Where I am Today - Good Golly!!

Hello lovely ladies! What are you up to this gorgeously lonnnnng weekend? Me?

Doing

Assembling Fern's (sniff) first big girl's bed (a vintage-y daybed) and pulling out a rather large camelia to make way for a CUBBY HOUSE!! Oh, and jumping in puddles - it's raining men! 

Me 'n' Ferny getting down and dirty in our gum booties!
That there is my 6-week-post-baby bump and I don't reckon I'm doing too badly...
all those spin classes are starting pay off!

Eating

 Scrumptious fish and chippies

Listening to

 Angus & Julia Stone

Watching

The Blindside (wow, who knew Sandra Bullock could act?)

... and laughing at myself as I revisit my labour in a guest post over at the hilarious Holly Homemaker! If you havn't already read my story, read it here! Can you believe its been 6 weeks since I gave birth to the gorgeous Elliott, I certainly can't... ps. Holly's blog never fails to induce a belly-laugh, so if you havn't yet visited her, do yourself a favour!!
xo

Elliott's Birth Announcement...

Elliott's Birth Announcement originally uploaded by pinkorchid_designs.

What do you think? I looked everywhere for unique card designs and finally found this one on Etsy. I'm having the announcements printed this week and sending them out thereafter... I just love the modern design and bright colours and can't wait to see them on cardstock! Yayee!

ps. Do you like the photo? I took it myself -- but getting a newborn baby nude and snapping his pic while he wees all over the couch and squirms uncomfortably is much more difficult than the professionals make it look! Note to self: next time call in the reinforcements!

'The Accidental Earth Mother' or...Little Elliott's Birth Story

It was the world's shortest labour... or the longest. Depends on how you look at it. It all began on the Friday, when I woke up with mild 'period' pain and a feeling that something might be happening. Or at least imminent.

I was a little put out, to be honest; bubby wasn't due for another week and I had important stuff to do... you know, like get my hair cut and my toes done and so on. Throughout that Friday I continued to feel very mild pain but it was sporadic and by Saturday morning... gone. The scare was enough to get me finally packing bags though, and probably about time! Sunday morning I woke up and tore the house apart - cleaning the architraves with a toothbrush and the like. Not really normal behaviour. Then, I decided it was the perfect occasion to test out my new bike, despite the fact that pregnancy had kept me off the bike for the last 8 months. I rode the couple of km's to a new art/craft market like an old lady, perched uncomfortably upright. I had lunch there - some vegetarian Turkish Gozleme (yum!). When I got home, I made another lunch. I couldn't stop eating - I was a human vacuum in that last couple of weeks.

Then, I drove to a friend's baby shower. Ate my own body weight in cake. Chatted to the girls. And on the way home, I stopped in at another party - Fern's cousin's 5th birthday party - just to say hello. We went home and started preparing dinner as a friend was coming over. I whipped up a chocolate and pear pudding while my husband worked the barbeque. And then, after dinner, I realised the pains had started again.

And that they were much closer together than they had been on the Friday previous.

I still wasn't in any great pain, but something told me that something was going on. I phoned the hospital and explained my symptoms and agreed to call back in a couple of hours if things changed. I then got into my trackies and decided to go for a walk. About 500m into it, I about faced and came home. Something wasn't right. I phoned the hospital again on a gut instinct and asked if I could just pop in and find out whether I was even in labour or whether this was just braxton hicks I was experiencing.

Our friend agreed to stay while we drove to the hospital so we wouldnt have to drag Fern there with us. It was after 8.30pm by this stage and she had long since gone to bed. I packed the dishwasher calmly, finished packing my bags, and got into the car. "I'll be back in an hour!" I promised our friend....

When we got to the maternity ward, I felt a bit like the boy who cried wolf. Sure, I had some pains but there were no contractions, as such. What if this was all in my imagination? The nurse led me into one of the birthing suites and hooked me up to a monitor, to determine whether it was real contractions I was experiencing. While I lay there, I realised that this was the very suite I had been in when in labour with Fern - when it all went horribly pear-shaped and ended (eventually) in an emergency caesar. Oh god, if I was in labour, I couldn't do it in this room again, could I??

