Inspiration Love

This is something that I have been meaning to start for a while now -- I've been wanting to share with you some of the fabulous & inspirational things that I come across on a daily basis, be it on Etsy, through the blogs I subscribe to, or just from my wanderings.

I'm inspired everyday by the beautiful items that come from the hands of so many talented artists & want you all to feel inspired as well.

To start, here is some beautiful yarn that I found from a shop called Hedgehog Fibres, located in Cork, Ireland. The artist's name is Beata & her (bilingual) blog can be found here.


Museum & Sex on the Beach

Her yarn is all individually hand dyed & hung in her yard which gives every stitch just that much more value. Beautiful.

Next I want to share a Canadian jewelry artist who has recently moved to the US. Jillian Lukiwski goes by the name of The Noisy Plume, which is also what her shop is called. Just by reading through her item descriptions & her blog, The Life & Times of the Plume, you can tell just how much love & life she has put into her creations. It has been a pleasuring coming across an artist such as herself.

Here are a few of my favourite pieces from her shop, at the moment:


Bee Charmer Earrings & Ode to Eccentricity Ring

You can also take a look at her flickr for more gorgeous photos of her creations. I'm smitten.

Since this little one in my belly is kicking around today at 23 weeks & 3 days, I thought I might share a baby friendly inspiration, if you will.

Lou and Lee is a shop run by twin sisters Amy & Ann. They have put their heads together to create some of the most darling onesies & baby accessories imaginable.


Fancy Lady Lace Onesie by Lou and Lee

I am sure that our daughter will be romping around in something like this next summer! I can't wait.

I hope you've enjoyed a little of what I've been loving these days -- I promise more posts like this one in the future to inspire & just to make you smile.

Peace.

You've Got Mail

I have a confession -- my favourite movie of all time is You've Got Mail. I could watch this movie over & over, back to back, several times a day & never tire of it. I often turn it on as background noise while I clean, or eat... and sometimes I just snuggle down & watch it all, looking for things I've missed during one of my 78000 previous viewings.

I just can't get enough Meg Ryan & Tom Hanks (though, strangely enough, I had never seen Sleepless in Seattle until about two nights ago when I rented it with my neighbour who had also never seen it).



Do any of you have a guilty movie pleasure like this one?

Side note: My partner admits that his all time favourite movie is Twister.

Shhhush

They've been working on the roof next door for a few days now & they can see right into our apartment. They can especially see a naked version of me in the shower while they haul crap off the roof and send it crashing to the ground so hard that it makes my whole building shake.


Taken from my kitchen window.


Taken while standing in my bathtub.

Shoo, shush & get off the roof. This 'old lady' doesn't like all the raucous.

Awesome

My partner just felt our baby kick for the first time.
This is amazing.

Happy Belly

I love my belly & I love Etsy.

Tonight while I was browsing around on Etsy I came across a shop called MollyAnne.Make and I purchased one of their fabulous belly bands! I ordered a black belly band & she has already sent a message saying that she will be shipped out on Monday -- so quick & courteous.

Here is a photo from her shop:



It's actually a lot wider than most belly bands that I have seen around, which is fantastic & it looks so comfortable! No more 24 hour a day track pants & cotton skirts! I seriously can't wait to try it out -- at 5 1/2 months I've pretty much outgrown all of my jeans because of circumference issues... sigh. The good news is -- this 17lbs that I've gained is all up front -- I'm still the same size everywhere else, thank goodness.

The next mission will be to find a winter coat that can house my belly come the winter months, yet still be cute & not make me look too tent-like. I'm thinking something a-line & black, hmmm.

In other news, our baby shower is tomorrow! Yes our, not MY -- I wanted to have an all inclusive, co-ed, hang out in my mom's backyard, kind of party... so that's what we're having! I promise to share photos & details about the festivities later on. I'm so excited to see everyone, since I've been a bit of a homebody lately.

Time to rest up for the big day. Guten nacht friends, have a great weekend.

Doe A Deer

You may have noticed by now that I have finally renamed the blog. After quite a bit of deliberation, I decided on "So Fawned". It is a play on my middle name & completely sums up how I've been feeling -- about this whole pregnancy, parenting, about-to-be-a-mother situation.

My own mother made a good choice when she named me Desiree Fawn. Deer are such sweet creatures & I've been trying to amass deer paraphernalia as long as I can remember. As soon as we found out we were having a little girl, one of my good friends found a little deer onesie for us. Is it terrible that I never get sick of all the fond/fawned & dear/deer puns?

I hope you're all fawned of the change -- thanks for reading! Much love.

Because You Can Never Be Too Ready

Conversation that went down at Home Hardware this evening:

Me: Hon, do we really need to get that crème brûlée scented candle?
Him: Puh-leeeeeease? I'll never ask for anything else. EVER! See that? I'm prepping you for the future.

