After 40 weeks and 3 days, pregnancy ended and motherhood began. Please welcome Sakura Lily Rose to the world!
She was born on October 30th at 3:44 AM at 8 lbs 10 oz and 55 cm in length.
Now before I go into a lot of detail about her arrival, there was a lot going on leading up to the big event that I want to cover.
Firstly, on September 30th (in Australia) my grandfather on my father's side passed away at the age of 90. Rex Woodruff was a wonderful man and although I never spent significant amounts of time with my grandparents I will always remember his constant desire to serve. This was not a sad event for me. He lived a great life and at the end old age was taking its toll. I knew without a doubt that because he had worked so hard to live a righteous and honorable life that he had returned to his Heavenly Father and was in a state of peace. In the LDS church we call this Spirit Paradise which is that "part of the spirit world in which the righteous spirits who have departed from this life await the resurrection of the body. It is a condition of happiness and peace." (lds.org) Rex has left a wonderful legacy behind with 7 children, 29 grandchildren, and now 18 great grandchildren! I will always miss our big Christmas dinners at my grandparents house with all of the cousins. I'm so grateful to have had such a wonderful example as a grandfather! Here is a link to his obituary.. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=rex-marvin-woodruff&pid=186839574&fhid=4550.
On a lighter note, Matt and I have kept busy while waiting for bub to arrive. One weekend we did archery with the YSA. Another weekend we had the Stake Ball which is a formal dance night and the organisers had done an amazing job decorating to fit the Beauty and the Beast theme. Unfortunately, Matt didn't feel well so I went alone, but I was glad I went! This was also the weekend of General Conference. As you may recall I had previously worked on a puzzle each time, but as I had finished the last one I decided to try painting this time. It was so relaxing to paint something for the baby room while listening to the leaders of the church speak.
Another big event was my baby shower. I organised it with a few women from the ward and I think it all turned out well! I was hesitant to do anything to begin with, but I realised it would be a good opportunity for women in the ward to get to know me better and for me to get excited about the new addition to my family. The shower was a lot of fun with games and refreshments. One woman in the ward made a fabulous decorated cake as well which tasted just as amazing as it looked! I am so lucky to have such a wonderful group of people in my life!
Paper Towel Baby Outfit Game
What Will Bub Look Like Game
My mom arrived October 18th and we got to spend lots of time catching up and shopping for the baby. It has been a very long time since I have been able to chat to my mom like that and although we were anxiously awaiting the baby to arrive it was awesome to have that time together. We went on lots of walks, toured Australia Zoo, rode bikes around Brisbane, and spent a day at Noosa Heads beach.
Lake Kurwongbah
Lake Eden
Australia Zoo
Brisbane
Noosa Heads Beach
Since my mom had booked flights around my original due date of October 22nd, and thinking I would be early since she had 3 out of her 4 kids 10 days early, we started to get a bit nervous when my due date came and went. Redcliffe hospital doesn't induce until about 10 days after the due date which meant my mom might only get a day or two with her granddaughter before she left on November 4th. Although we did lots of things to hopefully move it along - eating pineapple, acupressure points, raspberry leaf tea, walks, etc.. bub seemed content where she was at.
