Through the year... February...

I'm loving this little challenge to take a picture out of my window every month and see how the view changes. Thanks Tabea for the idea! When I got my camera out yesterday to take this picture, I thought... "This isn't going to look much different from January's"... how wrong I was! The sun came out, and although the garden still had that cool, crisp feel about it, you could tell spring is on its way!

So here's the comparison...

 

and here comes February...

Spot the little person in the background!

We had a lovely afternoon yesterday playing in the garden... SOOOO nice to finally get outside - the perfect way to spend my first day of maternity leave!

Spring has sprung!

Or perhaps not... I'm ever hopeful it will soon make an appearance... last week it seemed it was on its way, and now we've been hit by another cold front. But something needed to be done; my valentine's decor was getting a bit dated...

... and I thought spring needed perhaps a little encouragement to come our way...

I absolutely adore the changing of the seasons... I love each season for its own merit. Each one brings something fresh and new. Spring is so precious. It means life and new beginnings and ultimately prepares us for Easter...

So here we go, my spring mantel... a little early, perhaps, but I know I'm going to have my hands full over the next few weeks, and I didn't want the valentines decor to still be up in June!!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander

and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees...

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur

and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee

How great Thou art! 

How great Thou art!

(Adapted from original Swedish, 1953, Stuart K. Hine)

This was one of my leaving gifts from my wonderful colleagues at school. So fitting for this time of year! (And it fits the colour scheme too!) The votives are Yankee Candle "Garden Hideaway" and smell lovely and springy and are much cheaper than buying the big candles. The candle holders are actually pretty little glasses I got in IKEA about six months ago for £1 each!

This is my own Homemade Hutte creation... you can order one here

The flowers were a gift from my lovely friend Emma. I rearranged them and put them in a smaller pot which I criss-crossed with sellotape to hold them in place and create a grid (totally nicked from Kirstie's Homemade Home series one) Maybe I'll do a tutorial on that one day! As with all my best ideas - totally "magpied"

S

Picked up this cute little birdhouse in a post Spring sale last year for about 50p and I've been waiting to use it ever since!!!

So, hopefully spring will get the message, and get a move on - I'd like some sunshine, some daffodils and some buds blooming on the trees. Oh, and that gorgeous fresh Spring scent in the air!!!

Grateful to God for the changing seasons... and for all that this one particularly helps us remember!

One of those days: screams and sobs all round!

Yesterday was one of those days... a bookend day. Marked on each end by two rather dramatic events and tears from Mama and Bubba! Oh dear... I'm sharing this because I think sometimes blogs can lead you to believe that life is always great, that family life is always rosy and that everything always falls perfectly into place, children are beautifully behaved and Mum remains composed and in control at all times.

Yesterday was evidence that this is not the case.

I got up at seven, and bleary-eyed forced myself down the stairs to say goodbye to hub, and take the opportunity to spend some time with God before Little Miss woke up. I did manage, at least, to read my Bible, and was just about to pray when I heard that little voice, "Mama?". Normally, Ava will chatter to herself/sing some self-composed jibberish song for a few minutes before she really starts calling for me, but this particular morning's Mama-call was followed by a moment's silence before a sudden outburst of distressed screaming...

I jumped out of my seat, flung my bible to one side and launched up the stairs two at a time (no easy feat at 39 weeks pregnant) and burst through her door expecting to see blood or a trapped body part or some such emergency, only to discover my daughter's screaming had been caused by the fact that she had dropped her beloved Bärli (her little teddy that she sleeps with) on the floor!

Fab start to the day! (In all honesty, very relieved it was only Bärli!)

We had a lovely day... Catching up with friends this morning, nap time (when I crash... Literally!) and then a lazy afternoon sorting and hoovering and hanging out washing. And then this evening happened...

