Infection

On Sunday I had sharp pains down my right side - nothing like what I'd experienced as pregnancy pains so we finally went to get it checked out. After a routine check up where it had all seemed ok, they monitored the baby's heart which was going gangbusters as well as mine. But they were still not worried and asked me to do a urine test before heading home. Just as we were getting ready to leave, I was told to come to one of the rooms and get into bed and asked if I wanted dinner!

Well, I wasn't expecting that! Turned out I had lucites in my urine which could either be urinary tract infection or kidney problems, but the baby was also going through it with me. It was really upsetting and such a surprise.

I finally got released late yesterday and am sick of drips, fluids, antibiotics in my veins and lying around in a hospital. I was finally given the all clear but they couldn't see anything wrong with my kidneys so I have to 'rest' til the baby comes - something I am not good at.

At least I was in the maternity ward, so got a trial run of what to expect there. Everyone is just so lovely at the hospital in Katoomba, and between my private room (in a public hospital), my view of the sunrise over the cliffs of Katoomba and Leura and being pampered, it could have been a resort! There was no one else staying there at the time so no babies crying and I got everyone's attention!!!

38 weeks and 5 days - 9 days to go til due date... I can't tell you how sick of it I am. We are all waiting in anticipation but she is just gonna come when she is ready!

Akanbe bag

Designers: Tetsu Sumii & Soshi Takita

A fun bag with multiple applications!

A cute mat that folds up to become a bag, this Smile Folding Basket has many uses. In the home it can be used for young children to play on before folding toys up into it to put away & outside it can be a picnic basket that turns into the picnic mat. Both cute & practical! It also makes a wonderful magazine holder in your lounge room & even looks good enough to just have in a corner.

This divine bag is available from My First Room in Queensland : $130 AUD + p&h.

Available in: Magenta- Cerise, Toffee - Orange, Natural Brown or Biscuit Beige

Comfort when uncomfortable

Can't sleep, gotta wee. Can't lay back on the couch, the baby will go posterier-positioned. Can't stand too long, belly contracts too much. Blah blah...

It's 38 weeks tomorrow - 2 to go and I am tired of it all and ready.

I really wanted to go swimming today but it's overcast and horrible. The relief you get from swimming laps and bobbing around is fantastic. There is a 25m indoor pool here but it's just not the same as getting out in the sunshine. I mean, it's not like we get that much of it up here in the Mountains!

Mum is coming up today to stay til mid-January. She is house-sitting for a friend up here so will have the family come and go there - rather than our house - which is fantastic for us. It means I can rest, get up in the night if I have to and moan and groan in peace when the time is right!

It feels funny not to be working now.... I am sort of lost, am in this halfway moment, not quite time for the baby, not quite Christmas, the constant "Kara you should be resting" comments. I don't know what to do with myself! Even sewing and cutting is painful on my baby belly and I have been told not to be on the computer too long now.

I just finished a lovely book 'Ishq and Mushq' by Priya Basil and should go and seek some more library books. I love indian books, well indian authors, so if you have any recommendations let me know.

Merry Christmas!

Babies everywhere in the Mountains

Yesterday my friend Zoe went into labour and right now I am dying to hear what's happening but don't want to pester! I hardly slept thinking about it all - especially as I could hear her moaning and groaning in the background while I talked to her partner, Linda, on the phone at the hospital. That's what I have to look forward to!!!

**Update: I have just heard: baby Lola was born last night (I LOVE the name!). So I hope I get to meet her today.

Petunia Pickle Bottom and Zucchini Flowers

I lashed out and bought this Petunia Pickle Bottom Society Satchel nappy bag this week. It was SUCH an extravagant purchase but something I have been looking at for a while.

It was much reduced and available in Australia. After much procrastination I realised that it's a tax deduction, as I want to get into nappy bags and really see what's involved in making them. Of course, I would never make anything so structured but want to check out compartments and so forth.

Work is finally finished for the year, bit late but better late than never. So it's time to relax, enjoy Christmas, lots of rest and get ready to meet our baby girl in the next 2-3 weeks. We are both incredibly excited and I'm finding sleep difficult now - mainly worrying that it's time - ie. waters breaking all over the place! (Sorry... too much information).

