Wannabe architect

So I have an epic uni project to do, an almost-done house to finish renovating, a baby to look after and no food in the house, but all I want to do is design the new house. I LOVE that Melbourne thing of maintaining the facade of a tiny townhouse to protect the streetscape, but having a crazy awesome modern extension out the back. Like these...

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New house!

We bought a new house! And it wasn't the one we originally meant to buy. It's MUCH BETTER!

On Saturday, we had planned to go to the auction for a house in Coburg that we were pretty keen on. Before we left home, I had a quick look through Realestate.com and found another place in Brunswick that was freaking awesome, but the auction was at 3.30 that afternoon and we hadn't inspected it or anything. So in a nutshell, we bid at the first auction, missed out, went and drove past the other house, LOVED IT, had lunch at the cafe on the corner, walked through it quickly, fell in love, bid at the auction and WON! I got my aggressive bidding face on (crossed arms, pokerface, fast and confident bidding- so far it has worked twice so I'm sticking with that tactic) and went for it. I was literally shaking towards the end as we got higher and higher, and then BANG. Done. Contract signed and it was ours!

It is literally in the best location ever. It is just near Brunswick Town Hall, there is a cafe two minutes walk away, the Brunswick Baths are just down the road, ten minute walk to my best friend's house, super close to trams and Royal Park, but the street is nice and quiet.

The house is a single-fronted terrace. It will definitely be the smallest house I have ever lived in, but there is loads of potential to extend it out the back. There is a wide rear laneway with rear access and a garage, a big fig tree and original windows at the front. I think we will keep the front few rooms, then pull it down and rebuild a new kitchen, bathroom, living space and possible another bedroom.

So the house is all brick walls, except fora weird addition with the kitchen, that weird small back bedroom and the bathroom and laundry. We will pretty much pull down that whole addition and open it all up. The lounge will become another bedroom, then we will extend out a bit further and put in an open living and kitchen area, plus a bathroom and ensuite and maybe another bedroom or study nook.

This will all depend on building permits, obviously, so I don't think we move in there for another year or so at least. But yay! New project!

Five Things for a Friday.

 

1. This week has been a bit of a blah. Lots of time spent with a super-crankypants baby with no sign of teeth and lots of attitude. At one point I actually Googled "Baby mood swings normal" because he is such a lunatic. Frustrated, grizzly, spitting his food at me, and then he switches to being super cute and smiley and trying to kiss my face. It is like living with a hormonal teenage girl, but without inhibitions.

2. On Wednesday Archie and I went for a wander along High St Northcote. It was our old 'hood when we lived in our first house and I miss it. Such a good vibe. We had lunch at Two Short Men, which is just off the main drag. It's in a really good spot, and has excellent potential, but doesn't quite hit the mark. It's trying to be an cool hipster cafe but pulls up a bit short. The waitstaff were wearing gym clothes and runners and the menu was average. This restaurant reviewer was unimpressed.

3. I made some bread, like the domestic godess that I am these days. I had grand plans of making bread from scratch and adding my own seeds and everything, but I was at the supermarket getting the bread flour etc and saw this stuff - it's four individual packets of portioned bread flour with seeds, for $6. So I just got that. And it was DELICIOUS. I really need to start doing it more often. The house smelled amazing and it was super-yum.

4. Last weekend we went out for an afternoon jaunt to the Fairfield Boathouse and had a raspberry spider and brownie. There was another young family with a newish baby there, they were obviously first time parents as they were paparazzing the crap out of their bemused looking son (as were we, obviously.) We started chatting and all was well until they asked how old my daughter was. Awkward. Usually I'm not fussed about the odd bit of gender confusion but that day I was like, fo realz? HIS name is ARCHIE!

5. The auction for the house we want is tomorrow at 12pm. I am excited and nervous. There has been lots of interest so hopefully it doesn't go for megabucks and we are in with a chance. The next adventure begins!

Poor-to-average mothering.

So I think overall I am a pretty awesome mum. Archie is happy, healthy, stimulated and loved; I am sane and reasonably well-adjusted; I still manage to get dressed most days and sometimes I even wear lipstick. Ticking the boxes.

However. There are some days when I am a poor-to-average mother. I just can't get it together, can't think of any fun activities, the house is a mess, we have no food, etc etc. So in the spirit of full disclosure, here are some things that I have done that probably won't be winning me Mother of the Year.

Eating non-food. Babies like to put everything in their mouths. Obviously I would like the majority of the things that Archie eats to be food, but alas, there are a few things that get passed my eagle (more like blind as a bat) eyes into his sloppy chops. These include: bird poo, a dead fly, a thumbtack (yes, I know, I nearly crapped myself), a big hunk of dirt, rocks, grass, food off the floor under his high chair, handfuls of cat hair and a rotten tomato.

Cutting nails. Cutting his nails scares the crap outta me. It is literally like performing microsurgery on a tiny, wriggly, clammy octopus, while three other octopuses trying to grab the surgical equipment. So sometimes he grows claws that would rival Wolverine.

