Easter Weekend

Four day weekends are so good! Having the extra days made it so much easier to fit everything in on our trip to Perth. So many happy things. And on our trip home we even fit in a visit to my sister's block and a visit to Ian's Grandfather for Mia to meet her Great Grandpoppy Will in his new unit.

What did you do for Easter? I hope you had as much fun as we did.

Mx

I made butter!

 

And I'm ridiculously excited. I know it isn't very groundbreaking, it is so simple, but the fact that I got around to it and actually made butter makes me really happy. It's kind of like alchemy, you take one product and just by beating it you get two different products. Who knew you ended up with buttermilk as well? Now I'll have to make buttermilk scones to use up the buttermilk I've got stashed in the freezer. I should also make a pav with all the egg whites in there too, a little trick I learned from Nigella (the egg whites not the pav).

I also made yoghurt for the first time, another super easy thing to do, I don't know how successful it has been though, I had a quick taste tonight and think it will need a little sweetener, maybe it will taste better when it is more chilled.

Does making from scratch give you a thrill too?

Mx

February

 

was...

:: settling back in to home
:: finding that going from baby to two is not as hard as I feared
:: a visit from Nanna Cherie from SA to meet Mia
:: a fabulous beach wedding on Rottnest
:: Charlie's first night away from us (even though we were in the next room)

I hope your February was fabulous too. I'm enjoying the coolor weather that is coming with Autumn.

Mx

The Weekend

Grandma came for a visit on the weekend, these are a couple of shots I got of the fam while we waited out the front for her little red car to appear (excuse my kids hanging out in their undies). Mum is planning to come out and spend a weekend with us every month, this makes me happy and it's great for Charlie, he adores Branma (as he often pronounces it). Thanks for coming Mum!

Mx

January

Better late than never I say!



January was...

:: a fun family wedding where birkenstocks were acceptable footwear
:: waiting, waiting, waiting
:: the arrival of beautiful baby Mia
:: the return home

What a great way to start the year! I hold high hopes for 2013 :)

Mx

Love

We had valentines day last week and on the weekend we had another celebration of love. We were lucky enough to attend the island wedding of friends of ours. Such a beautiful wedding I'm still thinking about it. What I loved most was the two people getting married, two of the nicest, most sincere people you will ever meet. I'm so happy they found each other.

[boys melting in their suits]

It was lovely to bask in their reflected glow. We were on the beach which added to the glow so I'm glad we had Mia with us so we got to sit in the front row under an umbrella next to the brides parents. Close enough to see the grooms tears as his beautiful bride came in to view.

[Mia and I waiting in the shade]

"Island Wedding" sounds very grand, and it was a beautiful wedding, but we didn't jet off anywhere. We caught the ferry over to Rottnest (half hour from Fremantle). I haven't been to Rottnest for years. I'd love to spend a week there every year having a family holiday, it's pretty magical. My parents had their honeymoon there when the army still had barracks and accommodation on the island, and I remember holidaying over there as a child in the army digs.

[Bathurst Lighthouse]

The weekend was going to be my first night away from Charlie (2.5yo), but as we were staying away Friday and Saturday nights, Grandma thought two nights was too long for his first time. So he came with us and Grandma caught the ferry over on Saturday morning to babysit while we were at the wedding. When we got back to the unit Charlie was sleeping with Grandma so we slept in the other room and Charlie didn't see us until the morning. Even though he was in the next room, it was my first night not sleeping with Charlie, and I'm counting it!

I hope your weekend was full of love too.

Mx

Ok, Yeah Sure.

[Charlie being heart meltingly strange/cute]

Before Mia was born, I had what is probably the very common fears that I would either not love the new baby as much as my first baby, or my love for the new baby would replace some of my love for my first. Of course all of you who have more than one child knows that your heart just expands and you find more love than you thought you could possibly have inside you. So much that it makes you cry.

I didn't know the birth of our second baby would make me love our first baby even more. He is making my heart melt, I think it's a large part of hormones but also he seems more vulnerable to me since I can't be with him the same as I was before I had another babe to care for. I'm just now reminded of this quote by Elizabeth Stone, thank goodness, because I've been struggling to put into words how I've been feeling.