Finally, Sunday September 29th my cat woke me up at 3:30am. I noticed some pains, but I thought it was just indigestion or something. When I realised they were repeating I knew I was experiencing early labour pains. It was uncomfortable enough that I couldn't go back to sleep and so I just did some reading and waited until everyone else was awake. By around 7am I was having contractions at least every 10 minutes and I notified the hospital. They suggested I call back when contractions were about every 5 minutes. An hour later I called them back and they still felt I should wait at home, but because the contractions were getting more painful I really wasn't comfortable waiting at home for things to get awful. At the birthing suite they monitored me and I was progressing slowly and only 1-2cm dilated. They moved me to the maternity ward to wait it out and that's when contractions started to get really painful. As the night progressed I was starting to really struggle with the pain even though they had already given me codeine and panadol. Although I could breathe through each one I started to get really shaky each time one came. Lack of sleep didn't help either because they were too often that there was no hope of resting in between. It got so bad that one contraction was so painful it made me vomit. They checked me again and by now I was 4cm dilated and decided I could go up to the birthing suite when it was ready. At this point I realised I was in so much pain that I wanted the heaviest pain killer I could get - the epidural. All my plans of a natural birth went out the window and at this point I didn't even care. It took hours before the room was ready and the anesthetician could come in. During that time they gave me gas to help with the pain and it was still so bad I nearly vomited all over the midwife next to me during a contraction. I finally got the epidural around 9pm and spent the remainder of the night resting, but not really sleeping. Close to 3am they checked and I was fully dilated and the doctor decided to do a trial push. After that she decided I was ready to go and I spent the next hour pushing with each contraction. Although they told me I was great at pushing, I felt like I could have done better if I had a better lung capacity. They thought it was funny how Sakura was "excited" to come out because her heart rate would increase with each push and they even saw her wriggling to get out. Although I didn't know this until later, her shoulders got stuck in my hips and so I got a 2nd degree tear from the final push. Thank goodness for the epidural! I could feel there was a tear but not much pain and I had no idea how severe it was. They immediately put her on me for skin to skin contact and she was a perfectly calm baby and looked straight at me. My first thoughts were - We Did It! Secondly I thought, "she doesn't look like me at all" - she looked like some Asian baby. It didn't bother me, I was just surprised. She was a big baby with a full head of hair. After a while they wheeled me to the maternity ward where I would spend the next 24 hours. It takes some time for the epidural to wear off so I was bed ridden for a long time. The first time I tried to use my legs my left leg didn't quite cooperate and I fell on the floor. That night I finally got some sleep as Sakura slept for hours, but by morning I was over being at the hospital and eager to go home.
The first week home was a bit of an adjustment. Sakura did NOT sleep as well as she had at the hospital and I was feeding her every hour or so and struggled to get more than an hour or two of sleep at night. Matt went back to work so I wanted to make sure he got plenty of sleep and although my mom was willing to help I knew I needed to learn to get through the night by myself. We went and got some newborn photos taken, visited my friend Cate, and did some other errands with the baby. When my mom left on Saturday I went to the shops expecting Sakura would be calm and sleep like she had previous days, but unfortunately she was very fussy. I visited three different parent rooms and had to deal with her crying profusely at Target while I purchased a few things and headed to the next parent room. It was a rough reality check that not only was I on my own now that my mom had left, but that things would never be the same. How and when I go to the shops will be different, I now have to consider if I can take the baby with me to certain things, and I have to worry about whether or not she will be fussy when I go places.
Cate with Sakura
One of the blankets my mom made for Sakura
Jackie and her daughters paid a visit
Self soothing with her finger
Our first Sunday back at church was fast Sunday and we decided to do the baby blessing that day. As we don't have many friends or family here I didn't see any point in waiting. I had luckily found a white dress that fit her the day before and she was a perfect angel during the blessing. Our friends Cate & Dan Innis were able to come to the blessing and we had a nice lunch afterwards. Church was different as I suddenly had more than just the talks and lessons to worry about. I kept wondering what would be considered proper etiquette for dealing with the baby like should I always leave to the mother's room to feed her or what to do if she starts to cry or get upset. People have advised you just do whatever you feel comfortable with. The following day I met with the psychologist who confirmed the same thing. I basically want like a list of what is appropriate or right and wrong in terms of dealing with the baby. My psychologist reminded me that I'm an intelligent and capable person and to trust my instincts. Instead of learning the right or wrong with parenting, I just need to trust in myself and the Spirit to guide me to do what's best for me and the baby. I'm likely still going to be anxious when she gets upset in public places, but I'm glad I have a wonderful support system to help me get through the tough times of being a first-time mom.
Her hearing test - she has perfect hearing
I am finally adjusting to having a baby in my life. I just take things day by day and sometimes she is extremely fussy and other times she can sleep for hours at a time. I'm thinking something I was eating was causing some indigestion because she would be inconsolable right after feeding. She has at least been getting better at sleeping at night so I have been able to get around 5-6 hrs of sleep total! I've been surprised how tiring it is to take care of the baby during the day as well so I usually can nap when she naps as well. Our cat has not yet decided what to think about the new addition. For the most part Shade just avoids Sakura, but every now and then he will bodly try to sniff her. It will be interesting to see how their relationship progresses over time.