I was cooking dinner and had a pot of chilli on the stove and jackets in the oven. Ava was pottering around me, whining about something in the usual way one-year-olds do when they're getting tired, and I was getting increasingly frustrated. Dave had just walked in the door and was unloading a tonne of shopping when suddenly there was an almighty thud, Ava was at my feet, the oven door swung open and I felt a shooting pain in the centre of my tummy. I flung Ava away, out of the burning oven's reach and grabbed my tummy. Ava had swung on the oven door, pulling it open and hitting me right above the belly button. Luckily this baby's so well cushioned it was fine, but my skin is now stretched so thin that the slightest scratch kills! I broke down in sobs, which made Ava break down in sobs and Dave was left standing confused between two sobbing women, neither of whom could verbalise what had just happened!

We are all fine. Just the combination of overtired baby and heavily pregnant mother is not always the best combo! We made friends and explained again to Ava why she is NOT allowed to touch the oven door... Although I think the memory of Mama head down on the kitchen work surface in floods of tears will be as much of a deterrent as any lecture on the danger of ovens!

Oh dear. Hormones all over the place! We better hope this next ones a boy; I'm not quite sure Dave would cope with three sobbing women!

Remembering the early days...

I got a new phone about a month ago, and in typical Claire style, its taken me a few weeks to transfer everything from my old phone to my new one...

As I've been sorting it out, I've come across a few little treasures from the early days of Ava M. Photos that we took of this teeny-tiny helpless person, texts from friends who were such a rock in supporting us through those first weeks, and then I came across something I had totally forgotten about...

Sometimes I get hit with moment's of inspiration... its a rare occasion, but when I do, I always make sure I jot whatever my inspiration is down.

I remember this one well... Ava was about 8 weeks old, it was about 3am and I was doing one of those drowsy middle of the night feeds... and I remember thinking I didn't want to resent these feeds, because all too quickly, this tiny little person - so dependent - would be big and independent, and I'd be wishing I'd cherished those special snuggly moments...

And in a flash of inspiration this poem came to me - and I I sat, propped up in bed, cradling my newborn in one arm, I wrote this in a text message and saved it, only to be forgotten until I found it this week.

I wanted to share it with you all, as I think it captures the heart of a new mother and even now - 18 months down the line - the sentiments remain the same...

So here goes...

Precious moments with my girl,

When all around me fades to swirl

When all I see's this baby face - 

peaceful, sleepy, milk to taste.

Eyelids flutter, tiny gulps,

rosy cheeks and dim-lit bulbs.

My Ava, what you mean to me

is inexplicable - you see

A mother's love, they say's, the strongest

It runs down deep and last's the longest

But what I say right now is true...

there's one who has a love for you

which stretches over time and space

it's unconditional - brimming grace.

God loves you enough to die for you

He sent his Son, a Galileen Jew,

The God-man sent to live and eat,

to heal the sick, clean dust-worn feet.

But most of all he came to give

His life for you, so you might live

a life for Him, to walk his road,

to give to him your heavy load.

So as you feed in sleepy bliss

My prayer for you, tonight, is this

That as you see my imperfect love

You'll know the one who loves you... perfectly, ultimately, eternally... above.

60th birthday present: It's arrived at last!

WELL! Our package for Bestafar's birthday (which was LAST Thursday) finally showed up one week too late!! Oh dear. The story behind that parcel could be a blog post in itself... but I won't bore you with that!

I posted this picture last Thursday... and thought you might like a sneaky peak into what we packed inside. 60 is a special birthday, and we wanted to send something to Dave's Dad that showed we had put some thought into it... we didn't want jokey presents that just end up in the bin, and we didn't want a present that looked like we hadn't put the thought in.

So we did some research.

I had this idea that it would be cool to investigate the headlines of 1953 (the year Robert was born) and link those headlines up with some appropriate and nice pressies... so here you have it. Just in case any of you know anyone with a big birthday coming up, this idea could be adapted for any age! All you need to do is get on the newspaper websites and check out what happened in the year that person was born!

After some research, and reading a LOT of random facts... we boiled the year down to the following key events. As we looked through the events, we were brainstorming presents they could link to that we knew Robert would like. We then wrote the headlines down on luggage tags with some little sketches to go alongside and make 'em look a bit more interesting- the challenge was to keep them "manly" and not too cutesy!

After that, Dave headed off shopping with a VERY specific shopping list to get the pressies to match the headlines...

