magnolia love

The magnolia trees are blooming right now and they are magnificent. When we were coming up with lists upon lists of baby names, I suggested Magnolia for a girl. I was, of course, overruled by the name nazi but I'm still fond of it. Funnily enough, Luisa and I were chatting names and she said that she seriously considered it for her second daughter. At least I know I'm not alone in my magnolia love.

I'm thinking that I should write about how we chose our daughter's name. It's a question that I'm asked a lot, especially as the husband and I spent 9 months fighting discussing baby names. Oh I do love to talk about naming!

182 days of summer

Last week I got to snap some photos of my friend Helen and her 6 month old baby girl, Summer. She is pretty much the most photogenic baby around, and didn't seem to mind having my camera in her face.

I met Helen back when Summer was still growing in her belly and she would come to my prenatal yoga classes. We became fast friends and throughout my pregnancy and these early months of parenting, she has been the most amazing support. Helen is the most generous and helpful person I know, and I was so happy to be able to take these photos for her. I definitely don't consider myself a photographer, but I was pretty pleased with how these turned out so I thought I'd share some of my favourites.

p.s. Don't you think Summer should get into some baby modelling??

30/52

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

Clementine: Kick, kick, kick in the morning light.

Our nappy service has just come to an end as we prepare to go travelling for the next 2 months. I always knew I wanted to use cloth nappies, but to be honest, it was much harder than I expected. We had A LOT of accidents, which I think is because Clementine is so teeny tiny. We will definitely try again when we come back, and when her legs are chubby enough to fill those cloth nappies out properly!

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

oh canada

This time next week we'll be on a flight to Canada. Clementine will be reunited with her grandmother, she will meet her grandpa and her uncle for the first time, I will see my childhood friends and we will experience the joy of a Canadian summer. The last time I was in Vancouver for the summer months was way back in 2007, way too long considering it's absolutely my favourite time of year (summer in Sydney, not so much).

In the lead up we busily tie up loose ends and make endless to do lists. It's stressful and sometimes I wonder how I will get everything done while taking care of C all day, but I'm trying not to worry. My husband has a few days off before we fly so between the two of us we should be able to get it all done.
So instead of worrying, I'm going to sit here this morning, drinking my big cup of tea and trawling the Anthropologie and Madewell websites. Oh I am so excited for some North American shopping!

Before I sign off for the weekend, pretty please, hit me with your best travelling-with-baby tips!

photos of my mom, Clementine in sling and I by my friend Sonja

crafting for clementine: vol 1

 

It seems that Clementine won the crafty lottery by being born into a family of incredibly talented makers. Since her birth we've been showered with handmade gifts, from bed sized quilts to tiny booties and everything in between. In an effort to remember all of the handcrafted goodness, I'm starting a little series here called crafting for Clementine. First up, tiny toques (or beanies to my non-Canadian readers):

1. Clementine's paternal grandmother has been knitting up a storm this winter! She's already made C three of these bonnets, and I can't wait until she fits into this one.

2. This buttery yellow one is the first bonnet that came off her needles, and Clementine has worn in nonstop (see here and here).

3. The big-hearted Sarah from Love love, lady sent me a care package a couple of weeks ago. There were some sweet gifts for me, as well as these two adorable beanies. Clementine looks like a gumnut baby when she wears them; it's the cutest.

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

Clementine: By the sea on a windy, but oh so beautiful day.

Photo by Gui, of course.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

us, by gui jorge

Earlier this week I was out and about when I got an email from Gui with the link to these photos. I immediately stopped what I was doing and went to his blog, and as I scrolled through the images on my tiny iphone screen, I smiled from ear to ear.

As I lay in bed later that night looking through all 126 photos, I felt so lucky. Lucky for a husband who bursts through the door every day shouting, "Hello my chicas, I missed you today!" Lucky to have a healthy baby girl. Lucky that we met Gui and Michaela, that they have become our friends and that they share their talent with us.

These photos have already been emailed around the world to my friends and family (all of whom agree that Clementine is the cutest baby in all the land, not that we're biased or anything...), and now all that's left to do is decide which ones to frame and hang on the wall. I'm voting for that last one, sleepy Clemmie in her made by grand-mum bonnet.

