Our New Pad

 

 

 

So, we're moving to Sydney in 3 weeks. We're downsizing from our current 3 bedroom house (with lovely deck, sunroom, double lock-up-garage and under-house storage) to a 2 bedroom apartment with no garage, no laundry and no linen cupboard. Rent in Sydney is astronomical, compared with Brisbane.

But we're really happy with the apartment. It met all of our essential criteria - within walking distance of train line, within walking distance of parks (Centennial Park will be our front yard), within walking distance of grocery shops and basic amenities (Westfield Bondi Junction is 10 mins walk away), and close to Gareth's work (5 min train trip). It's also 2 blocks from the local library, and a short bus ride to Bondi Beach. We're stoked. And it's been a very good opportunity to pare down all of our stuff to the bare essentials. We've already taken 5 ute-loads and 2 carloads of stuff to the dump, sold books/appliances/furtniture, and there is still heaps we need to get rid of. I've donated almost my entire craft collection (minus sewing machine) to a good friend with 4 daughters (hi Shannon!) who I am sure will make better use of it than I have been doing for the last few years.

Finally, after much planning and unproductive talking, we are actually simplifying our life! And it feels so great.

First Babycino

 

 

My baby boy is growing up. He had his first babycino yesterday, and so became part of the Cowen tradition ... sitting down to have Muffin Break coffees while we plan meals for the week, write a shopping list, and then, when the coffees have been drunk, into the grocery store we go.

Caught in a rainstorm

Yesterday we had a surprise rainstorm while Jambin was outside playing on the deck. I've been disappointed that he won't get to experience the thrill of running through sprinklers on a hot summer's day, due to Brisbane's water restrictions, but this was even better - Heaven's sprinkler!!

 

 

Pregnancy Update

So, I'm 13 weeks 5 days along. A few more days and I'll be entering my second trimester. I'm still nauseous almost every morning, but have only thrown up twice, which is excellent compared with my pregnancy with Jambin, where I threw up daily (and sometimes off the train platform on the way to work). I still can't do the washing up without gagging - which is slightly problematic because our dishwasher has gone belly-up, and we can't afford to replace it at the moment.

I had an appointment with the midwife at the hospital where I've booked in last week. Do you remember how I mentioned that I was measuring 2 days ahead at my 8 week scan .... Well, according to my fundal height, I'm now measuring about a week ahead. I know, I know, measurements are often wrong. But given my history of having a ginormous baby, and 2 measurements taken with different methods by different people in different hospitals, I'm starting to prepare myself for having another toddler-sized newborn.

The plan at this stage is to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean). I'm not sure whether that will happen or not, as I feel that the internal tearing of my stitches after the caesarean with Jambin may have compromised my scar integrity. The spot where the stitches tore has been painful since he was born, and now that everything is stretching and growing in my pelvis, it's giving me even more trouble. If it turns out I'm at a high risk of uterine rupture (not just the average risk associated with a VBAC), then I'm not going to push the issue. I guess that makes me a traitor to the natural birth cause, but I'm far, far more concerned about breastfeeding working out this time around than I am about 'achieving' a natural birth.

If I did have to have a repeat c/s, I'm going to ask that I be allowed to go into labour naturally first, so that I will have some of the hormonal changes to help with getting breastfeeding working from the beginning. I'm also going to ask that I be allowed to wear my glasses. My surgeon last time wore his glasses, and I'm 99% sure they didn't autoclave them first, so I can't see any reason why I can't wear mine. I'm blind as a bat without them, which makes me feel a bit vulnerable.

What else .... Jambin has started patting my belly and saying "baby", and even though he knows what 'baby' means, I'm pretty sure he has no real idea that I'm growing one.
I'm tired, so very tired. Growing a baby and parenting an active toddler is exhausting. I've also been working 2-3 days a week, and getting out the door just about does me in.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday & Tuesday - Fajitas
Wednesday & Thursday - Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup (by popular demand from Gareth, even though it's a Winter recipe, and it's far too hot to be eating spicy soup at this time of year)
Friday - BBQ steak, sausages, onions, mushrooms and potato salad.
Saturday - BBQ fish, prawns, and green salad.
Sunday - hopefully either Gareth's or my parents (who are both staying with us this weekend) will be able to babysit Jambin so that Gareth and I can go out to dinner to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary.