Forgetting to feed him. I can't remember if I have written about this before, but a few weeks ago Archie was super grumpy and whiny for no apparent reason. I couldn't figure out why he was making such a fuss about going down for his afternoon nap, before realising that I hadn't actually given him lunch and he hadn't eaten for seven hours. I am actually blushing from shame just writing this.

Exploiting the baby. Sometimes, when he is really sad and cranky, I take photos of him before picking him up. Because he pulls ridiculous faces when he is sad. And it is a bit funny.

Germs. I am pretty (extremely) relaxed about germs and cleanliness at the best of times, but you would think that having a tiny baby with a crap immune system would spur me into action with Purell and handwipes at the ready. Not so. This kid will either have the immune system of an ox, or get every gastro bug around due to his mother's average hygiene standards.

The brushing of the non-existent teeth. Apparently you are supposed to clean babies gums daily with a facewasher even before they have teeth. I have done this once, about six weeks ago.

Nine months (and two weeks)

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago when Archie hit the nine month mark, but forgot to publish it then. Dear Archer,

You are nine months old today. That means that you have been here for as long as you were growing inside my tummy. It has gone very fast, and sometimes I feel sad thinking about how you aren't a tiny scrunched-up little smelly-necked bean anymore. But then I look at your huge blue eyes and get excited about the little boy that you are becoming. Your dad and I are have finally gotten the hang of this whole parenting gig and have found our groove. We are growing up, you and I. I can confidently tell how you are feeling and I'm learning to slooooow down when you need it.

You have learned to wave, and high five, and are getting the hang of using a spoon. Last night you were crawling around aimlessly, then I came around a corner and you broke into a huge grin and came barrelling towards me. I laughed and waved and you stopped, steadied yourself on one arm, then flapped your right arm ferociously with a huge beaming smile. My heart melted.

We have been teaching you how to clap, and you clasp your hands together and shake them around proudly. You still haven't mastered the fact that you need to separate your hands to clap, but your cute victory clasp is getting lots of smiles and cheers from your dad and I.

Your are definitely making your opinions known to everyone now, and boy, do you have opinions. You do not like your sleeping bag, waiting more than three seconds in the high chair without food, avocado, crawling on long grass (prickly!), getting stuck in corners, and sitting still. You love eating whole nectarines, peaches and pears, using a spoon, waving and high fives, being outside, your nan and having a shower with your dad. You can demolish a ripe peach in seconds, but will happily play with a handful of disposable spoons and an empty ice-cube tray for 40 minutes.

The baby books tell me that about this age you might get a bit hesitant around strangers, and I can see it a little bit now. You bury your head and smile shyly when someone new talks to you. You climb all over me as soon as we sit on the floor, and prefer to just sit in my lap and smile than to stray too far. I do kind of love it though, because the little snuggles won't last forever once you are walking. I think it will be soon, as you are already cruising around, holding onto the couch and my legs.

I can see more of your dad in you every day. You are a little mini Lee, and I can see you as a toddler wanting to help him with everything. "And me, Dad?" We watched Lee mow the lawn the other day and I had to restrain you from crawling out across the lawn and 'helping'. Your eyes light up and you start flapping and shrieking with excitement when you hear your dad's car pull up in the evenings.

I love you, little man. May you grow up with a tough mind, and a warm heart. Work hard. Then a bit harder. Travel. Be a good boyfriend. Don't be afraid of your emotions. Live large and messily. Make mistakes. Be on time. And be confident that we will always have your back.

Love,

Mum

Five things for a Friday - Sister Wives and shoes

1. I have been meaning to get a photo book made of our gorgeous wedding photos, and have FINALLY gotten off my ass and started doing it. Our photographer Tricia King (oh, look at the gorgeous bride on her website!) is super amazeballs awesome and so far the book is just every single photo from the day as I am unable to edit a single one. It's an 800-page tome of awesome. And Snapfish (they are doing the photobook- there are lots of places which do them but they seem good. And they have 25% off during March!) One day I will get organised and do a proper post all about the wedding.

2. I have been watching this reality TV showcalled Sister Wives. Totes addicted. It's all about this fundy Mormon guy who has four wives and 16 kids. I LOVE to analyse other people's relationship so this is like porn for me. They are really upfront about the jealousy issues they have, and how they manage the day-to-day running of a massive family. I think I could totally cope with Lee having another wife or two. Mainly because I'd get the bed to myself every few nights to watch crap TV late and read and eat snacks.

3. Shoes! My old standard Jellies broke last week. I was pretty devastated but pretty excited that I had a justifiable reason to buy more shoes. So obviously, I replaced one pair of shoes with...two pairs. I got red Saltwater Sandals (from here - cheapest place online that I found) which are ridiculously comfy and cute, and another pair of Jellies in SILVER GLITTER. I'm totally living out my childhood again. The Salties turn my little toes numb, which is weird, but otherwise they are my new uniform shoes. And really, what is the point of the little toe anyway.

