out and about

First of all, I don't think I can title a post 'out and about' without mentioning that my husband mocks me mercilessly for the way I pronounce this phrase. Damn Canadian accent.

Moving right along... Two weeks after giving birth, I am still mostly taking it easy and spending my days at home. This weekend though, the glorious autumn weather beckoned us outside and so the 4 of us journeyed to Camp Cove. We wandered for a couple of hours, snapping photos and soaking up vitamin D while the little one slept blissfully in her ergobaby. In fact, Clementine slept right through her first beach trip. Oh well, I know there will be plenty more to come.

20/52

"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Clementine: A morning snooze in bed with me. 

Week 2 of my 52 project and I'm already resorting to an iphone photo... What can I say? It's hard to find time to pull out the real camera but my phone is always nearby. I've also been having way too much fun with the new a beautiful mess app.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

a mobile for Clementine

 

Today I finally got around to putting together Clementine's mobile. I was inspired by the beautiful mobiles that Made by Mosey makes, and I used fabric from my favourite, Maze & Vale. It's a little funky (though the husband thinks he can fix the lopsidedness tomorrow) but I think that just adds to the made-my-mum charm. Now I just need to find a place to hang it. For now Clementine sleeps in a bassinet that moves every day, so I need to find some kind of portable hanger. Any tips?

the first week

 

Two days after Clementine was born, the three of us came home and settled in. I don't think it's really sunk in yet that we're a family now, that we have a daughter. That first week my husband and I sat and stared at her for hours. Every twitch, sound and stretch completely captivating to us new parents. We also had many (many) moments of wondering, 'so, what do we do now?' Taking care of a newborn can be so scary, which is why I was extra glad when my mom arrived on Clementine's 6th day of life.

Between her and my husband, the shopping, cooking, cleaning and laundry have been taken care of. My goal has been to stay home as much as possible and let myself recover. Between endless feeds and long nights, I've had time to take a salt bath every day and usually have a nap as well. I am so grateful for all the support I'm getting; it really does take a village.

And our Clementine, sigh... She is just divine. A fairly chilled out little bub, she's happy as long as she's fed, changed and cuddled. When all else fails, a session of swiss ball bouncing with her dad usually does the trick.

Thank you so much for all of your messages of congratulations and well wishes here and on instagram. I'm planning to print them all out and put them in her baby book, beautiful wishes from all around the world. She's a lucky girl.

19/52

"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Clementine: The day after she was born, swaddled up like a little burrito and fast asleep.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas and mamas to be out there. I had the most wonderful day. My mom arrived yesterday, and today we had tea with both Clementine's grandmothers, her great grandparents and her great aunts. And all day long, my phone buzzed with the sweetest messages wishing me a happy Mother's Day.

I'm finally joining in on Jodi's 52 project, yay!

my blessingway

 

Before I post about Clementine's birth and first week, I have to rewind a bit to the week before she was born. During my pregnancy I knew I wanted to do something to mark my passage into motherhood and celebrate the journey of pregnancy and birth, but I just couldn't see myself having a baby shower. I can't remember how or where I first heard about blessingways, but when I did I knew instantly that was what I wanted. I ordered myself Mother Rising: The Most Complete Guide to Blessingways and got thinking about the day - who to invite, what we should do, the gift debate etc.

In the end, I chose two friends to help organise the day: one friend helped with all of the planning (making invites, taking RSVP's, buying flowers, cleaning my house and more) while the other would guide the blessingway. I gave each of them a copy of the book so they could plan it without me; the actual elements of the ritual should be a surprise to the mum to be on the day. I was also lucky enough to have the wonderful Belinda snap a few photos on the day. They were truly the perfect friends for the job.

On a Sunday afternoon, at 38 weeks pregnant, we gathered in my home. Friends from yoga, university, blogging, husband's school friends and even my doula came along. My friend Katie guided us through a beautiful ritual that I will always remember. Afterword, we ate some of my favourite foods and sat on the floor and talked about life, babies, pregnancy, and friends. It sounds lame, but my heart felt so full and I felt so supported by my Sydney community. One week later I went into labour and text messages were sent - everyone who had come went home with a candle that they were to light when they heard I was in labour. It made me smile to think of everyones' candles burning away while I worked so hard to have our baby.

All photos by Belinda from Billy & August
p.s. a great article that Jodi wrote on blessingways

oh my darling

Our baby girl arrived on Sunday May 5 (cinco de mayo!) at 7:45 am weighing 6 pounds 13 ounces. Her name is Clementine and we sing her her lullaby at least five times a day.

She's the spitting image of her dad with a mop of dark brown hair and a pouty top lip. We've spent every day since her birth staring at her in wonder and enjoying getting to know her.

Birth story to come but for now I'm going to go snuggle my baby.

nesting: from summer to autumn

I know it's technically been autumn for a while now, but to this Vancouverite, it still feels very much like summer. That said, I have been finding myself slowly but surely nesting, autumn style. Knowing that the next few months will be spent mostly at home, I've tried to de-clutter and make little changes that make our space feel cozier.

This month I finally put a duvet on the bed, with a soft throw blanket and some bright pillowcases to break up all the white. I switched up my gallery wall with dropcloth artwork I won from Maze & Vale, a photo from our trip to New Zealand, and a photo Gui and Michaela took of us last week. In our little dining nook I changed up my plate wall. You can see what it used to look like here. These are a collection of plates from all over: Ikea, fancy kitchen stores, and the op shop, of course. Lastly, I traded my summery garland for one that screams winter. A cozy garland of teapots and teacups I crocheted a couple years ago.

And now I hope to spend these next few weeks reading good books, drinking tea and filling the freezer with nourishing foods and baked treats. While I still have time to read, do you have any book recommendations for me?