I'm not sure what to think about being a mom yet, but when I've already been enjoying my time with her including the occasional smiles and funny faces. I'm just grateful I'm not doing this alone and that I don't have any obligation to work! What I've really learned from pregnancy, labour, and my first 2 weeks of being a mom is to take everything people tell you with a grain of salt. I did everything I could to make pregnancy and labour better and yet nothing worked out as I had hoped. If my body didn't respond the way I had hoped to pregnancy and birth, why should parenting be any different? In the end you just do the best you can, pray lots, and trust the Lord to guide you with what matters most.
Not much has really happened since my last blog. I'm now at the stage when people ask me about my pregnancy I just say I'm about the same. I tend to need a nap daily, I get winded or exhausted easily, heartburn is still a constant problem, and some days I get bad aches and pains. Other than that things are moving rather smoothly.
34 weeks
36 weeks tomorrow
Matt and I finished the antenatal classes and it was kind of sad because we were learning so much! The last one was our tour of the birthing suites and the maternity ward and I found that I'm not really nervous about it at all. I've been very happy with the Redcliffe Hospital and the midwives and I feel confident that their biggest concern is helping me have the birth experience that I want. My goal is to just to have as natural a birth as I can handle, but I don't really have any specific expectations.
I've had a few comments that I'm small and after comparing with some of the ladies in the class I was surprised that some were larger than me and had their due date nearly 1-2 months after me (not including the lady with twins). I feel perhaps it is due to my baby preferring a posterior position - with the head in the pelvic area - more than anything else. She has been like that since my 2nd trimester and has only recently started shifting a little. Some days I'm lopsided half the day - I tried to take a picture to show Matt from my perspective.
Lopsided Belly
We have finally started acquiring baby stuff! A while ago we decided funds were tight and we didn't want to spend big since the baby wouldn't notice the difference anyway. Thanks to Facebook Marketplace we were able to get a used cot, capsule, diaper changing table, bath, ergo 360 carrier, and four garbage bags worth of clothes for less than $400 total. Additionally, we got a stroller and tall boy (dresser) from off the street for free. The stroller is in good condition, but needs a thorough clean which Matt promised. I didn't want it, but now that we tested our capsule with it and it fits perfectly I'm happy we didn't have to spend anything to get a stroller. In case you're wondering....yes all used stuff has or will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitised. It's taken a while to do all the laundry!
Shade has claimed the cot and the blanket I made for the baby
Anything else needed for the baby's arrival we got new at Ebay, Chemist Warehouse, or Costco. I feel better knowing that we now have the essentials sorted. A friend of mine asked about my baby shower and I realised I didn't have one planned. In my experience family or friends usually host one but that wasn't likely going to happen since I have no family and recently moved to the area. Eventually I swallowed my pride and asked some ladies in my ward to help and instead of obtaining gifts this is more an opportunity for me to get to know the other women in the ward better and celebrate together. I'm excited there's two other women that are having babies around the same time and at least two others that are pregnant! It was really hard for me when I moved to QLD and all my pregnant friends except one were in Sydney. I also think it will be good for me to celebrate that I have a baby coming as it has not been an easy transition for me. Additionally, my sister has organised a Skype party for me to be able to celebrate and talk to my extended family about the baby. I'm excited for that as well so that I can keep them involved in my experience. Lots of good things to come in October!
Since this whole process started I feel like I've grown a lot and had to really face my next stage of life. Here are just some snippets of things that I've read, learned, or decided about having kids:
Having a baby is a privilege and a blessing
Pregnancy is different for each individual and each baby
Despite even the best intentions, you can't always control how your body reacts or responds to things, especially during pregnancy.
Ultimately, the Lord is control when a child is brought into this world
Stress, worry, and anxiety during and after pregnancy can have serious long term effects on you and the child.
