday roundup

The start of a new football season and Chelsea did well! I am sure their success had everything to do with their cute supporter. It's a new look this year to wear your pink sleepsuit under your kit. We need to buy her some real sneakers to wear with her kit as I'm not sure bright pink footwear will catch on so well. After the match was over Kirk came home and took Noemie out for a walk and apparently people were waving at her. Will be cute to take both kids out next year in their kit and hopefully when they are old enough we can sign them up to walk out on the pitch with one of the players. I see it on TV a lot and it's so cute! 

We managed to get quite a bit of decluttering done tonight in preparation for our cleaning lady's return tomorrow morning. The entire dining room floor is clear for the first time in about 1-1/2 years so she can hoover and mop. We realized most of the stuff in there needs to just get donated to charity so the dining table is piled with stuff that will soon be gone. I wonder if we have time to get the dining room redecorated before Peanut arrives in 7 weeks time? Probably not... We need to get new blinds in there as we still have these plastic curtains with massive red geraniums on them from the previous owner. Combined with pink walls, a red ceiling and terracotta tiles, it's enough to give you indigestion. I'm just not sure I want paint fumes in the house at the moment. All I need to declutter now is my closet in Noemie's room, maternity stuff that no longer fits and then my craftroom. 

I spent about 3 hours working on my teapot shop today as it's taking up all my desk space so the sooner I get it done the sooner I can sort the rest of my room. I finished painting the exterior so tomorrow the fronts will get hinged into place. I have to do one more coat of paint on two cabinets and then put all the teapots in place and the interior is as finished as it's going to be for now. A few roof tiles, walkway cobble stones and paint on the windows and I'll call it "done". Oh...I need to sort out the lighting as well. Forgot about that. Still trying to work out where to display it. Maybe in the dining room?

One last photo of Noemie waking from her nap this morning (afternoon). She had more curls than usual so I am hoping I managed to capture them. She makes this silly face if you make it at her first. It's kinda cute and kinda odd all at the same time. She slept through last night which was nice, hope she does the same tonight. I'm not sleeping well at night at all but that's pretty normal at this stage. Ho hum.

Another cardigan done

Doesn't Pooh make a nice model? Sweater is a bit big on him but at least he sits still for photos. I remember poor Mimi modeling the hats I was knitting for Noemie. Pattern is from the book "Rowan Babies" and uses Wool Cotton yarn. The knitting went really fast but it took me forever to put it all together. Will continue working on something for Noemie next as well as start another little thing for Peanut. I'm bored of knitting but have bought the yarn so am determined to use it all up for it's intended purpose. 

Off to bed. Hope we all get to sleep all night.