Am I even in labour??

I lay quietly for half an hour, watching the monitor. I could see the little graph recording the pains I was having and watched the numbers rise with each (contraction?!) I realised the pains were coming very regularly now, about every couple of minutes. The nurse then did an internal examination and pronounced me 4cm dilated.

I was officially in labour! The nurse suggested we make arrangements for Fern because I wouldn't be going home that night. But I wasn't ready! What about my hair appointment the next day? And it was late (after 10.30pm at this point) and I was tired. Couldn't I come back and do it in the morning?

The midwife rolled out the guest couch and suggested we get some sleep. Was she kidding? My husband thought it a great idea and invited me over for a snuggle. Um, I don't think so! I needed to wrap my head around having a baby in the next 24 hours and I lay on the birthing bed practicing my breathing (oops never quite got around to listening to that Calm Birthing CD a friend lent me during the lead-up, guess its a bit late now) as the pains got a little more intense. The nurse came back after about an hour and suggested I have a shower.

After a quick splash I realised I wasn't really enjoying the experience (no water birth for me!) and returned to bed. At this point in my story, things get a little hazy in my memory...

The nurse did another internal exam and pronounced me still 4cm dilated. By now, my contractions were painful enough that I couldnt talk through them and I didnt think I could keep labouring to the end without drugs, glorious drugs. I'm not brave, I don't wear pain like a badge of honour, and I saw no need to continue hours of pain when it could be avoided with one mildly scary needle! I ordered my Epidural and the nurse left the room to make the necessary calls. It was after 12am by this point.

And then, everything sort of sped up. The pain, manageable up until this point, intensified and all of a sudden my waters broke. I almost needed a life raft, there was so much fluid! The nurse commented that "oh good, things might happen a bit faster now!" and then I found myself in a sea of pain wishing somebody would drown me and put me out of my misery...

The anaethesist arrived and started asking me questions. I could only stare at her -- did it look like I could hold a conversation JUST GET ME THOSE DRUGS ALREADY!!!

Manoeuvring myself to the edge of the bed for the needle to be inserted, I felt foggy and sick. And in waaaay too much pain. I started to cry. And then, I felt this overwhelming and undeniable urge to PUSH and I completely lost the plot.

OMG this could not be happening... I was only 4cm dilated. Wasn't I??? I watched in horror as the anaethesist disappeared (along with my drugs) from the room like a ship passing a flailing lifeboat. Trolleys and instruments and nurses appeared from nowhere and, as I unabashedly and uncontrollably screeched blue murder (we've talked about my intolerance to pain!) they crowded around my business end and ordered me to PUSH! And I pushed. I pushed so hard I thought my eyeballs would pop. I pushed so hard, my insides DID pop. Out. Another story entirely. But I got to that ring-of-fire (those of you that have done this will know the ring of fire all too well) and everything inside me screamed to stop right there. I begged anyone listening to let me come back tomorrow to try again. I couldnt do this, dammit!

What's the definition of relief??

The nurses hoisted my legs up into the air and, in a short break from my shouting ordered me in no uncertain terms to PUSH THROUGH THE BURN!!" And I pushed. And pushed. And screamed and cried some more. And no, I didnt want to feel the head as it came out, I didn't even want to look at this thing, possibly for the rest of my life for putting me through this much hell.

But then, at 1.02am the head of my baby finally descended. And I felt the rest of the body slither out quickly thereafter. And then it was on my stomach, this foreign, grey, crying thing. My baby. Our baby. A boy.

I was in way too much shock to process the baby immediately; and not quite distracted enough not to notice the needle and thread entering my nether regions. Stitches?!? I could.not.believe. I had just had a baby. Without drugs! Me!

Ok, I think I can look at you now, boy-o!

