Basil Update

The first basil update - the little green shoots are finally making their way through!  It's very exciting!  So looking forward to eating things we have grown ourselves this summer.

Maternity Ward Tour

On Monday evening we headed back to the hospital to get more information on the maternity ward and process and other things we need to do in the next three months.

I wasn't really sure what to expect.  One nice thing about the whole pregnancy process for me is that it is new to both of us and I have no experience of the UK system so nothing to compare it to really.  We're learning as we go along and with advice from friends and colleagues which feels really nice.

The evening started with the head midwife and one of the doctors giving a talk in a lecture theatre and taking questions.  This bit was especially good for me as I learnt lots of vocabulary that will be useful - although I am not sure I will remember it all while in labour...  The process made everything seem much more real and a little scary but nothing too bad. For the parts that did worry me, I felt it was better to have time to consider them rather than have them sprung on me during labour.  It was great to be able to imagine the labour a little more clearly though.

After the questions we were taken on a tour of the maternity ward.  There is a waiting area with warmed seats and then several birth rooms which were, for my expectations, very modern and spacious.  Each one has a big bed and a bath for water births.  They have been renovated fairly recently and have lots of modern equipment.  The dimmed lights made them seem quite calming and I hope it has the same effect in June.

The post-birth process was also explained to us.  There are rooms where you can stay with one other mother and baby for two to five days depending how the birth goes.  

All in all, I was really impressed with the system and the facilities and am looking forward to going back while on maternity leave to formally register there.  We got lots of information so now it is onto the search for a midwife!

Knitted Whale

While waiting for some a wool shopping trip to finish another project I am working on, I had a browse through some of the patterns I have and the wool I have and here is the result.  I think it is very cute.  Looking forward to working on some more of these projects.

Recipe: Chicken in Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 3 carrots
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 200 ml stock
• 1 tsp green curry paste
• 3 tbsp cheese spread
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• Mint
• 1 tsp honey

Instructions:

1. Brown the chicken pieces.
2. Add the garlic and carrots for a couple of minutes.
3. Add the stock, curry paste, cheese and peanut butter.  Allow to simmer for fifteen minutes.
4. Season to taste, adding the mint and honey.
5.  Serve with rice.

Spring Photo Walk!

 At the weekend it seemed that Spring arrived early.  We took advantage of the amazing weather and temperatures to have a wander with our cameras.

 I managed to get some snaps of Nico to make sure he is well represented in this month's project life spread.

 The sunshine seemed to bring lots of people out of doors and we saw lots of people out on the bikes or by the lake.

 It was even warm enough for summer clothes and no coat!!  Love this bump photo.  Big contrast to last weekend's weather!

 Alone the blue skies make me feel more inspired and positive!

 Nature is finally waking up after the winter.  I can't believe that it is almost exactly a year since my hen weekend when we were knee deep in snow!

 Taking some snaps of my own.

 The ducks are out napping in force - this is Spring for me.

 I love that we live so near the green and the water.  Hope to make more of that this summer.

Sewing Project 2014 - 6 Triangle Cushion Cover

Yesterday I completed the third project from Elise's Quilting Course.  I am soooo in love with this one.  I absolutely love Elise's blog and style and for me it feels like having a little bit of that in our home now as this pattern is something you see a lot of in her work.

I learnt some new skills in this project - adding a zipper and doing lots and lots of ironing in between each stage.  It was complicated and did take longer than the others but I love the results and I feel more prepared for the future projects.

I was really worried when I saw this project that being a type A personality, I would be really frustrated that the lines don't match up perfectly but to be honest, I hardly notice it in the finished product - I absolutely love the effect of all the triangles.  The material is also a soft felt and gives the cushion a much more professional finish - I love it!

The Saturday Update

It's been a little more relaxing this week.  We had a case of Scarlet Fever at school which means all pregnant teachers are sent home for four days so I finished for the weekend at Wednesday lunchtime.  The work week was going well up until then as I had some extra time with year nine being out.  It's taken some of the sting out of the long month of March and I am ready to go back on Monday.

On Thursday we had our latest scan and a diabetes test.  Results on Monday but all looks good there - touchwood.  I had a couple of sleepless nights with all the wriggling that is going on in there but it is not every night.  We are planning to visit the hospital on Monday to have a look at the maternity section and get some more information.

I got lots of bits and bobs done and read a lot with my two days off.  I even got back on the bike to cycle to the Roland Center in this lovely weather before getting the tram into town.  It felt good to be out and about in the fresh air.  I joined Nico's growing campaign and we are going to be doing some more gardening over the weekend - inspired by the sunshine.

I'm also working on some new craft projects and rattling through those March goals.  Once again, I feel like we are really making progress just being out of February!

P.S.  Another good link I found this morning.