She Laughs at the Days

Every so often someone asks me if I'm excited about the baby, or gets excited for me and asks related questions and it leads to some awkwardness in my head.

It's not that simple this time. For one thing I just have no time to be pregnant. This baby is a deadline, a reason to get everything done and our move to Thailand accomplished in time for him/her to arrive. I am lost in a flurry of activity, with 2 months fewer than I expected to have originally in order to not be on a plane a month before I'm due.

In this context the baby is more of a challenge, a problem to be solved and worked around, than something to be excited about.

But then there are other things. My dear, dear friend Chantelle who got pregnant at exactly the same time, and has lost many babies, unlike me, lost this baby too, right at 3 months. She has now buried 4 children who didn't make it to term, out of 5 pregnancies, and my heart is so tied to her and her loss that I feel a huge hesitation inside abo…

I am neck deep in year end receipts and reporting dear friends. It's as fun as it sounds.

I have several posts half written, or with scribbled outlines, but no time to finish them.

So here is a quick update on how the move is going instead.

The good news is that this is the last year I have to do year end reporting or any of that stuff. I resigned as CFO of The Charis Project in November. I was very excited to do so. It's one less thing on my teetering plate as we make this big move. So after bringing 1012 to a close I will no longer have to do this. Everyone say YAY! My replacement is awesome, and very qualified. You can find out more about him here.

Other news. We had someone donate enough airmiles to pay for 4 plane tickets!!!! We are now hoping that we can get the remaining 80,000 miles donated as well to cover the cost of all the plane tickets. It makes it a lot easier to buy them together. If you collect United Mileage Plus Airmiles and would like to help out please cont…

So the girls changed their minds several times about a party theme this year. They couldn't agree on anything you see. So 8 days before the weekend I had invited all their guests we were split down the middle between the Girl wanting it to be a Brave themed party, mostly because the shocking lack of any archery at the Boy's Hobbit party was extremely disappointing to her, most of the boys being more into sword fighting. For her the most important part was that we had bows and arrows to shoot. Sophia was not so sure about about a Brave theme, she just wanted a cake and to have all her friends come and play hopscotch with her. So I was planning a mix of both, to make them happy.



Five days before their party was to happen they both came running to me with great urgency. "We want a Narnia party!" They both yelled it, so excited were they. "That would be so cool."


It was a great idea. A little short notice, but a great idea. I of course tweeted about it and one …

Pretty

Sun shower and rainbows.


Decorations for the girl's Narnia party. It was a great party.


Happy


The Girl got her braces off this week. She's so excited not to have to wear them when we're in Thailand.


The Boy came home, and found it very, very cold. I'm not sure he's happy. He really liked Thailand, but I'm really happy to have him home again.


Funny


This Girl, she cracks me up. This is her explaining compound words.


This boy, he still thinks that he can hide by shutting his eyes up tight and covering his ears. He was kind enough to open his eyes and become visible long enough for me to take this photo.

Real


This hot chocolate is the consolation prize after spending hours in the Doctor's office waiting for the first round of immunizations. Three out of four kids cried. The 4th winced and made the funniest faces and then all of a sudden said, "Oh, that was all?"

We have to go back next week, on 2 separate days, because our pediatrician's offi…

When you are born the week before Christmas, and so was your sister, there's a good chance your birthday party and birthday post might have to wait until January sometimes. This is one of those years.

 Dear Little,

Sometimes I need to be reminded what a little girl you still are. I mean, you are still tiny, though taller, but you act so much older than your age a lot that I forget you are still a little girl.

You are my most responsible child. Or, perhaps that's not accurate. You are the one with the most initiative. If I say you can't do something you want to do until you do something else, you actually get up and do the thing I told you to do, and you do it super fast. Your older siblings tend to just sit around all day wishing they didn't have to do it, or they just decide they don't want to do the thing they asked to do at first any more. They still have to do their chores eventually... your way is better.

But then you bought yourself a Merida doll two days ag…