Birth Story Coming...

I haven’t had a chance to sit down and put Thea’s birth story into words yet (yes, even 10 days later) — I will say it was a very powerful experience that I’m still working through.  I will tell the whole thing in full gory detail (pinky swear!) just as soon as I’m able to put this baby down and stop munching on her face.

In the meantime, I do have a few birth pictures uploaded, and you can check out the set by clicking on the picture below.  Be warned that you will see boobage and pictures of me in my chonies.  You’re welcome.

The fair!

Charlie has been asking about riding the “horse carriage” (her name for the carousel) FOR MONTHS. I think she saw it on t.v., or in a book, or something, and mentions it about once a day. Maybe the people that run the fair heard our cries for help, and decided to put us out of our misery, because they rolled into town. With a fabulous horse carriage. AND cotton candy.

Fair day was miserable, overcast, cold, and rainy, but you wouldn’t have known it from the girls’ shrieks of glee. Did I mention how much Charlie loves the horse carriage?

Feeling slightly accomplished

I’ve managed to get a few things done lately — two pair of slipper socks: one for Phoebe, and one for Charlie (naturally).  They’re adorable, and work up quickly (pattern from UnravelMe Designs).  I’ve also managed to finish up the fancy longies I made for the new baby.

My snap press came (lickety split!) and of course the diaper pattern arrived on the same day.  Clearly, the universe is telling me something.  Like, this baby is going to be (as babies are) a tiny poop and pee machine, so I’d better get my ass in gear and make some diapers.  Or something.

I’m itching to get my stuff out and get started on diapers AND covers, and of course I have a majillion other things floating through my head that I need to get done to feel like I’m fully prepared for the newest little.  Like getting more blankets. And socks. And shirts. And then some more shirts. And make Bryan a new sling.

When I start making a list like this it makes me feel dangerously close to the edge of freaking out, so I’m going to go calm down and eat a pound cake, and keep plodding along until I make a dent in some of this stuff.

Prepared?

It’s getting closer to that time, and I’ve been motivated to get everything ready for the baby.  I’ve gone through the baby clothes we’ve saved, and it’s not nearly as much as I thought it was going to be. I’ve checked the diapers, and after going through 2 kids a LOT of them are kaput.

I’ve just ordered the moses basket, and the diaper pattern, and the snap press.  I still need the dresser, changing pad, carseat, and bathtub.  I also need to make sure this child has enough shirts and booties to last us through at least January.  And I need blankets, but those are easy.

This is where procrastination does not pay off, and I need to get my act together and start setting everything up. I do not want to be caught unprepared when this baby makes her appearance, and it’s getting closer to my due date waaaaaay faster than I was anticipating.  We only have September, really, to get everything ordered, delivered, made, and arranged. One month.

Ack!

Looking for ghosts

The other day Phoebe picked up one of those WV tourist magazines (at some such gas station or other random place) and while leafing through it I realized how much stuff there was to do around here.  Rather than let the Godmother leave without doing *something* touristy, we decided to take a day trip to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.

It’s allegedly haunted, and I guess an episode of Ghost Hunters has been filmed there.  It’s been around since the 1800’s, and was still actively housing patients until 1990, if I remember correctly.  We took a tour of all 4 floors, lasting about 90 minutes.  The littles did fine (although they did keep asking when they would see a ghostie) and Marissa only freaked out one or twelve times.  Our tour guide was awesome, and since he’d actually worked at the asylum before it was moved, shared some of his stories with us.

It was a fun day trip, although how I managed to lug my pregnant ass up all those stairs I will never know.  Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, the building has an incredible past — it’s a shame to see how run down it has become.

This whole state is peppered with buildings like this, and Civil War museums out the wazoo.  I’m looking forward to exploring our state, and should thank Phoebe for randomly picking up that catalog.  Kids are useful — who knew?