The Perfect Fall Muffin... Yumpkins!

Want your house to smell amazing? Need a recipe to use up that other half of the can of pumpkin? Try these... I've made them twice in the past week and they disappear in a couple of days. I'm calling them YUMPKINS (yummy pumpkin muffins) :) The perfect Fall muffin!

These also freeze beautifully. Double the recipe and freeze in Ziplock bags in batches of 6.

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease muffin tins or line with paper. (Makes 24 mini + 6 regular size muffins)

Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl: 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon



Yummmmmpkins

• 2-3 tablespoons ground flax seed (optional)

Whisk together in another bowl:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk or cream
• 1/3 cup yogurt
• 1 cup sugar or packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin

Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix; the batter should not be smooth. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 12 minutes for mini muffins and 17 for regular size muffins.

Enjoy!! :) 

*I recently tried substituting coconut oil... Amazing!

Rites of Passage - first cafeteria lunch

It's funny the things that kind-of get to you as a parent, and make you realize your kids really are growing up (despite you telling them repeatedly not to). 

For the first time in his short school career, we sent The Boy off this morning without a lunch packed in his backpack. For the first time ever, he'll be getting his own hot lunch in the cafeteria.

No big deal, really. He's been eating lunch at school forever. But, he's never gone to the cafeteria - and for some strange reason (lack of sleep, most likely) I'm kind-of having a hard time with this. Is he really old enough to wander down to the cafeteria on his own? Will he know where to go, how to load his tray with food? Will he feel anxious trying to find somewhere to sit? I've even had some somewhat neurotic thoughts about his ability to cut his waffles. (Ha! Okay that's definitely lack of sleep talking.)

All kidding aside, it seems like there are these little rites of passage that keep creeping up on us - first sleepover at a friend's house, first school crush, first time using Windex. (Haha... One of my personal favourites.) And just like that, I have a kid who just yesterday - or 2 years ago, who can keep track? - was wearing pull-ups and carrying around a blankie and drinking from sippy cups, and is now standing in the hot lunch line at school ready to take on the world.

Such a small, insignificant thing... But oh, such a big thing. 

Should I start packing his bags for college now??

Countdown to Christmas: Family Advent Tree

It was around November 30 last year when I suddenly realised I hadn't done anything about advent calendars for the kids. Now, what childhood would be complete without a countdown to Christmas?? Clearly I had dropped the ball and had to remedy the situation... STAT.

jump to activity list

A frantic search on Pinterest revealed a lot of very cute, some very elaborate advent calendars that just weren't going to cut it. First of all - ain't nobody got time for that. Plus I didn't have a whole bunch of supplies ready to go and no desire to run out to craft stores etc - this had to be something I could whip up on the very last day possible with whatever I had on hand. That's just how I roll. 

As a result, I put my thinking cap on and came up with THIS GEM... which we plan to do again this year and for years to come: A Family Advent Tree.

All About the Baby Girl - 9 months

So, it's been nearly nine months since this baby girl came into our lives. Nine months... As much time OUT as IN. Unbelievable. Even more unbelievable? The fact that I haven't made a single post about her yet! Kicking off the Third Child Complex right from the start.

In any event I felt I needed to make a few notes about her, so when she asks later I'll have something to refer to (you KNOW my brain will be complete and utter mush by the time she's able to talk and ask questions about her infancy...).

Baby Girl:

- she loves to babble (dadada, bababa, nana, buh etc)... Still refuses to say Mama though. Stinker.

- she can clap - real claps that make sound!

- she's able to sit up and play for a good long while. She's starting to voice her opinion when we (I) walk away from her, but unless she's tired or hungry she basically shrugs and gets back to playing.

- she loves to dig in baskets or containers of toys and take them all out

- she loves anything that makes noise (rattley toys are the best!)

- she loves music, and dancing. She's even started to "sing", which sounds just like babbling except she dances while she does it. Too cute.

- she WAS sleeping 10-11 hours/night for a few weeks, until about a month ago... Now she typically wakes up 1-2 times a night for smiles, kisses and general merriment. She did sleep an amazing 12 hours last night (hallelujah!) but I'm not banking on that being a trend - though this tired mama would LOVE that.

