Another Frozen Embryo Transfer

Allow me to introduce you to 'George'. Or maybe it's 'Georgina'. We don't know yet. But hopefully one day we'll find out!

"George"

This is a photo of the little 3 day old embryo that I had transferred this morning. A blood test in a fortnight will tell us if it has implanted or not.

I worked out this morning that this is the 11th transfer I have had. And I have three lovely daughters to show for it.

Earlier this year (while I was having a break from blogging) I had two other transfers. These are the embryos that didn't make it:

"Stumpy"

"Seraphina"

Emotionally, it helps me to have acknowledged their existence. At the beginning of our IVF journey we had a little ritual to remember each one, as it helped to bring closure to one cycle so that we could be fully present for the next. We don't do that anymore, so this is my way of remembering them.

If you are curious about the nicknames, all our embryos have had them. We pick names we are unlikely to actually use, for all sorts of reasons. We've had Aloysius, Hepzibah, Alfonso, Jemima and plenty more (there have been 15 embryos so far). Grace was originally "Jock", Charlotte was "Randy", and Lucinda was "Ollie".

I'm glad to now be in a place where I will be content no matter what the outcome. I have my preferences, of course! But I'm praying that God will have his hand over the process and that whatever happens will be His will. I can't do better than that!

An Afternoon at Schwerkolt Cottage

Last Sunday afternoon we went to the Schwerkolt Cottage Family Day in Mitcham.

Schwerkolt cottage is an original pioneer's stone cottage built by August Schwerkolt, a German-born pioneer, in 1888. It is set in a beautiful garden. Other attractions include a museum, playground, smokehouse, barn, and a shed housing a display of the agricultural machinery that was used in the surrounding orchards.

The exterior of the cottage is very attractive:

Wisteria just starting to bloom at the front of the cottage.

Grace on the verandah on the side of the cottage.

Charlotte near the back door of the cottage.

There are three rooms set up with period furniture and models as they would have been used by the original occupants.

One of the cots in the children's bedroom.

The girls enjoyed some of the free activities, including petting farm animals, face painting, and an Australian animal show. There was also a painting booth, but unfortunately they packed up fairly early in the afternoon and we missed it.

The soft, woolly lambs were Grace's favourite animals.

Grace and Charlotte as butterflies.

We finished the afternoon with some time at the playground.

Lucinda and Daddy at the playground.

Charlotte loves swings!

Schwerkolt Cottage is a place I had driven past previously, but never actually stopped to investigate. I think we'll be back to enjoy the garden and playground again.

A Superhero ... Girl Style!

Grace disappeared into her room tonight, emerging a few minutes later dressed as "a superhero".

Apparently in our house superheroes wear lots of necklaces, bangles and feather boas!

I asked what her super powers are, and she informed me she has the power to catch fire, to tickle people with her feathers, and to find things. That last one should come in handy!

Unfortunately Superhero Grace finds flying is a bit hard. She's not the only one! But as long as she concentrates on finding things and tickling people, we should all be happy!

Sunny Spring

Autumn is my favourite season, but spring would have to be a close second. I love the scent of freesias and jonquils, the cheerfulness of daffodils, the colour of bluebells and tulips, and the daintiness of snowdrops.

I also love the weather, which makes it very pleasant to be outside.

The last day of winter happened to be a warm and sunny Sabbath this year, and I took some photos of the girls in the garden before we walked to church. It was their first time in new summer outfits (but still with the stockings and cardigans required during a Melbourne spring).

I walked to church feeling blessed to live in such a pretty part of a beautiful city, and to have three gorgeous daughters (and a handsome husband!) to share my life with.

Father's Day 2013

Melbourne has suddenly become sunny and warm! With such beautiful spring weather, we decided to celebrate Father's Day this year with a picnic at the Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens. The girls were very excited, and helped me make some butterfly cupcakes. We packed them up with sandwiches and watermelon, loaded up the Kia, and set off.

A dozen butterfly cupcakes.

We were lucky to find a parking spot quite close to Gate F, and walked down to a lovely shady area on the Oak Lawn where we set up next to a bed of daffodils. Plenty of other people had obviously woken up with the same idea, but it wasn't uncomfortably crowded.

Looking across to the Western Lawn.

Here are some shots of the family enjoying their lunch:

Grace and Lucinda.

Grace with her Daddy.

Charlotte clowning around.

Grace having a cuddle with Daddy while Lucinda and Charlotte raid the Esky!

Lucinda leaning on Daddy.

This is fun!

We took the obligatory photo of Daddy with his daughters ...

Neil with Lucinda, Grace and Charlotte.

... then walked down to the Ornamental Lake to enjoy an icecream before heading home.

A view of the lake.

It's such a fun, cheap and easy way to enjoy quality family time. We're looking forward to a lot more picnics over the next few months.

A Felt Butterfly Mobile

About a fortnight ago I discovered that a friend from church has breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy a couple of days ago.

When I first heard the news, I started to think of what I could make as a gesture of encouragement and support for her. She's an incredibly talented and creative person, which I found a little intimidating, but also made me think she would appreciate something a little outside the square.

Carolin loves butterflies, so I started with that. My plans changed several times, but gradually evolved into a felt butterfly mobile. Here is the finished product:

The completed felt butterfly mobile.

I based my mobile loosely on the one found on the Bugs and Fishes blog here. The first thing I had found in the supermarket was a notebook, so I chose felt colours based on that.

The notebook featuring a butterfly print.

I copied the butterfly template from the tutorial, and cut out 15 felt butterflies (three in each colour).  Then I threaded them in strings of two, three or four butterflies, with some little beads down the centre of each butterfly. I just used two strands of embroidery thread, as I couldn't find any fishing line at home. I was pretty pleased when I worked out a system for ensuring they were all the same distance apart, and stitched so they couldn't slide down.

The strings of butterflies ready to be hung.

Next I used a black pen to write the reference to a Bible promise on each butterfly. I tried to choose 15 texts that would be inspiring in the circumstances. In the notebook, I wrote out each text in full.

A butterfly with a text written on it.

I found the inside ring of an old embroidery hoop and tied the strings of butterflies at equal distances around it. Then I did my best to tie three strands of thread to a keyring above the hoop so the mobile could be hung easily. It was a little crooked, but not too bad!

Carolin posted a photo on Facebook after I gave the mobile to her, so here is a shot of it in it's new location in her home:

It is very satisfying to make something someone enjoys using!

As is often the case, now I've done this for someone else, I thought we could probably use one at home too. But it will have to wait awhile - my list of gifts to make is pretty long!