the real world ( + baby pics)

 Life is slowly going back to normal... or it will be next week when the lovely meals stop coming ( thanks friends, so wonderful), and ERO hits my husbands school ( bad timing!). We've had fantastic support, and the big kids have had some great experiences (yesterday chickens on their nannies' friends' property, today playing with friends who live in a yurt!). We've managed the traditional first family outing to Riverside cafe ( a beautiful cafe run by a local community), and we've caught all the poos since day 4! (We  nappy free part-time).

 And a pet-inspired ( from sad dead bunny beginnings comes comfort and learning in handwork...?)   house full of knitting. I Love it!

 We are getting to know wee Joska, who is less wee every day ( 4 pounds heavier in 3 weeks!), and I finally feel like I Know him!

babymooning

A baby snuggle for papa. 

 A quiet few weeks.

Wonderful special meals from friends despite dietry restrictions! ( thanks Friends)

getting to know Joska

remembering that the bigger kids need cuddles too

watching Joska enjoy his siblings

a first family walk this morning

( but still nesting? harvesting?) Black boy peach chutney today: tommorow Black boy peach sauce.

Joska (pronounced as a y) was born at 6.07 on wednesday the 7th of march 2012, weighing 7 pound 15 ounces ( 3.6 kilo) with his arm up by his face. As I've heard say the fourth baby can be unpredictable and such was the case for us, with labour VEERRYYY slow and never really kicking up a gear  (although the intensity of the contractions did), still being anywhere from 1 to 8 minutes apart at the end.   He is a hungry little critter and very cute and much loved. 

R.I.P Wim van der Ploeg, my uncle by marriage and a very kind man, who sadly lost the battle to cancer in Holland the same day. Love to all thee family there.

wardrobe wednesday?

 A photo from last week( yep i'm a dork!) , dressed up for our wedding anniversary date. 38 weeks +6 days All Thrifted! A glassons maxi dress from the recycle centre, ditto the belt and the cropped jacket was from a flea market ($5) about 5 years ago! On my feet? leather jandals a friend gave me  at teachers college about the time I met my husband... 11 years ago?  married for 9 years now, and its all good. We've been through some challenges: poorness, post natal depresssion,  everyday life  with 3 young kids etc, but  as they say keep talking to each other, and we are lucky  enough to have heaps in common in terms of philosphy etc.

 And in other sharing, some dresses for the girls, using up old sock wool and fabric from op shops. cute and old fashioned I think? And adds a bit of warmth to the chest area, which seems appropriate due to the grey autumnal weather we've been having this week ( which I love), candles  at the meal table, cosy crafting inside and brisk walks outside ( haven't done that yet as I can't walk much!). The pattern is this one from ravelry, that I upsized by using bigger needles and for Anoushka knitting more increases and cms for the length. For Maaike I striped it to use up  what I had left from a pair of socks I made for my sister last year and missed out the lace pattern.

 I think I'm nesting... yesterday I made tomato sauce ( green, because of all the stink bugs!), two carrot and zucchini cakes and a fruit crumble from  fruit from my garden! Rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries and white flesh peaches that blew down in the storm last week. Yum!  The kids made pipecleaner fairyfolk, and painted the airdried clay gnomes they made last week,  and changed and made nature tables all over the house. Today I pickled garlic indian style, chased rabbits, made  yoghurt , finished two t shirts for the baby and a skirt for me. I am knitting a pair of socks for me and working on some autumnal decor for the house... and waiting ... patiently!?




 P.s struggling with techno stuff, heres the link for wardrobe wednesday

some things

  We tried out the birth pool in the weekend... The last 3 times we've used the birth  pool that the local midwives shared around, with poles and liners etc. This midwife ordered us an H2Go  pool from taranaki  which we get to keep!. I'm not sure about the fish or the seethroughish sides... (nothing a few towels draped over the edge won't fix though), but i love the padded floor! its all pumped up ready to go...

And some flowers from our  garden picked for a mama whose baby turned 5 yesterday and with whom we celebrated a wonderful birthday yesterday. Now my children have been well inspired by what that mama's homeschooled kids have been up to so we have list an arm long of crafts to do and supplies to get this morning. Have a crafty day too!

works in progress

 OOh, scary, posting a picture of me ( my husband took the photo, can you tell I was nervous!?), But its the first belly picture I've taken during this pregnancy ( slack!) at 37 weeks ( last week).  taken in my sewing room/ old verandah/porch thingy. My work in progress...? Pipkin in my belly. Inspired by these :/wardrobe-wednesday, and here.

And tiny socks for pipkin ( the bump was christened pipkin early in the pregnancy and so far thats the only name thats stuck).  I don't know about you but little socks make me clucky, so don't anyone show me any after this ones born because for us, four really is enough I think!

knitting for baby

   I haven't done much sewing for this baby except wipes and nappy inserts etc but I have been knitting since the beginning so i thought I'd finally get around to sharing the finished articles. Above is a pebble  vest in white, and  a front tab sweater from a local store called Cruellas.

 Two more vests using up the odds and ends in my yarn stash, while trying to stay neutral as we don't know and I have no strong intuitive feelings about this one. The one on the left is  this one  found on ravelry, and the one on the left is  from an old vintage pattern I think.

The nappy covers are the frantic mama ones and the pants are modified Das monster pants ( modified to be smaller using a lighter weight yarn and less leg length. I kept the rise the same to create ease for the cloth nappies we use). Good old Ravelry!

 

another vest from a vintage pattern found at an op shop knitted in wool also from the op shop and handdyed by me using food colouring , and kanoko pants using some light blue yarn from an op shop too, I think.  I spend a bit of time drooling over beautiful yarn on line and in shops occassionally but  our budget has been super tight so this baby will have to make do with a frugal mama's welcoming and nesting attempts. I just think of pioneering women and how they used and reused whatever they had to hand to clothe and feed the family and I feel proud of my efforts and not so glum!  And I still have plenty of projects I wish to start, for the other children in my family. The longer the baby waits the more knitting will happen....