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body" 

I didn't feel it as acutely as I feel it now that Charlie feels a step further away from me. Just reading that "a step further away from me" is bringing tears to my eyes.

Anyway, Charlie is a melter of my heart and one of the cute things about him is the way he says yes, and it's just gotten cuter. Normally Charlie will say something like "pool?" and if you ask him "you want to go to the pool?" he'll say "ok" like it was your suggestion and he's just going along with your idea. Just in the last couple of days when you ask him a question he'll answer by saying "yeah, sure" instead of yes. "Do you want blueberries?" "Yeah, sure".

He has picked up both these sayings from me, and being imitated by a barely stringing-two-words-together toddler is hilarious and the most adorable thing you've ever heard.

Hope that wasn't too sappy for you all. 

Mx

Home

After a long seven weeks away we are now all home. Slowly finding our way. Little Mia is a pretty good sleeper so far and I go to bed when I put her and Charlie down for the night so I feel well and rested enough.

When we first got home though I found myself hormonal and struggling with Charlie not being my baby any more. Did any of you find that? I really missed him and felt like I'd somehow lost him/lost his babyhood.

It's okay, I know they don't stay babies forever, it's just an adjustment I'm going through. I needn't have worried about being stuck on the couch for 40 minutes while breastfeeding though. Little Miss feeds for between 5 and 10 mins and she is done! I do find I'm feeding her nearly hourly though.

Counting our blessings at having two healthy, beautiful babes.

Mx

Now We Are Four

[sleeping babe and proud Dad]

The waiting and wondering are over. Little Mia was born at quarter to midnight last night, at home (my parent's home) in the birth pool. I am feeling very well compared to how I felt after wee man was born. I can stand up without going faint! I can walk to the toilet, and have a shower!! Luxury :)

She is a beautiful little blessing of cherubic proportions at almost 10 pounds (9lb 15oz!)

I am falling in love all over again.

Mx

41 Weeks

And baby is still on the inside! I am comfortable and happy to be carrying, but I am getting homesick after being away for six weeks, and the thought of having a hospital birth if I go past 42 weeks is quite upsetting.

We went for a family walk after dinner last night to hopefully get things moving but they didn't, so we reluctantly waved Ian off this morning back home to work. Now he is 3 hours away and labour was fairly quick with Charlie, so we're hoping he makes it back in time to catch number two. I love that catching Charlie is one of his proudest moments and I can read it all over his face whenever he tells people.

I just need to trust this baby that it will come at the exact right time for it, when it's ready. With Charlie coming early I just never thought we'd be here!

Mx

Full Term!

Today is my due date, nothing to report, just wanted to post my 40 week photo.

Mx

Year in Review

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

2012 was a mostly happy year though we did seem to attend an inordinate amount of close family funerals. We're hoping for births only this year, starting with the birth of our second baby any day now.

A year of being pregnant (and not feeling the best for the first two trimesters, morning sickness and painful varicose veins I'm looking at you) I feel fantastic now though and would happily swap the last month of being pregnant for the whole nine months.

A year of planning our house and then shelving those plans and putting together another idea. Will let you know if plan number two goes ahead. Gosh I'd really love to be in our own home again before next Christmas.

A year with some ongoing family tensions. We're playing Sweden at our house though.

A year of kinda getting my shiz together a bit more as far as keeping house and organising goes ( I can't take all the credit, having the bathroom and floors done once a fortnight helps).

A year of moderate crafting, not too much achieved but some old projects further along, two(?) baby quilts, my massive denim quilt (yet to be blogged, needs more quilting before washing I've been advised), a couple of gifts, and lots of planning and dreaming on Pinterest. Last year my motto was "I'm a finisher" I'm going to continue with that thought this year and try and finish more projects than I start.

I hope you can look back on 2012 with fondness too. I'd love to hear any of your highlights, or challenges.

Mx

December

It's only 5 days past the end of the month and I am posting my monthly mosaic already!!

December was
:: leaving home to wait for baby in the city
:: not too hot (except for that heatwave at the end, but it didn't feel too hot to me)
:: a Hoorah Christmas dinner
:: a quilt finished
:: toilet training (= bare bum)
:: another sourdough bread baking class (I've actually been baking bread afterwards this time, making the dough in the thermomix is so much easier!)

