see... we're not really a large Family!

Congratulations to S & Family expecting Baby #8... to make eight sons, and very handsome little (and not so little!) men at that. Huge Congratulations & best wishes from all of us as you await his arrival...

and in the light of the safe arrival of #14 for a Family well known in the EB circles, (and my Dad's own sibling count) our Family's really not that big at all huh!

Mum's a legend... again LOL

Progress pics. Of Mum's knitting of course - not mine! Such lovely soft colours, I think these will be a night time favourite for sure!

just keep walking.

Today I was checking out a few things at the shop and walked in and of course there at the front, tiny little pink and white dresses... tiny ones. Most of the time, the thoughts flit through all-too-familiar and by then I'm looking at other items, or trying to remember sizes of children etc. I have learnt now, don't dwell. It doesn't do you any favours. Don't think about that your eyes are about to prickle, tell them not to. Change the subject in your mind and keep walking.

Birthday Sewing...

Sewing for Birthdays... one being Brooke's friend and the other, Jake's friend. Plenty more birthdays to come this year~! Especially when you have a unique name, you know you're never going to find your name on the mug/toothbrush etc stands in the shops, as standard. So it's nice I think to have something with your name on it...

mmm more wooly goodness...

mmm more wooly goodness on the Nanna-needles (my Mum). How cool are these looking! And how fast too I have to say. These are in the next size up from what Mum made before/pattern so we'll see how much extra room that gives Quinn.
Also I bought Mum some 'knitting bling' aka stitch markers coz I thought it would be nice... and they arrived in the post... and Mum thought I had sent her decorations for her pot plants LOL until I rang up and told her she was a spud then it dawned on her. However, this whole 'modern' stitch marking thing might be a bit much coz they got knitted in to the knitting... hmmm so Mum said back to pieces of wool to mark the spots for now! They are very lovely though I have to say, no matter what they're used for!

I have also had the very good fortune to be successful on Tikki's blog with the giveway she posted about... now I will really have no excuse to not knit and I darn well better do a good job with it eh! Thanks Tikki for the opportunity, I am really looking forward to it and perhaps if I can think of something I can offer that people would be interested in, I may do a 'giveway' as well... any ideas on what people might like to see in a giveway (that I can actually do LOL).

Got to see a fair few people at the Expo today - those Eastern Staters who come over once a year LOL - it was great to see them again. Also good company with my friend expecting her third Bub in December... it's all very exciting! Have to say I know why I don't 'do' expos often though... but YAY to the Ergo and one happy Quinn who slept through most of it. Thassenough from me for now. Positive and productive weekends to you all. K.

*singing* wooly mail wooly mail...

well how cool is my Mum *grin* LOL Mum had me thinking she was still finishing these and they turned up express post in the mail today woot woot! Considering I rarely am surprised by things this one did get me, I have to admit. They are LOVELY... click on any of the pics to make them bigger. I just need to add the elastic, and I have some buttonhole stuff that should do the job. I took far too many pics but here are just three to share. The post re what pattern and wool etc is here. Mum you are a legend - thankyou very much *grin again* we are rapt with them!~
The legs have been rolled up once on the bottom which is perfect as they should see him through winter yay! Just FYI the longies are over the top of a Bumgenius one-size.
I have a few new ones but mostly preloved ones, and they're great. Quinn is almost 8kg if that helps you work out how they are on him.

anyway now I just have to lanolise them and they'll be ready to rock over the night nappy woot woot! Longies in winter are just lovely - so nice and warm for little legs. Thanks Mum/Nanna!
ps the legs ~are~ the same length, it's just the way I had them laid out in the pic.

This thing about time.

Time. A lot of life is lived by it. A lot of people say it should be irrelevant. We often wish it faster or slower. Every now and then when I read a story of a prem birth I think that just another 6-8 weeks and had Brenna been born alive she would have had a chance... maybe not perfect, maybe lots of things and certainly not an easy road... but alive. and with a chance.

In the Garden Today...

