It has been a long time. To be honest, I haven't done much sewing, but the real reason I stayed away wasn't because I was embarrassed or anything. It was because I had a big, fat secret and I knew if I blogged, I would say something!
Well, as of yesterday, we got the all clear to tell the world: we are PREGNANT!!
That is Bean. I'm due around the end of May. So far all three scans have been tops. Yesterday we had the combined NT scan and bloodwork done and the counsellor was pretty blunt about it: she said our risk factors were so low we had the best results we could possibly hope for. (I am even an overachiever at blood tests, apparently.) I was relieved to see this baby was a lot less wriggly than Piper at twelve weeks! Maybe this one won't age me quite so fast as its older sister has. :)
Piper of course is growing like a weed. She's getting taller but losing the baby roundness: she's all skinny limbs. I have no idea what she looks like awake, because if she's not sleeping, she's a blur of motion. It's hard to catch her in a quiet moment. We have to trick her with FOOD.
After Christmas we'll start some from-home Montessori tasks, just a few hours a day, to get her used to the idea of preschool. I was reading by age 3 and boy, I'd love for her to be able to read! I have resisted turning on the television up until this week, but the exhaustion combined with stress made me give in: ABC Kids it was. Good thing we have quality children's programming in this country! No ads, good shows...it makes me feel like slightly less of a crap parent.
I have still been abstaining from any heavy sewing, and trying to focus more on writing and parenting. It's actually been a great break for my wallet AND my poor, tendonitis-y elbow. But I miss it, too, so I whipped out a little quilt to list in my shop. I'll let you all know when it goes up. I have to find the time to finish binding it! :)
I did manage to grab some time this morning to go fabric shopping with my friend Jenna. She is a fellow fabric curator and we had fun picking through the piles at Craft Depot. I came home with a ludicrous amount of half-meters.
The real treasure, of course, is that Craft Depot has Michael Miller Cotton Couture. For $12/m all this month. That is cheaper than buying it online and shipping it over! If you haven't felt the Michael Miller Cotton Couture, you must. I think it's the nicest hand on any solids I've encountered. (Yes, even nicer than the famously "nice" ones.) It's got a great weight to it - I feel like it could hold up to being sewn alongside linen, no problem. Plus, the colors are just beautiful.
That's Wedgewood, Starfruit, Mermaid, Raspberry, Eggplant, and Cinnamon. I actually really like this stack on its own!
Afterward Jenna and I had yummy lunch and then I came home to be on Mama duty for a while, and then, social butterfly that I am, I snuck away to have a late afternoon tea with my good friend Lucie. We so rarely catch up these days, but she is one of the people I met pretty soon after I moved here and we just instantly clicked. She's Piper's godmother and one of my best friends. Yay for tea!
Also I may have made some Christmassy type purchases for my better half. He will just have to wait and see!
Tomorrow I have a bit of prep to do for the Sydney MQG Meeting on Saturday. Hey, are you coming along? It's in the city - all the details are here - and we'd love to see you! We are working on group quilts and it's a short day (10-12 only) but I always love our Saturday meetings. It's the last Saturday for 2012! Only two more Thursdays left! Also tomorrow I have to sew a tiny handbag for Piper. She keeps wearing green bags around her neck, or my 241 tote, and tripping over it. So I'm going to make her a mini-version. And if I have time, maybe I'll cut out this dress pattern!
I can't wait to be showing, not just pudgy! I really loved being pregnant and despite being tired, constantly nauseous, and really chubby-feeling, I know I'm busy growing an amazing little person! I can't wait for MAY!
Now that the cat's out of the bag, I should be blogging more frequently! Hope so, anyway!
Cheers!
Penny xx