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Gracie Gracie....

That's what Charlotte calls her new little sister... who has very long, skinny feet just like her big sister Rose (much to Rose's delight.)
It was so lovely to finally return home yesterday (although I will miss the luxury of having morning and afternoon tea and supper  appear without any effort on my part!).
I found a bit of time today to read through all of the comments that have been left- thank you for all of the good wishes and congratulations.

And here she is..... Grace Alice (three days old). She looks just like her sisters when they were born (I have cookie cutter babies) although her hair is the darkest of all three.

and here again with her two doting big sisters just after she was born.

Even though I have just come up from recovery and not yet had a chance to change into something a little more glamorous,do my hair or apply my makeup (just joking- that was the last thing on my mind!) , here is a picture of me with my three ( three!!!) girls.

Grace is doing a wonderful job of modelling this hat (which was a little big but did a great job of keeping her small head warm).
And if you ever wondered what a mama does to distract herself whilst waiting ( and waiting and waiting) to head down to the operating theater....well, she starts another hat,naturally.
(Really you'd think by now that they could come up with something just a little more stylish yet still practical than those blue hospital gowns. And then to top it all of they make you wear a shower cap on your head. Nice.)

I'm off to have a look at my three sleeping beauties and try to get in few hours myself before the night shift begins.
Sweet dreams!

now we are five....

grace alice arrived safely at 1450 on the 21st april
(2.66k 50cm long)

Baby and mama both doing well....pictures soon! ( this is grandma sally,have seen new bub and very cute.lots of dark hair. )

tomorrow's to do list.....

The date has been moved forward by a week, so tomorrow I am off to deliver baby # 3.

Details to follow .....

See you all in a week or so!

distractions of the postal kind...

A few weeks ago I couldn't resist the temptation that is Georgie Love....
Today my parcel arrived with my purchase and a few extra goodies( love the apple button) ....

A special Georgie Love brooch,made in honour of  turning 2 and a special present for the baby on the way...thanks Sally and Georgie!

Charlotte gave it her stamp of approval.

A close up of my newest piece of bling...by the very talented Emma Grace.

better than a dart board....

How we decide ( or try to decide) on names for the addition to the household....

We often find new names added by whoever has been visiting.
A name may have been crossed off, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's off the list.
Or maybe it does.

Definitely not Mabel, Odette or Saffron. Or Darcey.
And I once had a cat called Tabitha.

Some days I wake up and find I'm not partial to anything that's up there.

Small but heavy rock is looking good at the moment.

small distractions....

I find myself looking for any way to distract myself in these last few weeks (or possibly days)  of pregnancy.
So of course, when I saw the tutorial for this patchwork ball, I started one immediately. ( Many thanks to Lil Birdie for the how to and photos.)

Now what's next?......

(Two weeks to go)

bears and baking....

No, I haven't finished Charlotte's cat but in the meantime here's a panda bear that I did manage to finish for her last year!
I am in serious nesting mode, if the amount of baking and freezing I am currently doing is any indication. That and I have developed a hankering for serious comfort food. This week is biscuit week or more correctly cookie week. A year spent working for Mrs Fields, a long, long time ago when they still mixed up the cookie dough from scratch ( not that awful frozen dough stuff they serve up now) has honed my cookie making skills to perfection.
No under  baked grey sunken cookies here or rock hard overbaked ones either. Just right semi sweet choc chip ones or tonight's batch of cinnamon cookies.Some for now and the rest frozen for later when I have neither the energy or inclination to cook.
A few weeks ago it was waffles.....

It took me ages to find just the right recipe for a Belgium style yeasted waffle (makes a stiff dough rather than a batter) but I did and they were delicious. So much butter and sugar though that I can only really make these for a very special treat.The girls like theirs with melted chocolate on top because you really need just a bit more sugar!

On the baby front...well, it looks like she will arrive sooner than later as I have not really gained any weight in the past four weeks. At the hospital twice a week now for heart rate and movement monitoring which is showing that she is still doing well and not in any distress. I had to have steroid shots this week which will help mature her lung function a little faster just in case it is necessary to delivery her early. Off for another scan to check all functions next Monday and I guess we will just take it from there.

Looks like that baby blanket won't be quite ready....probably doesn't help that I got a little sidetracked and started a pair of fingerless mitts for Rose to wear to school during colder weather... one down, three to go because naturally Charlotte will want a pair too!  I really liked the look of this pair with their cute frill cuff

but have made them a bit longer as Rose has very long arms! ( the pattern if you need it is free, here)

simply beautiful...

I just couldn't resist buying this for the baby.
Or for myself.

Just add a key....

and you hear the soft sounds of Mozart's 'Voi che sapete'.

(details: 'Mozartkugel" in light beech by siebensachen, made on the edge of the Black Forest)

one elf, two elf....

There's a distinct chill in the air today...lucky I finished Charlotte's elf hat over the weekend. Both the girls insist on wearing them to bed even though it's really not that cold. They look pretty cute though!

I've used the same pattern as I did for Rose's hat  with a variation in the stripes and colours....you can find it here on Amanda's blog. Of course I added a pom pom just like Rose's, as requested by Charlotte.
Just don't ask about the baby blanket or the half finished cat....

somewhere to sit...

One more task ticked off the list.

Even though I'll most likely be half asleep most of the time I'm sitting in it, I'm sure that some part of my brain will appreciate the amazing pattern.