- she recognizes the signs for 'more', 'all done', 'milk', and 'sleep', and does a sortof clap sign for 'more'.

- she likes to bang toys together, and will pass a toy from hand to hand and turn it over to study it.

- she's able to get onto all fours (in her crib), albeit sloppily, and will lean while sitting into a sortof yoga pigeon pose. I can tell she's starting to think about crawling, but we're not there yet (thank goodness...We're not ready for a little mover yet!). She does manage to move while sitting though, usually ending up a few feet from where I put her down.

- she's slowly sprouting a little blonde hair, though mommy keeps cutting her fuzzy Mohawk as we keep getting comments when we're out ("Oh I love his funny hair!"...)

- she shared her Cheerios with me for the first time last week. And I happily ate them, despite the fact that they'd already been in her mouth. :) You can never refuse food from a baby!

- she looooves to give kisses (open-mouth slobbers), and will now rest her head on you if you ask for a hug. Awww.

- her favourite game is peek-a-boo, she'll put a blanket on her own head and then kick and squeal until she pulls it off triumphantly. I was there all along, haha!

- we've already had her first visit to the IWK ER. :( She somehow dislocated her elbow a few weeks ago... Thankfully she didn't mind too much and we had an awesome triage nurse (shout out to the nurses! Holla!!) who clicked it back into place without any hullabaloo.

- she can high-five! The Boy wants to teach her to fist-pump now...

- she loves her animals, and gives big smiles to the bear, lion, and elephant on the walls in her room.

- she's taken to eating solid food like an expert from day 1 - there isn't much she won't eat! She's not a fan of baby cereal anymore, but gobbles up cheese, oranges, Cheerios, puffed wheat, salmon, rice, peas... Well everything really! Despite having...

- NO teeth yet... Not a single one. Thought I saw something happening in there last week but it seems they retreated? Gummy smiles abound!

All around she's a very easy going, happy, adorable, BIG, sometimes loud, always charming baby girl. Love me some Lolo.

Failing at Life: Time for a Digital Diet

As I look around my house I see a lot of things undone. Laundry in baskets... floor sticky in spots... projects started but never finished. Meals that I bought ingredients for but never made. Cupboards and counters full of things that shouldn't be there.

As a mom of three, I complain that there just isn't enough time to do everything. I can't possibly take on ONE more thing, I simply don't have time!

But... I have a confession to make. I do have time. Lots of it. Problem is I spend a LOT of time (more than I really care to admit) PLUGGED IN. I would say on an average day I spend at least 50% of my time looking at my phone, or my computer, or the TV, or some other device. It's very likely more than 50% of the time but that's just depressing to say 'out loud'.

If I have to wait in traffic for more than 10 seconds, I automatically pick up my phone. I can't sit down to nurse the baby without my phone. I will go to look something up online and suddenly it's been 45 minutes and I don't even know what I've been doing. Browsing Facebook... Pinning things I have no intention to make... checking email. Anyone who knows me knows I am never 10' from my phone at any time. Like, ever.


I feel like if my kids had to draw a picture of what their mommy looks like or what she does all day, it would look like this.

What can I say - my kids aren't very good artists. *cough*

There's no doubt that today, a huge part of our lives just IS online. Where would we all be without email, the school calendar online, instant messaging to tell someone we're running five minutes late? Have you ever felt like, 'What's the point of this?' if you forgot to bring along a camera to document and post pictures? The idea of totally disconnecting is unfathomable. You know that friend who still isn't on Facebook or can't text from their phone? Do you ever feel like they are somehow unreachable a lot of the time?

I love technology. Big puffy heart love it. But, let's be honest here.... all this time plugged in is taking a serious toll on our lives. I'm tired of seeing all the things around me that simply aren't done because I spent too much time on garbage. (Sorry but that whole Miley Cyrus thing? Pure garbage. I gained nothing from that entire thing.) Sure, that video seemed really super important and gosh darn funny a few minutes ago, but did I really need to watch it twice (or, at all) and then share with my friends, and then comment about it? Do I need to know what Katie Holmes is doing right now? Is it even remotely okay that my main source of news is via friends online?

