Shop and Post aholic....

Ok, I know a few posts in a row on the same day but look at what I just ordered...

From appleseed child, at a massive 75% off, they have some really great stuff on sale, and all up these items normally would of been $109 and I got them BOTH for $27!! yay

A wonderful day

I spoiled Mr Charlie tonight with a trip to the pictures to see 'How to Train your Dragon'... and I must say it was FANTASTIC!! The only downside is movie ticket prices are just getting so expensive, a large family in front of me with four children and two adults paid about $80 dollars in tickets...wow.

I also spoiled myself today with these lovelys...

New jammies, with OWLS!! I love owls, almost as much as I love new jammies :)

**Bump Day** 26 Weeks

Oh, my belly is so tight its painful when babe is having a dance party inside, its amazing how different pregnancy's can be from one babe to the next. With little Charlie, I was a glow for the whole time, so comfortable in my pregnacy skin. This time I am feeling very uncomfortable, out of breath and the tiredness... I suppose I didn't have a three year old to run around after last time though. Only 14 weeks until my due date... how exciting. I have been running a little game with my family and friends to guess the sex, weight and date of birth for this babe and here are the guesses so far...

Girl, 8 pound 2lb, 1st of July

Girl 7lb 6 1/2 oz 4 th July

Girl,8pound 30th June

Girl, 8lbs, 13 th July

Girl, 7lb 11oz, 26th June.

Girl, same weight as lil charlie was :-)

Girl, 8th July, 8lb 4oz

Boy, 18th July, 7lb 14oz

Boy, 9.7lbs, 11th july

Lots of guesses so far for a little girl!! If you'd like to join in, here are the little bits of information that I have given to my family and friends...

Estimated due date is the 6th July 2010, first due date was 29th June (yes, Charlie's Birthday!!).

# This is my second child

# First child, Charlie was born on 29th of June 2006... he was 14 days over due and was born at 4.16am in the morning.

# He weighed 8 lb 1 1/2 oz

# I have had really bad morning sickness this time round, making me bed ridden at times.

Oh and a little clue that I didn't mention to my friends... this time I will be downing the rasberry leaf tea in preperation :) So have a guess, and there may be a little surprise for the closest guess :)

Blog This: How I learned to...

Tell your readers a tale. About something you learned. Be it driving, scuba-diving or maybe another language... riding a bike, learning to read, learning to cook a special meal - make it interesting or funny or shocking!

Before I start this post, I would like to warn people that this post involves a story about SIDS and some may choose not to read on and I have also chosen to change the names of those involved.

How I learned to cherish life...

In 2007, the most beautiful baby girl was born to a dear friend of mine. She was beyond perfect.

I can recall one night sitting with her mumma, and holding this precious bundle in my arms and thinking how it seemed as though she had graced us before, how she seemed so much older than her actual age. She had the cutest smile and the longest legs I have ever seen on a new born. Like I said, just perfect.

The Saturday morning that I received the phone call with the news of her death is a blur. I can't remember what was said, I just remember feeling an overwhelming feeling of needing to be with her mumma and her other son and needing to be there right then.

I've seen a lot of death in my life, family, friends, old, young, but the death of a 13 week old baby is something that leaves you with an emptiness that can't be described.

In her short life of 13 weeks, this precious baby girl had already done numerous things for the world in which she graced. She brought together people that hadn't been speaking for years, she showed a father what he was missing out from by not seeing his son, she showed a lot of people what life and love can be about, but you can't just sit by and expect it to happen by itself.

She taught me and a lot of other people to cherish life, to make everyday count and no matter what it may bring you, there will always be someone else going through something tougher. She was a special angel whilst she graced our earth, and now she is forever an angel gracing our skies. Life's lessons are hard, what's important is to take something away from them so that in time it brings you purpose.

Albert Einstein once said...

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

So here is to a beautiful baby girl that will be forever in our hearts and minds, and thank-you for gracing us with your wonderful presence. Even if it was only for a short time. xx

Two + Three

The love that you have for your children is something that words can not express. It brings a tear, a happy one when I think how blessed my life is with my son in it. I always thought when he was a baby, ‘how could I ever love anyone as much as I love him’, and here we are, a few months off having another beautiful soul join our little, but now expanding family.

With new beginnings there is always the end of something, and whilst I am extremely happy about the new addition to our family it also saddens me that it is the end of
‘just the two of us’.

I remember the day that I found out I was pregnant with Charlie. I was 27 weeks already and it was a very big surprise, somewhere out there someone must have known that I just love surprises.

They day that he were born, will always be the most important day of my life. He is the little being that first made me a mother, and it is a job and lifestyle that I completely feel at one with. He has have taught me what life is all about.

So for the next few months I will be making the most of our time together, until our new journey as ‘just the three of us’ begins.

Productiveness

It has been a productive weekend so for me. After fighting the procrastination monster yesterday I have managed to get so much done today and here are a few pictures to show you what I have been up to.

