Typical.

That's how things are going here on the pregnancy front, typically! I was due yesterday and still waiting. My doctor has offered to induce me as early as Thursday, and would not like to wait longer than Monday. We will not be choosing Thursday because it is Nick's birthday and we would never choose to make him share it, you give up so much as a parent you should at least get one day all to yourself!

We have plans/activities scheduled for the rest of the weekend and then Nick has to work on Monday and Tuesday so choosing the day this time around is proving rather difficult. I know that should this happen naturally we will be thrilled about it whenever it happens, but in choosing the date there is a sense of making sure it works with life, and a small smidgen of hope that labor will begin on it's own the longer we wait.

However, I do need to be done being pregnant. I know, I know, please hold back all your 'how could you be so selfish to chose your own comfort over your baby' comments should you be urging to spew them forth. My physical limitations and maladies impede my ability to take good care of the children I already have, it's time to be able to bend at the waist again and pick up my 13 month old babe who needs some snuggles.

So, somehow there should be a post up here by Tuesday about our new little one. I may not post much before then because sitting is really. not. comfortable. And I have given myself long to do lists each day to keep from going insane. Like baking 300 cookies, which I'm off to do now.

Pass it On!

Jen tagged , me to do this post and so I shall. I think I've done one like this before, but I'm too lazy today to find it. Hopefully you'll learn something new about me today!

Here are the rules : Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog (some random, some weird). Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs and then let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I have been on two blind dates with guys I "met" online. Neither one was worth the time.

2. I have a tattoo and, once I am done having children, plan on getting another one on my lower back. Great motivation to put down the Pringles.

3. My bicycle was stolen many, many years ago. I think my second year of college, so 2000 I think. I've never replaced it even though I often wish I owned a bike.

4. I would love to do the Amazing Race, (surprise, surprise), but it's honestly the only reality tv show I would like to be on. Game shows are another story!

5. I have faithfully watched ER since it's pilot episode. I fell for George and I watch every week waiting for his return. Just kidding, it's just a show I love and will watch until it goes off the air. Even when I lived at college and we weren't allowed tv's I still went home to watch it or at least set a tape for it.

Now I tag Will, Tara, Mary, Angela, and Kelly. Sorry if you've been double tagged, I didn't see anyone else tagging y'all though.

Take time to Read

Every night before Belle goes to bed we read a story to her. She loves that part of the day and has her favorites. The Maple Leafs book, the Ballet book and anything about "Clippers" (aka Clifford) right now. We read them to her and then say prayers and tuck her in. The other night Brooklyn joined in before she headed to bed. She shares Belle's love of books, sorta. Belle loves the stories, Brooklyn loves how they taste.

Belle also has a daily quiet time in the afternoon. Brooklyn goes down for a nap and Belle has to spend one hour in her room. She can read, play or nap but she has to stay in there for one hour. I can't count the number of times I come up to get her and she's reading to Teddy.

Every story is exactly the same:

"Once upon a time, it was a beautiful time."

And then she goes on in her own language, which she uses when she's talking to Teddy, or when she has to say something really fast. I don't know where her imagination is taking her, but I do know it's beautiful there.

A Little Envious

I don't know if you can see in this picture very well, but there are about fifteen little brand new baby fish swimming in front of that large rock. They are the second set of babies to be born into our tank.

And I'm a little envious. We have no idea which adult fish gave birth to them. We have no idea when they arrived really. One day while watching the adult fish attack their dinner I said 'uh honey, is the food supposed to move like that?'. To which Nick replied, 'that's not food, it's fish.'

Now it's true I don't know what the life of a fish is like, but here are the things I imagine the pregnant fish never experienced:

heartburn

inability to sleep

heartburn

pain caused by sciatica

heartburn

that icky feeling when you notice your shirt is not covering the bottom of your belly

heartburn

the anxiety of waiting for nature to take it's course and kick that baby outta there

heartburn

Do we see a trend here? I'm not due until Monday and I'm sure someone could win some money betting on how 'overdue' I'll be. Seriously though, stick a fork in me cuz I'm done!

I absolultely cannot wait for our new baby to join our family, and even though there's still 6 to 18 days to go, I'm ready for it any minute now!

Eastern Perks

Here we are in the second half of November and this is what it looks like outside. I will confess to missing the snow of my winters in Saskatchewan, but I am loving the absence of windchill. It is hard for me to get into an early Christmas spirit without any snow, we actually missed the Santa Claus Parades here because it didn't even cross my mind they would be happening already!

I think it's safe to say that the girls love the weather though. We only played outside for about 25 minutes this day as both of them rebelled against hats and mitts. (We have sniffly noses as a consequence!). I have a great video of Brooklyn walking, but am having issues uploading it here today. She is walking everywhere, and quite quickly. The only way to slow her down is to put shoes on her! They trip her up just a bit.

Isabella is working on learning to ride a tricycle. She hasn't gotten the concept of peddaling and spends most of the time with her feet on the ground just 'walking' it. But, with practice she'll get the hang of it.

I'm sure there will be many more days of outside play this year, which is one of the perks of living out East. The days are few that we can't go outside. Doesn't mean we make it out everyday, but it's nice to have that option. I'll still be hoping for a White Christmas, there are some things you should get no matter where you live!