Here you have them...

Headline: The Queen is coronated after taking the throne from her Father, King George the VI
Present: The King's Speech DVD - a brilliant film about Queen Elizabeth's Father...

Headline: The discovery of REM sleep is first published by researchers

Present: A nice pair of cosy PJs

Headline: The Everest summit is reached for the first time...

Present: A warm pair of gloves (remember my Father-in-law lives in Norway!)

Headline: Sweet rationing finally ends in Britain

Present: Robert is a HUGE boiled sweet fan, so this one was a no-brainer...

Headline: The mass production of teabags is started by Tetley in Britain...

Present: Some good old Tetley teabags - a little taste of the homeland!

and finally...

Headline: Robert is born in Derby on Valentine's Day

Present: a beautiful and very accurate (!!?) portrait of her grandfather by none other than Ava M...

We wrapped everything up with kitschy heart ribbon, as Robert's birthday is on Valentines day, and packed it off with the accompanying poem...

Maybe an idea you could adapt and use?!

Happy birthday Robert... sorry it was so late, but we hope you liked all the little pressies!!!

A bit of a blog hop!

I'm going to cheat today...

I'm writing this on Thursday evening. I've just been out for a lovely meal with the hub (thought we'd take the opportunity before a littl'un keeps me housebound for a while again!) and I'm zonked. But I've got into this habit now of writing this blog daily (at least during the week) and as they say, old habits die hard.

So I'm going to send you somewhere else!

Yesterday I got a little mention on Gareth's blog... Gareth is the Youth and Families Pastor at our Church and has written some really helpful and thought provoking stuff on keeping children in the church service. Our church has a huge and vibrant youth and children's programme, which enthusiastically teaches our little ones the truths of Jesus, but fairly regularly, we keep them in the adult service... many have asked "why??" and Gareth's currently writing a little series on the thinking behind that. This particular article talks about HOW to keep the children engaged, and its really worth a read! SO click here and take a look!

Boy or girl...?

The big question!

Ava decided yesterday that if the baby is a boy it should be called Papa...

Hmmm...

Anyone else got any suggestions?!?

We're ready for either variety!

On the battlefield...

I'm the Queen of making excuses. Seriously. I have NO problem being productive when it comes to things I'm excited about doing... I could spend hours churning out craft projects, reading blogs, watching 'Call the Midwife', reading a good book...

As a Mum of a one year old/soon to be mother of newborn as well, it's all to easy to whip out the classic "I'm too busy" or "I'm too tired" when it comes to spending time with God. But I know that's not true. I know that, because I have plenty of time to do the things I prioritise doing. And that's something I've been really challenged on the last couple of days.

This morning, my hub woke me up and handed me my bible and journal, he then took Ava, who had just woken, downstairs and gave me an hour to spend some much needed time with God. Away from distractions, away from the chores, away from my wonderful, but very distracting, daughter. I had time to wallow in the word, to journal, to read, to stop, to pray.

Such precious time.

As I was praying, I felt The Lord was challenging me on my attitude to the Christian life... Following Jesus can be a bit like a battlefield. A battle against my natural tendency to selfishness and self-absorption, a battlefield against the temptation to forget Jesus, a battlefield against my judgementalism and desire for my own glory. In the midst of all the recent goings on, with pregnancy questions and finishing work, I've got a bit lazy in my fight... Here's what I feel The Lord was challenging me on...

I was reminded, once again, that the battle is not one I can fight in my own strength, that I NEED to be daily replenished and get my 'armour' on (Ephesians 6), that I can't rely on those around me to carry me along, fight for me or protect me - they're fighting too! No, the only one who can do that is the very one who I've been ignoring, cutting out and putting at the bottom of my list of priorities. Jesus. The one who went so far as to die for me!

So I've been challenged to stop trying to fight this battle in my own strength, but to head back to base camp daily, get equipped, get my armour on, and spend some time with the Captain before I get up and go to battle. Only he can give me what I need to "fight the good fight"

Have you been back to base camp today?

Baby Update: Scan number 8...

