Introducing Master Tristan

Thank you all for your lovely comments!

We are home and he is beautiful. All is well.
Unfortunately I didn't get the spontaneous labour I was hoping for! I went in to hospital on Thursday morning, had my waters broken at about 8.30am, and despite Carl and I going for lots of walks (and me having waters gushing every where), absolutely NOTHING was happening. At 11.30am I was hooked up to a drip and the midwives started a low dose of syntocinin. They kept increasing the dose until, finally, at 3pm I was officially in labour. After two hours of increasingly rapid and painful contractions I was checked and the midwife and I were both dismayed to discover that there had been no progress whatsoever.

At this point I decided it was time for an epidural and the midwife and my doctor agreed. At 5.30pm the anaesthetist arrived and delivered the blissful relief I needed. After another two hours I was checked again and had dilated from 2cm to 8cm! The doctor was called and told to get there quickly as this baby was coming out!

As soon as my obstetrician arrived he did another examination and found I was fully dilated. At this stage the baby's heartbeat started dipping and dropping erratically, so it was decided that they'd need to speed things up and get him out of there ASAP. So poor little Tristan was assisted out with a vacuum extraction after only 10 minutes of pushing. A very speedy arrival in the end!And yes, at 7 pounds 14 ounces he was smaller than we thought! But still a good size and absolutely divine...of course, I am completely biased, but he is a beautiful bub.

He has a bit of jaundice, but that will disappear over the next few days. He's a champion feeder and I have more milk than he can handle! He's a lovely, lovely boy. Here are some more photos, because I can't get enough of him and everyone loves a newborn bubba!
With Grandma, Huppa (my parents) and of course his very proud big sister Romily:And finally, a big thanks to mum & dad for coming up from Melbourne and looking after Romily for the entire day on Thursday! We're also looking forward to Carl's dad arriving in a few weeks time to meet his much longed for grandson.

All is well with the world :)

New Baby

Tristan Riley Mulholland Johnson has finally arrived, weighing 3.58 kg (7 lb 14 oz) and measuring 51.5 cm, at 8:06 pm on 21 Aug 08.

Mother & baby doing well.

Posted by Carl.

Waiting, waiting, waiting

What's a girl to do when waiting? Get busy of course! Romily and I made a delicious banana chocolate cake (inspired by an episode of Dora the Explorer, naturally!), which turned out very nice indeed - we finally had our oven fixed and it now cooks at normal temperatures. I might even attempt some biscuits soon!
And I whipped up two pairs of red corduroy pants and matching appliqued tops - one set for my little guy and another for yet another baby boy, born to one of the girls in my online mums' group. The sets are sized for around three months - both Kylie and I have healthy sized babies, so no doubt they'll both be wearing these outfits in no time at all.

I am feeling very full and very over being pregnant. I am having lots and lots of Braxton Hicks contractions - some rather uncomfortable - which is hopefully a good sign that the labour, when it finally gets under way, will be a lot shorter than the 16 hours I endured last time!

I've had lots of comments from other mums who've had multiple inductions - it seems it's a lot more common than I realised - thanks for the reassurance ladies. Let's hope once my obstetrician breaks my waters on Thursday morning it's only a couple of hours before I have my bubba in my arms :)

(Carl is primed to post the good news, so stay tuned!)

Sewing for tiny babies while waiting for the big boofa

While awaiting the arrival of my big boofa boy...I'm now resigned to the fact that it will be Thursday...one of the girls in my online mothers' group put out the call for some handmade clothing for premature babies. She's forming a support group up in Darwin, which will provide not only emotional support for parents coping with the early arrivals of their precious bundles, but will provide tiny clothing made with love - it's the small things that can make a difference.

She posted a couple of links to online, free preemie patterns and I whipped up a couple of dresses. They have snap shoulders and are open at the back, to enable easy changing of the bubbas without disturbing all the tubes, etc. They're lined and completely reversible.My god they're tiny. I was moved to tears when looking at them - they are so small. I know that my big boofa will be three times as big as the little babies and it gave me the opportunity to reflect upon the knowledge that while I am inconvenienced by his late arrival, I know that he'll be a big, robust and healthy boy, without any of the health worries that often come with early arrivals.

