five years ago

I had to delve into the forgotten realm of myspace to find this photo but this was taken five years ago today when a young girl who kinda liked a young guy took a train trip to his home.

They met up, they hung out, they frolicked on the beach, they mysteriously were wearing the same colour, they caught the train back. They decided that they were more than just good friends and the rest is history.

Happy five years my love. They've been the best.

aint life beootiful

went out for a hot date sans baby
Monday night 10:30pm

Ended up at maccas...

staycation + 2.5 years

Last weekend we had a staycation.
Myl had the weekend off work and it was our 2.5 year wedding anniversary.
Any excuse will do.

It was cold and rainy on the Friday so we went to DFO after a lovely long sleep in.
We walked around and got some sweet cheap clothes.
We had dumplings at our favourite little spot in Ashfield.

On Saturday we hit the city.
I showed Myl the ridiculous new Westfield at Centrepoint.
We changed Lucy in the fantastically snazzy parents room complete with L'Occtaine hand lotion.
(I know, ridiculous)
We walked through the city chatting and holding hands.
We saw about 100 screaming teenagers watching k-pop.
Then we went to the rocks. We had planned to go to the Museum of Contemporary Art but it is being renovated and is completely closed. :(
But that did not rain on our parade. We wandered about the cobble stone lanes of the rocks. My imagination ran away with me a few times as I had visions of unearthing a plague rat and our little family becoming infected. (A little plaque told me however, that there were only three plague victims in the rocks... in the early 1900's....aaaand they pulled down and burnt their houses. It set my imaginations at ease*)
We went to a sweet little cafe, looked at the markets and ate tasty pancakes at one of our favourite restaurants.
We watched the sunset from a little lookout. It was very sweet.
We meant to catch the bus from the rocks but ended up walking all the way to Vic Park. Lucy fell asleep.

When we got home we had a lovely surprise from my siblings and co. We missed out on dinner with them but we had a nice little chat and some gelato.

More pictures (and what we did on Sunday) to come next week!

*Yes, I have been reading Anne of Green Gables if you were wondering. Her thoughts are becoming my life.

our holiday

three bags
driving
pop goes the weasel
maccas mates meal
relatives
presents
5kg of rice
cuddles
smiles
friends
pecan pie
iphone photos
bean bag
meetups
tv

tennis
lazy day
cafe
old school
chinese
cuddles
leather lounges

long drive
wind storm
blackouts
hurt trains
radio
chilly cold
open fire
spotlight
siblings
parents
crochet
sleepins
music
icy wind
walks
puffed corn
church
scarves
chats
cradle
music
driving
hair dye
chai tea
food court
bubble tea
bus ride
short drive
goodbyes
soviet comrade
no cooking
zumba
camp fire
boat ride
nap times
catapult
craft
waterslides

teenagers
cuddles
crazy freaks
galatians
turduckenencock
luggage
car trip
home.

the cut

my hair is a little ratty at the moment.
It's been a while since I had it cut.

It's at the stage where I can just put it up but no matter how many bobby pins I put in there, it just doesnt stay in.
When it's out, my hair is best known as a mullet.

I think I'd like a haircut.

The only problem is that I haven't paid for a haircut in four years.
I have been getting it cut as a hair model for a few different salon companies. This has been so much fun even though sometimes I end up with hair like this...

I like to call this my magic rainbow haircut. In my memory I think this haircut was not so bad but now I look at the photos I don't know what I was thinking!

The last haircut I paid for I ended up in the salon for three hours with a $200 bill because I had apparently asked for a colour THEN cut. I don't really remember doing this but it was a lesson I definitely learnt from.

So now I'm not quite sure where to go. I can't really hair model anymore with a little Lucy but I don't know where to go to get my hair done.

I've go a few styles to choose from as well.

Source: theglamourai.com via Erin on Pinterest

and these

Source: dream-out-loud.tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

rain

Source: None via May on Pinterest

I haven't blogged in a whole week.

It's been raining and gloomy.
My mood has oft' fit the weather.
It's hard to do cloth nappies in the wet and cold.
It's easy to feel overwhelmed as the pile of laundry gets bigger and bigger.

It's hard to go out on adventures with my sweet baby girl.
It's easy to stay in bed till midday.
It's hard to find fun things to write about in the gloom.


I'm gonna go out puddle jumping with my little one.
I'm gonna make some rainy day craft.
I'm going to add some Joni Mitchell to the sound of the rain.
I'm gonna make some pumpkin soup and eat it with a crusty warm bread roll.

And then?
I'll have something fun to write about.

Source: etsy.com via Christie on Pinterest

winter

Source: jackandizzy.blogspot.com via Antonia on Pinterest

Source: emmanygren.freshnet.se via Anne Kristine on Pinterest

Source: aviewto.blogspot.com via chelliswilson on Pinterest

Source: 101cookbooks.com via Charlene on Pinterest

Source: christinechitnis.com via Skwurlee on Pinterest

baby...uhh...???

