Newborn Insanity.

The other day, Georgie's Grandpa (my dad) came to visit.

He lives just outside of Melbourne but came to Sydney to ride on a steam train for the weekend around country NSW (too long a story to explain properly) and will be back next week for a longer visit with the family.

In my delirious, slightly sleep deprived state (I say slightly because Georgie surprisingly loves sleeping at night so far and won't even wake for a feed) I decided to bake a cake for his visit. And a quiche, but that's a different story.

My dad is a big fan of cake. But even in my haziness I knew it had to be an easy cake. No layers, no creaming, no whisking. Big bang for buck. I might be tired but I'm not completely dumb. I know my limitations in the current marketplace.

How much easier does it get than throwing all the ingredients into the kitchen whizz, pouring the batter into the loaf pan and baking? Not much, I can tell you... I timed it and it took precisely 8 minutes from starting to putting the tin in the oven. Awesome.

The cake was absolutely delicious as well as being ridiculously easy. My dad loved it too and so did Mr K. I highly recommend you try it out - you won't be disappointed.

Orange drizzle cake

Adapted from Taste.com.au

1 large thin-skinned orange, preferably seedless Valencia (I used 1 ½ medium oranges)
250g unsalted butter, melted
2 cups (300g) self-raising flour
2 cups (440g) caster sugar
4 eggs

Icing

2 tbs (40g) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (225g) icing mixture, sifted
Juice of 1/2 orange
Squeeze of lemon juice
Zest of one orange, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease a 11cm x 24cm loaf pan.

Chop orange (including skin) into small pieces. Discard any seeds. Process in a food processor until finely chopped. Add butter, flour, caster sugar and eggs, then process until mixture is light and smooth. Pour into pan. Bake for 40 minutes until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before icing.

Meanwhile, for the icing, melt butter and add to icing sugar, orange zest and orange and lemon juices. Stir until you have a soft icing. Cool slightly, then spread over cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.

Kitty xx

Georgie: the early days

A couple of very quick photos from Georgie's first weeks for you all. I can't believe how much she has already changed from when she was a newborn. She's lost that puffy newborn-ness and it starting to look like a real individual and she's only two weeks old.

35 hours of sporadic labour. It does bad things to your hair, people.

Snuggles with Granny. It's a wonder anyone else got a look in! There is already a special bond between these two extraordinary ladies, and I see much spoiling in Baby G's future...

Snuggled in Daddy's arms. She spends lots of time there.


What's that?? There's a sale? I'll just try and make my way out of this blanket and we can go!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Baby G's first car ride. She slept the entire way home from the hospital. Awesome.

Some people might say wind - I say early smiles. You be the judge.

I don't like mittens!! But I refuse to stop scratching my face! I desperately wanted to get her in this outfit - it is almost too small for her. That'll teach me for buying 0000 sized clothing for a 9 pound baby!

K xx

Introducing Baby G...

Hello!

Well the madness here continues as it ever does - I just wanted to let you know that last weekend we welcomed our little baby girl into the world, hence the lack of posting from my end.

She is so beautiful and the overwhelming sense of love and adoration we feel for her just can't be described. She was a couple of days early, despite my deeply held conviction she would be late (but then again I initially thought she was a boy so what do I know?). She weighed in at almost exactly 9lbs (4.098kg) and was 52cm long. After a 34 hour sporadic non-progressing labour she was born by emergency C-Section. With the benefit of hindsight, I should have listened to a number of my friends and gone with the elective option - it would have been worlds easier. If we go back for another I'd elect next time for certain given the challenges we faced look to not be unique to this delivery. But we are both recovering well and it's bliss to be at home once again. Every day is a gift and a blessing and I feel so lucky to have her.

In the end, after much debate and discussion, we named her Georgina Ingrid. She was named for two very special people in our life - Georgina is my little sister's middle name and the middle name of Mr K's father, who passed away 6 years ago, was also George. It seemed most fitting and it already suits her. She couldn't be anything other than Baby G.

I'll post photos once we have a few moments of sanity but for the moment you'll have to take my word for it that she's divine. She really is.

K xx

Billy Lids

I've bought from Billy Lids before. I was struggling to find a repeat of the divine Bebe by Minihaha onesie with rabbits which I decided I NEEDED in a larger size because I couldn't bear the thought of my baby growing out of it. I bought about four or five things in that shipment and they were all fabulous and came in very short time. I love fast shipping!

But, since being on a baby clothes ban, I have tried to steer clear of all my favourite online stores: Baby's got Style, Babi, etc. But yesterday's email from Billy Lids might make me break my ban.

There are two dresses I can't stop looking at. Both are by brands I hadn't heard of - probably a good thing so far but not for the future, I am guessing.


The first one is this piece of sweetness from And the Little Dog Laughed. The Stella dress is a retro print dress with crochet flower detail in 100% cotton. It's so cute I just want to eat it! It's very traditional in style which I love.

The second dress it a little more modern but fits very well with the nautical theme I wrote about not long ago. It's from Papoose. It's sublime. I think it would be such a shame not to buy it.

Not long until the ban can be broken - after the baby is born and it's all on. Although she's not showing many (any) signs of wanting to emerge and meet us. No amount of yoga, acupuncture, raspberry leaf tea, stretching or eating curry/spicy food seems to make a difference. She'll come when she's good and ready. As she should.

Kitty

Impulse shopper.

I can be a bit of an impulse shopper. No surprise to people here, I would think.

Case in point - my baby has way too many clothes and she isn't even here yet. She will be a fashionista before she knows what the word actually means. We're not even 100% certain she's a she (the scan said she was but scans have been wrong before).

Today was an exercise in impulse shopping for me - I bought something in my pre-pregnancy size from Leona Edmiston without even trying it on. I tried on a similar dress last summer (slightly different neckline) but it was on sale... And I liked it at the time but they didn't have the right colour (black)....

I was in town - Mr K was having his hair cut and I was at a loose end and had already been to Myers, Haighs and tried on very expensive jewellery....

So I bought it. Reduced from $345 to $195. In black, of course. Without trying it on because nothing goes over Le Bump right now and I want to wear it after I am pregnant. I just have to have faith that it will fit. It's also available in denim (light cornflower blue), navy and a stunning violet/fuchsia pink colour. The style is called Peony.

I now just have to get back to my pre-pregnancy size. First step, get the baby out (starting to get to overit.com people - it's a popular destination for very pregnant ladies apparently) and lose all the fluid I am retaining. Feet like watermelons, peeps. Watermelons.

Kitty