I'm trying to use up some ingredients in my cupboard, and I'm still feeling that first trimester tiredness, so I'm doubling up on meals to cut down on night-time cooking. I gave my fridge a really good clean-out this afternoon. It was starting to look a little bit scary (and furry!!). I'm grocery shopping this afternoon, so it will be nice to arrive home and be able to put the cold things in the fridge without playing Food Tetris to fit everything in, and trying to avoid aforementioned furry things.

There's only one!

Only one baby in there, looking very healthy and heart beating strongly. My estimated due date is 6th May 2009. I'm relieved it's not twins. Our car isn't big enough for 3 carseats, our house isn't big enough for 3 small children, and I'm pretty sure I don't have the calm and ever-patient temperament to be a mum of twins. There was always a chance when we had 2 embryos transferred with the IVF cycle, but it's worked out for the best. We still have 7 embryos frozen, which we will use when we're ready to start thinking about #3.

So one it is. 17mm long. Measuring 8weeks 2 days, which is 2-3 days ahead. I'm not sure how accurate the dating is at this age, but I'm hoping I'm not going to have another monster baby like Jambin was - 4860g, or 10lbs 11 and a half oz. I'm trying for a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean), and I would prefer not to be squeezing out an 11-pounder.

Announcing ....

Two new additions to our family.

1. Our Deck.
Only partially finished in the picture below, but currently is fully surrounded by handrails that will prevent small children dropping off the precipice. It still needs a roof, which should be going on sometime over the next few weeks.

2. I'm 8 weeks pregnant with baby #2!!
Looks like our IVF cycle this time around worked. I got the positive blood test around 4 weeks ago, and my beta HCG was 271, which my fertility specialist's office described as "strongly positive". It was definitely much higher than my blood test with Jambin, at around the same timeframe. I have my first obstetrician appointment tomorrow - hopefully he'll do a scan so that we can confirm there's only one baby growing in there.

UFO Update #4 / Flower Garden Knee Quilt

It's finished! And I'm so, so happy with it. The pattern was from a Patchwork & Quilting magazine from about 4 years ago. The quilt I started at Christmas-time nearly 3 years ago. The patchwork squares are machine-pieced; the flowers squares are hand-appliqued; the actual quilting is done by hand also.

When I started it, I thought it was a bed-sized quilt and didn't realise it was going to be so small. But it's perfect. Just perfect.

UFO List:
1. Cloth bum wipes
2. Cloth nappies - Cuddlebuns
3. Cloth mama pads
4. Flower garden knee quilt
5. English patchwork knee quilt
6. Japanese fabric quilt
7. Wheat harvesting cross-stitch
8. Watering can of flowers cross-stitch
9. Knitted longies - green
10. Knitted longies - red
11. Boxer shorts for Gareth
12. Ankle length pink skirt
13. Curtains for Jambin's playroom
14. Curtains for my outdoor office
15. Bibs

Vocabulary of a 16-month old

In order of frequency, from most uttered to least:

Dog

Hot

Cold

Poo

More

Gone

He also started to shake his head 'no' a week ago, and today nodded 'yes' for the first time.

So far, neither Gareth nor I have won the "is he going to say Mama or Dada first?" race!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Chilli con Carne

Tuesday - Sweet and sour chicken stir-fry with snow peas and pineapple

Wednesday - Chicken with green peppercorns

Thursday - Leftovers from Tuesday and Wednesday nights

Friday - Beef and mushroom ragout (slow cooker) with cauliflower bake

Saturday - Chicken curry (slow cooker) with rice and pappadums

Sunday - Toasted sandwiches

Homemaking Is An Art

After my last post, a little bit of inspiration that I found on someone else's blog:

"Homemaking is an art, and you have the privilege of expressing and developing all your talents there in a little place called home. You get to build...beautify... organize...create...fuss...express yourself. You get to read and study and grow and master nutrition, finances, horticulture, design, wardrobe, etc. And you also get to shape your children, to give their precious lives a bent toward God. To nurture their souls with the good things of God. To pass on the truth about Jesus to one more generation. And to do so means you've got to be dedicated, organized, and a woman of purpose. And you've got to have the spunk and energy to follow through on all the dedication, organization, and purpose that answering God's high calling to homemaking requires."

