Around Here Fourteen: 04/01-04/07

A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this minute.

Intentional Hours Outside:  59 hours (of 1000)
bleh.  I know there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.  I believe that!  But what happens when you don't have the motivation to put on all the right clothes over this big belly and on all those squirmy kids?  'Twas the problem this week as it was just gloomy and wet (and snowing a few times!).  This goal though is motivating me to see all the little moments I could be outside in fresh air, like when I go to sit down to read I realize that if all I'm going to do is read - certainly I could do that outside- and then bonus, I'd rather walk and read outside so my Fitbit step count gets a boost for it. booyah.  But let's be real, Spring, I need you here for real, girlfriend.

Reading Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin with book club, The More of Less by Joshua Becker, and a section of Buddhism for Mothers that struck particularly poignant this week as I braced for my oldest child's birthday (which always has me weepy - more on that topic next week).  The passage said, "Could there be any better way to get my nose rubbed in the truth of impermanence than to love a child in a jagged, careless world?"  She goes on to say 'that even if everything goes absolutely perfectly,' this particular child that I am looking at right this second (Greyson, Gemma, and Violet today - right this moment - right in these photos from this week's Around Here post) 'is going to dissolve like a bubble bath.'  goodbye, crying forever.

Settling back in after a wonderful weekend away with dear friends.  I already wrote about it, but it's worth saying again - what a recharge and refresh to my soul to spend some time with my best girlfriends and all of our babies.

Nesting this week after I felt the urge to prepare for the baby in a big way.  I washed all the sweet little baby clothes and giggled over recognizing so many from Booboo's days as a tiny babe.  I organized the boys' closets and got everything folded and set aside for the hospital bag (!).  And I spent some time updating each kids' baby book with photos and little notes about the things they do and like; including Studerbaby4's baby book with photos of my belly & his sprinkle.  Since this is the fourth babe, it definitely feels like we keep justifying our lack of motivation to prepare with the ole 'we've done this before, no biggie!' but randomly we've looked at each other a few times this week and we're like, 'um, there's kind of a lot we have to do before this child arrives in NINE weeks!'

Taking it somewhat easy this week, as my lower back continues to feel tight and my knees and ankles feel swollen by the time the evening rolls around.  It also has felt like this sweet little baby child is pushing with all his strength outward on my belly, like starfish-all-limbs-extended and trying to tear a hole to just crawl out alien-style.  So, that's been pleasant.  #thirdtrimester  After our big weekend to RVA, I knew my body was telling me to cool it for a little, so the girls and I read lots of books this week and both Gem and Grey were big helpers with tidying up and doing chores.  It was kind of a calm week, despite dentist and baby doc appointments and preparing for the big birthday party - I am proud of myself for taking it slow and steady and giving myself a lot of room for slowness and breaks.

Loving listening to Violet as her little vocabulary is growing so quickly.  Her voice is hysterical first of all and then she tries so hard to communicate with all of us.  She's been mocking her siblings when they whine with fake crying noises (!HAH), and doing the same for when we ask her what the baby in my belly will say.  She's perfected saying 'Gemma' and calls Grey 'Booboo.'  She straight up thinks she IS Gemma; like maybe she's just Gem's shadow or the smaller version of her? - or perhaps it's that she thinks all little girls' names are Gemma?  Not quite sure how it works out in her little 18month old brain, but if you show her a picture of herself or tell her to say her own name, 'Violet,' she says back 'Gemma.'

Making lots of yummy things this week.  We accidentally forgot to eat half a bunch of bananas which left us with four brown ones - so early this week I made these banana oat and coconut cookies that the kids happily enjoy for breakfast or for afternoon snack, and then later made these banana blueberry muffins.  Brandon and I enjoyed grilled cabbage and then with the leftover cabbage, I made easy haluski one morning so B could take it for lunch and I ended up eating a bowl and half myself...for breakfast (?!)  don't judge me, I'm pregnant and from western PA, hahhha.