He's so thoughtful. We bought the candle.

All That She Wants

I played some music to my belly tonight to see if I could our little girl to move around. I put the headphones right around my belly under my shirt. I had her listen to some Yndi Halda, Ace of Base, Jay-Z & some Beethoven. I think I felt one little nudge (during the Ace of Base track, hah) but once again, that could have been gas. Soon I'll be feeling her strong little German legs kicking around in there & I promise to let you all know.

In other news, two things I enjoy doing very much, sneezing & laughing, have now become nearly painful & very uncomfortable activities to participate in. When I sneeze or laugh really hard, my stomach feels all tight, my back aches & I get even worse round ligament pain. Our daughter is already running the show -- but I'll assume it's all out of love.

Twenty One Weeks

Hello little baby! We are past the 1/2 way mark & you are as tall as a banana. Last week your dad & I found out that you are a girl, just in time for your dad's birthday -- he's so pleased. We're both incredibly excited & your mother has become one of those ooohing and ahhhing women when confronted with tiny baby girl clothes. It's almost pathetic, but you'll be well dressed!

This week one of your mom's best friends had her baby -- you two will get to know each other very well once you make your debut & you'll be just about 20 weeks apart! I just met him today & I know you'll like him too.

One thing I would like to ask is for you to give me a good kick so that I can stop worrying. I'm sure that I have felt you moving around & assumed those little bubbles were just gas, but one good jab with a strong little leg would put my mind at ease. I know not everyone feels their baby at this point, but if I read one more article about how my 21 week old baby should be kicking me all night & waking me up, I just might cry. I'm glad that we know you are healthy -- we saw you moving all around during the ultrasound, giving us quite a little show -- but I want to feel it. I know you'll do it only when you're good and ready, but sooner than later would be fabulous.

I love feeling the outside of my belly & being able to tell where you are hanging out, and I love this little bump that doesn't fit in my pants/shirts anymore. I even love my new red stretchmarks.

You are more than 1/2 way ready & we can't wait to meet you.

The Yoga High

Last night was my first yoga session & it felt amazing. My instructor, Anne, knows exactly what is right for me being the only preggo in the class) and I left in an overwhelmingly euphoric state. This whole five months pregnant thing is putting all sorts of terrible pain on my back & legs, but last night, for the first time in a long time, I found a position that felt GOOD on my lower back. It involves being somewhat on my back/upside down (but in a very safe for baby way) and it was borderline orgasmic.

I love yoga.

I'm taking a beginners class (with modifications) since I have to be at work the same day at the pre-natal class -- but I don't even care. I love being the youngest woman in the class, with cute pregnancy stories & advice coming every which way. The rest of the class consists of older women with ailing necks & shoulders & one gentleman with some ankle issues. I love all the little jokes & comments about the poses that flutter about, the looks on our faces when we just can't quite get our body to move or stay in a certain position & now that I'm taking a night class (instead of the 7am class that my friend Iris & I used to take) I love walking home in a daze and then curling up in a comfy ball on the futon, or with my man.

It's an escape, really -- nothing matters after those classes except how fabulous your body feels. Nothing will bother you.

You will simply smile.

Our Daughter Has A Vagina

Ryan & I might be some of the most stubborn people alive & I think the universe understood how much we wanted to have a little girl.

It's a girl, friends!

A little, amazing, tiny, exhibitionist, baby girl! She was proud and fabulous during our ultrasound & not at all shy about giving away the goods.

A girl!

Ryan's birthday is on Monday & he says this is the only present he'll ever need. He keeps thanking me for the "double x chromosome", which I think he may have had a hand in. He is just beaming right now -- as a friend put it, "someday that little girl is going to have her daddy wrapped around her little finger" and it's absolutely true.

I feel excited all over again & it's hard to believe we're at week twenty today -- that's 1/2 done! She's 1/2 cooked! I also think I may have felt a few little movements in there, but it's still hard to differentiate between that and gas. Soon she'll be strong enough to give me a good hoof & then I'll know for sure.

We did get one little portrait of our girl this morning & as soon as we hook up our scanner I'll share her cute little alien face with all of you.

Have a good evening, friends & know that this morning & that moment might have been the best moment of my life.

No Pants O'Clock

It's summertime.
It's sticky.
We live on the 3rd floor.

All of these are excellent reasons as to why I was sitting in a tube top & panties at my computer, playing video games.

I heard a knock on the door & assumed it was one of my girlfriends who live in the building, so I answered it as I was -- however, this time it was a complete stranger, 20-something guy with braces.

Oh.

I shut the door, without saying anything else, found pants & opened the door again to find a very red-in-the-face young man, holding a clipboard. He was doing door to door for the hydro company, making sure we had our rates locked in.

I think I made his day.