Blackberries in the 'Hood!

The end of the summer is really upon us. Sophie and I decided to take advantage of the sunshine today and take a little walk around our estate. ('Estate' sounds very posh, but that is how people refer to our neighborhood development.) We looked for bunnies, but we found blackberry bushes laden with fruit instead. We trotted home and returned with some plastic baskets and an Emma for good measure...

What a lovely time we had picking wild berries...

...and soaking up some rare sunshine.

Sophie snapped a quick photo of me in front of some beautiful wild orchids.

I absolutely feel as big as I look!

The best thing about blackberry picking was the warm, wild blackberry compote that we made. It was served immediately over cold vanilla ice cream. Emma said it was as good as cobbler...and much quicker to make!

Enjoy the end of your summer wherever you are. Back to school at the end of next week for us!

Girls Gone Wild!!

Isn't it time to head back to school?? My girls are ready, and I am doubly ready! They have so much more energy than I do these days. I feel as though their batteries are supercharged, and they need something structured to help them channel it more productively...and sensibly. Only one more week!! I think we can make it...especially since George arrived home this morning well before he was expected. We could hardly contain our excitement when he pulled up before 10 am.

I did manage to get the girls off to a morning holiday club at the Methodist church for a couple of hours so that their Dad could catch up on his sleep and have some peace and quiet. While they crafted and sang about Michael rowing his boat ashore, George slept, and I unpacked his suitcases for him. Wouldn't you know the boy did some Stateside shopping. He brought back some American essentials like mac and cheese, Twizzlers, and grits. He also picked out lots of cute tiny little pink, flowery onesies for our much anticipated new little Carson girl.

I enjoy the idea of my husband browsing the baby clothes and selecting the ones with flowers and butterflies. I decided to do my first "baby wash" this afternoon, and Sophie just came in and saw all of the little pink pajamas, hats, onesies and cardigans hanging on the drying rack. Her squealy, cooing reaction to seeing them was about as cute as can be tolerated.

Anyway... back to our morning... after the holiday club, I decided we ought to give George a little more time to rest, so I took the girls over to Castell Coch. Even though we have explored it many times, it continues to be a fun adventure. At one point, we were about to climb down a very winding, narrow staircase, when Emma announced very loudly to everyone in the corridor, "Mom, I don't know about all of these stairs... they might not be good for your uterus!" Sophie echoed just as loudly but with a few added giggles,

"Yeah, your uterus!!... Mum, what is a uterus?"

(Girls Gone Wild Medieval Style)

Luckily my uterus fared well, but I was well knackered by the time we had explored the majority of the castle. We, in fact, had to skip the ladies' bedrooms upstairs in the end since I didn't think my body could take any more fiddly staircases. And since we weren't the only ones who thought exploring Castell Coch would be a brilliant idea today, we had to forgo lunch in the tea room; it was absolutely heaving with people. We opted instead for a very civilized lunch in our local Italian cafe, where we all desperately tried to behave like young ladies and almost managed it... nearly.

Back at home, we found George awake and very happy to see us all. Just having him back home has given me a bit more energy to deal with all of the usual madness. We all need somebody to lean on.

"If You Want to Make God Laugh, Tell Him About Your Plans."

My favourite Woody Allen quote does seem to aptly sum up life most of the time. Today I got to take my two (less than enthusiastic) children to the hospital for what will likely me my final ultrasound scan during this pregnancy. By this time in both of my previous pregnancies, the babies' heads were engaged and ready to go, I had significant cervical dilation, and I had been placed on strict bed rest. I was so certain that things would go the same way this time around. Well, Surprise, Surprise! THIS baby is breech and my cervix appears to be shut tighter than Tom Jones's trousers.

The doctor assured me that from 32 weeks, there is still a good chance the baby will get into the proper position before her birthday, so I will not panic about that. I will, however, continue to marvel over the fact that life really is like a box of chocolates. I was expecting nougat and got coconut instead. Never mind though, because I like them both. I also like NOT being on bed rest when I have two busy children to look after.

