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.

markets & meal planning

Back in the day, I used to be quite disciplined about meal planning. I would plan our dinners one or two weeks at a time, and my husband and I would do one big shop on a Sunday afternoon. Now that we live near a supermarket (and now that I'm significantly less organised than I used to be...), I find myself winging it every night. My current system goes something like this: it's 2pm, I start wondering what I should make for dinner tonight. I hem and haw, flip through cookbooks and peruse pinterest before finally choosing a recipe and heading to the grocery store. This "system" wastes so much time, energy and money each week and it's been my intention to do something about it for a while now. Just this weekend, I finally got around to it.

On Saturday afternoon I sat down with a cup of tea, notebook, pen, stack of my favourite cookbooks and my notes from Whole Food Kitchen. I started by assigning each night of the week a theme. I ended up with:

Monday: Mexican
Tuesday: Indian/Asian
Wednesday: Italian
Thursday: casserole/crockpot
Friday: pizza
Saturday & Sunday: wildcards

I then went through each of my cookbooks jotting down the recipes I use most often, and their corresponding page numbers. I kept in mind that it's winter, and stuck with meals appropriate for this time of year. When spring rolls around, I'm planning to change my nightly themes and compile a new list of favourite recipes. Armed with my new list, planning this week's dinner was a matter of simply filling in the blanks. The whole process took me around an hour, and it was actually quite enjoyable.

With this week's meal plan in mind, we moseyed over to our favourite farmer's market early on Sunday morning. While I bought our produce for the week, my husband took Clementine to a sunny patch of grass where she could run free. It was the perfect place to sit, drink coffee and eat breakfast while not having to worry about Clementine destroying anything (restaurants and cafes are pretty much out of the question at this point). She was super interested in the ponies who she kept calling woof, so we paid for her to have a ride. Much to my surprise, she got quite scared once the pony started walking. It was cute while it lasted though.

I'm feeling optimistic about this new approach to meal planning. My goal was to keep it simple, and I think I've done that. I'll keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime, my friend Stace has also written a post on meal planning, which you can read here.

do you go by your full name?

I don't. Gaby is a nickname for Gabriela (with just one 'l'), my real name. To be completely honest, I've never really liked the name Gaby. I far prefer Gabriela, but it seems to be that one syllable too long and somewhere along the line, it got shortened. The only people who call me by my full name are my parents (and that's only if they're annoyed with me or really trying to get my attention) and my Colombian family. My husband also goes by a shortened version of his full name, though he's happy with this.

The reason all this has been on my mind is that I've been worrying about my daughter's name. I love the name Clementine, and that is what I call her most of the time. Occasionally I'll call her Clemmie, but mostly I stick with her full name. But I am definitely in the minority! Aussies are known for their love of nicknames; if you have a long name they'll shorten it (e.g. Caroline becomes Cazzie) and if you have a short name they'll lengthen it (e.g. Grace becomes Gracie). Most people here call her Clem (not my favourite), Clemmie and even Clemo (definitely not my favourite). I really hope that she grows up to be called Clementine, and not a nickname, but I'm not sure how much say I have in the matter.

Have any of you had this problem with your own children? Or perhaps with your name? How did you handle it?

p.s. how did you choose your baby's name? / her name / would you take your husband's last name?  

12 month clementine (and a video!)

Twelve month old Clementine is FUN! Girl is seriously extroverted and just loves to play. She's obsessed with other kids, and if they happen to be smaller than her, well then they'll be smothered by her kisses and hugs. If they're bigger than her, then she'll follow them around laughing. She loves to be the centre of attention and whenever I take her to playgroups and sing-alongs she insists on climbing all over whoever is leading the activity. 

This month Clementine has:

• Learned to give kisses. They're open-mouthed slobbery kisses and we love them. 
• Become very, very determined. And when she doesn't get what she wants… oh dear. This makes me genuinely afraid for the terrible twos. 
• Decided that she needs to feed herself. My kitchen floor has never looked better...
•  Become quite attached to her stuffed animals and dolls. She cuddles them, carries them around with her and kisses the top of their heads. It's the cutest. 

And lastly, she started walking! She took her first few steps the day after her birthday. The look on her face was priceless. She's all wide eyed and wobbly, like a little drunk zombie. Every day she grows a bit more confident, and I'm sure it won't be long before she's running away from me.