--Elizabeth George, A Woman's High Calling

Will my house ever be clean again?

This is the mess Jambin created in the time it took me to brush my teeth. Lest you think I am a dental hygiene freak, I can assure you that I only spend a few minutes on my pearly whites morning and night. I don't even floss and gargle every time. If I'm being honest, I will admit that I don't even floss and gargle on a monthly basis, which is probably why my dentist gave me quote recently for the work I need doing, and it amounts to just over $600.

It's not that I have terribly high standards of house cleanliness, but I do like to be able to walk down the hallway without tripping over things, and when I cook, it's nice to be able to take the ingredients and utensils out of cupboards and drawers, instead of picking them up off the floor.

Tidying is tricky. Jambin immediately wants to play with (i.e. distribute throughout the house) anything that I touch. So by virtue of that, anything that I touch to tidy away, automatically becomes his new favourite toy, to be discarded only when I touch something else in a pointless effort to create some semblence of order. You can see where I'm going with this .....

I've done a lot of thinking about this, and as far as I can tell, the only solution is to massively declutter the amount of stuff we own. Less stuff = less things for Jambin to take out of cupboards = less things for me to put back into cupboards. Jambin is a whirlwind of never-ceasing activity - that's just his temperament and I can't see it changing in the short term, so I need to change either (1) the home environment or (2) my reaction to the mess or (3) both.

Savoury Muffins

I made a batch of these today, and they've already been demolished by Gareth, Jambin and myself. I've adapted this from a zucchini slice recipe given to me by Deb, a friend in my mum's group. It's super easy, yummy, and can be easily adapted to use up any leftover veges in the fridge.

Ingredients

* 2 carrots, grated and excess liquid removed

* 1 zucchini, grated and excess liquid removed

* Kernals from 1 corn cob (or 2 handfuls frozen corn kernals)

* 1 onion

* 6 eggs

½ cup oil

1 cup self-raising flour

1 cup grated cheese

4 bacon rashers (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Mix all ingredients together, no need to sift the flour.

Place spoonfuls into greased muffin tray. They don't rise much during cooking, so fill the muffin cup nearly to the top. Try using mini-,muffin trays to make small ones for toddlers - my son loves these.

Bake in a moderate oven for approximately 25 mins.

Eat warm or cool - they're yummy either way

Ingredients with an asterix (*) beside them came out of my Food Connect box.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Grilled barramundi with chips

Tuesday - Minestrone with homemade bread

Wednesday - Chilli con Carne with corn chips

Thursday - Chicken teriyaki with rice noodles

Friday - Leftovers or takeaway Indian curry

Saturday - Tuna and tumeric rice

Sunday - Steak with fried eggs and spicy carrot salad

Menu Plan Monday

Okay, I know it's Tuesday, but I didn't get a chance to post this yesterday lol. My in-laws left yesterday morning, after spending a week staying here, helping us build a new set of front steps, so I only have to plan for 3 people this week.

Our Menu Plan for this week is as follows:

Monday - Tacos

Tuesday - Chickpea, lentil and butter bean soup

Wednesday - Minestrone with homemade bread

Thursday - Chicken paprika with rice

Friday - Chicken paprika with rice (leftovers)

Saturday - Spaghetti bolonaise

Sunday - Toasted sandwiches

UFO Update #3 / Knitted Longies

Knitted green longies, which are water-resistant by virture of being made of 100% wool. I can use these over fitted nappies, or even terry towelling flats, WITHOUT needing to use a cover.

This is the first thing I've ever knitted, and I'm so happy with how they turned out. I *think* one leg is slightly longer than the other, but it must be because my stitches were slightly tighter on one side, because I've recounted and there are definitely the same number of rows in each leg.

When I finished knitting these, I immediately started knitting another pair, in Woolganics organic wool, coloured Chile (deep, dark red), just so that I don't forget what to do. I'm going too knit a pair for a friend in my mum's group too, for her daughter Niamh.


