Well I'm now well and truly settled in our new place-I've MADE myself go out and explore the town a little bit, and I have more plans up my sleeve to start integrating myself into this new place a little more.
Number one starts today- we have loads of lovely neighbours around us, one couple are in a house just across from us, the wife looks only a couple of years older than me, and they have a 2 year old girl and a baby boy about 3 month old. We actually met them briefly when we moved in and she seemed lovely, but since then I've been a little people-shy....so I have decided today I would do something about it, and I'm going to take over some cookies that I baked last night.
I only made about 100 cookies-seriously. I decided I would bake some for G seeing as I'm going away this weekend and I got a little too excited on my mission and ended up doing 3 batches worth, chocolate chunk and ginger, and chocolate and cherry. I guess I just thought I may as save on electricity using the oven, and as a bonus only have to clean up my baking mess once-instead of 3 times.
I'm not known for my tidy cooking, G thinks it's very funny (and perhaps a little frustrating but he doesn't complain too much-not if he wants to be chief sampler and bowl scraper anyway...) He calls me 'The mess-maker', and as hard as I try to keep things tidy while I'm baking, I just can't do it. I tell myself it's a sign of a creative cook, but actually I think it's just sheer clumsiness and terrible flour-pouring skills- It's simply impossible for me to pour a cup of flour without ending up with half of it on the bench, and more than a few spoonfuls in my hair.
But despite the carnage in the kitchen afterwards, I generally manage to produce some pretty nice eats if I do say so myself!
I'm heading home this Friday and then being driven up to Auckland with my parents for the weekend. Mum and I are going to a pregnancy/baby/children's event. Tons of different stalls and products and specials on things, so should be a fun (and possibly expensive) day! And we're staying with my 91 year old Grandad, who I love to bits and haven't seen for a couple of months so I'm looking forward to that too.
It's my second weekend away in fact, last weekend I went back home for a friend's 30th and stayed 2 nights with mum&dad. I missed G but let me tell you-there's nothing like being at home sometimes. It's so cosy and in a way I feel like a little girl again sometimes. My dad even brought me breakfast in bed on the morning I left!
Otherwise apart from growing a baby I haven't been doing too much else lately-although I've had some sewing work from friends and family and also have a job to make chair covers next week so that will keep me busy. And in between I've been making bags and cushion covers, trying to build up a collection to do a craft market at the end of the year, I have 4 covers and 2 bags so far-not much but they're fairly labour intensive with gathers, linings, zip closures etc so I figure it's a good start.
And 26 weeks pregnant now- pepe is doing well and still moving around constantly- I love it, although some of the kicks *ahem* 'down low' can feel a little strange sometimes! I see an OB in 2 weeks time and then another scan at 32 week- and after that I'm imagining time is going to start moving verrry quickly.
We're slowly building up a collection of baby gear,some new things, but a lot of it's second-hand and in good condition, and mum has been a top bargain hunter at charity shops-bringing home some gorgeous little outfits for between $1-$4 each! And much more shopping to come at the baby show this weekend I think :)
Well I know this has been a weird rambling sort of post that goes nowhere, but that's where I'm at at the moment. Hopefully will have a bump shot to come soon too!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
I Love this House.
We are all moved in. I love this house.
It's owned by a family with 3 young boys who have moved overseas to work for a couple of years. It's old but warm, and lived in and loved. There's a robot chalkboard sticker on the sliding lounge door, and a playhouse at the foot of one of 2 huge trees in the frontyard. The backyard slopes off into semi-native bush and scrub, and leads down to a stream which I can hear from the deck. And the birds-so many birds-I could listen to them all day!
The house sits in 2 different worlds actually, out the front it sits among 4 other houses on a shared driveway-the best of both worlds.Friendly neighbours and then complete privacy out the back.
So what have I even been doing the last week? I've been out for a few walks but still haven't ventured out in the car yet-I'm not sure why-I'm nervous about trying to navigate my way around in the car-I'm one of those people that always chooses the familiar and easy route to get around so I had my own ways of getting to places in my hometown. So really I've spent a lot of time perfecting my Desperate Housewife persona- there's been a lot of baking and cleaning and 'fluffing' happening
I have managed to finally get inspired and get my craft on in these last 2 days though.
I have boxes and boxes of fabric and I decided I need to turn it into nice things-so have been pattern-making and sewing and actually enjoying it.
