Here we go again, will I keep it up? I honestly don’t know. However; I will continue to try. I know some family and friends read this too, so please check out others as this is a part of a bigger group of people including families who share and review some amazing gift ideas.
I’ve got a 2019 recap to write up, its been a very busy and crazy life since my last post back in February ’19.
But here is a quick and short one: We were recommended a fertility clinic by our OBGYN, and although successful, it was one of the most emotionally charged things I’ve been through – we didn’t need IVF but I have a newfound respect for women who do. I don’t know how they manage it. I am forever thankful to the fertility clinic for getting us through the stage where I normally miscarriage. Lots of added hormones to keep that lining thickening! We opted for out of hospital care following our graduation from the clinic, choosing a midwifery team who I love and trust, I found a doula who I trusted from our very first meeting, and we’ve made decisions around our birth which have rocked the boat with some friends and has received judgements from other medical providers. (For new readers, we are based over in America in the Pacific Northwest on the outskirts of Seattle. There are some really big differences in pre-natal care and midwifery care isn’t the usual go to although it is becoming more known now.) Once we hold our baby, I’ll share more about my pregnancy and birth choices.
I stopped working as a music therapist whilst going through fertility treatment, which felt like a part of me was missing. So in September I dipped my toes back in going into memory care. We brought a new house – what I call my forever family home – and moved in end of August, a house which didn’t need any renovations or decorating. (Except the new nursery!) We are currently renovating our old house so we can either rent or sell ASAP. The discovery we needed to redo ALL.THE.PLUMBING really put a spammer in the works – excuse the pun. So we are about a month behind.
This year is going to continue to be very busy and full of ups and downs, in ways I simply cannot imagine. What I do imagine is that there are going to be many photos of our two cats, Max and Marie, plus an extra family member once they arrive.
Here are my first 4 days of 2020 in photos, a short week.
1. I have an Almond Cow! It’s a nut milk maker. I drink a lot of almond milk and am curious about other nut mills as well. I’ve been curious about how to make my own but simply was not going to because it seemed like a lot of faff. This came with good reviews, and it is FAST! So far I’ve only made pecan milk, one cup made a lot of it.
2. We planned and had installed a closet system for the nursery closet, honestly this baby has the nicest closet in the house! The room has a “space theme” so I kept a space grey colour for the closet too. Now we’ve got drawers instead of one long shelf with a rail under it! Yay!
3. Max cat, our boy is such a poser!
4. We had a breastfeeding and newborn class today which over ran by quite a while, I was starving by the end. A stop off was required for a grilled cheese and tomato soup.
The Gordon's Miscellany 
Happy New Year, love the news update. Like we are so excited to see the arrival of the new addition to our extended family. Lots of love Lolo and Lola
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I can’t wait to keep everyone updated this year, and to visit the UK later on this year with the new addition. Xx
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Happy New Year and fantastic news for you all. Can’t wait for the updates. Sorry to hear about the plumbing issues, so annoying. That closet is fab, I’d like one like that. We became grandparents last year and talking to an american friend about the delivery and the first few days afterwards, it is very clear that this experience is very different in each country
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Belated congratulations on becoming Grandparents! I’m very envious of the closet, trying to work out how I can have my own. It’s been eye opening and very frustrating, my go to response sometimes is “I’m British. I’m still learning how to have a baby over here!”
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That is wonderful news about the pregnancy. Congratulations!!
The nut milk maker sounds like a great thing to have. I know people drink almond milk but never thought about them making their own.
That is one lucky baby with a closet like that!
Happy new year and wishing you all the best for 2020 x
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Thank you. I’m really enjoying knowing what is in the milk! Haven’t quite found the right balance to make it a little sweeter, but going to try adding dates.
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Happy new year, and congratulations on your great news! The closet looks inspiring. I wish we had anything so neat and organised. I had my first baby in the States, and agree, that the differences between two countries are quite considerable.
Looking forward to your updates. And to more cat photos too.
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Thank you. I don’t know how long it’ll stay neat and organised! I was really surprised that there were just so many differences. I’m thankful i live in a state where midwives are allowed to practice! It blows my mind that they aren’t legal everywhere. I promise there will be many more cat photos.
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It’s lovely to have you back and with such wonderful news too. Can’t wait to follow your journey again in 2020 x #366
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Thank you. I’m thrilled to be back, I kept an eye on people over the year so I’m not too far out of everyone’s journeys but it’ll be great to be an active part again. Even though I get some homesickness when I see visits people do with their children to areas I’ve been to or lived!
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Congratulations on the pregnancy! The almond milk maker sounds good – I’ve heard a lot lately about how almond milks can vary in quality, so I guess if you make your own, you can avoid those problems.
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Thank you! Thats in part why I want to make my own!
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Congrats on the pregnancy. Exciting news, and that closet looks wonderful. I’ve never heard of an almond cow. Makes sense to make it more easily than manually!
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Thank you! I have a friend who tried to make it with a milk bag etc this is much easier 🙂
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Happy New Year and fantastic news for you all. Looking forward to the updates. Sorry to hear about the plumbing issues. x
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Happy New Year to you too. If it wasn’t the plumbing I’m sure it would have been something else!
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Happy New year! Seems like lots went on in 2019 and lots more to come in 2020!
Your cat is gorgeous!!
And I didn’t realise there was such a thing as a nut milk maker we could buy.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is lovely to meet you and I’m feeling a tremendous amount of respect for what you’re going through. Congratulations on your pregnancy; may your family stay blessed
A nut milk maker? I should get one. I haven’t tried any nut milk before. The shelf looks great and so does Max! Looking at the food is making me crave for tomato soup 😊
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Happy New Year to you too. Thank you. I switched over to almond milk when we relocated and moved to the states because every milk I tried just tasted so incredibly sweet! I even went to full fat milk for a while, but gave up on that too.
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Happy new year and welcome to #project366! It sounds like 2020 will be a fab year for you and I look forward to seeing your updates
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Thank you! You too. 🙂
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Nice to have you back, and congrats on the good news.
We use to have a soya milk maker that I experimented with a lot for 3 or 4 yrs as well as recipes and yoghurt making with the milk, until grandson became allergic to soya
the closet looks amazing, looks like a lot of storage but then time baby stuff is in it no doubt it will overflow quickly
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Thank you. I’m thrilled to be back again. My next step is to try some recipes with the pulp it collects, apparently you can make many wondrous things with it! There is a lot of storage, its nice to have everything in one place, but I still have empty shelves and baskets in there.
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