August has seemed like a busy month in the Foster household. I have spent a lot of the time getting my classroom ready for the start of school(which was on the 18th). We have battled a house full of sick people…..first me, then Isla and at last taking George down as well. I think it took over 3 weeks for us all to get back to normal. I had a head cold which turned into a sinus infection. George and Isla both had high fevers and we all had chest coughs…..not fun! At least we got it out of the way before Isla and I started back to school and before the new arrival. George has been busy back at work after having to take a week off…..right after his 3 week holiday…..and possibly in a couple of weeks he will have another 2 weeks off to be home with the new baby and us. I don’t know how were managing it all but we are making do. I started back to work teaching on the 18th. It was fun to see all the new faces in my class. I have a wonderful, amazing teacher and friend who has taken over my class while I am on maternity leave. I worked a total of 8 days with her before starting my leave. My last day was Friday. I feel a little spoiled having only been back at work for 8 days but my body is definitely ready for the break. I will head back to work in January but for the first time in a really long time I am going to be working part time and sharing my class with my good friend. This will allow a little more time at home while the baby is young. I will still be able to stay sane and get the house work done but at the same time be able to work and make some money. George and I will also be able to juggle the child care between the both of us in order to save money. So hopefully it all works out for the best. Isla just started back to preschool yesterday. She in now going 3 days a week (Mon.-Wed.). She was so excited to be back at Little Friends and to see Nancy(her teacher) and some of her buddies from last year. I think this will help tremendously with the transition of the new baby. It will give me some time to bond with the little one and it will allow Isla some time with friends and to just feel like the big girl of the house. Speaking of being a big girl, it has been a week now since Isla has had a binky(pacifier). This is a big deal in our house since she has been with one since she was newborn. Isla kind of weened herself in a way. A couple of weeks ago she decided to start chewing on them(basically demolishing them). We told her that we were not going to buy her anymore since she was chewing them…..so she was down to 3. Those lasted her just a day or 2 so we gathered all the “dead” binkys we could find, put them in a bag, and tied them to a tree outside. We told her the “Binky Fairy” was going to take them and fix them for the little babies and leave her a big girl present instead. Isla was thrilled with the idea of a present…..what 3 year old isn’t. But as I tucked her into bed that night I think reality hit. She burst into tears and told me that Stinky(her beloved bunny) wasn’t the same without binky and that she really wasn’t ready to be a big girl yet. It was quite heart wrenching. I ended up having to lay next to her and soothe a few bouts of tears until (2 hours later) she fell asleep. The next night she mentioned the binky’s again and same with the 3rd night but after that hasn’t really talked about them and goes to sleep with out a hitch. We are very proud of her! This is turning into a very long blog and I havn’t even really mentioned much about the baby and how things are going.

I will be 38 weeks in 2 days. Charlotte(that’s what we have decided to name this sweet, stubborn bundle) is still in the breech position. I guess she is comfortable or just too big and cramped to move. Everyone keeps telling me how tiny I look which is great….but I feel huge. I am more ready than you know to meet her and have her large head in my arms instead of under my rib cage. She is still very active and makes for a hard time eating and breathing and sleeping. On Thursday we are going to try to have her turned manually by massage. They will attempt this in the hospital so they can monitor me and the baby. George will be taking yet another day off to be with us. Fingers crossed this will work and everything will go smoothly. If she doesn’t turn they will schedule a C-section sometime in the next week or so. At this point I just want Charlotte out no matter what way it happens. I just want her safe and healthy and if it means I will have to recover from surgery then bring it on.  Tomorrow I go into the doctors to double check she is still head up but as I’m typing I can feel her head pushing out on my right side…..probably looking up at me wondering why in the world I would want her to move……I mean, as a good friend pointed out, she just wants to be close to my heart…..how can I complain with that! 

P.S. More pictures are coming soon!

We did it….Our child has turned 3! Three great years under our belt and looking forward to many, many more! I know I didn’t mention this in any past posts but George took a trip back to England to see his family. He was gone almost three weeks and arrived back with 1 day to spare before Isla’s party. He has a great time with everyone. He seemed to get a lot of relaxation, sleep time and numerous cups of tea. I was sad  not to be able to go  his time but finances just didn’t allow it and being as far along pregnant wise…..next time definitely. Some how Isla and I survived. I was a bit weepy the first few days( I like to blame it on hormones) and sort of wandered around aimlessly trying to fill time and cook something yummy. Eventually I got into the swing of being a single mom and having a lot of alone time. Thank goodness for my family who made sure I wasn’t too lonely or too hungry. Anyways I learned that distance DOES make the heart grow fonder!

