The waiting game continues...

Family shot, right before my actual due date

Today it is Sunday, July 8th.  For most, this means very little.  For me, it means that I am currently one week and two days overdue.  I know that in my last post I revealed that I would hold off posting again until there was baby news, but I am now far enough past the anticipated arrival that I have had a slew of people checking in to see if I had just... quietly had a baby and forgotten to mention it.

This post, then, is meant to assure everyone that we are all still waiting, right along with you, and to provide a bit of a catch-up on what sorts of things we've been up to while we (patiently, or impatiently, as the case may be) wait for things to happen.

Theresa and the kids do some yoga

So, right around my due date, we wanted to make sure we had our bases covered with respect to potential need for child care etc.  My mom was planning to come as soon as she got home from visiting with my sister and her newborn in Vancouver, but that left a bit of a gap with which we weren't particularly comfortable.  Theresa, kind and caring soul that she is, drove up from PEI (7 months pregnant herself, mind you), to be our back-up.  This meant that the kids had a ready adventure-partner  pretty much as soon as they finished school, which was fabulous. Beach days, trips to the park, yoga, card games, you name it -- all things that somehow Theresa found the energy to do with them.

It also meant that on the weekend of my due-date (which was June 29th), it was a veritable party around here.  We had Theresa, of course, but my mom also arrived on the Saturday, as did Liz and Pat.  I was very confidant there would also be a new baby thrown into the mix, but alas, that was not to be.  Instead, it was a weekend full of games and general merriment and a bunch of photoshoots:

This hammock gets a whole lot of use this time of year

Silly family shot - always a requisite of Linden's

I was sure I would be captioning this: "Last belly shot before birth".  Nope.

Linden and a caterpillar friend

Two big bellies - look at how differently we're carrying!

The beautiful Richards sisters and our gaggle of ne'er-do-wells

Liz and Pat are always good for a board game or two.

I love this shot! The candid-getting-ready-for the-posed-photo photo

Theresa must have just left before this was taken

After my due-date weekend, things quieted significantly.  My mom is here now, and will be for another week, which is great.  It is crazy to think that she might be spending only days with her new-born granddaughter, rather than a whole two weeks, as we had anticipated.  Clearly, this is either one chill child, or I just have a very comfortable womb.

In any event, this past week was mostly spent trying not to go stir-crazy during the ridiculous heat-wave.  This was helped immensely by our completely awesome neighbours, who showed up just as I was parked grumpily (and very sweatily) in front of the fan, to bring their old air conditioner for us to use.  What a gift that has been!  There has also been a lot of swimming in our local lake, frozen treats, and as many quiet out-of-the-blaring-sun activities as we could dream up. This included me finally making a play teepee for the kids, which has already gotten loads of good use.

Fairy patrol!

These wings didn't come off for a few days. I just thought it was particularly cute to have a fairy so seriously drawing at the table

SSR (silent sustained reading) in the shady hammock.  Linden has decided he wants to learn how to read English this summer (he can currently read French quite well, but not English), and is so far very enthusiastic.

Mary helps sew some felt food for their play kitchen

The teepee, freshly erected!

Seeing as the teepee is constructed out of white canvas, the kids immediately asked if they could make it their own.  No better drawing surface than an actual huge expanse of... canvas!

Juniper's side

Out to dinner in beautiful Eastern Passage

Clark decided to turn our rhubarb into cordial this year.  He's been drinking it with fizzy water and gin, and it is quite lovely! Plus, just look at the beautiful pink colour.

Post dinner ice cream overlooking Lake Banook

As for me?  Well, there was a period of time, a little over a week ago, where I rallied and started accomplishing things right left and centre, like a nesting whirling dervish.  At this point, I mostly lounge around like a beached whale, feeling more than a little uncomfortable, and the teeniest bit useless.  I have, however, been trying to walk this baby out as much as I can, and eating spicy foods, and drinking raspberry leaf tea, and all the other things that are supposed to prompt baby to get things rolling. First I thought the full moon would draw her out, then the change in weather (the heat and humidity dissipated on Friday, and it has been just glorious ever since), but it seems that she's just going to come in her own good time.  

I promise, however, to update as soon as there is any baby news to actually share!

On a walk around beautiful Shubie Park

 See you (hopefully) soon!