Are our lives even remotely enriched by all the STUFF we consume in the run of a day?

I would say not. I would say quite the opposite: wasting time plugged into a device is seriously dragging us down. How many times have you stayed up WAY too late at night, when you should have been sleeping, just reading 'stuff' online? How many times have you been out with friends and half the people (likely more) around you are looking at a screen? Isn't it time we stop and look at each other? Not through a funky instragram filter... I mean really look at each other. Like, in the flesh.

Not to mention actually getting some things done... like exercise (I don't have TIME!), or preparing nice meals, or getting the house in order, or talking to your spouse. Not texting or sitting next to each other while staring at a screen... talking. To each other. While looking at each other.

Alright all this ranting has got a point. It's time for a digital diet.

We don't have to respond to every text immediately. We don't have to respond to every email, period. Facebook notifications are not a to-do list of things to get through. It's time to put down the phone for a few minutes. It's time to make technology work for us, and not the other way around.

I won't lie - I'm feeling a bit uneasy about this. I have a birthday party to plan for a week and a half from now... how will I possibly do that without browsing Pinterest every day?? How will I know if someone is trying to get a hold of me if I'm not checking my phone every 2 minutes? Sadly that's about how often I check it. Not that I need to check it -- it buzzes or bleeps every time I need to be notified (ooh! someone liked my post!...).

Regardless, it's time. Something has to change and it's going to start today. I'm allowing myself just TWO HOURS a day of screen time. Two hours. Total. For the day. Nooooo problem. I can do this. I can totally, totally do this. I'm not feeling the least bit twitchy at the thought of cutting back.

Considering I've already spent easily 3 hours looking at a screen today (ohmygod) and it's not even lunch time, I'd say I'm off to a STELLAR start. Truth be told I was going to aim for one hour a day, but The Hubs and I like to unwind at the end of the day with a TV show together (while I have my phone next to me and my laptop lit up on my lap... yep, I am that person) and I'm having a hard time thinking about giving that up. I can give up the extra screens and maybe we can even sit TOGETHER to watch the show, instead of separately. Hmmmm. I'm going to start with two hours and see where that takes me. I'm ashamed to admit that would still be a huge cutback for me.

Anyone else feel like they need to pare down their digital life and ramp up their REAL life? The one that doesn't need a charger or a wifi connection? Join me... we can do this together. Career requirements aside, would you be willing or even able to cut down your (personal) screen time to just an hour or two each day?

Also - I know you're all used to me getting back to you immediately when you text or PM or email. Just know if I don't respond, I am (probably) not in a ditch by the side of the road (MOM)... I'm just taking a break and will eventually see your message sometime later today. :)

If it seems like this post isn't ending, it's because once I finish it, I'm turning my computer off... and I'm having a hard time getting to that point. Okay, I'm going. No, really... I'm going now. For reals.

Can I just check Facebook one more time?... OKAY no I'm going.

DIY LEGO costume

Have a LEGO fan at home?? You must make this costume!

With Halloween just around the corner, I thought I'd share the LEGO costume we made for The Boy last year. It turned out so well, and was surprisingly easy to make with just a cardboard box, some tape, paint, and red Solo cups!

We started with a fairly large box, cut oval holes for the head and arms, as well as a larger hole in the bottom with plenty of room to walk. We taped the edges of the box where we'd cut out the holes to make them smoother. In this case we used masking tape -- if I did this again I'd use something that would stay stuck better once painted, as the masking tape started to lift with the wet paint.

  

Next we took it outside and spray painted the box red (to make a red LEGO piece!). I used a Rustoleum spray paint ("Ultra Cover") in a bright red colour... it turned out perfectly and took about 3 light coats to really cover the box. 

 

Now to make it really look like a big LEGO brick... we taped red SOLO cups that we had cut down to about half the height to the front of the box using red electrical tape. The bigger the box, the more 'bumps' you could use. We chose 6 bumps for this size box.

Finally, we printed a few LEGO logos that we found online, and glued those to the side of the 'brick'. We also taped one to a red baseball hat and dressed The Boy in a red shirt and black pants. 

I think it turned out really well... certainly no mistaking what he was dressed up as, and he just LOVED the costume! It was worn many times after Halloween too...

