Rose can finally wear it...!

Agesss ago I knitted this sweet little dress for Rose. I've just realised it was almost a whole year ago that I finished it... time really does fly! Today I saw it hanging in her wardrobe and thought I would see if it fits her yet and it was a perfect fit! She seems to be shooting upwards at the moment so I'll have to put her in it as much as possible while it still fits her!

The bottom could really do with a good blocking really but I'm just too lazy. Plus I just don't know where I can do it and keep the pins out of Rose's reach! If only we had a spare room that I could shut the door to.

It was hard to take a nice photo of her wearing it as she was glued to a game on the ipad! We have been at a toddler group all morning and had a friend and her little girl round for lunch, so she was enjoying a treat... plus it keeps her Very quiet while I'm sorting out Arthur! 

I received some lovely new yarn in the post this morning. :-) I swapped it with someone on Instagram, she wanted some sock yarn that I wasn't totally keen on and in return I got this. I need to search on Ravelry for a couple of projects to go with these 2 balls.. I especially love the colour of the 4ply Rowan Siena, it has a beautiful sheen to it.

  

Well, time to crack on with the dinner for this evening... shepherds pie tonight. I need to try out some new recipes really, I end up cooking the same 8 or so meals in rotation. It has to be something fairly simple with these two keeping me busy at the moment though!

Love Ashley xxx

I know, it's been a little while...

It's been ages since I've even been on my laptop... since having Arthur I've just not had the time really to sit down and browse blogs like I usually enjoy doing. Then we treated ourselves to an iPad and I just end up using the apps on there to quickly look up different things...

Then yesterday evening I found myself back in blogland and realised how much I've missed it. I've been on Instagram a Lot the last few months (my username is countryrosecrafts) but it's not the same kind of diary that I used to love writing on here. Being able to write as much as you want with a few select photo's, a blog is such a lovely thing to be able to look back through the archives and remember what you and your family got up to months or even years ago.

I find that when I'm writing the blog, I have more motivation to get craft projects finished. Lately I've had so many different projects on the go and not getting many finished, so I decided a couple of weeks ago that I would try and finish a few of my WIP's before I start anything else.

I Finally finished my Alice Caterpillar mitts! I will have to take some proper photo's to put on my Ravelry... I really really need to update my Ravelry page. Something else to try and fit in!

I'm trying to get this cardigan finished for Arthur. I've just got the inside border to finish off now, I spent far too long this lunchtime picking up hundreds of stitches... not my favourite part of knitting I have to say!

 

On another note, Rose is looking Extremely grown up these day's. She's now going to nursery school two mornings a week, she seems to come on leaps and bounds every time I pick her up!

We've been doing a spot of baking... Not helping me shed those post-baby pounds!

...and Arthur's gotten a Lot bigger. 

We had a real scare when he was around 10 day's old, he caught a nasty virus off of Rose and Ray and was just too little to fight it off. We took him into A&E (I didn't even know if he was poorly enough to take him in, I've never actually taken Rose to the Doctors...) about 3pm in the afternoon and by 10pm we were upstairs in the paediatric HDU, then by midnight that night he was transferred to Southampton Intensive care on a ventilator. I've never prayed so hard in all my life!

It really was the scariest few day's of my life so far. He actually recovered from the virus quicker than they expected him to and was only in Intensive care for a few days before being transferred back to our local hospital. As a woman that had only recently given birth to her second baby, I don't think all the extra added hormones helped me feel any better either! I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to carry on breastfeeding as it's so important to me but they had an amazing pump at the hospital and they were actually able to feed Arthur my breast milk through his NG tube. I thought he may have forgotten how to feed after so many day's without feeding from me but he was back on the boob like he'd never been away! haha

As you can see from the photo's, he's definitely fighting fit again! Thank goodness...

 

I plan to get back to blogging regularly again. It definitely makes me think to use my 'proper' camera more often. These day's I just end up using my iPhone but the photo's aren't as good as when I take them on the camera..