Last night Steven took me out to dinner at an italian restaurant, Monte Bello, in Katoomba that we both had thought looked really nice. It was 'ok' - both of us were a little disappointed with it but the service was what was really strange. It's a very subdued, dimly lit, candlelit restaurant with mains starting at $25 a pop... but the waitress came up and said, "Hey guys (a little informal don't you think?), there's a new waitress starting tonight so go easy on her". (?!) Now, perhaps $25 a main isn't that much to anyone else, but it is a lot to us and this was a special meal, so having this kind of informal introduction wasn't what we wanted at all!

Then the new and very nervous waitress came up and Steven ordered for both of us. She was baffled, and I think she thought he was eating everything and me nothing. She didn't understand any of the dishes he ordered and missed it all and couldn't write out 'Saltimbocca' as she didn't know what that was. Then I said I wanted the 'Zucchini Flowers' and she looked at me oddly. Steven had to open the menu and point to it all while she slowly wrote it out longhand.... We were amazed - if we were waiters there we'd be drooling over the menu before anyone arrived and getting the hang of it all! To not know one dish was weird I thought. So an expensive night for us and we really did expect a little more. Oh well!

Me me me!

Today I am 37 weeks pregnant with 3 weeks to go til my due date! I am so excited and not sleeping well now, panicking that it's 'time'! The baby is definately dropping down into my pelvis - she is sort of bashing around inside there which is a very strange feeling.

I have finally finished everything bag-wise and graphic design work has just been wound up this morning with a last minute tender done and sent out!

Today I am going to treat myself to lunch at a lovely little café in Leura then a haircut. Ahhh....

All bags are up!

Today was the last session of prenatal yoga, so when I see all the girls next year, quite a few more babies will be born - so cute!

I have finally finished uploading the last of the bags onto my site for this year. I especially love 'Marika', the most divine 1950's barkcloth in autumnal tones which comes in every bag size: clutch, handbag, ballerina bag, tote, x large tote and 10tote. It's so fun to find this kind of fabric - and getting harder and harder.

Marika 10tote now online.

News on my computer:
I got through to Apple Customer Relations and they agreed to fix it all for me - free of charge - even though the computer is out of warranty (it's a 2005 model) and by their standards, 'old'. When did we decide that computers are old at just over 3 years? Will we start chucking cars at 5 years old? I find it all a little ridiculous, especially when we have such trouble with waste and landfill, yet still these big players are demanding we spend, upgrade, buy parts for items that are still usable. Anyway, the fact that they ended up agreeing with me to fix it all free of charge makes me a very happy lady.

Computer says no...

My trusty Apple G5 Imac is playing up. It's only a 2005 model and JUST out of warranty and is not doing some hard shut downs - right in the middle of work. This is NOT good! Just now I tried to start it up 6 times before it actually happened. This is so frightening and frustrating for me but all my work is backed up.

Right now we are looking at Statutory Warranties as opposed to the Applecare warranty that you have to pay for when you buy the computer... arghhh! Does anyone know about Stat Warranties?

This photo was taken on Friday night before going to Angela's wedding. I felt so huge and cumbersome but there were lots of big comfy sofas at the wedding so I was quite comfortable. Even during the ceremony we had big sofas and a drink in hand! 

Tiny tiny things

It's week 36 today - 4 more weeks to go, give or take. My baby kicks and moves around and causes indigestion and sleeplessness. But I can't wait! Above is the gorgeous bunny knitted shoes my Aunt sent from Port Macquarie and a lovely little jacket from my Nana. As she said, she prefers little girls in blue, and I must admit, they do look cute.

I have a few more bags to load online, a tender to write for design work, then that's it for the year. It's funny to think 2008 is almost finished, who could believe it?

Tomorrow is Angela & Kenny's wedding at the beautiful Carrington Hotel and it looks like rain, cold and mist are going to be a part of the action. Saying that, it is part of the Mountains charm so I'm sure everyone will expect and enjoy it.

There is a couple more bags to go online in the next week but my main ambition is that I will be sending down a shipment to Design A Space where I will be showing my bags from 21 December 2008. So if you are in Melbourne city, head to Manchester Street then!

3 new handbags and lots of tea

I have just uploaded 3 new handbags onto my site : all very funny, one-offs and made from gorgeous fine upholstery I have recently sourced.


I have begun drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea - 5 cups a day (or alternating with 3 tablets per serve when I can't drink any more of the stuff). It's another preparation for birthing and meant to 'tone my uterus'. I have looked into it all and its been used since the beginning of time.

