This Is How We Cuddle

The boys aren't super cuddly at this age. Well, to be honest, the only way I can get Koen close to me is to say that I'm allergic to his cuddles. Then when he hugs me as hard as he can, I have to `sneeze' a lot to keep it going.

However, once a day I get a good cuddle from each of them. Kai likes to lay on my side and rub my belly. I have to say that Kai is such a wonderful son. He is helpful (Mommy, I can pick that up for you!) and thoughtful (Ladies first!). He continues to be so inquisitive and I think he's pretty bright:) I love that he has the ability to get along with anyone/everyone. He is so patient and encouraging with Koen. Part time kindergarten has been awesome for Kai and Koen to spend time together during the week.

Kai's top three things to watch on tv can also tell you about him:

1. Sports. Mostly hockey. That's what he watches in the morning (highlights) rather than cartoons.

2. Food Network. He loves Chopped and Top Chef. The other day he was buttering his toast and counting down.

3. Veggie Tales. We borrow them from the church library and get a new one each week. The kids quote these movies for weeks on end.

Koen likes to rub my belly and sing songs to his baby sister. The songs are always `ABC's' or `You Are My Sunshine'.

Koen's top 3 shows?

1. Veggie Tales

2. Cars/Cars 2

3. Food Network (my kids love food and they watch this with Gary)

Koen loves to race cars (his `Cars' cars) all day long. He is a lot more aggressive than Kai is and tries to tackle him a lot. He needs to be physical. Could be an age thing too.

Gary also enjoys his cuddles. Ha. I have to say that in our 7 years of marriage (7th anniversary in a few weeks), I have never seen Gary so tired and stressed. When I say `stressed' it really means that he is showing signs of stress whereas he's normally so laid back. He is busy with work/family/photography/basketball/volunteering and maybe it's just that he's getting older? I'm hoping May Long Weekend will be a time where he can just rest and rejuvenate before babe is here. Although he is super busy, two wonderful things he did this week were:

1. Made me sweet and sour pork because I was craving it. He tends to show his love through food which I wish I understood way earlier on.

2. He donated blood yesterday, even though it was a crazy busy day. Donating blood is hot. Just saying.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Love, Louise

Kitchen Reveal!

We had our cabinets refaced today! Basically they put new wood panels on the sides and the island, new doors/drawers, new hinges and hardware. This is a great option if you don't want to change the layout and your cabinets are in good condition. It's about 1/3rd the cost of replacing cabinets. Apparently. And, it only takes about 8 hours to do. Anyway, here is the before and after!

(In case you are interested, the cost of the back splash+all tools need to install it=$200 and we got it from Costco. The cabinet refacing and install were done by Home Depot and depending on what cabinet door styles you want, it ranges from $2500.00-$5000.00).

It looks better when you can see it with our whole main floor but the kitchen table is currently covered with everything that was in the drawers so this is the view you get for now:)

I was so worried it would be too dark in the kitchen but because it's really a giant great room with high ceilings and light coloured paint, it works well!

I like it! I've also realized my fridge looks very messy. Besides our basement, this is the biggest investment we've put into our home so I'm glad it's done because I was stressing about whether I spent too much money on it. Now that it's done, I don't need to think about it anymore:)

Okay, time to put my kitchen back together:)

Love, Louise

Ultrasound at 36 Weeks

This is the most unflattering picture of everyone and was on my dad's phone but it's the only one we have:) Who puts the two pregnant ladies closest to the camera? Yikes! However, it is a moment I want to remember so here it is. After church on Sunday my sisters and my dad went to Newlands for the Brunch Buffet. So good. Seriously. Wow. My headache disappeared for about 2 hours and during that time, I ate and ate. Yum! My favourites? The Curry Beef and Pecan Pie.

Jan brought little Jack along and he's such a cute little peanut (although I guess close to 9lbs so not so little). The reason we got together was because on Monday May 7th, it will be 6 years since my mom passed away. I miss her and although I will remember her forever (especially her smile and laugh), I forget her voice and I can't imagine what a conversation with her would be like now. She would be super excited about all these babies though, that's for sure!! Miss you momma. Praying baby is not born on May 7th (which would be 3 weeks early) because I would really rather not have that birth date for babe.

In other news, I had my ultrasound today. I actually invited my in laws to come along as they hadn't seen an ultrasound before. Unfortunately, at this far along, there wasn't much you could see. They did get to see the heart but the rest of her was pretty unrecognizable. I'll meet with my midwife on Thursday to go over it but this is what I got from the tech (please note that not all readings are accurate but it's the best guesstimate for now):

1. Baby is transverse. I knew this already but I had hoped she had gotten into position.

2. Baby girl has a head that is `off the charts'. What does that mean? Basically as big as a baby at 40 weeks. Seriously, another Kai sized head is not good news for a VBA2C attempt.

