a bit of this...

Well, it's been a busy time.  We made our way south for a few days, saw some family, experienced a bit of spring :).  The kids have been busy, busy, busy.  Growing in understanding and attitude.  I've said before and will likely say again and again how impressed I am with the Boy and his learning from school.  Constantly amazed.  He sat down and read me three new books that he'd never picked up before!  I'm very pleased that he (and all of them) have a love of reading and that it's showing through how quickly he's picking up the concept of reading actual words.

It's making Boy2 anxious to start school so he can lean all this stuff too!  I'm being asked "When is it my school day?"  So I let him know that after the Boy turns 6 and around the time the Girl turns 2 will be his first school day.  It'll be pre-school, but school none-the-less.  The personalities of these kids is amazing.  All three so different, yet similar.  They all look so different from each other as well, it's little wonder they are so different.  But here are a few pictures we took.  I am going to try and print some off to frame for us and various grandparents.  Hopefully in the next day or two...  If I can motivate!

preparations and trips

I think I'm actually looking forward to the 20-30 mm of rain that is forecast for the next 24 hours.  We need to clean away some of the last of the winter ick.

This afternoon, the Girl woke up a bit grumpy and just kept repeating the word "hat.  Hat."  I got her hat out, but that wasn't what she wanted.  She got down, walked to the bookshelf (where she had earlier pulled a bunch of books off) and grabbed a Cat in the Hat book.  She's been on a real Dr. Seuss kick recently.  Even some of the more recent ones that aren't written by Dr Seuss but have the Cat in the Hat learning logo.    It's kind of cute, but I am sometimes surprised when I don't start speaking in rhyme :)

Boy2 has been awfully grumpy of late too, but today he's been better.  I think alot of the Easter chocolate has finally worked it's way out of his system.  Of course it doesn't help when people keep replenishing the supply but since we don't live close enough to various grandparents to really spoil the kids it's alright to let "grandparent-types" indulge them occasionally.

The Boy had his student led conference yesterday (he got to show off his knowledge and learning to mom and dad).  At first he wanted just Daddy to go, but we all went.  I am so pleased with him!  The teacher is pleased with him.  I can hardly believe just how quickly he's picked everything up!  His writing, the number recognition, the math patterns, the units they've covered, and he remembers just about everything!  The child is like the proverbial elephant!

Speaking of elephants, Boy2 told me the other day that elephants were pretend.  He doesn't remember seeing them at the zoo in Calgary.  I told him they were real.  They live in Africa and India, some in jungles and some in the grasslands.  Then I mentioned the trip we're taking this weekend (we're going to Red Deer Saturday for a friend's Ordination and then on to visit family, but we're hoping to get to the Zoo in Calgary Sunday).  His eyes lit up and he said "We're going to see elephants at the zoo?  Elephants live at the zoo!".  I think it will be an awesome day :)

Yesterday evening I wanted cookies.  We had no cookies in the house.  So I made cookies.  What usually happens is that I have an urge to bake first, then I bake whatever looks interesting.  That's why I made Blondie bars the other week.  This time, the need for cookies preceded the act of baking, which I thought odd.  Then I woke up this morning with the overwhelming urge to get out the boxes of new born clothing, wash them, and put them into drawers.  I figure this is the nesting that is supposed to happen in the last trimester.  I've just never been able to do it or think of it.  With the first one, we were moving to another province, so any nesting urges I had were used to pack and clean.  With the second, we already knew where and when we'd be leaving for internship, so we had slowly begun packing again.  And with the last one, again, we were moving so those needs to nest were used to pack and clean.  Now there is no need to pack, no need to clean (other than the normal every day cleaning which sometimes gets done), and I have to suppress this one for a few weeks.  Two months before the due date is a bit ridiculous for me.  Especially since I am more likely to be over due than early.

So we'll pack and clean for this trip.  When we get back I will try harder to maintain the regular cleaning and then in May we will get baby stuff out in preparation.  Sort through all those little clothes (especially since we don't know what model we'll be having), find a spot in the bedroom for the bassinet, get size 1 diapers (no point in newborn diapers for the kid.  My history of making babies suggests a larger rather than smaller babe), and pack a hospital bag.  Might have to get a new infant car seat.  We'll have to check the expiration date on the one we have...

