Mollie's Chair : 6 Months!

Mollie
6 Months

My Mollie-mol was officially six months old on Monday. Half a year! This is crazy, or as Otto would say: 'What the hiccup?!'
It has been, all in all, such a great six months. We had a wee bout of reflux, we haven't had a lot of sleep and we've had a few other ups and downs, but Mollie is truly a delicious child and that makes anything else seem much more manageable.

Mol is rolling and inching her way around the room now, occasionally pulling up to her hands and knees. She is so close to taking off.
After a few tastes of banana a few weeks ago, Mollie has decided she's not ready for solids. (Well, we've decided... but she is refusing to have us put anything near her mouth and is not bringing things to her mouth herself yet.) We're thiiiis close to bringing up the high chair though - just waiting for her to master sitting up by her self.
Sleeping is coming along.. slowly but surely.
Mollie adores: her brothers, her Dad, nursery rhymes with actions (Row, row, row your boat and The grand old duke of york especially!), snuggling with Otto's special toys and being in bed with me.

Happy half birthday, Mollie. You are very, very loved. (And quite cute too, I must say..)

Dee is AMAZING.

OMG.
I'm SO excited.
SPARKLY shoes!!

Mail love, and recent additions.

A very short while ago, I recieved a message from a lady through my Toast FB page. She said she liked my blog and, very kindly, offered to send me some fabric that she no longer needed. I said 'yes, please!' and gave her my postal address. I smiled a lot that afternoon. What a kind thought!

Abraham called this afternoon to say that a big parcel had arrived for me, and would I come and get it?
Exciting!
I picked it up, rushed home, plonked Mollie on the floor (nicely, of course..) and tore into the brown paper that the goodies were wrapped in.




(My favourites - the cats are going to become a dress for Mol verrrry soon!)



The fabric was amaaaazing. I don't even exaggerate. You know how it can be a bit hit and miss when people gift you things, (especially relative strangers!) well there was not a single piece in the pile that I would not have snaffled up had I been buying it myself!



As if the fabric and wee haberdashery bits weren't enough - in the very middle was something wrapped carefully in cardboard and tissue paper. I opened it up to find two, very delicate, deer for my collection.

(They had broken limbs and I worried that perhaps I had not been careful enough in my excitement to open the parcel - but the note inside explained that they had just been so excited to come live with us that they had jumped out of the cupboard! Phew. Heh.)

I am more than blown away by this parcel.
I have been lucky enough to receive a few wee gifts from readers since I started blogging, but I will never ever stop being surprised by the incredible generosity people have.
Thank you SO much.

***



As well as amazing mail love, I have a new (second hand) camera lens. Uh-huh, this camera thing could get addictive. I might now need to learn how to use it properly though, so I can justify buying some fancy lenses too!

And, finally, this is my only thrift find in the past few weeks. It has been a bit of a dry spell!
I do love the older metal tonka trucks, and this one is a bit different to the ones I normally see. It has a cracked windscreen, but for $3 I couldn't resist.
Otto seems to like it too, the trailer is perfect for transporting stormtroopers.. upside down.

All this Spring weather we've been having has me thinking about my garden.
At the moment, my garden is a magical combination of over-grown, and yet completely bare - at exactly the same time. I'm not sure how that is even possible, but I swear it is.

We went to visit my Mother-in-law and her partner this week. I had to take my sewing machine over to be fixed, and so Abraham took some time off and we made a day of it. It was so lovely.
I spent quite a bit of time wandering around their garden with my camera. I absolutely adore spending time in their back yard, it is the most amazingly lush space.
Chris has built half a dozen beds, that are now filled to the brim with vege plants. They have yet more growing in tubs, bags and in the ground itself. Everything is edible and it feels almost like a 'you name it, they have it' sort of situation. The centre of the garden is a huge chook run, and Chris has also built the cutest wee potting shed. There are little retro touches throughout; a  hand basin, little statuettes, and kitchenware.
I think it might be one of the most inspiring gardens I've ever set foot in, because I've come home with big dreams of better utilising our space. .

Wardrobe!

Sunglasses - ASOS.com
Dress - Salvation Army (sleeves and hem shortened)
Brooch - Croutons.felt.co.nz
Leggings - Glassons

It's been a few weeks since I did a wardrobe post, mostly just because the number of clothes in my rotation at the moment is tiny. I don't actually fit many of my clothes still, and I'm still avoiding buying too many more in case I miraculously find the motivation to drop any of this baby weight.
That is not looking likely anytime soon though.. I may just have to give in!

I did (finally) alter this dress a few weekends ago. It had long sleeves and was a near-ankle length. I definitely like it much better like this. I think it has potential to be my fave Summer dress.

Just need a few more now.. one dress isn't going to cut it for a whole Summer.. ahh to find the time!

(We visited my favourite family home again this week - the one I photographed last year. I have another post, about the garden, planned for tomorrow. Ohhhh such a beautiful home.)

Snippets and WIPs.

I feel like time is just whizzing by at the moment.
My days are so full.
With the boys on school holidays, Mollie, household tasks, sewing... I feel like the moments I get to just sit, and quietly and pop my head up for air, are few and far between.
I'm not complaining though - quite the opposite actually. I'm quite enjoying myself.
Mollie is slowly learning to sleep in her bed (touch wood), I'm really loving the things I've been working on for my Felt shop, the weather is warming up, we've been eating like kings.. and there are so many things on the horizon for us. (I can't wait to tell you about some of them, but not just yet!)
Life is good.

Grommets!

On Friday, Otto had his operation to get grommets put in.

He has put up with years of ear infections and glue ear without much complaining at all, and he put up with the operation this way too! And despite all my worrying, and minor freak-outs about the anesthetic, I was surprisingly calm on the day as well.

We spent the night with Abraham's Mum the night before, to avoid travelling really early in the morning. We woke at sparrows fart, and headed to the hospital. We skipped breakfast and checked in, with rumbling tummies.
We were lucky enough to be second in line for surgery, meaning we only waited 2 hours. Otto was incredibly good, and Mollie was too. We drew pictures, played Cut The Rope, and had the pre-surgery checks. Then it was time to rock 'n roll!

The whole thing was over and done with in around 20 minutes.
Otto woke up a little agitated, but soon calmed when the nurse took the IV lure out of his leg. He turned down an ice block, and really just wanted his Dad. (Must say I took that one a little personally..)

It was incredible to see how quickly he bounced back. Within ten minutes of being back at his Nana's, he was eating and wanting to run outside and check the egg boxes. And his hearing? Amazing. I didn't even have to turn around and look at him when talking to him in the car!

So proud of my Otto. What a trooper!

I'm also so thankful we live in a country where our children recieve such wonderful medical care, all free of cost. This operation will make such a difference to our lives! Cool as, NZ government, this is one thing you are winning at : )