Just You and Me

4 a.m.
It's dark, except for the glow of the nightlights next to us and the light of the moon coming through the window.
I can make out your face and the things close by me.
It's quiet. Really quiet.
It feels like it is just you and me. That we are all alone. The world has stopped.
You are nursing.
You look up at me, our eyes meet. Oh those dark blue eyes.
You smile.
You smile.
YOU SMILE!!!!
It's your first smile!
My heart swells and melts all at once.
Its perfect.
Just you and me.

Our Baby Moon

Many people ask what we do about homeschooling now that we have a new baby. What could be more important than learning to care for your new brother, to attend to their every need, and to be filled with that wonderful feeling of love.
This is what we have been doing.

Happy 8th Birthday

Observant. Kind. Thoughtful beyond your years. Loving. Curious. Hopeful. Ambitious. Concerned. Cooperative. Helpful. Focused. Understanding. Compassionate. Quirky. Creative.
Loveable and Likeable. Quiet. Wonderous. Respectful. Unique. Independent. Full of Cuddles.
Adventurous. Dreamer.
You are such an amazing person, our hearts are filled with love having you in our lives.
Happy Birthday.

Walks in the Snow

This past week the boys have been out everynight after dinner (despite the wickedly cold temperatures) with Chris practicing using their snowboards. The three of them bundle up, walk to a nearby hill and spend an hour or so trying out different moves, then they head home in time for a warm drink and dad to read the next chapter in the current novel. The kids love this time. The snowboarding is great. Being with dad, the best part.
It has been a pattern. As each child is born, the older siblings naturally spend more time with Dad as Mum nurses the new baby. At a time when they are highly emotionally with the new changes to their family, Dad cuddles, plays, wrestles, acts crazy, gives them focused time together. Their relationship grows, deepens. I am noticing the boys just blossom with this 'extra' attention. I can see as they get older the new role their Dad plays and how wonderful it is they are close.
Each time a new child has joined our family, the other children have grown closer and deeper to Dad. In part its necessity; Mum nurses a lot, spends time with the new baby and occasionally resting.

nothing so sweet....

as baby feet !

A Good day even though...

Our local museum had a little celebration for Robbie Burns day, which we decided to attend as a day out before Dad returns to work tommorrow. To celebrate the Scottish heritage there was hagus, oatcakes, shortbread and apple cider for the tasting (none of us- even the new and old meat eaters could stomach the thought of the hagus), highland dancers, musicians of a wide variety, a scavenger hunt, the calligraphy society, and demonstrations by the spinner and weavers guild. We moved slowly room to room, somehow always ending up infront of the shortbread table numerous times! Normally when we attend an event like this, Chris or I will give some background information or read a related book/s, perhaps tie the event in to something we are learning or exploring but today we did none of that. It wasn't until slightly before we left that I mentioned that this was a celebration of Scottish heritage and that it was Robbie Burns day. As we were leaving I heard the kids talking about the different parts they liked of their visit (the shortbread was top of the list) and one of them said "It was still pretty good even though we didn't get to meet Robbie". There you go, good afternoon even without Robbie!

1 week

I know, but I can't help it. He is one week old today and he just keeps getting more beautiful and amazing each day, I just have to show him off to the world. I don't deny the shameless bragging, but oh those cooing noises as he stretches and the sparkle in his eyes as he fixes on your face during a cuddle; he is amazing.

Starting a New Class

Today Elias and Ben started a new session of art class with a teacher whom they have both enjoyed working with. This class was organized by a friend in our homeschooling 'group' and it focuses on the four elements; fire, wind, air and earth. They will be doing a wide range of interesting projects in lots of different mediums. This is one of the few classes we will be participating in this 'semester' as I decided fewer things on our schedule would be calmer with a new born. Aria, some of her friends and I enjoyed some quiet time to do some stamps and admiring Shai. The boys are thrilled to working on art projects again.
















Shai got to spend the class meeting some of his family's friends for the first time.

Bath by Candle Light

I requested that the hospital not bath Shai as it was important to me that we do it together at home. We created a beautiful bath for him, with lavendar and camomile flowers, the kids lit special candles, sweet almond oil and singing voices. It was worth the wait.

Traditions

When Ben and Aria were born we celebrated with birth-day cakes that we lit, sang and ate. We had made a cake and set it aside to use for this birth. Since we weren't all home on his birth day we decided to make a welcome home cake. After dinner tonight the kids decorated the cake, we lit candles and sang to Shai. It was nice to have the kids continue this tradition.

Homecoming

We are all where we are meant to be....home.
Snuggling, hugging, kissing, smelling that incredible baby smell. Home is such a great place to be, surrounded by my four babies and the love of my heart.

