Nearing the end?

The first thing that you see when you walk in our front door is this heart, when I bought it in Daylesford last Christmas, I told The Husband that it would be the first thing you see when you enter our new home - whenever we happen to move that is, I don't think he believed me but the proof is in the pudding.

Nobody uses our front door though. Everyone seems to walk through the little front garden and knock on our side door, catching me unawares if lounging on the couch with my belly hanging out.

I am loving all of this rain, my garden has been looking a tad dry and it means I don't have to catch Malaria from all of the bugs when watering at dusk. 

I sent this photo to The Husband and he wanted to know why I was sending him photos of mess. He didn't notice the two little blonde heads hiding. 

I have all of these beautiful photo frames scattered around but do you think that one of them has a photo in it? No, of course not. 

Must get some photos developed.

I got these butler trays for $25 each from Homeart, what a bargain. They are the perfect size for bedside tables...

I don't know about yours, but my bedside table gets cluttered pretty quickly so this is The Husbands. 

We both have these giant S&P lamps, Coast candles , photo frames and other random nonsense on them - I imagine mine will also have a baby monitor, vomit rags and the like in a few weeks (or days?).

This, is Bunny.

Kitty got the baby Bunny (along with some other great gifts) and Bunny has been swaddled, had nappies changed, been walked in the pram and has been wearing The Babies hand knitted with love beanie and booties from Alyson, a lovely twitter friend. 

If they don't fit The Baby, Bunny will happily wear them, they are gorgeous. 

Imagine how easy life would be if a newborn was as placid as Bunny.

Liz got The Baby this My Little Lamb, Cradle n Swing, as I got one for Thomas when he was born and apparently they are a God send. I sure hope so! It took long enough to assemble...

I send The Husband photos like this all day long. I don't know how old I was in this photo but damn my head was big. I don't think my forehead is still that big, I may have grown into it. 

The Husband had lots of hair when he was born (and at our 32 week scan the person doing the scan remarked on how much hair our baby appeared to have waving in the fluid) so fingers crossed she has lots of hair and not a baldy like me. I want to indulge in hair clips eventually.

He was also blonde though, so I may have a blonde baby. 

I still stand by my prediction that The Baby will be a dead ringer for The Husband.

Basically him, in a dress.  He's pretty handsome so maybe people will say "She is a handsome lady" with a bit of a side eye when The Baby gets bigger hahaha.

38 Weeks. I really need to mop the floor. 

People keep asking me if I am prepared for the birth, have I written a birth plan and am I scared?

No, I'm not scared at all.

I'm excited and full of anticipation. I don't think there is anything to be scared of, women have been birthing babies for ever, literally. Some even go back for seconds, and thirds and even more. 

I also don't have a birth plan - I don't see the point, that's not the person I am, I am too laid back and take it as it comes. My plan is to have a healthy baby, whether that be by a natural vaginal birth, drug induced or c-section, I don't care, just give me our baby and let her scream when she comes out so I know she is healthy. 

I don't have a play list of music to help me get by, I don't have a scented candle packed and I think I will cope just fine. I'll let you know how I go. 

I'm happy to read advice from y'all though. Leave me a tidbit of the best birth/parenting advice you ever got or have heard around the traps. 

This kid is going to definitely be better dressed than I.

Thanks for the cool shoes Aunty Cat! 

Gah the battery on the laptop is flat and I don't know where the charger is (read: cannot bend over to scavenge in the baskets for the charger) so I had better call it a day. 

Saturday blogging.

Look at me, blogging on a Saturday like I have had stuff to do during the week and have been too busy.

Ha.

Seriously though, Maternity Leave is amazing. My mum and sister stayed with us all of last week which meant that I was brutally forced to put my feet up and relax which resulted in all of my swelling going down in my ankles and feet. It's nice to have ankles again, believe me. 

It also meant that I was very well fed and that The Husband got used to coming home to a delicious home cooked meal fresh out of the oven as he walked in, sparkling water poured for him and he was generally waited on hand and foot. 

Those two make me look bad but last night I did have his dinner on the table for him (even if I served up practically raw potatoes, the veal schnitzel parmigiana was amazing) and managed to make him a coffee this morning. Go me. 

