Happenings 20.6.18

DOING: sitting in bed with my laptop, taking a work break to journal. It's Sunday afternoon and Ben and Joan are having a smoothie + craft supplies-buying date.

HEARING: the wind outside. Winter is most definitely here. And provided I'm rugged up, it's nice. Most of the time.

WEARING: Cotton On Maternity leggings; cheap, warm, fluffy socks; jumpers and winter knits. If I leave the house I may swap the leggings for maternity jeans, but that's unlikely. I was planning on buying Storq maternity leggings, but I decided to take a gamble and go for the cheaper pair, hoping they'd be ok. So far they're going well. 

DRINKING: Lately I've been loving chai tea. I have been buying this caffeine-free blend, and though I'm no chai connoisseur, I think it's really good. It makes for a lovely afternoon pick-me up. 

EATING + COOKING: right now we have bolognese on the stove. Ben and Joan made it this morning, in an effort to build up our supply of freezer meals (which, on busy days, are my mid-week saviour). We're out of broth and soup, and we have one serve of curry left. After today, though, we'll have lots of bolognese.

What else have we been eating and cooking this month? Lots of soup, actually. And porridge. Classic winter fare. I've been feeling the itch to bake, but haven't gotten around to it. Perhaps we'll make doughnuts soon. Or some more banana bread. I'm very low on my freezer stores! 

In terms of lunches, it's been lots of salad sandwiches (like at the top of this post) or avocado toast with a fried egg. Simple and satisfying.

WANTING: to be able to wake before Joan does. She has super spidey senses, so even if I am not in the room with her (because Ben went in overnight), she will invariably wake within 10 minutes of me waking. I would so love to be able to have a shower, pop the kettle on and do a little work before she wakes. That's the dream! 

LOOKING: at the chest of drawers my folks dropped by last weekend. They've done a little bathroom renovation recently, and needed something different in the space where the chest was. I jumped at the chance to take it (actually, it's more accurate to say that I forced them to give it to me), as it's got wonderful, deep drawers that I'll be able to fill with nappies, wipes and cloths for when our babe arrives.

DECIDING: what to make for dinners this week. Tonight it'll be bolognese, and we may feed Joan first and get her to bed early, so that we can have a date dinner on the couch with a movie. We got home from a little Sydney trip yesterday and she is still quite tired, so an early night will do her well. Tomorrow night I'm unsure what we'll do - perhaps a stirfry. Tuesday night is usually pasta, so perhaps pesto or a tomato ragu I have in the freezer. Wednesday night it's just Joan and I, and we may do dahl and quinoa with sauteed greens (we have so many leafy greens!). Thursday perhaps some roasted veggies with sausages we recently got at the farmer's market. And I think on Friday I'll make a big batch of falafel to eat for dinner and load up the freezer. Saturday night we'll be at Red Hill for a family dinner and Sunday night we're meeting friends in the city.

ENJOYING: My burgeoning appetite. Eating a snack in bed at night while watching a show on Netflix brings me so much joy.

WATCHING: Call The Midwife. I watched the first three seasons years ago and am really enjoying getting back into it. Ben and I started Westworld, but I just couldn't get into it. I mean, I did get into it, but the story kept making positively zero sense, and for that reason it felt like a waste of time. I'm hanging out to watch Lady Bird with Ben. Perhaps we'll watch that tonight? Oh, and I finished season two of This Is Us. Man, that was intense. So many tears. Like, so many. JACK! I told Ben that Jack Pearson is the best man anyone will ever know, and then I informed him that he will be watching the entire two season with me, starting next week. I'm really excited. He's less excited.

READING: I'm about to dive into some pregnancy and birth books, and will probably start by re-reading Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth.   

BUYING: not much. We just came back from Sydney where we ate out more than usual, so we're back to our normal routine of trying to be thrifty and consume less. We're also deep into our bathroom renovation, so we're really hoping to keep spending at a minimum.

PLANNING: more holidays. I'm itching for an overseas trip. They won't be happening for 2-5 years, but hey, a girl can dream. And planning is super fun.

CRAVING: kiwi fruit, oranges and olive sourdough bread. In Sydney I would sometimes order a house-made, fancy pants lemonade, which was SO delicious. I've been craving that, too.

LOVING: Baby kicks. They are now really strong and regular. Every single kick makes me so happy and grateful. Growing a baby really is a miracle. I'm also loving my conversations with Joan. She's so funny and sweet, and I constantly find myself surprised by what she remembers and the the questions she asks. Lately she's been focussing on characters in books who do something that is off or unkind. "Why would they do that?" kind of stuff. The challenging questions begin! So do the poo jokes. I haven't been loving those, though. Well, sometimes they're amusing.

SAVOURING: this time I have to myself. Joan is so easy now - occasional, dramatic toddler tantrums aside. I can frequently set her up with an activity or let her find something to do on her own, and then go about my business cooking or doing little projects around the house (lots of decluttering has been happening!). And on the weekends, Ben and Joan have been hanging out together while I get stuck into a work project. It feels like I just have SO much time to myself - at least, compared to how it was when Joan was young, and compared to how it will be in October when baby number two arrives. And I'm certainly savouring it.

PLAYING: with lots of duplo. Recently I was kindly sent a Play Pouch, which is a playmat/ty storage bag created by two Australian mothers. I have been SO excited about getting this delivery. Not only do these bags make toy pack up really easy, they're attractive to look at. I am such a sucker for anything mustard-coloured. Despite the fact that Joan's duplo was readily available to her in a basket, now that it's in this Play Pouch she has a newfound interest in it. I think it's because she can open it up on her own and see all the pieces. Most days she's been entertaining herself by making cars, towers and little homes for her toys. Thank you, Play Pouch! We absolutely love our gift.

FEELING: Grounded. Much less headachey. Inspired and motivated in my work. And outrageously excited to be growing this baby. This time last year I was feeling heartbroken after receiving the news that our baby wasn't growing and we'd likely be having a miscarriage. So I am also feeling incredibly grateful for where we are now.

Happenings posts inspired by Pip.

Heidi xo