I'm suffering from a not so rare disorder. It's called baby brain.

In the space of a week I locked the keys in the car twice.

The first time I was fetching Lucy out of her car seat. I put the keys in her car seat so that they wouldn't poke into her. I got her out of her seat then locked and closed the door. (We don't have central locking so you have to manually lock the door.) This was awkward. Myl was at college and not coming home for hours and I had no phone and no keys to get inside. I checked the boot. It was open. Thank the LORD!
So, with baby in arm I reached over the back of our hatchback and grabbed the keys out of her carseat. It was a stretch.

The second time the boot was not open. I was driving and had put the keys back in the ignition while I got the sling and started to put it on. I stood up next to the car to put it on and then once on locked and closed the door. Myl was with me but had left his bag with keys inside the car as well. We were at the shops so Myl went off and got a lovely man from Kmart Tyre and Auto at Broadway to help us out. I told him it was baby brain. He smiled and said he had a two year old and so knew all about that.

My darned baby brain also caused the loss of my mobile phone and brand new mothers day kindle from the top of the car. If only things placed absent-mindedly on the top of cars would be nice and stay where they were left. I found my phone in pieces. The kindle is missing, presumed dead.

Oh babygirl. You are certainly worth the loss of brain cells. I am just constantly distracted, thinking of your cuteness.

more of the babe

I just had to post this photo my sister took of my little baby girl.
She is such a good baby.

We had her first big outing today. (The official first was to her aunt and uncles house last night for dinner.) We went to church this morning and she was so well behaved. She pretty much just slept the whole way through with breaks for cute eye blinking and little smiles.

She is such a calm little girl. Feeding has been such an interesting and wonderful time. I'm getting the hang of attatching her and my body is getting stronger to cope with a little one feeding from it. She is such a hungry little girl and is getting fatter by the day. It's nice to see her growing from the food that I produce for her. Pretty special.

She doesn't much like the bath or having her nappy changed but is easily soothed by a cuddle. She is a very cuddly girl. She is never as happy as when she is lying on someones chest or being held tight.

She has met lots of her family and is getting used to some faces. She has lots of quality Granny hugs with my mum. They like each other. She likes seeing her aunts and uncles. (Especially her aunts.) She takes to anyone who will give her a cuddle really.

She really loves her dada. Myl has been reading The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to her. His deep voice puts her straight to sleep so she doesn't hear so much of the story but enjoys it anyway. I'm sure he can read it to her again. She knows his voice and looks around for it when she hears it in the room. His smell can calm her down and he has been such a trooper in changing nappies. He has changed way more than me.

I have had such a great time being a mum so far and I'm sure it's because I've got Myl and my mum here. This afternoon I had a looong nap and Mum had some granny time. There is always food around that I didn't have to cook, nappies changed, baths given and babies handed to me in the middle of the night. I feel so so blessed.

That's enough for now. There is so much to write about my little girl and being a mama. I'm sure I will have many a post for the next few weeks. Not to mention all the photos I still haven't taken off my camera.

Stay tuned for a sweet guest post tomorrow!

earlier today...

over cooked

I think I need to resign myself to the fact that this little one is going to come in her own sweet time.

I have tried everything short of performing my own personal c-section.

Last night I got a bit sad and thought that maybe she just doesn't want to come out. Maybe she doesn't want me to be her mama. I can't help but feel like a bit of a failure for not being "able" to have this baby. But it isn't really up to me I guess. I've done all I can.

All I've been rewarded with are some lame lazy contractions that never go anywhere.

It must be just so nice and cozy in there. I tell ya, I'd rather a soft muslin blanket and a cuddle from my mama to a squishy bath where it's all dark and noisy any day. But that's just me.

I'm off to go make pancakes, take another brisk walk and hope that I won't be at church tonight. ;)

good girl!

There is one special little lady in my belly.
After going to my last midwife appointment and being so worried about her facing forward and not backwards she has turned around and is in perfect position for birth.

At the moment she is all primed and ready to go. Mum has been doing regular checkups of her position and at the moment she is rrriiiiight down in my pelvis. 1/5.

It's all getting so close. Every night I go to bed thinking I could wake up in labour in the morning. Each morning I wake up thinking I could go into labour today.

Thankyou so much for your prayers if you have been praying. Our great God really does listen.

Still waiting but it could be soon!

Image Credit - Kid independent.

still here

I'm the kind of blog reader who obsesses about other peoples babies. When someone is almost due I check my blogger dashboard several times a day telling Myl I just have to "check if anyone has had their baby."

So if any of you are like this too I'm posting this to say that I'm still here and our little one is not yet.

Not for a want of trying though.

