Books I'm reading...

Today was a busy day. Garage sale-ing in the morning, a first birthday at lunch and a pupusa (my all-time favourite food) at Gorman House markets with an old friend this afternoon.

Was a pretty perfect day although I came home absolutely knackered. Couldn't move from my spot on the bed. I didn't fight the urge to lie in the afternoon sun and do a bit of reading.

Have been dipping into parts of Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and am totally entranced by the birth stories. I'm trying to slow down my reading as I don't want it to finish. It is one of those books I noticed lots of blogging mamas reading (and had been recommended by many, including the lovely Jodi) and I can see why. It's refreshing and reassuring to read about a variety of birth stories, and reminds me that I should be open to whatever experience will be my own.

I can also highly recommend the book Birth by Catherine Price and Sandra Robinson. A thoughtful friend gave me a copy when I first mentioned we were trying for a baby. It's full of helpful information, not biased towards any particular way of giving birth, and written in a friendly tone by two Australian women. It's a goodie as I found What to Expect seemed too American (even the Australian version).

Lastly, another good friend lent me her Up the Duff book which I've just been flicking through. Even though a lot of the information seems repetitive now that I've read Birth, I love that she's annotated the text with her own experiences. I'm a bit of a sticky beak like that. But what a lovely idea, no?

Aim for May: read a non-pregnancy book. Have Never Let Me Go still waiting so maybe it's time...

Lofty ambitions

Over the weekend we painted the little one's room (well, actually K did - I popped my head in at times and 'supervised'). My favourite part of painting is picking out the colour chips and mulling over the selection. Least favourite part is making a decision. In the end we settled on a soft ocean green and good ol' Antique White USA. I'm dying to get some furniture in and install our Maskros pendant (that's been sitting in the box since January). To be continued...

In clearing the room for painting, K came up with the genius idea of moving our study desks to the loft - a previously under-utilised area that had become a little hideaway for the barbie and toy bag we haul out when children visit. I wasn't too sure that it would all work given the loft's sloping ceiling, but am so happy with the outcome. The space still feels connected to the living area but is tucked away just enough to not get too distracted.

New pinboard displays: a pleasant way to wile away a cloudy Autumn afternoon. If you're a bit of a dag. And are still feeling queasy and don't feel up to much. And are banished from the painting room.

I'm growing a baby!

So it's a little obvious from the pose in the photo and the title of this post...K and I will be parents soon! Our precious little one is due on 4 October 2011: a day before my Granny's birthday (I think she must have had a say in this) and the same day that our dear friends C & F are expecting their 3rd little one. We are over the moon and super excited about this news.

I'm just over the 17 week mark, and let's just say that growing a baby is hard work. I've barely been able to look a computer in the evenings since week 6 (just after our Newcastle trip coincidently) and have neglected the blog in favour of sleep and Mad Men episodes. Lovely K and my parents have been cooking and feeding me (bland meals with no garlic and onions please) and generally just being patient with me through my moaning and groaning. I owe them all big time, I know. A friend at work said that if I give them a beautiful baby to cuddle at the end of it, they're sure to accept that as a fine reward.

I know it sounds silly, but I just didn't realise being pregnant could affect you this much. Although I understand all women experience pregnancy differently. I've always been a night owl and now my bedtime is around 8.30pm; I usually insisted on sourdough or grain bread and now all I can manage is fluffy white bread; and I used to love pottering about in the kitchen but now it is a minefield of hideous nausea-inducing smells. On the flip side, there are some pretty wonderful things about this stage too. It's not all bed rest and crackers. People are genuinely happy for you, hair gets shiny, skin gets soft and your loved one will happily bring you a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice every morning.

Look forward to sharing this journey with you. x