3. Baby girl's chest measurements are in line with her head ones; large.

4. Baby girl is estimated to weigh 6.9lbs right now. If she gains .5/week, that would put her at about 9lbs on her due date which isn't huge but not ideal for a VBA2C for me. Koen also was the same estimated weight but was born 10 days early at 9lbs 7oz so ya...I know it could be anywhere from 8.5-9.5lbs.

So, I'm assuming baby girl will be born on May 22nd (C-section date) at 9lbs 3oz. If the head is really that large, then I don't feel comfortable going for a VBA2C. I know women do it all the time, but this woman tried with Kai and it was not ideal.

So ya, good to see that she's growing big and strong and I'm really looking forward to seeing what this sweet big girl looks like:)

Tylenol

I am so thankful for Tylenol. Major headache for 24 hours. Of course I feared pre-eclampsia (due to my sister's experience with it). All night I was thinking of who I would get to do the wedding for me today if I did have high blood pressure. I do have a list of photographers, I was just thinking logistics and all that jazz. Went and got it checked this morning and although it was high for me, it was still totally in the normal range. Exhausting and long day with a wedding downtown. Gary does the reception portion on his own so he's still there for another 2 hours or so. Apparently I'm huge even though I don't think I am. Lady at Costco says, `You must be having twins!'. Nope. I am measuring 38 weeks (I'm 36).

If I could do anything right now, this is what it would be (all at the same time):

1. Lay in bed

2. Have a professional massage that lasts 2 hours. She would focus on my upper back and the back of my neck.

3. Have a pedicure with a non stop foot massage

4. Have a chocolate milkshake or some sweet and sour pork. Let's be honest, it would be both. First the sweet and sour pork.

5. Watch a new episode of New Girl or Modern Family

I dislike feeling unwell and stressed. I mean, who does like it. Sorry to be a complainy pants. To end on a happy note...I have only bought baby girl one outfit but I also couldn't resist these organic muslin swaddling blankets. They have since been washed and are nice and wrinkly. Cute eh?

Okay, back to uploading photos...

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Love, Louise

Stress and Good Stuff

Wow. So, I've been a bit stressed.

With the boys, I had a month off before they were born to relax and rest up. This time, not the case. I am working full time for the next three weeks trying to get all caught up with weddings before the baby is born. It's one thing to edit all throughout the day/night but it's another to do that while still keeping the house decently clean and the kids entertained/fed/disciplined and trying to get exercise in daily. So ya, a bit busy round here. That's one down side of being self employed. Oh ya, and not having a year maternity leave! I'll have one month:(

Other stresses?

Well, I paid the wrong Mastercard bill. I paid our old card instead of our newer one which means we were late a payment which I have never done in my whole life. Our old Mastercard is mailing us a cheque to return the money. Pregancy brain.

Revenue Canada sent me a reassessment asking for even more money. After several phone calls it became clear that I had to pay double the CPP because normally your employer pays it and I am my employer. It costs so much money to have such a small business making such little money. Makes me want to not do everything `by the book' but I have to follow rules:)

But, there's a lot of good stuff too. Like....

1. Kai had Grandparents Day at school. Gary's parents made it and my dad did too! I was so happy that my dad showed up, it was a surprise to me, and I think he enjoyed it. He also got to meet Kai's `fiance'. I don't think I've talked about her before but him and Lauren are planning on getting married eventually. I've met her, I approve:) I do have a picture of her whispering into Kai's ear which is oh so cute but I generally don't post pictures of other people' s kids. You'll just have to trust that it's very cute.

Thanks for coming, grandparents! It means a lot to me.

2. I am 35 weeks pregnant. If I do have a C-section, it will be May 22nd which is in JUST 27 SLEEPS. I feel good. Tired, but good. I can't believe that I will have three kids by next month. I can't wait to meet my little/big girl! Praying I stay healthy as I am not doing a C-section with a cold ever again. Totally in denial that my Graves' could be back in 2 months...

{Yay for comfy pants. Don't think I can wear anything but work out pants for the next month.}

3. Today we had student led conferences. Kai got to show us everything that he has been working on all year from his journals, to stations, to skipping etc. I know I'm a bit biased but he is really a wonderful kid. He is so helpful and has such a gift for teaching (mostly evident in his relationship with Koen). I love him so much and I love that he still snuggles with me. Five year olds are pretty cool.