Well, FLYlady style, Brooke and I (with Quinn on my back)cleared out the garden near the fruit trees and planted the 10 lavender that I got from Andrea's as seedlings (they pop up randomly in her garden) so that under the fruit trees will be a mass of lavender and the bees on the lavender will help with pollinating the plums etc

Also, we plnated the uglyoniums (geraniums/pelargoniums) under the mandarine tree for the mass effect (pink flower). Then near the cubby I planted mass dieties - so purple/white/yellow flower.
Behind the shed where there will eventually be fruit tress of some sort, the next plan after lunch (we making home made resource-pizza) is to plant that out on mass with dieties as well
so that whole area will be pink/white/yellow/purple with the purple being the common theme and en masse it will look great I think. All the lavender, dieties and uglyoniums, are all 'free' plants in the sense of no dollar outlay at the nursury - either gifted from someone's garden, or multiplied and planted out from ours.
Also we are still getting tomato despite the cold, on my favoutite type of tomato too- a large cherry tom style. I have to remember to keep some of the seed this time, and am just lucky they self seeded/grew from fallen ones. So, hungry now. off for lunch. back soon w pics.

ETA Master Quinn does a great 'Darth-in-a-jumpsuit' (Darth Vadar style 'breathing' while making a 'yawning' shape with his mouth). Thinks it's hilarious especially if we copy. He's also rolling rolling rolling - as in, he's been rolling for quite a while but this is over and over and over like a spinefex ball - he's been known to end up almost under the kitchen cupboard (MUST get the kickboards on!) and right across the other side of the room.

Of two more Babies...

Well the 20 week ultrasound for L's Baby went really well, heartbeat all good, Bub all well and a ninety percent chance Bub is a SHE! Congratulations from us! Awesome news for a healthy Baby after losing far too many precious Babies to the Angels... xo A new little Sister for J & C... and new little daughter for R...

Also due this month is B & G, with their new Bub... a little sibling for C and Angel I, and their little Angel Siblings as well. Hugest Best Wishes for the arrival of this precious Little One... updated: one beautiful little boy arrived safe and sound - Congratulations and gentle hugs from all of us!

Another little boy born this last week or so - Congratulations to R & Family... a beautiful new addition to be loved.

sending all the good thoughts your ways...
xo

A Glimpse...

Just a little glimpse of the better parts of our garden. It's still very much a work in progress... It's a funny time of year really. I know spring is coming. I know that this time two years ago I was pregnant with Brenna and preparing for Brooke's birthday... so in March next year, if Brenna had gone to full term and been born alive, she would be nearly two... as it stands, it's not far until September this year for the two year Anniversary of her Birth... so when I know Spring is coming it's a mix of Brooke's birth, anticipation, my first-born, everything that came with it... and of being pregnant with Brenna, preparing for Brooke's Birthday, and then of losing Brenna. Of being pregnant with her, knowing she wouldn't be born alive, and shopping for a special blanket for her.

So I think a beautiful time of year, a 'fresh' time of year but with a little tinge on the edge of all the beauty. I know you can't really do it this way but heck, I didn't get to find out the 'other' so I'm going to just have a play with the numbers... in March next year 2010, had Brenna been born in her EDD of March 2008 (rather than her actual Birthdate of Sept 2007), Brooke would be 10, Jake 8, Zeke 5, Brenna 2 and Quinn would be just turned 1... an impossible thought really... yes yes, I know it might not have been that way but like I said, indulging my imagination.

