Here's our cleaning party day!

In the final countdown..
Mike and I are attempting to finish the reno's by weeks end.

Friday morning I have invited four hard-workin friends to help us clean up the house top to bottom (I provide the pumpkin soup-they provide lots of energetic cleaning power!)
AND THEN baby can come!
Here are a few shots of the In-Progress days we are living in, as well as Finn in a cardboard tunnel from the wardrobe boxes and a shot from our church's corn roast with his friends Hendrix, Kali and Hope.

Sunday Morning came early...well earlier than usual.
Mike had spent all of yesterday driving to Calgary and back with Truman, our faithful orange van, to pick up the remaining pieces of the wardrobe. I spent the day baking and looking after Finn and friend Kate-as well as 2 hours off catching up on phone calls, emails and such.
So when the wake up wail came at the crack of 6:30am-I told Finn it was still "night-night time" (love these dark morning!) and he managed to stay quiet in his crib until 7:00am on the dot. We three hung out and took it all in slow mo until the juice and coffee and ovaltine kicked in. Mike managed our first-of-the-season fire in the woodstove with some gift firewood from friends, and we celebrated our own
First Autumny Day.

(Note: baby belly shot-we have not taken very many of this pregnancy-so here is the profile at 37 weeks-any baby gender guesses?)

Rainy Friday Morning.
I have composed a shopping list but am undecided whether I will go shopping.
Nice to be able to make these decisions-with no deadline or boss to tell me when and where and how.
After such a long dry season (please no lawn comments from locals, ha), I am enjoying the comfort of the rain on our roof all day and as I drift off to sleep at night. The last few days I got to bake and cook to my hearts content and even started a few sewing projects. Finn's favourite bear is now sporting a fetching pair of jeans (see pictures above). Finn is enamoured with them. Somehow it reminds me of my own Mama. She made clothes for our dolls and teddies. Finn and I had a good time with this little project..I sewed and he leaned up on the table on a chair and said "I watch?". A most pleasing time..and it made me so happy to be able to stay home with this crazy Nutkin I call my son!

Looking at the above list, I suppose you could say, I am nesting.
true enough.
I saw midwife and OB this week and all seems to be fine with baby. Now that my anemia is under control, I feel a lot better and more energetic. More than the rest of this pregnancy..how ironic, as we are down to 3.5 weeks.
Finn's memorable saying of the week was 2 days ago on the change table. He has begun to use this maniacal forced laugh all week. Seems to be trying on different laughs all the time. As he is laying there doing the diaper thing he laughs his crazy new laugh and says to me "I funny".
How could I respond..
"yes Finn: you ARE funny"

Well, we are definately in the thick of things...mainly clutter and plaster/drywall and sanding dust! Mike has finished the bedroom floor and we will be able to sleep in our own room again in 2 short sleeps!! The camping has been fun (in the livingroom) but the futon is getting a bit too low to the ground for me...with only 4.5 weeks to go in this pregnancy. It makes those night tme bathroom breaks somewhat challenging!

We had a great long weekend. Nana arrived on Friday Night and Pops came on Saturday morning. Nana, Finn and I spent the day in Kimberley in order that Pops and Mike could sand the floors. Good times had by all. Nana stayed the whole weekend on the kitchen floor on a double blow-up mattress with distinguished dog, Poro. Pops spent the rest of Sunday and Monday with Grandad and anne in creston. We have decided that having both Poro, Charlie (Pops' dog), 4 kittens, Smee and Maus (our cat), is a bit to much for the house. However, all aforementioned animals survived weekend and went home intact. Next trip out, when baby is here, we are thinking no extra pets!!

Tomorrow I'm off to have coffee with Brooke.
Finn-less I will be.
I baked a cake for my friend Ross who will watch Finn for the morning (...however he informed me he is not a cake eater, and so his wife has volunteered to eat it all!!) The cake was part of a series that I made this morning based loosely on my Mama's "Zwetschen Struesel Kuchen (plum Streusel Cake). Turned ou beautifully. Plums courtesy of Grandad and Anne's tree in Creston.