Not a great photo as it is all over the shop but I am loving this Lovisa necklace, it looks great with this Target dress.  Thank goodness for the lycra that Target seem so fond of in their dresses.

37 weeks and baby is dropping a little! Hurrah.

This also means that I have developed some stretchmarks on my lower belly, thought I had escaped them. 

I have my hospital bags all packed and ready to go but seeings as though I rarely wear pants, I only had dresses packed so hightailed it to K-Mart and picked up these $10 trakkies and a bunch of nursing tops ranging from $3 - $9. The one in this photo was $9 and is a great fit. 

If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram you have probably already seen this but I am still excited.

My brother Greg who is a Journalist with Johannesburg's Daily Maverick newspaper had his first TV interview yesterday with ABC of all channels!

I don't know how it came about but I know that he was in the court room reporting on the Oscar Pistorius case so I can only imagine that they heard a tarnished Australian accent and jumped on board. 

We don't deal well with public speaking in our family but I think he warmed up and got better as the interview proceeded. 

You can watch the whole interview HERE. 

Blithely Unaware and Cotton Socks were very sweet and gave me a pregnancy massage at Aurora Spa for my birthday. I went and had it yesterday and it was amazing. 

So relaxing. 

I started to have Braxton Hicks contractions towards the end so could only hope that I didn't go into labour or something.

I'm paranoid about my waters breaking. I am sitting on a protective sheet on the couch as I type this actually.

Some of the goodness that my mum has been ramming down my throat. 

She wouldn't tell me what she was baking so as soon as she went outside I may have opened the oven door to have a peek (seeing as though I cant bend over) and then when I guiltily admitted I opened it she nearly had a heart attack. Turns out you should never open the door if cooking profiteroles. Oops.

They still tasted amazing though!

We had a washer/dryer combo in our kitchen at the apartment, I can't tell you how much I love having an actual laundry now. It's so fun.

Icey poles have been my saving grace. That and the constant use of our air con - I shudder to think of what our electricity bill will look like when it arrives.

Who knew that grocery shopping was so fun these days? I love most of the stuff from Coles' Mix Apparel! 

I got these shorts for $8 and the tee for $6. Bargain!!

Could not resist I tell you. 

I'll try and blog more during the week, I promise. 

Pink & White

The nursery is all coming together now. 

It really only took a few hours to build things, hang things and potter around but there is still a little while to go before I am happy with it.

Ha. As if I built anything, I just supervised from a far. 

Please note my empty cot. It is empty because it is faulty. Beautiful yes, quality no. 

I know, I cannot believe it either. What are the odds.

The base has been cut incorrectly which means that the bolts do not line up, therefore if you put a baby in there it is likely to collapse and cause carnage. It looks assembled in this photo but do not let that fool you, it is just sitting there pretending to be safely assembled. 

The wood is also cracked and split. It's been returned for a full refund which is a little sad but oh well, just a cot at the end of the day. 

It looks freaking adorable though but adorable does not cut it when it comes to safety now does it?

I will update you with photos of the new cot in good time I suppose. I am not getting another Incy Interiors one although the matching chest of drawers/change table is beautiful solid quality wood so I am confused as to why the cot was such a let down. 

Anyway, the cot is the Rupert Cot and the dresser is the Arie. 

I love booties. 

There is just something ridiculously cute about them and these are no exception. Cat got them from Malaysia for me. 

I think that I will just use the waterproof cover that came with the change table and put a terry toweling cloth down, far easier than washing these pretty covers but they served their purpose of looking nice for the baby shower since I had no bedding in the cot so needed to use soft furnishings where I could. 

The way I see it is that the less washing of poo explosions on nice fabrics, the better.

The one that I have on my change mat at the moment though is from baby bunting and feels beautiful, but not practical really. 

I have my drawers full and ready to roll, but have not taken photos yet. 

Seed Mouse Shoes. 

Doesn't get much cuter folks. 

It's not going to stay clean for long, so I will cherish these photos I am sure. 

We have not hung the mobile yet so it is just hanging on the window at the moment but it is so adorable. 

It really is one of my favorite nursery purchases, however I do love everything in there. 

In my eyes, it is crisp, clean and not too overtly babyish or pink. 