UFO List:
1. Cloth bum wipes
2. Cloth nappies - Cuddlebuns
3. Cloth mama pads
4. Flower garden knee quilt
5. English patchwork knee quilt
6. Japanese fabric quilt
7. Wheat harvesting cross-stitch
8. Watering can of flowers cross-stitch
9. Knitted longies - green
10. Knitted longies - red
11. Boxer shorts for Gareth
12. Ankle length pink skirt
13. Curtains for Jambin's playroom
14. Curtains for my outdoor office
15. Bibs

My love affair with a mixmaster

Gareth and my in-laws bought me this for a birthday gift a few years ago, alone with some matching pink utensils (of course!). I love it. It gives me joy to look at it sitting on my kitchen bench. And because it's not tucked away in a cupboard, I use it a lot. Yesterday I decided to make cupcakes on a whim .... 15 mins later they were in the oven. If I had to dig through my crowded cupboards to get a mixer or electric beaters out, I can pretty much guarantee than those cupcakes we had for dessert last night would not have been baked. It's got a bread hook attachment which I've never used, mostly because I like to make my bread by hand. But it's nice to know that it's there if I ever feel the urge to use it.

My gorgeous boy

 

14 months old

UFO Update #2 / Cloth Bum Wipes

I've finished making 14 cloth bum wipes. One side is flannelette, the other side is terry towelling. I may make more with any fabric scraps left over from my nappy-making, but 14 plus the 8 Swaddlebees ones that I already own is a good start.

UFO List:

1.Cloth bum wipes
2. Cloth nappies - Cuddlebuns
3. Cloth mama pads
4. Flower garden knee quilt
5. English patchwork knee quilt
6. Japanese fabric quilt
7. Wheat harvesting cross-stitch
8. Watering can of flowers cross-stitch
9. Knitted longies - green
10. Knitted longies - red and purple
11. Boxer shorts for Gareth
12. Ankle length pink skirt
13. Curtains for Jambin's playroom
14. Curtains for my outdoor office
15. Bibs

Baking Bread

I've been baking a lot of bread lately, from scratch and using my own two hands, not a bread machine. There is something so very cathartic about kneading yeasty dough which will eventually become warm, fragrant food for my family. It seems like such an indulgence to take the time to make something that can so easily be bought, but there must be some benefit to eating food that has been made by hand, not machine.

The recipe I'm using is from Nigella Lawson's How To Be A Domestic Goddess cookbook. I love this book. It's everything I am striving to be.

Reading List from Good Reading Magazine May 08

I know, I know .... two very similar posts in a row. But I borrowed both issues of Good Reading from the library at the same time and they're both due back today.

Books I'd like to read from this month's issue:

"The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran
"A Novel In A Year" by Louise Doughty
"The Outcast" by Sadie Jones
"Disquiet" by Julia Leigh
"Mutiny On The Bounty" by John Boyne
"Blasphemy" by Douglas Preston
"God Without Religion" by Sankara Saranam
"Leaf" by Stephen Michael King (a children's book without words)

Reading List from Good Reading Magazine April 08

I love this magazine. It always gives me a huge list of books that I'd like to read, which, of course, I never get read before the next issue of Good Reading is released.

Books I'd like to read from this month's issue:

"The Death Chamber" by Sarah Rayne (actually, any of Sarah Rayne's books. She's a new author to me, but sounds right up my alley)
"The Double Bind" by Chris Bohjalian (also a good bookclub book)
"Genesis" by Bernard Beckett (a young adult fiction book about the future)
"Life In His Hands: the true story of a neurosurgeon and a pianist" by Susan Wyndham
"Woman of Clay" by Bernadette Raymond O'Connor
"What Was Lost" by Catherine O'Flynn
"Addition" by Toni Jordan
"Brida" by Paulo Coelho
"Still Waters" by Camilla Noli
"The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness" by Colin Thompson (a children's book)
"Boot Camp" by Todd Strasser"

Food Connect

I have recently become aware of the concept of community supported agriculture (CSA), which involves a partnership between farmers and buyers to produce and consume local, environmentally sustainable food. So, after a bit of googling, I came across Food Connect, a CSA organisation in my local area. They describe themselves as "a dynamic, farmer direct, community food distribution enterprise operating in South East Queensland. We provide genuine food for families, a decent living for farmers, support the nurturing of the land and the establishment of local community networks."

