21/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week (most weeks!) in 2014",

 

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18/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2014"

 

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16/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2014"

 

 

13/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2014"

 

Tom, this week you:

• Enjoyed some extra time home from school. You gagged on your lunch at school and thanks to the school's policy that you cannot go back to school for 24 hours after you've been sick you got to spend a day at home with me even though there was nothing wrong with you. It's a silly policy, but I loved getting to spend some extra time with you.
• Had another bonus day off because your teacher was on strike on Wednesday. It was a good week for some Mummy/ Tom time!
• Were less than impressed when I told you that we had to go to school on Wednesday anyway for the Mother's Day school lunch with Lily and Emma.
• Thankfully seemed to really enjoy aforementioned Mother's Day lunch with your sisters and me.
• Are doing very well according to your teacher on parents' evening. She said your mental agility is excellent!
• Made me a lovely picture frame for Mother's Day and had the patience to wait until Sunday to give it to me.
• Had lots of fun with your uncles on Mothering Sunday.

 

Lily, this week you:

• Were incensed that Tom got to spend so much time at home this week when he wasn't ill!
• Were really disappointed when I couldn't come to our original Mother's Day lunch on Tuesday. You were looking forward to having me to yourself.
• Enjoyed our rescheduled lunch on Wednesday, even though you had to share me with your brother and sister. You did get very sad when it was time for me to leave though.
• Your teacher said lots of nice things about you on parents' evening. He said for you to keep doing what you are doing.
• Made me a lovely card and picture frame for Mother's Day.
• Had a wonderful time in the woods on Saturday
• Loved playing with your uncles on Mothering Sunday

 

Emma, this week you:

• Enjoyed the novelty of Mummy coming in to eat lunch with you at school. You loved showing me where I had to take my tray and put my cutlery. I loved having lunch with you and your brother and sister.
• You gave me a lovely little pot with a sunflower seed planted in it for Mother's Day and made a lovely card to go with it.
• Had a lovely report from your teacher on parents' evening. I am so glad you have finally settled happily into school, even if I do still miss you terribly at home!
• Had a great time playing with Lily in the woods on Sunday. I don't know how you didn't feel cold, but you insisted you were warm enough in your short sleeves!
• Had fun decorating me with the sequins that fell off my Mother's Day card!
• Loved having all the family together on Mothering Sunday and had a great time playing Superdogs!

 

Podling Number 4 (33 weeks pregnant), we are really getting close to meeting you now! I have been exceedingly aware of your head this week and it is obvious you are running out of room in there! Someone very kindly gave us a cot for you this week, so now you will have somewhere to sleep when you outgrow your Moses basket. I'm really wanting to nest in earnest now. I am keen to start washing all our baby clothes and have moved the bedroom around to that I can have you sleeping next to my side of the bed. I'm getting so excited to meet you now little one, but don't be in a hurry as I have so much I want to get done before you arrive! I want everything ready so that I can just soak you up and enjoy you when you get here.

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12/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2014"

 

 

Bit of a 52 Week project fail for me this week! I don't have individual portraits of the Podlings this week, so this picture of the three of them taken at Biddulph Grange Garden will have to suffice.

 

 

 

Podling Number 4 (32 weeks pregnant), this week we had our NHS growth scan at 31 Weeks and 5 Days. You are growing splendidly and obliged us with a lovely profile shot. It is always a thrill to get a glimpse of your world.  I'm fairly sure I saw you trying to put your hand in your mouth, which was unbelievably sweet!

 

You are definitely head down and are, I suspect, quite well engaged. My bump is very low and I am very aware of your head when I am walking, which is somewhat uncomfortable at times! I am starting to feel VERY pregnant, but I don't mind in the slightest. I love being pregnant and it is such a privilege to be growing a new life...your life, little one! I can't wait to hold you in my arms, but I am quite content to keep you safe inside for now.



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11/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2014"

Tom, this week you:

• Had fun playing in the park after school almost every night.
• Are loving football club after school on Wednesdays
• Have been working hard on your Tackle Fire map.
• Were rather disturbed by the 4D scan pictures of the baby!
• Loved the stepping stone bridges at Deep Hayes Country Park. You went over and back across them several times just for the fun of it. 
• Fell in love with a tree!

Lily, this week you:

• Have been loving this milder weather and have playing outside as much as possible after school.
• Are really enjoying playing football after school on Wednesday.
• Had lots of fun decorating the front of the house with chalks. You and Emma made it look very pretty!
• Have been drawing pictures, making bookmarks and writing lots of thoughtful little notes for everyone. You always seem to have a pen in your hand!
• Suffered a little with bad dreams at the start of this week. You seem fine again now though.

Emma, this week you:

• Have been playing outside with your sister every night after school. You two have been playing so beautifully together this week.
• Had lots of fun chalking the house (and yourself!) with Lily.
• Have added lots of sticks to the stick family collection that you are building up next to the front door. It's starting to look like a giant bird has built a nest there!
• Persist in coming into Mummy and Daddy's bed once every night. You arrive at about 2.30am and announce, "I've come for a cuddle". You do now stay in your own bed when I take you back again after your cuddle (if I don't fall asleep...then you get to stay a bit longer!)
• Have been singing to the baby in Mummy's tummy.

