Counting Down

I realized this morning that it's been a while since my last Baby Z update.  No news is good news, in this case, and the two of us are still happily - albeit slowly - chugging along.  I'm now seeing my OBGYN weekly, which is a definite milestone.  I remember getting my appointment card for the last few months leading up to my c-section with the Ducklings.  It probably had 5 or 6 appointments listed on it, and I'd look at them wondering how many I'd manage to eke out before our luck would turn.  This time, we're almost within the two week range of Baby Z's eviction notice, which will be served at 10am on June 14th.  I know the baby will likely be fine if s/he comes within the next two weeks, but I remain determined to hang on to the bitter end.

I'm definitely feeling slow and heavy; however, when I looked at the above picture taken this morning, I noticed that I seemed taller than my 5'2 self.  At first, I chalked it up to the mirror, but then I realized that when one is this enormously round, all other proportions look a little skewed.  You know you're getting big when your large-sized maternity top stops short to reveal the waistband of your large-sized maternity pants...

Behind me is a glimpse of Baby Z's nook.  I thought I'd be done it by now, but I had a set-back with the mobile I was making and I'll be starting over once a few items arrive in the mail.  I was disappointed that it didn't turn out; well, actually, it looked awesome until I hung it under the canopy.  The scale was all wrong.  So, I'm salvaging what I can and hoping my Plan B is a better fit.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to give post pictures of a completed (very) wee nook before the end of next week.

Our New Playstructure!

The Ducklings and the Tulips

On Friday, Edward braved numerous challenges (the weather, three 2.5 year olds, the curious masses) and took the kids to have their pictures taken at the Tulip Festival with Aunt Pinie offering moral and logistical support.   But these weren't just any pictures....

When the kids were tiny, my Swiss relatives very kindly sent over three traditional-meets-contemporary Swiss outfits.  Every few months, Edward brought out the clothes to see if they fit, and a plan began to materialize.  In fact, I think we can get many more wears out of the outfits before they outgrow them, so loyal blog readers will be sure to catch another glimpse on another occasion!

Although getting them into their clothes proved a little unpopular in some quarters, once they got them on, they were very pleased with the effect and didn't want to take them off.  Evelyn was particularly smitten by the goat embroidered on her waistband, and while the boys gradually became untucked, she daintily managed to keep her dress, little matching purse and silver shoes in perfect order.

Here are a few of our favourites.  As always, you can click on each photo to "bigify" it:

You may notice the Ducklings are sporting new summer haircuts.  Still somewhat of an ordeal for some, the final product turned out really well.  Here they are sporting their new 'dos while sitting with Aunt Pinie and Opa... and sporting a few new scrapes and bruises as well!

Second Trip to the Farm and One More Item Off The List

We had a busy and fun weekend.  On Saturday morning, my sister, her husband and their children Liam and Siobhan came in from Petawawa.  That clan plus our brood invaded my parents house for a few hours.  That's five kids 4 and under, in case anyone's counting.  My parents' house withstood the onslaught, but it was a beautiful day so we spent some time playing in the park.

Edward's Aunt Pinie also arrived on Saturday for the week, and on Sunday morning she and Edward took the Ducklings back to the Museum of Agriculture.  Last time they went, they had a blast and this time was no different.

Keith as a beekeeper

Colin as a beekeeper

Enjoying the tractor

Evelyn and Aunt Pinie

A few child-free hours meant that I could wrap up another project for the Baby Nook.  There are tons of tutorials on the internet for DIYing a canvas rug, and this is my version.  It still needs a coat of polyurethane - if I get around to it - otherwise, it's done.  

The concept is simple:  prime, paint and seal a canvas drop-cloth, which is readily available at any hardware store.  However, in practice, there were a few snags along the way.  For one, I cut off some canvas to achieve the length I wanted, and I should have bound that edge before priming and painting because it's too stiff now to sew.  Secondly, according to what I'd read on-line, there was a chance the first few coats of primer would seep through the cloth, so luckily my father painted it outside on the grass... and thereby primed his lawn.  This canvas took a LOT of primer, too - my father estimates about two litres.  The light blue paint was a left-over from our bedroom accent wall, but I also was surprised at how much of it I had to slather on.  I picked up acrylic craft paint and a stencil at Michael's a while ago, and although stenciling is tedious work, it was probably the easiest part.  Due to the size of the rug, I had to work on the floor.  Given that I struggle to put on my socks at this point, it was a challenge and I'm a little sore today, but I'm pleased with the result.