And the rest? Well, the rest is yet to come. Our baby-o is home now and I've decided to speak to him after all. The pain is all but a distant memory... though not yet distant enough to make me feel I ever want to repeat the experience! But what an incredible experience! I have realised that childbirth is an incredibly miraculous feat any which way it happens. And Im so proud of myself for having done it. Welcome to the world, little Elliott -- can't wait to see what the future holds for us! x

ps. Remember this post about the superfluous labour bag? Well, this time it didnt even get opened. No one read my birth plan. I didn't suck on Chiccos. My feet were not cold enough to require slippers. Next time (not that there will be a next time!) Im not even taking a bag! At all! ;)

And Bubby Makes Four... Introducing Elliott Daniel!

He's here... the teeny weeny, marshmallow-scented, satin-skinned, fluffy haired piece of perfection I never knew I desperately always wanted.

Until now.

Our son!

Eliott Daniel Cleary was born into the world at 1.02am on Monday, August 23. His weight was 7lb6 and his length was 50cm and he is so adorably little that I want to take a knife and fork and literally gobble him up!

The birth itself I'll share with you in a little more detail tomorrow if you are interested (I love hearing other people's birth stories!) but suffice to say it was full of intrigue... mystery... suspense... comedy... drama... thrill... and a little romance. Just like any good movie oooops I mean birth story!

A son! I'm not sure why I'm surprised - there was always a 50% chance of having one, but I come from breeding stock that tends to make girls. So when Elliott popped out, I had a slight moment of shock! Actually if I'm honest, the first day was sort of a hazy blur and I couldn't quite process my new baby at all. I stared at him through the side of his clear capsule with a kind of bewilderment. Who was this little creature with my name around his wrist? But then, somewhere in the dark hours of that first night - alone, just him and me in our hospital room... I fell in love.

It happened for no reason. Although he wasn't crying, I got the urge to lift Elliott out of his capsule and bury my nose into his soft dark hair. He hadn't had a bath yet; how could he smell so cookies-out-of-the-oven good? And my heart swelled beyond the infinite love I already held for my daughter and stretched into unknown realms. I realised I loved this person and would protect him until the day I died. And, that first night, a bond was tied between us, forever.

Here's our first 'family portrait' - snapped a few hours after Elliott's birth. Fern was fairly non-plussed, more fascinated with playing with my hospital tags and hiding in the curtains than adoring her little brother!

There were a few heart-melting moments though...

... and the 'gift' from her little brother worked a treat!

Wondering about our choice of name? Well, we deliberated for ages and came up with some pretty slim pickings on boys names. We liked 'Atticus' until some girls in my mothers group unknowingly bagged the name (not knowing it was my top contender!) and put me off it. Aside from that, Elliott really was the only name we both liked that seemed both fairly unique and 'normal' and sat well with 'Fern'. His middle name is my husband's name, it was important to Dan and I didn't mind - actually, Dan can't understand why i didn't want Fern's middle name to be Nicole! Hers is 'Lucinda', if you are interested.

Elliott likes:

- Being all warm and cocooned in blankets

- Mummy's milk

- Cuddles

Elliott dislikes:

- Having his nappy changed

- Being cold

- Being naked in general

- Baths (he wonders why he has to get naked for such an event?)

And mummy? Mummy loves everything about her little boy-o so far. And it all seems easier second time around. He sleeps and eats when he's supposed to and rarely cries in between. Even the night feeds seem marginally less evil than the first time, and although I'm a wee bit tired, I'm coping much better than I thought I would! Now, I just need to work out how to get dressed before 10am, how to get two bubs in and out of the car and leave the house generally and handle Elliott'd boy-bits with a touch more confidence and I'll nominate myself for mother of the year!

I've missed you all, can't wait to catch up on all your blogs... x

Is this It?

Is it time? Is it happening? Surely I should know... I've done this before. But I feel confused. And can't work out whether this - what I'm feeling - is IT this time. So I'm getting off the computer to pack my hospital bag, just in case. Because I still haven't gotten around to it. Yet. And maybe my next post will be my announcement about the day Bubby Became Four.

I hope so. I'm ready. At least, I think I am.

But before I go, here's us. As we were. Are. When bubby made three. Right now, before everything changes us forever... wish me luck?!

