A day in the life.

I love reading about the minutiae of other people's lives- how often they change their sheets, what they eat for breakfast, what time they go to bed. And since becoming a mum and having a hell of a lot of time to ponder the minutiae of my own life, I wonder what all the other new stay-at-home mums are doing all day. Partially because I want to know that I'm not the only one who sometimes wears pyjamas until 4pm or possibly lets my son sit in his spewy onesie for longer than I should, and partially because I want to find a hot tip that will magically make everything a bit easier. Anyway, here is a rundown of a day in my life, in case you are interested. This is not really a typical day, but then I guess there isn't really a 'typical' day. He doesn't usually sleep as much as he did today, and we are usually out and about a bit more.

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5.30am - Lee's alarm goes off. I wake up in a total panic because Archie has SLEPT THROUGH since 8.30pm and I run into his room to make sure he is still breathing, then do a little happy dance when I realise he is okay and I have had EIGHT hours of sleep in a row. Please note that this is not at all a common occurrence so this probably isn't going to be the most typical of days. I think my excitement woke him up though, as he started squawking and waking up. I fed him for about 10 minutes then popped him back in bed.

6am - Lee leaves for work. I get back into bed and snooze whilst checking Facebook on my phone. My boobs are about to explode with milk as they aren't used to being full for this long so I basically lay in a puddle of leaking milk.

7.40am - Archie wakes up properly. I do a full feed and change him from a disposable nappy into a cloth one. He promptly does a massive spew over both of us. Change him again.

8am - I put Archie in his bouncer and being energised from having had so much sleep, I attempt to do the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD. This is the first time I have exercised (apart from walking) since Archie was born, and I nearly died. I actually have no muscles. Archie giggles and grins at his sweaty, red mum flailing around in pyjamas and runners.

9.20am - Archie goes back to bed. He whinges for about 5 mins then falls straight asleep. I shower and get dressed properly. Have some porridge with blueberries, a cup of peppermint tea and a bottle of water while emailing, reading blogs and paying bills. Lee calls and we chat about how good it feels to have slept. I consider cleaning the house a bit.

10.45am - Archie wakes up with a poonami in his nappy. I'm pretty sure he stores his biggest poos up until he is wearing a cloth nappy, just to make it that little big grosser. I change him, scrape and soak the nappy and feed him.

11.20am - Put Archie on the floor and run around tidying while talking to him and stopping for baby smooches every two minutes.

12.20pm - Put Archie back to bed. I clean the kitchen, mop the floor and do two loads of washing. Eat some leftover tortilla for lunch. Realise I have nothing to take to mum's group this afternoon so cut up some strawberries at the back of the fridge and put them in a nice container.

1.00pm - Archie wakes up. Change him into a disposable nappy and a cute outfit. Play with him on the floor for a while.

1.20pm - Get in the car and leave for mum's group just around the corner. Feel slightly guilty that we didn't walk there but plan on going to the supermarket afterwards anyway.

1.30pm - Mum's group. We talk about sleep and settling techniques. Good to hang out with other mums and their gorgeous bubs. I feed Archie and he falls straight asleep in the pram.

3.30 - Go to Aldi. I know I need stuff but can't remember what exactly, so just get a bunch of random groceries.

4pm - Arch wakes up just as we get home. Feed and change into a cloth nappy. We hang out on the floor for a bit. I fold washing and chat to him.

5.20pm - Archie back in bed. I dick around on the internet for a while and watch the news while crocheting.

6.15pm - Awake again. Change into a cloth nappy. So much sleeping today! This is definitely not a normal example of a day. We do some tummy time and play for a bit then feed. He is really fussy and cranky and doesn't want to eat, but then yells when I take him off the boob. Fun times.

7.30pm - Lee gets home. We cook salmon and steamed broccoli with a spinach, walnut, blue cheese and apple salad. Here's a pic:

8.00am - I give Archie a top up feed, then he has a shower with Lee. He seems to like the water splashing on him.

8.30pm - I change him into a onesie and a disposable nappy, then give him a kiss and cuddle and pop him into bed. He is pretty good at falling asleep on his own, but needs a tight swaddle, a dummy and white noise playing on the iPad to get him to drift off. Hopefully he will sleep all night again, but I'm not getting my hopes up too much.

9pm- Lee and I watch Go Back Where You Came From and eat dinner, then will go to bed at about ten. Fingers crossed he sleeps all night!

 

 

 

Moving forward

I had my first mother's group meeting yesterday. Finally! I have been hanging out for it, as I literally don't know anyone else with tiny babies and have been getting pretty desperate for other mum friends. It got to the point that I was making slightly overeager conversation anytime I would meet another mum with a baby in the coffee shop down the road, or casually run into the front yard when I saw another mum walk past with a pram. What a weirdo.

