Don't think I haven't been trying,..

Ok, I'll admit it. I was naive. I thought i would be able to get back to normalcy post kid. um nup. all you mums can go ahead and point and laugh now. After 10 weeks you'd think I would be able to have SOME time to myself right? ah, no. best i get is the odd half an hour here and there when he's playing by himself or the rare occasion when he's asleep somewhere other than on me. (he's a really crappy day sleeper) Hence no posting because there's nothing to show for the last two months other than a fatty little elephant and a tired mum.
So we finally got a baby bjorn and now i can make things while he happily sleeps on me. (we tried the sling, but he's 6kg and really just too heavy for me in it, and he doesn't really like it much anyways.)
What did i do with myself? i made a new nappy bag! i love the cake bag, but it's a bit heavy for me to carry around on its' own, separate from the pram. such a shame, as it really is gorgeous!


The fabric is 'bamboo' print on broadcloth from spotlight, with stash shinyish black nylon twill for the bows. i really wanted washed nappa leather for the bows, but i don't have that. oh well.
i'm loving it so far, so much lighter to carry, with good sized straps and HUGE inner pockets to fit everything i need, without being too big overall. i'm really really happy with it. especially since I completely dodgied up the pattern as i went along (i'm too lazy to make full patterns). apologies for the poor lighting, it's been rather overcast here.

Business plan is nearly complete, just the boring money planning part to go (yes i know the most vital part is the most boring). Range planning is going really well-it will be a small 12 outfit range to start with, and i'll post some pics of what i'm planning soon, as i need some feedback on a couple of print ideas.

thanks again to everyone who posted/emailed comments while we've been all full of baby time. it's really lovely! just a quick pic to show how much he's grown!

he's home!!!!!

well finally we get to play happy family.
after 13 days in SCN he is all healthy and wonderful, and now weighs 3670gms, so over birth weight-yay!
thank you to everyone that left comments, it was really lovely to read. we're officially on babymoon, so no posts from me for a couple of weeks i think. then cracking back into the swing of things and starting the cherry rockette stuff-woooo!

He's here!!!

Well that was a bit sudden!

so much for the christmas shopping we were doing last weekend- that got interrupted by a small surprise that arrived on monday afternoon. welcome to the world, young man!

let me be the first to introduce our first child: Kingston Indiana Godzilla Nelson.

born monday 22 - 12 - 08 at 17:15 (at 36wks - 4 weeks early!)
7lb 14oz (3572gms)
head: 34cm
length: 50cm
(look at that cute grin!)

Poor little man's lungs were not fully grown because he's so early, so he's been in the special care nursury (SCN) since birth (hence the tubes and wires in the pics), but he's big and strong for such a young age, so he's been very very lucky to be doing so well. Improving every day, although not out of the woods yet. we're hoping to bring him home soon, but only when he's ready.

My first Mohawk!

I'll update more once he's home and safe. Just need some time to focus and get better.
We love you little guy!

xxxCherry + Daddy

playmat!

So other than the 2hr nanna nap on the couch, i did this today:

about 1m x 1m, just assorted stash fabrics in black and white, with a soft jersey centre panel. i backed the whole thing in thick suede backed sherpa that my mum gave me so it's nice and soft to lay on. i kept with the b+w theme, since newborns learn to see contrasts for the first 6 months, and i thought this way it looks less 'quilt' like. stuffed some heart shapes and attached at each corner for some dimensionality and colour.
nothing fancy, but it does the job nicely and looks better than those gawd awful plastic things in shops.
yesterday i also made 7 size M nappies (Just in case). deleted the gussets though, since by the time the kid grows into the M's they should be less squirty in the poop department (i hope!)
No, we don't know if the little monkey is going to be a girl or boy, and yes, i know most of the nappies are more 'girly', but that's because i made them and i just happen to be a big girly pants. i can't help it, those are just the fabrics i gravitate towards. to be fair though, DH did come with me to spotlight and help pick out fabrics. i do love the retro printed planes and trucks and things, so if we do have a boy, i'm going to go a bit crazy and buy some fabric online and whip some up. it's all well and good to promote gender neutrality at a young age, and not to inflict stereotypes, but the reality is that babies brains are different right from the word go. boys and girls ARE different in so many ways, and even though both genders have the same potential for achievement, they will do so in different ways and in different fields, even without environmental bias from parents/siblings etc. as a generalisation, most boys seem to be enchanted by machinery and vehicles, and girls prefer people and faces. hmmm, be interesting to see how our kid turns out. (other than effed up by us, ha ahaa )