First up is a set designed for newborn baby girls, which includes a short sleeve body suit, skirt and a cute pair of booties.

Then a set for 3-6 months which is a singlet top, skirt and booties.

This one here is actually a dress which is aorund a size 2-3, but could easily be worn as a cute top on a bigger size.

And then these... they arrived in the post the other day and I am so so so happy with them. I designed them and sent them to a wonderful company which printed them. I ordered them one day and they were in my letter box the next. Great service and they are fantastic!! Once I am back on my laptop I will be able to let you know who done them, (silly power cord decided to die). So off to a little more sewing for me :)

Oh, and I forgot to add... all these things are made from 100% recycled and reclaimed fabric... now if I didn't tell you that would you of even guessed?

Procrastination

Procrastination… that is my middle name at the moment. I have my first market stall coming up in April for my clothing venture and I am in the process of making sure that I have enough stock for it. It’s the first time I have felt truly daunted in my little business, but I am sure that I will be quite pleased and relaxed once the first stall is over with.

Am feeling rather off colour the last few days, I wouldn’t say sick, but defiantly a little queasy and light headed. (Maybe it is due to the babe that is starting squish my stomach…)

So enough to procrastination for today and back to work!!

It's my birthday...

Today I've been roaming the earth for 24 years. Spent the day playing Lego and doing a little bit of sewing. I love my little man who woke me up this morning with a happy birthday... its the first year that he has really understood what is going on and all through the day he was making me dinosaurs and submarines and cars saying these are your extra special birthday things mumma.

Oh how he lights up my world.

25 Weeks

A different kind of picture...

Op Shop Delights

Today was my kind of day, Op Shop Day!! Found some really funky old sheets and pillows cases destined to be made into some clothes, a cute little pair of cotton baby shoes and my all time favourite find... a tub full of old buttons!!

My favourite buttons are at the bottom of the mosaic of pictures... just divine!

I've started on a journey of self discovery this year, and I've started to compile this list. It is a harder task than first thought to write 100 things abouts yourself, that is for sure.

100 Things About Me... a list in the making

Blog This: My Room with a View

My room with a view is the world in which we live.

My favourite view is optimism which I see everyday in the world we live in.

I see it in the eyes of my son when I wake up every morning.

I see it in the rays of the sunshine from my balcony.

I feel it when the sand is between my toes.

I feel it with the growing babe in my womb.

There are so many things to be thankful in the world, and I have learnt that it is much more rewarding to be optimistic than to wallow in the gloom. It's a favourite view worth having, because instead of having to reminisce on a particular scene, it is a view you can hold with you through your day... every day.

Something new...

I read a blog by Christine Milne about her wonderful and very tasty sounding garden. In one of her recent posts she mentioned about not being able to walk past a nursery without buying something and it reminded me straight away of Charlie. He loves just about anything that grows; flowers, trees, fruits even the grass. On our balcony we have a selection of various plants that I have purchased for him when he tells me with those big, brown eyes...

"mumma, I really, really, really, really, really need that plant."

He waters them everyday without fail, and I just love that this interest has developed within him on his own accord... Even though I love gardening, its not something that I have ever really done on a big scale... a few potted house plants here and there but thats about it.

So after reading the comment left by Christine about some suggestions on what to plant and a photo ask, I decided today would be the day that I slowly step into the world of vegetable gardening, and free up a bit of space in our unused back yard for more of Charlie's must have purchases.

We are starting small, a few broccoli plants (Charlie's favourite), some radishes, cauliflower and some silver-beet (my favourite).

So here for you Christine is some pictures of our day, and thank you for your inspiration.

I love my home...

The view from the balcony this morning. Its ironic that something so beautiful is surround by something so ugly... woodchips waiting to be shipped off. I feel a change is coming, and hopefully its this weekend.

Something for me...

I make a lot of things... some to sell, some for gifts and some for my little man. But today for the first time in a long time I made something for myself.

I turned this, a $2.00 dress from an op-shop (I would of left it as it was, but it was a tiny size 8)

To this, a beautiful skirt.

I think I know what I am wearing tomorrow!

24 Weeks

You are now 24 weeks pregnant and at the beginning of week 25.

Your baby has grown to be about 30 cm long from head to toe (11.75 inches) and approximately 700 grams in weight (just over 1 lb 8 oz).

Your baby may now be big enough for others to feel your belly and sense them kicking and stretching!

Babies at 24 weeks have been noted to increase their breathing patterns (by expanding their lungs with amniotic fluid), after their mothers eat, especially if the food contains sugar! Your baby's lungs now start to produce a substance called surfactant, which lines their lungs and assists them to breathe after birth. Even so, babies born as early as 24 weeks (or less) only have a very small chance of survival. (www.birth.com.au)

One sentence... I need more fiber in my diet!! Babe is moving around like an acrobat, and made me giggle a little yesterday when I was using the mix-master... every time I turned it on, babe jumped like it was a shock. yesterday was the first day that I tried on a pair of my favourite vintage denim jeans... and I could only do up one button... (they have three). Its about time, I can't wait for a big round belly... only 16 weeks until my due date now, how wonderfully exciting.

