Weekend

August is such a golden month. Brassy flowers everywhere. My favorites are Black-Eyed-Susans. They are so country, so simple, and so cheerful.

Yesterday was a holiday here in Austria, and my sister-in-law celebrated her birthday. I am something like the 'designated cake baker' of the family. I made a chocolate layer cake with fluffy vanilla filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting. I call it 'Marshmallow Fudge Cake.' Despite the name, it is not too sweet or heavy. Definitely a cake you can have more than one slice of.

The party was full of parents, babies, toddlers, and children. Ramon and I sat back and watched everything, wide-eyed, picturing our future. I talked with mothers about the local kindergartens, diapers, breastfeeding. It's a relief how different mothers have different tastes, rules, preferences, and advice, because I know I want to do things my way, and I like knowing that that's OK.

Last night I was plagued with a series of intense and disturbing nightmares, the kind that exhaust you the next morning and have you thinking of them all day. The walk in the forest with the dogs helped to clear my mind a little. Sometimes dreams stay with you, like a fog you can't seem to brush away.

Now I'm going to take a bath (maybe that will help forget my nightmares), and then I'm off to my first session of acupuncture, which takes place in an old castle here in the town square which has been divided into offices and apartments. It's a group session, which means I'll be there with a bunch of other pregnant women looking to speed up their impending births. I am really looking forward to sitting in a room with women who are in the same position as me. I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about, while having needles pushed into our limbs!

35 Weeks

Today I woke up having contractions and lower back pain that came and went in waves. It kept waking me up, I would worry for a moment, and then I would fall back asleep. This repeated itself for a while. Once up and about, I had to laugh at myself. When I have situations with contractions like that, I think: "Oh, maybe he's coming today!" When I have a day where I feel normal, I think of the women who said they were having a completely normal day when their water suddenly broke. Then I think: "Oh, maybe he's coming today!"

I know, I am getting so incredibly impatient.

Though in my heart, I do hope he will wait until September.

Here's this week's update:

How far along? 35 weeks, 1 day. 

Total weight gain: 22 pounds. Half of which is in my face.

How big is baby? 5 1/4 pounds.

Sleep: A stuffy nose makes it hard to fall asleep. Otherwise, I've been sleeping relatively well.


Best moment this week: Yesterday morning Rafael wasn't moving. I started getting really worried, since usually he kicks and punches a lot. I can't tell you the smile I had on my face when he started moving around again! Such a relief. 

Movement: He has longer phases of not moving now because of limited space. 

Food cravings: I'm loving müsli with fruit, milk, and nuts; rolls with herb cream cheese and cucumbers; and chocolate milk.

Belly button in or out? Flat.

What I miss: Yesterday in the forest I could smell mushrooms and wished I was agile enough to go trudging through the steep parts of the woods like I used to be. I miss being able to be more adventurous on walks, exploring the more hidden areas of the forest. 

What I'm looking forward to: September.


Milestone: 35 weeks is a wonderful point in pregnancy, because if born at this point, babies would have a 99% chance of survival, and most likely wouldn't need to be put on oxygen. Also, this week I'll begin going to weekly acupuncture in preparation for labor...both my husband's cousin and sister did this, and had births that lasted between 2 and 6 hours. I would feel so lucky if Rafael's birth is that quick!


P.S. While trying to take a decent photo of myself, Boston jumped up on the bench and cuddled up to me. He is such a sweet, affectionate little being, and I feel so blessed to have him and Kiki as my companions.

Life in the Third Trimester and Autumn Love

Life is slow and easy for me right now, as I enjoy these final weeks of pregnancy. Well...OK...let's be honest...I don't enjoy every bit of it. It's astounding the clumsy and exhausting gymnastics I have to do to wash dishes (I have to literally lean with outstretched arms because my belly is in the way), put on socks, shave my legs, or cut my toenails. Actually, I've given up on cutting my own toenails. Ramon had a go at them, which gave us a good laugh, but didn't do much for my toenails, which are now shorter but also very crooked. My back aches, my feet are sore, I snore, and take about 2 minutes to get up from a sitting position. (Am I pregnant or 90 year old?)

But yes, I am enjoying parts of being 8 months pregnant. It has forced me to take everything very slowly, and to prioritize things (anything that has me bending down to pick something up off the floor is no longer a priority). I have fully succumbed to daily naps and encourage the same from the dogs, who seem to be alright with this new laziness. I make a big pot of Third Trimester Tea every morning and drink cups of it throughout the day. On walks with the dogs, I move at a snail's pace without meaning to. But I don't beat myself up about it. It's just the way it is right now.

While waiting in line for the butcher at the farmer's market yesterday, my sister-in-law told me that, after Rafael is born, I will feel so incredibly light. Just the thought of that made me sigh. Light! I can hardly imagine! Right now my footsteps sound like a huge ogre's, and my walk can really only be described as a waddle.

But again, all of these 'uncomfortable' things are teaching me a lot. Acceptance, for example, and sacrifice. If this is what I have to go through to be united with my son, I'll take it all, and gladly!

It's funny how August always has me thinking of September. While most people are hanging onto Summer and soaking up every bit of it they can, my mind is already drifting towards sweaters, fall foliage, pumpkins, and cocoa. It's not something I am proud of, because I think it's always best to live in the moment and revel in what the current season has to offer. But what can I do? I am utterly smitten with all things Autumn.

With all of this free time I have, being pregnant and all, I spend quite a bit of time on the internet, and as some of you already know, one of my favorite places on the internet is etsy. I've had some fun putting together cozy, autumn-themed treasuries these past few days. Here are some of my favorites. Click on the treasury title to go to it and be able to browse the handmade and vintage items.