4. I am so happy that there should be decent weather on Saturday. It is the wedding I am most nervous for and rain would stress me out so much. Please, please, please let it be nice!

5. I get to go to the midwife and for a massage tomorrow. Should be good! I'm going to try to get a half hour massage every week til babe gets here. Might as well!

Have a good night.

Love, Louise

PS Thanks for the cabinet handle advice! You'll just have to wait and see what we chose:)

Advice Needed

It's embarrassing but you have no idea how much I've been thinking about cabinet hardware. I think because we are spending a billion dollars on these cabinets, I need to make sure we like the hardware on it. Seriously, I'm starting to question why I didn't research cabinets/prices more but I assumed Home Depot would have decent prices in comparison and they had a 10% off sale. Oh well, it's done.

Okay, so I need your help!! Our cupboards will look sort of like this one:

Now, these are the handle options for the cabinet cupboards:

{If it matters, most of our cabinets are 36"}

And these are the options for the drawers:

What would you use for the cupboards? The drawers? Sorry, you'll have to give an A,B,C for the cupboards and for the drawers separately as they are labelled differently and maybe you would just want the bigger ones for the large drawers...who knows.

If you want cost to factor in, let me tell you: The ones that are currently attached to our cupboards and drawers would cost nothing. The smaller flat ones cost $50.00 for all of them (about $2.50 each in a value pack). If we want the larger ones, it will cost us approx. $225.00 (almost $10 each). At this point, I don't really care about the price.

Hope this makes sense and hopefully a bunch of you know way more than me about kitchen cabinet handles!!

Thanks in advance!

Love, Louise

Wedding In Runners

I made it through the wedding and I felt pretty good. Yay! I ended up changing from my dress shoes into runners half way through the day but nobody made fun of me so I guess it was okay:) I only have one dress that fits but after matching the bridesmaids from the last wedding, I wasn't going to risk it again and good thing, they had knee length purple dresses too! The wedding party was super nice and the weather was amazing. Now to work twice as hard this week to try to get as much edited as possible before the next one.

I had a dream last night that I had the baby at 35 weeks (where I'm at now). It was a very easy birth and ended up being a boy:) I do feel like I'm going into labour based on the Braxton Hicks that I'm having, it's pretty unreal. They last about a minute long and happen all day long. I have exactly one month until my C-section date. Crazy. I'm sad that I won't be pregnant again as it has been such a great experience. On the other hand, I look forward to finding clothes that fit again. Oh ya, and meeting the little miss.

Watched the Canucks game tonight and it was sort of surreal that they lost. I feel bad for Gary and Kai as they are the major fans in this house. However, on the positive side, this will free up many, many evenings.

Okay, I'm supposed to be editing so I better get back at it:) Hope you had a great weekend in the sun!

Love, Louise

Koen's School Work

Koen decided that he would like to be like his big brother and have some `school books' so I found this one which teaches how to write letters. Koen's drawings/writings are just spots and lines. Usually he has no interest in drawing real pictures or letters. He just likes playing with colours. Anyway, he loves when we do school work:) He knows all of his letters (and their sounds) and many numbers (even numbers like 25 and 99, that's from shopping prices) but hasn't shown interest in writing them at all. Until now. Now he feels like a big boy.

{Possibly a leftie like his brother?}

{This is his `Aren't you proud of me, mommy?' face.}

{Kai loves watching Koen learn and usually gives him a lot of encouragement. This is one of Kai's two faces. It's either serious and focused or it's this.}

We have three weddings coming up and for some reason I feel some anxiety about them. I feel nervous about how my body will do with it. I feel nervous about the long, long days. I feel nervous that I will be frazzled as I'm a bit more emotional these days. Fortunately the last one we are doing should be the easiest as it's at locations we are super familiar with and with a couple that we know the most out of the three.

Today I took Koen to the locations of the church and photos for this weekend as I just wanted to familiarize myself with where they were, time lines etc. I would not usually do this (especially spending an hour getting over that Port Mann...grrrr) but I thought that if it would relieve some anxiety, I should do it. I think it's mostly that I want to have everything all caught up by the time babe is here so I can just relax and enjoy our family of 5. Or really, so that it won't be so tough when I'm in newborn survival mode:)

It's strange that I don't have maternity leave this time. It's tough in the sense that I have to make an average of $500/month for our finances to be totally okay. I know I can do this, and it shouldn't be hard, it's just...I don't know, pressure. I know everything will be fine, I'm just tired:)

So ya, this weekend's wedding photo location is super nature-y so hopefully the weather behaves. It's supposed to be cloudy which would actually be terrific. This is the Old Mill Site in Port Moody in case you were wondering:)

Tomorrow I'm taking some newborn photos of my little nephew, Jack. He did go home this week so I'm glad all is well with him and his momma.

