He's here!

Our little one has arrived safely, if albeit, a little tardy.

Calum Alasdhair

10 pounds, 10 ounces

22 inches long

August 30th, 2009

9:20 pm

Welcome little guy! 

gratitude friday...

Just checking in to say there is no baby yet. But! I am very grateful for everything that has been accomplished in the past few weeks that we've been waiting for our little one. I think he/she is going to arrive in a well-rested, peaceful home and that is truly the best thing I could hope for. 

Where did the time go?

We've been so busy I've barely noticed that I am still pregnant! Well, okay, I noticed quite a bit but at least this time has flown by. No one is pregnant forever and goodness knows, I will probably cherish these moments as a mother of two when I am a mother of three (!). 

We've had three birthday parties, several play groups, a trip to the Museum Center, a date night for the grown-ups (which translates as a date night at Grandma and Pop's house for Liam and Isla), the farmers' market and many, many bowls of popcorn and family movie evenings when its been too hot to go out and play. Right now, we are listening to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban while in the car and we just finished Ramona the Pest. I highly recommend audio books as a means of entertainment in the car--it feels more relaxing than music and it is so easy to get sucked into a good story that I don't even want to turn it off when we arrive at our destination! I'm not too concerned about the age appropriateness with audio books--I feel like my children have been exposed to adult conversation for the majority of their existence and something like Harry Potter or Beverly Cleary is perfectly harmless. 

The baby will come when he/she is ready. I can hardly contain my excitement, but it is nothing compared to what Liam is going through right now. I've never seen a more attentive, thoughtful and absolutely delighted big brother. He is just amazing. Isla, of course, doesn't actually realize what is going on but I know her loving, sweet nature will come in quite handy with a little brother or sister. Liam wakes up every morning asking if the baby is here yet and lamenting his/her tardiness. Isla wakes up and wants breakfast immediately but I can relate. I'm not much of a morning person either. 

Our Upstairs Nature Table

A new month calls for a new nature table post! Okay, so it's almost the middle of the month but still! August is getting away from me--thanks in no small part to our little one taking his/her time arriving...but I digress. 

The upstairs hallway is unfinished, to say the least. It needs some major renovation--something that we are hiring out to professionals (soon I hope!) Nevertheless, we love this unfinished alder bookshelf that sits right outside of the play room and holds part of our enormous collection of books. On top of the bookshelf, Liam designed his very own nature table--out of reach of Isla and perfect for all of those little things that he wanted to keep special and safe. 

The Reading Nook

We finally finished the play room! At least, for now. I decided that the kids really needed a lounging/relaxing area (well, I needed a lounging area for when the baby arrives at least!) so we improvised this little reading nook. 

The ottoman was left in our basement by the previous owner of our house and was in very good condition. I originally wanted to re-upholster it in some fantastically whimsical fabric but it was in such great shape I couldn't bring myself to spend the money. A basically free redecoration is a-okay with me! 

The current favorite rotation of books is stored in this great cedar tool caddy, which was a part of their summer solstice gifts. I think this may become my go-to present in the future--it's simple, handmade by a local craftsman and environmentally friendly (he makes them out of cedar scrap leftover from outdoor furniture.) 

I'm happy with how this room has come together and I see it meeting our needs for quite a while. Quite a few more notes and resources can be found here, the play room Flickr set. 

I love buying handmade. Thankfully there is place for people like me to shop to my heart's content--Etsy! 

For instance, this fantastic outfit of Isla's is courtesy of courtney courtney (dress) and Arfeiniel (hat.)

 

 This hat is Isla's current most favorite thing in the whole, wide world, which to me is great news since I am most definitely a hat person. Well, at least in regards to my children. They have at least one hat for every season--most of the time, two or three. 

I can't help but love this girl. Who wouldn't? 

The Aquarium

Petting starfish.

Visiting with a favorite aunt. Fun times for everyone! As you can imagine, things are still in limbo here as we wait for the baby. Today's to-do list could not possibly be any longer but I'm really and truly trying to appreciate what little time we have left as a family of four. This may be our last weekend of going out and getting things accomplished together for quite a while so I don't want to miss any minute of it! 

Liam's First Haircut

It's definitely a change! I will miss the curls but I imagine it won't take long for them to grow back. 

Go To Gifts--WIP Wednesday

We are not invited to an excessive number of birthday parties at this age but we do have the privilege of experiencing a few. Liam adores birthday parties--I actually can't think of any particular event he cares for more! This WIP is actually finished, but I thought I would share regardless. 

For this slightly older girl's fifth birthday, we brought her flowers and a nice, framed print with her name on it. Since she is entering a traditional kindergarten this fall, we won't get to see her at our regular play group so I wanted to make sure that she had something special. I simply took a photo I had taken at the Krohn Conservatory butterfly exhibit and using Picnik I added the first letter of her name and then her name itself in a fun font. I had it printed through Flickr and just placed it in an IKEA solid wood frame that I had treated with a lavender/bergamot beeswax finish. She seemed very happy with it and I was happy to use my somewhat limited crafting skills to still create something beautiful and fun! And most importantly for me, handmade. 

The Waiting Game

Assembling puzzles seems like a quiet, relatively calm way to deal with the waiting game. Our newest addition should be arriving at any day but really seems to be taking his/her sweet time! Or maybe it's just me, going a little stir crazy over here? 

Names have been decided on, car seats are clean and ready to be re-installed, small sibling gifts have been procured and each morning Liam wakes up, asking if the new baby is here yet. I'm so sorry to keep disappointing him but it can't stay this way forever!

We've been staying relatively busy--lots of birthday parties and fun events, a few appointments and even a first haircut and a first trip to the aquarium slated for later this week which is especially exciting. Is it bad that I'm wishing we get past this next weekend before the little one arrives? Is that a way to guarantee a truly spectacular entrance in the coming days?!