home stretch

Absolutely exhausted today. I'm 37 weeks 2 days and nearing the end of my ability to function daily as anything other than a gestation machine. Being 40 makes a difference too. Today I woke at about 7:15 to have coffee with Sean, then collapsed on the sofa from 9 to noon, was overcome again by 2 and slept with Dorothy until 4. And I'm still tired!

I managed to wash enough dishes for Sean to be able to make spaghetti for dinner, which is good because the process of dishwashing knackered me again!

If you need me I'll be on the couch. Zzzz.

Childhood favorite, found!

When I was young, I loved a good informative book. The Eyewitness series came out after my formative years had passed, or I would have had many of them. (I knew so much minute information that I was banned from playing Trivial Pursuit if my parents were playing with other adults because it was embarrassing to my parents' friends when I would outdo them, at age 10. It's no wonder I hated school.)

One of my favorites, as a little kid, was The Berenstain Bears Big Book of Science and Nature. I remember reading it over and over, between the ages of about 5 to 7. Actual Factual Bear was a great guide. Loved it! But alas, when I looked for it for my kids it was out of print.

No more!

The Berenstain Bears Big Book of Science and Nature

It's in print again! It came, last week sometime, and Trixie fell upon it. She's the first to devour the Ranger Rick magazine when it shows up, too. I hoped she'd like it.

Baby prep

Clementine will be here this month! Someone I have never met but already she is loved by me, her father, and her seven siblings.

I'm very excited.

Here are her little tiny cloth diapers:

She has a dozen small covers and three dozen preemie prefolds. The covers fit from birth to 18 pounds or so, and the prefolds will start off one per cover, to be doubled as she needs more absorbent diapering. The top covers are made by Blueberry, but kind of hard to find, either the mini Coveralls or the Capri size 1. They are quite roomy and I like them, but they are a bit more costly than the bottom row covers, which are Rumparooz Newborn. I don't really need any more, but I'll probably buy a few because they are cute and I am prone to weakness in that area.

Her estimated arrival according to my last menstrual period is March 30th, but she will likely come early like nearly all her siblings. Gloria was the only one to see a due date, being born at 6:30 AM the morning after. All the others were a little early.

Come on, baby! Grow strong!

EDIT: Clementine Octavia was born early in the morning on April 5th, a full week past her due date!