I wish you a gorgeous weekend. xo

A Quick Catchup... but no baby to speak of!

Well folks, I survived my 5 days as a single mother with a daughter, and all whilst more than 38 weeks preggers - v proud of myself! Admittedly, I called for reinforcements and set up camp at my parents in laws' place for 4 of those days... well, wouldn't you?!

Fern absolutely had the time of her life; she is somewhat obsessed with animals and up on Nanny and Poppy's property there are horses, sheep, goats, and dogs and she spent most of her time either with the animals or trying to convince one of us to take her to them!

She also rode in the tractor and 'Gator:

... and read the newspaper with Poppy:

... and played with her My Little Ponies:

... and sat in Daddy's boat that he built for his HSC many eons ago!

and me? Well, I went for walks and ate cake and visited my obstetrician where I was informed that my 'small for dates' baby is in fact already about 8lb in utero and growing by the day! The baby is head down, bum up (which explains my constant need to pee) and reportedly ready to descend any day (or hour!) now. Now that hubby is back, I'm praying it comes sooner rather than later. And today, I fully intend to pack my bags for the hospital. You know, just in case.

I promised crafty delights when I returned.... and well, we gave it a go! Lesley (my MIL) and I designed our own dolly pattern and attempted to sew it together while Fern slept yesterday. But perhaps there's a reason for professional pattern makers! The end result was something slightly less grandiose than we imagined, but endearing nonetheless. Fern seems like her, at any rate! Here's a dreadful pic of her:

and that's about it! Can't wait to catch up on what you've all been up to this week. x

What's in your (labour) bag?

Just for fun, let's peek into one another's bags! ... our labour bag, that is.

If you are pregnant, or have been pregnant, chances are you've read a billion books on pregnancy and labour (way less books, indeed, than you have read about actual motherhood -- but plenty of time for that... right?). The labour chapters are always lots of fun, but one of my favy bits is the packing checklist for when you go into labour.

Apparently, you need a lot of stuff to get you through labour. Here's a sample checklist, pilfered from bubhub.com.au. Desperate for a gold star the first time around, I took similar lists v seriously. For your benefit, I've marked those items I took to the hospital when I was in labour with Fern (in aqua) and those that I actually used (in orange).

- Hospital paperwork - registration card/ health record or similar yep

- Medicare card and/ or private health insurance card yep

- Birth plan yep. It never left my bag. To this day, no one but me has ever read it!

- Cardboard/ plastic folder to keep all your paperwork in

- Comfortable, old t-shirt yep. But ceased caring about modesty early in piece and ended up naked!

- Nightgown

- Warm socks yep

- Flat, slip on shoes or slippers yep

- Lollies to suck on yep - Chiccos. I did scoff a few of these!

- Snacks for you/ your birthing partner yep

- Drinks for you/ your birthing partner yep. A sports water bottle which I used throughout

- Books/ magazines

- Ipod or stereo yep

- Massage oil

- Face cloth/ face spray yep.

- Hairband to keep your hair out of your face um, yep.

- Lip balm yep

- Camera and/ or video camera yep, though it was the hospital staff who took the photos during and after my caesar. I didn't even know they had the camera til much later... when I discovered some v alarming pics of myself and my newborn!

- Extra clothes for your partner yep

- Phone card for public phones

- List of important phone numbers

- Change for parking, snacks etc

- Plastic bag for dirty clothes.

hmmm. Thats a whole lot of superfluous items! And I'm kinda wondering at what point anyone in active labour would read the latest Women's Day! Anyway.

This time around, I'm packing a little lighter:

The contents of my labour bag thus far, in case you are interested?

- One face flannel

- One water bottle

- My birthplan

- An old nighty

Minimalist, much? Of course, my in-stay hospital bag might be somewhat more hefty. Like, this time I have a mental note not to underestimate the amount of breast pads and (ahem) other type of pads I will need. But, 2 weeks out from my due date, these items and next month's unopened edition of Real Living are about the only things I've gotten around to putting inside my suitcase! Priorities, people!

