Life in the new baby household...

Our littlest bear was born on April 10th - we haven't got her blogname yet so I'll save that for another post. Been away from the computer for a while now -- a good sprinkling of new mum sensitivities and tiredness which I hope I am accepting may be here for some more weeks yet.

Today I had some D A R K thoughts about home education! They've moved on now, but I had this image of these children all Swanning around doing what they like without helping out with the house jobs and Why Can't You All Just Bog Off to School Then??????????? I needed to check with a friend - Are they OK? Is it OK for them to be around us when Papa W and I are so very very tired?

Yes it is OK, its real life, its learning opportunity, its still the babymoon and any wild thoughts that we should all be Doing more are fairly misplaced (the old parental guilt rearing its head again!) Besides they are doing heaps, its me who can't chart it! There's many sane traditions about the lying in period when a new baby comes. Modelling this for my daughters feels very wholesome even if I am occasionally champing at the bit to get going again. Where does that pressure come from besides my own impatience?

The moment has passed (so much so that I can't believe I was even thinking it).

Elderflower and Sunburst are out with dad doing the Brownies thing. Blackberry and I have been getting the crystals out of boxes to put them on beautifully sunny window sills ready for the bright moon tonight. She learned today that if you place a bid on ebay its legally binding.... thank heavens she only bid £3! Its her new favourite way to spend her pennies. Most often on old or foreign pennies to add to her collection.

Thats all for now.
Peace.
Ali Weststar x


OK ok ok, here's a photo......

So that's what's going on in the house, incorporating another beautiful soul into our gorgeously thriving home. May we support each other while she lands and allow the richness of this colourful experience simply Be what it is!

Ready to start all over.....!

Time for tiny tee-shirts again! We've been struck how so much comes round and round for attention if you don't get it first time, how many lessons there are to learn over and over until we master them. How blessed we are to get another go at baby time, the unconscious memories from our own babyhoods, the synchronicities that have led to this moment as we enter the newborn phase for the 4th time as parents.

The house we are living in turns out to be a 2 mile bike ride along little Norfolk lanes from a house Papa W lived in 30 years ago. He's revisiting paintings he did then and all the influences of the landscape reminding him of those times. Who'd have thought he'd be here with his family in years to come.

I found a bag yesterday of newborn suits I'd carefully put away before the move - one baby-gro in particular had come full circle through a couple of other families back to us, a suit I'm fairly sure all 3 of our babies wore in the first few weeks of their life. The familiar pattern and the layout of the poppers helped me feel a little more connected to what is about to happen when our new baby comes.

New things happening all the time, new beginnings, new shoots and yet at the same time, same things repeating, comforting rhythmic patterns.

Each child bringing a piece of their experience to our conversations and explorations, weaving our family fabric with unique colours undreamt of by us as parents. And as the fabric grows in depth and strength it is reinforced by repetition; our daily routines, stories new and old, the comforting responses to each others calls for help, the freedom to take time to listen and find solutions together. Magical moments.