Painting, and Preening

I'm definately not as young as I was :0(

I remember being 4/5 months pregnant with Joshua and painting the second bedroom of our house all my myself - walls and woodwork - as well as all the furniture (went a bit mad and ended up with everything paintable being yellow...).

Today, however, I was nearly beaten by one mantlepiece/fireplace! We've been slowly turning our bedroom into OUR room (rather than still looking like my parents/grandparents bedroom...). The last corner remains, and included the very nice, semi ornate mantlepiece. By the end of it, I was really struggling.

I seem to be suffering from breathlessness - which I know is meant to be "common" but I've never had before - and also feeling very awkward and cumbersome. I am so much more aware of Jonathan - I guess thanks to slack muscles (yuk!) that everyone points out I must have this being number 4. If I bend forward, I can feel his foot sticking into me, and it can be quite painful and unpleasant (for him too, I'm sure!).

Still, I felt good at having been able to DO something practical. I've always been a hands-on kinda gal. Definately not someone who leaves it to their husband.. I painted our first house - the outside of it! - single handed, and the whole of the downstairs outside, front and back of the second house. I can wall paper, paint, I've done two flat roofs, and a porch roof, I can render and build a wall, my grandfather taught me carpentry, I can do all the gardening and even some basic car maintenance/repair. So when I can't do stuff, due to any form of incapacity, I get very grouchy and unpleasant. Poor Roarke!

Its been so good to see the sunshine today. Samuel and William immediately wanted shorts and t-shirts on, and spent most of the day outside. William insisted on his "mohican" again today - if I can find where I've put my camera, I must upload the piccies as they are hilarious!

Yesterday we got down the 0-3 month baby clothes from the loft, and the bedding, to start washing through, and I also found some 5 year old clothes. William LOVES new clothes (even if they are only new to him) and is very pleased with the "new" things in his drawers. He's changed three times today ;0) Its very funny, as neither of the other two are like that.

I mean, they both like looking nice, and Joshua is getting conscious of style/fashion, but for some reason if you compliment them, they can't take it. Samuel had so many people comment on his new hair cut the other month, that he now won't wear his hair "up" (spiked) as he thinks it makes everyone look at him - and even though they are looking and thinking he looks good/cool, he just can't take it.

Joshua too - if you compliment him on something, it makes him self conscious. He chose a new jumper at the shops a while ago, and it looks VERY good on him. But he now can't wear it without being really self conscious and sure everyone is looking at him.

Maybe its a boy thing? But its so hard as a parent; we are a family where we give constant praise and feedback, to the point that if we say to Joshua/Samuel "I love you" we are quite likely to be told "I know, you've already told me a million times today"! Great stuff, and its brilliant they are so secure in it. So why the difficulty in taking a compliment?! IS it a boy thing?