Well back to party central. Isla real birthday was on Monday but we decided to do the party a day early. Sunday was a beautiful day and very stress free. Isla had been looking forward to her birthday for months so was of course she was ecstatic to wake up and realize that it was THE day.  I opted for a very minimal effort party because well I’m not great at all the party stuff. So the decorations were minimal and we had small goodie bags for the kids and no games and well the food I planned but George executed with perfection once again! God I love him! We set up 2 small pools outside, tables, lounge chairs for the adults and blankets. The kids just ran around and got wet, played with bubbles, dressed up and down, decorated cupcakes and had a blast. I love this age because really you don’t have to do much for children and they are completely entertained! The adults ate, lounged, squeezed into the pools, decorated cupcakes, and I think had a blast as well. Isla got some really fun presents…just the right amount. Over all it was a fun morning and afternoon and the birthday girl seemed to really enjoy herself and that’s what matters. Happy Birthday Isla!  

On Thursday last week Isla, Esther, Julius, Rogue and I went to the aquarium. Isla and I had not been in over a year and it was pretty much a new experience for Julius and Rogue. Isla was so excited that she made me tell her about the aquarium over and over the night before and then was up at the crack of dawn wanting to know if the place was open yet. I must admit I always enjoy myself and never get tired of looking at the amazing animals that grace the ocean. We of course had a blast and spent about 2 or 3 hours there wandering around. It was nice to be in an air conditioned building and not have to rush through but take our time. I feel like my summer is going to be over before I know it. I am trying to make some special trips with Isla just to soak in as much time with her as I can before the baby comes. Isla is a pure delight to be around most times. She is just so grown up with her speech and the way she acts. I am constantly amazed by things she comes up with to talk about. Her imagination is in high gear these days and entertains us endlessly. 

I will officially be in week 30 tomorrow. It seems a bit strange to finally be at this point. When I think of 8 weeks or so left it doesn’t seem like too long but for some reason to know I have 2 months left it still seems like forever. I feel a lot bigger than I look. Being pregnant a second time definitely has it differences. I can’t complain because really it has been a smooth pregnancy with nothing major going on. I had morning sickness(or all day and especially at night) for the first 3 months. It was pure torture to get through each day of work and then finally make it home only to have to rouse myself enough to entertain Isla, straighten up the house, sometimes make dinner that would just smell awful and make me gag, bathe Isla, pack lunches, and make sure I had everything ready for the next day. Now as I was doing all this what I really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and either throw up or sleep, which ever would come first. George was as much of a help as he could be…..poor guy every time he would ask what he should make for dinner I would say “It all sounds awful.” He would beg me to stay awake to watch a movie but alas the bed was all I wanted….sorry honey. But as horrible as I felt as soon as week 12 weeks rolled around(which felt like a lifetime) I felt much better and food took on a new meaning in my life. It finally smelled good and tasted even better. I have pretty much felt good since then but always a bit more tired than normal. I have had a good appetite that is just now slowing down a bit….just not as hungry as I was. I havn’t had any craving but am eating the same old stuff I always do. The summer break came at a perfect time. I have had a month off now and am just resting and nesting. It feels really great. The hardest thing is just enduring the heat, which is brutal. It is getting a bit harder to get down on the ground comfortably to play with Isla and getting myself up is kind of funny to watch I imagine. I now have to get a bit of a roll action going to get off the couch if George isn’t around. It’s strange to have something take over your body like this. I think I’ve put on around 17 pounds so far. Most of it is baby, boobs and butt…..the 3 B’s. By the way for any of you wonderful people out there that don’t know….we are having a girl. She has been very active since I stated to feel her around 16 weeks. It seems like when she is awake she is somersaulting around my womb. Just in the last 2 weeks or so I have notice the movements slowing down a bit. Now I can feel her hiccup a lot and move slowly around adjusting herself……there is lots of pointy body parts to feel now. It must be getting a little tight in there. Isla is thrilled with the thought of a sister. She is super motherly and plays babies all the time. She talks about her sister and if I go anywhere without her she wants to know if I was at the doctors and if the baby is here yet. She can’t wait to meet her. I have about a month left before I head back to work. It will go quick because I have about a million and one things to get done before than. I am going to be working the last 3 weeks of August and possibly into September depending on how I feel(my due date is Sept. 16). I will then have till January 4 off of work. When I head back to work in January I am only going back part time. I will be job sharing my class for the rest of the school year. I know it will be a bit of a stretch financially but I am really excited about the whole thing. I feel like I could blab on more but it is late and I would like to get into bed and read before I fall asleep. I promise I will tell you more later. Good night

For some reason we never really celebrate 4th of July but this year we got invited to a BBQ that we decided to attend. It turned out to be a lot of fun especially watching how thrilled Isla was with the fireworks and sparklers. It was great to hang out with good friends and eat yummy food….hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, and watermelon and to wash it all down with a couple of beers…..just kidding, I wish, I washed it down with sparkling water(and perhaps a few sips of beer). I also discovered a fireworks setting on the camera so it was fun to see what kinds of shots I could get. The fireworks look more impressive in  the photos then in real life. Isla couldn’t get enough of the sparklers and after about 20 we had to cut her off. It was a nice family night.