Canberra Quilters' Exhibition 2008

One upside to the baby being 'not early' was that I made it to the Canberra Quilters' Exhibition last Friday. There were some lovely quilts there and here are a few of my favourites (Click on the image for a larger a view):

Diane Firth - After the Rain

Beth Miller - The Girls of Tyrone Farm

Jenny Bowker - Hakim (Best in Show)

Pauline Reynolds - Doggies in the Window

(Polly is a mate from work and first time exhibitor. I tried four times to get a clear photo of her hand-pieced attic window quilt, but there were always people in the way looking at all the different dogs!)

Jenny Cook - Sadako's Rainbow (hand quilted and sashiko - stunning)

Jenny Wild - Fire

Brenda Smith - Acacia Bloom

Lynn Cribb - Fantabulous Night (first time exhibitor and all hand quilted!)

Margaret Rolfe - Crimson Cranes I and II

Lorelle D'Arcy - Japanese Wedding Quilt (double sided!)

A very hungry caterpillar

Woohoo, I finally worked out foundation piecing and, once I did, this quilt top came together amazingly quickly.
I am really happy with how it turned out!Of course it won't actually get quilted until after the baby arrives, but I managed to get it sandwiched today - with flannel as backing - nice and cosy.

I saw my obstetrician today. Things are slowly starting to happen, so I might get that spontaneous labour after all...but, if not, we are booked in for an amniotomy (breaking the waters) next Thursday morning (21 Aug). Fingers crossed baby #2 makes his arrival before then!

Back online...and still pregnant!

Our evil phone and internet provider company 'lost' our phone and ADSL connection on Thursday last week. Our phone was reconnected on Sunday afternoon, but we only got our internet connection back this morning! Five days without net access was akin to losing a limb! You don't realise how much you rely on the net until you lose access.

We are still pregnant - I am 40 weeks and two days today. My obstetrician warned me I was likely to have another 'overdue' baby and that's where we're heading. Hopefully my body will do the right thing and labour start naturally, but, if not, another induction is on the cards, probably in the second half of next week.

In the meantime, I've been busy with studying and ... oh my god ... some quilt-making! I finally started making the baby's Hungry Caterpillar quilt, finally working out how to do foundation/paper piecing! I'm really happy with how it's turning out and will post some pictures today or tomorrow.
I also FINALLY got around to making some small and overdue thank you gifts, as well as finishing off my nephew's birthday present (apron below - I teamed it with a kids cook book as well as a book for school projects on Australian explorers). I used some cool Alexander Henry fabric and matching homespun from Quilt Fabric Delights.
It was nice to get behind the sewing machine again.

Four Seasons Quilt Swap summer quilt received

A big thanks to Calico Cat for the darling little quilt she sent me for the final 'summer' round of the Four Seasons Quilt Swap.

It's beautifully pieced and the retro fabrics are really cute. I've never worked with 1930s prints before, so this is a really lovely, fresh and different quilt for me. Check out that tiny piecing! She also sent me a huge piece of the border/backing fabric, which will come in handy for other projects to do with 'the baby'!

Also a huge thank you to Margaret, aka Supermom, for organising this mammoth swap. She's done such a great job over the past year.


PS. All quiet on the baby front!

My heart's desire...or...Romily is 3!

Grapping a nap beside my 2-year-old-for-one-moreday daughter yesterday, I lay there gazing at her precious little face completely mesmerised. There is nothing like watching your sleeping child to make you realise how lucky you are to be a parent. She really is an absolute delight and I could not have asked for a more wonderful daughter.

She turned three today and is having a great time being a big girl!

Yesterday we took cupcakes to playgroup - all the kids were impressed and so were their parents/grandparents, as there were enough to go around.

Romily helped to make these, although she was, of course, more interested in licking the spoon than anything else!Today she woke up as a big 3-year-old and was very excited to discover some presents awaiting her sleepy head. She loved her presents, big and small, and, most gratifyingly for her mother, loved her Iggle Piggle cake!
We also did a 'treasure hunt' in our courtyard, where she was very excited to discover bags of loot!
So, indulge her mother and look at how Romily Margaret has grown and blossomed over the past three years.
Happy birthday my darling angel Romily xxxxxx

All is well here - we're just in a holding pattern, waiting for the arrival of #2 (due on Sunday). We're staying pretty close to home and I'm resting as much as I can. He doesn't look like he's in a hurry to go anywhere - no doubt he'll make a late and fashionable arrival like his big sister! Hopefully I'll manage to get the Canberra Quilt & Craft show this weekend!

