What a weekend, a bit cool - but sunny and lovely.

I started out on Saturday hanging my cloth diapers on the line - a lovely, satisfying sight.
I have to say I am in love with the Mother-ease one-size bamboo diapers. They are so soft and lovely. I like them much better than the Sandy's - which are great too, but the one-size ones fit better and feel better I think. I will be going back to Go Green Baby in Kingston for some more.

Then I took the kids to a friends place for a party - we stayed till 5pm. We flew kites, had a scavenger hunt, played trains, and I had lots of arms to hold my baby. Good times with great friends.

Today, my baby sister and her partner came to visit before they head back to Kenya with Free the Children. Jod has been there since January and won't be back again till October. Her visit home this time was a surprise and a real treat. She got to meet Azalea and hang out with Mo all last weekend and today. I am sad to see them go, but they will be back soon - and I am so proud of her. We went for a lovely walk and then they had to get back.


I will miss them very much.

Cloth diapering is something I planned on doing with my first. Until our well dried up that fall, and doing any laundry consisted of trekking to a laundromat. So, when we got pregnant with our little girl I felt like it could be redemption time. So, I researched. I looked everywhere. I found my 'guru' in very close friend who has successfully, and consistently had both her boys in cloth diapers.

They loaned me some and I bought some used over the internet. All are in great shape and so soft. I have tried Kushies, and did not like them, and a few others - but these ones are the Sandy MotherEase model. They are awesome. So yesterday, knowing I would be home for the next 24 hours I thought I would give it a go. Up until now I had been using them, but only when convenient. Youknow, it got easier and easier throughout the day to use them. And then I ran out, I have about 16 diapers right now. Not enough for a newborn who pees and poops constantly. She seemed very comfortable in them, and once I got used to her having a giant bum - they looked really sweet. The only thing is, as soon as she goes, she freaks... she HATES being wet. Good for toddler potty training, not so great for a newborn, it made her slightly grumpy.

Anyway, suffice to say, I loved it - and I am proud of making it through the day. Not to mention I felt guilty whenI had to used the PC green Disposables again. I need a few more diapers, though I may go a size up, since at 5 weeks she is already 12 lbs. The bummis wraps are so sweet, but the small barely fits! So now I need to contact my diaper lady and see what she has for me now... I want to find the flowered bummi wraps...

My little boy is also so proud... he loves to help with the wraps and says every time - see mom, we just saved a garbage diaper : )

Thanks Elaine.

It has been 5 weeks.

Our baby girl is growing like a weed, it is amazing, every single day is a new adventure. I could spend all my waking hours watching her... but I can't. Mo needs me too. Life is crazy and hectic and lovely all at the same time. We are settling into a groove, Mo is an awesome big brother, and Shawn is incredible. The second time around is really neat. There is so much less stress, expectation and anxiety... for both of us. It just is, and it is SO REFRESHING. Of course there are the usual worries that come along with parenting, but for me, I feel prepared for them this time.

I have also come to realize that after I had Mo, I was depressed. Very. I had a tramatic and scary and out of control birth with him, and it affected me much more than I realized. And now, after my medication - free VBAC, I feel great. Powerful. Strong. Like the woman I know I am. It is wonderful. Special thanks go out to Shawn, my partner with eight arms, my midwives, and the nurses at KGH.

And now, I feel like working again. Not the fever pitch I was in in January, but I do finally feel like painting and working on some of my projects. I do have to understand though, that my time is limited, much more now than it was - and just take it easy. AND, to only say yes to jobs I am really excited about... so, let's see where it all goes.

Wow, what a whirlwind we are in.. nobody ever tells you how busy it gets with two kids! It is wonderful and amazing, a four year-old that NEVER (i mean never) stops... between morning and bedtime it is go, go, go. And baby Azalea, no real schedule yet, but seems to be figuring out her days and nights now. Managing to keep up the level of parenting for MO, the books, the love, the snuggles - is hard, but so worth it. They are awesome kids. I am looking forward to him going to school this week though, some time to nap, clean my house and be with Zaley. I also have some work I need to attend to - which has been impossible to get to with everyone home.

Looking forward to working on some of my book projects again... it feels like it has been too long (really only 2 months) but I feel a creative burst coming on, so I must take advantage of it!

Little Azalea and big brother Mo, checking to see she has all her fingers and toes - for now - that is as close as he wants to get.

Still just checking things out...


the little pork chop...

Welcome to the world baby girl. She came in like a wildfire - and together we had a successful VBAC, au - naturel. Love this baby, can't wait to get her home.

Our newest addition, Azalea, was born at 4:20 am on March first... like a hurricane - weighing in at 10lb 1oz.

More details later!

A mantra I am, and have been repeating to myself for it seems weeks now.

We have had two nights in a row of intense labour, not too painful, but regular and strong contractions for at least 3 hours at a time. Right in the middle of the night. It gets to a point where I am too tired to stay up anymore to count, and then they subside as I am sleeping and I wake up to nothing. I am grateful - I mean, I want this to be as natural as possible, and no chemical inductions leading to other procedures. I am grateful to my husband and midwives who have been amazing through this.

