Introducing ... Claude!

Who is so named because he will be due, if he decides to stick around, on Bastille Day next year.

"Claude"

We unfortunately lost one in the thawing process, so have two frozen embryos remaining.

The main concern at the moment is that the level of one of the hormones in my blood is about half what the doctor would like it to be. It is hard to understand, because each cycle I take the same dose of medication, administered in the same way, but the levels vary significantly. For now they have doubled my medication, and I have another blood test on Saturday morning to check how it is going.

I'm praying that, God willing, Claude will be our elusive fourth child. At the same time, I'm trying to be relaxed in the present, and not think too far ahead. It's quite a balancing act!

My pregnancy blood test is scheduled for Thursday, 7th November. The two week wait begins again!

A Doorway Puppet Theatre

I'm still quite a long way behind schedule in making handmade gifts for family and friends this year.

I haven't given up! Better late than never!

But to improve the motivation a little, I thought I'd take a moment to bask in the glory of an earlier gift, which I made for my five nephews and nieces in Brisbane for Christmas, 2012.

The project I chose was a doorway puppet theatre, featured in a great book called 'Cool Spaces for Kids' by Sam Scarborough (published by Hamlyn in 2009). This book is packed full of great ideas. I wish I had time to try them all!

My source of inspiration.

What the finished product should look like.

The book gives an outline of the process involved, and I didn't find it too difficult. The trickiest part was attaching the red bias binding (they used tape) around the stage, and managing the corners neatly.

Here is what my finished doorway puppet theatre looked like:

Time for a puppet show!

The doorway in my sister's home is wider than the one described in the book, so my puppet theatre was wider as a result. She didn't want to attach hooks to the wall, so my clever father made a timber frame with a rod to hang it from. So instead of tabs on the side at the top, I sewed a pocket to thread the rod through.

Laura, Joshua and Sarah put on a show.

The other issue with a wider opening was that it tended to gape at the bottom. Dad helped solve this problem too, by putting a very thin piece of timber underneath the bias binding before I sewed the back down. (I had taken the project up to Brisbane in January to finish using Mum's sewing machine).

Timmy took awhile to grasp the idea that you show the puppet and not yourself!

I gave Sarah, Josh, Ben, Laura and Timmy a puppet each, and the theatre as a group present. I'm not sure how much they have continued to use it, but they definitely enjoyed checking it out when they first received it.

Now to think of something for this Christmas ...

Hanami Day 2013

My regular Sunday morning search for something inexpensive and interesting to do led me recently to the Hanami Day at the National Rhododendron Gardens in Olinda.

Held on 22nd September, this was a special celebration based on the Japanese tradition of 'flower viewing' and appreciation of the cherry blossom.

Cherry blossom.

Unfortunately, the cherry blossom happened to bloom a few weeks ahead of schedule this year, so the Cherry Grove wasn't as spectacular as it could have been. But we really enjoyed the rhododendrons, magnolias, azaleas and camellias that were starting to bloom in other parts of the gardens.

Charlotte and Grace under a pink rhododendron.

Grace on one of many ladybird-painted rocks we saw.

The ever-smiling Lucinda.

Charlotte in front of a bed of daffodils and azaleas.

It seemed like most of Melbourne had the same idea as we did. The event was very popular. That unfortunately meant a long walk from the car just to get to the gardens, and lots of people on the paths. A few even wore traditional Japanese dress.

Girls arriving in traditional Japanese kiminos.

Grace and Charlotte enjoyed following the coloured lanterns strung in trees along the main path to the Cherry Grove, and they made a useful prompt for climbing back up the hill. "We'll walk past two more lanterns then have a rest!"

One of the lanterns decorating the path.

We were a little disappointed with the activities on offer at the Cherry Grove, which included a tent where a tea making ceremony was taking place, a few stalls with ikebana and bonsai, and quite a few stalls selling Japanese foods (where the queues were extremely long). There was also a demonstration of Japanese drumming, but we didn't fancy standing in the sun with the large crowd to watch. Instead, we had a little picnic from the snacks I had packed, then slowly climbed back up the hill for an ice cream.

Lucinda enjoying her lunch.

The National Rhododendron Gardens are free to enter, but this was the first time I had been inside. Even before the peak of the spring flower season, it is a beautiful place to visit.  Here is a selection of shots from around the gardens:

And, of course, the obligatory yet universally unsuccessful attempt to get all three little girls to look at the camera at the same time:

I'd probably prefer to visit the gardens on a day when it wasn't so crowded, but overall it was a pleasant outing. And until I can realise my dream of seeing the cherry blossom in Japan one day, this is definitely better than nothing!

Another One Bites The Dust ...

Yes.

Another break in posting means there's been some things happening.

One of them was ... George didn't make it.

The dreaded single line strikes again.

But ... life goes on.

A new cycle is already well underway.

I have a scan tomorrow, and another transfer later this week.

There are four more embryos left.

Four more chances for one more child.

There are no guarantees. No crystal balls. No certainty.

Except ... we're getting closer and closer to knowing the final outcome.

It will all be over soon, one way or another.

Like it or not, the end is in sight.