Yesterday we headed back to hospital... we were SO conscious of your prayers. Going in, I felt so at peace and so aware of God's hand over all of this. Thank you. Thank you to each one of you who prayed for us and asked for wisdom, peace and guidance. God is faithful and yesterday is testimony to the fact that he answers prayer.

We were in with the NICEST sonographer. We hadn't had her before, but she was truly brilliant. She showed us everything, explained all that she was doing, and then, rather than sending us out while she "wrote up our notes" (as all the previous sonographers' have done) she asked us to sit with her and went through every measurement with us. She had good news. My fluid levels were almost back down to "normal" (they are fractionally over the 95th centile) which is such a miracle when you consider that just 2 weeks ago, they were so far above the 100th that they were off the chart...

After the sonographer we were in with the Consultant. He has been the best from the word go, and we are so VERY grateful to God for enabling us to have him as our Consultant. I feel TOTALLY safe in his hands, and he was delighted to tell us, he really saw very little need to be concerned anymore... he said if my levels were normal again, then the risk of cord prolapse is drastically decreased, there is no need to admit me early (hallelujah!) and, as baby is head down and seems to be staying there, there is currently no need to induce, plan elective C-section, or any of the other possibilities.

In other words, it looks like I'm back on track for a 'normal' labour...

WHAT?!?!

We seriously couldn't believe it. On Tuesday, my midwife friend checked me out and baby was still turning somersaults. On Wednesday, the midwife said the fluid levels were still giving baby a lot of room to move around. Five days later and this Bubba is head down, fluid levels have decreased, and we're back on target...

God is so very good!

We have been overwhelmed by people's support and encouragement and prayers throughout this pregnancy. We went in at peace with whatever decision the consultant needed to make, and came out rejoicing that it seems we're almost "normal" again!

Thanks to every single one of you, but most of all, thanks to Him who holds all things in His mighty hands.

What a good God!

Ordinary days

Half term, this week. So excited to have my whole little family at home for some last minute relaxation before Bubba 2 arrives... we have a scan this afternoon - the "decisive" one, in which the consultant will decide what to do with our little acrobat. Feeling peaceful, although will be glad when this little one is safe and sound on solid ground! I'll update you all tomorrow!

Here's what we've been up to this weekend...

Lots of sleepy snuggles...

Having fun distorting our faces with Photobooth on the iPad!

Lots of building work!

Some new Homemade Hutte designs

and someone who just LOVES to be chased by her Papa!!

'Scuse my French...

My colleague and I were marking the Year 5 French assessments on Thursday, just before my last day came to an end - and it ended on a high... One little girl's paper made us laugh out loud... It went something like this...

Bonjour Marie!
My nem iz XXXXX. Wot iz tu nem? Ow are tu? I like tu danse and chante. I av sum frends... Zey are cold XXX and XXX. Zey like tu mange.
Or revwa,
XXXXX

Yes, it was the same little girl who wrote, in her last assessment, "je m'appelle une pomme"!

So glad to know that's the legacy I'm leaving behind me...

Happy weekend everyone!

Last day of School...

Children's faces have been purposefully blurred

Yesterday was my last day of school. It's a funny one, leaving in the middle of the week. The day was packed with the usual Numeracy, Literacy, Guided Reading, RE and French lessons... in many ways it was like any normal school day. And yet I suppose, deep in the back of my mind, the thought was always there... "This is my last day..."

Weird, because my last "last day" really doesn't feel so very long ago (it was in fact only 19 months ago!) and that last day was very different. It was the end of term... my Year 6 class were leaving to go to secondary school, everyone was heading off for the summer holidays; there was a general sense of "closure" and finality about the place. This time I know school will continue onwards... more lessons tomorrow, a week of half term and then back to the grind for my colleagues who work so unbelievably hard. It was almost like slipping out half way through a movie. You don't get the closure or the end, but somehow you know, your act is finished.

It all seems very melancholy, this, doesn't it?! Don't get me wrong - the children made me a lovely card, the staff gave me some lovely (and very unnecessary) pressies and people sent me off with well-wishes and good cheer and I am SO excited about this next chapter. With all the who-ha we've had through this pregnancy, I'm just desperate to hold this little one in my arms and know we made it - we made it through all the complications, all the concerns, all the potential hiccups. I can't wait to be "through the woods" and bring this little one safely home.