So there we have it, one full trip around the sun. The best and most exhausting year of my life. 

I love you Clementine, thank you for making me a mom. It's my favourite thing.

p.s. the song is Clementine by Megan Washington
p.p.s. Clementine's dress in the photos is c/o Joules. Her cardigan was handmade by my abuela, who died when I was 8 months pregnant. It is so special to me and I hope Clementine keeps it forever.

cinco de mayo 1st birthday party

A few hours after Clementine was born, we were sitting in our hospital room talking and we realised that it was the 5th of May (it had been a long week). We decided then and there that for Clementine's first birthday we would throw a big Mexican fiesta, in honour of our cinco de mayo girl.

On Sunday afternoon, we did just that. Our friends and family gathered in my husband's parents' backyard to celebrate Clementine turning one. It was a perfect autumn day (just like the day she was born) and we played outside until the sun went down and extra layers were needed.

As for the party itself, I tried to avoid the pressure to create the "perfect" first birthday (no Pinterest for me…). We kept it simple and sweet, with little details like a store bought piñata and colourful bunting to decorate. I was so excited to wear our first matching mother/daughter outfits - beautiful Mexican dresses and tights. We served coronas and kept the food easy with a make your own taco bar and lots of tortilla chips. For dessert, I made mango cheesecake, brownies and these zucchini cupcakes. Clementine got one of the cupcakes and oh my, did she ever enjoy it! In fact, she seemed to enjoy the whole day very much. She was sweet and giggly, slightly confused by all the attention but happy to be playing with her friends and eating cake!

Some details:

• The invites were designed by my friend Alanna of Bitter Red
• My mother in law made the oilcloth bunting and Clementine's bib (along with cooking, cleaning and decorating!)
• We used these free printables to decorate
• My dress is a Little Tienda dress (borrowed from Theresa, thanks lady!) and Clementine's is a hand me down from her cousin who lived in Mexico
• the photos of Clementine and I were taken by Pia

o n e

And just like that, our baby girl is 1.

p.s. Thank you to everyone who left comments on my last post. I've gone back and replied to everyone individually in the comments section. Thank you again, they made my day.

sakura bloom sling diaries: adventure

Before having Clementine, my husband and I were the outdoorsy, adventurous type. We rock climbed, camped, skied, hiked, road tripped, and explored. Travel was our priority, above home ownership or expensive things. Whenever we had time off work and money saved up, we would go somewhere - whether it was to the next state over for a rockclimbing trip or to the next country over for a meandering road trip. Even though we have travelled with Clementine, I would have to say that one of the hardest things about adjusting to parenthood has been the lack of spontaneity. Especially as Clementine gets older and more attached to her daily routines.

We wake up early (so early the stars are still in the sky), breastfeed, play, eat, change a diaper, play, sleep then repeat. Our days are simple and sweet, and not very spontaneous at all. Adventure is a wander around the wharf, watching the ferries come and go while Clementine rests in her sling. It's a far cry from what we used to think was adventurous, but I know that those days will come again. Until then, I'm wholeheartedly embracing this season in our lives.

Over the last 6 months, I've documented the art of babywearing for the Sakura Bloom Sling Diaries, vol iv. We're so lucky to have these precious memories captured, and I want to, once again, thank all of the photographers who helped with our project: Jodi Wilson, Pia Jane Bijkerk, Tim Coulson, Gui Jorge, Luisa Brimble and Lou Buma. I'd also like to thank Sakura Bloom, for giving us this wonderful opportunity.

I wear Clementine in the pure linen sling in twilight.

Lou Buma (of Sunny & Scout photography) is the wonderful photographer behind these images. She shot with Cedar napping on her back - babywearing in front of, and behind the camera. 

pre-birthday

the candles I gave to my friends at my blessingway / photo of me and my girl by Tim / photo of me and my belly by Belinda / an Artifact Uprising photo book / birthday crown I made last week / booties I made when I was pregnant (and I thought baby would be a boy!)

It's funny, but ever since Clementine turned 11 months old my thoughts have been consumed with her coming birthday. I feel this tremendous sense of urgency to get all of my little projects done, like her baby book and her journal. And I know it's a cliché, but I really am shocked that my baby girl is about to turn 1 and enter toddlerhood. How did this happen? As May 5 draws nearer, I can't help but reminisce. I think about my belly and how that squirmy little thing has turned into this whirling ball of activity. I think about my birth week - how long and intense it was, how wonderful it felt to hold my baby, how my heart felt like it would burst. I think about that first week at home, when it was just the three of us. Pure magic.