Before Sophie kicked her shoes off and had a fit in the consultant's office (because she just didn't want to be in there!), both girls stood on tippy-toes in the scan room and watched the screen as my tummy was scanned. The sonographer was very sweet with them, and helped them sort out what they were looking at:
"Ohh! I can see all of her teeth!!" Emma interjected.

"No, lovely, that's your baby's spine."

Sophie: "Well, I think she looks like a crocodile. Can you show us her bottom?" [giggle giggle]. Once again, the sonographer indulged,

"There's your baby's bum, my love."

So...at least they enjoyed part of our visit to the hospital today. It's all of the waiting around to have blood drawn and see doctors that apparently stinks when you're five. It stinks so badly that you later regret your behaviour and feel quite embarrassed about the whole ordeal. Luckily, Frick and Frack shouldn't have to accompany me on any more trips to see doctors or midwives since they will be back in school before my next appointment. Whew!

The best news of all (apart from a healthy mom and baby, of course) is that Dad will be back home in two more days. Let the squeals of delight commence...and those squeals are coming from all of us!

I Miss You When You're Gone

There is a celebrity who lives in our house, and he goes by the name of Dad. If you don't believe me, you need only to observe the response that the sound of his key in the door at the end of the day elicits... or you might be persuaded by the screeches of delight that ensue whenever Dad announces that he "doesn't have to work tomorrow." I love being the one who is home with the kids, the one who makes lunch boxes and supplies band aids, the first one to hear all of the gossip about what happened at school today, but I am most definitely NOT a celebrity. That's just the way it is, and that is okay.

We have been missing our personal celebrity for the last few days. He is back in the US for work and quick visit with Uncle David. The first few days are always the hardest. (That is what I keep telling myself, at least.) Somehow we have been managing without having Dad here to let the sun out every morning, but we are missing him for sure. There is something about having him at home. We all feel it. Whenever Dad is home, home feels complete, and when he is gone, a piece of us is missing. Even though I may complain when he comes in to the kitchen and takes the corner brownie or brings forth massive sneezes that shake the house to its very foundation, I miss that boy. I miss his presence and his energy as much as his companionship.

Sometimes in our house, "I like you" is a much greater compliment than "I love you." It goes without saying that I love my husband, but I genuinely like him as well...and that is saying something.

Happy Birthday, George!!

George turned 39 for the first time today and was treated like a king by his girls. Lucky man!

I absolutely LOVE the above photo of Emma and her Dad.

Chock-ick cake for the birthday boy...so what if my slice was bigger than his!


Wish-ready! (Oh, and Emma is wearing the medal she earned at Sports Stars today!! Well done, madame!)

For heaven's sake, that's good cake!

Cheers to Dad on his big day! We had lots of fun celebrating him tonight and will miss him when he leaves us for a week tomorrow!!

Oh, My Achin' Everything!

Ok, so I am realizing the third time around that this pregnancy stuff ain't for sissies. My body seems to be punishing me a little more this time around... even though the essential pregnant parts are behaving themselves unlike in the past. I won't list all of the things that ache, but suffice it to say, I am feeling spent and huge...and still technically have almost nine weeks to go.

I have been really glad that the girls have a few days of Sports Camp this week so that they are able to go off and spend a few hours with coaches who are much more energetic and enthusiastic than their mom. They came home last night and said they needed to be dressed as super heroes today...so our rummage through the dress-up box basically resulted in the two of them trading recycled Halloween costumes. Sophie is calling herself "Bat Girl," and yes, Bat Girl CAN fly. This talent was demonstrated many times this morning. Emma donned some of Sophie's pirate gear, and Sophie repeatedly called her "Captain Fruity Pants," much to Emma's dismay.

Captain Emma Pants and Bat Girl Sophia

Yesterday at camp Emma lost another tooth! Unfortunately she accidentally dropped it in the toilet when she was trying to wrap it up in tissue to bring home. Never mind though... she left a very sweet letter under her pillow for the "Tooth Firey," who left her money anyway. All is well that ends well.