It was pretty great. There were only five of us, although the health nurse said that there were 12 mums invited so some more might turn up over the next few weeks. I am definitely the youngest by a fair few years; most of the other mum seemed to be 30+. We spoke about our birth experiences, about breastfeeding, how we are or aren't coping with sleep deprivation and about our lives pre-baby. There are not many times that you get to discuss with virtual strangers how many vaginal stitches you had after labour or how constipated you were during pregnancy! I don't think I'm going to be lifelong friends with any of these women, but they all seemed lovely and it was so, so, SO good to talk about my experiences with people who understand and who won't get sick of baby talk.

Archie is doing so well. He is a little chubber- already into size 0 clothes that are meant for six month olds. He is so 'talkative' now, and LOUD. He gabbles away to himself in his cot or in his rocker, and gives anyone who talks to him the biggest goofiest grins. As soon as I leave the room he starts yelling out 'gah! GAH!' at me until I call out to him or come back. So cute.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

One of the biggest things that I have struggled with since having Archie (well, actually since becoming pregnant) is the total lack of control I have over my body. During my pregnancy, I had to accept and surrender to the fact that I couldn't just go-go-go all day and needed to rest and take care of myself for the sake of the growing baby in my tummy. My pelvis was literally splitting in two, I vomited constantly for the first three months, and my skin and hair took on a life of their own.

Since having Archie, I am lucky to only be a couple of kilos heavier than before I got pregnant, but my shape has changed completely. There has been quite a few meltdowns when I realised that despite being the same size that I was before I got preggers, I am a completely different shape now and hardly any of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit. The stack of vintage dresses that I wore pretty much constantly are meant for someone with a much tinier waist than the one my 9lbs 11oz baby left me with. Only a handful of my clothes are suitable for breastfeeding, so I have three outfits that I rotate daily. For someone who used to look forward to getting dressed in the morning and spent way too much money on clothes, this has been an interesting experience. In a way, it has made me more carefree and relaxed as I don't need to think about what I'm wearing, but I do miss putting together an outfit and feeling nice about myself.

The first six weeks or so of breastfeeding were great, but Archie has recently been getting really agitated during feedings and pulls off every few minutes to scream and flail around in pain. It is pretty distressing as it seems like I am hurting him somehow. The GP and maternal health nurse both diagnosed it as have an oversupply of milk and a Overactive Milk Ejection Reflex, meaning the milk squirts out too fast. The health nurse likened it to trying to drink from a fire hose blasting into your mouth, so no wonder Archie was struggling to feed! The milk does literally squirt across the room, all over Archie's face and up his nose. I can saturate the disposable breast pads in minutes and if he goes more than a few hours without feeding in the night I wake up in a sodden puddle of milk. Lovely. I have started only feeding one side per session to help regulate the amount of milk being produced, and feeding him laying down with him on top of me, so he has to suck 'uphill' instead of the milk pouring into his mouth.

I am learning to embrace my new mum body, complete with poochy tummy, thinning hair (!) and enormous leaky boobs. I'm slowly becoming more comfortable in my skin, despite the enormous overhaul I have been through physically. My body grew and sustained new life, birthed a big, healthy baby and now provides nourishment and comfort to a hungry, growing little boy.

Ten things for a Monday

1. Archie is freaking huge. At his last health check he weighed 5.5kg at four weeks and was 57cm long. In the supermarket the other day I met a FIVE MONTH OLD baby who was smaller than he is. Such a little fatty boomba! 2. I have been watching all eleven seasons of Grand Designs right from the first episodes in the nineties. It's been really ace to see the development of different architecture and styling trends over the last two decades. And I'm a bit in love with Kevin McCloud.

3. I finally got around to hanging art on our walls and decorating a bit more. Our house is a blend of nanna chic and modern pieces with scandinavian and handcrafted furniture. Total mish mash but I kind of love it.

4. We are getting more into the swing of things now with having the kiddo around. He sleeps from about 11pm to 9am with two quick feeds, then has a couple of short naps in the day. He loves the pram and being in the car, which makes it easy for us to get out and about. I have gotten the hang of feeding him in public so I don't have to rush home after a couple of hours so he doesn't crack the shits.

5. Another win: I think I have mastered the art of feeding and holding Archie while crocheting. A whole new world of opportunity to craft!

One month.


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Baby boy is four weeks old this Thursday, and one month old on Saturday. We are getting into our groove a bit more now. There are a few moments when I feel like I have been doing this forever. I can change nappies with one hand and have mastered breastfeeding while walking around. But there are still lots of times when it feels like I have no idea what the hell I am doing, mostly when he is crying lots and can't be settled. 

Archie is growing so damn fast. He is already over 5kg and into clothes meant for 3 month old babies. He was really grizzly today so I spent the whole day carrying him and my arm is so achey now! He is much more alert and can recognise Lee and I's faces and follows us across the room with his eyes. He sleeps in four or five hour stints at night, which is great, and feeds every two hours during the day. He has a massive appetite and would literally just feed constantly if I let him. 

