Raising Cubs in a Campground

We're down to single digits until BabyBear is suppose to arrive!I go back and forth between being content wiith the wait and hurry up and get here! My body hasn't changed in preparation for delivery since she started checking me three weeks ago. We had tossed around the idea of induction so my doc could be there (downside of being due the day after a holiday) but with only being a one and 25% it's not going to happen. The kids have a parade they ride in on Saturday so hopefully we'll be able to make that happen. I'd rather go late and let them participate than mess up their excitement about their decorated bikes. I'm measuring between 36 and 37 weeks and only gained 2 ounces in a week so things are winding down. I only have a couple shirts that are comfortable and sleep...well that hasn't been comfortable in a long while. Yesterday I developed a migraine which would have been even more scary if I hadn't experienced the symptoms before. Blurred v...

We knew our cat, Alice, was probably pregnant and we knew there was a chance her babies could be born before BabyBear, but HOW they were born....well. That's one story I couldn't have predicted if I tried! Last night we spent a half hour reading books in my bed while Ali snuggled up to Julia. It was the perfect way to end a stressful evening of park duties.  When PapaBear got home from the office the kids crawled into their own beds and I curled up in bed to watch a little Netflix.  Julia had taken a really long afternoon nap so I wasn't hopeful that she'd fall asleep anytime soon, but my hope was that having Ali in bed with her would at least keep her in her room. My little plan was working like a charm when I heard Ali meow really loud. I expected Julia to cry out in pain from being scratched the next second but instead it was Ali I heard cry out again. I jumped up (as fast as a 38 week pregnant woman can) and went across the hall to investigate. I arrived just in...

Yesterday we had 10 inches of Julia's hair cut off . And then it rained three inches so we couldn't go outside for any 'after' pictures. Today, the sun is shining again so I snapped a few photographs of the the results. First I want to document the transformation. After her very last bath with long hair.  The wiggle worm getting ready for the big cut. No looking back now! Check out the big grin on her face - she has no fear! Once the ponytail was cut off then another inch came off during the shaping of the cut. I don't think this photo does the cut justice, but I promised her I'd only take a couple of pics and then we could have lunch. Here is the shape of the cut from the back after she sat with her head against a chair for part of the morning... And the very best part - healthy, easy to comb, springy CURLS!

I hesitate to write this post tonight since I don't have after pictures to share, but I have some time to myself at the moment so I'm going to at least give you the written version of The.Hair.Cut. We did it. We had Julia's curls cut today...for the first time ever. She's over four and a half. It was time. Not just a trim. A full blown, cut 10 inches off, hair cut. We have the ponytail sitting in her room to prove it. She was excited more than nervous. Wiggly more than stationary. And more adorable than I could have imagined. I took her in with freshly conditioned and combed hair so the stylist didn't have to offer to wash it. (remember, we don't use shampo and haven't for over a year) She wet it, put leave in conditioner in, and combed it out one last time. The leave in conditioner was pretty sticky and weighed her hair down so much that I didn't take any good 'after' pictures yet (but you can see an 'in progress' picture on Twit...

Compliments of BrotherBear (age 6 1/2) and SisterBear (age 4 1/2) Click on the images to see them up close. The belly? Well that is plenty big at this size, but the expressions on the kids' faces are worth a closer look. I was waiting for a night when the park wasn't too busy and the light was right. Last night was that night so we spent about 20 minutes trying different spots near our backyard. The kids LOVED being in charge of the camera! Julia kept asking me how many fingers she was holding up. I kept asking her to keep two hands on my camera! My camera survived and they both did such a great job don't you think?

With about 32 days to go I'm finding myself in a conundrum. My brain thinks about the list of 30+ things I want/need to accomplish before BabyBear is born, but my body isn't getting the message. I'm needing a nap at 9am for Pete's sake! At least I'm off of bedrest so when I do get a burst of energy I can tackle a project or two. Julia loves a good project so I have a great helper by my side. (Less bending for me!) Today is Sam's last day of kindergarten and I think we'll celebrate with an ice cream cone from McDonalds. We'll be busy with park duties much of the weekend so I want to make our free time as special as we can. Luckily 'special' to them is getting out the slip-n-slide or turning on the sprinkler. My kids LOVE the water and don't mind that the lake is freezing still. On Memorial Day we took them down to the beech for the first time and they jumped right in despite 30mph windsthat made for some pretty big waves. They had life ...