Waving the White Flag

(please send chocolate!)

I am literally hiding from my children as I write this. No joke - I'm in the laundry room, trying not to make a sound, hoping they don't think to look for me here (which is ironic, given how much time I spend in here on a regular basis). I retreated when they stormed the castle, shouting "Take no prisoners!!...". At least that's how I remember it going down.

I can't say I ever imagined life as a mom being quite like this. I thought, it can't be that hard... I mean come on - my own mother did just fine and she had a whole extra kid! I can really only remember a handful of times when she'd completely lose her schmidt and we'd think, 'Uh oh, here we go...' Clearly I had no way to know just how difficult it can be to keep one's cool when kids can just be total shitheads sometimes. 

So, why I thought keeping the kids home for a couple of weeks this summer would be a good idea is beyond me. Well that's not true - in fact I don't think I ever considered it a "good idea" at all. Just that I'd be home with the baby on maternity leave, and I felt some kind of duty to have the other two with me. Isn't that what moms are supposed to do in the summer? I imagined taking them to the beach, playground, on picnics... Doing fun crafts, flying kites, catching bugs, sidewalk chalk on the drive way, bikes, watermelon...

Of course, that was before I wound up with a 6-year-old with a cast on his arm, an up-and-at-em 3.5-year-old (who still kind-of needs her daily nap in the afternoon), and weather alternating between sweltering heat and pouring rain. To say things aren't going according to plan would be an understatement. I'm not mom-of-the-year, or even the summer... I am yelly/snappy/aggravated mom and it ain't pretty. I don't want to yell, but for some reason any voice I use other than LOUD doesn't seem to make it to their brains. Odd, since The Hubs and I can be in another room speaking quietly and they will hear every word!

But I digress. Since I can't take the kids to the beach, or anywhere near water, and now it's raining (again), it seems we're a bit stuck getting on each others nerves because who wants to just sit at home all day? Which is why I found myself hiding in the laundry room... And when they went postal and started throwing stuff and screaming, that's when I waved the white flag and announced that it's Quiet Time and everyone was sent to their rooms, including the baby. Not without some negotiation, mind you (it turns out we do, in fact, negotiate with terrorists - at least in this house) - I got 25 minutes of Quiet Time in exchange for three shows later. I'm not sure who won that exchange, I just know its quiet in my house for the first time all day and I got to use the bathroom ALONE. Small victories.

Have I mentioned it's only the first day of "vacation"?.... Please send wine and chocolate. And this is why kids go to summer camp!!

It's Aliiiiive!

Wow. Just... Wow. What the hell happened to me? I am here... emerging from a pile of dirt and laundry and baby puke to bring you this post...

I've actually written a TON of posts in the past few months. In my head. It seems getting them actually written and posted has proven much more difficult! Instead I'll give the Coles Notes version of my life since my last update (38 weeks pregnant - whaaaat!), and eventually, someday, I will come back to write some more in-depth posts about various topics (like birth!)...

• Remember when I said I'd prefer not to give birth thankyouverymuch? Yeah, well I hit 40 weeks and waved the white flag... I.was.done. Isn't Mother Nature FAB, setting us up for birth like that? Lauren (Baby Girl) was born on Groundhog Day - at 40w 3d and a whopping 9 lb 3 oz. One word: OWIE. Beautiful, healthy, and perfect in every way, except for the lack of a neck (which we later found under several layers of chin). I will update much more on her later - I have nearly 5 months worth of poop and drool to post about! Ha!
• Winter gave way to Spring and I got to work on Garden 2.0. Being the seasoned veteran that I am, I started a ton of seedlings at just the right times, and then waited for the *perfect* time to put them all in the garden. And waited. And... Well that time never came, and I put them all out anyway, and they all died. The end. (Alright, all was not lost, but I'd be remiss if I said I didn't shed a few tears over those poor shriveled seedling carcasses. Fear not: there are a few green things out there. Garden update coming soon, I promise.)
• The Boy turned SIX. Six years old!! He's lost two teeth to date, and is barreling towards the finish line of his first year of Big School. He's still not interested in riding a bike, but has gotten reaaaally good at Mario Brothers and Skylanders. Sigh. His French is now much better than mine (not a huge feat mind you, but considering he didn't know ANY at the beginning of the year I'd say he's surpassed even my expectations).
• The Girl. What can I say - she is REALLY good at her job. Which is, of course, to torment her mother. She is spunk and joy and stubbornness and love all wrapped up and topped with a head of curls. Her newest proclamation: "If you don't let me _____ (have a freezie for supper / go to the store without pants / ride in the car without getting clicked in....etc), I will NOT LOVE YOU!". But I also get plenty of "Watch me Mommy! Watch me! Watch! Want to see my trick??" and she'll balance on one leg or twirl or jump off a huge rock and it's pure awesomeness.