And what a portrait that would make... 3 golden/brown hair kiddies, and two with dark hair... Brenna and Zeke would be definately two peas from the same little pod... how lucky am I...
So to the pics... the little lemon-yellow and white flower is from S, one of the WA girls from NC... came with a little bag of things when Quinn was born, bulbs for Brenna's garden and this is one of the flowers... tiny beautiful little flowers they are - you really have to click on that pic to see all the beautiful detail in it. So yes... a strange time of the year. Nevertheless... one I look forward to and enjoy watching unfolding... feeling the air change, the smells change and seeing the new life and colour just come from seemingly nowhere, or at least, from the cold green of winter.
This year I was contemplating doing a butterfly release for Brenna's birthday... still thinking on that one.

and the other three pivs are of the plum blossoms. Just this 'stick' of a tree and it's almost exploding into blossom... can't wait to see how the plums come on! The apricot and Brenna's Angel Peach have done the same. There's one 'slow' plum - not sure if it's the later fruiting variety or if it's not feeling well, so we'll see. And our mandarine, which has been saved (by me! haha) from... expulsion from the garden several times, has blossoms - woot woot! The lime tree for Brenna's garden from E and Family, has little tiny limes on it LOL they're too cute! The mulberry is it's usual loony self and just does it's thing when it's ready so there have been berries on it for a while now. Anyhoo... just some pretty pictures from today. Hope all is well. xo

New Babies...

Congratulations to E & Family on the arrival of a beautiful Baby Girl, L. Hugest best wishes and whispered kisses from all of us to you.

Best wishes to L & Family for tomorrow for the 20 week ultrasound of this Little Person who was most determined to come to your Family... xo

Wooly-cited!

Boy am I excited! I asked my Mum (who's a bit of a legend in my lunchbox) if she would mind to knit some longies for Quinn. Especially in winter, longies are just THE perfect combo for nappying, doubly so at night time with a dry bum and clothes every morning. Anyhoo... she said YES! woot! (Even if she does need to have the fan on so she can stay cool enough to knit!) So with the direction of some lovely and very knowledgey knitting-Mums on NC for me on where to start on patterns etc for Mum, and using this pattern (which Mum says is really good to knit from), I got wool from Lincraft in three colours (colourways?) and Addi circular needles from The Wool Shack. I had ordered circulars from elsewhere well before Mum needed them but haven't had the best service from there hence still no needles which is why Mum is using the four needles - and the idea of 4 needles hurts my noggin just thinking about it! I placed a new order at the Wool Shack and brilliant service and the order has left already. Mum should have the needles very soon - yay!~ here are the progress pics! Mum is being very well behaved LOL and making sure her other tasks are done before she starts knitting - and considering she works away often, and has only been doing these for a few days really, I reckon she's going really well! Despite measuring, we are both just hoping that these fit Quinn as it would be such a shame if they were too small! Anyway, just sharing because I was very excited when Mum sent the pics. Oh... and this is why really I do need to learn to knit... coz if Mum can then so should I be able to. So Mum, thankyou HEAPS and you rock! xo

Baby Names...

Just for the heck of it (seriously, read NOTHING into me posting this!)

Here's the other baby names we/I like - not neccesarily all of them full on 100% like, but they appeal to me somehow. Kind of in order of preference - the ones at the front I definately like. For one reason or another they didn't get chosen (bub was opposite Gender, or Michael didn't quite like, or to do with surname). For example, we liked Jack for ages for Jake, but couldn't have due to surname, so Jake he is!
As you can see I really really liked Aurielle but had troubles with it not sounding like an American biscuit, a new car, or a type of MCN LOL Also the variation Aurelie sounded like 'orally'... hmmm so Oliva was the first name choice had Quinn been a she!

GIRLS - Aurielle, Aurelie, Aurelee, Olivia, Lauren/Lauryn, Ahrielle, Jessalyn, Ammielle, Aurielle, Aubrielle
BOYS - Jeremiah, Jardee, Jonas, Lucas (as a middle name), Zavier, Jasper, maybe Julius, Jethro, Jarvis, Max, Vance, Cason

and if twins boy/girl
Lucas Jeremiah _________
Lauren Olivia ________

if twins boy/boy
I'd have to do some thinking because I don't have many boy's names set aside and Michael doesn't want one of my favourites as a first name but maybe
Lucas Jeremiah _______
Zavier _______ Jasper

if twins girl/girl probably
Olivia Aurielle ________
Lauren ________ _________



? who knows lol