Better go, he is waking up and will be hungry again!

Ten things from the first two weeks.

  1. I've never paid this much attention to poo and wee before. Archie did an explosive poo yesterday that shot out of his bum and sprayed me about two foot away. It also got the carpet and the wall. Seriously. He also weed straight up in the air, over his head, onto my face and in my mouth. Lovely.
  2. SO MANY EMOTIONS. I know that new mums are supposed to be a bit hormonal and emo, but honestly, this is ridiculous. I swing from feeling like a five-year-old kid who just wants my mum to look after me, to feeling massively happy and awesome, to wanting to save all the babies in the world. Poor Lee cannot keep up with my moods.
  3. There has been a constant stream of visitors, which is lovely. I literally have to schedule them all in at different times, because we only have a few coffee cups and chairs.
  4. Lee hasn't taken any time of work, which has been really difficult. He is in the middle of a big project that will be signed off today, so hopefully next week he will be around more. It's kind of unavoidable, but I really just want him here so he doesn't miss out on the Archinator. 
  5. I keep looking forward a lot to when he is bigger, or more interactive, or sleeping more, but then I remember that he is already two weeks old and will never be three days old or a brand newbie ever again. Gotta enjoy the present.
  6. We have been for a few walks and trips to the shops and out for breakfast. I was really nervous that he would cry the whole time and we would be that annoying family with the screaming baby, but as soon as he gets in the pram he falls asleep. We had breakfast at Jackson Dodds, just around the corner, which is a really noisy cafe and he slept in the capsule the whole time, totally oblivious. Yay!
  7. I cannot wait until I am fully healed and can go for long walks and start moving a bit more. After nine months of feeling nauseous and massive and sore, having some sort of control over my body again is an awesome feeling.
  8. My mum has been a total godsend. I don't know how people who live away from their families manage to do it. She turns up most days and cleans, cooks us dinner, does washing, makes sure we are eating properly and showers the little guy with so much love. Love you Mum!
  9. I am already thinking about the next kid. The first two weeks have been hard, but so magical that I can't help but fantasise about our eventual little family of four.
  10. I am seriously paparazzi-ing the crap out of the little guy. I have my phone on me all the time and have taken an insane amount of photos already of his crazy facial expressions. He has Turtle Face, where he raises his eyebrows and sticks his head out really far; Guppy Face, with really wide open eyes and a tiny pursed mouth; and Crazy Piglet Face, which he pulls out when he spots a nipple and starts huffing and puffing and opening his mouth really wide while waving his head around like a crazy man. So freaking cute.

Archie's birth story.

Warning: this has all the gory details of the labour and birth!

Our beautiful little boy, known as Archie, Archiepoo, Argy-bargy, Archatron and Little Man, was born last Thursday June 7 at 5.34am at the birth centre at the Mercy Hospital in Heidelberg, weighing a whopping 4.4kg or 9lbs 11oz. He is 55cm long and has a head circumference of 37.5cm, which is bigger than the midwife had ever seen before!

I was having heaps of Braxton Hicks contractions on Tuesday and Wednesday, and had a feeling that the baby would be making an appearance shortly. On Wednesday afternoon at about 5pm, my mum and grandma called in for a coffee, and the contractions got more regular and stronger. We started timing them and they were about 10 minutes apart, but not particularly painful. I called Lee and told him he should probably come home. I called the birth centre and they said to call back when the contractions were about seven minutes apart and that I would be definitely having the baby that night!

Over the next two hours or so, the contractions started getting closer and closer. We got into bed and tried to sleep, but by about 10pm the contractions were five minutes apart and really painful. I was using TENS machine (a little machine that sends a mild electric current through electrodes that you stick to your back) which helped a bit as it gave me something to focus on. I was trying to get in the zone and just breath through the contractions, and that helped a lot.

Eventually I gave up on getting to sleep and got in the shower on a stool. I had a shower cap on and the noise of the water hitting the shower cap was a good distraction from the contractions. I was in the shower for about two hours, and was starting to get loud and screamy. Lee was still snoozing at this point, until I yelled out that we needed to get to the hospital NOW. This was at about 2.20am. I had gotten an outfit ready to wear, but there was no way I was putting on the leggings and boots and scarf and jacket that I had laid out. Lee bundled me into pyjamas and a dressing gown and we got in the car.

The car trip was probably the worst part of the whole labour. I was having full on screaming contractions at that point, and we had to go over two train lines, tram tracks and several speed humps to get to the hospital.  Lee parked in the drop-off carpark right at the front of the hospital doors.

