Stand up for Yourself

I nearly forgot to tell you this anecdote.

When we were leaving the Meeting House having decided, without consulting O, not to go to the nearby playground, she began to lament in the backseat. "We not going to the park. We not going to the park?! I wanna go the park." I suggested we might go to another park after lunch hoping to appease her.

"What park? Oh! My park, I wanna go my park."

To which Noah replied, "It isn't actually your park, Octavia."

I was getting ready to step in and let him have it, since she was obviously showing great coping and negotiating skills in a disappointing situation. But she took care of it.

"It's not your deal, Noah. Actually. It's not your deal."

She can also take a photo, imperfect though it is, that makes my cheeks look a bit less chubby.

They are a Heavy Burden, Socks.

You all know yesterday was Octavia's 3rd birthday and that I was up late last night organising photos and updating you. So it was a hard slog to have to wake thrice in the night to help Ms. Pants Only No Pullups to the toilet on her first big night. And there was the snack she requested at 6, which was actually 5, though I forgot to turn back the clock. So at a certain point in the morning when I was dragging myself up from the abyss, I heard mad scrambling for a clean pair of undies from the one child and the father declaiming to the other that it is customary to change one's undergarments and socks daily. The response was, "Oououh, they are so heavy!" presumably on his way to the shower. And Scott's response: "Yes, they are a heavy burden, socks." Laughter is the best cup of coffee they say. I thought the day could only get better.

But then, somewhere after we got to Quaker meeting an hour early, since we'd forgotten to Fall Back, and I'd gone to meet a group of expectant parents to answer questions about local maternity services, the cranks set in. I was aware that the house is a scattered mess of toys and papers. Christmas gifts are wrapped, yes, but have I got any baby clothes organised? My calendar is filling (when you are 34 weeks pregnant having 1 item in the daily diary seems full) and the kids are off school for the week. Hallowe'en. Oh, dear. Costumes.

And then I remembered that most of the trousers I have been wearing require a belt. Not because I am overly slim but because I have Bunting Syndrome: a belly larger than the hips with a bit of lordosis thrown in for good measure. My solution? The loan of Scott's belt. Now, if one's mate has a 34-36 inch waist, it is not such a come-down to wear his belt around the hips. After all, when I was but a girl they used to remark that 36 was the ideal hip measurement. Of course, they didn't encourage a 39-inch bust and a 42.1-inch waist. But these are the metamorphoses we endure for our children. My 42.1" waist looks nothing as chubby as the cheeks in the photo Scott took of Octavia and me yesterday. When I remarked, Octavia said "Yes, and my cheeks are too!" with great glee.

What am I really worrying about? Not much. Just those little details that keep us from focusing on the big details. We'll be welcoming this new person out of me in so few weeks now. Only about 6 medium-sized projects and a wall of fatigue stand between me & baby and labour and birth. I sense that just around a nearby corner I will find that I am excited. Ready for the challenge and the miracle. But right now socks are a heavy burden and there are several loads of dirty ones floating through the house.

Octavideo Clips of the Day

This candle clip may have you wondering whether Octavia's big brother's middle name is Tarantino. He's just anticipating the upcoming sugar high.

Mama, I am Free!

At roughly 5 a.m. someone was whispering in my ear. "I am free. Mama, Mama (pulling on my hair), I am Free!" My response was "Not until 9.58, Tate. Leave me sleep," but, of course, even a 3-year old knows that after that first birthday, people, except Mama and your personal astrologer, care not what time you dove into the world precisely. Und so, the long struggle for consciosness began for me. When I finally woke hours later, Tatie was lying next to me singing about her "birthday breakfask" coming soon, soon to the bed. Right on cue, Scott and Noah began singin from the hall. Most pleasantly, Octavia had requested specifically that I have my breakfask with her in bed.

Yesterday was the perfect autumn day for a birthday party in the forest. When we woke today, the rain was lashing and the wind had pulled branches off the trees in the night. We relented on the 'rain or shine' party plan and texted guests to suggest the nature walk and then buns at our house. So while Noah and I ran to the farmer's market for the buns [cupcakes] and Armagh apple juice, Scott and Octavia threw the house in order. We then squealed over to Belvoir Forest to meet the party.

