Quinten 365 {2/52}

8/365 | how you doin’? (look at those peely baby wrists)

9/365 | satisfied

10/365 | Love.

11/365 | my little froggy man. His little legs and arms are so skinny!

12/365 | thanks for the cute outfit Lala!

13/365 | Tadpole and his froggy

14/365 | the many faces of Quinten. All snapped within one minute. Too funny.

Quinten 365 {1/52}

I have decided that I am going to *try* and do a 365 project of Quinten’s first year. I’ve tried this with the other kids before.. and failed. Hopefully only doing one child at a time will make it easier for me, and I’m going to do a weekly roundup here on the blog which will also hopefully help me to keep on track with it!

1/365 | fresh!

2/365 | we spent almost the entire day just staring at him

3/365 | snuggles

4/365 | Mama’s milk has come in!

5/365 | view from my bed

6/365 | ‘Tadpole’ dressed and ready to go to his Baby Blessing to meet Mama’s friends.

7/365 | 40 weeks. The last in our series of ‘bump shots’

37 weeks {and counting down}

Full term. Technically. The baby could literally arrive any time now. Given that I went early with Reuben (on this exact day of gestation actually) I have this (probably irrational) expectation… and hope…  in my mind that the same thing will happen again. I’m as ready as I can be (I won’t have to go shopping while I’m in labour this time!), and the longer I wait the more I start to make myself nervous about the whole giving birth again thing, and remember how much it bloody hurts!

It’s a weird part of your pregnancy, where you’re uncomfortable and big and hot (dude it’s been 38 degrees this week!!) and just waiting. Every day when I take Mayana to school, her teacher says to me, “You’re still here!” Hopefully it won’t be too many more days of that before it’s my mum or sister dropping her off and telling her teacher that it’s finally happened.

Such a weird thought that any day now our whole family is going to change in the biggest way, although experience reminds me that within mere hours of him being born I won’t be able to imagine life without him. It’s still so abstract at the moment. That wriggling little thing that keeps kicking me in ribs and makes me tummy look all misshapen and poking me in places that shouldn’t be poked is soon going to be my son… a baby in my arms and at my breast and filling up our lives.

This week the midwife told me that she was surprised she hadn’t seen me on the weekend at birthing suite. So that’s got to be a good sign that things will happen soon, right? In the meantime I’ll be here trying to convince myself that it’s more likely that I’ll be overdue, just so that it doesn’t bite too much if it does happen…

Coming to the end…

Today I’m 36 weeks pregnant. *Gulp*!

I am feeling well, enjoying the slight reprieve from the awful heat. I am tired, mostly because sleeping is becoming more and more difficult. To the point that I’m actually looking forward to the newborn days! I am cumbersome and finding it harder to maintain my energy levels, and playing trucks and trains on the floor with Reuben is becoming less possible. I can no longer buckle up my own shoes! The baby seems to have dropped a little in the last few days, which is a nice relief to my lungs, and also to my poor bruised ribs which have had tiny feet hooked around them for the last few weeks… ouch! I’m wondering if this baby is going to be a bit bigger than the others, because I don’t remember that being such a problem before. I am having a huge amount of Braxton Hicks… the plain old tightening ones, and then some that feel suspiciously like early labour pangs, even occurring at a semi-regular pace.

Tadpole, by all accounts, is going well. He is obviously growing, moving, hiccupping (a lot!). He is facing head down and it seems that all systems are go. We are just at the waiting stage really. I know I technically have four weeks until my ‘due date’, but the fact that I went into spontaneous labour at 37+1 weeks with Reuben is heavy on my mind. I am by turns wishing for that to happen again, and then filled with waves of anxiety that I am sooooo not ready. We haven’t even cleaned up the bassinette or washed the teeny-tiny baby clothes yet! Plus there’s that whole giving birth again thing. Youch!

Peter and I have been playing the name game for about the last four months. Over the weekend, we think we have finally found one that will stick. Maybe. We have been known to change our minds. I can’t believe how much we are struggling with this one!

It’s feeling really surreal. This pregnancy was a big surprise… a very happy and welcome one for sure, but it definitely took us a while to adjust to. Then the timing over Christmas and New Years and holidays meant that I didn’t really get into the swing of midwife appointments until the last two months or so. I didn’t even have my glucose test for gestational diabetes until last week! We have been so busy with Mayana starting school and everything that the end of this pregnancy has really snuck up on us. Before we know it, we are going to be parents of three children. Wowzers!

