one more...

post before I pack the camera into the bag.

Adam and I decided we needed a photo of the bump at 40 weeks. I will miss having the little one moving and grooving inside me but I am sure I will be distracted by all the moving and grooving going on outside the womb soon enough.


And while I am here and before I start plastering baby shots on the blog, a couple more finished knitting projects.

First a scrappy hot water bottle cover. It is a good stash buster project. I used lots of different yarn I had lying around and op-shopped. The only painful part is sewing in all the ends! I still have a few to go but at least it is functional as-is if I don't get around to it.


I have also been experimenting making knitted jewellery. This is a little cuff I finished awhile ago. It is a lot of knitted i-cords and experimental bits and bobs. I forsee more of these in my future as they are fast and good to create in the evenings while relaxing in front of the TV.


Okay, now I am really packing the camera away before I use up the battery! I will be knitting, cooking, sewing, resting, looking forward to Mum's arrival and waiting for the next few days...I wonder how many more?

Adam's Manly Scarf

I finished up the scarf for Adam. It is very simple, I just did a 2x2 rib pattern. I only lost the pattern a few times while not concentrating, but that adds to the home-made-with-love look!


Next year, when my knitting skills have hopefully improved further, I want to attempt a new scarf for him which is a bit more detailed.

Like this:
or this:

Both are from a book called "scarfSTYLE" by Pam Allen. If I post it on here I might remember the challenge I set myself.

Baby is due this week. We are doing a lot of speculating on whether it will arrive on time or late.
At 40 weeks:
:: I am still not too uncomfortable but feeling off balance
:: having a few restless nights. Getting up to go to the toilet 5-6 times a night is not fun!
:: get a backache very easily, especially when making the bed or cleaning
:: still wanting to clean and organise and clean some more in preparation.
:: the most hungry I have been throughout the pregnancy and drinking about 3 glasses of milk a day and eating a hunk-of-cheese! I would also happily eat a block of chocolate a day. This baby better not be lactose intolerant!
:: have finally got around to packing my bag for hospital. It has been on my to-do list for weeks now. I am going to charge the camera and put it into the labour bag so it is likely I won't do anymore blog posts until baby comes along (however long that may be, it doesn't feel like he/she is going anywhere, anytime soon!).

So the next time I post will hopefully be to introduce our new family member.

It finally arrived!

No, not baby.

Baby is still happy and snug in mummy's tummy. We are at the end of 39 weeks and the obstetrician has told us everything is ready to go, it is just a waiting game now. But, oh, how excited we are getting to meet this little person!
Our Stokke Crib finally arrived (and thankfully beat baby, who would have been sleeping in a draw if it came early). Adam set it up last night. We think it is so pretty and can't stop staring at it! Most of the bedding comes from Natures Purest which makes beautiful, soft and natural products. The bamboo blanket is so soft, it makes me want to curl up in the crib for a nap.



I also finally finished this little bath robe I started sewing quite a while ago. It is the first baby item I have sewn using a pattern and I am quite proud of the end result.

Now I have a few more projects that need finishing and a bit more cleaning that needs doing before baby makes its arrival. I just need to find the energy!

knitting and waiting

I have started to slow down a lot. I am still able to move around fairly easily. Except rolling over in bed! Who knew a big belly would lead to so much grunting and groaning for one simple turn in bed! But I do tire more quickly. So I have been having lots of knitting breaks. Knitting is the perfect hobby for pregnancy because you can sit on the couch, watch a movie and still be doing something. Luckily a few of my teacher friends are on school holidays, so they have been joining me for marathon DVD watching, knitting sessions. We have had 2 six hour sessions this week!

Adam decided he would wear a scarf if it was nice and simple. So I chose some yarn that I knew he would like and am doing a simple rib pattern. It is a good, mindless project to work on.
It has been so cold here in Victoria that I decided baby would need some more wooly hats to stay snuggly. So using patterns from 'Itty-Bitty Hats' by Susan B. Anderson, I made these two baby hats:


Knitting really is a good way to relax while waiting for baby. In fact Adam's scarf is begging me to finish it now. The question is; which movie do I watch next?

handmade toys

baby activity gym. I saw some wooden play gyms like these that I loved but they were all quite pricey. The solution? Take 1 good friend who teaches woodwork and is willing to spend free class time making up a frame for me. Add a little bit of op-shopping for some wooden toys. Finish off by reusing some wooden beads and the ribbon that baby presents have come wrapped in. And all this equals an excellent and very nice looking baby gym.

Then I just add our lovely big sheepskin that we bought in New Zealand and a few little toys and we have a great baby play area. I might look for a little baby friendly mirror to tie to one of the legs next.

And while I am posting I have to add this for the avid pony collector in the family, Mum. In my new issue of Frankie there is an article with a Finnish artist who customises My Little Ponies into pop culture icons. `
The artists name is Mari Kasurinen and you can see her ponies here.

38 weeks

38 weeks pregnant. Feeling much bigger then 6 weeks ago. I don't think the photo does the size of the bump justice...it feels a lot bigger then it looks in this photo

:: Still feeling that I have had quite an easy pregnancy and thankful for that. 

:: Only had a couple of sleepless nights recently. A combination of a yucky cold and a big belly resulted in these restless nights. 

:: Have had two really good night sleeps since and feel like a new person. 

:: Baby is facing down in the right position and I am having quite a few pre-labour contractions. So far so good. 

::Baby is stilling moving around a lot and jabbing its little foot into my side.

I had a fun time at a little baby party thrown by some good friends on friday night. It was a very eclectic mix of people; from 20 year old girls who baked cupcakes, and sewed sock monkeys, to 60 year old men who brought the home brew (non-alcoholic ginger beer for me!). We got lots of cute outfits given to us which was very sweet. We also got this lovely present on our doorstep today from aunty-to-be Stacey. It is a very cute nappy cake. We feel very lucky to have so many special and thoughtful people thinking of us and the bump. 

Gardening

The sun actually made an appearance around these parts so I made the most of it and took the bump out to do some gardening. We both enjoyed being in the sun. Baby jumped about and I was warm enough to take my jumper off.  
We planted spinach, rocket and pumpkin seedlings. I hope that by the time baby makes and appearance in the outside world the seedlings are also popping there heads out to see the sunshine.