#2616 Heaven sent

Or just family-sent, but in my case it feels same-same.

I had a really rough night the night before. 2 hours sleep type rough night. Chuck overall newborn sleep deprivation, confusion, hormones, conflicting advice, too much information and overwhelm into the mix, and you end up with a very sad and spent new newborn mama.

My parents and sister came over on the perfect day, the day which was actually the worst day, today.

They provided love, comfort, advice, positive words and validation, support, food and sleep (I napped while they watched baby boy).

I’m now going into the nights with cautious hope, some semblance of confidence, and the knowledge that bad days are part and parcel of this stage… but I am getting there slowly, just as all newborn mamas have gotten there before me.

Moment by moment. Hour by hour. Day by day.

Thank God for people like this. So grateful to my family. 🙏❤😘😘

#2602 Family company

I need my sleep, but I also need my family. 💞❤🙏🙏

I was lucky to get both today, when my parents and sister came by for a visit. The days are unpredictable and lonely, not to mention the long, hard, difficult nights…

But to have them visit was the special sunshine in what was already a warm summer’s day. 🌞

And the icing on the cake? They brought so much food! Soup, sarma, meatballs, pasta, cheese pastries, rum balls and doughnuts! We have food to last days and days.

And the visit alone was already so sweet. 🙏❤🍲🍩

#2599 Just wanna say thanks

I have so much to thank Hubbie for, but I also have other thanks to give.

I’ve had a circle of dependable people around me during my pregnancy, and most importantly, they’re still around.

Especially in this last week and a bit. My sister. My cousin. My friends. You know who you are. I’ve been up and down, had countless questions and concerns, bared my soul, and gotten nothing back but support and a ‘you can do it’ cheer squad.

It means the world, and helps me feel less alone… in the tiring moments. At the end of the day. When I’m finding it hard to grasp to anything positive in the future… these women have been my rock.

Thank you so much. 😘🥰🥲🙏

#2592 Helping hand

Two amazing things stand out amidst the many several from today.

One. The informative and helpful care we received from the at-home midwife system. Yes, it’s our second child, but we, I, still had a tonne of questions.

Two… the support and love we received from sis and her family when they visited our baby boy today.

Getting support from people like this – whether it’s a professional, or your family, both are highly regarded and so important for the well being and care of a family, as they enter this challenging and new stage of life with a gorgeous baby boy.

Love them all. 💞💞

#2574 Sharing paradise

I love going to my favourite place with my favourite people.

And so was the case today when my sister met up with baby girl and me at our local beach.

We spent 4 blissful hours there… 4 hours! Because we are so close, we generally don’t spend that much time at the beach – we don’t have to. But to be honest, I think a part of it is Mum guilt… feeling like we shouldn’t spend that much time there, because there is always something TO DO.

As I was saying to sis today, we need to forget about all of that! Replenish our mental and emotional stores. There will ALWAYS be some job to do, so if we wait until we have none, the time for ourselves will never come.

So, just have the fun, do the ‘me time,’ NOW.

The entire day was beautiful, mainly locals about, the sun not too hot but hot enough, the water clear and rippling and mild in parts… but I do have a favourite part of the day. I was sitting in my sister’s beach tent, as she and baby girl beckoned for me to follow them from where they were in the water.

So I did. I got up, and started walking over. And as I got closer and closer, all I could hear was…

GIGGLES. They were mucking about and playing games, trying not to laugh, but then they would crack themselves up and be laughing silly at nothing in particular. Laughing, just because.

And then I was laughing, just because too.

And that is a beautiful place to be. Laughing in the water with loved ones. Just because. 🥰🌅

#2572 The pregnancy photo shoot

I never got to take special pregnancy photos when I was pregnant with baby girl.

It’s not that I wouldn’t have loved to. But it was a different time, place, and very different situation. Apart from our first baby arriving in the world, we were dealing with quite sad and traumatic events relating to Hubbie’s family.

A pregnancy photo shoot did not even cross our minds.

But today, one of my pregnancy dreams finally came true. 🙏

I got to have a photo shoot with a professional photographer in our happy place, our local beach, surrounded by the sun, sand and sea.

