This time he went missing for not one, but two night’s – the dirty stop out!

Sunday morning he went missing and so Mother’s Day (NZ) was spent searching the neighbourhood, but there wasn’t a bob tail in sight.

Monday morning I had the unfortunate job of informing Kindi and getting some flyers printed off to do a letter-box drop.

Tuesday, around tea time, I get a text from Frances to say, ‘Tell Sophie there’s a surprise waiting for her when she gets home.’

I had taken Sophie to ballet, whilst Charlotte was at a play-date. Frances was kindly mowing the lawns when a neighbour came round with the good news that Rascal was hopping about on our drive-way. He then spent a good half hour trying to catch Rascal, collecting a few scratches for his efforts.

The story, it seems, is that Rascal had taken himself off for a play-date with the rabbit he’d met on his last escapade. We’re just waiting to find out if there are any baby bunnies as a result…

Other Rascal posts:

Rascal rabbit let loose in the garden
Rascal returns!
Rascal the rabbit comes to stay

We’re back in the old routines of school and kindi and slowly adjusting. The girls have mostly been good for me in the morning; so I haven’t had too many drill sergeant major moments, but I do feel a little on edge with a rapid change in hormones. I’ve been really clumsy this week; what with smashing a glass in my hand and getting a nasty cut on my finger; and racing past a chair tonight and getting an awful scrape on my lower belly and then bursting into tears with worry that I may have harmed baby.

On Monday morning I was all set to drive the girls to school and kindi, but couldn’t find the car keys. For a moment I thought Dad had flown back to England with them in his pocket! Mum ended up walking Charli up to school and I called the Kindi to say Sophie wouldn’t be in (her Kindi is an hour’s walk from our house and I’m so not up to that right now!). By the time Mum returned (which was fast – she must have set a new speed record) I had found the key… oops! Mum said it was a clever ploy to keep her fit and I texted Dad to let him know I’d found it (he was in transit in LA and had said, ‘It’s definitely not in my hand luggage as it’s been searched twice by security already!).

Braxton Hicks contractions have been increasing and I’m finding it really uncomfortable to drive. Baby’s head is so low down and I keep getting quite sharp, shooting pains. The cervix is definitely softening and my body preparing for birthing baby. I never had ‘pre-signs’ with either of the girls. With both their births the first contraction I had was the commencement of labour. I had no ’show’, no water’s breaking prior to labour and no Braxton Hicks. I never experienced the head engaging prior to labour either. This time round everything is feeling very different and I am really beginning to wonder when everything will kick in for real. I have been feeling very spaced out for the past few days and premenstrual. On the one hand I am feeling positive about all the pre-signs I am getting; hoping that they will mean a smooth and relatively short labour. On the other hand I feel on constant tender hooks as to when baby will arrive and can’t quite relax.

Mum and I have been really busy with preparations too. All the baby gear is sorted, but there’s always so many other little things to do, as well as regular house-work. We’re all organized with some little surprises to keep the girls amused when I eventually disappear to have baby. I’ve written them a little card each to say what amazing big sister’s they are going to be. I’ve fitted in a hair cut (probably won’t have one for at least six month’s now!). And we’re all sorted for Dan’s Birthday tomorrow – just got a cake to bake and a Birthday tea to prepare with the girls for when he gets home from work.

I had another acupuncture appointment and will have my last one next week (which will be induction treatment). Whilst I had my appointment I let Mum loose in town and was getting a little worried when she was a few minutes late meeting up. Dan has now sorted her out with a spare mobile phone we had hanging around so I can keep tabs on her

Mum and I have been really cherishing our quiet morning’s together and enjoying morning tea at various cafes between doing the food shopping, returning library books and doing the house-work. Of course we’re missing Dad and thinking of him all the time too.

The girls have been really good for us, though naturally there’s been some adjusting as they fall back into routines. They played inseparably for most of the holidays and Sophie, in particular, is feeling the change the most. She really misses her big sister when she’s at school. Charli is fine and loving her new class. She is enjoying seeing all her friends again and can’t get enough of them – asking for play-dates after school, which I’m reluctant to commit to just yet as I cherish the time with her after school and so does Sophie! We have walked up to the school to pick her up a couple of times this week and enjoyed taking our time meandering home. The girls got a chance to have a whizz on the school’s new flying foxes this week, which they were totally thrilled about.

Sophie started swim classes on Tuesday afternoon (whilst Charli is at school) and totally loves them. She is already very confident in water, but is now in need of lessons to get swimming proper. Charli’s lessons are on a Saturday, which will make it easy for me when baby is here. We’re skipping dancing this term, as I’m not up to doing too much running around after school, but have promised Charli a return to classes in term 2.