I have a Dream...

...and it’s a big one. And I’m going to have to start buying lottery tickets to fund it. My dream has turned into a life goal, and even though I may only be able to achieve it in a small way, even that I feel could make a difference. My dream goes something like this...

I want to buy an old farm house with lots of bedrooms, and a few paddocks of land. On my old farm house I want to create a sanctuary for troubled teens, to be able to provide for them a safe, relaxing and rejuvenating atmosphere. To teach them skills which perhaps they haven’t had a chance to be exposed to, but most of all to provide a ‘home’ for them in which they are always welcome, no matter how far away they might travel. I have dreams about my old farm house, when I walk in the door I am greeted by many smiling faces of the children who have been and gone hanging on the wall. I can hear the sound of feet on the old style veranda that goes all the way around the house. My old farm house has a red roof, a royal blue, really heavy wood front door which has a brass handle right in the middle of it.

Dreams are never far from reality if you set your mind, and in this case my heart to it. One day this will happen, perhaps once I have finished producing my tribe. Until then, I will continue to dream.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my little sister who today turned the tender age of 19 today. The prince and I spent the day baking her an extra special birthday cake, with all our family's favourite colours... and it was yummy!!

Feels Like Monday

It feels like Monday, all the technology that I own keep telling me otherwise though. I can't believe that we are just about in the middle of the third month of the year... where has the time gone? Is it just as you get older that time seems to kick it up a notch? I can remember when I was at school and the terms just d---r---a---g---g---e---d on for what felt like eternity. Now I am the mother of an almost four year old and an almost newborn and soon its going to be Christmas... Again...

Anyway, the prince and I had a really great day today. We spent the morning playing aliens with some of his little figurines, which was followed by making some origami jumping frogs, followed closely by colouring and writing some stories.

Went then spent the remainder of the afternoon at the local park and beach with my mum. I love the beach, the sand, the water, the shells and the smell. I could quite happily set up camp there and live quite happily.

Tomorrow is my sister's birthday, so the prince and I will be busy making her a cake of some sort in the morning... pondering on what to create, the prince thinks that a rainbow cake is the way to go.

A few thoughts

The birth of my son has been the most challenging, joyful and empowering experience of my lifetime. The lead up to his birth was an extremely emotional and scary time for me, I didn’t know what to expect and I felt useless and extremely alone. The prince was born almost 2 weeks over due after an induction, extremely painful posterior labour and an epidural. Not the most empowering birthing experience recorded, but it defiantly empowered me to become more educated for future birthing experiences.

Call me crazy but this time around, I am actually getting excited about labour and not just because we will meet our babe at the end of it. It has involved learning to put trust myself, something which has been a big step for me. It has meant accepting that sometimes things don’t go to plan and to be easy on myself. The biggest step has been getting to know me, really taking the time to sit down with myself and reflect on the journey’s I have taken so far, and the journey’s that I want to take in the future. I have learnt that I judge myself to harshly at times, and feel fear in trying my hardest in case it still leads to failure.

I know that I am going to have an empowering birth, whether my plans for a natural labour go through or need altering along the way. I know this because I have empowered myself in knowing who I am, of understanding the wonderful growth that I will undertake throughout my lifetime and the experiences I am yet to know.

Self discovery is a lifetime process, and I look forward to everyday. What day could be truly bad, with a beautiful son by my side and the sky above my head.

Have you ever....

Here I'll share with you all a few of my favourite photos from a trip that were taken what feels like a lifetime ago.

Have you ever stood beside something that radiated power without being plugged into an electrical socket? Have you ever stood next to something that was so gigantic that it made you contemplate your significance in the world? Have you ever stood in an area surrounded by only the sounds of nature and yet heard a whole story being told? Have you ever said thankyou to the great beauties of the earth that continually give us life whilst we continually destroy theirs?

More importantly, have you ever kissed a tree??

We have.

March Crappy Craft: Salt Dough Creations

On a forum that I frequently visit, a member came up with the fantastic idea of having a 'crappy craft' competition each month as inspiration to do more with our children. Here is mine and the Princes for this month, keeping up with his new fascination with echinda's we made a nature scene. It was so much fun and very quick and and easy as well.

Ready with our supplies!

Starting to make the dough.

Our dough ready to create with

The first echinda in the making

Ready for baking

Our finished products :)

23 Weeks

"Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb."

(information taken from babycenter.com)

Am starting to feel bloated and swollen. My ankles are puffy and I feel as though my face is swelling to the size of a balloon... ok, well maybe a slight exaggeration. Babe is moving heaps, especially when I jump into bed of a night time, which is always the way. The Prince is constantly asking if today is the day that the baby is coming, he is so eager to meet our little babe!