bump: 32 weeks

We took these photos last night, when the husband was tired from work and I was tired from the constant jack hammering going on in the construction pit next door. We were both a bit grumpy, which is why I'm extra glad that I have some lovely ladies who have offered to shoot my bump over the coming weeks. Husband can have a well-deserved break from being my photographer.

To be honest, it's not quite 9am and I'm feeling grumpy again thanks to those aforementioned jack hammers waking me up nice and early this morning after a terrible night's sleep. I think I'll make myself some tea and read through my Calmbirth book. Despite my whinging, we did have a lovely weekend. The two of us drove to Bowral on Friday night to attend Calmbirth with Peter Jackson. We stayed at the sweetest B&B, where we relished having a king sized bed, a body pillow, and the kind of quiet you only get in the country.

Saturday and Sunday were spent with a group of other couples, preparing for our upcoming births. Peter's wisdom and gentle encouragement was exactly what we needed. Husband came away with a greater sense of what to expect on b-day (as Peter calls it) and the tools to be a wonderful support person. I came away feeling excited to birth our baby. Eight more weeks...

p.s. Check out Jodi's blog today to see some photos that Luisa snapped of our lunch date in Surry Hills...

a quiet week

 

Wow, I've been rather silent this week, haven't I? It's just been one of those weeks where not much is happening, definitely nothing to write home about. The most exciting thing to happen is the arrival of my Vitamix, which I managed to buy gently used from a friend who upgraded to a Thermomix. I've been silently, and sometimes not so silently, pining for one of these blenders for a long time and I'm so happy at how this all worked out. A perfect example of 'ask and ye shall receive.' I've used it 2 or 3 times a day since I've had it, making myself a daily green smoothie, nut milks, sauces and desserts.

In other news, it's still so hot here. It feels just like a Vancouver summer, and not at all like autumn. While the beach swims are nice, I'm still looking forward to the day I can sleep without 2 fans on me. We're heading away this weekend, to a country town which will, allegedly, be cooler than here. I hope so.

I hope you're all having a wonderful week!

how did you choose your baby's name?

{via}

We are having such a hard time thinking of names for this here baby of ours. My husband and I have wildly different taste in names; it's something we've been joking about for years. I suggest something like Cedar (for a boy) and he counters with, "what about William?"

Luckily for him, my taste in names has evolved and I now find myself mostly drawn to old fashioned English names, as well as French and Spanish names. But there's still a fair amount of compromise involved when we get talking about naming the little one. I have to sacrifice anything remotely unusual and he has to consider the possibility of names that aren't currently in use by an English monarch.

I chose this photo because we do seem to gravitate towards what are considered 'hipster names.' But I'm getting frustrated because a lot of the names we agree on are becoming more and more popular. Husband doesn't care at all whether or not a name is common; I really do.

So... how did you choose your baby's name? Do you care if your baby's name is common? Did you try to find a name with meaning? Did you name your baby after someone? Do you have any name suggestions for us? Pretty please...

bump: 30 weeks

This week marks 30 weeks of baby growing, 10(ish) weeks to go. Yesterday I had a wonderful midwife appointment. My husband was able to come with me for the first time, and we spent a bit more time asking questions and checking out the bump and the baby. Both seem to be right on track with baby appearing to be head down. I also got good news from my chiropractor later that day - my pelvis is looking better and my legs are the same length, hurrah!

This week I'm hoping to sleep lots, take it easy on my body amidst all the yoga teaching and order myself some maternity jeans. And then I should probably turn my attention back to my to-do list, which I titled 'things I don't want to do but need to anyway.' Oh yes, there's a lot to be done these next 2 months!

cook-off

Autumn arrived right on cue on Friday with stormy weather and cooler temperatures, which was perfect timing for the cooking party my friend and I had planned. We wanted to try out some recipes from My New Roots and from the whole foods course we're doing; we settled on the life changing loaf of bread, crispy cornmeal sweet potato fries, and some roast chickpeas.

We'd never made any of these before, and to be totally honest, each of the above had some 'issues.' I think though, that when you're learning a new way of cooking, buying food, and eating it just takes some patience and trial and error. For example, the fries were yummy but would've been better if we'd followed the recipe more closely. And next time I attempt the loaf of bread (gluten free! flour free! yeast free!) I'll make sure I have the exact quantities of everything needed, let it sit for longer and enjoy it as toast, as Sarah suggests.

That said, it was a really enjoyable morning of pottering around, making, and taking photos of Katie's cute kitchen. We already have plans to do it again in a few weeks with different recipes. I'll let you know how we go!