You probably want to know who took such stunning shots? Well it was none other than my sister. ❤

Photography is her calling, always has, always will be. I hope after today she’s realised that. 🙏

We are thrilled to bits with the hundreds of photos taken, and we haven’t even had a chance to preview them all.

But one thing I know, is as I said… this pregnancy dream of mine has been fulfilled.

Tick. ✅ Thanks sis. 😘

#2570 Beautiful bubbles

I have a lovely vision in my mind.

It’s of arriving back at my family’s house after my chiro appointment today.

Endless green grass, sun shining from above.

My sister and baby girl chatting and laughing in the yard…

And dozens upon dozens of bubbles in the air.

My sister was keeping her occupied (and happy) by bringing many different bubble wands and sticks out to play, and there were long bubbles, clusters of bubbles, little bubbles, all shining and glinting, transparent and iridescent in the sun.

It was a poignant reminder as I am heavily preoccupied with the beauty growing inside of me, that the beauty still well and truly exists in the people I love around me. 🥰🥰

Photo by Victor Freitas on Pexels.com

#2554 Visions for our new chair

Tonight we got a new chair for our deck.

It’s an egg chair. You know those dome-shaped things that hang off a strong hook, and sway slightly?

Our deck is actually its second home. My sister and bro-in-law very kindly dropped it off tonight, as they don’t want it anymore. When they asked us, we did some thinking and thought, maybe it could have another purpose in our yard?

And I love it, not just because we have a brand new thing (nothing like a brand new thing to excite you!) but having loved ones over on a weeknight, really makes you realise it is holiday time.

HOLIDAY VIBES!

Apart from the great company tonight, is the knowledge that all of us will be using the egg chair for varied and happy reasons.

Hubbie might sit in it and enjoy music from the portable speaker while sipping on a cold bevvy. 😉🍺

Baby girl might read in it or do her latest fave activity, play on the Nintendo. 📖🎮

I might read in it, or just sit, because you know, movement is becoming an issue as of late. 😂🤰

And in about a month or so, I might just be rocking a baby to sleep in there. 🤱🙏

The best vision of all. 🥰😍

#2551 Happy 2023

If every day could be filled with this much

love

happiness

laughter

celebration

and most importantly, family

then it would be a Happy New Year indeed.

Just as well we brought it in, in style. 😁😊

Remember, it doesn’t have to happen on January 1st.

No pressure. The conversion of time into days and dates is a modern convention (not my quote, but I love it). 🙏

You can start again, and make it a happy new year at any time.

So happy days.

And Happy 2023. 🎊❤🎉🥰

#2549 The new gamers on the block

I am trying to relax and have as much down time as I can these holidays.

So it kinda comes as perfect timing that we bought baby girl a Nintendo Switch for Christmas.

This was a BIG present, for her, and us. But we came to reason that a) she was old enough, b) she wanted it and outright asked for it, and c) we might be home a lot more over the next few months/year, so I want her to have something to keep her busy for when she’s bored!

Today she got to play it for the first time after we set it up. She was so happy, jumping on the couch and squealing with glee as she took her character around the maps in Mario Kart. After a while she said to me “can you play with me?”

You bet I did! I didn’t need any arm twisting. I love a good game as much as the next person, and though I’m not a child, those days where I played my sister’s hand-me-down Commodore 64, my bro-in-law’s Sega, the Gameboy my cousin passed down to me, or the Nintendo 64 I bought myself at Cash Converters, those days of gaming in front of the screen feel really close in memory, even though they are far away in years!

I used to love it, and today, I loved it!

We sat next to each other, playing competitively. Laughing as we threw things at each other, overtook one another, and raced through the finish line. When we were done with the 4 maps of the race, she asked for another round… and even though I had stuff to do, I agreed! 🤦‍♀️ I can see how one gets sucked into this kind of thing, and I dare say that won’t be the last time I say yes, giving a royal ‘stuff you’ to my chores!

I totally lost… one game out of all of them I won, but she won overall. I was so cranky, I was like “that’s it, I’m shitty, not playing again.”

Guess what happened tonight?

We were playing again! 🤣

Taking advantage of these laid-back, mother-daughter game sesh’s while I can…