I have been eating jalapeno peppers, curry, spicy soup, spicy pull apart from bakers delight, thai.
I have been running up and down staircases. (Yes I ran up them twice!)
Going for brisk walks.
Drinking bucket loads of raspberry leaf tea.
Doing exercises on my hands and knees.
Thinking laborious thoughts.

and while we are being honest..
taking laxatives.. they worked for my mum.
and other fun ;) things.

But I think that this little girl is just going to come in her own sweet time.
There doesn't seem to be a thing I can do.

My mum came up a few days ago when I was feeling pretty down and thinking I would never ever give birth. We have been sewing and shopping and chatting together. It has been really nice.

Soon life is gonna get a heap more hectic. But I'm so looking forward to it!

the waiting game

nope, no baby yet...

Still no obvious labour signs yet either.
I'm getting pretty keen for this little one to come.

While I have been waiting this is what I've been up to.
Yipee found the camera!

 Found this tutorial and decided to juj up a onesie.

 I know it's going into winter but these could be fun for a sunny day.

 It's a bandanna bib for my little cowgirl.

 I made monte carlos. They look similar to these but they are oh so different. I've been having very strange desires to bake.

I've been doing lots of itty bitty laundry. It's pretty cute.


We have been going on so many dinner dates because 1. This might be our last chance!! and 2. Impending baby has meant I haven't gone for a proper grocery shop in some time. eeek!

Come on baby girl! We are so ready to meet you.


If you vote she might come quicker?

on the ledge...

It's a quick trip from playing "little piggies" with a toddlers toes to packing her up for college.

These were the fist words in a book on parenting I have just started reading. The moment I read them I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and the longing in my heart.

I am standing on the very thin ledge between pregnancy and motherhood. My sweet baby girl is only days away from coming out.

I can remember when she was just an idea. When we wanted to start trying for a baby I would imagine what it would be like to be pregnant, to be a mama. I remember finding out about her. Of course she wasn't a her at the time. Just a little line on a stick. A tiny little being with all the possibilities in the world. We watched her grow as my belly swelled up. We saw her ultrasounds. I waited longingly for her first movements and cried out with joy when I firs felt her kick. We found out she was a she and watched her wriggle round in her watery home. I have felt her growing. I have watched her turn my belly into a gymnastics apparatus. She has gone from a tiny little fertilised egg to our beautiful baby girl ready to be born.

It has been a long journey but at the same time it has gone so quickly. Over the last eight or so months I have known of her existence I have fallen in love with her so deeply. She has been in my thoughts most of the time. She has been in my dreams and in my imagination.

As I sit on this ledge my imagination stretches out into the future. I am looking forward to playing little piggies with her toes but will I then blink and be packing her up to move away from home. WIll I be standing there watching her walk down the aisle to her husband thinking "Where did my little girl go?"

I'm going to get to know this little girl so well. I'm going to be her mama.

Lately God has been teaching me so much about what it means to be wise. I want so much to be wise in the way that I look after my little girl. I want to say the right things and do the right things and teach her to be wise too. God has also been teaching me about his endless grace. That wisdom comes from Him and He freely gives it to us. What a precious gift!

I want to be a mama filled with grace for my little girl too. I want to show her Gods love.

As I stand on this ledge I pray that I will remember to show her His love. I pray that I will be loving and kind and a good listener but I also pray that in the times that I am not that I will say I'm sorry, I will talk to her, I will show her grace.

My little girl is going to be out before I know it. She will grow up before my eyes and one day I will see her standing beside me as a woman. I want to feel the same way about her then as I do now. Unconditional love and endless opportunities.


It's so hard to believe that this little one will be here so soon. I want her so much. I am so humbled that God gave me to her to be her mama and Myles to be her dada. My heart longs to hold her tight, to kiss her sweet forehead and whisper that I love her.

She will be here soon. She will be small and helpless but she won't stay that way. My daughter will be born. God willing she will grow big and strong. Her heart will be for the Lord and she will be so full of life.

And I will know her so well.

Operation: Let's Have a Baby

So, I've reached a whole thirty-nine weeks of having a baby on the inside.
I've set up the cot.
I've cleaned the house.
I've washed the clothes.
I've had the baby shower.

I think it's time we added a baby to this family.
I'm feeling really good and not at all over being pregnant but I'm so excited for this little girl and there is now nothing left to do but have her in my arms.

So Operation: Let's have a baby.
I know that these are only theories but I'm gonna do all I can to bring this little one out.
I've heard that hot curries, stair climbing, visualising opening flowers/cervixes are good.

Does anyone have any hot tips? What helped you to get your baby out?

Image Credit: David and Kelly Sopp - Safe Pregnancy Tips
Not their actual site but you can look at more funny pictures like the one above here.

baking

Myl and I love doing our groceries together. Closer to the truth is that I love doing the groceries and Myl loves carrying the bags.