This gorgeous cup is a set of 2 that Sam gave me as part of my baby shower present (as I had mentioned to all to bring mugs as I didn't think I had enough). It's so pretty and love it with my tea!

Vintage Clutch purse

Yesterday we went for a drive to Lithgow and Bathurst. At Lithgow, we checked out the hospital there in case Katoomba is shut when I'm ready to give birth. When our hospital is closed we have to get to Nepean or Lithgow ourselves so we really wanted to check it all out. The hospital at Lithgow is pretty new and very friendly. I just walked in hoping to get a phone number or brochure to make an appointment to see the birthing unit but they were so accommodating and took us straight through!

We then did our usual - second hand shopping! Found some great pieces in Lithgow then drove on to Bathurst. They were having a Lions Club market in the park and I scored this gorgeous 60's clutch purse in red vinyl for $2 which will be perfect to wear with my black dress to Angela's wedding this Friday. I have also got some great red beads so, for once, I am all set!

I also picked up some great vintage dresses that I will be giving to Mum to sell at her markets. Fabulous 50's-60's numbers in all kinds of lovely prints!!!

Change mat for baby

After cleaning up my workspace yesterday I got really inspired to make something for the baby. This always happens once everything is clean and tidy, I can't wait to muddy it all up.

I had this great big piece of heavy cotton (almost fleecy but not) of hobby horses (all zebras) in yellows, blues and pinks. There was a bit of leftover polyester quilting stuff from a quilt I made for my nephew when he was born (he is now almost two!) and some denim. I have been looking at change mats in stores over the last couple of weeks. They are either really horrible and synthetic with plastic linings and stuff (for anyone who knows me, knows I hate plastic covered handbags and the like - if it's natural, wash it!!) OR crazy amounts of money. 

So I made my own. It was quite fun to do and designed it so it folds in on itself and goes through the front belted area to close. I had some leftover ribbon from Kikki K that I added to the front belted area too.

I have so many other bits of fabrics that I'm now thinking cute dresses and the like! Though our kid won't get too much wear out of flimsy summer dresses here in the Mountains.

Thursday clean up

Today I woke up early and really wanted to clean out my office/studio space. It needed to be sorted... desperately... and I wanted to make room for other stuff we have in the house as I won't be in here too much early next year with a new baby around.

You can see SOME of my fabric here on the left. There is a big heap by the window to be sorted out and another 14 garbage bags under the house that I have to get to at some stage. Arghhh!

Anyway, I have made good progress and have moved some of the furniture around which is a bit naughty. Getting some weird braxton hicks contractions right now so sitting down and just took a quick photo.

35 weeks today - 5 weeks to go...

Afternoon tea and me

Yesterday I had my 'non-baby shower'. What do I mean by that?

It was an afternoon tea get together where the girls were not supposed to bring gifts, just catch up and tell their baby stories. It was so much fun, way too much food and of course, they all brought gifts! Arghhh!

The afternoon was lots of fun, so nice just to relax and catch up with everyone. And eat!

I'm purposely slowing right down now - the sewing, hours spent at my business, etc - are now going to be cut dramatically as I have been told by the midwives at the clinic here it's time to do so. My stupid pelvic problem is not going away and I need to repair and get ready for the 'big day' in about 5-6 weeks. My Osteopath is now on the path of 'managing' the pain, rather than being able to alleviate it 100%, as all the work he does just gets pushed back by this ever growing baby. Originally my pain level was about 9 or 10/10 but I feel like its about 3 or 4/10 now. So I can't stop going to the Osteo as I don't want to elevate the pain again. Bit of a Catch 22 situation I guess.

Anyway, I have been asked about the pelvic pain - it is not standard pelvic pain from pregnancy but rather I have strained muscles further down in against the bone of my pelvis/runs underneath my pelvic floor (sorry if you are eating!). It's considered more of a sports injury than pregnancy related so not sure exactly how it's happened. It has most probably started out as classic pregnant lower back pain which I then pushed onto other joints to alleviate - and most probably our old little car is the culprit which is more and more difficult to get in and out of.

Bed rest is a little hard as I have to lie on my hips so its excrutiating to move and turn throughout the night. I can't help yelping or crying when I'm turning or moving. I'm always tired but I guess its good practice.

The best thing about it all... it will probably go once I'm in labour. Isn't it amazing how our bodies work?