You can see the art work from Down That Little Lane which I love and am really glad I picked these prints. The frames are from Target and are currently on sale here. 

The map of the world will eventually be hung, the hook is in and ready so I cant really explain why it hasn't been done. 

This is the tutu from the Collette Dinnigan for Target range, it's freaking adorable. 

Damn this cot for ruining the image in my head of my nursery. 

Now I want ice cream. 

Who doesn't love ice cream? 

The mobile was a hit with the kids at my baby shower, they loved it!! 

Our Seed Organic Pod is set up and ready, just waiting patiently in the corner of our bedroom for it's newest charge to arrive. 

Gifts from my sister Jo.

The babies first book! 

Funnily enough, every single soft toy that has been given to the baby has been a bunny - all completely different but every one a bunny, I adore the pattern that is going on! 

More gorgeous flowers in my bird vase from the baby shower! I wish I could have these in there 24/7. 

Mum and Cat have been helping me get all of the washing, cleaning and organizing done.

We have packed my hospital bags, schlepped to each and every baby store and spent too much money, set up the pram (and returned to baby store for a demo on how to fold it as it left us scratching our heads but once shown it was easy as pie) and ensured that all of the 0-3 months clothes, swaddles, blankets and the like are all ready and roaring to go. 

It was the most enjoyable time I have ever had doing the washing. Ever.

Never thought I would say that. 

I've started to hang clothes also, the cuteness kills me. We have two weddings in April and May so I will need to find a cute yet comfortable outfit for baby A (yes, we have her name!) and I don't even know what I can wear!

In related news, I cannot believe how expensive wooden baby hangers are! I got these plastic ones from K Mart for about $4 for 10 if I am correct. They do the job.

Showerin' the Babe.

Saturday was the day for all things beautiful.

Saturday was my baby shower and it was beyond awesome.

My sister Cat had the hard task of organizing the shower and juggling it with moving half way across the globe, from Ireland to Perth, at the same time. She is a gem I tell you.

The Husband, Mum, Cat & Joseph really pulled through to make sure that we had our house presentable for the 30 odd women who came to celebrate with us.
Joseph may be a dirty, rough removalist but he is damn well effective, practically free and made sure that we had our nursery furniture, fridge, dining table and mattress in time and Mum and Cat worked to the bone to get things clean and organized for me, forcing me to sit around with my swollen feet up - family are everything.

It's amazing how everyone pulls together and really helps out, lots of my friends baked things for the shower and came early to help out. I love them all I tell ya.

Thanks to Cotton Socks for taking the majority of these photos for me!

Cat contacted the etsy seller behind Pretty Little Papers who I purchased my invite from and had her custom make labels and signage to match which turned out beautifully.

It was freaking hot in Melbourne though. About 35 which felt like 45 if you ask me. 

Our little home has two air cons in the living area and we intended for the party to be an inside/outside shindig but believe me, every man and his dog wanted to be inside near the air con so we ended up being inside majority of the time.  

Nobody was going to go home hungry, believe me.  

We are still eating the food now and it still tastes just as good.

Everyone was so incredibly generous with presents, I was shocked and overwhelmed. 

I will have to take photos of some of the items to show you but will save that for another blog post.

I just cannot believe that people baked, helped set up/clean up and bought the baby presents - people are amazing.  

These were made by Blithely Unawares rather talented better half - trust me, they tasted as good as they looked.

I wonder if she took her board home. I cant see it so am guessing she did. 

Okay people, see Laura (on the very right) - she lives in Sydney and flew down to surprise me!! She had obviously RSVP'd a No as she lives in Syd and will be coming down in a months time to meet the baby, so I just had no idea that she would be here. 

I was standing in the kitchen when she tapped me on the back and said "Hi Mez!" I said hi and gave her a kiss, and then my slow and overheated brain started to kick in and it dawned on me that she was not meant to be here, but here she is standing in front of me.

I think I was in shock for a good 20 minutes and just kept saying "What are you doing here?!?!". 

Law also follows the What to Expect when You are Expecting app on her phone and messages me as soon as the fruit changes size (now a watermelon, thank you very much) and is going to be an amazing aunty. 

Thanks so much Law, you are such a good friend. 

