Monday, January 31, 2011

bump: 60s style

Photo by Daniel, taken on the GF1. Thanks my love.

Staying cool in my sixties summer see-through shift. We're into the second day of a hot, hot, hot week. Ice water and fans are close by - at all times. Sleep is disturbed by the ring of crickets and the flutters of my baby. 16 weeks along and my belly makes me smile.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

shack

Have you seen the book Shack - In Praise Of An Australian Icon? Photographer Simon Griffiths has scoured the country, trailed the coast and delved into the green, leafy pockets to find artist's abodes, fisherman's sheds and gardener's cottages. Each photograph is printed on thick luscious paper and the font is organic in its line and colour. There are a few pages that make my heart sing: a weary, bearded man sitting in a torn leather armchair, a bowl of hearty vegetable soup, crusty bread, red wine on an old, old table. Nothing is new in these pages. Everything has history, fingerprints, the patina of many hands and many conversations. Some shacks abound in clutter whereas others contain only the necessities; a gas stove, a kettle and a hammock. For the owners of these glorified sheds, simplicity is the essence of their homes. They don't buy new. They reuse, recycle, redo. A good lesson, if ever I read/heard one.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

celebrations



Yesterday was typically Australian in every way. It was hot, hot, hot, we sat around a BBQ for dinner and we celebrated with beer and cheesecake (no beer for me). It was also my dad's birthday and rather ironically, he's an Englishman who celebrates the day of his birth on Australia Day. Apparently it was a good enough excuse to move Down Under.

I spent most of the afternoon and evening sitting under the grapevine with my feet in a bucket of water - the perfect way for a pregnant woman to stay cool. But then, after a while, I found the inspiration to finally pick up the camera. I'm still getting used to the new buttons, learning from scratch again. Which, truth be told, I find confronting and annoying. I've got a book that so accurately describes me based on my day of birth - "dreamer, idealist" - it says. In my world, everything needs to be perfect. At least I'd like it to be so. When I take not-good-enough photos I really struggle. I hate not being able to do something by myself, hate having to ask for help. But, thankfully, Mr patient and so-good-at-explaining Daniel is there beside me with a calm voice and a thorough knowledge of the camera. When I take the time to listen I actually get a lot out of it (Yes, I admit it, rather sheepishly).

Next year is Dad's big 6-0...huge celebrations are called for and they will, most definitely, and without doubt, include a good-ole-BBQ. Because a birthday and Australia Day just wouldn't be the same without it.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

pearl

Yesterday we packed up the car and drove for a while before settling into the sand for the day. With our fringed umbrella and UV tent, cool bag full of snacks and lots of sunscreen we were happily set for a day by the sea. Pearl Beach is an incredibly beautiful place overlooking islands and mountains covered in gum trees. It's managed to maintain an air of innocence about it. They call it Pearl Beach because apparently when the waves break on the shore they look like a row of pearls.

The heat today has hit me a little too hard and I'm so very thankful that I'm not heavily pregnant. Apart from a few errands and a yoga class this morning I've been aiming to lie still and breathe deep. Apart from the general 'to-do' things around the home and in my life I've been taking it incredibly easy. Daniel gifted me a new camera for Christmas - a Panasonic GF1, a sweet little thing that takes the most beautiful images. But my motivation to pick it up just hasn't arrived. I'm waiting, patiently waiting and hopefully I'll be inspired soon.

This pregnancy is oh so different from my first. And so it should be. I'm constantly reminding myself that I'm growing a different baby, that it will be a unique journey and ultimately, a unique birth experience. But I also know so much more now than I did with Che. Perhaps I was blissfully ignorant the first time round. Where as now I have gained the knowledge and understanding of pregnancy and birth that accumulates with years worth of teaching and reading. Listening too - to women's experiences. I'll openly admit that I am more fearful this time around. There is more to let go of, more affirmations to repeat in moments of doubt. But I'm getting there. I'm resorting to what I always turn to - my supportive and encouraging partner, my understanding of yoga and its ability to comfort and guide and, most importantly, the faith that I know is within me.

Baby gave me a nice big kick the other day. Hello Baby, nice to know you're strong.

Monday, January 17, 2011

first day

I cried when I was packing his morning tea and marking his name on his lunch box and hat but I managed to smile when he kissed Daniel and I good bye. He tried to give us a hug at the same time but his arms didn't reach. He told us he loved us and then he ran off into the room that is made for his size. His world.

Daniel and I drove away feeling so content that Che will be spending time at Montessori each week. It feels like an extension of our home. The way the teachers respect the children is inspiring - they are treated like capable, intelligent human beings and nurtured with the love and care that an elder should always express to a child.

When we walked passed the vegie gardens and scarecrows and through the gate to collect him he came running out with his first painting. He was happy. And that means everything to us.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

gratitude

We have been spending time at home; a humbling experience considering the devastating crisis in Queensland.

Australia's third largest city prepares to go under water early tomorrow morning - the dread and fear of those in Brisbane must be palpable.

Entire towns have been washed away, lives have been lost and there are 43 people still missing. Seventy five per cent of the state has been declared a Disaster Zone. Mother Nature really has unleashed herself.

You can read more about the crisis here ... and if you would like to donate money to those who have lost everything, visit the Australian Red Cross.

Friday, January 7, 2011

on teaching pregnant women


Today on Marvelous Kiddo you can read my very honest account of how I came to be a yoga teacher and my experience teaching over 300 pregnant women in the past three years. There's also a prenatal yoga nidra (guided relaxation) CD as a giveaway.

In other news, congratulations to Lexi who won the Ruby Who? giveaway.

Totally unrelated photo of our regular beach visits and a cute bum. I suppose this is the end result of prenatal yoga so it kinda relates. Hehe!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

our winter baby


Thanks so much for all your lovely comments about the bump. I'm loving this belly of mine and since reaching the second trimester my energy has come bounding back with a sweet vengeance. The first few weeks when this baby was really forming were challenging. So many mothers say the pain of birth is a blur only days after and I would say the same for the first trimester. I forgot how debilitating the tiredness is and this time, how extreme the nausea can get. In saying that I had days of reprieve between the days of lying in bed and my boys were patient and nurturing with me. I said in one of my very few posts back in December that I just had to do what was most important, not what was most urgent. It was rather serendipitous considering I was feeling worst in the weeks and days leading up to Christmas. But my strategy worked and I'm going to take it with me through this pregnancy. Doing what's most important for me, this baby and my family. Not what's most urgent.

Days after I found out I was carrying this little one inside me I made a phone call to request my midwife of choice. And thank goodness I got her. I'll be birthing at a low-risk birthing centre not far from home and I'll be tucked up in bed hours after meeting this babe. And then I plan to stay home for a few weeks, curled up in the warmth because we will be meeting this baby in the wintertime.

Today Daniel and I watched out little one kicking away inside my belly. He or she looks so much like Che, has a strong heartbeat and an active little body.

I am in awe of this journey, one that Daniel and I will document and cherish. Because we know all to well that it goes by so fast and before long there will be four in the bed. And the little one said...