Can I peek inside YOUR bag? What other trinkets have you included or will you include above and beyond 'the list'? What fun items never left your bag the first time around?

ps. Cross your fingers as I cross my legs these next 5 days... hubby is off to New Zealand for a work conference and I'm at home with Ferny, praying this baby stays put for at least another week! Have a lovely weekend!

My Gender Neutral Nursery Reveal...

Oh hello! Come inside and make yourself welcome...

Here she is, folks! The new nursery... all filled up with baby-esque debris. I debated whether or not to show it to you -- being gender neutral, I feel I got a bit confused somewhere in the middle! There are quite a lot of colours (a few more than originally intended) and, not being a 'neutrals' kinda girl, I really struggled with how to colour the room without it looking distinctly girly or boyish.

You be the judge on whether or not I succeeded; I sort of feel like the nursery is geared more towards a boy rather than a girl and certainly I'l make a lot of changes to it if a little sister for Fern pops out in 3 weeks time!

She isn't an expensive nursery; indeed a lot of the furniture is from Ikea and was given to me during our home photo shoot a few months back. Most of the rest of it I either made myself or 'borrowed' from Fern! I feel very lucky to have been given the cot and change table in particular -- saved us from either having to buy a second one or forcing Fern into a bed before she was entirely ready! To be honest, I've bought very little for this nursery as I know I'll end up changing it as soon as I know what I'm having. So, more as a record of posterity than anything else I'm sharing these pics with you today!

You'll notice I'm only showing you two sides of the room; that's because the other two are a work in progress. And will probably stay that way until the baby comes! And there are some blank spots on the shelves etc -- I know they'll fill up real fast so I'm in no hurry to buy more baby clutter before the baby comes.

Want to know more?

Visit here for stuff about the stripy wall.

And here for how I made the cot sheets.

And here for info about the fabric screens.

Without further ado, here are a few happy snaps of the nursery. I hope he/ she likes! -- enjoy! x

Long shot of the room

The cot...

Some visually stimulating balck/white artcards and a colourful mobile from Cocoon Couture hang above the cot on a lime green coat hook from Ikea (no longer avail).

My stripy and wall and artworks! LOVE print from Made by Girl.

The mobile - some cheapo rice paper lanterns and a blue polka dotted lantern I picked up from a stall at Mathildas Markets

Close up of some of the screens and LOVE print.

My rattan feeding chair (a rocking chair bought years ago from Ikea - no longer available) - super comfortable as I prefer no arms when I'm feeding. Recycled from Fern's room (she has my pink Eames rocker now, but not for long! I want it back!)

Don't you love this whimsical little orange lamp? It's from the children's range at Ikea. Blocks from Target. Softie from Alimrose Designs.

I made this little monkey softie. It is missing a tail because I was a little impatient and stuffed up the design somewhat. I decided to keep it anyway! The artwork in the frame is just some leftover colour paint samples I rejected when painting the nursery's stripey wall! Waste not, want not!

And there you have it. Well, two walls of it anyway. You'll have to wait til the baby is born to see the rest! I hope you enjoyed my little nursery tour! x

What's in a Name?

From the files of 'way too cute not to share' comes this little trinket... earlier this week, I realised that we have as yet no set name or even a shortlist really for our unborn bebe. This didn't seem such a problem a few weeks ago... but suddenly I flipped the calendar and it said AUGUST and I realised I was having a baby this month and a tiny bit of panic set in.

You know you're in trouble when you read an entire naming book and find not a single name you like.

Naming Fern was pretty easy. For starters, we found out we were having a girl pretty early on, which narrowed our decision down straight away! Secondly, the name Fern had been in the back of my mind for years, I first encountered it as the character of the little girl in the children's story Charlottes Web, and fell in love with it straight away. I pretended to consider other names, but really the minute I knew it was a girl, it was Fern thereafter. I just had to convince my husband! He liked Lucinda - we both did actually - and so that became Fern's middle name. Fern Lucinda. And would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?

