slowly, but surely

i am getting everything done. ok not every single thing, but i am knocking a few important items off the dreaded before-the-bebe-arrives- to-do list. this was one that i just couldn't let slide:

image :: property of katsinthebelfry

i made t-shirts for thehobbit & minipaper (hers says sister of course) to wear on the big day. they are both sassy little creatures, so the typical, cutesy big brother/sister shirts wouldn't do.

i cannot wait to see them bounding into my hospital suite, wearing the shirts that proudly proclaim both their importance, & their stance on diapers.

now i'm off to put up my poor little feet, & drink a giant glass of iced tea. i hope your saturday is a lovely one.
~peace.

edited to add :: some have emailed asking - i don't have a daughter. minipaper is thehobbit's bestest bud (& daughter of paper ). to us they are family.

fancy friends

this morning thehobbit was playing golf in the backyard. he decided he needed a caddy, so he dressed his golf bag, & named it william.

quickly william became more fun than golfing, so he dragged his caddy inside, & set about building a bigger, better version.

william is fancy.

~peace.

a whine & a crown

it would seem that my body enjoyed being forced to do nothing but rest for over a week. feeling much better, i attempted a few errands this morning - then found myself back at home within the hour. just that little walking brought on uncomfortable contractions. my body has been happily resting in bed ever since.

unfortunately my mind has been miserable. i want to get things done, i want to clean my filthy house, i want to play! it dawned on me today that i may just have to give in, & accept that i may not have everything ready for thebebe's arrival, & my home may have to remain filthy. oh just writing about that last bit makes me want to cry!

i'll make a deal with you body: you let me get the house 100% cleaned before we leave for the hospital on tuesday, & i'll spend the rest of the time resting. i won't attempt errands, projects, or anything else - just let me get the place clean. you think about it, & get back to me. ok?

***

so as not to only whine & complain:

i did manage to make a birthday crown before the pestilence hit. it's a donation for this year's homeschool expo. the dragonfly artisans (hotlink still not working, please look under 'more kat' for the link) are giving a basket of fantasy play items to be raffled.

i really like the fake silver pearls, backed by the giant silver sequins - fancy, yet understated ;-)

& on that note, i'm off.
~peace.

royal proclamations

i've no time for a proper post today, but did want to let you know a few things:

* theshop is closed for the next month. i'm wretched at multi-tasking; no way can i manage theshop & care for a shiny, new bebe. i'll let you know when things are up & running again.

* i've a new comments image over there <--- created by the very talented cathe holden. she has a fun blog - please visit her at justsomethingimade.blogspot.com (my hotlink is still not working).

* we're nearing the end of the pregnancy, so don't fret if i suddenly disappear. i'll be back as soon as i'm able. i may even break my no photos with faces rule to share the newest member of the belfry with you.

hmm i could have sworn there was more to tell you. most likely it shall come to me in the middle of the night. i'll give you a ring if it does. ok? ;-)

~peace.

oh how they grow (& don't)

i've been noticing subtle changes in my wee hobbity lad. no physical signs that puberty is on the horizon, nor major personality alterations; merely little glimpses into a newer version of who he has always been.

i say it that way, because the new things about him don't seem to be taking the place of anything. he's asking if he can help around thebelfry & farm more, but still needs prodding with a hot poker to pick up his room. he now cares desperately about spelling & penmanship when writing letters or emailing friends, but still comes to show me everything he/they wrote. i've overheard him having serious discussions with friends, then turn around & squeal ooh look at the puppy!

i find these subtle changes vastly easier to accept than the larger milestones; these i can handle without my heart breaking. it would be lovely if children grew up in little bits, yet always remained the same. i don't really mean that of course; i want my boy to be a real man one day; i just wish that these little boy years weren't so fleeting.

one thing that shows no sign of changing anytime soon is his love of toys. doc & her family came to visit last night, & brought him the most adorable prezzie. he snuck it out to dinner, & has been toting it around all day.

it's a wind-up robot pencil sharpener! one can make the robot walk by winding him with the key, or by sharpening a pencil. how clever is that? of course he's named the robot sharpie; because he still names things by how they look, or what they do. someone tell me please: when does that stop? at what age do they start naming things actual names?

i wonder in what ways he'll grow (& not) once his brother is born. will he become a little daddy, or will he become more firmly an 11yo? is it possible for him to do both? i hope so.

~peace.

my new best friend in a cup

this is what got me through all of yesterday, & today:

lemon & honey tea. my doc suggested it (as did oddsox & paper), to help me muddle through the daytime without any meds. then early yesterday paper lovingly left a bag of lemons on my porch, for which i'm ever so grateful.

i have to say that i've grown quite sick of the taste of hot lemon & honey, but i'll stick with it because it does work. i need to get more ice cream honey today though; so shall have to brave the world beyond my little belfry.

i'm going to use the power of positive thinking to make me all better by tomorrow because: a) i'm beyond sick of being sick, & 2) we have dinner plans with friends i haven't seen in ages. clearly both excellent reasons for getting well quickly.

& now i'm off to make some more of my new best friend. what are you doing today?

~peace.