So I'm now looking forward to a couple of weeks of enjoying being on maternity leave with my Ava M and my lovely hub (who has half term next week!) before we are joined by our new precious little bundle...

Happy Birthday Bestafar!

Today it is my Father-in-law's 60th birthday: Happy birthday Robert/Dad/Bestafar! We know you are having a wonderful time in a lovely hotel somewhere in Norway, and look forward to hearing all about it! Hopefully, you'll come home to a lovely parcel from us...

Being a "big" birthday, we wanted to do something a little special... so we decided to take you on a trip back in time...

Can't reveal just yet, until we get the green light from Norway that parcel has been received... but watch this space!

Book Worms and Baby Love...

We're finally at the age where we are loving stories... no more premature page-turning, no more getting bored after two pages. Finally, Ava is loving to sit and listen to story after story after story, and given that I'm now 37 weeks and DEFINITELY slowing down, this has come at a perfect time!

Meanwhile, my reading habits have deteriorated to almost nothing. With a one and a half year old, work (which I incidentally finish this week), Homemade Hutte orders and just general housekeeping, I've barely had a second to pick up a book! Oops...

Cheeky grin!

Book worm!

Mama and Ava M

Showing her little brother or sister some love!

Homemade Hutte Giveaway!

We have over 100 likes on the Homemade Hutte Facebook page and aiming for 150! Fan number 150 will win a free felt bookmark (see below), as will the person who recommends them (by sharing the link on their Facebook page)... so click on the link below, hit the "like" button (top right) and then "share" the giveaway announcement (top left) on your page to be in with the biggest chance of winning!

Your best chance of winning is to share the link, and then one of your friends might be the 150th "liker" meaning you win a little prize too! Good, eh??

The Homemade Hutte Facebook Page

Good luck!!

Following in her Father's footsteps...

We went to church last night... I'm trying to make the most of these next three weeks; getting out as much as possible before I'm tied down to three-hourly feeds again (oh gosh... am I really ready to go back to square one?!?) Ava was good as gold last night... singing along at the top of her lungs, drawing and playing quietly with her stickers during the sermon and charming the masses afterwards.

She definitely revealed she's her Father's daughter when she showed off her football skills afterwards, dribbling the ball around the hall, and then joined her Papa behind the microphone...

Savouring these precious moments with my little girl before we become a family of four and welcome a new little bundle of joy into the fam!

Some New Springtime Stock!

I have been beavering on some wool wreaths this past week...

Why not check out the shop to see what other springtime delights are surfacing?

The things they say... on baby names...

Funny things children have done or said this week...

Yesterday in the classroom during guided reading... Working with centre table when I suddenly become aware that to my right a group of year 5 girls have stopped working, and started gaping open-mouthed at me...

'Whats wrong girls?" I ask innocently...

Year 5 girl... "I... I... Just saw your tummy move all by itself...!"

Me: "yes girls, its called a baby, now back to work!"

At home on Wednesday evening, David asks Ava...
"Ava, do you think you're going to have a brother or a sister?"
(Decisively) "a sister..."
Momentary pause... Before she exclaims loud and proud, for all to hear, the girls name we have chosen (which incidentally we have kept secret...)
Right, need to be more careful about talking about things in front of her then...

This little one is so busy looking after her "babies" at the mo... Here she is reading them a story... she lined them all up herself! Teacher in the making?!

The whirlwind hits...

It's been crazy windy here recently. On Monday night, I was woken three times by the sound of a neighbour's rubbish bin/recycling box being blown half way down the road. Each morning since, I've cleared a little bit of random rubbish from our drive that has mysteriously blustered its way onto our property...

But yesterday we were hit by a very different kind of whirlwind... 2 of the girls from my Bible Study group came round for a coffee, catch-up and pray. It was a precious time of sharing and honesty and I (and hopefully they!) left feeling challenged and encouraged...

