36 on my 28th

36 weeks on my 28th birthday! Yesterday, September 26th, I had my second birthday in Turkey. Last year my friend Jenny was here and the three of us went out for pizza in Degirmendere, on the other side of Izmit across the water. This year, we've stretched my birth 'day' into a week, with a little celebrating here and there as Devrim had to go to Ankara on my actual birthday. He came back last night laden with wonderful bulk supplies of jasemine rice, naturally dried figs, walnuts and a fantastic blueberry syrup we tried on panckages this morning. He also helped me decide on my birthday "printer" that I bought a couple nights ago... now instead of bugging him to print documents, I can do it from the comfort of home, and scan, copy, etc. Devrim also had my mother's watch repaired for me... I have had it for years but not been able to wear it. Wearing it in the weeks leading up to baby deniz's birth will mean a lot to me.

And of course, the best gift is yet to come....!

Before we took this picture last night, I was certain I didn't look much bigger than before. Behold the evidence. Even I was shocked! I see myself every day, but I hadn't realized that I really do look huge! Thanks for everyone's kind words on the baby's room... it has been a really wonderful project for me and a lot of fun to work on.

Bebek odasi / part 2

Here are a couple more pictures of the baby's room that I didn't squeeze into the other post, Clouds and Birds. The cradle, or 'besik' that you see is in its temporary home... we will be moving it to our bedroom. In its place, Devrim is designing a wooden chest/bench. The other images are from the far wall... a little honey bear with cloud, and the whale and fish are on the wall adjacent to the changing table.

Studio/Guest Room

Our former bedroom is now my studio, so I have a room to paint in, stitch in, draw, or just hang out. I promise I will share when guests come! I have been enjoying the space immensely.... I confiscated an old vanity table that once belonged to Devrim's parents and made curtains for it (yes, the same yellow gingham I can't stop talking about), have all my books... (in just one year my collection has grown) and organized my fabric neatly in these fantastic collapsable zippered storage containers I bought at the bazaar. They might make good gifts if anyone is in need of tidy soft storage! Let me know!

Below, proof that we can accomodate guests... hint! hint! For those of you who read my Rose Deniz blog and look at website updates, here's a glimpse at some of the changes that will be taking place prior to welcoming baby deniz and the early months. Having a studio at home will allow me to shift gears a little bit... I want to design and make one-of-a-kind bags with more luxurious materials, maybe research having my own fabric printed and made, and stick to wholesale orders instead of smaller, limited quantity bags, so when I emerge from the cocoon of early motherhood, I'll have a lot of ideas for my next collection of bags. I'm not putting a time limit on any this, but the nice thing is that behind the scenes I'll be able to work with fabulous non-profits like Nest and continue to sell bags on my favorite Partner In Craft site Cut+Paste. Be sure to check my Rose Deniz blog for updates!

Before & After

After a year of living in a two bedroom apartment, we now find ourselves in the luxurious position of having three bedrooms. Same apartment, but the room we aquired was previously used as a storage room for our landlady. As you can see, the room needed some work... Devrim painted the ceiling, patched wallpaper, and oversaw the installation of carpet. Now we have a relaxing, much bigger bedroom!

Clouds and birds...

A blue bird, whale, honey bear, elephant, humming bird, clouds, ladybugs, and rabbits. I painted the walls in the baby's room with these little creatures. Near each one I wrote their names in English and Turkish. Here's a glimpse of the rest of the room in progress, though it is nearly done. Small things to be added.



The furniture is from Ikea, which ironically I live closer to in Turkey than I did in the US (though there is now one in the greater-Detroit area). I made my list, had the store mapped out and not only did we get in and out in record time (only 2 1/2 hours), but thanks to Ikea's handy online catalog, we spent almost exactly what I had estimated. Compare this to our most recent baby shopping excursion in Izmit, where one has to go from place to place to compare prices because the prices can vary considerably for nearly the same things, I felt immense gratification in being able to make a list and cross things off at our one-stop shopping trip to Ikea.


A particularly funny moment was trying to explain to Devrim that we would go to Ikea, buy things, and then bring them home. I don't think he has ever bought anything out of a catalog in his life. And in Turkey, almost everything is delivered for free, so Ikea is kind of an anomaly.

At 34/35 weeks, I am feeling really good and have more energy than I did during my second trimester! I have yet to take a decent picture in the last couple weeks of my belly, but I will post one soon. And more pictures to come of all the apartment changes!