Bump Update: 36 Weeks

Another bump update..this time with only four weeks to go! I am still working and in no hurry for this little one to arrive. With my first two I was counting down the days in the last few weeks and keen to go into labour at any time. This time I am relishing the last few weeks and trying to appreciate every special kick and movement as I know I will miss it once the baby is born.

I have been a bit restless at night and surprisingly, it isn't due to the many toilet stops! I have been waking in the night and as soon as I start thinking about anything, be it work, the impending labour, etc, I am awake for quite some time. Nights are also a super active time for this little baby so the kicks under my ribs are hard to ignore.

The weather has also turned in the last few days and I am struggling with my maternity work wardrobe! Most of my maternity clothes are for summer and I am having to make do with the ever versatile leggings, a pregnant woman's wardrobe staple. I also started packing my hospital and baby bags on the weekend and it was nice to dig out all the little clothes and nappies, etc. You forget how small they are, and also how fast they grow. Still lots more to do in the next four weeks and with the schedule I have ahead of me at work and at home, I am hoping this little one is comfortable enough to stay in there until my due date. :)

Grey Chevron Cushions

I know that the chevron zip zag pattern is everywhere at the moment, but I couldn't resist indulging in this interiors trend in a small way. I LOVE chevron and fad or not, the bold, structural pattern really appeals to me.

First cushion finished!

Finding chevron fabric in NZ is not as easy as it sounds...finding it at a reasonable price is nigh on impossible. This led me to one of my favourite websites for beautiful handmade products and craft supplies, Etsy. 

Testing them out on the bed

After narrowing down the wide range of choices, I found a great supplier called Bee Yourself Fabrics. The owner, Jan, was super friendly and shipped my yard of grey chevron so quickly that it arrived from the US in a matter of days. Her prices were great, even with postage and one yard was enough for two standard size cushions (45cm x 45cm).

In the nursery, where they were originally made for.

I was feeling particularly tired after work one day last week and really felt like an easy project to take my mind off my long 'to do' list at work...whipping up these cushions was perfect. There is a sense of satisfaction that you get in creating something with your hands that is very therapeutic, for me anyway. They only took a few minutes to make and once they had been filled with my favourite feather inners, I was in love. :)

Shared Bedroom Tips

Rosie and Harry have been sharing a bedroom for quite some time now and I am always on the lookout for fresh ideas for their room. If you have two children of the same gender sharing, there is an abundance of ideas out there. Unfortunately it is a little harder when you have a boy and a girl sharing! 

Harry's favourite colour is orange and Rosie's is (currently!) blue. I have yet to find co-ordinating bedding in those colours but I have been able to find a few things that work. You have a few options available to you if you are faced with this sharing situation.

1. Choose the same base colour for their bedding and switch it up a bit with accessories to make it more girly or boyish. When the kids first started sharing it was winter so I chose a red theme, which was great for brightening up the room on cold days. For Rosie I chose a cute red and white polka dot fabric to make her a pillowcase and the star cushion worked well on her bed too. For Harry I found a red and white striped pillowcase at the second hand shop which looked more masculine, to pair up with his Thread Design motorbike cushion. I still love the red and will probably use it again this winter.

2. Another option is to buy bedding that is gender neutral and pick out the feminine and masculine colours in it to emphasise. I did this with the Ikea Fabler duvet sets we have been using this summer.

The trick is to keep your eye out for bargains and if you see something that would work well, snap it up then and there. I have been looking long enough to know that you don't find options that are suitable too often, so make the most of them when you do. My most recent finds have been a second hand pair of Ikea Barnslig duvet sets in boy and girl colour options. Perfect!

I love the bright colours of these sets! Harry recently painted a picture at school of him and his dad playing soccer and the colours tie in really well with these duvets. We will be looking for some kind of way to display his painting soon as kids art is such a great, inexpensive way to personalise their rooms.

The nicest thing about sharing a bedroom is not the decorating though. It is the whispered conversations we wake up to in the mornings. It is finding Harry tucked up with Rosie in her top bunk after a bad dream. I spoke to a lady today who told me that her children (a boy and a girl) shared a bedroom for years when they were small and had a tiny house. They are now teenagers and have their own rooms...but she said they can still be found in each others' rooms chatting away and are the best of friends. I hope I can say that some day about my children! :)

Summer Fun

I know that summer is officially over now (where did that go?) and autumn is on it's way, but we have really enjoyed the last couple of months. We have worked on some of the landscaping around our pool area and it is so much better than it used to be.

Rosie and Harry have spent countless hours in the pool and it has been great entertainment over the warmer months. Harry in particular has really flourished and we have hit a milestone...he can now swim across the deep end of the pool without a lifejacket! He has also experienced swimming at night and swimming in the rain, two other "firsts" for him!

Rosie is our cautious girl and still isn't quite confident to swim without the safety of her lifejacket or a boogie board. She is more than capable, but the fear of the unknown is still pretty great. She needs a lot of encouragement and patience, but I am sure she will get there in her own time. :)

Summer has never been my favourite season (I am more of a autumn/winter girl), but I have actually loved this summer. Taff had several weeks off in January and it was so lovely to just spend time together at home on little projects around the house and enjoying the sun together. Now the nights are cooler and the sun is going down earlier...I am already looking forward to next summer. :)