Love

We had valentines day last week and on the weekend we had another celebration of love. We were lucky enough to attend the island wedding of friends of ours. Such a beautiful wedding I'm still thinking about it. What I loved most was the two people getting married, two of the nicest, most sincere people you will ever meet. I'm so happy they found each other.

[boys melting in their suits]

It was lovely to bask in their reflected glow. We were on the beach which added to the glow so I'm glad we had Mia with us so we got to sit in the front row under an umbrella next to the brides parents. Close enough to see the grooms tears as his beautiful bride came in to view.

[Mia and I waiting in the shade]

"Island Wedding" sounds very grand, and it was a beautiful wedding, but we didn't jet off anywhere. We caught the ferry over to Rottnest (half hour from Fremantle). I haven't been to Rottnest for years. I'd love to spend a week there every year having a family holiday, it's pretty magical. My parents had their honeymoon there when the army still had barracks and accommodation on the island, and I remember holidaying over there as a child in the army digs.

[Bathurst Lighthouse]

The weekend was going to be my first night away from Charlie (2.5yo), but as we were staying away Friday and Saturday nights, Grandma thought two nights was too long for his first time. So he came with us and Grandma caught the ferry over on Saturday morning to babysit while we were at the wedding. When we got back to the unit Charlie was sleeping with Grandma so we slept in the other room and Charlie didn't see us until the morning. Even though he was in the next room, it was my first night not sleeping with Charlie, and I'm counting it!

I hope your weekend was full of love too.

Mx

Ok, Yeah Sure.

[Charlie being heart meltingly strange/cute]

Before Mia was born, I had what is probably the very common fears that I would either not love the new baby as much as my first baby, or my love for the new baby would replace some of my love for my first. Of course all of you who have more than one child knows that your heart just expands and you find more love than you thought you could possibly have inside you. So much that it makes you cry.

I didn't know the birth of our second baby would make me love our first baby even more. He is making my heart melt, I think it's a large part of hormones but also he seems more vulnerable to me since I can't be with him the same as I was before I had another babe to care for. I'm just now reminded of this quote by Elizabeth Stone, thank goodness, because I've been struggling to put into words how I've been feeling.

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body" 

I didn't feel it as acutely as I feel it now that Charlie feels a step further away from me. Just reading that "a step further away from me" is bringing tears to my eyes.

Anyway, Charlie is a melter of my heart and one of the cute things about him is the way he says yes, and it's just gotten cuter. Normally Charlie will say something like "pool?" and if you ask him "you want to go to the pool?" he'll say "ok" like it was your suggestion and he's just going along with your idea. Just in the last couple of days when you ask him a question he'll answer by saying "yeah, sure" instead of yes. "Do you want blueberries?" "Yeah, sure".

He has picked up both these sayings from me, and being imitated by a barely stringing-two-words-together toddler is hilarious and the most adorable thing you've ever heard.

Hope that wasn't too sappy for you all. 

Mx

Home

After a long seven weeks away we are now all home. Slowly finding our way. Little Mia is a pretty good sleeper so far and I go to bed when I put her and Charlie down for the night so I feel well and rested enough.

When we first got home though I found myself hormonal and struggling with Charlie not being my baby any more. Did any of you find that? I really missed him and felt like I'd somehow lost him/lost his babyhood.

It's okay, I know they don't stay babies forever, it's just an adjustment I'm going through. I needn't have worried about being stuck on the couch for 40 minutes while breastfeeding though. Little Miss feeds for between 5 and 10 mins and she is done! I do find I'm feeding her nearly hourly though.

Counting our blessings at having two healthy, beautiful babes.

Mx