First school photos

Well, not school really, but these are Thomas' first official photos from childcare.



I think we'll have to order copies for the Grandparents.



And here is a slightly less formal photo taken this morning in his jammies, when he decided that he wanted to walk in Daddy's shoes.

Nothing else to show I'm afraid, it has been very busy at work, and Thomas has been teething (finally getting some molars) so we haven't been getting much sleep. So hard to get up in the middle of the night when it is freezing - I guess I'd better get used to it again! Still, I'm glad its the weekend, and nice and sunny, and I've sent my last book chapter off to the reviewers for work, so I can relax for a little while.

We had our 20 week scan, and all is very well with sprog no 2. I found out the sex of the bub, but am sworn to absolute secrecy because Warren doesn't want to know yet. I have a feeling this will be a very hard secret to keep, I'm already bursting to tell him, but will have to restrain myself. I'm now feeling lots of kicking and moving around, which is a very lovely part of pregnancy, and makes it feel much more real.

I'm getting very interested in quilting again but will have to finish off the long standing work in progress (oh dear that was over a year ago!) before I can justify buying any more fabric. Perhaps we could just have a little browse at the fabric shop this weekend though!

This little piggy...

... is finally finished! After a long search I found the joints and snapped him together so he has moveable arms and legs. I have to confess there was some (ok lots of) swearing involved at certain points, they were much trickier than I thought to put in, trying to snap them together through two layers of knitting.

This means that he can sit down when he gets a bit tired. He has very odd little bowed legs, and his top looks like it has shrunk in the wash, but does have a certain rakish charm.

The back view with his tail poking through a hole in the pants.

He is from a pattern in this women's weekly craft book - I recommend it if you can find it, as it has a lot of nice things, even though the knitting patterns assume a fair amount of competence, and took a bit of figuring out.

Sun, sea, kangaroos and carrots

We had a lovely time on holidays at the Gold Coast. The weather was perfect, warm but not too hot, and just right for sandcastles and paddling.



It was so nice just to put on a summer dress again and enjoy the last of the warm days. I am feeling fantastic now that the nausea of the first trimester is all over. It is great just waking up without feeling sick, and I'm grateful for it every day. I think this is week 17, but I keep losing track. I just know that I am already the size of a house.



We avoided the big theme parks, but went to Currumbin nature sanctuary which was wonderful, Thomas had a fabulous time riding on the little train, and seeing koalas, Tassie devils, wombats and lots of birds. We even got to pat and feed a mother kangaroo and her little joeys.



We had a few days in Sydney staying with my parents and, catching up with some friends and relatives. Our friend Lamorna has a great veggie garden, and Thomas was amazed to see that carrots really grow in the ground.



Here he is in a very cute jumper my mum knitted for him. Check out those pom poms!

I have been busy knitting one of the three little pigs, but have had trouble finding the plastic joints required by the pattern, so it might take a while to get it finished. At the moment it is a dismembered piggy body in a plastic bag, not quite worthy of a photo!

Now I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home, sorting out all our chaos, and perhaps some fireworks (I still can't believe Canberra still lets us set these off ourselves!). Happy long weekend everyone!

hello little elephant

Just a brief post to introduce this little fellow. He has gone to a good home with a beautiful newborn boy, and I had to take a quick photo this morning. He is from this book, and is nice and quick to knit, although a bit fiddly to make up - for some reason you knit the feet separately, like little cupcakes, and then attach them to the suit!

We're off on holidays on Friday, hooray! Hoping for some nice weather.

Birthday treats

Last week was my 35th birthday - scary stuff! Still I had a lovely day and was thoroughly spoiled by Warren, with gorgeous flowers, dinner and some books from my wish list. The paper cutouts is particularly inspiring, full of wonderful bold folk inspired designs in a single colour which of course are great as papercuts (must get myself a scalpel!) but could also work as screenprints or perhaps jewellery designs. The itty bitty nursery book is also gorgeous, with lots of very cute things to knit.



The Russian textiles book is a gift from my mum, mouthwatering textile designs which are quite unique and combine a kind of folk feel with eastern decoration. So much inspiration in these three books, I am just waiting for some more quiet time to curl up with them.



This beautiful elephant cushion was a gift from a friend, Thomas loves it too.



And finally, arriving amazingly enough on my birthday, beautifully wrapped and with a gorgeous card, were these stunning oven mitts from Lily. They are even more beautiful up close, meticulously sewn, with another lovely matching fabric for the lining. I proudly used them for the roast when Warren's dad came over for lunch yesterday, and they are a lovely addition to our kitchen. Thanks sooo much Lily!



Here is rainbow baby doll no 2. I think I now have these out of my system, but I am working on a little elephant. I do like having knitting to pick up when I collapse in front of the tv at the end of the day.