George just got home from work and he is about to go for a quick cycle. We are having a date night tonight…dinner and the movies. The neigbors are watching Isla. George leaves for England on Sunday so I am trying to get him to myself a bit before he leaves. Us girls are going to miss him terribly. Well Isla has just stomped off muttering something about “being so mad” because I wont play babies with her so I guess I will sign off for now and hopefully next time I will get some pregnant belly pictures of me up.

Well, here it is. It feels a bit strange to be sitting here actually updating the page. I’ve thought about it more than you can imagine in the last 4 months or so but its taken me this long to get to it. I appreciate all the patience from my die hard fans out there…..you know who you are! I couldn’t possible fill you in on all the going ons in one blog so I promise there will be more coming and more pictures. Right know Isla is due to get up from the nap she never takes anymore. It has now turned into a 1 hour rest time in her bedroom. I can hear her banging on something so I have a feeling the hour is up and my break is gone. I just went to check on Isla and she is on her floor playing with toys and when she sees me this is what she tells me “My bed hates me mom. Sometimes it just bothers me and I have to get out and leave it alone” I must admit, a very creative reason for not staying in bed like she should. Got to love them!. Anyways I am eaking out 5 more minutes from her so I can finish up. These pictures are of Isla’s new “big” girl bedroom. We decided to move here a room over so the babies room could now be the one closest to our room. It has taken me a lot of work this summer to paint and clean the walls and furniture and get everything put together, but it was well worth the effort. I love her room and better yet she is thrilled with it. She loves her big bed, except I guess when it bothers her during nap time. It nice to tuck her into a bed that I can finally fit in comfortably when I read stories. She actually sleeps longer in the morning….I think its the bed and the curtains that keep the room darker. Anyways I am majorly nesting right now so it was a fun project for me and next week I will start tackling the babies room. I am not sure what I am doing with that yet but you will being seeing pictures soon. I have lots more to put up so check again soon! I promise it wont be months in between posts. I might even get another up tomorrow. I love you mom!

Hello everybody….I know it’s been a long time and I am very close to updating everybody about everything going on in our life. I am having a few computer problems that I am trying to sort out so bare with me.

Well, here are my cute valentine’s. I do so love them. This morning George made us girls a delicious breakfast of pancakes,scrambled eggs, bacon, coffee and orange juice. This was after we all slept in till 8:00….which never happens. We puttered around inside and eventually ended up outside. George was drawn towards the garage and his new found hobby of shaping surfboards and Isla dressed as a fairy played house and road her bike. George actually had to work today so he left around 1:00 so he could get a quick surf in first. I attempted to get Isla to sleep for a nap but failed miserably. Eventually I let her get up at 3:30 to play quietly. That lasted about 5 minutes before she wanted me in their to play Lego’s and get her a snack…..so alas no rest for me.

I thankfully have a 5 day weekend this week and really I am in so need of it. It is report card time at work and I will get to those tomorrow but I just need a break and these 5 days are a blessing. I have been so tired and just behind on everything. I can’t seem to get caught up on even the smallest things. My laundry is washed but not folded or put away, Isla’s toys are constantly underfoot, the bathrooms have seen better days, and the dishes….well lets just say that I hope no one does a surprise drop in cause it ain’t pretty. You know in my life I am usually on top of everything and so I am just going to allow myself this tired month or two and try not to stress about my house.  And on that note, although I have alot more I could write about, I am suddenly exhausted and in need of laying down in my bed. Goodnight to all and to all a good night.

Last week Thursday George and I got the day off of work to spend with Isla on her first ever whale watch. It was a spectacular day, the weather perfect. It started out calm but eventually the wind picked up a bit, I think it just added to the fun. Isla seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself. She was excited to see the whales although we didn’t see as many as I hoped. I havn’t been out on a boat in ages. It felt really cleansing….the salt air, wind blowing through my hair, the sound of the water flying by….I think I need to go boating more often. I forgot to mention that we went with Isla’s preschool which she just loves. It was great to see her interacting with all her friends. She seems so grown up these days and tells me often that she “wants to be grown up now” This month she has been learning about ocean creatures at preschool. She told me the other day the Nemo was not a fish he was a clown fish and Dori was well just a blue fish. Then she told me while I was tying her shoe one morning and she was stroking my hair that was just brushed ” You have such long hair mom just like a jelly fish” I feel really lucky to be compared to a jelly fish…..that doesn’t happen everyday.