Sometimes when we go shopping there are really good specials. I'm a bit of a sucker for specials. 2 for 1's, Reduced to sells. I can be convinced to buy something I wasn't going to get by the fact that it is on sale.

Myl likes it when biscuits are on sale. His favourite are monte carlo anzac biscuits. They usually have some 3 for $5 deal. He likes that.

But most times, instead of letting him indulge in his biscuity goodness I tell him, "You don't need store bought biscuits. I'll make you some."

And so we continue to shop sans biscuits and maybe with a token extra slab of butter for the biscuits I'm going to make.

Unfortunately, I don't always keep my promise. Sometimes poor Myl goes without.
BUT
Not this time. I made him some tasties. I sent him a text when he was at college and he came home to a container filled with these bad boys.

They are ginger and lime cream filled biscuits from my biscuit and macaroon Womens Weekly cookbook. They were so much fun to make.

They look like little biscuit hamburgers and most importantly Myl likes them.

after the babe

I got just a little bit excited about jeans the other day.
I was hanging out at the shopping centre where Myl works waiting for him to finish and I was looking it this really great clothes outlet. It's a factory outlet shop of a whole heap of nice brands. They had a table of Levi jeans that were priced from 20 dollars.

I was getting a little excited about having a waist that fits into jeans again. Just before my belly started to explode I had ripped a big hole in my jeans but didn't worry because I wouldn't be wearing them for the next few months. I invested in some not incredibly fashionable but very comfortable maternity jeans from target and wore those while the weather was still chilly. But now. It's going to be winter soon. I'm going to have a waistline soon. I'ma gonna get myself some jeans.


This got me thinking about all the other things I get to do once I have a little one on the outside and not on the inside.

I can eat sashimi again! This is pretty exciting. I have already placed my order for a large serving of sushi from the Japanese restaurant near the hospital.

I can eat ham! Not that I'm the biggest ham fan but ruling out the deli meat food group can make group or camp lunches very boring.

I can sleep on my tummy. Oh sweet tummy sleeping.

I can run and jump and dance and bend over and go on long walks. In short I will be movable. I will have a little friend to be movable with as well. If she is on the floor I can sit on the floor with her. We can go for walks. My feet and hands will go back to being a normal size and will stay that way on said walks and I won't feel like a beached whale whilst getting out of the bath.

I can hug Myles front on. Right now there is a belly in the way so I have to tilt to the side.

I only have to go to the doctor if I'm sick. We'll be going for the little one's checkups but not for me! No stinky blood tests, swabs, being poked and prodded by the doctor.



Don't get me wrong, I have love love LOVED having my little girl growing and moving inside of me but this time shall pass and I might as well get excited about it.

chats with the babe

There are 18 days until this little kiddo in my belly is due to be born.

We were having a little chat the other day. (Yes we chat sometimes) I don't think she is going to make any kind of early appearance. I think she will take after her mothers side of the family and be late. She might come on her due date but definitely not early.

I think I'm ok with this. For all I know I could be wrong and she might be coming tonight but I think I am happy for her now and I'm happy to wait. It has been such a lovely experience feeling her grow inside of me. If it weren't for the fact that I get to cuddle and play with her when she comes out I daresay I would be quite sad to have her go.

But it feels like she is quite happy just floating around in there. I haven't had any Braxton Hicks contractions, she's not engaged yet, there have been no other labour signs. I've actually been feeling less huge and pregnant for the last few days (despite having a cold). She is just kicking around and having a grand ole time inside.

What a sweet little dear.

Image Credit - Google images

we heart puffs

These are emperor puffs

This is us enjoying emperor puffs.

They are delicious balls of joy and custard from china town which is where we went on the weekend. Well.. we went to the food and wine fair in Hyde park first. We thought it would be one of those fun markets with free tastings and lovely things like that. But it wasn't. It was lots of expensive wine tastings and expensive fancy restaurant food. We are not very fancy people but rather than have our day ruined we decided to visit chinatown for some emperor puffs.

This was a good idea.

Then we decided to catch the bus home. We got to the stop and the free shuttle bus pulled up. Great, we thought. We can catch the shuttle to central and then there are more busses home. But the shuttle didn't really go to central. It went to the opposite side to the one we wanted. So we decided to take a nice bus ride around the city to see the sights, hold hands and have a nice time till we got to the stop we got on at.

But this shuttle doesn't work like that. Oh no it doesn't. We got to circular quay and the bus driver told everyone to get off. So we got off. We were very far from where we started.
Eventually we caught a bus from circular quay all the way back up george st and home. It took us about 45 mins to get to our original stop. So much for a short cut.

I got to have a nice time riding a bus with my favourite man though. Even if it made him a little late to go to the footy with his pals. AND I got a lot of preggo walking in. Not that I really want to hurry the little one on but I guess it all helps.