Not much time to rest up and take it easy this time round. It’s all go till the final countdown – whenever that might be! The girls are very excited and cuddle up to my belly and talk to baby. They find it strange not being able to countdown to a particular day and every night say, ‘Baby might come tonight?’. Well, baby is definitely going to come within the next couple of week’s – that is for certain – and I’m just hoping we’re not kept waiting too long!

Here’s the final belly shot…

I always wonder if I’ll ever return to normal at this stage of pregnancy, but looking back on photos of when I was pregnant with Charli and Sophie and then seeing me normal afterwards helps to reassure me!

Sophie too was excited to be back at Kindi and within two minutes of passing through the gates she was saying, ‘Okay, you can go now Mummy!’. When I went to pick her up, with Grandma and Granddad in tow, she was standing proudly on the verandah ringing the cow bell to signal ‘mat time’, telling us, ‘I’ve been the best helper so I get to ring the bell!’.

School pick-up was a happy affair too. Glorious sunshine made for a jovial atmosphere and it was hard to get the children away from the school grounds.

We headed to Scorching Bay for a celebratory ice-cream and play in the fabulous summer sun. The girls would have happily stayed for hours, but by 5.30pm we thought we should be wise and head home to wind them down for a good sleep before tomorrow. Charli had so much fun inventing a ’shooter’ with a straw and string she found – shooting out seaweed pellets. She then dug a trench for the incoming tide so she could watch a leaf float round in the stream. Sophie found a scooper on the beach (from a washing detergent packet) and used it to make mini-sandcastles, counting them as she went (she can now add and subtract, as well as problem solve, all numbers up to 15 and count to 40 with ease – she is constantly asking for maths questions!). We explored the rock pools and found lots of baby hermit crabs and fish. Both the girls loved climbing and swinging on the climbing frame. Grandma showed us her artistic flair with a beautiful horse sand drawing. We could have amused ourselves for hours and hours… ah, good ‘ole simple fun.

Here’s hoping the positivity continues! It was certainly a delight to see them so happy to return and the house was very, very quiet this morning. Mum, Dad and I headed off to pick up the baby car-seat and then had a lovely morning tea at ‘The Bach’ at Island Bay.

Only two week’s till due date! Feeling very excited and just can’t wait to get going and meet this baby! We’re now decided on a boy’s name, but have a list of girl’s names as long as my arm. If baby is a girl we are hoping she offers us some divine inspiration on her arrival! The other night, we had a fun evening on Facebook with friends suggesting a number of wonderful girl’s names…

Aimee Rose Lee
Ava Rose Lee
Anya Rose Lee (yes we really like Rose as a middle name – and if it’s a Valentine baby girl then it would be a most befitting name)
Other suggestions….
Kate Lee
Jessica Lee
Jasmine Lee
Ruby Lee

If baby is a boy then we love Archie David Lee (Archie for my Grandfather, David for my Dad and of course Dan’s family is represented in the surname).

Ah well, girls sound asleep and I should really head that way too. My energy levels are still super good and I find it impossible to sit down (except to write blog posts!). Charli is enjoying having two pianists in the house to personally play her melodies as she drifts off to sleep (my Mum and I have been entertaining the troops on the piano).

We’re looking forward to more sunshine over the weekend and are trying not to think about Granddad having to fly home on Sunday evening – alas work beckons for him.

We had own own animal responsibilities this morning, aside from sausage roll cooking. Rascal was expected back at Kindi bright eyed and bushy-tailed for another exciting week in his life as a Kindi rabbit. He seemed to know the drill and was very good at hopping into his pet carrier. Charli and Sophie have been fabulous ‘pet-sitters’ this weekend and were so good at helping to get Rascal ready to go back to Kindi. Charli was obviously keen to help drop him back and having woken with a slight sore throat (I have one too) she wasn’t too keen to head to school. I suspect the prospect of tagging along to Kindi and seeing Zippity Zoo had much to do with her sore throat too

So, Charli, Sophie, Rascal and I all headed off for a wonderful morning in the most glorious sunshine. Charli & I popped back home for a quick hour to do our house-work, before returning in time for the party food and Zippity Zoo. Beverley was so amazing with all the children. She sat them down first to explain a few ‘rules’ with plenty of toilet humour thrown in for good measure. ‘If you see a poo, what do you do? Stop, think and let Beverley know.’

The girls loved stroking the goat, sheep, dog, guinea pig, rabbit and chicks. They even had a chick balanced on top of their hats! There were plenty of other siblings and parents who had come along to join in the fun. It was one of those very special mornings and I’m really glad Charli was able to share in the experience.