Hooray for maternity leave

Well I am enjoying not going to work! I finished up last Friday and have been taking it relatively easy, sleeping with Romily in the afternoons when I feel like it and getting some study done for uni - yes, I am studying one unit by distance this semester - it's the first unit towards a degree in management studies, which will take about three years part-time.

Today I took myself off to the movies and saw Mamma Mia - it was lots of fun, but I did find myself getting teary half-way through during one of the Abba numbers! I blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but it was a song about watching your kids growing up and then letting them go, wondering where the time went. Romily is three on Tuesday, so I guess I've been thinking along these lines already. But who would've thought I'd cry during Mamma Mia? Meryl Streep has that effect on me apparently - I cried and cried in Bridges of Madison County. She is a wonderful actress - and has a pretty good voice too! We won't talk about Pierce Brosnan's singing though...!

Yesterday Carl and I took Romily to 'Kids Rampage' - an indoor play centre for 1-5 year olds - and she had a great time climbing through all the nets, etc. She loved the ball pit, as you can see.We went to our favourite chocolate shop - Bruno's Truffels - on the way home, stopping there for lunch (alas not of chocolate). We each selected one 'special chocolate' and ate them in the car on the way home. Romily also loved her chocolate, as you can also see from this photo of a very happy girl!I made Carl take some photos of me too - I won't be pregnant for much longer and I'm trying to enjoy it, as it's definitely the last time for me. There's nothing quite like having another human being inside you. And you forget it so quickly after the birth.
Romily also took some photos - it's very interesting to see the world through a nearly 3yo's lens. Here's one of Carl.No sewing getting done here, but I have submitted my first assignment today, so that's given me a bit of breathing space to do some sewing over the weekend. Hopefully I'll have something to show for it early next week. And then it's on to making cupcakes for Romily to take to playgroup on Monday (I bought packet mixes, should be nice and easy now that we have had our oven repaired!) and then her birthday cake for Tuesday. I caved in to her repeated requests for an Iggle Piggle cake - if you don't know who Iggle Piggle is, don't ask! Trust me, you do not want to know. (He's in a British show called In the Night Garden, which is completely weird and off the planet - best viewed only by toddlers!!) I'm going to attempt to make an Iggle Piggle out of royal icing - wish me luck!

Winter's Garden wow

You know those days when you're feeling a little down and sorry for yourself? And then something magical happens to pick you right back up again? Today was one of those days!

I've been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions and they are getting stronger and stronger - to the point where you just feel like death warmed up. I had an appointment with my obstetrician this morning and he 'had a look' at how things were going - he thinks at least another two weeks to go (at least with all these practice contractions, the labour should be a little more straightforward this time!). This, on top of general '38-weeks and over it', was enough for me to throw a little pitty party. But then I remembered I had two parcel dockets and so headed to the post office on my way back from my appointment.

One was expected - a slow cooker I ordered using my Fly Buys points (which means I got it for free, having accumulated the points from grocery and petrol purchases), which I'm planning to use extensively while the weather's still cold and I'm still in 'oh my god I've got a newborn, a toddler and have had no sleep' phase. I'm going to make chilli con carne later this week to test it out :)

Winter's Garden

The second, was most unexpected and all the more exciting for having received. The lovely, lovely, thoughtful and generous girls in my online quilting group got together and made a quilt for the baby! It's absolutely stunning and I absolutely love it. Romily and Carl both oohed and aahed over it too. What an amazing thing to do. I am totally overwhelmed!

Winter's Garden, photo by Romily

Thank you AJ, Bee, Cylie, Helen, Joy, Kylie, Leah, Mands, Xena and especially Emma, who did all the organising, the construction and the quilting, all the while managing several commissions, a one year old and a toddler. You truly are amazing.

Funny Face, photo by Lily (at the instance of her highness)