Yet again I didn't come close to taking a photo a day. I figure if I've at least got 9 photos a month to make a mosaic that's good enough for me.

I'd like to do a New Years post and end of year post, but we'll see how we go. This baby has already given me more days than I expected. We are due on Monday, I'm hoping to make it to next weekend when Ian will be back in Perth. Fingers (and legs!) crossed! I'm thinking girl this time (like last time) but I'm just as prepared to be as shocked as I was with Charlie. I'll let you know.

Mx

November

:: A few hot days but pretty mild heat wise, cruel late rain for farmers
:: My pregnancy niggles disappeared and I hit my favourite time of pregnancy
:: A trip to Perth with a fun night out with our Hoorahs to Run Amuk in Fremantle for hotdogs
:: We had an awful week long bout of family gastro
:: I had my worst mummy meltdown after a failed trip to find a natural swimming spot

:: Ian and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary

:: And we fleshed out new plans for our own home for next year.

Mx

38 Weeks

My most favourite time of being pregnant. So much more fun than trimesters one and two. I feel great, everything's stopped aching and pain-ing, even my varicose veins have improved. Now I just want baby to stay put until at least the 3rd of Jan so I can go to a family wedding :)

Ian is down with us in the city now, so that is nice, I had a lymph drainage massage this week which was also nice (part of which was because I saw my skinny ankles return) and fun and interesting was seeing a Podiatrist for the first time. I'll give you the hot tip, no 'nail technician' or beauty therapist will give your feet as good a going over as a Podiatrist.

I have a friend or two who are completely grossed out by feet, so if you are one of those, stop reading now. Otherwise, let me encourage you to go and get your feet scraped with a scalpel and sanded with a mini disc sander before your next pedi. It was so fun! I haven't followed up yet with getting a pedicure (to match my dress for the wedding of course) but my feet are ready for another year of neglect now.

I also have plans for a spray tan and getting the grey coloured out of my hair (after bub is out) and maybe an eyelash tint too, so I don't slide in to feeling like just a middle-aged milk machine in the coming months...

Any way, I hope you're ready for Christmas or at least enjoying this time of year!

Mx

Baby Girl Quilt

For a friend who's baby is a couple of months old now.

I used mostly 4 1/2 in squares left over from all the other simple squares baby quilts I've done cut in half. It's nice to see fabrics from all the other quilts in there, and from the very first quilt I ever made!

It's been difficult to get photos with all this unseasonal rain we've had in Perth. Not that I'm complaining mind you, I don't need the summer heat at 8 months baked.

My plan for our time in Perth was making the most of the summer and hitting the beach, but really, I can hardly be bothered leaving the house. At Grandma's with the tiled floor is the best place for us at the moment anyway since we've started efforts at toilet training this week.

I dived in to my vintage sheet stash for the first time for the backing,

and used a pink polka dot for the binding which I also used on the front to make the quilt more oblong that square. I didn't use a pattern (hence the quilt originally turing out quite sqaure) but winged it with my scraps, and a natural coloured cotton.

Now I need to get on to my plans for Christmas presents. I hope your on track with your Christmas crafting!

Mx

35 Week Photo

This photo is from last week (35wks). Only one week to go till they will let me birth at home. We're due on Jan 7 but my guess is somewhere between Christmas and New Years. Charlie and I are 'living' in Perth at my parent's house now until baby arrives.

I'm feeling good, I just have to keep my fingers crossed that the bloods I had taken today come back with my iron levels high enough to stay on the home birth program. The pathology guy said the colour of my blood was good, so hopefully my ferretin hasn't dropped any more and my haemoglobin stays above 100.

I am using my laptop to post this but I have been cautious about turning it on before getting it serviced. The problem now is that no-one is prepared to work on liquid damaged machines because they tend to hide corrosion problems that surface later. Seems the best advice I can get is to replace it. Accidental damage is not covered in our home contents insurance. So I think I'm just going to do very regular back ups and start saving for a newie, until this one dies.... but I don't want a new one, I love this one, just the way it is/was :(  sulking...

I do have a finished quilt to show you though!

Mx