We pressed the after-hours button (well, Lee pressed it and I bashed it a few times whilst screaming) and the doors wouldn’t open. A voice announced on the speaker that the doors were out of order and that we would have to use the other entrance. I got really panicky and started bashing on the doors and screaming, so Lee helped me walk to the other doors, which were only about 20m away.

I had an eye mask on, as reducing the light and any external distractions helped me to stay focussed, and a huge fluffy dressing gown and ugg boots and looked like a total crazy lady. I had a few more contractions in the foyer of the hospital, screaming and banging my fist on the walls, and the emergency room nurses rushed over and said, ‘You must be Emma, we’ve been expecting you!”

We finally made it to the birth centre and the midwives took me straight into the suite and up on the bed. I hadn’t met the midwife on duty, Sue, which took me by surprise a bit as I thought I had met most of them. At first she seemed old, matronly and abrupt, but she turned out to be awesome. I later found out that she is nearly 70 and has been a midwife for 50 years. She helped set up the birth centre model of maternity care and was a huge advocate in the seventies for natural birthing and drug-free labour. She has delivered thousands of babies and seriously knows her stuff.

Sue examined me and said that I was already 9cm dilated. This was so relieving, because if I was any less than 6cm I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep going for. We had planned on staying at home for as long as possible, which was great, but in retrospect probably should have gone to the hospital a bit earlier!

I stripped naked and got into the shower on all fours. As soon as I got down on the ground, I got the urge to push. This was at about 3.30am. I started breathing and screaming and singing random tunes and grunting. Once the pushing urge came, I felt a lot better. The pain seemed more focussed and I felt more in control, like I had a job to do instead of just coping with the pain. There was also a bit more space between the contractions.

My mum had arrived at this point. It was really good having her there, to provide back-up for Lee and just for extra comfort for me.

Before the labour, I was adamant that I didn't want to be totally naked and exposed to the world and that I wanted to keep a nightie on. I didn’t want to use a mirror to see anything and I didn't want Mum or Lee to see all my bits. Well, all that went out the window pretty quickly! I was on all fours with my ass in the air, a mirror on the ground so the midwife could see what was happening, and Lee and Mum able to see everything. No shame!

I pushed in the shower for a while, then the midwife decided that I would be better off on the bed so we put the bed at an angle and I leant over it on all fours. She could see the baby at this point, so I knew there wasn’t far to go. My waters still hadn’t broken yet though, so he was still encased in the amniotic sac. I pushed here for a while but he was getting a bit stuck, so I moved onto the floor onto a birthing stool, which is a c-shaped stool. I was leaning over the edge of the bed and pushing with all my strength. Archie started crowning, which felt like hell. The birth classes had warned that I would feel a ‘strong burning sensation’ when the head made an appearance, but it was more like someone had taken a freaking blowtorch to my ladyparts!

After about twenty minutes of strong pushing, he popped out onto the mattress on the floor. Lee picked him up and handed him to me, then cut the umbilical cord and I climbed back on the bed for his first feed.

The feelings upon seeing him for the first time were completely overwhelming. I had a huge wave of love and excitement and exhaustion and sheer joy. It was total euphoria. Partially because I had just given birth to a healthy baby boy, and partially a huge relief that the labour was over. My first thought was that he seemed huge compared to other newborn babies, but I was rapt that he was so big and healthy and happy-looking.

It is true what they say: nothing prepares you for the love you have for your child. I remember looking at Mum in a whole new light, and thinking “So this is how you feel.” It is fierce, raw and primal. I love Lee, and I love my parents, but the kind of love I have for Archie means I would literally throw Lee and my parents and myself under a bus to protect him.

There was a lot of blood loss after the birth so I had an injection to speed up the placental delivery, which was fairly straightforward and easy. I was on such a high that I couldn’t feel much anyway. There was a little bit of tearing, so I had a few stitches. That was pretty horrible as I had to be in stirrups to have them done, but it was over quickly.

He was born with open eyes and a shock of dark hair. He began crying pretty much immediately, then stopped once he started feeding. I fed him for a while, which was magical. Lee held him while I got stitched up, then I had him on my chest for some skin-to-skin contact. My dad, Lee’s mum and my brother all came in. I was still on such a high, I wanted to show him off to everyone.

The midwife kept telling me what a good job I had done considering he was such a big boy. She was really encouraging and made me feel really proud. She kept telling me I was a lioness and an Amazon woman and made me want to do a victory lap around the room.

I was pretty terrified about the labour and birth, especially in the last few weeks of pregnancy, so I’m happy that it was pretty cruisy. There was no moment that I thought that I couldn’t do it or that it was too much. I had gone into it with the ideal situation being that I had no drugs, minimal intervention and lots of involvement from Lee, but I was prepared for things not going to plan. I am rapt that the ideal situation turned out to be what actually happened. I couldn’t have asked for a better labour and birth, and I ended up with the most perfect baby boy, which is all that really matters.

38 weeks.