And now, here we are on the first day of Summer. Life is good!! But ohh so busy. We now have THREE giggling children who just won't stop eating all our food and dirtying up the place... And lots of plans to keep us busy over the Summer. Now I really should get to one of the many baskets of laundry whispering my name... But instead I'm going back outside to make hay while the sun shines! Laundry can keep shooting me dirty looks all it wants. Ha! Take that, LAUNDRY.

Diary of a Real Pregnancy: Week 38 - Birth: Not Gonna Happen

Okay I'm going to come right out and say it: I don't want to give birth.

I'm not scared, per se. I know I can do it. I just don't want to anymore. It's uncomfortable, unpredictable, takes a lot out of you mentally and physically, and let's face it: it hurts, no matter how zen you are. 

I've just decided... I'm not doing it. No thanks, I'm good with the back pain and insomnia and hugeness, I'm not going through the whole birth "thing". Mmmkay? Cool. 

Now that that's out of the way I'll give a quick update of things to date...

• Had a doctor's appointment, all is well in babyland. Bloodwork came back a-ok (no worries about platelets which came back low last time), group-B Strep results were negative, I didn't gain any more weight (woo!), and blood pressure etc were fine. Baby's heartbeat was lovely and fundal height is measuring right on. All good!
• Went over our birth plan with the doc and it went like this: "Yup, yes, yup, definitely, no problem, yup, for sure, no problem, yup." -- yay! The only things she questioned were my request for no oxytocin post-delivery, which isn't a problem but I said if needed I'd be fine with it; and delayed cord clamping which is still a bit debatable whether there are distinct advantages of doing it but they will definitely do it if I want. So, yay!
• Doc also offered to check my cervix to see what it's doing and I said "NO thanks!" -- remember, I'm not giving birth? Also knowing that I'm 1-2 cm or 3-4 cm is really irrelevant at this point (baby #3, you can walk around dilated at 3 cm for weeks!) so I'd just rather not know.
• Baby's room is all set up! BOOM. (Except for hanging things on the walls and putting all the clothes away... soon!)
• Pack N Play is set up in our room and ready for babe!
• Back still hurts but not as much/often (maybe because of the lack of weight gain??)... and my feet aren't swollen hobbit feet anymore! 
• Weird thing - when I get a Braxton Hicks contraction (at least a few times a day), blood rushes to my face and ears and I get a lot of pressure in my head. Apparently it has something to do with a rush of hormones?? It's totally weird but thankfully disappears quickly once the BH is done (a minute or two).
• Labour bag is packed and ready to go. 

So, this week I'm working on cleaning the house (any fabric that's removable / with a zipper is getting washed! Seat cushions, curtains, carseat fabric... you name it, I've washed it), slowly but surely. Baby's decorations are going up on the wall, clothes are getting put away. I have a hair appointment today (yay!), pedicure booked for next week, and will be installing the carseat in the next day or two. Have to get used to driving the van (instead of my peppy adorable little red car! *sob*). 

Now I just need to reassemble the car seat... Seriously wishing I'd taken pictures before I 'disassembled' it (ie, the frenzy of MustGetThisWashedRightNow!!), because THIS is what I am dealing with right now. Um... yeah.

Previous: Week 37 - Getting There & Nesting

Diary of a Real Pregnancy: 37 weeks - Getting There & Nesting

37 weeks... Alright so I have finally come around to the idea that we are, in fact, having a baby. I got it... it's happening. I'm there... mentally. Sometimes. Maybe?

