We had a Baby BBQ on Saturday - we pitched it to our mates as the last time we'd see them together without us being mildly manic and covered in baby spew.  They agreed to come.

Hannah was amazing, we had it at her house and she cleaned and cooked and pushed me out of the kitchen the whole time, leaving me to catch up with everyone.   The rest of the in-laws were awesome too, BBQ-ing 70 burgers, cooking fresh snapper etc.  My bro and his family came up, a friend flew in from Berlin that afternoon (not especially for the bbq although I like to think so), my ma managed to take a sneaky day off to drive up and spend a few hours with us...it was pretty special.






Friends brought their favourite books for Baby Coombes and wrote in a book for him, guessing his weight, date/time of birth and his name, which nearly everyone got right seeing as it's the worst kept secret in the world.

So little Joe Henry Coombes, it was a gathering in your honour and a whole lotta love was felt.  You've got some preeetty cool dudes waiting to meet you (although those few that guessed you'd be 15 pounds or named Bullstrode will have to win back your respect).

xxx

Linen is being washed, clothes sorted and names pondered.  It's so nice having this time off to muddle about.  We couldn't really have planned it better, had we planned.  Three weeks off for Xmas break, back to work for three weeks, then off for what I keep telling Andy is my 'retirement'.  Hehehe.

Names are being added to the kitchen blackboard and I glance at them as I wander past to make (more) food.  I'd love feedback, we're totally stuck.

Emx

We made it to past midnight, kissed Dan & Tessa then scuttled out of the Phoenix Foundation gig, home to hot chocolate and biscuits.  We attempted to make new year's resolutions but we must be damn near perfect 'cause nothing came to mind.  There's the usual (get fit-learn more-be kinder-etc) but my heart isn't in it.  Like Tessa said, there's plenty more days in the year to make resolutions, I'm just going to skip it tonight.

2012 is going to be newer than most new years for us.  It's your year.  I'm looking forward to meeting you little one. You were very quiet at the gig, listening very hard.  Hopefully the CD will work just as well when you're here, on the outside, and grumpy.

Happy New Year.  I love you my sweet boy.

Your Ma Emma xxx

It's weird - when we decided* to try and get pregnant, I didn't really think much about it all.  We were really lucky and it happened very quickly so maybe we didn't realise what path we were setting ourselves off on.  It's not like we're young and/or foolish, we're 34/35 and been together for 12 years and we wanted to make a baby but it's all so damn theoretical until that positive test.  And it stays a bit unreal, but on a slowly adjusting scale.

At the ripe old mark of 23 weeks, my body has changed A LOT, little Scooby is kicking, we've got bags of baby stuff accumulating, i'm going to pregnancy yoga (ok, only once), I'm slowly gearing myself up to watch a birth video, we've maybe chosen a name, we're going to start antenatal classes next week and  I've had a couple of outrageously vivid moments of "holy shit!  We're having a baby!"  It's becoming more real for sure.  But then I realise I'll laugh at this post at 39 weeks.  And laugh that I laughed at that post once baby is born.  Reality happens bit by bit and I'm slowly understanding you can't really mentally prepare for anything until you're in it.

* 'decided' being a little strong and possibly not entirely quite as decisive but more like....'we wouldn't...would we?  Maybe we would?  We did!  Wow!....cool.....'

I know it's early days but the excuse to shop for baby's room has been irresistible - even if the room doesn't yet exist.  I just hope the new house (we have yet to find) is big cause I'm showing no signs of slowing.

And I realise I'm leaning on the girly side of decorating but I figure this room is really for me for the first year, kid ain't gonna care if the florals & swans have crept in until he's a bit older, or in fact maybe he'll never care (amazing!)

I guess I should start buying actually useful things like breast pumps and changing mats sometime soon....*yawn


The white rocking chair was bought by my mum last weekend- I LOVE it.  Blue cushions made by Andy's mum, soft toys from local craft market - Andy choose the long pink dog for our boy - and thrifted crochet blanket.


The painting I bought from work and is by artist Stanley Jones, it's gorgeous and named 'My Father's House' based on the landscape in Provence.


Birdhouse made by Andy's uncle - we're going to make it into a lamp - or coat hook,  ethnic cushion from Tree of Life, other stuff is thrifted.

I've not been updating this blog for the last couple of months mainly because of two things...one awful, one WONDEROUS!


Awful: My camera kit was stolen from my car - a total bummer and the second time we've been robbed since we've been back in NZ.  I've just ordered a new camera and I'll be back snapping and squirreling memories away on this here blog which has become even more important because......



WONDEROUS:  I'm up the duff!  Aaarrrgh!  It looks like adopting little kitten Boo was a warm-up - I'm 18 weeks and we're really happy, excited and freaked out.  But more than anything, we're up for this adventure, keen for this wild ride.  It's been 12 wonderful years of adventuring together, just the two of us and now we can't wait for a side-kick.  

It's been a text-book first trimester with nausea and tiredness (oh my god the tiredness!) but nothing more sinister.  It's finally passed and god I feel AMAZING! I probably just back to normal but normal feels wonderful.  Our scan's have all been good, the little sprout is growing well and in about three weeks we'll know what flavour this magic bean is.