Fun pictures!

Just some fun pictures...  Hubby made blueberry syrup, so that's what the kids are eating, my Girl in pig tails, colouring, and dressed as a lion, and the first snowman made this year (finally), and the kids decided that the baby needed to be decorated, so my belly got a few stickers on it :)

rituals

So, I'm sitting here waiting for the kids to get ready to go outside.  The Girl is ready.  I got her ready.  I asked the boys to go to the bathroom before we go out, so they take their sweet time.  Boy2 eventually made it into the bathroom, but he brought a book in with him, so he'll be a while.  The Boy could go upstairs, but he wants to wait for the bathroom down here to be vacant.  Oof!

Speaking of bathrooms, there is a new ritual for our middle child.  Most mornings (6 days a week) Daddy goes out for a run.  When he comes home, he usually has breakfast while he's cooling off, then he showers.  Not surprising.  However, what is surprising is that Boy2 has started asking his Dad to shower.  He will sit there and wait until shower time, then go upstairs to go potty while Daddy is in the shower. He will ignore me when I ask him to use the toilet down here.  He wants to keep Daddy company.  He will watch him shave and wait until the water is turned on before doing his "business".  One morning this week, Hubby finished in the shower before Boy2 was done, and he was told to go back in the shower until potty time was done.  Oh, boy!  Kinda cute, but very silly.

Yesterday I had a prenatal in the afternoon, so Hubby came home a bit early to watch the kids.  I got a text saying that they were planning on walking to pick the Boy up from school.  That was great.  A few minutes later I got another text saying that they were driving.  The change?  Boy2 was in the bathroom with Richard Scarry.  Again, kinda cute but there are times it seems a bit ridiculous.  At least he's in the bathroom and not still in diapers :)

The Boy is becoming very aware of things going on, too.  There are alot of birthday parties in his class.  Some that he's been invited to, some that he hasn't.  I guess there is one where the boy said he was invited, but there hasn't been an invitation.  "Why can't I go to ______'s birthday party?"  Try explaining that there is no invitation and you don't know why there is no invitation.  For a boy very aware of relationship dynamics, it's difficult for me to try and explain it in a way that is positive.

We made it through Spring Break alright.  There are a few very tuckered kids right now, and it will get worse through this week with the evening services, but that should go away after Sunday and Monday.  Sleep will do that :)

The Girl now has two of her second year molars.  That first one must have been a bear to cut, since that was when she stopped sleeping through most of January and  February.  This last time, she would just wake up in the middle of the night saying "Ow, ow" over and over.  But it's come through, so we should have a bit of a break before #3 decides to emerge.

She is also getting into her various chairs without assistance now.  She can climb into the van and into her car seat, and if there is no tray on her high chair, she'll tackle that feat as well.  There is absolutely no fear with her.  She also lets us know what she wants and when she wants it.  "Need juice!  Need juice!"  "Want sauce, want sauce!" (apple sauce).  And she has alot of her colours down too.  Such a clever girl!

Yesterday I met the intern who will likely be assisting with the delivery of Baby.  It's always interesting for me to see the learning of these medical professionals in training.  I've been very fortunate so far.  The resident who saw to me last summer was also the resident in emergency when the Girl took a pretty bad tumble in the fall, and he remembered me.  That was kind of neat.  But yesterday the intern was feeling around for the baby's head to make sure it'd turned.  All I could feel was alot of kicking up past my belly button as the poor child was complaining about being pushed on :)  I remember the same thing in the hospital waiting to be induced with Boy2, but the nurse trying to find the head didn't push in the right spot, so I had to show her.  The head nurse looked at me and said "This isn't your first, is it?".

I went out to a local maternity store today in hopes of finding a light dress.  I did find two.  One I tried on but it didn't look right, and the other never made it off the hanger.  When I looked at the price tag, I thought "Even if I wear this post partum, I can't really justify that price!"  So we'll likely go into Edmonton in the next few days (between services since it is Holy week, after all) and see what we can find there.