Comparing yourself to others limits your ability to find inner peace with yourself and your own unique situation
"Birth is a sacred moment when mortality and heaven intersect" Dale G. Renlund
Pregnancy and labour can be a positive experience when focused on love instead of fear
Pregnancy is an opportunity to learn to trust your body and instincts
In the end, patience and trust in the Lord are essential because things don't often work out the way we hope or plan
The greatest impact we can have in this world is to bring children into this world and raise them to the best of our ability to live righteously and with good morals
Now as for some other events in the last month....
I attended Time Out For Women in the Gold Coast where multiple speakers and a music artist share inspired messages. This is not run by the church and is actually a paid event. I've never gone before so I was really excited to have the opportunity to go and also see some of my friends from Sydney at the same time. This year speakers included Elaine S. Dalton former YW General President, John Bytheway, Patrice Tipoki, and Emily Belle Freeman. Although I was glad I went, I was actually disappointed by the experience. The music group Mercy River presented songs throughout and I only actually liked a couple of songs. I liked their humour, but the music didn't fit the event for me and I would have preferred a variety of musicians than just the one group. The talks were great of course, but again I feel like I didn't need to pay for hearing inspiring messages that I can also get the same effect and feeling from attending Women's Conference or General Conference twice a year. In short, I'll probably attend if it's local, but I don't think I'll ever go out of my way to attend in future years. Here are my favourite quotes and comments made at the event:
Don't be too hard on yourself, just keep moving forward - Elaine S. Dalton
Marriage is like a five thousand piece puzzle, all sky - Cathy Ladman
You are the result of the love of thousands - Linda Hogan
The ability to qualify for, receive and act on personal revelation is the SINGLE most important skill that can be acquired in this life - Julie B. Beck
Don't let all the things you know be eclipsed by the few things you don't know - John Bytheway
Don't waste any time reading the wrong things - we don't have time for that - John Bytheway
A fear can sometimes be our voice or from other voices - Patrice Tipoki
What do you need God to BE (not do)? - Emily Freeman
Our business class is still going well. Matt and I have learned SO much! We've discovered we really need to revamp how we record all of our personal and business expenses. A guy in class lent us the book called The Barefoot Investor which is very similar to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace system except this book was released this year and is specific to the Australia market. After finishing that book we will be making some serious changes to our bank accounts and other details to help us save more and have a better understanding of our finances. I won't go into details, but let's just say there are a lot of changes to be made and I'm excited that I think we will finally get on top of our finances! We also learned that Matt has been paying tithing incorrectly and essentially "stealing" from his business income. I highly recommend this self reliance business course because there are so many elements to having a small business that sometimes we just don't consider. The other people in the group have been awesome to also help get different opinions on how to run things.
Business was really slow for a few weeks for Matt. He signed up for a required course to get his Queensland contractor license and we spent a week working on that together. I lost a lot of patience with him, but we got it done and are now waiting on the results from that. We then sat down and figured out how much tithing he owed (he hadn't paid tithing since May). The day that we paid tithing Matt got about three different job opportunities! One company was so happy with his last job they said he created a new standard and have enough work for him for months! What a blessing! He's so much happier working for himself and I'm glad that he hasn't had to subcontract or work as an employee. He may even have enough work to start expanding and get his own apprentice or employee!
Turkey dinner and a movie for our anniversary
We celebrated our six year anniversary on the 21st! Each year Matt and I are always just glad we made it another year. Remember the quote about the five thousand piece puzzle? Yeah, marriage is difficult and neither of us are easy people to live with and be married to. We recognise we are growing little by little each year and at least now I don't feel like we're on the edge of a cliff anymore. I used to constantly worry about having kids because I felt like our marriage was rocky and I didn't want to have a divorce with kids. I'm no longer worried about that - I married the man that can help me grow the most and help me to be the person I want to be. It's not easy, but most worthwhile things aren't. I still firmly believe in our potential and I hope we can learn to be good parents.
Life has been pretty breezy for the most part for the last month. The weather here is fantastic, we have been busy attending activities for our calling with the young single adults, and spending many nights just relaxing and watching a movie or favourite TV shows. I'm so grateful that I've been blessed to not have to work aside what I do for Matt's business and that I can focus on me and the baby. I feel confident everything will work out.