  So close and yet so far away! You have turned around and have engaged in my pelvis which is great as it means no breech baby so I can deliver you naturally if everything goes to plan.

I’ve been on maternity leave for a couple of weeks now and am getting pretty bored and over it. I can’t move much and get tired really easily, and generally just feel like a giant heffalump. Lots of sitting around in my pyjamas watching movies and napping, which is fine, but I find it hard to relax and do nothing when there is still a lot to be done!

I REALLY can’t wait to meet you now. I never thought that I would be at the point where I am looking forward to the birth, as it terrifies me, but I do just want to get on with it now. Apparently first babies tend to come a bit late, so I probably have another two weeks to wait. Agh! Don’t know if I can handle that.

Your room is pretty much all set up, I’ll take some proper photos once I get around to it. Both the nannas, the Manfriend and I went to Baby Bunting on Saturday and got all the final things that we will need, like nappies and wipes and face washers and the pram. Mum and I are going again tomorrow to get the capsule installed properly and I think I’ll look at getting a baby sling too so I can carry you around.

You really are going to be a much-loved little person. So many people out here are hanging out to meet you and shower you with love and kisses. I can’t wait to be your mum.

 

Love,

 

Mum xx

 

Five things for a Tuesday

1. I'm on maternity leave! My last day on Friday was a lot more emotional than I expected. The people at work got me gorgeous gifts and made lovely speeches and were generally awesome. I kind of lost the plot a bit on the way home though because I have defined myself by my job for so long and am now on a one way train to being a mother!

2. Our house is more or less done. Mum and Dad came over on Sunday and we did a whole heap of work finishing off the little things which were freaking me out. The floors are being sanded today, and the laundry will be ready to go in soon too. Mum and I tiled the kitchen splashback on Sunday, so the kitchen just needs doors and it's done!

3. I am being thrown a small, simple baby shower this Saturday by my gorgeous friend Marnie. It is pretty much just family and a few close friends, which is just what I want.

4. Apparently the whole pregnant-lady nesting thing is not a myth. I have lists and lists of projects that I want to do and make in the next few weeks before the baby is born, mostly involving food, crochet and decorating. I am planning to make this quilt and this cat cushion and this rug and this necklace. Ambitious? Yes.

5. Lee and I saw the Avengers movie on Saturday night. Movie adaptions of comics are my secret (well, not actually secret at all) love. I LOVE X-Men and loved the Avengers too. Robert Down Jnr as Ironman is awesome.

Five things for a Tuesday.

 

1. It is my last week of work. This makes for a weird, bittersweet feeling. I'm really looking forward to not having to get up early and dedicating time to nesting and preparing for the baby's arrival. But at the same time, it draws a firm line in the sand between being a mother and, well, not-a-mother. Because I'm resigning rather than taking leave, it means that I have to make my own way through the whole returning-to-work thing once I'm ready. This is one of those 'life' moments where every decision feel like a big one, and you know that in a few months everything will be changed forever. Gulp!

2. I've got this new song by Clare Bowditch featuring Lanie Lane on repeat. I freaking LOVE both of these women and am so happy that they are collaborating. Lanie Lane's album 'To the Horses' is my most-played on iTunes.

Sidenote- A few months ago, the Manfriend came home from a quick meeting with a lady who lived around the corner and was interested in him building her a kitchen. He said something about her being a musician and having a studio at home. I asked if she was anyone I would know, and he said "her name is Clare... her husband's name is Marty" and I lost my mind. He had just been in Clare Bowditch's house and chatted with her for ages. Jealous!

3. Our kitchen is pretty much in! Last night the Manfriend installed the oven, dishwasher (!) stovetop and sink. I cannot describe how freaking good it is to be able to prepare a meal on a benchtop instead of an upside-down plaster bucket, to put dishes in the dishwasher rather than try and wash them in the tiny bathroom sink, and to have SIX burners to choose from on the stove instead of one lousy camping cooker. Small pleasures!

4. I am making lots and lots of lists. I have a list of easy things that I can do on the house (this is more so I feel that I am contributing -  there is so much work to be done but I can't lift anything or bend over or be around fumes or stand up for too long!), which is mostly things like scraping paint off windows, tiling, cleaning the bathroom, spackling and dealing with tradies.

I have a masterlist of baby things that we need, which is categorised into 'before birth', 'a few weeks after' and 'six months after'. We have most of the stuff, but still don't have the major stuff like a pram or any storage for the baby's room.

I have lists of activities I want to do while on maternity leave, things to do for uni, things to do for the house, activities I want to do with the baby...  so. many. lists.