I had a doctor's appointment this week, the first of the weekly appointments. Yowsa. You don't get to go weekly until you're close to the end... I guess that means we're close to the end. (Foreboding much??) Anyway -- good appointment. Got the lovely Group B strep test done -- Hello! It's not that big of a deal, really, but does make you want to yelp "Do I know YOU!" (hehehe... I love Steve Martin). My weight actually went *down* this week, somehow (little 'yay!' from me, even though it was just .4 lbs...) and blood pressure and pee were fine. Baby's heart rate was fine too... although when we first took a listen, she had been bouncing all around in there - as she does - and her heart rate was up around 180 or something... what! Bit freaky... it went down to around 120 again so that was all fine but just enough to give me a little mini panic attack. Gah, kids are good for that aren't they!

Anyhoo... moving on to The List from last week. We actually managed to get some of it done. Yay! 

• write birth plan* & review with doc (*er... it counts if I just copied it from last time, right?)
• get leave paperwork sorted with work
• finish painting nursery walls
• put up wall decorations, wash & put up curtains
• wash bedding, towels, blankets & clothing
• put clothing away
• make wipes HA! Yeah not doing this.
• assemble crib, set up with Angelcare monitor Just have to find parent base for monitor...
• set up changing table, incl. wipes warmer <- Yes! with reusable wipes <- No.
• set up bassinet in Master bedroom
• dig out & wash baby bath, swing, car seat, bouncy chair, breastfeeding pillow, Moby
• install car seat in van (move other carseats around...)
• make up contact & info sheets for neighbours in case they end up taking care of kids while in labour
• repack L&D bag and baby bag for hospital
• cook meals for the freezer
• get a pedicure and haircut (hehe okay these are 'extra'... but would be nice!)

Wow, still a lot there huh. But I had to add all of THESE things...

• Pack up & put away all the Christmas Schtuff
• Reorganize & put away all of OUR clothes (now that The Girl has stolen The Hubs' dresser)
• Put Hypnobirthing MP3s on my iPhone
• Download some new music and set up labouring playlists
• Eat an entire gigantic Toblerone bar
• Watch the Bachelor
• Sit around a lot

So, you know - we're doing pretty well... and I'm all set with the eating of the Toblerones. 

Unfortunately insomnia is in full force, which is why I found myself wide awake at 4:30 am the other day, wondering what to do. Couldn't sleep. Started thinking about The List. Thought about the piles of clothing all over the house. Squeezed eyes shut... Nothing. So... I did something I never do: I got up, at 4:30 am, and went to work. Folding clothes, pulling stuff out of drawers, making more piles. Nesting much?? Felt a little crazy, but couldn't stop. On the plus side I got a lot done! Course the rest of the day was a bit of a crapshoot since I was *exhausted* but it's all good, because I knew I had folded clothing in drawers where it belonged and all was right in the world. YES.


Previous: Week 36 - The Final Countdown

Diary of a Real Pregnancy: 36 weeks - The final countdown

So, it's January, 2013. The month we're due to have our baby. 36 weeks... I'm really not sure how we've gotten here. 36 weeks is a lot. 4 weeks until the due date. I just don't even understand how this could be. How??

The countdown is on, and after last week's L&D 'practice run' it's becoming even more real: we will be bringing a baby home within a month. Whaaaa? I don't understand!

There's still so much for us to do to get ready... And between back pain, Braxton Hicks contractions, ribs being pulled apart slowly, and general 9-month-pregnant exhaustion, I just can't seem to get more than one thing per day done. People keep telling me things like "You're so close!"... "Could be any day now!"... "You will have that baby before you know it!"... And I want to punch them in the throat. Because I AM NOT READY. Stop telling me it's nearly over because I NEED MORE TIME. I know when you get to the end of pregnancy generally people are just done (and don't get me wrong, I am done with being uncomfortable, popping pills, not sleeping, etc.....), but I am NOT ready for a baby.

A BABY, yo.

Egad...