I have noticed when we get in the car this week, both Emma and Sophie take an extra minute to buckle in their invisible babies, Lucille and Tyrone, before we take off. (I'm sure you can guess which baby belongs to which child.) They are getting very excited about having a new baby come to live at our house. Even Sophie has finally been able to feel kicks and hiccups through my tummy now. Both girls continue to have chats with the baby, whom they call Elora, on a regular basis. I, still, am unsure about her name. Everyone else at our house seems to be sold on 'Elora,' but I just don't think I'll know for certain until I meet her. There are some names that I have repeated to myself over and over, to the point that they now sound completely odd to me. Too much thinking. I am convinced that it will all become clear when we finally meet face to face. Now, I'm getting excited!

Honest, Love, It's Fabulous!

If you check in with my blog regularly, you may have noticed that it occasionally changes its colour or style, but that it always seems to revert back to the tried and true green. I like the green since so many of the photographs I take and post are green...We are in Wales, after all.

Obviously things have changed today, and I am trying out another new look. My daughter Emma helped me with this one. I do miss the green, but I also quite fancy the polka dots. Emma declares that my blog's appearance is finally worthy of being called, "Peter Perfect" (in honor of her favorite, ascot-clad, stiletto-booted British stylist). I don't suppose I can get a better compliment from her. She also threw in an "Honest, Love, it's fabulous!!" in a thick Welshy accent. What am I going to do with her?

On a different topic, it's a good thing the kids are back at Sports Stars Camp for a few days this week as they seem to have loads of energy while my energy levels are fading quickly. This mama is tired. George says he is tired too because I disturb him when I have to get up and pee seventeen times in the middle of the night. Oh, bless him.

I saw a pregnant friend's 'status update' on Facebook this morning said, "Kim is getting kicked--lots!" I can relate. For at least an hour this morning, I could have sworn the baby was using my bladder as a trampoline. I kept crying out, "Ya killin' me, Kid!!" which Sophie thought was very funny indeed.

When I visited the community midwife last week, she was convinced, after palpating my abdomen, that the baby was breech. This is a new one for me since my previous two have been head down and engaged from very early on. However, Babes is extremely active in there, so hopefully she will sort herself out before her birthday.

A couple of weeks ago I read something in one of my pregnancy books that sounded ever so pleasant and innocuous. It said something like, "You may now be able to recognize your baby's patterns of sleep and wakefulness."

My translation goes something like this:

• 10pm-midnight: Baby practices Tae Bo and Pilates routines
• 4am-5am: Jazzercize (Get those knees up, girls!)
• 8am-9am: Trampolining (You weren't hoping to salvage your bladder at all mom, right?).
• Throughout the rest of the day: Brace yourself for surprise intervals of karate chops and kick boxing-- just to keep things interesting.

It has been five years since I was last pregnant, so maybe I have just forgotten about all of this, but I swear I don't recall such boisterous en utero antics. Maybe it is due to the fact that she is turned a different way...or maybe she is just a super active girl. Whatever the case, her energy, is unfortunately NOT contagious. I need a nap!

Until next time, hope YOU are feeling fabulous and 'Peter Perfect.'

Quiet Week

The kids have been home all week again, and it has affected my blog. We have had a very pleasant week, and I feel very fortunate that my girls are so adept at entertaining themselves. We have had a few little outings here and there, but nothing to write home about. On a typical day at home, Sophie at Emma settle themselves down at the dining room table with paper, scissors, glue, tape and coloring implements, and they are happy for hours.

My friend Shay directed me to a fabulous website called The Toymaker, which is right up my kids' alley. This week they have enjoyed making paper dolls, puppets and houses that we've printed off the web. Check it out if you know any crafty little kids who might be interested.

Emma and Sophie have also spent the week obsessing about and planning for their Dad's birthday, which is next Thursday. These little girls LOVE their Dad. I can only imagine how well he will be looked after as he and they get older. This week they have been making cards, banners, and Hama bead likenesses of George, and they have even written a song in his honor. Thursday will undoubtedly be like a national holiday at our house.

More updates on George's birthday as the day draws closer... I am now being summoned to Costco...so perhaps this week WILL hold some excitement!

