Jack has salad foot.

Friday Jack told me that his foot was itchy. Rut roh. Athlete’s foot.

Dr. Google told me that the best home remedy was a vinegar soak 3 times daily. For the last 7 days we’ve been referring Jack’s right foot his ‘salad foot’. This leads to statements like “No, mommy I don’t want to have a salad foot!” and “Salad foot is stinky!”

Despite the obvious hilarity of marinating Jacks foot enough to turn it into a pickle I’ve been really surprised at how effective it is! Within 24 hours he had no itching. Now on day 7 his skin looks completely normal again. I will probably continue for another few days just to be sure we’ve knocked it out completely. But at this point I would call him cured.

So if your kiddo ever gets athlete’s foot, just marinate in Italian dressing for a few days and you’ll be a-okay!

Nearly everything I had decorating the shelves of the Expedit shelves now fits on one bookshelf. You know what that means? I need more stuff! Mwah ha ha ha ha! My evil plan to accumulate more chotchkies is totally working and my husband remains blissfully unaware. Until he reads this. Love you, dear!

Two steps left to go: 1. install other shelf (after I spend the rest of the week painting the darn thing) and 2. receive by mail, paint and install the custom doors.

If I post pictures of knobs I’m considering will you vote on them?  Maybe I’ll get them up by the beginning of next week.

This season we are trying to grow beets, peas, spinach, and carrots. Jack loves to give me a daily plant update.

This is progress!

I kinda wish I had one of these for each of the kiddos, but I’m glad I finally got my act together and managed to do one!

Can someone kindly remind me to take a pic in 3 weeks? I seriously almost forgot last weeks #8 (32 weeks) shot. Which after all this effort would have been kinda annoying!

I wonder if I will make it to #10? Look for the baby pool next week and be sure to enter! There will be a prize for the winner!

“So, are you getting ready?”

I totally understand why people ask this of expectant parents. It’s conversational. It’s polite, but honestly it’s kinda silly. I mean yes, I can sort clothes and organize baby things and read all the books and set up the nursery till the cows some home, but I will never be ready. Are they expecting parents to say “Oh, yes.  We are completely ready.  All the clothes are folded, the baby stuff is assembled, we’ve read all the books and are prepared for a flawless transition into parenthood.”?

I gotta tell you, if I got that as a response I’d laugh out loud.  Because the alternative to total preparedness is the mother or father grabbing the hair at their temples and unleashing an unholy blood curdling scream.  Which I would take to mean they are feeling a touch overwhelmed.

But in a sense I am getting ready.  My body is certainly starting to get ready.  I can feel the bones in my pelvic girdle starting to spread even more.  I’m starting to feel tired more easily.  I’m even feeling a more irritable which tends to happen at the end, for me.  On an upside I haven’t been zeroing in on obsessive worrying thoughts about the birth, the health of the baby, etc. thanks in part fo that very comforting sonogram on Monday!

I have certainly accomplished a bunch of major tasks. Securing a doula was high on my list. This will be my second VBAC (vaginal birth after a cesarean) but I’m hoping that it will be my first completely natural, med-free birth. A doula is a person who provides support to the mother and her partner during labor and delivery. My doula will use aromatherapy, massage, suggested positions, pressure points and words of encouragement like “get your head in the game, beyotch!” to help me cope with the pain of labor. I’m as prepared for labor as I can be, except for the fact that I haven’t packed anything, but I’m only 33 weeks, so I still have time for that.

Am I ready to be awake every 2-3 hours to feed the baby all night long? Secretly? I’m kinda looking forward to it. Nighttime nursing is such a fleeting moment in time, yes it’s exhausting too. I’m not excited about it. But I am looking forward to one last baby who needs me, just me. And is willing to fall asleep snuggling sweetly in a dimly lit nursery.

I’ve sorted and organized the baby accoutrement and made a tiny list of “things we need”. Pulling things out of storage was quite the task. Our storage areas are a mess right now because of the other projects we have going on have led to some mayhem. I’ve sorted through old bottles and baby food making devices and car seats etc. etc. etc. I’ve reassembled the items requiring some assembly.

I’m not ready for the logistics. But it’s impossible to be ready. If you’re me- planning and contingencies and trying to make things easier by anticipating situations and controlling for variables is a pointless exercise that usually ends with me going crazy.

Which brings me to my final and most important point, being ready for postpartum mood disorders. I’m ready. Totally. If I’m feeling fine, I will keep calm and carry on. If I’m not acting like myself, if I’m worrying unnecessarily, if I’m crying all the time, or angry or am otherwise not able to enjoy my life as a mom of 3 I won’t hesitate to call my midwives and ask for help.  I’ve been meditating, my training to become a yoga instructor has really opened me up to a much calmer philosophy on life.  More than once I’ve been the voice of reason when my husband flew off the handle- if you know him and know how unflappable he is you’ll realize the significance of that statement.  I’m also planning to encapsulate my placenta, which is supposed to have a dramatic impact on the time after birth. 

I don’t know that any of these things will have an impact.  Most importantly I don’t need any of these things to solve the problem of PPD for me.  They might, but they might not.  I’ve been here before. It’s possible I will be here again. Somehow- knowing that, embracing that possibility, feels comforting. Instead of trying to conquer the thing before it strikes I am going to settle for a nod in its direction.

On an unrelated note, Jack had his 4 year appointment last week and he came in at 43 inches tall and 44lbs!

This crayon valentines treat brought to you by the fabulousness that is Pinterest.

This is the first free minute I’ve had since 10am, and I’m spending it with Henry on my lap, because he slept for exactly one hour today. Sheesh!

So baby is measuring perfectly average. Who knew being average would be so good?! She’s measuring just right for her due date. She’s estimated at 4.5lbs. All her measurements: arms, legs, head circumference are all consistent with her EDD. She’s definitely a she. And best of all?? She’s already head down. As long as she stays that way we are go for VBAC #2!

Today is the most reassuring day ever. Hurrah!!

So in the beginning I had this brainy idea to build our own entertainment unit.

Then I primed the wood and planned the base cabinets.

Later we my husband built the first cabinet.

Between January 30th and this weekend we assembled the other two cabinets and then primed and painted the cabinets and sanded, sanded, sanded, stained and polyurethaned the top. It’s kinda been non-stop. Naptime trash TV has been replaced with paint-slinging fun.

So to review, for those of you who don’t click on the links to remember where we’ve been ::cough:: Mom ::cough:: here’s a picture of before:

Our first Expedit unit was gifted to a friend on Thursday. Bye-bye! The second went on Craig’s list Sunday night and was snatched up in less than an hour! Sweet!!

Friday we put the first cabinet in place, just to preview the new look. It became clear that the idea of building more storage for the children might actually be storage for the children.

Saturday morning the kids and I escaped for a play date with some friends while Daddy enjoyed peace and quiet in his weekend work environment.

Aaaaaaand…..

There it is.

Wall to wall functional, and fabulous looking, awesomeness.

We ordered custom shaker style cabinet doors (paint grade, which means they were relatively inexpensive) Sunday night. We also picked up the wood needed to build the upper bookshelves. They will frame the TV. Maybe we will be building them next weekend?

I love the white and natural wood together. I feel like I saw it in a Pottery Barn catalogue, probably as an office desk. Then those Young House Love folks actually made their own, and the vision was born.

Yes, I’m still freaking out about my shrinking Violet, and after our morning sonogram I will be sure to post an update, but in the meantime I just had to share with you our new and improving living room. Wish me lots of healthy baby luck today!

I’ll let you know how Monday goes.