A Labour of Love

I was fairly certain that I would go into labour naturally before being induced at 39 weeks. But it still took me a little by surprise at 3:30 on Friday morning when I woke up as my waters broke. I didn't go straight into labour, but was having random contractions, so headed in to the hospital about an hour later.

We completed all the paperwork and were admitted to the delivery suite, where a midwife spent about an hour monitoring me and the baby to make sure everything was OK. My friend (and birth attendant) Fiona arrived, and encouraged me in some exercises to try to bring on established labour. A nurse bought me some breakfast, and it wasn't until about 8:30 am that a doctor came to see me.

After an internal examination, the obstetrician declared I was 1-2 cm dilated and ready for labour. Because I've had gestational diabetes, the risk of infection after my waters breaking was higher. So he recommended putting up a drip to induce labour rather than sending me home again to wait it out.

I wasn't so keen on the drip, but fortunately it didn't last long. As soon as they put it up, contractions started coming one after the other. Less than five minutes later they decided to turn it off, as it was clear that the baby was on the way. I had to instantly adopt all my pain management strategies - eyes closed, deep breathing, banging the bed loudly with a ball, and listening to my husband count 1-2-3. He knows by now what works for me, and we got straight into it!

I don't like being in labour. It is incredibly intense and painful. I always get terribly nervous, knowing what is coming. But this time I managed it well, once again without drugs, with the help of Neil, Fiona ... and the fact that it was so short. Contractions were up to two and a half minutes long, but they were very effective, and it was only an hour before I started pushing, and only a few minutes after that that our beautiful little daughter was born.

She's definitely worth it!

When it was all over I only required two stitches, and as you can see was overjoyed at the birth of my third little girl. I'm getting good at this!

Bags for the Big Sisters

I want to be able to give Grace and Charlotte each a little gift when their new baby sister is born, to mark the occasion for them.

When Charlotte was born, Grace received a Baby Bjorn doll with clothes, nappies and a bottle.

This time, I have collected two books each (about being a big sister, or having a little sister), a soft newborn baby doll with a wrap for Charlotte, and a little Sylvanian family baby with cot, high chair and pram for Grace.

I'm not sure where the idea came from, but I decided to make them each a bag to hold their gifts.

I bought plain calico bags from Spotlight, and appliqued their names on. This is how they turned out:

I'm pretty pleased with that. The girls might be a big young to appreciate it all, but at least I can feel like I've made something nice for them.

Sorted!

Before having children, I was aware that parents accumulate a lot of things, including toys. But I hadn't realised what a big deal clothes are.

Children grow out of clothing so quickly, and often it is still in good condition (especially the smaller sizes). You keep it for the next child, and soon storage becomes a big issue.

I am about to give birth to my third daughter. Which will mean three little girls ranging in size from 0000 to 5. Which in turn means a lot of clothes.

For the last few months, it has all been stored on the spare bed to be sorted out and stored appropriately. This is what it looked like (quite a way through the process, too!):

A big pile of laundry, and numerous nappy boxes waiting to be emptied.

Well, I'm pleased to say, the task is virtually complete! There is one laundry basket of clothing that remains to be sorted, but everything else has been put away in labelled boxes, or in the drawers of the child who will wear it.

This is what the spare bed looks like now:

Much better for Mum to sleep on!

And, thanks to a big pile of plastic boxes and some labels, this is what the wardrobe in the spare room now looks like:

Some of the boxes are overflowing a little.

A sight that makes me feel very good.

I'm not sure how long it will last like this, but at least it is a good start. Maybe the nesting has kicked in just a little?

Grace's Rainbow Birthday Party

Grace turns three on the 4th June, but due to the impending arrival of her new little sister, we decided to have her birthday party a week early. So yesterday was party day!

The party had a rainbow theme, which she has been excited about for months. And it gave me a chance to try out some ideas I discovered on the internet!

The only problem was, there is something wrong with the camera charger, so we didn't have our camera working on the day. Fortunately, Grandma stepped in with hers so we do have some photos of the occasion.

We made our own rainbow bunting, and bought some helium filled balloons for decoration. The food included coloured popcorn, fairy bread, and some other colourful items pictured below.

The party table with lots of colourful food.

I didn't have the energy to try fluffy icing clouds, but you get the idea!

Rainbow fruit platter.

Rainbow jelly cups - unfortunately the colours didn't show up so well in the photo.