It's different this time around. Our shortlist is way too short at this late stage and I'm beginning to fear I will be one of those awful and annoying indecisive types who waits until days after the birth to name their child. And I've had 10 months to think about it! The easy solution is of course to go back to the 'B' list from the first time around... and we have! But those names all seem so boringly 2 years ago now, and we're pretty much over all of them!

But perhaps all is not lost... explaining our predicament over a bit of burnt self-saucing chocolate pud the other night to our friend and Fern's godfather, Crawford, he offered the services of his slightly eccentric and agreeably adorable 10 year old Charlotte to assist. He got her on the phone and she agreed to draw up a shortlist... and true to her word, she did. Bless. I'm sure she won't mind my sharing it with you:

What do you think - any contenders? I kind of like 'Goobie' or maybe 'Chippie' for a boy and 'Lolly' for a girl! Out of the mouths of babes!

What was on YOUR 'B' list... anything I might like and be able to steal?

Have a great weekend x

Here is what I bought!

Thanks to everyone who provided advice to my little quandary yesterday about what to buy Fern as a 'gift' from her new little brother or sister when they arrive... taking your advice on board, I bought a little doll last night on Etsy!

This is her:

Isn't she cute? She is a Love Lulu doll from Nooshka, the designer I profiled on my blog last week! I almost bought a doll from the department stores, until I realised that what I really want is something that Fern will keep. Something a little bit special. Something made with love. And a plastic doll from KMart didn't quite fit the bill (for Xmas, however, I'm sure I will succumb!)

So, I am really happy with my little purchase and I can't wait til she arrives! Oh, and I bought those pink glass drawer handles I previously mentioned on Etsy today too, so I can't wait to put Fern's new chest of drawers together!

Thanks again for your help, ladies -- where would I be without you?

x

I can't believe I need advice on shopping...

... but I really do! There is a first time for everything!

You see, in reading all literature on assimilating your new baby into the family without causing your existing children to have a meltdown, some of them suggest that the existing child be gifted with a little pressie from the new baby. You know, so they feel a little special too, while the new baby is seemingly getting all the presents and attention.

And I really like this idea. Because the last thing I want is for my little girl to feel left out or sad about the new baby.

I've taken this idea one step further by buying a little gift from Fern to the new baby; its a Flatout Bear - this one, in this colour:

I'm really happy with this purchase, I've already talked about how much Fern adores hers, and its a lovely symbol from her to her new brother or sister.

So that's one down.

But I've been wracking my brain, and I cannot come up with anything special or significant from the new baby to Fern! I don't want to buy some random toy just for the sake of it. But the more I look, the confused I get... and this is where I'm hoping you come in! Please help me choose the perfect gift -- it doesn't have to be expensive, but it does have to be special. What would you get? Thanks in advance x

My Bump!

Seeing as it's Friday, I thought I'd treat you all to this little look at my 'bump'. I'll be 36 weeks pregnant tomorrow... Fern thinks it's hilarious and keeps "ticka ticka ticka" (ie. tickling) my belly at every opportunity. Who knows what an 18-month old baby truly understands, but I know mine has noticed my growing bump and is fascinated by it. If I ask her what's in there, she points to her own tummy and says "bubby!"

Poor Fern. She's in for a real shock, and in just a matter of weeks. And so am I, for that matter. At the moment, she is my very best friend and the centre of my universe. Its hard even for me to imagine it any other way. But the cozy world as we know it is about to be rocked upside down... so for now we're enjoying the last precious moments together, my daughter and I, just the two of us...

Have a great weekend, peeps! x

Circus Themed Baby Shower!

This gorgeously girlie circus-themed baby shower was featured recently on Style Me Pretty, and I thought it was too special not to share! I'm loving the pink and orange colour scheme, the handmade decorations, the beautiful flowers and THAT TENT!

Of course, its gloriously OTT and the sort of thing that really only works in magazines (or if you have friends in the business of events/ styling with way too much time on their hands - which this lucky pregnant lady did!) but I think there are lots of individual ideas you could steal for your own shower!

Enjoy the feast of images below and view more here:

Let's Talk About Sex...