& the winner is...

it would seem i have won yet another coveted award. this time it was for having the most horrid pestilence one can have during the last few weeks of pregnancy. yes, 'tis true my dearest one & only reader - i have spent the last few days miserable, coughing up lungs & all sorts of things. the doc gave me wonderful drugs, but i'm only allowed to take them at night; so i can sleep. blah.

is this fate's way of forcing me to take it easy? a bit extreme if you ask me. i mean i know i'm not fabulous at taking it easy, but really now.

other than trying desperately to make it through each day, i do very little. mostly i stare at this:




i would love to toss the box into the recycling bin, but as you can see - it's being used.




thehobbit has always been drawn to boxes. i thought he'd eventually outgrow it, but clearly that isn't the case. i was near to insisting the box be taken out of the house when i was run over by the pestilence. now i'm considering paying it - what does a nanny charge these days?

as i type he is again in the box, & again reading the book pictured. it's a joke book, which i foolishly lovingly bought him yesterday at the pharmacy. hed been simply miserable seeing me so ill, & being unable to play with me or snuggle me, so i thought a bit of silliness would help.

i was right by the way, he's been having such fun reading & telling jokes. did you get that last bit? telling jokes. to ME. i didn't think about that when buying the book. holy maude but i want to run the book through the paper shredder.

so that's the latest from thebelfry. i hope you & yours are feeling vastly better than i. before i go here is a snippet from earlier today:

th: hey mama? mama? mama! why did the chicken cross the playground?

k: (barely audible grunt)

th: to get to the other slide! get it mama?! side? slide? hahahahahahaha slide.

~peace.

oddly no,

i am not carrying twins. it does look it, but there's just the one in there. what's worse is that i look even larger in person. impossible you say? i would have thought as much; once upon a time; but 'tis true.

we had planned on decorating my gigantic belly this weekend, but that plan had to be set aside. it would seem that some person; who may, or may not have been me; did not put any sunscreen on her bikini-clad self yesterday, & is now sporting quite the sunburn. manlyman said my belly now looks like "bob the tomato" from "veggie tales". sexy, no?

that's all the time i have for today's chat. we have dear friends coming over to bbq later, & i've got to get my veggies prepped. i hope your weekend is a lovely one, & please!!!! if your belly hasn't seen the sun in a decade or more - wear sunscreen.

~peace.

looking at the bright side of life

yesterday was an ever so dreadful sort of day. we had to be across town all day; for morning & late afternoon doc appointments; so i planned errands & a thrifting excursion to fill the hours between. without going into all the ridiculous happenings, i will just say that the majority of the day went wrong.



by the nightfall i was so miserable, that i was unable to focus on positives. in fact, had you asked me then, i would have insisted that not one good thing came out of the entire day. that, of course, is not the case - but i think a bit of dramatics is ok once in awhile.



today is a new day, & though it's not going as well as i would like, i am able to focus on being positive. for example: although our thrifting was cut hideously short, i did manage to come away with 2 treasures. the footstool needs to be painted & recovered; otherwise it's in excellent shape.





the basket needs no work whatsoever - it is simply perfect. & the lid! it has slits for the handles to poke through, & lifts straight off. baskets drive me wild in general, but with lids?!?! according to our new rule, we must have a purpose for everything we bring home. i need to think of one quickly.

i'm grateful that yesterday is behind me, & that today's crud is vastly more tolerable - beyond that, i'm just going to take the day as it comes. not an entirely pollyanna attitude, but at least i'm looking at the bright side of life. mostly. ish.

~peace.

showered with love

a handful of friends got together to throw us the most amazing baby shower! they transformed our backyard: tables covered in linen cloths, beneath 2 white shade structures on the lawn, another shade structure on our brick patio, covering more tables piled high with fabulous food!

i was in a bit of a daze the entire time, so never once thought to get out the camera. i wish i had photos to share - of the food, if nothing else! fruit, crudites, salads, crackers, goat cheeses, hummus & pita slices, cakes, & oh the bbq! the array of grilled veggies makes me drool just thinking about them.



i cannot explain how it felt - sitting there, surrounded by families who mean so much to us, & knowing they all came to celebrate our coming bebe.

to the mamas who worked so hard to do this for us - we shall never be able to find the words to express our gratitude. you truly are amazing friends.

to the families who spent the afternoon showering us with love - we are blessed to have you in our lives.

to those who were too far away to attend - you were very much missed.

ok enough mush for one afternoon. i'm off to sort through fabric bins.
~peace.

food!

i just may have won the war with the earwigs!

there may not be an overflowing bounty this year, but i'll take what i can get.

~peace.

lazy summer

the gigantic belly is forcing allowing me to have a lazy summer.

unlike past summers, we've gone on no field trips, attended no events, & are even having a mellow 4th. after dinner we'll eat some celebratory watermelon, & toss some poppers at the ground - can't get much more mellow than that.




normally i would be feeling as though we were missing out on so many wonderful summer activities, but i have to say that i'm not. oh sure, occasionally i hear of something happening & wish we too could attend; but on the whole? i'm deep in the lazy.

won't you join me?
~peace.