Monday 27 April 2009

Nesting

Otherwise known as an excuse to shop. No, really! See, Rachel is going to need:

Muslin squares for swaddling and catching burp-ups,











a nursing cover for discreet feeds anywhere,

















a carrier for hands-free transport,















buttonless sleep gowns for night-time diaper changes,











and of course a tote for lugging everything around in.













No prizes for guessing which one item didn't come off ebay!

Thursday 23 April 2009

Home Improving

OK looks like there's getting to be a trend here. Shortly before Sophie was born, we had stuff done to the house to make better use of the existing space.


This time round, we're replacing the water-warped and delaminated kitchen countertop with a single solid-surface stretch complete with undermounted black granite sink and glass cooker hob. Cabinet door hinges to be replaced as well, and a minor leak in a bathroom kerb to be fixed. As I speak they're dismantling the existing kitchen stuff and I hope to find it all done before next Friday.


We've also stacked up the girls' beds and Sarah has the top bunk with Sophie "downstairs". Pink and white flower-shaped wall lamps with green wiring each cosy up their own little nooks. Sophie has been surprisingly good about not being the one on top, although she did assure herself, "Next time when I'm big girl and Jiejie is small girl I can sleep on top." We have also on occasions found both girls zonked out on the top bunk! All to make space for Matt who'll be giving up his room to Rachel until she sleeps through, and then there'll be another round of rearrangements to come.

It's a lot closer this time - four more weeks to Rachel's estimated due date. Very happily, the firm has agreed to let me take a 12 week stretch followed by slightly shorter hours (9am-4pm) thereafter, until the end of the year. I'm now putting away whatever I can and trying not to take on anything that will require substantial following up when I'm away.

Monday 6 April 2009

Sarah Says...

We were talking about tummy sizes in the car and Sarah remembered a lady we saw last year.

"Her tummy was very big! She was having twins!"

"We can't be sure Sarah, but it's possible. She must have given birth by now."

"My teacher told me about a mummy with five babies."

"Is that five children or five babies at once?"

"Five babies at once!"

"Do you know what that's called? They're quintuplets. Can you say that?"

"Quintuplets."

"Good. And one baby is a singleton. What do you call two babies at once?"

Sarah thought for a while and ventured, "Doubleton?"

----------

"Picasso!", I cried, when we drove past a Citroen Picasso at the mall. I've heard of this car as a family-friendly thing but never seen one so far.

"Picasso?", said Sarah. "That's a famous artist!"
She'd been learning about famous artists in school.

"Yup," I said. "Do you know what's his first name?"

She thought for a while and said, "Pika?"