Anyway just to keep things on track (haaaa!), I thought I'd jot down the to-do list as it stands today:

• write birth plan & review with doc
• get leave paperwork sorted with work
• finish painting nursery walls
• put up wall decorations, wash & put up curtains
• wash bedding, towels, blankets & clothing
• put clothing away
• make wipes
• assemble crib, set up with Angelcare monitor
• set up changing table, incl. wipes warmer with reusable wipes
• set up bassinet in Master bedroom
• dig out & wash baby bath, swing, car seat, bouncy chair, breastfeeding pillow, Moby
• install car seat in van (move other carseats around...)
• make up contact & info sheets for neighbours in case they end up taking care of kids while in labour
• repack L&D bag and baby bag for hospital
• cook meals for the freezer
• get a pedicure and haircut (hehe okay these are 'extra'... but would be nice!)

So...... yeah. If anyone would like to come over and knock a few of these things off my list, that would be great! :) 

In other news, I took a few photos this week and thought I'd share! Feeling rather rotund!

 

Previous: Week 35: Holidaze & a Cheap Tour of L&D

Diary of a Real Pregnancy: Week 35: Holidaze and a Cheap Tour of L&D

The whirlwind of the holidays means pregnancy 'stuff' gets put on the back burner! I'll tell you one thing, wrapping gifts goes into a whole new dimension when you have this hugeass belly getting in the way. Somehow it all managed to get done (some things a little late, like mailing packages... oops), but man did my back ever pay the price.

Turns out gaining 40+ pounds and being totally out of shape is seriously not a good idea if you want to be able to walk normally. Waddling would actually be an improvement at this point... Most of the time these days I can't even get up from a chair properly, I'm in so much pain. Pregnancy massage is *amazing*, but the relief only lasts for that one hour, and then it's back to hobbling around like an old lady. Super.

On the plus side (pardon the pun ;)), Christmas really has been wonderful this year. I'm enjoying our last Christmas as a family of four, and imagining what it will be like next year with a fifth member of our family crawling (and possibly toddling!) about. Pretty awesome.

Then... Christmas Day. A funny thing happened...

A while back I had been complaining (Nooo not me!) that the hospital where we're going to deliver doesn't do refresher labour & delivery courses or a tour of the facilities. Since we delivered in another hospital the last two times, I just wanted to have a look and get a feel for where we'd be once it was 'go time'... but, no luck.

Anyway back to Christmas day. There we were, bellies full of Christmas Morning Wife Saver (the only acceptable breakfast for Christmas morning!), presents opened, everyone in their PJs just starting to think about getting ready to head over to Nonna & Opa's (my parents). The Girl announced from the bathroom that she'd peed and wanted me to come have a look (aren't 3-year-olds the best?), which I did. Except, in the process of helping her off the toilet, we both ended up falling to the floor. 38 pounds of toddler, right on my belly.

And then...

A puddle. Beneath me. What the...?? I had an internal freak-out session. Did I just pee on the floor? Or... is that... did my water break?? I had no idea what was happening. I got myself cleaned up (meanwhile The Girl reported back to The Hubs that "Mommy peed in her pants!"... sigh) and sat there wondering what to do...

My doctor has been pretty clear as to when to go to Labour & Deliver (L&D): any gushes of fluid, or bleeding. In fact she reminded me of this every time I saw her... and this seemed like a pretty clear 'gush of fluid' to me. Thing is, it's really hard to tell the difference between urine and amniotic fluid :\

SO. Packed the kids up. The Hubs and I exchanging looks like "OMG"... We are, of course, nowhere near ready to welcome a baby home. (Turns out we're more ready than I thought, but having done NOTHING for baby at this point we really were in deer-in-headlights mode...) I threw together a makeshift labour bag, some things for baby just in case, and we headed out. Dropped the kids with my parents, headed in to L&D.

So, I did get my tour of L&D after all... on Christmas day no less. Of course, after monitoring the baby for a while (nurse laughing about how crazy active she is... kicking the monitors nearly off my belly!), and doing their various tests, it was confirmed: I peed myself. Merry Christmas to me!

I was so glad it wasn't baby time but totally embarrassed that we'd gone through all that just to find out I'd peed on the floor. So lame.

But -- it was a wake-up call... It really could be any time. (Course, just watch, I will be a full week late or something, oh dear.) Time to get our butts in gear!