oh, and thanks to everyone who left comments on my nappies, it's nice to hear others like them as well! yay! i'm musing over whether to sell some next year (after the kid's here). i want to be a wahm, and i think it will be a good source of pocket money while i try to get my clothing line up and running (a much slower process). But i wnat to wait until i have the kid and can test them out, and make sure they 'work' iykwim? i'd feel wierd selling something that hadn't been tested first. and i'll have to adapt my pattern, so it's not a copy of the itti one, becasue that would just not be fair to the lady who set up itti (aside from ahem, illegal)

well 33 days to go.....

xCherry

13 pounder?!? aaaaaaaargh!

ok, so i had my 35wk appt with Ob yesterday morning, and he says my bub is going to be big. not only that, he then goes on to joke that it's going to be 11, 12 or 13lb!!!! the jerk.
realistically, the kid is more likely to be 8-9lb (i hope)
so apart from the minor freak out about birthing the fatty, i am now worried that all the nappies i have made wont fit!
so i've just cut out 7 size M nappies just in case, and they're being made now (well, not right now obviously, but later today). after quizzing the ladies at Nappychino, i'm thinking the smalls should be ok for the first 3months, but if i make some M's then at least i have them ready to go just in case. esp since i now have about 20 size S in my stash, which should be plenty for now.
Of course those same ladies then went on to scare the bejeebus outta me by making sure i knew "it's not the weight it's the head size", and of course those of you that know my DH know his head is HUGE. so yay, yay for my girls bits in 34 days. (insert sarcasm here)

these are the new size S i made last week:

and here's some shots of the 'nursery' so far:
amby hammock, on a curved wooden miyo stand, single bed just as a day bed/place to feed/change. (it's a 15+yo base with a $20 foam mattress, so not really sleep-on-able)
oh how i loath those rental house curtains. they remind me of a b+b circa 1983. bleaugh! will have to get some op-shop curtains asap.
op-shop chest of drawers (i think $40?), but we love it. covered in all the toys we've been given.
petunia pickle bottom 'scout' nappy bag (DH's)-love this!
nappy and cleaning stash (so far). i want to fill that top shelf with nappies, bwah aha ha ahaa aha.
the clothes that need hanging (rest are folded in drawers)-no idea if it's a boy or girl yet, so we've stashed things for both. (yes, hung in colour order, i am that anal)
boxes above are for future clothes- 1 box for size 1+, 1 box for size 2+.
petunia pickle bottom 'cake' nappy bag of mine-yum!
not much left on the list of 'to do's', thankfully. though with such a short time left i'd be worried if there was! i know some people can be organised in the last minute, but this just aint me. i'm a planner. create the plan, break down the plan into steps, execute the plan. that's me!

last few things we don't 'need' per se, but i want to make now while i have a little free time (if not much energy-i'm enjoying doing the making):
* playmat + a few small infant toys attached-letter blocks, taggy blankets etc...
* pram mobile/toy dangler
* cot mobile/toy dangler
* this 'happy stacker' toy-just delish.
* these cute baby shoes
* this little tortellini pillow for on the playmat
* a few more bibs.

sorry i've been lax in the posting, just getting too tired to do much these days. my ob asked how i've been, and i said "fat and tired", and his reply? "yes, well that's to be expected". le sigh. just have to be patient now. kid will come when it's ready, i don't want to rush it, but we're very excited about meeting them.

xCherry

effin outta there!

last day of work-woooooooo!
ok, yeah, i still have to have the actual baby and raise it which is more work than ever, but at least that's also fun and exciting.
QA aint fun and exciting.


ever



but next year i can start my own line and hopefully grow the small business into something successful, which i'm very excited about.

and this was my leaving gift from work, which i LOVE, and we;ve been wanting, but haven't been able afford, so i'm very happy!



ps: her name is dotty.

mini piratey sleepsack

cos you never know when you'll need one.
this one's for bringing baby home from hospital.

close up:

i also washed all of the baby clothes today. starting to feel more real now, that's for sure. the little socks are just too cute!