... the sex of your baby, that is!

Now my due date is looming closer (less than 7 weeks to go!) I've been dreaming more and more about the sex of my baby.

Girl or boy?

Technically, it's a 50/50 chance either way. I'm one of 3 girls. Dan is one of 3 boys. No clues there! Of course, I'm enjoying everyone from complete strangers to close family members having an opinion but I think its funny when they ask me what I think, as though the mother has some sort of special intuition... because the truth is, I have absolutely no idea! I don't have any particular preference either; I already have my special little girl (I desperately wanted a girl first time around) and, whilst I'd like my pigeon pair the idea of two little girls sounds rather sweet to me too!

I must admit, I was impatient the first time around, and I found out the sex as early as possible. I was desperate to start planning a nursery, a wardrobe and a name and those things were a lot easier if you knew what you were having! My planning was a lot easier once I knew, and I never had any regrets about finding out. It therefore surprised me how many people were shocked that I already knew, and wanted to know what I could possibly have to get me through my labour without the surprise at the end (um, how about meeting my beautiful daughter?!)

I haven't tried any of those old wives-tale techniques for guessing the sex of your baby - you know, like dangling your wedding-ring-on-a-string to see whether it circles or sways...

If I was pressed, I would have to admit I am getting boyish vibes this time around - the nursery definitely sways more toward a boy which was an unconscious act, and I've been looking at boys clothing in the stores without even being aware of what I'm doing. But maybe that's just a protection mechanism so I'm not shocked if something other than a girl (which Im used to) pops out.

In the end, it really doesn't matter. Boy or girl, I already know I will fall in crazily in love with it. But I must admit it's been nice to experience the surprise this time around, and I dream of the sense of anticipation I will feel as my baby arrives and I finally hear the words "it's a ...... "

Did YOU find out the sex of your baby before it was born? What were your reasons for finding out/ not finding out? Would you do it differently next time around?

DIY Cot Linen - Ta Daaaaaa!

Good lord, what a week last week was! Let's just say that amongst the highlights -- Fern, Dan and then myself (not to be left out) each spent quality time with our heads draped glamorously over the toilet. So pleasant. And my home internet has been down for 7 days now. Still is. Which is driving me insane. So my apologies for having been away, but I hope to be back properly this week. I can't wait to catch up on the week that wasn't!


ANYWAY. Back to the land of the living. You might remember this post, when I drooled over gorgeous (but expensive!) cot linen and dreamed about making my own, less expensive but still gorgeous alternative... or this one, when I decided I could do it, and went shopping for the fabric.


Well folks, mission accomplished!


Over the course of a day, my seamstress/ MIL Lesley and I made the cot skirt and pillow (I did the cutting, she did the sewing!) and I cut out the pieces for the quilt-as-you-go which Lesley delivered last night, all completed! She assures me it is the world's easiest quilt to make, as it is just rectangles of fabric sewn together, and quilted along the way.

We didn't use any patterns, but my rough process for the pillow was to grab an old cushion insert and measure the diameter/ height. Then, I just cut out the pieces of material in that approximate size (allowing a bit of a seam) with literally scraps I salvaged from making the quilt. Then, I pinned it all together into the pillow shape and sewed up the 3 sides together. Then, we turned it the right way out, stuffed the pillow insert inside and hand sewed the 4th side together. Natually, a zip or foldover would have been more professional but this was the quickest way to get it done in one sitting!

With the cot skirt, I found some instructions here which we loosely followed. Measuring the mattress, we cut up an old sheet to that size (because this material sits underneath and will thus never be seen) and saved the more expensive material for the actual skirt. My MIL made it look easy, but the crib skirt is clearly a tiny bit more complex than the rest of the process and I'll admit I'm not sure I could do it by myself!

I didn't want anything overly fussy or complex (unlike Fern's amazing quilt) because once I have the baby and know whether it is a girl or boy, I will probably redesign the nursery and most probably the cot linen as well!


So, without further ado, here are the pics:

Would love to know what you (honestly!) think!

ps. Tour of the nursery to follow... with any luck this week!