Team White Rice won White Bread and Sausages (YSA Activity)
I've officially reached the 3rd trimester! I've been keeping busy as well so a bit to catch up on.
TAKING CLASSES
This last month Matt and I started taking a couple of classes. Antenatal classes started last week and so we have been learning about what to expect with the birth and the labour process. So far I haven't really been scared or nervous by the things that I've learned, but I do hope I won't have to go through a C-section or have any other pregnancy complications. My current plan is to have as natural a birth as possible, but if I want the pain killer I'll get it. One woman in the class is having twins and she is a bit nervous about how everything is going to go. Needless to say I'm so glad I'm not having twins! Here's an interesting video about the biological changes going on during pregnancy...
The church offers various free Self Reliance courses which are really awesome. Matt and I wanted to take the Starting and Growing a Business one as well as the Personal Finance one, but we decided in the end it would be better to focus on just one for now since we already are doing the antenatal class for five weeks. We started the Business course a couple of weeks ago and it has been really great so far! Although I don't have a business, I focus on making goals to help Matt's business. Overall we work together to improve different aspects of his business. This last class was really helpful as we started listing different ways we can help market the business. His last job finished last Monday so until he finds more work we have no money coming in. While looking at marketing options we discovered that he needs to do extra things to get his contractor's license here in Queensland. Because QLD is a different state they have different requirements to get a painting and decorating contractor's license. Lots to do! Luckily with the course we can discuss things with other students and also get suggestions that we might not have come up with on our own. We'll see how things go.
CHURCH STUFF
Matt and I were recently called to be YSA parents! This means that we work with the young single adults (18-30 yrs old) in the ward. We basically assist as needed, are mentors, go to the activities and support where possible. We are really excited about this because we loved the YSA in our previous ward and it is a fun calling we can do together. Over a week ago we taught our first lesson on eternal marriage. I think Matt and I gained more from working on the lesson together and discussing how we wanted to address the topic than the students did. We have only had a couple activities so far. The first was a beach day at Caloundra and I'm sure my body loved the Vitamin D. The water was still a little too cold for me to want to dip in, but the weather was beautiful. It's hard to believe it's winter when it's 25C or warmer here (80F +). The second activity was a fast breaker and Matt and I both commented about how welcoming and awesome the YSA in the stake were. Although we were the old married couple in the activities, we felt very included and were impressed by how well they all seemed to work together and get along. I look forward to getting to know all of them better!
Since I am home all day I have told the missionaries to call me whenever to assist with lessons. I have had the opportunity to help teach at two lessons now and both experiences were amazing! Sometimes after I've committed I am really unmotivated to go, but once we are there helping spread knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ I am always reminded of my own testimony and am grateful I have the time and ability to help. The last lesson I felt was really inspired as it was with a woman who had previously had five miscarriages and has recently given birth to her 2nd child. This gave me an opportunity to talk about the blessings of having a family and reminded me that all the pregnancy woes will be worth it in the end.
Another task I have taken on is to play the piano for the Relief Society class in my ward. I'm not a very good piano player and am definitely out of practice, but my poor playing is still better than listening to the CD for hymns. Additionally, this will help me better develop my skills. The truth is I mostly lack the ability to be confident and continue playing even when I make mistakes. I get so nervous that I often struggle even on easy parts that I would never do in practice. When in doubt I can usually play the right hand reliably. I practice once a week at a member's house so hopefully in time I will feel more confident and be able to play decently.
This last weekend we had a big church activity called the FSY Carnival. The youth had loads of games, activities, and food geared towards helping raise funds for the large For the Strength of Youth (FSY) activity that occurs each year. The ward asked if anyone would assist in baking goods for the bake sale and I volunteered. Not knowing what to expect I went a little crazy making Oreo truffles, cheesecake brownies, and muddy buddies. I had fun making them, but when we arrived it was quite clear that our ward had been AMAZING at contributing! There were so many baked goods there that I was certain they would have lots of leftovers. Some people had gone above and beyond with baking fresh bread and homemade jams. We had a good time and I hope the youth earned enough and that all the baked goods found homes in the end. I wondered later if perhaps I should have kept more goodies for home, but I'm sure my body is happier without the extra chocolate. Besides, I still have enough leftovers to make more. I was bummed nobody seemed interested in the muddy buddies, but I forgot that since they aren't common here people are more hesitant to buy them. Then again, there was a lot of variety!
