Midwife

I was finally able to get in touch with my midwife today. Looks like she is available to work with us again and we will be able to plan a homebirth again! I was a little stressed worried that with being due in Sept (it's a busy birthing month) and not gettting in touch with her before now, that we might not be able to use her. I was really glad to hear that we will be using her and that everything should be fine.

The only thing that I don't look forward to is the drive out to see her every month. At least it is just once a month for a while and then every two weeks...but one of the later visits she comes here, so that helps. She lives way out...or we do...but either way it takes a good hour to get to her office/home. But she is well worth it. Now I just need to start looking for a great gift for her. My favorite gift for her was the first time we used her. I traded with someone online and crocheted a little cardigan for a lady and in return she made a handmade ornament for me. It was our midwife and our family...she was holding a little baby and it was so so so sweet. I only wish that I had had one made for us too. It was super special and I loved it. Unfortunately the lady no longer makes them. I would love to find something just as special and unique...I have 6 months!

No plans...

We were supposed to head up to my parents' house this weekend. Plans...just like I mentioned a few posts back, are never written in stone around here. It looks like we will be spending the weekend here in town thanks to the weather and some work related issues and health related issues. Just one too many issues to work through on such short notice.

So, here we sit at home with no real plans. Hmm, maybe if it rains we could head up to the children's museum in Columbia?

We went bike riding the other night. It is really fun now that Aidan can keep up with us---we actually have a bit of a time keeping up with him sometimes. It was a great night for it and we went a few miles I think...hard to tell since we went down a road that we normally don't drive since it is fairly quiet. The girls did really well in the trailer, and I thought that I did pretty good hauling them most of the way. I did trade bikes with Adam on the way back, as we got to a slight incline and my calves, just didn't want to go any more. I then raced Aidan back to the house, so I don't know that it did me any good to switch with Adam. I am hoping that now that the weather is turning nicer and warmer, that we can go for more rides as a family and that the kids and I can venture out on our own too during the day. Aidan held up well, so I think he might could even handle riding down to a neighborhood park and playing there for a bit some days. We will have to make sure of the mileage and make sure that I can handle it too!

Alora is anxiously awaiting her birthday. She has an odd list of things that she has asked to receive. I think that most of it will be covered by us, or my mom, but there are a few things that I am not sure about....like the "bad princess". I guess we are going to have to grill her and see if we can't get a bit more description than that.

Aidan is doing really well with our 1st grade schooling. He is really smart and speeds through lots of it but gets a bit discouraged with things that he has to slow down to do. 2 or 3 math problems are fine, but hand him a page of them...even if they are all really simple and he usually frowns and mutters. I have been trying to make it more fun for him. I think maybe we should get a kid friendly timer and then he can time himself to see if he gets faster at such things. I don't have many other ideas.

Aralyn is starting to draw really well. She can make a simple little smiley face. Unfortunately, all the ones she draws on paper she usually draws over later, and the ones that she draws with a doodle pad, she ends up erasing before I can get a picture of them. I will try to catch one sometime soon. They are really amazing to me...since they are almost as good as Alora's. My girls are certainly not equals in their drawing abilities.

Our other little baby is growing...I guess. I don't really think that I am showing yet, although some might disagree. Being a little bigger than I would like (read overweight a bit) before getting pregnant, may help me to "hide" this little baby for a bit longer than I was able with the girls. I don't think it will be nearly 6 months like with Aidan, but he was a first. I think it will be more real to the kids when I am showing and the baby is moving enough for them to feel from the outside. I think they will all get a "kick" out of it. (I know: way, way corny)

Wheels

This week we have had our fill of wheels...or tires. Saturday we had plans to get the kids fed and to bed really early to help with the time change. Well, no such luck there...one thing and another....and another and we ended up getting in bed way too late to compensate for the loss of an hour of sleep. Oh well, the best laid plans, or something like that.

Adam left work that day to find that he had a flat tire on the van that he has been borrowing from his father. Looks like some punk (for lack of anything else that fits that is child friendly) stuck a knife in his tire. A clean, straight puncture right on the sidewall. Nice! I went up to the office to take him the compressor to him and after trying for a while to blow it up I found the hole. We changed the tire and got him rolling again. Yay for us!

So, when we went to get the tire fixed at the tire place we also had the guy look at one of the Ody's tires since it has had a bit of a slow leak for a while. He found a nail and patched the hole...and said "I can guarantee the patch". Well, about 10 miles from the house on the way to playgroup this morning, I realized that we were going to have to take him up on that guarantee. After realizing that the tire was flat, I called Adam to let him know. He asked if I needed him to come and help me, but other than the fact that he could probably do it faster than me, I really didn't think that I would need him. I am glad that he came to my rescue anyway. I have never changed the tire in the van, but thought, how hard could it be? Well, not too hard if you can figure out how to get the jack out of its little hole. And, I would have never been able to loosen the nuts either, Adam even had to jam his foot down on the wrench to get them loose. They were super tight. So, less than an hour after being stranded on the side of the road, we were headed back to the tire place to let them patch (with an interior patch) the hole again and fix the tire again. Such a pain.

We missed out on playgroup and that makes us all really sad...it will also make the rest of the week last even longer and Thursday of next week will seem like a age until it arrives.

But, at least we shouldn't have to deal with any more tire problems for a while...at least I sure hope not! I think that is my fair share for a week.

Alora's babies

Alora: Do I have a baby growing in my tummy?

Daddy: No, you don't, sweetie, just Momma.

Alora: Will I have a baby in my tummy when I am a momma?

Daddy: Yes, that will make you a momma.

Alora: When can I have a baby in my tummy?

Momma: When you are older and you have gotten married and have a home of your own, maybe then would be a good time for you to have a baby.

Alora: My babies are up in heaven.

Momma: They are?

Alora: Yes, they are. God is taking care of them.

Daddy: Oh, really.

Alora: And they are so cute sleeping on their little clouds. God is going to take care of them until they will grow in my tummy.

Four!

Four is just one of those special numbers.

A car needs four wheels...just won't go with any less.

A table needs four legs...or at least 3, but usually they have four.

Four quarters make a dollar.

Four quarts make a gallon.

Four kids in our family! Yup! That's right!

We are going to have another baby. I am excited, a bit overwhelmed and nervous.

I am somewhat dreading the looks that I will be receiving as a start to show and am out and about with three other children. Homeschooling Aidan means that I mostly go everywhere with all my children and I already get comments about how full my hands are, as if I wasn't quite aware until the kind gentleman at the post office or the elderly lady at the bank mentioned it to me. " Oh, really, I have 3 children and am very busy keeping them all quiet at the library and making sure they all get buckled up properly after a 2 hour joy ride of grocery shopping at Wal-mart? Thanks for letting me know...I will have to keep that in mind when I start to waddle in my 8th month of pregnancy." Sometimes people are just a bit rude with what they choose to say. And, sometimes, I am just a bit sensitive to it and must vent.

I am looking forward to seeing this new little baby and all that entails. I am excited to see if Aidan will be getting the brother that he so desperately wants. I am looking forward to seeing how Alora, my highly spirited child will mother this new little one. This child was definitely born to mother and this will be a great opportunity to see her little talents bud and her love expressed the best way she knows how. And Aralyn....well, I am just hoping that she adjusts well and isn't too jealous of loosing her "baby" position. I have a feeling she and Aidan will grow closer after the baby comes and I do look forward to seeing him take her under his wings and help her grow up into the toddler that she is becoming.

We have told our parents and many of our friends, so I guess the time is right to have it here on the net. I am due at the end of September, so Aidan and Adam will have someone else to join them in their birthday month. It should be a busy month.