I signed up for a 4 week subscription, which I have just renewed. I have been very impressed with the quality and quantity of the fruit, vegetables and herbs provided. 80% of the produce is certified organic, 10% is in conversion and 10% use environmentally sustainable practices. Because all of the produce is seasonal, I have been so excited about using different fruits and vegetables and planning my meals around what arrives in my box each Thursday. I've even frozen some leftovers (e.g. grated zucchini) so that I can use those vegetables when they are no longer in season, which paying exorbitant prices at the grocery store.

UFO Update #1 / Boxer Shorts

Yesterday I finished sewing Gareth’s boxer shorts from Simplicity Pattern #9958. It was generally an easy pattern to follow, although I did seem to misread the instructions for the fly …. mine turned into a false fly after I sewed both flaps together. I’ve re-read the pattern and I’m sure I’ve done what is written, but I’m also certain it’s not supposed to be a false fly as there would have been a much simpler way of creating it if it wasn’t designed to be put into use.
I made a size S for Gareth which is plenty big enough. He could probably fit into an XS. When he tried them on he told me they felt a little ‘plume-y’ compared with some of his store-bought boxers, but then he also said he liked that he could squat, walk, ride a bike etc without them riding up too high.

I’m planning on making him at least another 6 pairs, probably more. And then I’m going to try adapting the pattern slightly to make some for me - I’ll probably make the rise a little lower since I like to wear my pants on my hips (and underneath my baby belly overhang) and the leg length a little shorter.

UFO List:

1. Cloth bum wipes
2. Cloth nappies - Cuddlebuns
3. Cloth mama pads
4. Flower garden knee quilt
5. English patchwork knee quilt
6. Japanese fabric quilt
7. Wheat harvesting cross-stitch
8. Watering can of flowers cross-stitch
9. Knitted longies - green
10. Knitted longies - red and purple
11. Boxer shorts for Gareth
12. Ankle-length pink skirt
13. Curtains for Jambin's playroom
14. Curtains for my outdoor office
15. Bibs

UFO's

.... also know as unfinished objects, in the arty-crafty world I inhabit.
Sadly, I have many, many unfinished objects. Far too many to list. But in the interests of having some level of accountability for working my way through them, here is a small selection:

1. Cloth bum wipes
2. Cloth nappies - Cuddlebuns
3. Cloth mama pads
4. Flower garden knee quilt
5. English patchwork knee quilt
6. Japanese fabric quilt
7. Wheat harvesting cross-stitch
8. Watering can of flowers cross-stitch
9. Knitted longies - green
10. Knitted longies - red and purple
11. Boxer shorts for Gareth
12. Ankle-length pink skirt
13. Curtains for Jambin's playroom
14. Curtains for my outdoor office
15. Bibs

Learning to walk

 

 

 

So far, Jambin can take 10-15 steps unassisted, usually only if he is being coaxed, although he took a few steps on his own initiative today for the first time.

These photos are taken in the Pine Rivers Park at Brendale, an awesome park with an enclosed playground and lots of nice grassy areas for picnics.

Knitting is for Cool People!

Hahaha .... I borrowed the title of this post from a Facebook group that I noticed last night.

I have never been a knitter. To be honest, I've always previously thought it was a bit pointless. I mean, who wears knitted stuff? What's the point of knitting things that nobody will ever wear?

Well, my eyes have been opened. It all started when I decided I wanted to knit a pair of longies for Jambin, to cover his fitted cloth nappies. My good friend Shannon, who is a self-taught knitter (she attributes this to much video-watching on Knitting Help) is giving me one-on-one instruction in the art of longie-knitting and .... I'm hooked. I feel like knitting is now part of my identity. I could easily become obsessed by this and start acquiring huge stashes of yarn and needles. This is dangerous. I need another craft like I need a hole in the head. But it has begun. I've already begun borrowing knitting books out of the library, reading The Friday Night Knitting Club (such a beautiful book!), bookmarking knitting books on Fishpond online bookstore, such as this and this and this, reading knitting blogs such as the Yarn Harlot, and siging up to Ravelry, an online knit and crochet community (BTW my username on Ravelry is Charys).

This photo is the beginning of my knitting career. I've cast on and knitted 4 rows. I'm using Addi Turbo circular needles, which I'm in love with. I may never pick up a pair of straight needles ever again, although Shannon tells me that I'll need to use double-pointed needles to knit socks, which is my next project