Guests were invited to dress in either rainbow colours, or their favourite colour of the rainbow.

Charlotte in her party clothes. The iron-on heart made it easy for me!

Grace looking beautiful in her rainbow tights, and the skirt and top I embellished for her.

Games and activities included pass-the-parcel, blowing bubbles, bowls, colouring rainbow pictures, and playing with toys. Everyone seemed to have a good time.

Eating was the most popular activity!

Grace and her friend Jesmine colouring in.

Playing outside.

I was very proud of the rainbow cake, which turned out just like I hoped it would. It was of course very high, so we have plenty left over!

A reasonably plain looking cake on the outside.

The birthday girl and her cake.

Blowing the candles out with Daddy.

The cake on the inside - surprise!

The children who attended all received a little party bag and a rainbow flag.

Grace was well behaved all day, said thank you to everyone, and declared it to be her "best party ever"! What more could I ask for?

Recent Photos

We attended our friend Lara's 1st birthday party a couple of Sundays ago. Her mum just gave me some photos that were taken on the day, and I thought I'd share them with you.

This is the first family picture we've had taken for well over six months, and even though it will be out of date in a few weeks, it captures us well as we are right now.

Grace and Charlotte play nicely together a lot of the time. Charlotte climbed on this wheeled horse, and Grace carefully pulled her around the yard a few times. Isn't that cute?

And of course, one more of Charlotte playing, because she's so gorgeous, and quite happy to be in front of the camera.

I feel very blessed to have such a beautiful family.

Spiced Creme Caramel

We had some friends over for dinner last night. I chose a menu from my Australian Women's Weekly Moroccan recipe book, and decided to attempt a dessert I have never made (and can't even remember eating) before ... creme caramel.

This particular version has cardamom and rosewater to add spice. The recipe was for one large creme caramel, but I chose to make smaller ones in ramekins.

It was a bit scary turning them upside down and wondering what would happen. But I was very pleased with the end results.

So much so I thought they were worth showing off! I think I've said it already in another post, but this is a recipe book I really recommend.

So a bit thank you goes to my wonderful hubby for buying it for me!

It Would Have Been Great

I love organising events, and dreaming up ideas for themed parties.

Some of them happen. A lot don't.

This is the story of one that isn't going to happen.

I'm turning 40 next month, and had always thought I'd go somewhere exotic overseas to mark the occasion. India perhaps, or Morocco. But my life has changed dramatically, and with two toddlers and a 20-day-old, I'm not going to be going anywhere!

So instead, I started planning a party. A month delayed, just to make sure I'd recovered from the birth. But a party, so as not to just let the occasion slip by unnoticed. I'm not keen on being the centre of attention. But it felt like a significant event.

I decided a Barn Dance would be fun. I don't have any particular connection with the country, or folk or country music. But I took part in a barn dance at a wedding in England once, and had a great time. It seemed like something fun that could get everyone involved. You don't need a partner, or to know how to dance. Children can join in with all the adults. And so the theme was set.

I never did get around to finalising the venue. There are some great barns around, but most are a bit too far away. So I was looking into local council halls for hire.

The decorations were going to be hay bales, fairy lights, bunting, and cafe tables covered in gingham or bandana fabric.

This is wedding decor, but contains some of the elements I had in mind.

One of the fabrics I liked.

The food was going to include hearty, rustic things like soup, bread, corn cobs, roast potatoes, vegetable kebabs, and apple pie. Something like candy apples seemed a good favour to take away at the end.

I thought it would be great to have vintage style invitations ...

... and a do-it-yourself photo booth with props like cowboy hats.

I'd thought of other little ideas too, like having toy horses for the kids to ride around.  And asking for donations to ADRA instead of presents. (I have a particular project that is close to my heart, which will be another post someday).

But anyway, it isn't going to happen. At least, not in the next few months. We can't afford to put on a big event at the moment. And as Neil rightly pointed out, it is way too much work to try and do with a new little baby. I won't have the time or the energy to turn this vision into a reality just yet.

Instead, I think maybe I'll plan a few small events with different people. Dinner here, a coffee there ... I'll see how long I can stretch it out for!

Meanwhile, these ideas are going into my notebook, along with the wedding ideas I never used, and things I've seen other people do. I'll keep collecting pictures and concepts. Pinterest makes that a lot easier now!

Besides, with three daughters there will be plenty of birthday parties, and maybe even weddings, that I can help to plan. I'd better start now!