It's a...

Girl!

And she is perfect!  Ultrasounds are a source of great anxiety for me.  I have one at every appointment - it is the way my doctor does things.  As an appointment comes closer, I begin panic.  Scans are no longer a fun way to see the baby but rather a serious diagnostic test which may have negative results.  Mr. Leitch commented how he was glad to see me smile this time.  I am glad too!  I am truly grateful all is well. 

Bully

My boy is nearly 2 and all that implies.  His friend lives next door to the girl's ballet studio.  So rather than spend 1.5 hours in a dirty, neglected waiting room or trying to kill time roaming the high street, we have a standing playdate with Charlie. 

Two weeks ago George hit Charlie.  I was mortified.  Poor little Charlie was crying and say no, no to George.  It was terrible. 

Last week, George began to scream bloody murder when we walked in the door.  I pulled in him kicking and screaming.  Then he wanted to leave the entire time. 

This week I did not bother to contact the other mother to confirm.  Common sense tells me to stay away.  What do you know, when we walked past their house, George headed up their steps.  He started crying when I said no not today.  I made an excuse we needed to hurry home to change his diaper because he is getting over a diaper rash (which is true).  Mary Kate said - that's pretty funny...a bully with a diaper rash!  She is so right - saying a person is a bully and has a diaper rash is not a typical combination.  

How could this little darling be a bully?...

Hit Me Baby

One more time...

Three children are so great we are going to add another and make it an even four!  November 16th our 4th munchkin is due.  The girls are thrilled.  George has no idea.  We are very thankful all looks well.  I am still so very tired.  Party of 6 here we come...

Wanderlust

Wanderlust:  a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world. 

My wanderlust is flaring up.  Our travel for the rest of the year will be limited to a solo trip with 4 destinations: 

Dallas

 Arkansas - my favorite state

Phoenix

The Florida Panhandle

Car

After 28 months without a car, we finally have one!  It is everything I hoped it would be and more.  Being able to drive whenever I want is a luxury.  When I go back to having to drive everywhere, I know will long for the days of being able to walk or let somebody else drive.  

 

The first day I drove, Brent was not sure I was going to make it.  I have to admit I was a nervous wreck.  My palms were sweating and I felt panicky.  But a couple of more times out and it is normal now.  Occasionally when turning, I have to think about to which lane to go.  And roundabouts are a struggle.  More than once I have made a full circle. 

I am waiting for a ticket to come in the mail.  I made a right hand turn were only left is allowed.  I did not see a police officer (there are not many in patrol cars it appears) and there was not traffic.  I have since heard there is a camera to catch deviants like me.  It makes me wonder how many other surprises are coming in the post. 

I filled up for the first time last week.  I could not figure out how to open the gas cap door.  After several minutes, I  was just about to look in the book when I noticed the doors were locked.  So now I know the doors must be unlocked to put gas in the car.  Next, I had a slight heart attack as the numbers flipped to a whopping 99.97 gbp!  Sounds bad enough without converting to $.  This station did not offer pay at the pump.  When I went in to pay, the guy was laughing at me and asked if it was my first time to put fuel in the car.  I wondered how he would know this...he was watching to spectacle of trying to figure out how to open the door.  Thanks a lot!     

No doubt there will be more tales from driving on the left to come...

Brownies

I stepped up this year and am the leader for Caroline's Brownie troop. I think it is a good program for girls but I am not a die hard scouting person. Mary Kate has always been in a troop so I want the same opportunity for Caroline. The leader from Mary Kate's troop in Texas was extremely organized and ran the troop with ease. I simply copied her model and it has been very manageable.

I've been a little creative and my two favorites are writing a chant for camping and making SWAPS.  SWAPS are "Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Some Where". The girls trade them with girls from other troops.  They are a fun craft project and it is interesting to see other SWAPS. 

I found this SWAP idea somewhere on the Internet.  I googled several sites so I can not link back to a specific source.  My goal was to make them with supplies I had on hand and it had to be simple because each girl needed to make 4.  Here are the supplies:

I pre-cut the felt and twine and placed 4 of the above in a baggie for each girl.  They rolled the felt around a pencil, glued the edge, wrapped and knotted the twine, pulled out the pencil, trimmed the twine, and added the safety pin.  Voila, an adorable little sleeping bag:

The highlight of the year was an overnight camping trip.  It took a good bit of effort to prepare but it was completely worth it.  The girls LOVED it.  They were well behaved and had a great time.  Going to sleep was so challenging for them.  I can not blame them - if I had 8 of my friends in the same room I would have stayed up all night!  They think Caroline's mom is the cat's meow - which is funny because I normally do not have that effect on children.  

This is the chant they sang at the campfire and they made up motions on their own:

S-C-O-U-T-S

Girl Scout camping is the best!

S is for SWAPS we trade,

C is for campfires made.

O is for our sit-upons,

U is for up at dawn.

T is for tents outdoors,

S is for eating s’mores.

S-C-O-U-T-S

Girl Scout camping is the best!

Boy Mom

I am a "girl person". As a girl myself, I understand girls and girl things.  In my family the first four siblings are girls and as a teenager I babysat a family of four girls.  I find little girls to be too cute and precious. I wished with all my might Mary Kate would be a girl. I was thrilled to get to have two girls!

I was glad to have a boy because everyone says you need to have one of them. However, I could not understand why. Of course I would adore him for just being my baby.  But I always thought mothers of boys tolerated all that dreadful boy stuff - cars, balls, trains and later sports and being rowdy. What is to like about mud and wrestling?

Much to my surprise I find joy in the "boyishness"! Joy from the complete delight my boy has when doing and seeing these boy things. He has been parented in mostly the same way as the girls (except I am older and wiser so he does things such as slide over the sofa, which would never have been allowed with the girls). But he is drawn to balls and playing outside. Playing outside was a punishment for the girls. For him playing outside is a sure cure for a meltdown.

Seeing the world through a little boy's eyes has been an unexpected pleasure. It is not better or worse than a girl's perspective, merely different. I am truly grateful to experience both.