one year on, part two

As promised, here is part two from our family photo shoot with Gui Jorge. Clementine and I changed into more casual outfits halfway through the shoot (because I'm indecisive), right around the time she was going crazy trying to jump head first into the water. A lot of wrangling was involved, but Gui and Michaela made it work and the resulting action shots are some of my favourites.

This weekend, I'm planning to print and frame a few of these to add to our collection. I confess that I'm a bit worried that our place is beginning to look like a shrine to Clementine. There are so many photos of her hanging on the walls, resting on the bookshelves and decorating the bedrooms. How do you guys deal with family photos? Do you practice restraint when it comes to decorating with family photos, or do you go wild?

one year on, by gui jorge

I'm so happy with these photos, and so happy with our life right now. It's not perfect (whose is?) but it's lovely nevertheless. And having these beautiful images to document it all, well that's just the cherry on top.

I wanted to do this shoot to celebrate Clementine's first year, and as always, Gui and Michaela have blown me away with their talent. They were there 2 weeks before Clementine was born, and 2 months after. They got some sneaky shots of Clementine when she was a cheeky 8 month old and a couple of months later as a part of my sling diaries. I know that not everyone is lucky enough to have photographer friends, and I honestly feel so grateful for all these memories captured. Gui and Michaela are just so damn good at what they do, and such a pleasure to hang out with.

As an aside, I realise that these don't really look like family photos; they look like Gaby and Clementine photos. That's because I don't share pictures of my husband online (he's a private kind of guy) but there are some very sweet captures of the three of us that will soon be framed and hung on our walls. There were so many images I wanted to include here, so later this week I'll be posting part 2.

p.p.s. You can see all the photos Gui has taken of our family by clicking here.

a year

My what a difference a year makes. You can expect to see many, many more photos from our latest shoot with Gui in the coming days. Consider this the preview.

sydney maternity photographer: vanessa

Last month, I travelled up the coast to photograph my friend's sister in law. We shot at Bouddi National Park, where the conditions were wild and windy. But 38 week pregnant Vanessa didn't complain at all, not even as we hiked through the mud. She was a trooper.

I have to say, I was a bit nervous about this shoot as we had to do it at noon on a very sunny day. As any photographer will tell you, these are not the most ideal conditions. That said, it was good for me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things, and I'm quite happy with how the photos turned out.

p.s. more photos from Bouddi

sydney maternity photographer: katia

A few weeks ago, the lovely Katia got in touch to see if I could do maternity and newborn photos for her. As you all know, I'm a big fan of baby bellies so of course I said, "yes please!" We met last week for a session in Bondi, and spent an hour dodging tourists and chasing the sun to get the shot. No baby news to report yet, but if you'd like to find Katia you can read her blog here and check out her shop here.

away: to the south coast

While my mom was here last month, we went down the South Coast for a few days. When we left Sydney we intended to stay for just one night, but we changed our minds as soon as we got there. It was just too good. I always love getting out of the city, and the South Coast really is the most magical place. The green rolling hills come right down to the ocean, and while you're swimming in the sea you can see cows grazing in a field next to you.

Some of our favourites from our short trip include:

• In Kiama, we loved the shop Deer Willow. My mom and I picked up matching Turkish beach towels that are so nice, they double as a drapey scarf.
• We stayed here, which was very kid friendly and has a beach and a pool. Score.
• In Berry, we had lunch at the famous Berry Sourdough Cafe. I know the lines there can be insane (we were there midweek and it was totally fine) but luckily there's Milkwood Bakery if you just can't wait for your pastries and coffee.
• Upon a recommendation from a friend, we checked out Harp Handmade in Berry. Beautiful Australia-made clothing and gelato, what could be better?
• Me oh my did I love the rock pool at Werri Beach. 

indian summer

We're in the middle of an Indian summer, here in Sydney. During the day, the heat and humidity are constant and at night we're still sleeping with fans close by and nothing to cover us but a light sheet. While I'm getting quite sick of the never-ending heat, the one silver lining is that it's still beach weather. I've taken my mom to several beaches during her trip, but this postcard perfect one is my favourite. Hands down.

Last week, on yet another hot day, we drove south to the Royal National Park. It's a bit of a trek from Sydney, but oh so worth it. We had Wattamolla beach almost all to ourselves; no need to fight for a patch of sand and a piece of water like at most Sydney beaches. The water was crystal clear and we wasted no time diving in and taking Clementine for a swim. She cried when it was time to get out.

I've heard before that autumn is the best time for ocean swims, and I'm starting to believe it.

sakura bloom sling diaries: culture

I first discovered the magic of baby wearing when Clementine was 4 days old. We were home from the hospital, and while I was delighted to be holding my daughter in my arms, there was a part of me that missed having her on the inside. That morning, I tucked her into my first Sakura Bloom sling—the pure linen sling—and watched as she quickly fell asleep and stayed asleep for three whole hours. Holding her tight for those hours gave me that feeling of closeness that I was missing, and I delighted in feeling her warm sleeping body against my chest as we got to know each other.

Seven months later, it's rare that she will snuggle into me and sleep. More often than not, she's crawling around while I chase her. But she still loves to be in her sling, where I cuddle her while we walk. While we do, I ponder all kinds of things, like who she will be when she grows up. For such a little person, she has already been exposed to many cultures and languages. Her mum is Canadian. Her dad is Australian. She has one Canadian grandparent, one Colombian and two Australian. Her great grandparents are Colombian, Canadian, Australian, British and Kiwi. For now we live in Sydney, but eventually, we'd like to live in Vancouver again. And who knows what will happen in between?

What matters to me is that she grows up knowing all of the different backgrounds that make up her story. I hope that she knows that she has more than one home, more than one family, more than one language. I hope that she feels, as I do, that home is where we make it. As the song goes, home is wherever I'm with you…


I'm thrilled to be included in a group of 17 other mums and dads, documenting the art of babywearing for the Sakura Bloom Sling Diaries, vol iv. 

I wear Clementine in the essential silk sling in bittersweet-raspberry.

Many thanks to the beautiful and multi-talented Jodi, who took these photos early one morning.