Along with all of the reminiscing, I've also been preparing for her birthday. We've organised a little Mexican party to celebrate our cinco de mayo girl, and while we're going to keep it simple there are still lists to make, and projects to complete. And then I get to thinking about gifts. On the invitations, we've written 'no gifts please' because she really does have enough, and our apartment can't house much more. Even still, I'd like to give her something special and I've had my heart set on a Steiner doll. Finding the perfect one (for a reasonable price) has proved harder than expected though, so I'm still not sure what she'll be unwrapping come her birthday morning.

Of course, no discussion of a birthday would be complete without talking about cake! So far, Clementine hasn't had any sugar and I don't want to break the streak so I'm turning to my favourite whole foods blogs like this one and this one, to find the perfect "healthy" cake. I've made this one before, so it's a contender, as is this one.

Tell me, did any of you go into a frenzy when your babies turned 1? Or is it just me...

11 month clementine

It's hard to believe that these monthly updates will soon be coming to an end, with Clementine's first birthday just around the corner. Once a month, for the past 11 months, I've done a little photoshoot with my girl (some were carried off with more planning and organisation than others) and then I've sat down in front of my computer with a cup of tea and my Mom's One Line a Day journal to write. I almost always ask my husband what has stood out to him over the last month, and together, we come up with these updates. As with all of my memory keeping endeavours, I'm so very glad I've taken the time to do this. And I have to say that I enjoy the process as much as the result.

Over this last month, Clementine has become more and more engaging. She claps her hands when she's happy about something or when I say "yay!", shares her food with us and thinks it's great when we actually eat it, and points at people and things of interest. One thing I'm relishing right now is that she's getting quite good at playing by herself. She'll spend ages flipping through her books, or playing with her wooden stacking toys. Other favourites include: going up and down stairs, having her hair brushed, swimming, climbing, playing peek-a-boo, pulling her diaper off, being chased, and eating sushi.

But my very favourite development is that Clementine is turning into a cuddler. She loves to be held and will wrap her little arms around my neck and snuggle into my shoulder. I'm trying to teach her to give kisses, and her dad insists that she has kissed him on the cheek. We're really lucky that she's such a people person, because this cuddling isn't reserved for just us. Oh no, she wants all of our friends and family to pick her and up and hold her as well. And thankfully, she seems to quite enjoy hanging out with babysitters. I know this could change, so for now, I'm taking advantage.

See you here next month, for her 12 month update!

p.s. sorry for the abundance of photos, I call this series: the many faces of Clementine.

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. 

sakura bloom sling diaries: listening

"Unfortunately, though, we seem to have forgotten silence's value. Our days are so filled with activity, noise, and commotion that we have come to equate sound with life. Little by little we have brought our stereo speakers, telephones, and TVs into every room of the house. And how easily the decibel levels rise! […] But there is intimacy in a whisper, pools of meaning in the empty spaces between our words, sustenance in quiet."

- Katrina Kenison

We live in a big, busy city where there seems to be just one pace of life: fast. I'm always struck by this when I go into the city (or downtown, as we North Americans would call it). The traffic, the people and the noise can easily become overwhelming and I immediately find my footsteps quickening and my breathing becoming shallow. Even in our little neighbourhood, there is so much noise and so many distractions.

I think it takes discipline to tune out all of the background noise and make conscious choices about how we spend our time. In our home, the TV stays off most of the day, Clementine only has one toy that makes noise (which is usually switched off) and ever since our landlord sound proofed our windows, our quality of life has improved dramatically.

I find I am so much happier when our days are simple and quiet. When we have time to just be. I never have more than one plan a day, and on at least three days a week we have no plans. We just let the day unfold. It's amazing what happens when we're not dashing from place to place; it gives us the luxury of time. Time to put the baby in a sling and take her for a walk, where we can listen to the eucalyptus leaves rustling in the wind, the waves lapping and the never ending stream of "da, da, dada, da, da, dada dada" coming from the little one.

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 simple linen sling in wheat.

I'm so grateful to Luisa Brimble for not only taking these photos but for coming up with the concept for this post as well. Luisa is seriously talented, not only is she an amazing photographer she has also founded a new magazine launching soon, Alphabet Family Journal.