When we got home at midday the sun had reached its peak. Dan had set up a pool over the weekend, which he’d got at a bargain price from The Warehouse. It’s a bit on the ridiculously huge size really, but the girls are going to have such a ball in it this summer. It has a filter, so we don’t need to worry about emptying it and refilling… just as well, since it took a couple of hours to fill up! And seeing as I’m reaching balloon proportions in the third trimester of pregnancy, the pool will be great for me to soak my feet in. We’re not going away anywhere, so we’ll be having a holiday at home and if we are blessed with more delightful days of sunshine like today we’ll be having a ton of fun.

We are looking after him for two-week’s over New Year as well, which I’m sure our cat, Blacky, will be delighted about (erm, not likely!). In the rabbit versus cat contest the rabbit is currently winning. Poor Blacky hisses and runs a mile when Rascal is around. Thankfully at night Rascal sleeps happy in his hutch in the kitchen, whilst Blacky sits on her favourite rug.

Well, it looks like there’s been no drama in the garden. Rascal has had a good run around and has now elected to rest back in his run.

We’re heading off out for some pony fun at the stables now. Thankfully, after a week of rain, the sun is out! At least it hasn’t been windy. I almost stopped to take a photograph on the school drop-off the other day, as all the children were enjoying a rare chance to display their colourful umbrellas without being blown away Mary Poppin’s style (not forgetting Charli’s own flight by umbrella!).

Charli has done cards for the teacher aides, the headmaster and the school secretary. She’s really hoping to get through Wednesday’s audition to be in the end of term ‘Performance Assembly’ so the cards are full of ‘You’re the best in the world…’ messages. Very cute and genuinely from the heart, as she’s really loved this year of school. Finger’s crossed she likes her new teacher and class for 2010. It’s really been awesome to watch her thrive at school this year.

Sophie too is thriving at morning Kindi. She is so happy there and very proud of herself learning her letters and writing her name. Here’s her cards for the teachers…

The cards gave me an excuse to sit down and put my feet up, whilst helping with cutting where required. I’m really feeling the affects of the third trimester now. It’s not easy moving around and picking up a trillion things a day whilst carrying a ‘beach ball’ in my tummy!

I’m glad there’s plenty of activities on in town prior to Christmas day, as the dynamics in the home will feel a little different with us three girls in each other’s space all day. We’ll soon get used to being in each other’s pockets again.

The day before the fair was a baking frenzy. Even before school drop off I had Charli helping me in the kitchen to whip up some Anzac biscuits. They were out of the oven just in time for the girls to have a quick biscuit each before we dashed to school. After the school drop Sophie helped me make baby strawberry cup-cakes and ginger biscuits. Of course she was chief taste tester too!

Sophie takes her baking duties seriously in excited preparation for the Kindi Fair:

By the time we were ready to make the baking drop at Kindi the heavens had opened. The rain was coming down heavy and I wasn’t looking forward to getting completely drenched. It was literally like standing under an over-flowing gutter. I envisioned millions of little people sitting in the clouds with buckets of water having a good laugh at me! But, thankfully, the heavens eased to a light splattering as I made a dash for it. The ginger biscuits nearly met with an untimely demise, but landed right way up and with all legs and arm still intact. There was to be no escape for my ginger bread men and fairies!

By the afternoon the rain ceased and blue sky won over. Sophie and I met up with an expat friend, Rachel (of One Way New Zealand blog), and her gorgeous son at Te Papa for lunch and we had a great couple of hours before the school bell beckoned us away. Charli and Sophie enjoyed the company of a neighbour’s girls in the garden after school. The sound of their laughter in the garden certainly made for easy listening. I opened up the doors and windows and commenced the slicing of a large bag of onions in preparation for the sausage sizzle. Memories of an old school cookery teacher came flooding back. She assured us that if we peeled and cut the onions without touching the inside we wouldn’t end up with tear streaked eyes. Her theory was pretty successful as I only shed a few tears and that was due to a particularly offensive onion! Plus I was periodically washing my hands whilst filling up containers of water for the children to play with in the garden – they were making various potions with food colouring, glitter and leaves from the herb plants!

Whilst the children played… I sliced a serious bag of onions:

All the preparation for the fair paid off. The girls had a really great time, whilst Dan sizzled on the BBQ. They had a purse each of dollar coins, which disappeared very quickly. Sophie spent at least half the time digging in the sand at the treasure hunt. Charli was very successful on the fishing game, but at one point took her winning prize back as it was, ‘Very girly.’ She asked very politely for something from the ‘boy winnings’ and her prize was generously exchanged. A mini-ferris wheel was a big hit – Sophie had four rides. Yes, the Kindi fair certainly profited from our presence. But, our spending paid off, as Charli won big for us on the instant ticket wheel. There were around 30 numbers on the wheel and Charli won twice! So we came home with a family pass to Staglands and Pirate Ship mini-golf, as well as a 12 swim pass for me (no excuses now!).