When Grown Ups Play

On Saturday night we headed out to a different kind of evening. Instead of getting together with our friends to congregate around a box or a screen, we attended a Murder Mystery Potluck Dinner Party. It was so much fun. Our friends Jeff and Yvette hosted the evening at their place. They bought the game, they divvied up the roles and welcomed us to their home to play. The particular game that they had purchased featured 8 players, but there were 16 of us in attendance. Jeff had re-written much of the game and characters just for those of us attending.

Nick's character was that of a biker, the perfect excuse to break out the Fu, which he did. I think he did a great job of playing the biker dude. Sort of anti-social, sort of intimidating, sort of rough- but we all know bikers are just big teddy bears.

My role was that of a bar fly, funny because I've never actually been to a bar! But I was meeting a blind date, someone I met off the internet- which I would never do, (or would I?).

We got our character assignments a few days before the party so we could learn the basic background information. I really did try to learn my part, but I woke up on Saturday just feeling trashed and definitely not up to "acting". You can imagine my surprise/chagrin when I walked into the party to be handed my 'lines'' and 'inside scoop' for the first scene and learned that I was the murderer! I so did not feel up to the challenge, and while I'm sure no one will be asking me to join Community Theatre I did well enough that no one even suspected me.

I found it so much harder to be someone other than me than I thought I would. Luckily it appears I'm pretty good at deflecting, my saving grace indeed! Since no one accussed me of the murder I was crowned the winner. There was even a prize, I now get to be the host of our next Murder Mystery night, and there will be another!

Brooklyn's Baby

A while ago Brooklyn picked up a baby doll and cuddled it right into the crook of her neck. She then began patting it's back and singing songs to it. It was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. Brooklyn wasn't even one at the time and yet her motherly instincts were directing her play.

Isabella seems a little more intune with the idea that there's a baby in my tummy this time around. She climbs up on my lap and puts her hands on my belly and tries to wait to feel kicks and moving. She says hello to the baby every now and then as well. She didn't really do that when I was pregnant with Brooklyn.

I wonder how the adjustment will go for them when the new baby arrives. Isabella handled it so well last time that I'm not feeling anxious or worried, just curious. Moments like these with the doll make me happy to know that our new baby is going to be welcomed and loved by everyone in our life, no matter how old they are.

A Hardcore Quirk

Today I did my shopping/cooking for the month. I decided this month not to stick to the 'Once A Month' cooking plan but rather do up our favorites in a planned way and cook ahead everything I can. Tonight I made several entrees but had to leave the lasagna for tomorrow. Water retention is a wonderful thing.

After doing all the cooking I then had to organize my freezer so everything would fit. And what's the fun of organizing the top of the fridge freezer only? I then moved on to the deep freeze. Some deep freezes do become catch-alls, but not ours as it is housing a zillion burgers/sausages/hotdogs left over from some church events this summer. Should anyone want to BBQ in the middle of the winter- we're your hook up.

Upon completing my organizing I then had to write the menu. No simple date and meal in the square, not for this overly organized fool. I also had to write if I had already made it or if I would have to buy anything for it, you get the idea. I did stop short of color coding everything.

Upon this fascinating night of organization I began to realize that I am a hardcore organizer. And in a totally quirky way. For example, I don't like loose change, in the LOOSE CHANGE JAR. And I don't like cluttered junk, in the JUNK DRAWER!

I like to be organized and it's true that my lack of blog posts is because I've been on an organizational bonanza around here. It's taking a long time to get the house back in order since the implosion of "Sciatica Attacks Week", but it's also good to tap into who I really am and do the job the way I want it to be done.

The Anatomy of Grey

I have totally gone over to the dark side and must now confess to being a Grey's Anatomy fan. We have bible study on Thursday nights during the time GA airs, but we tape it. Then instead of going to bed at a reasonable hour we blow our discipline out the window and stay up late on Thursdays watching that night's episode.

While I was convicted for about a minute about the fact that I was actually cheering for George's marriage to end so he and Izzy could get together, I quickly got over it. I mean, they're fictional characters, no one is really getting hurt, that justifies it, right!?!

This week I was struck by one exchange that got me thinking. When Izzy comes down to talk to George and claims she isn't 'hardcore', using Christina as her 'hardcore' example. If you didn't watch the episode, I can't explain the whole exchange, you'll have to download it and watch it. I was just really struck, (I already used that word but I suffer from pg brain), by what she did and how in fact I would define her as 'hardcore'.

I got to thinking about the women I compare myself too, the 'hardcore's' of the SAHM world. Am I enough Martha Stewart? Enough June Cleaver? Enough health-conscious-environment-friendly-creative-mind-building-body-challenging super woman?

And then a better question hit me, do I even want to be?

The thing for Izzy was defining what 'hardcore' was for her. I would put it in the words of saying she that she's 'hardcore' heart, what do I desire to be 'hardcore' at and am i? Do you know what you want to be 'hardcore' at and are you?

It's kinda like that tombstone question, what would you hope others will inscribe on your tombstone after you've passed away? What do you want your legacy to be? When your children are making scrapbook pages of days with you, what do they write, what moments are important? Are you 'hardcore' you?