If you'd like Gui and Michaela to come visit your family, or shoot your wedding, contact them here. They are awesome.

p.s. you can see the shoot we did with Gui when I was 37 weeks pregnant here

how clean is your house?

I've been chatting with some blog friends lately about how we portray our homes online. While it's easy to post a photograph of a beautiful bouquet of flowers arranged in a vase, or a perfectly placed candle, it doesn't tell the full story. Not even close.  I can't speak for everyone, but I would hazard a guess that most of us do not live in "perfect" homes. To the right of the flowers you will probably find a stack of paperwork I pushed out of the frame, or a burn mark under that candle I mentioned.

Although I wouldn't call myself a neat freak (I never do any kind of deep cleaning, for example), I can't abide mess and clutter. And now that I have a baby to take care of, I have had to seriously relax my standards. I consider doing the dishes and laundry the bare minimum, and anything else I manage to do is a bonus. On the topic of fattening up Clementine, our family doctor actually told me that lying around and resting is more important than doing housework. Bless that woman!

I endeavour to keep my blog positive and inspiring - because that's what I love about blogs - but I also try to keep it realistic. And the one thing that the blog friends and I all agreed on is that with young children, it is pretty much impossibly to have a perfectly clean and tidy home. So while I would normally post a photo like this:

Today I'm also going to show you my home, in all its messy, lived-in glory...

One final confession: I've taken to eating my morning oatmeal in the pot so I have one less dish to clean. Classy, right? Tell me, are you a warts and all blogger or a careful curator?

28/52

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

Clementine: Peek-a-boo. I see you.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

alone time

the bouquet I'm still savouring from last week's wander / documenting my love of woollens (and Gorman, a love that is only indulged on sale)

Last night I was craving some alone time so I passed Clementine to my husband and filled up the bathtub. The man works long hours with an unpredictable schedule, which can make for some very long days for me as a mum. I'm grateful though that he's always happy for one-on-one time with his daughter. While they played, I got in the tub and flipped through Kelly Doust's newest book, The Crafty Minx at Home.

It felt so nice to close the door and be alone for a while, and it made me realise that it's time to start taking better care of myself. Not enough greens and not enough sleep are starting to catch up with me. The last 2 months have been all about survival - eating whatever is quickest and indulging my sweet tooth far too often. I'm beginning to suspect that I may be a bit too reliant on my daily sugar fix. While I will not be attempting to quit sugar, I will try to cut back. I've also been itching to get back into a regular yoga practice, even if that means 10 minutes a day. For the next few weeks my goals are simple: make a couple of dinners from scratch, drink some green smoothies, cut back my sugar consumption and make it to a yoga class. I think a daily nap is also in order, a habit that I fell out of once my mom left. Come to think of it, I'll be making that priority number one!

2 month clementine

Last week our girl turned two months old. A month ago I wrote that it's true what they say - it goes by so fast. This month, I'm happy to report that it's also true what they say - it gets easier. There's nothing more magical than a newborn, but goodness they are hard work! While I wouldn't say that Clementine is in a routine (why oh why do people always ask me that?!?), she is somewhat more predictable than she used to be. She gives us one good chunk of sleep at night, and then wakes every 2 to 3 hours to nurse. But that one block of sleep is worth its weight in gold, even if it's only 4 hours. She's also much easier to settle now, with the help of some tips and tricks and the boobs of course.

At two months old Clementine is a smiling, kicking, cooing baby girl. She's also rather little, which has meant many visits to the GP and the paediatrician. I've worried about it, but now I've just come to accept that like all of the babies on my husband's side of the family, she is just small. Not all babies can be in the 90th percentile!

But boy does she pack a lot of personality into her tiny frame. She adores her dad and always seems to save her biggest grins for him. The kind of grin that makes her nose crinkle and her head cock to the side. It's the sweetest. Over the last few weeks it's been all about her hands, finding them and shoving them into her mouth to suck. She gets so upset when she loses her hand and can't find it again, as you can see in the last photo of her crying. I know this goes without saying, but I freaking love her. So much.

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

Clementine: She sits in her swing, on the bathroom tiles, while I take a shower. I don't know what I'd do without that swing.

I can't help but notice how very red her eyebrows are in this photo. Her dad's got a bit of ginger in him, and lately we've been wondering if she'll be a redhead. Or perhaps a strawberry blond? Only time will tell...

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.