Octavia had a new party outfit: dress and tights from Big Mike and Laurie and a raincoat from Dannette. It proved a perfect combo as Octavia dove head first into a mudhole 5 minutes into the Nature Walk! Though I wanted to capture the image of her tears and the mud all over the front of the plastic pastel wrapper, I overcame it and cleaned her up instead. Must be the pregnancy hormones making me maternal.
At any rate, the raincoat saved the new duds underneath so all was well.

Up the motte, and down the motte, the party was searching for acorns

before wading through the stream in Belvoir Forest.

Most of the guests appear in this photo. Noah prepared a nature walk hunt for them--acorn, leaf, snail, pine cone, and stone. I saw no snail but Pierse found on the ground a whole bird's nest filled with sheep's wool courtesy of the gale force winds while and several mushrooms and other fungi were spotted. All in all, a great way to spend a wet birthday. Especially when you are these 3 friends born in September, October and December of the same year!


Upon return to the house, the buns graced the table and playing ensued. Parents talked and ate grown-up snacks and the leftover buns. The party lasted several hours and then our little family had lentil soup (as requested by the birthday girl) and bread before the last of the presents escaped their giftwrap and bedtime came. One of the most exciting moments of the birthday: putting pyjamas on with no pull-up, just pants, because "I'm Free!"

Noah Gets Away From it All

Occasionally Noah takes a break from family life by sleeping over at Maria's house. I don't know all the details but the photos allude to TV, relaxation, and judging by the look on his face, not too many extra chores or fried mushrooms for dinner.

He does a little work though:


How's that for a scowl?

We welcomed Scott home this morning from India! More details on his adventures yet to come, but it is amazing how the kids' faces had a freer, more open and relaxed look. They both settled right into the week and the relaxation nearly overtook Octavia at about 4 pm! In fairness, she has had a dry cough these past 3 nights and the two of us have been up experimenting with drinks of water, trying to sleep sitting up, etc. She has been asleep 3 hours tonight with no hacking, so fingers crossed that will continue. If not, I am getting earplugs and sleeping through it!

Tomorrow, while Noah is at school reveling in the knowledge that he is setting out on his science field trip on Wednesday for which I refused to buy 4 new pairs of jogging bottoms [sweatpants] (Mr. Irvine SAYS 5 or 6 pairs of tracksuit bottoms are REQUIRED), Octavia and Alex will accompany me to the station to retrieve Alex's mother and big sister from their American Odyssey. I'm excited but I think Alex is more excited.

And this one is fun, too....

Outdoor concert by O and A.

I am sitting in a cupboard

While Scott sips chai in the blistering heat of Kolkata and Noah squelches around the football pitch at recess, Octavia, Alex and I have been spending our days enjoying the joys of 3. Alex is barely 3. Octavia is nearly 3. I'm the 3rd wheel. [I acquired permission from Alex's mother to put his mug on our family blog. Good thing since Octavia thinks Alex is part of her family!] These 2 were born into the same birthing pool 6 weeks apart and they take so much joy in one another when they aren't acting like pre-historic humanoids toward each other.

Today we had a journey through the muck and mud of Ormeau park on their bikes. (No photos. Alas, Scott has the camera in India.) Sun shone and the leaves are just beginning to stun me. Alex had to stop every 2 minutes to pick up an acorn, on peril of Octavia driving up his back. "Nuts! And more nuts!" he rejoiced. Octavia showed him that it is possible to lift the feet high and coast through a 9-foot puddle that is several inches deep without drowning. Since he had no bike helmet today I was hoping he didn't fall over and require deep shampooing of the blonde curls.

Later we stopped into the library and they coloured and fought over a book. The book they fought about was....well, I can't tell you what it was because a. it had no pictures and b. it was written in Irish. I tried reasoning with them about the fact that it isn't worth being cast out of the library for fighting over a book you can't read or get your minder to read for you. They looked at me blankly for 3 seconds and started bickering again. Thank goodness the nice librarians were working this morning!

Now the two of them are off on a jaunt with Alex's daddy and I am about to buckle down to work. I leave you with an excerpt from Octavia's (pretend) phone conversations this weekend.

Maybe I can text you if you not in hospital, okay, Alex?

Hello, friend, I wanna go there. Uh, no. Is Gosia there? Having pasta? Who else is there? Mark? I'm going to text Mark.

Hello, Mark. Yes, Debbie, ah, yes. Yes. What? What?! Oh, right. I am just sitting in a cupboard. No, no. Uh, uh. Pardon me, pardon me!