5. My mum and I spent the weekend at Daylesford for her 50th birthday present, which was so, so lovely. It was freezing cold and blustery and grey, but kind of perfect weather for what we were doing. We took our time getting up there and stopped at a cafe/pathwork/crafty shop in Trentham for devonshire tea and a pink spider before checking into our room in Daylesford in a really old, rickety house fitted out with antiques. We spent ages trying to find somewhere nice for dinner, as most places were booked out, but ended up going to a fancy hotel restaurant in Hepburn Springs. On Sunday, we had massages and spa treatments before coming home. Lovely!

Five things for Tuesday.

1. Our house is getting there. The Manfriend stayed up late on Sunday installing the kitchen, which makes it look so much more finished! He made the recycled timber benchtops which look awesome, and will make the island bench too. We have the builder there for the rest of this week and he should get the deck and most of the inside stuff finished completely. Yay! 2. We had the second half of the BirthReady workshop this past weekend, which was really helpful. We watched a video of a birth and I burst into tears watching it. I've never seen anything like that and it was totally overwhelming watching a little new human pop out.

3. I have eaten so much licorice in the past few days. It's all I want to eat. I've even resorted to drinking licorice tea to satisfy the craving.

4. I have seven working days left. SO EXCITED. I am looking forward to having time to relax and sleep in, and set up the baby's room and finish the house without having to feel guilty and tired all the time.

5. We are nearly finished our first CAD project at design school. I think I am finally getting the hang of it. I did the reflected ceiling plan last night and am ready to do elevations now. I hate the feeling of not knowing how to do things so it is nice to finally 'get it'.

Five things for a Thursday

1. I saw these on DesignSponge and now want them so badly. Waffles that look like furniture! Imagine the possibilities!

2. Our house is getting closer and closer. The plasterers are just finishing up this week, then we hopefully have painters coming next week , then carpet, then floorsanders the following week. Yay!

3. I bought a full-length body pillow at Spotlight yesterday on sale. I was a bit dubious of them as they take up so much room, but wow. Seriously best thing ever. I have named mine Ryan, after Ryan Gosling, so I can delude myself into thinking I am sleeping between two hot men every night. Even the Manfriend has started referring to it as Ryan.

4. At uni we are still mastering CAD. I managed to put doors and windows into my house which was a lot more exciting than it should have been. Although once I switched it to 3D view I realised that my windows were sideways and would require two people to open them and the weight would probably pull the wall down. Oops.

5. My feet are swelling. This is one of those pregnant lady things that I thought couldn't be as bad as people make out, but Lord, it is a pain. They get all huge and puffy and red and sore by the end of the day. I am wearing my Jellies all the time, as they are the only things that fit once my feet swell up, but my feet look so hideous that I want to put them in boots all the time. The joys of pregnancy!

Five things for a Tuesday

1.  I have only fourteen working days left until I'm on maternity leave. I am SO looking forward to not having to commute to the city everyday and deal with people telling me how huge I am. And I realised last night that I have heaps of things to get before the baby arrives, like get a crib, a pram and a baby capsule. Let alone a kitchen and functioning bathroom... 2. I've been having green smoothies for first breakfast (followed by weetbix and chia for second breakfast once I get to work), after being inspired by my best friend's raw food obsession. It takes a bit of guesswork to get the right combo of ingredients so it isn't too yuk. This morning, I used a bunch of spinach, a celery stick, a carrot, an apple, a squirt of lemon juice, a handful of blueberries and a blob of honey. It was fairly gross.

The other day I did one that was two apples, a bunch of spinach, lemon and ginger, which was more palatable. Less is more!

So far, we have used the blender every single day since it arrived. I have a green smoothie in the morning, then we usually have some sort of milk, yogurt, banana and milo concoction at night too. It is so insanely powerful. I want to get chocolate topping, ice cream and Mars Bars and make dessert smoothies too.

3.  My mum and dad are back from New Zealand. They did pretty much exactly the same trip that we did, but without the dodgy campervan and self-catering. I missed talking to my mum more than I though I would, as she is totally my sounding board for random pregnancy freak-outs and questions.

The midwife told me last week that  I am anaemic (which is not surprising as the Manfriend is vego so I don't really eat much meat either), so my mum made me a gigantic lasagne and a lamb and rosemary potato pie. Gotta love a mum's cooking!

4.  As an extra birthday present, the Manfriend got me an embroiderable (that is a word) iPhone cover. For someone addicted to their phone and to crafty good times, it is freaking awesome. I lost my mind a bit when I unwrapped it. The cover is red rubbery plastic with a grid for cross-stitching. I have begun a chevron pattern but it is taking AGES as the holes are really tight. It still looks cute being half-done though!

5. Five people in the last two days have told me that I am huge, really big or enormous. No woman ever enjoys being told they are huge in any context. Yes, the baby is large and I am obviously very pregnant, but seriously!

Other things people have said in the last few months:

-  You haven't put on much weight in your face though! (Umm, neither have you?)

- You look so big! But it's all good fat. (It's not actually fat. It's a human being.)