What's been happening in your kitchen lately?

yoga at home: some tips

I often get emails asking me for advice on practicing yoga at home. Some people don't live near a studio, or don't like the studios nearby; others find it hard to get to class with kids to take care of; sometimes it's a question of a tight budget, etc. Personally, until recently I was able to get to various classes around Sydney 2 to 6 times a week. Now, with a big belly and the end of summer heat that just won't let up, I've been finding myself practicing in the comfort of my (air-conditioned) home more and more.

Here are some tips, in no particular order, for getting your yoga on at home. I hope you find them useful:

• If you've never done yoga before, I would recommend trying to get to at least a few beginners classes to get the basics down.
• There are heaps of free yoga podcasts you can download and practice along to. You do need to have a fairly good foundation because you have to follow along with just verbal cues. One of my favourite yoga teachers, Jessica Stickler, has a podcast that you can find here.
• There are also several websites offering videos that you can download for a fee, or stream unlimited for what's usually a very small monthly fee. I would recommend YogaGlo and My Yoga Online.
• To practice at home, you really only need a yoga mat. If you're serious, you may want to invest in a bolster, a strap and two blocks. That said, you can always improvise and use books as blocks, or roll up a blanket to use as a bolster.
• If you can set up a space for your regular practice, you'll be more inspired to get on the mat. It can be as simple as lighting a candle on a bookcase that you always practice in front of. My friend Emily wrote some more about this here.
• The hardest thing about practicing yoga is just rolling out your mat. My friend and fellow yoga teacher says that when she wants to practice at home she rolls out her mat, lies down on it and then hopes for the best. I love that. 
• On that note, sometimes you just need a burst of inspiration. I recommend watching the amazing Meghan Currie's time lapse videos on youtube, or reading a beautiful book. One of my favourite yoga books is An Offering of Leaves by Ruth Lauer Manenti.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments section and I'll be sure to answer...

bits and pieces

 Alongside this random assortment of photos from the last few days, some random thoughts, in point form (because that's how random thoughts come out best, I find):

• I finally went to check out The Grounds of Alexandria. Apart from the fact that it is aesthetically very pleasing, my final verdict: meh.
• I've been reading Great With Child: Letters to a Young Mother. It's an inspiring and perfect read for me right now, so glad I found it. 
• I'm loving the blog My New Roots, which I found via the whole food e-course I'm doing. I can't wait to make this once the weather cools down.
• We celebrated the husband's birthday on the weekend. I made the one cake he kind of likes, the honey cake from Tessa Kiros' Apples for Jam. Déja vu.
• His cousin made this beautiful onion tart with tomatoes, basil and olive. It was vegetarian, for me, and oh so delicious. 
• One of my husband's cousins just had a baby, and we spent most of the night oohing and aahing over her tiny cuteness. 
• In the last month I've watched Jeff Who Lives at Home, Safety Not Guaranteed and Your Sister's Sister. I've loved all three, and it's safe to say that I have a crush on the Duplass brothers.
• Speaking of movies, I can't wait to see this one.
• The humidity is killing me. Today as I checked in students for my afternoon yoga class, we all asked each other, "when will this end?"
• I've been meaning to mention this for a couple of weeks now, but see that beautiful new banner up there? It's from Central Coast artist, Lauren Merrick. She's a freelance illustrator and graphic designer and boy is she talented!

bump: 28 weeks

photos by Belinda 

 Being pregnant is so distracting. I'll be having a conversation with someone, or trying to read a book when I start to feel some little wriggles coming from within. Sometimes that's it, as if the baby just needs to readjust and then falls straight back to sleep. Other times the wriggles mean that a full on gymnastics routine is about to start and I can't help but be captivated. I watch my belly as it waves up and down and give the baby little pokes where I feel his/her limbs. I get the husband to feel as well and we try to guess - is it a head, a foot, a bum?

To me, the guessing and the not knowing is the magical part. It's why we haven't found out the baby's gender and why I've declined 2 out of 3 ultrasounds. In my favourite prenatal yoga book, Bountiful Beautiful Blissful, Gurmukh writes:

"The marvel of this experience is that this being who is so close to us cannot be seen. We don't have a window in, or a pouch like a kangaroo. When you can't see and touch, you have the opportunity to connect deeply on another level."

Last weekend I got together with the beautiful Belinda, who blogs at Billy and August, so she could photograph my 28 week bump (which means I'm playing catch up and am now 29 weeks). I love these photos that she captured and we already have plans to do it again. So this it, the last trimester, here we go....