My Very Hungry Caterpillar

Last night after dinner Sophie and George went out to check on the vegetable boxes. The pumpkin plants have grown to such a massive size, they are almost frightening. The carrots are plugging along as they should be, and the lettuce, well, the lettuce is being enjoyed by some very hungry and very cute caterpillars. Sophie and Emma could not have been more excited about our backyard visitors. They have 'rescued' three caterpillars, who were still contentedly nested in a dish of lettuce by the back door this morning. Sophie just ran into the office happily shrieking, 'The caterpillars are still there!!" Apparently their names are: Squiggly, Biggly, and Roly. (Roly is Sophie's caterpillar because he fancies her the best.)

Emma and Squiggly

So... does anyone know how to kindly deter caterpillars from getting into the lettuces? My children would never forgive me if I were to sprinkle Acme Caterpillar Killer into the boxes, and that really goes against our whole "grow-your-own" philosophy anyway. Do we need to invest in some ducks for the back garden? They like to eat bugs and such, right?

After all of the caterpillar drama, Sophie ate a good bit of a thoroughly washed, somewhat holey head of lettuce with some Thousand Island dressing. She gave the snack two big thumbs up. I think about the fact that my grandparents used to grow vegetables in their various gardens year round, and I never regarded it as anything fantastic at the time. Now I wish I had paid much more attention. The self-sufficiency that used to be commonplace and common-sense now seems to be largely lost on our generation. I don't know the first thing about canning beans or knitting a baby blanket, and I grew up with an expert for a grandmother. How did that happen? I will have to ask her for some tips soon....or maybe she will write that book we've been bugging her about!

Looking on the Bright Side of a Cloudy Day

Yesterday the weather was dismal, and I had a mood to go with it. I felt tired and run down and was dealing with some unfortunate girly issues down under. I had both of the kids with me when I went to the Radyr Medical Centre to see if I could get some relief. Since I requested a female doctor, I think the receptionist booked me in with the only available female, who was very nervous and obviously inexperienced.

At one point during my exam, the speculum, which she thought was properly in place, went flying across the room. I screamed. The 'medical professional' exclaimed, "OH! I beg your pardon," and Sophie stuck her head under the curtain and chirped, "Are you okay, Mommy?" It didn't get much better in the doctor's office after that.

Here is the good news: I was ready to embrace the horrid British weather which seemed to mirror my soul. It was as if the clouds were encouraging me to have a much needed, lazy day. After hiking to the pharmacy in the rain with two psychotic children in tow, we went home and had a 'duvet day'. I didn't feel at all guilty about curling up in bed with the kids, drawing, chatting, and reading stories. What else were we going to do? I so needed a day like that.

Today, rather unexpectedly, the sun is out and shining brightly, and we are planning to head out to the park, but the reason that I can do this so cheerfully is because I took a day of rainy rest yesterday. This morning Emma and I had a chat about "taking the good with the bad" in life. You will be proud that I didn't serenade her with the Facts of Life theme song, but we did discuss the fact that few things in life are purely good or purely bad. (My husband would argue that nothing in this world is purely one or the other, but that is not a discussion to be had with a seven year old...or a pregnant lady, come to think of it.) So for today and always, we are taking the good with the bad and the bad with the good and trying to be grateful for our bountiful blessings in this life.

Come on, everybody now... When the world never seems to be living up to your dreams, and suddenly you're finding out the facts of life are all about you... yo-ou-ou-ou!

"Don't Worry. My Mom's Not Fat; She's Just Pregnant."

This reassuring quote came from my daughter Emma today as we were ordering ice creams at Gelynis Farm. I'm not sure if she was afraid the girl wouldn't serve me if she thought my rotund-figure was the merely the result of overindulging in chocolate...

Emma and me at Gelynis today

Just as we were all about to lose faith in the summer weather, we have been blessed with an absolutely gorgeous, sunny weekend. George may even pull out the air conditioner.

Hope you are enjoying all of the good things that summer has to offer wherever you are...

Voila!

Emma had some excitement yesterday after all. Just after her bath, while brushing her teeth, tooth number 5 came right out. She was so excited that the word, "Voila!" was used more than once. I'm sure one of these days losing a tooth will not elicit such excite-ment, but for today, it's still a pretty big deal.