- Why would you not find out the sex? You'll bond so much more with the baby if you know the sex! (ARE YOU FOR REAL?)

- You look exhausted. (This was when I had a burst of energy and was feeling pretty good about myself. Way to burst my happy bubble.)

- Don't you realise that horizontal stripes make you look wider? (I am not fat. I am growing a human being. And since when is commenting on someone's weight EVER appropriate?)

27 before 27

So for the past few years I've made a list of things I'd like to do before my next birthday. I turned 26 last week and just had a look at the list I made last year. I never intended to complete everything on the list, but have made a fair crack at it. A few of the things I couldn't do as I was preggers, but I'm pretty happy with my efforts. Here is this year's list. It will likely be a bit different as I'll have a newborn baby and so will have limited time to myself, but having a list of happy things is a nice reminder to do fun things before life gets in the way.

1. Do a baby/belly before and after shot

2. Finish the inside of the house completely

3. Make almond butter

4. Finish all my crafty things before starting something else

5. Set up the kitchen properly

6. Take lots of photos of the baby

7. Break my iPhone addiction - HA!

8. Get my own design clients

9.  Join a mother's group

10. Quit sugar (gulp!) - again, HA!

11. Spend lots of time outdoors

12. Relax more

13. Drink green smoothies regularly

14. Start a regular date night routine with my Manfriend

15. Make Turkish Delight

16. Sort out our super

17. Have a very special first Christmas for the baby

18. Keep writing here

19. Make icecream in my blender

20. Make cinnamon rolls

21. Read A Tale of Two Cities

22. Graduate as a qualified interior designer

23. Get an awesome folio together

24. Hang out with Sam more

25. Breastfeed

26. Make a quilt kinda like this one without mum's help

27. Crochet some fingerless gloves

Five Things for... Wednesday.

1. I am kind of bored with being pregnant. Frankly, I am sick of the constant back pain, having nothing remotely attractive to wear, weeping at inane things, constant hunger and broken sleep. Needing help to get out of bed in the morning and having to drive 200m to the tram due to my freaking SPD  doesn't do a lot for a girl's self-esteem.

2. While I'm on the topic of pelvic pain (oh joy), this amazing story gave me some perspective. I am in awe. 

3. It was my birthday yesterday! I actually forgot until just now. It was pretty low key. I had a rough night the night before, only getting a few hours sleep, so was freaking out a bit in the morning. I was upset that I was upset on my birthday, which only made me more upset. Anyway, the Manfriend put me back to bed and I got a few more hours sleep, then woke up feeling loads better. We had a lovely brekky at Lowlands, then did some pottering around the house. I had uni last night, but wagged the last hour and went to Sam's place, where she surprised me with a raw raspberry cheesecake and candles. Lovely.

4. Also, my super-lovely friend Marnie wants to throw me a retro tea party baby shower. I love the idea! I was REALLY hesitant about having a baby shower, as I thought the idea of women sitting around playing 'pin the nappy on the baby' or whatever (I've never actually been to a baby shower) would be awkward and forced. But a low-key, simple day with my favourite ladies sounds wonderful.

5. The Manfriend and I are seeing Justin Townes Earl tonight at the Regal Ballroom in Northcote, which is where we met five years ago. I only listened to his new album today and LOVE it, so I'm really looknig forward to it. I bought the tickets ages ago, and deliberated over whether to pay more and get seats or general admission, and am so glad that I got seats. Good thinking, self from three months ago!

What I've been...

Doing... trying to rest as much as possible. Lots of couch time and prioritising sleep, which is rare for me as I usually sleep as little as possible! Eating... lots of chocolate. I ate a packet of Haigh's chocolate-covered licorice sticks yesterday and a ton of tiny caramel Easter eggs today. Yummo.

Reading... At Home by Bill Bryson. And pretty much the whole back catalogue of Louise Bell from  Table Tonic's blog. Love her style.

Watching... my house finally come together. It might actually be finished by the time the baby comes!

Thinking... about being forced to surrender to my body whilst pregnant. I might write about this soon.

Enjoying... surprisingly, I am really loving having a limited wardrobe. I can't fit into most of my clothes so pretty much wear a basic uniform of leggings or tights, a dress and boots/Jellies every single day. Makes it very easy to get dressed in the morning.

Planning... new projects and clients and products and designs with the Manfriend. 

Making... this crochet bunny for the bub. I'm making it out of chenille wool, which is really soft and fluffy but a pain to crochet with! It should be cute though when it's finished.

On balance and surrender.

Okay kids, we are about to get deep.

One of the biggest mind-shifts I've had to make during pregnancy is to trust and surrender to my body and self. In the past, I have tended to fight and battle with what my body wants. I would stay up later than I should and self-medicate with sugar. Sleep, proper meals, exercise and rest were definitely not priorities.