Well I hope you are all well, I'm sorry it's been so long but hopefully this will be me back blogging again. 

Love Ashley xxx

Finally...

He's here!

I say finally but he was actually 8 day's earlier than his due date but never the less, I was still verrry relieved to have not gone over the 10th...

I introduce to you:

Arthur James, born on the 2nd of December at 3:10am, weighing in at 8lb 4oz (a little less than what the consultant said I was having... where is my gigantic baby!? After Rose weighing 9lb 3oz when she was born, I was expecting at least 10lb's!) and he's beautiful. :-)

I'm already totally in love with him and can't imagine being without him. Rose is loving him just as much, thankfully... and she's constantly wanting to give the baby cuddles and kisses at the moment. It's very sweet.

The last couple of day's have been pretty exhausting but I'm sure we'll get into the swing of things soon enough..!

Love Ashley xxx

My attempt to get back in the blogging world before baby arrives!

So, tomorrow I will be turning 38 weeks pregnant. Believe me when I say that I already feel way further along than that though! This pregnancy has been a whole lot tougher second time round... probably mainly down to me having to care for a hyper toddler at the same time as growing this baby. I probably sound very dramatic as I know so many of you women have done exactlyyy the same thing at some point along the line. I'm an only child, where as Ray is 1 of 7 sibling's and I now have a wholeee new respect for his Mum!

I've been measuring rather big this pregnancy and at my 35 week appointment my midwife measured me as over 40cm's when I should have only been 35. This meant that I went for a growth scan on my birthday last week and the baby is actually measuring 3 weeks bigger than he should be at this stage... and apparently has a rather large head!! (Ouch!) So after having a perfect homebirth with Rose first time round, my plans have changed somewhat and instead I'll be going into the birthing centre at the hospital to have the baby. I felt quite upset about it originally but have now come round to the idea of it and after going for a tour around the maternity unit today, I'm actually feeling really positive about going into hospital. The most important thing is mine and the baby's safety and I'll still have a gorgeous bundle at the end of it all... even if he is a big bruiser! haha

So I thought I would update you all (unless you're on Instagram) on how much Rose has grown! She's now 22 months and a complete handful! She seems to have reached the 'terrible two's' a bit early and we've been having plenty of tantrums and tears around here... I have everything crossed that it's just a phase she's going through and we'll all come out of it at the end okay! One thing's for sure, she's not gonna know what's hit her when this baby brother of hers arrives!

Even though I've not been blogging much recently, I have been doing a bit of crafting... I'll give you a quick catch-up. I'm afraid these are all Instagram photo's so some of you may have seen them before but I need to get using my Canon much more again!

I made this little snuggle comfort blanket for the baby... I'd seen quite a few other baby's with them but they were sooo expensive, so I thought I would give it a go making my own instead and I was really happy with the end result.

I knit/crocheted this tea cosy for a lovely lady who's a family friend of Ray's family, she loved it which I was relieved about!

I finally got my act together and finished knitting this little cable vest for the baby. I made a couple of little mistakes on it but thankfully they don't really notice unless I were to point them right out. 

I've been working on my 'Alice Caterpillar' mitts, I've Almost finished them but am working on Christmas presents at the moment so they've temporarily been put to the side...

I started a blue baby blanket for the baby and I've actually finished it! I just need to take some good photo's on my camera to show you the end result. I knitted it in Debbie Bliss 'Glen' yarn that I bought at the Knit and Stitch show in London and am over the moon with it, it's so so soft and cosy.

 

I've sewn an apron for my Nan for Christmas. (I've made her aware that getting down on the floor to cut up the fabric was pretty much impossible with my size at the moment and so she'd better wear it at least once even if she hates it!)

And here are a couple more shots of Rose... just in case you forgot what she looks like! haha

(Ray took her for a trip into town yesterday to get an all-in-one rain suit, it's fleece-lined and means that she can now have as much fun as she wants splashing in puddles! Before, we were getting through countless changes of clothing because I'm just Not quick enough to keep her out of the water... seriously, she'll spot a puddle a mile off and just Run for it!