Luckily the tooth fairy remembered to come last night, and Emma woke up with another shiny pound coin under her pillow. Any excuse to celebrate, right?

Who's a Superstar?

Today was the last day of Sports Stars camp, and there was a short performance and awards ceremony at the end. Who do you think was the big winner of the week? Who was the recipient of the Super Fantastic Sports Star award? I will give you a hint... The winner was described as being "always switched on, helpful and up for everything." It was, of course, our very own Sophia Carson!

It also may not surprise you to hear that Emma's been feeling a bit "Marsha Marsha Marsha" about the whole thing. She told me after receiving her certificate of participation, "This yellow piece of paper with my name on it just doesn't mean anything to me. I'd rather have a trophy." Such is life, dear Emma. She will surely have something uniquely her own to celebrate in due time.

But for today... HOORAY for Sporty Sophie!!

Carrot Cake, Your Time Has Come...

Sophie helped me take this photo of some of our lovely little carrot cakes. They are chock full of real grated carrots, raisins, nuts and citrus, so really they are practically health food...AND I've only eaten one...so far.

Dinner was also a healthy, mostly veggie stir fry with brown rice, so I'm doing okay today (apart from those rich tea biscuits with my cup of tea earlier today). Honestly, I could read cookbooks as bedtime stories these days.

Until tomorrow... sweet dreams.

Wacky Sports Day

The instructions were to come to camp today dressed in "wacky sports clothes," and this is how Emma and Sophie interpreted that...

In other news, yesterday everyone was thrilled when a load of baby gear was delivered to our house. When he got home from work, George and the girls got busy assembling some of the 'stuff'. I was busy at the computer doing something terribly important when Sophie came in excitedly shouting, "Mum, you have to see this pram! It's brilliant!!" Yes, she called my new stroller a pram. (She might as well turn in her American passport.) I have to admit, when I got up to inspect it, the pram WAS rather brilliant. We tucked Lambie up inside and strolled him around the house a bit, and he had a very smooth ride. Now we are all getting excited and feeling like this is really real. I woke up this morning and realized that I am now only seven weeks away from the point at which I gave birth to Sophie in my last pregnancy. Tick tock!

Feed Me Till I Want No More

The words of the unofficial Welsh national anthem seem to be a woefully appropriate description of my eating habits these days. The third trimester cravings are coming hard and fast. Last Friday evening we were all innocently watching a movie together, when the desire for peanut butter cookies overwhelmed me. I was in the kitchen whizzing up butter, sugar, eggs, flour and peanut butter before anyone knew what had hit them. The cookies were all gone by the end of the weekend along with buckets of milk that I required each time I feasted on them.

On Sunday, I spied a gorgeous carrot cake in the display case of the café where we had lunch, and that was all it took for the cake obsession to dig its claws in. Unfortunately I didn’t have the ingredients on hand at home to make the proper cream cheese frosting required for a good carrot cake, so I somehow satiated my desire with pecan waffles instead. Carrot cake will undoubtedly be making its way onto the agenda soon. Even as I type this, my heart is all a flutter.

Yesterday I found that, after a thoroughly exhausting shopping trip, I was desperate for a good homemade burrito. As tuckered out as I was, I dragged my enormous bootie into the kitchen and cooked up the beef and beans and prepared all of the toppings you could ever want. And, no, of course, I didn’t stop with just one burrito. Be serious.

Food is my friend these days. Unfortunately it’s the kind of friend that likes me back and wants to take up residence on my thighs, but that is something I will worry about later. With my enormous belly, I can barely even see my thighs these days, so there isn’t much point worrying about it all really.

I did read today in my pregnancy book that I should be eating spinach, strawberries, brown rice, eggs and onions as they all are excellent sources of manganese, which is essential for bone and joint development at this stage of pregnancy. These are all things I have been craving and eating, so maybe there is something positive to be said about these hormonal cravings. I was, however, extremely disappointed not to find ‘chocolate’ on the list of things I should be eating. Never mind though… I’m sure I read somewhere that chocolate is full of healthy flavenoids and antioxidants. Arguing with me about this is futile.

Aha! Here is a completely fabulous link I just stumbled upon which completely supports my chocolate theory: 7 Benefits of Pregnancy . So there.

