52/52

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

Clementine: Her first Christmas.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

51/52

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

Clementine: Babies and puppies, is there anything cuter?

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

And because I just cannot help myself, here's a bonus photo of Clementine and Dalston:

50/52

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

Clementine: I took her swimming for the first time in a friend's backyard pool. It was a hot day, and she seemed to enjoy the swim, and the naked time that followed.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

49/52

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

Clementine: This is what it looks like every time she sits down to eat. This particular meal was kumera, broccoli and spinach. When she was done, we had to pick the food out from her nose, ears, hair, eyelashes, neck...

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

48/52

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

Clementine: Our doula came to visit us this week. She hadn't seen Clementine since she was a newborn, so it was awesome to catch up.

Hiring a doula was a decision we made very early on in my pregnancy. Being my first pregnancy and labour, I knew it was likely to be long (it was!) and extra hands would be needed (they were!). I'm so glad we chose Brooke. She was there for us before, during and after my labour offering support, advice and encouragement. She also taught us all kinds of useful things like baby massage and how to bathe Clementine so she felt safe and comfortable. Now I always tell my prenatal students and pregnant friends to seriously consider using a doula.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

47/52

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

Clementine: This is her dad's favourite trick. It used to make me nervous but it makes her so. Damn. Happy. 

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

46/52

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

Clementine: Hiding behind her doll (that I made way back when). 

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

44/52 and 45/52

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

44/52: She doesn't love food, but she does love leaves. And sticks. Yum.

45/52: Relaxing on a hot day. 

You may have noticed that I took the last week off blogging. The truth is that this past week has been one of the hardest weeks yet for me as a mom. Over the last month Clementine has gone from waking up for 2 quick feeds a night to waking up 4 times on a good night. And you don't even want to know what a bad night looks like. My husband and I are exhausted, overwhelmed and wondering what to do. Even Clementine is suffering, and I know that sleep is what we all need. We still don't know what to do, but I hope a change for the better comes soon.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

43/52

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

Clementine: In the big bath, eating her duck. 

Normally we bathe Clementine in her baby bath, but this week I've been putting her in the big bath with me and oh my, it is so much fun! She splashes and swims, and plays with her rubber ducks. It's the sweetest.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

42/52

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

Clementine: I love her tiny, dimpled hands.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

41/52

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

Clementine: Afternoon siesta. After taking this photo I curled up next to her and we both slept. A daily necessity.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

40/52

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

Clementine: Squealing with delight in her pram.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

37/52 38/52 39/52 (the catch up edition)

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

We've been travelling so much over the last 2 and a half weeks that I haven't been able to post my weekly portrait. So here are three weeks worth, the catch up edition, if you will:

37/52 (top left): Hanging out in Toronto with her great grandmother. Clementine's wearing handmade pants and a bonnet (made by her grandma) and lying on the blanket I knit for her. Yay for handmade.

38/52 (bottom): Girlfriend loves her hammocks. Especially Colombian hammocks.

39/52 (top right): Sucking on her toes. All. The. Time.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

36/52

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

Clementine: Sweet (and talented) Veronika snapped this photo of Clementine relaxing at Kits Beach. One of our favourite places to hang out.

Tomorrow we head to Toronto and then to Colombia. Then it's back to Vancouver before finally boarding a flight to Sydney at the end of the month. Posting will be light during this whirlwind of travel, but I do have some posts scheduled so check back. You can also follow our South American adventures on Instagram. Wish us luck!

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

35/52

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

Clementine: Toes, toes, toes. It's all about the toes this week.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

34/52

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

Clementine: Dressed in her Sunday finest, in her dad's arms.

My mom's friend knit Clementine this gorgeous dress, and another friend gave her these sock "shoes." Together, it was just the cutest baby outfit in all the land.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

33/52

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

Clementine: Playing with Katrina.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

32/52

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

Clementine: Swinging away in the hammock.

We've been missing Clementine's swing while we've been staying at my mom's place. Then we realized that she might like the hammock on the balcony. Well, does she ever! It's huge, but she hangs out in the middle and we gently push her. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

31/52

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

Clementine: The first Canadian portrait, wearing a gorgeous dress that her grandma whipped up for her right before we left Sydney.

We're here! In Vancouver, that is. The weather is perfect, my family is close and I can see the mountains every which way I look. I'm a happy camper. Many more photos to come...

Joining in on Jodi's 52 project.

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.