Giving in and accepting that I need to sleep more, eat properly and take care of myself has been a big, difficult change. I often feel useless and wussy, instead of proud that I am growing a freaking human being. On the weekends when we are renovating, I normally am getting up ladders, sanding walls and plastering and digging and bricklaying. Now, I can't get up a ladder, can't stand up for too long as my back aches, can't carry anything and can't move fast. It is an odd feeling, especially coming from a family of over-achievers with ridiculously strong work ethics.

All in all, this is probably a healthy thing, as it forces me to take it slowly and nurture myself rather than constantly push. I am slowly coming around to the realisation that having an afternoon nap or spending the evening on the couch instead of painting architraves isn't lazy, and is in fact necessary for my health and the health of the baby.

Pregnancy has given me nothing if not perspective and an understanding of the importance of prioritising my health. What I want to do is carry this 'surrender' feeling into motherhood, and resist the urge to try and become a supermum with a spotless, gorgeous house and well-fed, sleeping baby, perfect relationship and perfect hair, who runs a business and does it all without breaking a sweat.  This will be a challenge in itself as I tend to be a compulsive over-achiever with no concept of balance. Shifting my priorities, slowing down, nurturing and resting will be number one in the next few months.

Five things for a Tuesday.

Source: etsy.com via Emma on Pinterest

 

 

1. I bought a blender. My best friend has been really into eating more raw food for the past month or so, and I have totally been inspired by her. I used to be really into green smoothies and loved how easy they were to make and how good they made me feel. I don't have a lot of time lately to cook proper meals and am probably not getting all my nutrients, considering I am 30 weeks preggers, as all my spare minutes are taken up with finishing the house, uni or sleeping.

So I probably should have just got a $50 blender from KMart, but instead I 'invested' in a commercial Omniblend blender like they use at Boost Juice. It is very similar to a Vitamix, but way cheaper. It arrives tomorrow and I am super-excited about getting stuck into it!

2. The Manfriend and my brother pulled down the back wall of the house on Sunday, opening up where the kitchen will eventually go. Lucky we have had nice weather as it would be freaking horrid in winter.  We have a builder guy there everyday until it is done. His name is Josh and he is gorgeous. He sees me in my hideous nighty that is probably too short for a pregnant lady every morning and still manages to be polite and chipper. Bless.

3. It is the Manfriend and I's five year anniversary  on Saturday of when we met. It feels like yesterday that we met at a burlesque ball in Northcote and then spent the whole weekend sleeping in my car at a music festival. I am so grateful that our paths collided. It is such a cliche, but he is my best friend and there is no one else I would rather have a family with (slight mouth vomit).

4. My Jelly Bean shoes arrived today! I love getting things delivered to my office- the guys I work immediately with roll their eyes but the girls get excited. They seem really comfy, but smell a bit weird and rubbery and are a tad sweaty. I think they'll be awesome with tights though in winter. Really want to get the red ones now too.

5. The end of daylight savings is kicking my ass. The extra hour in the morning is nice, but having to stay up for what feels like an extra hour at night is not cool. I had uni last night and tonight, which means I don't get home until what feels like 11pm, and with the lovely Josh arriving at 6.45am, sleep is a bit hard to come by. Add in massively painful pelvic separation issues (gross), a super-active baby and a fair bit of general insomnia/anxiety, and I am one cranky-pants lady.

Five Things for... Wednesday.

1. I just bought a pair of these Jelly sandals online! So excited! I never had a pair when I was little and was always envious of my kinder friends who wore them with pleated skirts in summer and thick tights with frilly socks in winter. Hot.

I tossed up between the blue and the black pair, but ended up going with the black for now. They are only $29.99 though so I may just go back and get all the colours.

The Manfriend after emerging from under the living room floor.

2. Our kitchen has arrived.....sort of. All the materials have arrived at the Manfriend's workshop ready to be turned into a kitchen. Things are finally moving along on the renovations. This makes me so, so, so happy. A crazy pregnant lady stumbling around a half-finished house is no fun for anyone.

3. I have a ridiculous amount of uni work to do in a very short amount of time. We are covering hand drawing and rendering, which is so not my strong point. I spend all day working digitally and have no idea how to draw by hand. It is actually pretty fun getting dirty with pencils and pens (Year 8 art class style) but there is currently a gaping chasm between what I want to convey on the page and what actually appears on the page.

4. I am accidentally crocheting this cover for my laptop. I began it as a crib blanket, but then stuffed up the length and realised it would be waaaay too small so turned it into a laptop cosy. I am doing the zigzag/ripple/chevron stitch that I attempted (and failed at) a while ago after being inspired by Pip's ripple blanket.  The stitch I am using is the Striped Chevron  from the Lion Brand Stitchfinder, which is pretty much the most awesome crochet stitch resource EVER.

5. Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Where have you been all my life?

xx