Manga, and a happy Tuesday to you all. It’s another day of Sports Stars for the kids today and a few hours of peace and quiet for me. I am a happy mom.

Just A Bit of Sweetness

This morning when I was loading the kids into the car to go to Sport Stars Camp, Sophie said to Emma, "You are my best, favorite sister in the whole world... but only for a little while longer. Soon I will have TWO best, favorite sisters!" I felt my evil heart melting away just a bit right then and there.

Everyone is getting excited about our new baby. George and I did some online shopping for baby gear last night, and I have been picking up a few little bits and bobs here and there when I'm out and about. There is something truly wonderful about tiny little socks and onesies and cardigans. After noticing that there seemed to be a bit of angst over Sophie losing her title as the "baby of the family," I followed the brilliant and simple advice of my friend Molly who is a mother of five and has some experience with the matter. We no longer refer to anyone as "the baby of the family." Instead all of the kids are "my babies." This seems to be a very satisfying and reassuring thing for my children hear. Every now and again, a little girl will ask me, "Who is the baby of the family?" The response, "You are all my babies," always elicits big smiles and hugs.

On a positive note, this mama got a much needed break today since the girls were at camp for a few hours. After a solo trip to our local ASDA (think American Super Walmart), I felt as though I had been at sports camp. I came home ravenous and devoured a punnet of strawberries and then made myself two huge burritos filled with the works. I might have also eaten half of an organic chocolate bar ('organic' totally means it's healthy--do not even argue with this) and two granola bars as well, but who's counting.

Emma and Sophie came out of camp filthy, happy, covered in purple glitter, and all in one piece. It was a good day. Three more days of camp to go... whatever will I do with all of the quiet??

Just a Bit of Silliness

Remember the old Howie Mandel glove trick?

He Took the Corner Brownie!

Something happens to me when I cross into the third trimester of pregnancy. Something evil takes hold of me, and the rest of you poor souls had better just look out. If you are the poor soul who is married to me, God be with you.

I haven't officially moved into the guest bedroom yet, but I feel that it may be coming soon. On Friday, Emma and I washed all of the bedding in there and re-made the bed with fresh, clean linens. This, in itself, was an intense undertaking given my size and the fact that I can no longer squeeze in between the bed and the wall. When the top corner fitted sheet popped off after all of my exhaustive efforts to get it on there, I calmly looked at Emma and said, "You need to get out because I am about to be very angry." Emma obediently scurried out of the room and an uncontrollable great barbaric yaup sprang forth from the pit of my being. I took a few deep breaths and managed not to throw or break anything.

I assume if you are reading this, you know that I am typically a perfectly calm and reasonable person, but these are not calm and reasonable times. The hormones have taken over, and I am dealing with a slew of unpleasant physical symptoms as well. Allow me to add that I still regard pregnancy as a miraculous and wonderful thing. I am grateful and ever so blessed to be carrying another baby and to be experiencing a healthy pregnancy, but a girl has a right to rant when things like hemorrhoids, stress incontinence, and pubic symphasis disorder begin to seriously disrupt the daily routine.

Yesterday I took Sophie to a birthday party at Jazzy Jungle, one of those completely horrid indoor, soft play places. The children have been on holiday from school for two weeks, so all of the other mums were eager to catch up. They obviously didn't get the memo that I have crossed over into the realm of pure evil. By the end of the seemingly interminable two hour event, I had been asked "So when are you due?" nearly 700 times. The birthday girl's grandmother actually had the audacity to say to me, "God! You've got BIG!" Seriously, is this ever an acceptable thing to say to a lady? The fact that I didn't choke her proves that I do still possess SOME self-control.

The good news is, I am now in the home stretch. Last week's scan at the hospital showed that everything continues look good with me despite my usual daily contractions. Emma and Sophie are going off to Sports Stars Day Camp for four days this week, which should give us all a bit of respite from each other and from the boredom of rainy days at home. And finally there appears to be a bit of sun peeking through the clouds this morning, so perhaps I will throw on that colorful skirt and enjoy while it lasts!

Happy hormones to you all!