At midday all the Kindi children gathered to sing a few songs to the smiles of proud parents and were then rewarded with the entertainment of ‘Zappo’ the magician, who had them laughing hysterically. The girls managed to get themselves sat in the front row and Charli was picked out to get in on a magic act (her face was a picture). Dan and I caught snippets of the show through the window, from outside standing in the drizzle – there was no room for adults inside as the children were packed in tight! But Zappo had them so enthralled that their was no moshing in the pit.

We had a fabulous time and it was heart warming to see such a great community turn-out. This afternoon the rain has set in hard and we are very grateful to someone up there for holding off on the downpour. From now until the end of March schools around Wellington hold their fairs and they are always well attended. It’s great to be a part of it.

She is already starting to make friends and has accepted the kind offering of a gifted collage and some spacey home-made glasses. She is the life and soul of the party when the call of, ‘Anyone want to join in music time?’ is rung out. She is enthusiastically telling everyone, ‘I’m a big Kindi girl now’. And she carries her Kindi bag on her back with pride.

We have really been enjoying indoor antics – with the occasional sprint outdoors to collect hail and laugh at the craziness of it all…

A couple of awesome friends came round for afternoon tea today and all we had to do was put the kettle on; as they came loaded with a home made chocolate cake and nibbles galore. The girls had a blast and Sophie dressed up specially for the occasion. Apparently I missed the wedding of Dan and Sophie as I was out lane swimming, but there had been dancing and plenty of Cinderella moments (I was told to address Sophie as ‘Cinderella’). I turned up in time for the cutting of the wedding cake (truly scrumptious and just what I needed after a forty minute swim session).

We have had another couple of real reasons for celebration this week. Sophie announced she was ready to try out a new Kindi and ‘commit’. We were lucky to have a glorious day of sunshine on Friday for our first visit and… she loved it! The teachers got down on her level and really listened to who she was and understood her personality. The atmosphere was calm, welcoming and full of activities. Indoor/outdoor play was freely flowing. There was no compulsory ‘mat time’, simply an opportunity for young three year olds to enjoy a two hour session with their peers, gaining confidence and independence. There were impromptu music sessions – again it was up to the child to decide whether or not to partake. Sophie jumped in with full gusto and enthusiasm and repeatedly told me she loves the Kindi. So…. this week we shall see. Four day’s a week, from 1.15pm to 3.15pm. Finger’s crossed her first impression was the right one – I certainly have a very good feeling!

Prior to her visit to Kindi we made the most of the sunshine and played on the South Coast, exploring the rock-pools, walking in the sand and frolicking at the playground. Island Bay is a fabulous suburb of Wellington and home to so many artists – it’s easy to see why. The ever changing weather wrestles with the artist in even the most cynical. It cannot fail to inspire.

Our second reason for celebrating was our 10th Wedding Anniversary (that is Dan and I – not Sophie and Dan!!!). We went out for a wonderful dine and dance. We love a restaurant with a bit of personality and ‘Monsoon Poon‘ never fails to deliver (if it’s good enough for David Beckham then it’s good enough for us!). We savoured the most exotic tastes whilst trying our hardest to keep our bottoms firmly on our seats. The ‘Bolly-wood’ music had us rocking at our table and in the mood for dancing. We followed up the dining with a dance at ‘Boogie Wonderland‘. The music took us on a trip down memory lane… all the way back to our Uni. days where we first met in our late teens! It was one of the best nights we have had in ages! We danced ourselves into a frenzy – to the point of needing a few ice-cubes to cool us down! And we returned home to our youngest daughter happily asleep on a camp bed in the lounge! We talked around her with our wonderful baby-sitter (oops – girls will tell me off – I must say ‘child sitter’!) and it couldn’t have been a more perfect ending to a fabulous evening.

In between the celebrations the simplicity of life has us happily ticking along in our little corner of the world. Charli and Dan have a wonderful bond going on at the moment – since they both share a passion for science fiction and top-trumps with a dinosaur, Star Wars or Ben 10 twist! Charli’s also into ‘Bakugans‘, which are action-figure warriors, that are tucked into spheres that pop open when they’re rolled onto a game card- beyond me… I leave that to the pair of them! Sophie prefers to get around on wheels rather than normal shoes and is heavily into building with blocks and lego. She also likes Princess stories (but we have to do read them out of earshot of Charli). And with the wintry weather forcing us indoors we have all got into baking with daily sessions of covering ourselves and the entire kitchen in buckets of flour. And when the weather does let up we head outdoors faster than lightening to burn off steam (erm, calories for moi!) and kick a ball around!