THE 3RD TRIMESTER
30 weeks
I had hopes that my third trimester wouldn't be too bad since my first few days I seemed fine. Well my hopes died pretty quickly. I've had aches and pains on and off, but I soon noticed it was definitely getting harder to sleep comfortably no matter what I did. Not to mention just switching sides is getting difficult. The worst was the heartburn got REALLY bad. I was taking mild antacids as needed which was every few nights (if that) and usually just one of the chewable tablets was enough for me (the package says 1-4 as needed). Well it was so bad that I started feeling heartburn all day whether I ate or not and the antacids weren't helping! Apparently even just drinking water can cause heartburn for some women and I think I won that lottery ticket. On top of this I got a nasty cold. I researched some heavier duty antacids and after barely sleeping for 2 days Matt went out to get me something stronger. Unfortunately, that day was a public holiday so the chemists were all closed and the local grocery store wasn't open yet. Matt eventually came home with this giant bottle of Gaviscon double strength aniseed liquid (aniseed tastes like black licorice - YUCK!). He didn't want me to use the tablets because they have aspartame in them, which supposedly causes cancer, so he bought the liquid. I've learned I tend to vomit anything potentially nasty during pregnancy so I could only hope I would manage to get this stuff down. We used a syringe and I squirted it down my throat - no luck. It didn't slide down, but came all back into my mouth causing me to gag before swallowing, which naturally caused me to run to the toilet. So there I am crying, coughing, and vomiting into the toilet, while peeing my pants in the process feeling like I have truly reached the peak of what the worst of pregnancy could look like (apologies if you felt this was way too much information). Luckily with nothing in my stomach my heartburn went away for long enough for me to sleep after that, but my already inflamed throat from my cold did not appreciate the aggravation. Now that Matt has bought me the Gaviscon tablets I seem to have the heartburn under control again. I feel sorry for anyone that has EVER had heartburn and especially those that seem to have it on a regular basis. It's awful.
My cold has definitely persisted and no doubt due to a lack of good sleep and not enough vitamins. I ran out of my prenatal vitamins which I order from the US (it has to have folate due to my MTHFR gene mutation). So to compensate I was taking a couple monster multivitamin pills as well as a separate folate supplement, and lots of vitamin C to help with my cold. I can now safely say I have a risk of vomiting if a. the pill is too large to swallow easily b. the pill has a nasty taste c. I have already consumed a lot of vitamins at once and d. my stomach already feels very full. All of the above can make me gag and my stomach just responds by getting everything out whether I like it or not. I used to think it was psychological, but now I think it's just a learned response my stomach has from my first trimester. My hope is that things will go back to normal after pregnancy and I won't have to fear any time I take a supplement. Before you start offering me suggestions....I've tried lots of different things and really the best option for me is to just seperate out all the supplements throughout the day. My prenatal vitamins have arrived so there is hope most of my vomiting supplements is over. My cold has developed into bronchitis causing Matt to sleep in the spare room to avoid listening to me coughing all night. There has been a massive outbreak of flu and gastro going around so ultimately I'm really lucky I'm not experiencing anything worse. I think I'm getting better, but it's definitely taking it's time - it's almost been two weeks!
I recently had to take the glucose tolerance test to test for gestational diabetes, which was not ideal considering my poor health at the moment. The test requires you to withold from everything except water after 10pm the day before. At 6am you go to the hospital where they take your blood, give you a glucose drink (tasted kind of like a flat lime soda) and then you wait. After an hour they take your blood, then you wait another hour and they take your blood again. I went in on Friday and waited 45 minutes before the woman saw me and then she turned me away because I had taken a throat lozenge that morning. I guess I should have expected that, but my throat hurts so bad in the morning! I called Matt and we went out to breakfast to make up for my bad morning. When I went in the second time I tried to do everything I could to get a good nights sleep including my nightly antacids, lots of pillows, Vick's VaporRub, and Matt helped massage my sore back and sciatica nerve. I still woke up nearly every hour, but miraculously I felt fine going in to my appointment. My biggest worry was that the lack of food would make me feel very sick, but the glucose drink filled my stomach enough that I was able to feel ok. I passed the time by calling family in the US so it wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected. The best part was after having breakfast and getting home I was so tired I passed out and slept really well!