Meanwhile, as we were baring our souls to each other, our little ones were having a great deal of fun creating what looked like the aftermath of a tornado...

Thanks Dominic and Ava! This is what a toddler tornado creates...

Decorating for Valentines Day...

I FINALLY removed the last of my Christmas decorations yesterday... yes I know, that is ridiculous; its February and I still had a wreath on the mantel... but hey, we've had rather a lot on our plate recently...

I felt it was still a little early, and a little optimistic, to whip out my Spring decorations, so instead, I've gone for the Valentines theme...

 

Baby update... our little acrobat...

Yesterday we had our 7th scan. Yes, our 7th. I used to think it would be lovely to have scans throughout pregnancy, but to be honest, the last 4 have been little more than blurs on the screen, telling us how much fluid there is, that our baby is big etc etc. Yesterday was special because we got to see that cute little profile again (for the first time since the 20 week scan) and watched it drinking away at all that amniotic fluid its swimming in. Such a precious sight.

36 weeks and counting...

In the run-up to yesterday, we were praying for two main things... 1) That my fluid levels would have dropped, and 2) That baby would be head down.

My fluid levels have dropped (at last!!), and baby was head-down... at least at the start of the scan.

It seems our little one is an acrobat.

In the space of less than one hour, this baby maneuvered itself from head down, to transverse (lying across my tummy), to head down again. It seems someone's got quite a lot of room to swim.

We met with the Consultant afterwards. He is wonderful. I have so much faith in him and he just makes us feel so at ease. I am so grateful to God for the provision of the NHS in all of this. I know that Bubba and I will be well looked after.

The long and short of it is that its hard to make plans at the moment. As we saw, Bubba still has lots of room to move around, so until it decides to stay put, the Doctors are not sure what the best course of action is. If, at my next scan in 2 weeks, Bubba still is turning somersaults, they will want to admit me to hospital so they can monitor me and act quickly if my waters go. My initial reaction was "No! I can't leave Ava!" but I will do whatever it takes to make sure this baby is delivered safely, and I know that Ava will be well looked after if it comes to that.

If baby has found a position by the next scan, then we will be clearer as to where we stand. If baby is head down, they may want to induce me early to make sure they deliver while it remains head down. If it is sideways or bottom down, they will want to do a C-section...

The outcome I am praying for is that my fluid levels continue to drop... if they can drop enough to be back down to within the normal range, and baby can stay head down, then I'm all set for a totally normal delivery and all of this worrying and journey will amount to nothing.

I don't know what the outcome will be, but I do know that God knows, that he is faithful, and he will help us through these uncertainties. Thank you SO much to all of you who have been praying. We have felt God's peace throughout this whole tumultuous journey, and I just cannot wait now to hold this little one safely in my arms.

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Getting ready to be a big sister!

We're into the final month now, and boy am I ready for this baby to come... bag is packed, room is ready, and a little someone else came up to my tummy the other day and demanded: "raus!" ("out!")

In the past few weeks, some of our friends at church have had their babies. These are friends who Ava knows - she has watched their tummies grow and pointed at them and said "baby" just as she does with me... and now she's clearly getting frustrated that all these friends have got their babies out, while her's is still tucked away and showing no sign of coming any time soon!

In the meantime, the little lady is taking very good care of her "babies". Yes, they get told off fairly regularly for misbehaving... this week she has been teaching them to say "please" and "thank you" and has been making sure that nappies are changed, naps are had and one in particular has been having walking lessons.

These babies will just have to keep her occupied until the real one arrives!!!

Through the year...

Today I'm hooking up with Tabea over at Tabea Heinicker to join in with her "12tel Blick" idea... (thanks Catrin for the heads up!)

The idea is to take a picture out of your window - your "everyday" view - once a month, and store 'em all up until you have 12 pictures at the end of the year. Through that time you should be able to see the seasons change and watch a year go past through your window. I'm kind of gutted only to have discovered this now... it would have been nice to have got a snow pic, but never mind. I'll have to hope it comes round again before 2014!

Here's my January shot...

I'm still pretty new at this whole photography thing, but thought it might be fun to give it a go.

Anyone else up for the challenge???