Mayana is Five

My beautiful girl.

I can’t believe that you have been in our lives for five whole years. I somehow feel like I have always known you, but also that these last five years have gone by in the blink of an eye. How can it be that my wrinkly little 5lb 2oz baby is all of a sudden this great big girl, so clever and confident and beautiful, about to start school!

I’m so proud of you my girl. There are so many times each day that I look at you and my heart feels like it literally is swelling in my chest with how much I love you. You are seriously gorgeous, with your long blonde hair and your sparkling blue eyes. You have the most delightful smile, and your giggle never fails to bring a smile to my lips.

You are so kind, and you care so deeply for people. You are really invested into your relationships with friends and family, and people mean everything to you. You love to think of ways to include other people in the things that we do.

I love the kind of sister that you are. Sometimes your brother is awfully annoying, I know. He can be so rough with you, and he LOVES to touch your things, especially when you don’t want him to. Most of the time you are so patient with him, and you try to include him when you can. Just today, he was playing with your brand new stroller that Grandma Suki bought for your twins. You must have told him 200 times these last few days that you don’t really want him playing with it. Today, instead of yelling at him to put them back, you decided to involve him in your fabulous imagination instead, and invited him to babysit your girls while you were getting ready for the day, which he did ever so beautifully for you! You love to hold hands with him across the back seat when we are driving somewhere, and if he won’t give you a kiss and a cuddle when he first sees you in the morning, your heart is almost broken. You truly do adore him, and I hope and pray that you two will always love each other and be close. I can’t wait to see how this new more grown up version of yourself will be with your newborn baby brother when he arrives in a few more weeks!

I think one of the things that you are most known for Mayana, is your incredible imagination. I love how creative you are and how absorbed you can become in make-believe. Sometimes it frustrates you that other kids aren’t able to keep up with what’s going on in your games. You can’t fathom how they can possible not see the pretend baby you are asking them to hold, or why they are not passing you the lettuce so you can finish making your burger!! I love listening to you play with your toys, when you give everyone different voices and have them involved in complicated situations and conversations.

Your other big love is learning. You are genuinely very clever (and I’m not just saying that because I’m a proud Mama). You love to ask questions and figure out not only how things work but why. You like to know things from every angle, and you retain everything you’re told or hear. Sometimes I’m surprised at the things that you know! You particularly love letters, and the thing that you are most excited about with starting Prep this year, is learning to read. I think you’re under the impression that you’ll be an expert by the end of day one. You already can name all of the letters, and tell what sound they make, and have started to figure out how that relates to reading. I catch you sounding out words, or using the first few letters on a sign or book to figure out what the word says. You can write the names of everyone in our family, and you constantly ask me how to spell certain words so you can write stories  underneath the amazing pictures that you draw.

You are still a little girl in so many ways, thank goodness! You love fairies and princesses, and Peppa Pig, and Bananas in Pajamas and Playschool (actually pretty much any show on ABC4Kids is okay with you!). You still love being creative and doing any kind of artsy-crafty activity… especially painting. I don’t think a day goes by where you don’t at least have your drawing book and textas out – and your pictures are delightful! You love all the colours, but still have a soft spot for pink, and you like anything that’s girly – especially if it has a bit of bling or sparkle!

You also love Jesus, and have an unquestioning faith that is both humbling and inspiring. Your immediate response upon hearing that someone is sick or hurting or sad is to pray for them. When I told you on that morning last October that Oma had passed away during the night, you asked me why I was crying when I knew I would see her again in Heaven. There was no doubt in your mind of the fact, and I know that the way you comforted many of our grieving family members (including myself) with such compassion during the days around Oma’s funeral, was extremely touching and special to them. My sweet, kind girl.

Oh Mayana, I am going to MISS YOU when you start school next week. Next week! This has just arrived far too quickly, and I’m afraid I get a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes that spill over more often than not when I think about it too much! We have been the best of buddies for the past two years, and done so many things together and learned so much together. I still wish we could have done more! I know I’m going to be the kind of mum who relishes school holidays for the time I’ll get to spend with you, precious one.

I love you, my beautiful daughter. I’m so proud of you and the way you are growing up. I have loved getting to know you and watch you become your own person over the last five years, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for you! As you say to me, “I love you around the whole planets and back a hundred times”. I really do.

Love Mama.

You can view Mayana’s 5th Birthday Interview HERE:

Her 3rd birthday video is here. Prepare to melt from all the cuteness!!