OKay, time to hit the couch with a book. I'm reading `A Heart For Freedom' by Chai Ling.

Love, Louise

Peace

The picture above makes me happy. Why? Well, on the island you may notice all our laundry folded up. My mom always folded our laundry on the kitchen island so I always feel like her when I'm doing that (which seems like every day with 3 messy boys). Secondly, my mom's spaghetti sauce is on the stove which is always a favourite around here. Although, I added too much spinach this time and boys weren't as in love with it as normal. And finally, not related to my mom, the boys were quietly colouring/playing. Nothing was getting broken. Their voices were not raised. No one was fighting. It was so relaxing. And rare.

In other news, I have continued to gain weight too quickly even though I am eating the same or even less than before I was pregnant and exercising 5 times a week. I eat pretty healthy too. I'm assuming it's because my free T4 has been at 10 for 3 months (normal is 11-22) which indicates my metabolism is a bit slower now. I'm fine with gaining weight, I mean, that's normal in pregnancy. But, it should be closer to 1lb/week right now to indicate all is healthy and well. I'm pretty much at the weight I was when Koen was born and I have 5 more weeks to go....it will probably be at least 40lbs total by then, maybe even more.

I'm now at the stage where I don't really want to talk to any more moms. Today at Strong Start, moms were all asking if baby was due any day now etc. Nope, 5 more weeks of growing to go here folks. And seriously, one mom, that I just met, told me after 2 minutes of conversation (where her second question to me was `Are you having a natural birth?' and I explained it could be a VBA2C or C-section) that I have to have a natural birth. Okay, thanks for telling me what I have to do, I was wondering! Problem solved. I'm glad you are the expert on me and on VBA2C's! Can you tell my irritability has increased? Just ask Gary.

And to finish on a positive note, somehow, I am still sleeping super well. This song came into my head last night and has continued running through it:

I CAST ALL MY CARES UPON YOU
I LAY ALL OF MY BURDENS,
DOWN AT YOUR FEET
ANYTIME, I DON'T KNOW
JUST WHAT TO DO,
I JUST CAST ALL MY CARES
UPON YOU

Have a good day.

Love, Louise

A Lovely Weekend

Such a great weekend. Really, I think it's mostly sun related. I love, love, love being outside. Friday I helped out in Kai's kindergarten class (I do it every 6 weeks or so) and he loved it. He has been so much more affectionate with me in public and his emotions are so much more...mature. It's interesting to see this growth.

Saturday I went to watch my football team play...made me excited for the fall! Then I had a photo session (my last family one!) with a super cute family.

On Sunday we had church, then I visited my sister Jan, her husband Doug, and baby Jack in the NICU. He should be going home in the next day or two as he's getting his last round of antibiotics tomorrow. Jan has been staying in the hospital with him as it's too hard to go home to Mission and come back every 3 hours to feed him. I'm glad they've made it work for her and I'm glad he's breastfeeding well!

After a brief visit (the kids and Gary just went to the park while I visited because they can't go in the NICU), we went to Mill Lake for a walk. I love all the Magnolia trees in bloom right now, so gorgeous! It's an easy walk and a good distance for me because my pelvis didn't love the 5km walk last weekend:)

Finished off the day with another walk with my friend Leah followed by Amazing Race (and possibly a piece of apple pie). Have I mentioned that I love being outside?

{How gorgeous are these flowers?!}

{We never bring the stroller anymore but we did just in case today because Koen has been fighting a cold and just a bit more tired than usual.}

{The boys love finding `great spots for pictures':) }

After seeing the itty bitty babes in the NICU my fears/stress over baby's arrival have decreased a bit. I feel less concerned about how babe will get here and just hope that she comes out of my uterus safe and sound in about 5 weeks.

I have been having so many braxton hicks contractions that I wondered if I was secretly dilating but baby's head is still very high so I guess not. They are non stop and quite strong. Baby is in a really weird position (diagonal) so my belly makes some really funky shapes during those contractions.

Today we were talking about what it means to be like Jesus. To be kind and loving to everyone and to be very forgiving. Koen thought that sounded like a pretty good friend so he said that Kai is not his best friend anymore, Jesus is, and he would like to play Junior Monopoly with Jesus. He's so cute and funny. Three year olds are adorable.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

Love, Louise

PS It was not wise to play soccer with the kids after dinner. I thought my body can do more than it actually can.