6 am this morning found me bawling my eyes out in the bathroom because things had stopped, AGAIN. It is frustrating. Last night I was sure it was going to happen - we even dropped Mo off at our amazing friends place for the night after dinner. I had been to the midwife earlier in the day to get my membranes stripped and things were starting already. And they went - good and strong from 8pm till about 130am... and then went on and off for the rest of the night.

Now, I need to curb my addiction to the stopwatch, and perhaps just let it be without fretting or worrying. I do know that my body is working hard to bring this baby into the world, and for that I am grateful and happy it knows how to do that. But i find it hard with all the well wishes and phone calls to not feel the pressure, from me - and from anyone else. Also knowing how things could go if we go past-due makes me quake in fear to be honest. I feel there is a time-line here.

Today we slept, a great sleep for most of the day, and I am ready again - to start. Perhaps this night will bring us a baby, or just another sleepless night - or maybe nothing - who knows.

Another thing I do know is - she WILL arrive, and we are ready for her whenever she does.

Today, our baby started 'real' school. You know, the kind where you as a parent don't get to see the teacher every day - you don't know what really goes on on the playground... you watch them walk into the classroom and all the gut wrenching feelings you had as a kid on your first day come back.

His old school is an amazing place. He learned so much and loved all his teachers - and was so loved in return. He was a toddler there, then a pre-preschooler, then a pre-schooler and then this past year he was in the JK/SK split class. I got to have him on campus with me nearby, I got to know all of his amazing teachers, cooks etc. I know his new school is a great place too, but the love and friendship we found at Loyalist is beyond measure.

In our last week his teachers gave us such wonderful gifts, and best wishes - and I know we will miss them terribly. This morning when I was making Mo's lunch he asked that I make his tuna sandwich just like Wendy did. He mentioned Leslie and Irene a few times and said, "I'll bet they are missing me." And you know what? I'll bet they are.

They let him be his quirky self... Mo is very much his own person now - able to stand up for himself if need be, to find friends and to love with a compassion I have never really seen before.

And me? I am home, enjoying a n ice quiet day to myself. Nesting. Resting. It is a transition time for me too... baby is due any day now, and I will be going from mom of an independent little boy, to mom of a tiny baby girl too. I am excited, and a bit scared. I am looking forward to the birth I envision - and to holding her in my arms. I am looking forward to the smell of her head, and to snuggling with two love-bugs in my bed. This morning Mo crawled in (as he does every day) for our morning snuggle, and told me it was his most important part of the day. Well, it is mine too.

I have finished up all of my outstanding work, and am going to spend the day getting baby's space ready... and then I will be ready.

Here are some images I illustrated from a book called Fatou Fetch the Water, written by Neil Griffiths and published by Red Robin Books, UK. The illustrations are mixed media, gouache, ink, cut paper, acrylic and ink... It will be out later this year. I am very excited about this one, as my little sister is working in Africa again this year. Someday, we hope to go and lend a hand as well. This is my fourth book with this publisher - I just love working with them. Every book has been so different and this one was by far the most challenging and most fun at the same time.

http://sixrevisions.com/graphics-design/35-basic-tutorials-to-get-you-started-with-photoshop/

I have been a negligent blogger lately. Mostly because I have been so tired, and I have also been reveling in what 'NORMAL' people do on a nightly basis, without any of the crazy freelance work I've been doing. I have to be honest, it feels a bit empty. TV does not hold much stock for me, and so I've been shuffling around a bit lost. Don't get me wrong, I am glad to not have the added stress of extra work right now - with less than a month to go before our little one will arrive, I am trying to take advantage of the extra possibilities of sleep.

Anyway, this last week was an eventful one! Saturday started out with a lovely full page article in the Kingston Whig Standard about my books and family... and it just got better from there.

My students and coworkers from the Loyalist College PR post-grad program threw me a surprise baby shower, I went down for what I thought was going to be a serious meeting (and i was worried!!), and was greeted with a dark room and a wonderful surprise. It was a fantastic pot-luck, great games and such lovely unexpected gifts. The group brought in Children's books, and much to my suprise and great pleasure, many of them I do not have and/or had forgotten about how much I loved them. I have to confess though, they have not been saved for baby, Mo has been devouring them at a rapid rate. I know so many students are strapped for cash and I can't believe they did all of that, I am still smiling because of it!

This week so many things got done on the house too. Our dryer is back in working order after a lovely visit from our friend an electrician who pointed us to a separate fuse box where our dryer fuse was burnt out. Some history here - about 1.5 years ago we bought a new dryer, and it never worked. We thought it was because the squirrels we had had eaten through the wire. Anyway - long story short - there are some boxes that are scary to look into - and that was one for us... lol.

Also, we have have 3 of the 5 windows in our reno, and the new set of glass double doors (recycled), shawn took off the old wall inside that was crappy old particle board and pieces together (badly) to expose the gorgeous original siding of our house. It has some holes, but is otherwise pristine. So, it is coming, it is a long and laborious project, because Shawn has essentially had to do it all himself, I've been responsible for looking after mo and myself and baby, and he is doing a great job. It is so nice to walk out the back door and be greeted by our back yard - which we love so much. Cannot wait to sit back there with a nice glass of wine watching the stars.