This was my size 2 weeks ago... 

...and I'm now at this stage, of feeling the size of a whale and bouncing on the birthing ball daily trying to tempt the little one to come say hello already! 

Sorry, I know it's been a bit of a long babble this post.. at least I've kind of caught up with myself now so I can get back into a regular routine with my blogging. Oh how I've missed it... :-(

I hope you are all well and I'm planning to come on by to your blogs to catch up with them too...

Love Ashley xxxxx

Pregnancy diary - Week 29

I call these the pregnancy diary posts but they are so sparse that they can't really be called that... more like 'occasional when I get my bum into gear' posts. Ah well, a couple of pregnancy posts is better than nothing and will always be interesting to look back on in the future.

I'm officially 29 weeks pregnant with our second baby today but I took these photo's during last week when I was still technically 28 weeks... so obviously I'm a little bigger now. I'm starting to feel reallllyy tired again these day's, I remember feeling really exhausted from about 7 weeks until around 12 and then it eased up slightly and I felt like I had a lot more energy. Well, that energy has now been used up! I feel absolutely fine in the mornings, it's just the afternoons that can be a bit tough as that's when Rose has her crazy hyper time and I struggle to keep up with her! We went for a walk into town and to the park this afternoon when the weather had cleared up and by the time we got home, I just felt zapped of Any energy I thought I had. It doesn't help that Rose and I are both suffering with colds, yet again. 

I feel a Whole lot bigger this time round, maybe it's because it's a boy this time or maybe it's because I'm having to carry this big bump around with me whilst I keep up with Rose. She's started to show a lot more interest in my baby bump these days and has learnt to stroke it now rather than give it a good thump! I think she just wanted to see what my reaction would be. She now seems to be fascinated by my 'outy' belly button and 'beeps' it when ever my belly is bare. I'm so excited for Rose to have a brother but at the same time I'm clinging onto these last couple of months where it's just the three of us. 

Apart from having some pelvic-pain which seems to have settled down a bit (now I'm trying to take it more easy!), I'm doing ok. Just have the general aches and pains which are normal... I never remember having any complaints when I was pregnant with Rose though, I probably did have but I'm most likely just noticing things more this time round because I'm already tired after looking after Rose. She's normally not hard work at all but she just keeps on catching these cold virus'! As soon as we seem to be getting over one cold, another one starts to show signs of appearing!

Right, time for bed for me... I'm not managing to stay up that late these days. Probably best to get in as much sleep as I can before December is here!

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Crafty goings-on...

How pretty are these stitch markers!? 

The only stitch markers I had before were these awful ugly plastic ones that kept catching on my knitting so I decided to look for something a little more pleasing to the eye and hopefully something that wouldn't have an opening for the yarn to snag on. I found these stitch markers here on Etsy for a brilliant price and they came in the post today. One of the cute little blue ones was put straight to use on my current knitting project.

I've been crocheting a little too.

I made up a couple of sweet little coasters that will be a present for a friend, well... they will help to make up the whole present anyway.

I had enough of the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino aran yarn to make up 3 coasters and one of them now has pride of place on my desk in the living room. :-)

The petals of the coaster look really pretty even when it is in use and you can't even see half of the coaster. I'm definitely going to be having a search through my little stash to see if I can find anymore aran yarn to make up a few more. I came across the pattern on Pinterest and here is the link for you.

Here's a little sneak peek of what I've been working on most recently for the little bubba that's due in December. I'd only tried knitting cables once before on a pair of hand warmers but this is the first time I've used them in knitting a garment and especially when there are so many of them! I made on mistake but I don't think it's tooo noticeable. You can also see one of my new knitting stitch markers in use, So pretty!

It's been one Busy day today so am definitely looking forward to my bed tonight, I'm going to attempt to catch up on some of my emails first though.

xxx

(This was the bump just over a week ago)