It has been a busy and sociable week for us, hosting mother's group (here is Thomas looking enchanted by a recent arrival), having friends to stay for a few days, and Warren's dad and his partner visiting. We also have a family wedding next weekend and we are off to the Gold Coast for a few days to thaw out from Canberra's chilly weather. I am so looking forward to a change of scene, I can't wait.

I also have my first meeting with my midwife tomorrow - this time round I'm going through the birth centre rather than the hospital so I think I see one midwife for the rest of the pregnancy and labour (although I still have to deliver in the hospital because I had a caesar last time). I'm hoping this time round that we might have a more natural birth, and that the baby will stay put until the due date, but we will have to wait and see.

Rainbow baby doll 1

Thank you so much for all your very lovely comments on the pregnancy - we are very thrilled, although sometimes I think we must be mad to do it all again!



Here is my first attempt at a rainbow baby doll. Quite addictive to knit something that is so quick to make up - a couple of evenings (for me as a very slow knitter) rather than the usual weeks for a garment. I can definitely feel another one coming on! They would be good for a baby toy, as no small parts to come off and get swallowed - even the pompom is knitted as part of the hat, and the pattern is super easy.



Thomas quite likes it too, not that you could tell from this photo!

I also found out that I am the very, very lucky winner of Lily's blog giveaway, the most beautiful oven mitts made from Denyse Schmidt fabric. I just love them, I can't tell you how thrilled I am!

I must be on a winning streak lately, as I also won Leah's gorgeous knitted washcloth and soap a few weeks ago. Usually I never win anything (really!) so perhaps its time to get a lottery ticket! I must definitely do a giveaway myself soon too, to reciprocate all this kindness, so stay tuned.

Up the duff

You have probably already guessed by now, but the reason I've been so sick for the last couple of months is that we are expecting another baby. Although if you look at the ultrasound photos from my 12 week scan yesterday, it looks more like we will have a little alien, or perhaps a seal pup. These pictures are always hard to decipher, but if you look closely you can see the alien face in frontal view and hands (or are they flippers?) on either side of its head. The little peanut was very unco-operative with the scan, jumping about all over the place and the poor techician was there forever trying to get the right angles, but it seems that everything is developing fine.



Funnily enough, we have been given exactly the same due date as for Thomas, (12 November) two years later, so there must be something special about the date both were concieved!

Anyway, luckily the all day nausea seems to be gradually subsiding, and I am feeling more human again. Thank goodness as I need all my energy to cope with Thomas, who is getting more and more adventurous and mischevious by the day.



He is also going through a sudden burst of separation anxiety, so leaving him at childcare three days a week has become an exercise in guilt. His carers reassure me that he stops crying as soon as I leave, but it still feels awful to put him through this. It would be nice to have the option not to work, but as well as preserving some of my sanity, at the moment we would really struggle without my income. I guess it's a very common dilemma, but no easier because of that.

On the creative side, I'm easing myself back into knitting with this rainbow doll pattern (a free pattern from Jean Greenhowe - not the eggs - keep scrolling down to the bottom - but check out those mini knitted cakes and sandwiches too!) which reminds me of some beautiful knitted dolls my mum made for us years ago. I'm not so keen on the super bright colours, but am experimenting with leftover scraps from the knitting I did for Thomas last year.

newborn wrap top

It's the baby shower today, and I got inspired to make a top to match the little booties.

I worked out the pattern from an old top of Thomas' with some modifications, and making it much smaller. The wraps are secured with a press stud on the outside and a button and elastic loop on the inside. I'm pleased with the result and that I used only stuff we already had, some organic cotton I'd bought ages ago, and I made some bias binding from a Japanese chirimen cloth - one of several I'd bought in Tokyo years ago and have been hoarding ever since.

The only downside is my dodgy sewing skills, so that up close the stitching on the slippery bias binding leaves a bit to be desired, especially on the back. Anyway, it definitely has that handmade touch!



Here it is all wrapped up and ready to go.

Bitty booties

These are the bitty booties from Heather Bailey's pattern. They are very quick and straightforward and very tiny! At least the 0-3 month size is.



They aren't lined, so are made with just two pieces each, plus embellishments. It is hard to believe that little feet will really fit into these, but I always forget how tiny newborns are.

I think when I make these again, I might try lining them, and perhaps think about some kind of elastic closure to make sure they stay on.

Still, a good exercise for getting back into making things and turning the sewing machine back on.

Mr Sandman

Just a quick post to thank everyone for your lovely comments, so nice to have all that support out there from you wonderful creative women. I am still under the weather, but I have a good friend who is having a baby very soon, so I am feeling the need to make something quick and fun - Heather Bailey's bitty booties look like they might fit the bill, I'll let you know how I get on.





We finally got around to getting a little sandpit for the backyard for Thomas, just one of those clamshell types. At the moment our sandplay is not very sophisticated, just filling a bucket or flowerpot with the shovel, but it still provides lots of amusement.

Thanks again for all your kind words and thoughts.