3 Ply, Waffles and a Star

Pregnancy, birthing and mothering are more than just close to my heart, these are things I am passionate about. There is so much beauty to each of these.
We are totally emersed in our 'babymoon'. It almost feels like we are cocooned from the world, totally captivated by the coos of Shai, snuggling the older kids and letting the world pass us by as we let time stand still while watching our babies. It is this stage I fall in love with Chris all over again. With each child its a little different. We not only have the child we have been imagining, dreaming about but we have a whole life we love. While we cocooning Chris totally cares for all of us. Reading to the kids, playing outside, making sure each one has some one on one time with him. He nourishes us with favorite meals, towers of his famous waffles, hot tea and dinner at the right time. He makes sure I have all I need for healing, paying attention to detail like buying 3 ply tissues instead of 1. We all feel so loved and secure in our cocoon because of the seal he puts on it. He tears up when holding the baby close to his chest while listening to him sleep. How wonderful is he.
This is probably our last baby. As a way to honour this, my journey of birthing and mothering Chris (and the kids) gave me a special gift; a broach. Its a beautiful jeweled star, six sides;one for each member of our family. A star that we wished on and it came true.
Thank you for loving us the way only you do, and thank you for always giving me new reasons to fall in love with you.

Growing

The kids, not unlike Chris and I, had envisioned the birth of Shai much differently. They thought they would be present, watching the baby enter the world, cutting the cord, hugging mum and dad afterwards. For lots of reasons Shai's birth was different. While the kids found it very hard to see mum go to the hosiptal during labor, to wait to hear about his arrival and then to have him in the hospital for a few days, they have amazed me by the love they have showered on their new brother and each other. They are tender, soft, kind people, and their hearts have swelled just as ours have. Our family has grown in number, but this experience has brought us growth far greater.

The Sweetest Gift

He is here, in his own perfect and unimagined or planned birth. Tuesday January 10th, 1:43 pm after a very challenging labor and a stay in hospital he is arrived!
We have named him Shai which is a Hebrew name meaning 'gift', and we truly feel blessed by this gift and Finnton which is a gaelic name meaning 'light'. Presenting to the world our newest edition Shai Finnton, with perfect ears, full lips, bright eyes, tiny hands, soft elephant skin, and looks just like his siblings. He feels so right, like he has been with us for a lifetime. I look into those amazing eyes and melt with so much love that it brings tears to my eyes. Despite this being my fourth baby I am overwhelemed by the amazing shower of love I feel for this special soul and coming full circle; carrying a baby inside my body, then the journey of birthing them into this world and then finally holding and snuggling their tiny precious body next to me, ....it is so beautiful to be a part of.

Dreams come True

I am nearing birth. My due date is 10 days away, I am having lots of irregular prepatory contractions and I am emotionally and physically ready for the arrival of this little one. Everyone is feeling a bit impatient and starting to tire of the waiting. These are all great signs. Today I decided to stay home while Chris and Aria went grocery shopping. This is not a normal event. Chris will often pick up a few things I have requested, we often go as a family or I go on my own. When I am at the end of the pregnancy and tired and when the new baby has arrived he goes grocery shopping and plans the meals without me. I am sure he dreams of this. I am sure that it is one of the perks to having a new baby for him. He comes home with things that I didn't even know were edible and things I would never in a million years by. The kids have very quickly caught on and are very excited. They stood around as we unpacked four types of crackers, canned chili, three kinds of ice cream, pizza pops, frosted flakes, liquid chocolate for milk, fancy cookies. Of course he got lots of fruit, veggies and nutritious food but thats not new. My new mother mantra may be 'let it go'.

A Fair (and wonderful) Weather Friend

Each of my kids have always been incredible creative in their makebelieve play. It always seemed (fmho) that they were pretending far earlier than their peers and have continued far longer. Aria is currently emmersed in the princess world in all its pink glory, but also dragons, unicorns, fairies, knights, caves, wizards, magic, etc. Her make-believe world is far bigger than princesses and has included a make believe friend for as long as I can remember. Her name is Weather. She really has become part of our family. We have had birthday celebrations with and for her, she is asked after by everyone at the dinner table, her opinion is included in our group discussions and we are often late waiting for her. She has been around the world, she has a brother named Tin Tin and her mother lets them eat candy for breakfast...she actually thinks its a good idea. Weather has been in plays, can skate well, used to be buddist and has gotten kicked out of church. Deep sea diving, skiing and eating snails are things she loves to do. Weather and Aria sometimes disagree but they always enjoy tea together afterwards. It's crazy but I feel like this person is so part of our life, for a split second I thought Weather might be a good name for our baby (how crazy), I will mourn the day she doesn't enter our conversations, but even more so when she leaves Aria's imagination. I am sooo glad she shares it with us.