It can get tedious when you're doing it for other people, but in my own time and being able to do exactly what I want has been a breath of fresh air. I have big plans for a market stall once I have a bit of a collection going, I have no dressmaking clients over here yet so I'm anxious to be contributing to the household income somehow!
Pepelina has been moving around a lot more- I've been a little crampy the last 2 days, so that coupled with not feeling as many movements had me feeling a little nervous but I was pleased to wake up at 3am last night and feel her have a party inside me for a good 2 hours-she has some good rhythm happening in there!I swear she's choreographing her own dance routine.
I often wonder whether I would be having a different pregnancy experience if I hadn't experienced IF - I think I would perhaps be a little more relaxed, but at the same time I'm thankful that I can really appreciate everything that's happening to me.
All the symptoms and possible complaints that come with being pregnant have a sweeter meaning to me, the heartburn makes me think of our little girl starting to grow and squash all of my insides up. the 3am dance-a-thon just makes me smile and look forward to the next kick...I don't know that I would have had quite the same appreciation for it all if we hadn't gone through what we did, and I honestly don't think I would change any of it now.
It's also made me re-evaluate the 'plans' for the ideal family that you have in your head, the number of kids and the age gaps that you want.
All of those things you think about growing up, now seem rather trivial.
Even when we started our IVF cycle I was still thinking quite far ahead, hoping we would get lots of frosties in the hopes of being able to have 2-3 kids, fretting a little about how we would pay for a second cycle if we needed to for a sibling. All of those plans have just flown out the window-and I don't mind. Whatever happens happens.
We just feel extremely lucky to be having a baby-and if it's our only one, well then we'll treasure every moment of parenthood that we're lucky enough to experience.
It's owned by a family with 3 young boys who have moved overseas to work for a couple of years. It's old but warm, and lived in and loved. There's a robot chalkboard sticker on the sliding lounge door, and a playhouse at the foot of one of 2 huge trees in the frontyard. The backyard slopes off into semi-native bush and scrub, and leads down to a stream which I can hear from the deck. And the birds-so many birds-I could listen to them all day!
The house sits in 2 different worlds actually, out the front it sits among 4 other houses on a shared driveway-the best of both worlds.Friendly neighbours and then complete privacy out the back.
So what have I even been doing the last week? I've been out for a few walks but still haven't ventured out in the car yet-I'm not sure why-I'm nervous about trying to navigate my way around in the car-I'm one of those people that always chooses the familiar and easy route to get around so I had my own ways of getting to places in my hometown. So really I've spent a lot of time perfecting my Desperate Housewife persona- there's been a lot of baking and cleaning and 'fluffing' happening
I have managed to finally get inspired and get my craft on in these last 2 days though.
I have boxes and boxes of fabric and I decided I need to turn it into nice things-so have been pattern-making and sewing and actually enjoying it.
It can get tedious when you're doing it for other people, but in my own time and being able to do exactly what I want has been a breath of fresh air. I have big plans for a market stall once I have a bit of a collection going, I have no dressmaking clients over here yet so I'm anxious to be contributing to the household income somehow!
Pepelina has been moving around a lot more- I've been a little crampy the last 2 days, so that coupled with not feeling as many movements had me feeling a little nervous but I was pleased to wake up at 3am last night and feel her have a party inside me for a good 2 hours-she has some good rhythm happening in there!I swear she's choreographing her own dance routine.
I often wonder whether I would be having a different pregnancy experience if I hadn't experienced IF - I think I would perhaps be a little more relaxed, but at the same time I'm thankful that I can really appreciate everything that's happening to me.
All the symptoms and possible complaints that come with being pregnant have a sweeter meaning to me, the heartburn makes me think of our little girl starting to grow and squash all of my insides up. the 3am dance-a-thon just makes me smile and look forward to the next kick...I don't know that I would have had quite the same appreciation for it all if we hadn't gone through what we did, and I honestly don't think I would change any of it now.
It's also made me re-evaluate the 'plans' for the ideal family that you have in your head, the number of kids and the age gaps that you want.
All of those things you think about growing up, now seem rather trivial.
Even when we started our IVF cycle I was still thinking quite far ahead, hoping we would get lots of frosties in the hopes of being able to have 2-3 kids, fretting a little about how we would pay for a second cycle if we needed to for a sibling. All of those plans have just flown out the window-and I don't mind. Whatever happens happens.
We just feel extremely lucky to be having a baby-and if it's our only one, well then we'll treasure every moment of parenthood that we're lucky enough to experience.
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