I went to school with Sara, Sam and Laura and as we get older you start to really see who stays in your life as time goes by and I am grateful for the friends that have stayed!

So much goodness, not enough stomach space. 

These are Kiflice, which are a Serbian pastry and my mother in law fills them with nutella when she is making them for my family and I as we go crazy for them whereas The Husband prefers the jam filling but perhaps we were deprived of nutella as children and that is why we love it so much. 

I need to learn how to make these bad boys. 

I am happy to eat nutella with a spoon though if push comes to shove.

Raina is working the camera like nobodies business. 

Ashleigh-Rose is just growing up too quickly for my liking.

What baby shower is a baby shower without some games? 

As you can probably tell, we played the peg game where you started with 4 pegs and whenever you heard someone say Baby you got to take a peg. I lost pretty quickly, but not as quick as the two grandmas haha.

Who doesn't love some baby food smeared in a nappy? Mmm delicious.

Dying over these bathers that Cat got from Penneys before she left, I wish we had one here!  

Don't mind Cotton Socks demonstrating what my baby will look like. 

I hope she isn't this big though, that could be painful but it would guarantee an entry into the Guinness Book of Records and I just don't see myself getting in there any other way.

Mum slaved away in the kitchen all day and was quick to strip off as soon as the majority of the guests left and I was not far behind her, believe me. 

I am hoping my bra was not on show all day but if it was I hope people enjoyed the free show. 

I am sure you have all noticed the amazing flowers that completed the entire look. We had them scattered all through out the house and out doors. 

I had them done by fellow blogger Soph who really outdid herself - if you are in need of flowers in Melbourne you should definitely email her at jemappellesophia@gmail.com  if you know what is good for you.

I do love pom poms and I have decided that they should stay in our garden for good. Well, at least until it rains anyway. 

Leah and I try not to match but in our delicate conditions of pregnancy we cannot help ourselves.   

Mum tried to talk me out of wearing black but I answered that it was 'slimming' to which she just kind of laughed at me. Thanks a lot Caro. 

Casey is due with her third baby boy on February 23 and I am due on March 11 - in real life we don't look that different if you ask me but this photo definitely shows that her little man is engaged and ready. 

You can believe that she was here with her hospital paperwork on the ready in case he decided to make an appearance but we got her out of the house, baby still in her belly. 

Iced water, punch and champagne were the refreshments of choice.

Bathroom selfie. 

You can breathe a sigh of relief, we have a full length mirror in the living room now which will definitely become my new selfie mirror we just need to attempt to mount it now.

This is the ASOS Grecian maternity dress that you have seen in a prior post a few weeks back, but it is still going strong and serving its purpose.

The necklace is from Lovisa, I have gone a little necklace crazy lately as I am wearing the same dresses day in day out and need to attempt to mix it up a tad and I think I am achieving this. 

I popped down to Miss Fox in the morning to get a pre-birthing wax, (which was terrifying as it has been too long but Brooke was a star and calmed my nerves and squashed my humiliation pretty quickly but still...) and to have Luna work her magic on my face and hair and bring me back to life.

She asked what I wanted and all I could tell her was "please make me look skinnier" which was met by a side eye but a bit of bounce and some lovely make up definitely helped, I felt more human that I had felt in weeks.

I wont lie to you though, I had sweated all the make up off my top lip before the guests even arrived as I was sweating like a dog.

Celeste and Vanessa had to get in to position to make sure the camera had their good sides but those days are over for me. I only have one side, wide. 

Who doesn't love pop corn?!

More beautiful flowers.

We are going to visit my nanna (mums mum) at the cemetery tomorrow and take her some flowers so that she has a piece of the baby shower.

36 weeks and 4 days pregnant. 

I finally bought the stuff to start packing my hospital bag after my mum gasped in horror that I don't have it packed already. I still need a baby bath though. 

All in good time.

You better believe it's a girl.

All in all, I freaking loved my baby shower. 

I got overwhelmed trying to talk to everyone (and not sweat in their presence of course) but appreciated everyone coming beyond words. This baby is so loved already!

I can only blog when The Husband brings his work laptop home as we have not had the internet connected yet (but you better believe that Foxtel is already installed) so don't worry if I vanish for a little bit - I still regularly update my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages if you need more random dribbling in your life.