The last 18 weeks - sleeping, eating, not-eating, long baths, worry, smiles, tears, lots and lots of thinking about names, telling family, telling friends, telling work, trying to imagine what's ahead, buying the first little baby outfit, hitting all the op shops and markets and finding baby bargains, getting very excited/emotional/scared/blissful.

I've been reading dozens of amazing baby/parenthood blogs and birth stories, they really help me process and begin to understand this strange new world I'm in.  I've a long way to go.  I hope to keep track of our journey here, the three of us growing, learning, changing and ultimately becoming a family.  I feel like I need this blog more than before, and in a different way.  Not just for memories but to help me to get prepared, to see my own thoughts out there before me and to have a place to sort those thoughts out.

Delighted to have you along for the ride new followers!  Your blogs are inspirations to me.

Em x

Peru and Bolivia 2010

Just went through my images of our travels in Sth America, Maria and Mike want some for their new apartment in Athens.  Good memories.  I'm wondering if I have enough for a small exhibition at The Depot so  I think I'll go through them and post those I think might work as prints, build up an idea.  Any feedback on those that should/shouldn't be included welcomed.

1. Peruvian village where we stayed with our guides before beginning the Inca trail.
2  Floating village at Lake Titicaca.
3. Shot from a bus, Peru.
4. Salt Flats, Bolivia and village restaurant, somewhere in the jungle.

Glorious day at Muriwai Beach - walked for a few hours along the beach and saw horses play in the surf, tons of happy dogs and a washed up shark.  Finished up with beers at Halletau.  And the best bit is we have tomorrow off too.  Thank you Queenie.

And Boo is MUCH better too - he is showing us his true colours now, tearing around the house, a little black fluffy ball of mischief, collapsing in various spots to nap, stretching out and looking very contented.

Little Boo is part of this home now and he has taken over.  He is a rascal and a monkey and a very, very sweet little creature.  He loves to be held and carried, not so keen on pats, loves clawing our sofas and skidding across our polished wood floors, likes to burrow under blankets to nap, sit on keypads, hang with his flatmates and sleep beside the fire.  After a week none of us could remember life without him.  The bad news is he has gotten a cold and is on antibiotics.  He isn't as playful and sleeps a lot but most heartbreaking is his terribly blocked nose and snuffles - it's kiling us.  We've had him in the steamy bathroom which can apparently give him some relief and we're keeping him warm but he just has to fight this himself according to the vet.  It's awful and I can only imagine how frightening it would be with a baby.

Andy, who was the most reticent of us all about getting a cat due to his allergies, is head over heels.  He pops him in that Peruvian hat Boo is sitting on in the third pic and carries him around with him,  Boo purring like a maniac inside.  Boo loves Dave because he doesn't make a big fuss, he often chooses to nap on him.  Sarah can't stop cuddling him and is totally spoiling him with cooked beef and kitty milk.  And I'm just so happy he's here.

Get better soon little Boo.

1.  Checking out Charlotte Rust's house in Auckland (The Selby)
2.  Being told by our landlords that we can get a cat - YAAAAY! This little guy's a Devon Rex.
3.  Sarah's dahl and yogurt 
4.  Finding new vintage fabrics  
5.  Reading Gordon McLauchlan's 'Loving All of It' with the windows open to the rain
"Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards" Søren Kierkegaard
6.  All The Mountains blog seems to always introduce me to wonderous things.  This week I discovered Kiss my Spatula (5) and Irina Graewe's eclectic interiors (6) - awesome curation.
7.  Hearing Tiny Ruins for the first time as I drove to work, now a little bit obsessed - new album out 30 May Tiny Ruins - 'Little Notes' by SpunkRecords

Moved in to our new house and slowly getting our things out.  We have tons of artwork to be framed so the walls look a little bare and I have several furniture projects which include sanding and reupholstering so it's going to take a while before it'll feel finished.  But I love that we don't need curtains for our bedroom window as the big tree is all we can see and also love the overly girlie daybed in our studio - spent today lazing about on it - andy doesn't seem to care that I keep sneaking vintage floral cushions in! The main house is lovely too, amazing fire, lots of shelving for our books and a big kitchen.

Had Hannah, Kate and Andrew over for dinner and happy to find another good recipe; green lentil dahl with roasted eggplant sambal and grilled snapper.  Hannah made a beautiful fejoa crumble...YUM!  Now time for sleep with the wind rustling that big old tree outside my window.

1 - 5.  Spreewald in Berlin.  It used to be the place to go for East Berliner's.  Abandoned after reunification and left to rot while liberated Germans holiday-ed wherever they pleased.  I was very lucky to get entry and went and shot there.  You could almost hear the Oompah bands and smell the wurst but it had been empty for  20 years.

6. A truck stop a few miles from my home town. Always spooked me and I've never stopped there in fear of a Dusk til Dawn scenario.

My pics.
Models from www.naked-dance.co.nr (NB.link doesn't work - website seems to be gone? Please let me know if it's been relocated)