'My Heart Belongs To Autumn'

'Woodsy'

'Loved'

'Pale and Slate'

'Weekend Pleasures'

I'm alone this weekend...Ramon is on a business trip until Sunday evening. I'll be making soups and chicken paprikash for the freezer, maybe some muffins and cookies too.

But all very, very slowly. :)

Late Summer

At this point of summer, we begin spotting the first clues of autumn's approach. A scattering of yellow leaves on the forest path...sunflowers and rudbeckia at the farmer's market...wild apples and elderberries ripening. Goldenrod glowing bright against fences. The first cluster of golden mushrooms on a mossy stump. The first fallen emerald acorns. It's so exciting!

On this morning's walk, Boston drank from tiny leaf-choked puddles and Kiki chased butterflies. The sun shone and the birds sang. The creek trickled lazily. I was so happy that I had brought my camera along for this little late summer adventure.

Back home here now, on the table, is a bouquet of goldenrod, sunflowers, rudbeckia, and chinese lanterns. So humble, yet so glorious! Better than any fancy garland of orchids or roses, if you ask me.

I'm wondering if there will be pumpkins at the farmer's market tomorrow....

Creative Thievery

After seeing a lot of cake bunting popping up all over the web lately, I put 'cake bunting' into the search engine on etsy, and found myself getting really upset about the amount of shops which have copied my idea and are making a profit with it.

One of the funny things about it all is that the term 'cake bunting' never even existed before I came up with it, and now it's an actual THING. I find that pretty amusing. It's even a Martha Stewart item now.

What I don't find amusing is that there are so many people who would simply snatch up my idea and copy it to make money. There is something about it that really hurts.

I remember the first shop that began selling copies of my cake bunting a while back. I wrote to this shop owner, saying that I hoped she would stick to the original items in her shop and leave cake bunting to me. I said I was sure she could come up with creative ideas on her own, and didn't have to steal mine. She never wrote back and has cake buntings as one of her main items now. This just baffles me.

Now there are too many shops offering cake bunting to count, and I've accepted the fact that the concept of cake bunting just doesn't belong to me anymore. It's become something much bigger and there is no way I can really stop anyone from making a profit with it.

My shop has been closed for a while now and I do miss it. Shipping actually DOUBLED right when I put my shop on vacation, which means I would no longer be able to offer free international shipping like I used to unless I come up with some creative solution on how to package it. I've wondered if I will re-open my shop once we're settled in with the baby. And then another part of me thinks, If there are so many copies flooding etsy, what's the point in opening my shop again?

On the phone with my mom yesterday, she said, "You'll come up with some other great idea and open a shop with that. Creative people always have new ideas."

Still, the thought of leaving cake bunting behind for other people to claim and make money with makes me a bit sad. I was so excited about it in the beginning, and was so pleased when other people were excited about it, too. What a feeling it was, to open up shop with a few designs, and have people and blogs celebrate it and recognize what a fun and pretty new thing it was.

Looking back on my very first cake bunting and thinking of how the idea has spread....it's really amazing and I am genuinely happy that the idea has become so loved and popular.

If only there wasn't so much creative thievery out there.

Has this or something like it ever happened to you? How did you handle it?

Round Here Lately

Boston is recovering well. He is absolutely miserable with the plastic cone on, so I take it off when I am here to keep an eye on him, and put it back on when I leave the house and before going to sleep.
We enjoyed a couple of sunny days, but this morning it's overcast again, so it looks like it will be a cozy weekend. Ramon got us 'Romancing the Stone' and 'The Jewel of the Nile' to watch; perfect cozy weekend entertainment!
I've finally finished shopping for the baby, we have everything we need now, and the hospital bag is also packed and ready. Tomorrow we hit the 34 week mark.

33 Weeks

So here we are at 33 weeks, baby is still inside, all is well. So much to be grateful for! And since I lost 2 kilos (I think I may have had a touch of stomach flu), my wedding ring fits again. I really missed wearing it and my hand felt very naked without it.

I have been feeling every move Rafael makes so strongly. This is because there is less and less amniotic fluid to cushion his kicks and rolls. Yesterday, walking the dogs, every step hurt a little, because his head was right up against my bladder. (I'm not on bed rest anymore, just to clarify.) I had no idea that the third trimester would be so uncomfortable!

Here's this week's update:

How far along? 33 weeks, 2 days. 

Total weight gain: Gained a total of 20, but lost about 4 pounds last week.

How big is baby? 4 1/2 pounds.

Sleep: It's increasingly difficult to get comfortable. Breathing is also hard. I think the uterus is pressing up against my lungs, making it hard to breath. I try to use pillows under my neck, between my knees...it turns into quite a science. I also have to get up at least once in the night to use the bathroom.

Best moment this week: Getting the news from the doctors that Rafael is alright and won't be coming now. Seeing him sucking on his thumb was so great, too.

Movement: Increasingly uncomfortable and at times painful. I also feel him get the hiccups once or twice a day. 

Food cravings: My appetite is slowly coming back after having what I now think was a stomach virus last week. I've been craving warm milk, chicken, pumpkin, fish, green coconut water, ginger ale, and chocolate. 

Belly button in or out? Flat.

What I miss: I miss being more agile. It takes me a long time to do anything physical now, even get up out of a chair. And to be extra honest, I miss our cleaning lady! In my second trimester Ramon hired a cleaning lady to come once a week and she is amazing. But she's on vacation now for two weeks and boy, did her visits spoil me. 

What I'm looking forward to: I'm really looking forward to my husband's birthday on August 8th; I found such great gifts for him this year (it's usually so hard to find something for him) and it will be so nice to celebrate together. We also have an appointment at the doctor on that day, and I am really looking forward to seeing our baby again on the ultrasound screen!

Milestone: I've begun the 8th month of pregnancy! Once I get through August I'm thinking it will all go pretty fast.