On a different and more positive note, my application to get paid maternity leave was approved! This means that once the baby is born the government will provide financial assistance, which I believe is $672.60 per week before tax for a maximum period of 18 weeks. This is a massive blessing! I am so grateful that we were able to find a way to meet the requirements. Although this won't help us figure out how to pay for the stuff we will need prior to the baby being born, it will help relieve some of the stress after she is born.
OTHER STUFF
A few other fun things over the last month have happened. Lincraft is a fabric chain here that had a 50% off all fabric sale so I went a little crazy and got a bunch of material at awesome prices. It was 50% off the marked price so I got some fabric that was normally $20/metre for $5/metre. So I sewed another maternity skirt, only to discover I had gained weight and it was way too form fitting for my liking. I had enough material to fix it sufficiently, but this meant that the green maternity skirt I made before the move would be way too tight. I spent days trying to fix it into a short hippie style skirt with the leftover material and I think I just made it worse. Sometimes making things up and putting it on the dress model just isn't the same as trying it on yourself. Feel free to give me feedback... should I even wear it in public? Matt's response was "It's VERY hippie." Good thing I have lots of other material to play with! My next project is a minky baby blanket and I also got a couple of maternity patterns to try out. I want a big flowy dress that I recently saw in the store so that might be in the works as well, but as my "made up" creation didn't go so well I'm hesitant to try a dress without a pattern.
Our cat shade has been enjoying having me home all the time, but he's been very bored since I've been under the weather. Another cat in the complex randomly showed up at our door meowing so we decided to let him in. To see what Shade would do we called him downstairs and that's where things didn't work out so well. The other cat was roaming around and Matt decided to pick Shade up to introduce them. Shade was so unhappy and scared he started to pee all over Matt and the floor. The other cat we rushed out of the house, but he managed to step in the pee and get it spread all the way to the door. We were late to our class that night cleaning all the cat pee up, but luckily it had made it on the tile floor and nothing else. Today the cat came around again but this time we let them get to know each other on their own terms. The other cat just sat outside of the screen and Shade stared at him from the stairs content to not get any closer. I'm not sure they will ever be friends.
Firstly, on September 30th (in Australia) my grandfather on my father's side passed away at the age of 90. Rex Woodruff was a wonderful man and although I never spent significant amounts of time with my grandparents I will always remember his constant desire to serve. This was not a sad event for me. He lived a great life and at the end old age was taking its toll. I knew without a doubt that because he had worked so hard to live a righteous and honorable life that he had returned to his Heavenly Father and was in a state of peace. In the LDS church we call this Spirit Paradise which is that "part of the spirit world in which the righteous spirits who have departed from this life await the resurrection of the body. It is a condition of happiness and peace." (lds.org) Rex has left a wonderful legacy behind with 7 children, 29 grandchildren, and now 18 great grandchildren! I will always miss our big Christmas dinners at my grandparents house with all of the cousins. I'm so grateful to have had such a wonderful example as a grandfather! Here is a link to his obituary.. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?n=rex-marvin-woodruff&pid=186839574&fhid=4550.
I am finally adjusting to having a baby in my life. I just take things day by day and sometimes she is extremely fussy and other times she can sleep for hours at a time. I'm thinking something I was eating was causing some indigestion because she would be inconsolable right after feeding. She has at least been getting better at sleeping at night so I have been able to get around 5-6 hrs of sleep total! I've been surprised how tiring it is to take care of the baby during the day as well so I usually can nap when she naps as well. Our cat has not yet decided what to think about the new addition. For the most part Shade just avoids Sakura, but every now and then he will bodly try to sniff her. It will be interesting to see how their relationship progresses over time.