On Saturday night we went to the Banff Film fest, my 9th year, Shawn's 10th. It was ok, there were a few great movies, but it seemed to really be lacking the environmental/humanitarian focus overall, awesome tricks and amazing footage of mind blowing athletes, but usually I am moved in one or two of the films and this time I just didn't feel it. However, the highlight was 'Finding Farley'. Lucky for us my sister works at the NFB and we have a copy of it at home... but it was a movie about a family canoeing through Canada following some of Farley Mowat's books. It was neat, their little guy was 2 at the time and so much like mo at that age it was crazy. Mo also started canoe tripping at 9 months... it was great. And well, we did not come up with the name Mowat out of nowhere, we do like Farley.

Anyway, life is good. It is busy, I am tired. But we have a roof, and food and the love of each other and friends and family. Who could ask for more?

Now we eagerly anticipate meeting our baby girl, sometime over the next month or so we will be holding her in our arms.

I cannot imagine how awful it must be to be in the midst of this crisis. As a mama, the tragedy that has occured - the loss of families and children and loved ones is truly devastating. I urge you to do what you can, as soon as you can - every little bit helps:

Red Cross
doctors without borders

Hug those you love and give thanks for what you have. Think deeply about what the people are feeling in Haiti right now as they struggle to find life and will struggle for survival.

Not sure I can say much more than that. We are all family, let's not forget that.

STORIES FOR CHILDREN BOOK REVIEW

Book: In the Snow

Author and illustrator: Peggy Collins

Publisher: Applesauce Press, 2009

ISBN-13: 978-1-60433-027-4

ISBN-10: 1-60433-027-9

Reading level: Ages 4-8

Rating: 5 stars

     Do you remember the very first time that you ever saw snow?  This book tells the joyful story of a little lad who wakes up to find out that it had snowed while he was sleeping.  So he puts on his fuzzy hat, long socks, warm mittens, cozy coat, big chunky boots—and, oh yes, his snow pants.  Then he and his dad go out and play in the snow.  They learn about animal prints and feeding the birds, and they even build a "ginormous" snowman complete with a carrot nose.  But what would they use a screwdriver and a wrench for?

     Nothing could be more pleasant than a story in which a father romps in the snow with his boy.  Basing the book on her own son's adventures and using the same characters as her previous book In the Garden, author and illustrator Peggy Collins combines this pleasant text with vivid artwork to evoke the excitement of a youngster's first snowy day. 0 Comments on STORIES FOR CHILDREN BOOK REVIEW as of 1/1/1900

I finished my marking and getting the marks in.

It is the last day of work before the holidays.

And then there is this:
Holiday Books to Get your Kids in the mood...

and this:
A Giveaway of both my books - signed just for you!

And then there is this:



Our baby girl at 31 weeks... looking a lot like her big brother.

We all have them.

I, for one, am completely disorganized right now. I could blame it on baby brain, really it has gotten much, much. much worse than it was. Perhaps it is the late nights I am pulling trying to get everything done. Perhaps it is the lack of sleep from going to the bathroom every five minutes. I am not sure, anyway, things are getting lost along the way. I have failed to recognize that I cannot continue the pace I worked prior to getting pregnant with #2, and to add to it all, I GROSSLY underestimated the volume of work involved in being a college professor. Which, I also need to add - I ABSOLUTELY Love, and would love even more if it weren't sandwiched into my full-time job. I got my feet wet this semester, and I am hooked.


So, now, let's just say I am doing some serious catch up.


I am late on some book illustrations - and I am feeling just terrible about it. I had a bout with a BAAAD flu in the midst of it and was out of commission for over a month, and I am still not convinced I have fully recovered. This is the first time anything like this has happened... and I am contrite. They are nearing the finished state for sure, but I really feel like I let the publisher down.

I have many manuscripts and dummys 'hanging'... I think they may have to wait until after baby is born and my head is slightly clearer (haha).


Christmas cards - usually a highlight of my holidays - I have yet to send any out. Now it is too late, so I will be doing an e-card version - hopefully everyone will understand.

And then there is the living, I need time with my son, and my husband. This is some of the fruits of our labour this weekend... more felted soap. I am hooked on this craft too. These are so soft and lovely in the tub - natural exfoliation... just amazing.



a

And I require outside time, in a big bad way. So on Sunday, which was lovely - after spending the entire morning crafting with my son - we went for an epic walk... during which I suffered some serious braxton hicks contractions... and my little guy came over and kissed my tummy to make it feel better. Only 8 more weeks to go till our baby girl is due, and I am trying not to panic about the state of our house. These holidays are going to be mostly dedicated to getting set up for the little one - for me anyway. Shawn is going to continue his renovation work on our back room - he says we may even have our new windows in next week. I can't wait.

0 Comments on Moments of Weakness, forgetfulness and general ineptitude... as of 1/1/1900