Mouse in a box

This is the cutest thing ever. I want to buy one for every little girl I know.... especially the one that's in my belly right now. I would have played with this for hours as a little girl.

Bagelyard

Bagel really likes the new backyard too!

The Bou-Lunns

I like this picture of us which was taken recently. We look happy and full of life... which is nice considering how exhausted we've been feeling lately! We'll be married 5 years in two weeks or so. Crazy! Those years have gone by so fast (especially since we had Ian). Every day has been a blessing (even the bad days... you learn a lot about yourself through your partner). Can't believe these two people are going to be parents again soon. What a crazy ride.... Love you Mister Lunn!

 

Vintage Therapy

I bought these vintage sheets some time ago while thrifting. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them but they reminded me of my grandpa and grandma's cottage so I bought them (in both blue and pink...). My mother said that they are at least 50 years old (I love how they have lace on them... because everyone needs lace on their bedsheets...). This morning as a way to try and stay in the moment I thought I would finally do something with them. I used the pillowcase tutorial (did I mention I love this tutorial?) and whipped these up as a special thank you gift from Ian to my sister Annie for taking care of him at daycare for the last two years (Ian only has 6 or so weeks left of daycare...he couldn't be more thrilled, not that he doesn't like daycare but he loves being with his mommy more). Since the quilt on her bed has blues and yellows in it I thought these would be nice on her bed. I used a blue polkadot for the trim. I think it modernizes them and gives them a little 'pop'. I probably would of used yellow polka dots to make them more cheery but I didn't have any (you can never have too much polka dot fabric in a variety of colors....I'll need to remember that next time I'm fabric shopping). Now hopefully she doesn't read this before tomorrow morning...

36 weeks

Tomorrow I am 36 weeks. While I'm all for living in the moment and appreciating each day, I really wish the baby was here already. Two weeks ago I started bleeding out of the blue. 24 hour monitoring at the hospital and the verdict was that there is no way to know for sure what caused the bleeding. Either it is a subchorionic Hematoma or a small lip of the placenta has torn away from the uterine wall. Neither of these conditions can be seen on ultrasound. The baby looked really good on the ultrasound which is the only thing that kept me sane during that time. The ob said she looked 'perfect'.  A few days after the bleeding and everything seemed to have stopped and was ok. A week later and I'm passing clots again. It is very scary to see large clots when pregnant. When I called the midwife yesterday to get some reassurance that these clots were what would be expected after a bleed, she said that we have to monitor things closely but that these 'episodes' put me at higher risk for preterm labour, placental abruption and... stillbirth. I was a little shocked by the 's' word... it didn't do anything to reassure me. Having already had two miscarriages, a stillbirth is really my worst fear. So here I am 4 weeks away from my due date and I feel like a ticking time bomb. I wish she would come already so I could hold her in my arms and see her breathing and know that she is ok. 4 weeks seems like an eternity (though I do have this feeling she'll come a little early). I'm even considering discussing the possibility of doing a scheduled c-section at 38 weeks or something (since I've had one before this doesn't seem like such a crazy notion). I don't know what an ob would think of that. All I know is living day to day is getting harder, just hoping she continues to be ok in there.

Backyard Project

We've been living in our house now for almost 5 years. Our backyard is fairly big for a house that is downtown. It has these three beautiful old maples that provide a huge shaded canopy over our entire backyard. When we first moved Derek had big 'green grass' dreams. He wanted a small patch of grass to tend to and cut and call his own (I swear this is a universal man thing). When we moved in, the entire backyard was a huge patch of stony dirt. So Derek worked hard to dig it all up and replaced it with proper dirt. He planted grass seed -but it didn't grow (not enough sun and the roots from the trees would suck up all of the water). The second year he tried planting sod -it died too. The third year he tried planting seed again (this time a very special shade seed) it died too. The fourth year he dug up all of the dirt and decided we had to try a different approach. The fifth year after many, many weekends of incredible hard work we now have this beautiful backyard to hang out in. Derek did all of this work by himself! He didn't have one bit of help (some of the beams were over 100 pds!!). He even designed it himself which I find pretty amazing. I feel pretty lucky to have such a hard working and talented husband. It looks amazing and is really nice to hang out in as a family. We finally have that extra bit of outdoor space we needed to enjoy extra special family time. Ian has a little sandbox and kiddie pool that he loves to play in. The yard isn't quite done yet and it already looks so nice. It's even nicer at night when the lights are lit. Very romantic and relaxing - which is exactly what we need after a long day's work or a full day of running after an energetic toddler!

pillowcase tutorial

Love this: pillow case tutorial (and in general LOVE this website. It's full of inspiration!)

I made one of these for Ian today. Thought he would like the fabric since he's been mastering the use of the word helicopter these days: 'Ollicockter'. Three year olds can be so damn cute you just want to eat them!

35 and a half weeks

I'm 35 and a half weeks today. Have officially stopped working due to complications in my pregnancy. Being at home feels good. I have been catching up on my sleep.... and sewing! It took a lot more energy than I thought it would to convince myself to start up a sewing project. I've been more than just a little tired and my huge belly is making it difficult to move around these days. Lots of contractions if I move around too much. The good news is the baby seems to be doing really well. She is moving around quite a bit still (and is no longer breech - hoorah!). Some nights it feels like there's a full blown dance routine happening in there which makes it difficult to sleep. I am trying to be in the moment and appreciate each day. Also looking forward to meeting her though. Who is that little person moving around in there?

So as a way to combat my boredom and maybe revive my spirit through creativity I embarked on a new sewing project. Not the one I originally thought I would. I have started quilting a twin sized (largest quilt I've ever made - eek) for the baby's 'big girl bed'. It may seem a little early but I'm being realistic that there won't be much sewing in my future for a while after this baby comes. Plus I kind of like the idea of sewing her a quilt that will be around a while (as opposed to a baby quilt) while she is still in my belly.
I used fabrics I already had in my fabric-stash. The colors are pretty wild and modern. I totally love it. Am picturing it in her room with new hardwood floors and a pretty headboard and my great-grandmother's dresser newly painted white. Will have to make her a matching quilt for her dolls. Still have to figure out what I will put on the back. Maybe just a simple plain color since it is already quite busy. The pictures aren't the best quality but they are the best I can do for now. I'm looking forward to seeing what this will look like once it is binded and washed. Until then I'm enjoying the process and trying not to count the days.

33 weeks

I'm 33 weeks today. Only a few weeks left. I'm so looking forward to meeting my baby girl! I can't wait to hold her and introduce her to her big brother. It feels like it's been a long wait. Even the 4-7 weeks I have left feels like an eternity. I'm especially looking forward to no longer having to go to work!

In my last few weeks, I'm planning a simple quilt for the little one using these fabrics:
http://www.fabricworm.com/keihoredjaim.html
http://www.fabricworm.com/kotrlibllire.html

I couldn't resist the little red riding hood fabric and I'm really into red polka dots these days. This will be the first bit of sewing I've done in a long time. I've missed it but just haven't had any leftover energy at the end of the day to get any done.

Our backyard is almost done. It is slowly becoming the oasis we had imagined for lazy family summer days. Looking forward to hosting our first BBQ with family and friends!