Podling Number 4 (31 weeks pregnant), this week we saw your face for the first time! Mummy was beyond excited and although you weren't in the best position for the scan, I do feel I have a pretty good idea what you are going to look like. Your brother and sisters were not sure what to make of your 4D scan images though! I think they prefer the 2D ones! The scan estimated that you are already approximately 4 lbs in weight. I don't think you are going to be a small baby!

At my midwife's appointment on Thursday you were head down and already engaged. Your heartbeat was as strong as ever...a lovely sound! I still feel you moving around lots, which is always reassuring. I think the iron tablets are already starting to help with my anaemia as I now find I am not just dozing off every time I sit in an armchair! I've found the energy to start sorting out the house again. Mummy is nesting!

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10/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2014"

Tom, this week you:

• Earned a Headteacher's Award for your poem 'The Magic Box' and made us all very proud.
• Looked fabulous as Fantastic Mr Fox on World Book Day, but only decided the night before who you were going to be. Thank Goodness we still had last year's costume!
• Enjoyed going to the cinema with Nanna and Grandad to see 'Mr Peabody and Sherman'.
• Had lots of fun playing Super Dogs with Uncle Ryan on Sunday. You love that game so much and Uncle Ryan is so much fun!
• Drew a lot of maps for the games you are designing.

Lily, this week you:

• Made a fabulous butterfly out of paper and card following a disappointment at school on Monday. Crafting always cheers you up.
• Made a lot of books with your new stapler from Nanny and Grandad. There isn't much paper left!
• Had fun helping to make (and eat) pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.
• Looked adorable as Deborah from 'Teddy Robinson' on World Book Day. I love that you enjoy those stories!
• Loved going to the cinema with Nanna and Grandad on Sunday afternoon.

Emma, this week you:

• Had lots of fun helping to make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. You love helping in the kitchen.
• Fell in love with a pink straw hat!
• Looked so sweet as Mary Had a Little Lamb on World Book Day. You had been looking forward to dressing up for school for so long and were very excited about it!
• Performed brilliantly in your class assembly on Friday morning. You were the cat from 'Hey Diddle Diddle' and just looked so adorable up on stage with all your friends. Despite being the smallest in your class, you sang louder than anyone else and I could hear your voice above everyone. You were fantastic! Unfortunately, you got very sad when it was time for me to leave and cried because you didn't want me to go. I wish I could have brought you home with me!
• Were tremendously excited to get to go to the cinema with Nanna and Grandad. You love the cinema so much!

Podling Number 4 (30 weeks pregnant), this week the results of my blood tests came back and showed that I was slightly anaemic. This explains why I have been feeling so very tired and I am hoping that once I start taking iron tablets I will get some energy back! I have been patiently waiting for the burst of energy I experienced in the middle of my other pregnancies and the anaemia might explain why I haven't had it! You continue to move around a lot and it amuses me to lie in bed at around eleven (when you really seem to wake up!) and watch my abdomen dancing around as you move about. I am very excited, little one, because I am booked in for a 4D ultrasound scan next Friday and I can't wait to see your face! I have never had a 4D ultrasound before, so this will be a first for both of us! I hope you co-operate and we get some lovely pictures of you!

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9/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2014"

Tom, this week we finally managed to get you to the barber's. You have the most wonderful head of thick curls, but it was getting a bit long and the clump of curls at the front was driving you potty! This photo was taken just before we took you to get your hair cut.

Lily, you have been wearing your hair in two plaits most of this week (night and day), just so you could have the pleasure of curly hair this weekend. You accessorized your curls with a length of fairy print fabric worn as a scarf and added your old pink umbrella for good measure!

Emma, you loved using the paints you won in Pass the Parcel at Jacob's party last week. You shared your paints with Lily and Lily shared her glitter glue with you and you both made some lovely pictures. You and Lily have been quite inseparable this week and I love that you are both so close.

Podling Number 4 (29 weeks pregnant), we actually have a picture of you this week thanks to my 28 week growth scan. You are growing well and weigh approximately 3 lb 2oz, according to estimates taken from the scan. Your brother and sisters were allowed in to the scan room, so they got to see you too and were all very excited about it. They all took a copy of your scan photo in to school the next day to show their teachers and friends. You are already much loved by the whole family little one!

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8/52

'A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2014'

I didn't do very well for photos this week. Throughout half term we had at least one member of the household sick every day and somehow, despite my parents being here and us having an enjoyable time together, the camera hardly came out. This photo of the Podlings at the Lego Movie will have to suffice for week eight.

Tom, this week you: 

• Loved seeing the Lego Movie!
• Finally got to try the strawberry glaze doughnut you have been looking for since last October.
• Have been suffering from a sore throat most nights this week, but seem to have avoided the worst of the illnesses that have been going through the family. You never make a fuss when you are ill though, so it is impossible to know quite how rough you have been feeling.
• Were so sweet when we went shopping with Nanny and Grandad. When Nanny told you you could pick out a toy from the store, all you wanted was a 79p pack of pencils and rubbers, "Can I have these pencils because I like drawing?". You are not remotely materialistic and I love that about you.
• Had a great time at Jacob's party on Friday and couldn't believe how fast the two hours had flown by when we came to pick you up.

Lily, this week you: 

• Have loved being home for half term.
• Loved crafting this week and made some pom pom caterpillars, pom pom jewelry, sewed a felt purse (with lovely neat stitches) and did a lot of drawing and writing.
• Have been singing 'Everything is Awesome' a lot!
• Loved playing with Flash. You two are such good friends.
• Told me that Jacob's party was the best party you have ever been to!
• Were very sick with a stomach bug on Saturday, but bounced right back on Sunday like you always do. You have the fastest recovery time from illness of anyone I know!

Emma, this week you:

• Had a bad case of conjunctivitis and hated having your eye ointment put in. You tried to be very brave about it though.
• Used a real needle and thread for the first time and loved making a pom pom tiara and necklace. You didn't prick your finger once!
• Did real sewing for the first time and made a felt purse with a little help from me. You did really well at following my instructions. You are so patient and a joy to teach.
• Have loved playing with the dogs and having your grandad to play with.
• Loved Jacob's party and the first thing you told me when you awoke the morning after was that you wanted to go again! You were very brave when your favourite balloon animal unravelled and didn't cry at all.

Podling Number 4 (28 weeks pregnant), this week I had a midwife's appointment and got to hear your heartbeat again. Daddy was able to come to this appointment, so heard your heartbeat for the first time. You were head up at the appointment, but you are such a wriggler it is anyone's guess which way up you are now! You are measuring spot on for your dates, but because Tom and Emma measured small for gestational age I will need to have some growth scans to keep an eye on you. The midwife doesn't think you will be small though and I am glad I will get a chance to see you again before you are born. Nanny was very pleased to be able to feel you kick this week.

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7/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2014"

Tom, this week you enjoyed watching trailers for 'The Lego Movie' with your sisters, in anticipation of our trip to see the movie next week. That and playing Angry Birds of course...you LOVE Angry Birds!

Lily, this week you really loved playing with the toy you bought from eBay last week. Your despair at finding the toy had not arrived when you got home from school, followed by your unbounded joy when it turned out that the post was just very late that day are so typical of your roller coaster personality!

Emma, this week you slept in a BIG bed for the very first time! Your toddler bed had grown so uncomfortable and a move to a single bed was long overdue. You love your new bed and its pretty covers and canopy. Now you can't wait for Lily to move in with you!

Podling Number 4 ( 27 weeks pregnant), this week you continue to wriggle, stretch and kick a lot. Your brother and sisters love to feel you move. You seem to be awake more than you are asleep, although that's probably just my imagination! You are by far the most active baby I have carried, though what that means for your little personality we have yet to discover. Keep growing little one!

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6/52

"A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2014"

 

 

Tom, this week you:

• Fell over and bruised your hand at school. It actually hurt enough that you consented to take Calpol.
• Were extremely excited to earn enough coins on your Nyan cat game to get the pumpkin skin pack you so desperately wanted.
• Have been brilliant by now carrying your own school bag to and from school all the time. Such a big help to Mummy!
• Have drawn lots of pictures and been designing a Star Wars version of your Tackle Fire creations.

Lily, this week you:

• Have been really enjoying David Attenborough's Planet Earth documentaries and were excited to share the jungle documentary with your class for your rainforest topic.
• Agonised over whether or not to share a room with your sister or keep your own room. It's been really tough for you, but you finally came to a decision.
• Had fun helping Emma decorate cakes for her Star of the Week party.
• Discovered the thrills and spills of bidding for a toy on eBay. Asking us to check regularly to see if anyone else had bid on it, counting down the minutes and literally jumping around the room in excitement when you won the auction!



Emma, this week you:

• Loved every minute of being Star of the Week.
• Fell over and badly grazed your knee on the way home from school.
• Sneaked into our room and slept in our bed every single night!
• Have been really cheerful going into school every morning. You really seem to have turned a corner!

Podling Number 4 (26 weeks pregnant, so no picture yet obviously!), this week you:

• Should be opening your eyes for the first time.
• Are approximately 35 cm long and weigh around 760g.
• Continue to be incredibly active. You are far more active than your brother and sisters were!

A Note:

I've just come across the 52 Week Project concept. The idea is that you take a portrait of your child or children once a week, every week of the year. The pictures can take can take any form, the idea is to just have a weekly record. I think it is such a lovely idea that I wanted to do it myself. I'm not sure whether I have the staying power to see it through, but I hope that if nothing else it will make me do at least one blog post every week! Obviously I'm coming rather late to the party, joining in in week 6, but 'better late than never' I always say!
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