4. There has been lots of kitchen action this week. I made this tarte tatin to use up the millions of chezza tomatoes we have, this couscous thing which used up lots of leftover bits of rando stuff, these AMAZING caramel brownies, bog-standard broc pasta and two batches of nectarine crumble because we have a glut of nectarines. I'm still doing the 12WBT, but have moved away from the recipes as I was finding them too boring so am just freestyling and tracking the calories. I have actually reached my goal so am relaxing a bit and focussing on eating good, seasonal food. The weather finally cooled down yesterday, so I can crank the oven more often. I want to make these rolls and this bread.

5. Archie has been obsessed with getting into the kitchen cupboards and drawers. We've got a safety catch on the cupboard under the kitchen sink but everything else he is pretty okay to get into. Because I have been cooking lots lately (see above) the pantry is pretty much always open, and he got stuck into the cans and platters and beer bottles that  aren't exactly baby-freindly. So I moved all that stuff and put some random tupperware and paper plates and stuff in there for him to play with. He LOVES IT. It keeps him happily entertained while I get breakfast in the morning. Parenting WIN.

The Hotel Project #1.

So. My hotel project at uni is underway. I need to come up with two broad concepts with several space-planning options for both. I find this to be the hardest part of the whole process, as I tend to get stuck on one idea and can't see past it. I am stuck on a kaizen, minimalist space but need to come up with an alternative option. Because the imaginary hotel is in Melbourne, I thought that I would take inspiration from the artistic history of the city and base the room around a Mirka Mora mural. The idea is that Mirka would do a massive, amazing mural on the back wall and that is the main hero piece which ties together the rest of the room. I also want to include a teak canopy bed, a gigantic antique cabinet and a chaise longue. It is SO not my usual style, but I like the challenge.

And on with the inspirational images...

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Hair.

 

So I'm going to talk very self-indulgently about my hair now, so feel free to turn away.

When I got pregnant I was stoked, obviously, and very excited and all that. And then came the whole identity crisis, where I found it hard defining myself as a mum. The whole time I was up the duff I didn't want to be too mum-ish, which led to me shaving half of my hair off in protest, because obviously I thought that being 25 and pregnant meant my relatively carefree life was over and I was on a one-way slippery dip to Kumfs and blouses from Millers. And the number one thing I wanted to avoid was mum-hair. I actually had people ask me when I was going to get it all cut off because when the baby came along I wouldn't have time to do my hair (despite the fact that I have never really been one to 'do' my hair). That put the fear in me and I have steadily been growing my hair since.

And now it is driving me nuts. I have very fine, dead straight hair that pretty much just hangs. I put in in rollers for SEVEN hours before my wedding and after an hour it looked like this (Yes, I tied my hair in a ponytail after my wedding ceremony. That's how much I don't 'do' my hair). Flatty McStraight. I hate having hair in my face and Archer loves to grab it and chow down so 99% of the time I wear in it a ponytail or topknot, so I have inadvertently ended up with mum hair anyway. So I made an appointment for this Saturday to get the chop.

My awesome hairdresser Yvette (whose name I may steal for a future child) has the same kind of hair, so she gets my drift. And hopefully she doesn't freak out when she asks what I'm having done and I say 'Something short, easy and  choppy, with some sort of fringe that isn't annoying and that required little to no maintenance, and is definitely NOT mum hair.'

Anyway. The bottom line is that hair is important in my identity, and I am getting a 'not-mum but sort of mumish' haircut. Thanks for listening, ya'll.

Splish splash!

It has been HOT here for the past week or so. I am SO over it. We have been going to the pool a fair bit, and on Saturday we went to my best friend Sam's mum's place for a swim. She grew up a few doors down from me in Warrandyte and I pretty much lived at her place over summer because she had a pool. I remember being about six and walking there on my own, but mum would watch me from the end of our driveway to make sure that I wasn't kidnapped in the 150m between our house and Sam's. And I remember baby Ben coming too sometimes with his floaties on. It is pretty special that we have been besties for over 20 years. Crazy. He has a little tiny tooth bud that I can see. It hasn't broken through yet though. I'm hoping they all bust through within a few weeks with no dramas. And I REALLY hope they don't interrupt the awesome sleeping we have had going on. I did some more tough love and got him sleeping through and he is so much happier. And the last two days he has been doing two-hour morning sleeps too, which is freaking amazeballs.

Anyway, I digress. Archer LOVES the water, so we got him in his little rash vest and speedoes and his hat, which he spend the whole time trying to take off so I fashioned a very attractive homemade strap. Poor kid. Excuse the average photos, they were taken on an underwater camera that isn't much chop. I thought about recreating the Nevermind album but didn't trust him not to poo in the pool.

That leg chub! So yum.

Five things for a Friday.

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1. On Sunday night we went to an art opening in the Edinburgh Gardens. My best friend is an artist and is doing some work on a vacant 100-year-old plinth. It was a beautiful evening, and Archie was loving crawling around in the dirt. It was a nice reminder that it is actually possible to leave the house in a calm fashion without too much stuff. Although I did take a macadamia and pumpkin salad, a ricotta cake, baby food, a full nappy bag, cider, plates, cutlery and toys, and was slightly jealous of the cool kids carrying only a tiny vintage purse and cigarettes.

2. The other night Lee and I watched the documentary Searching for Sugarman, about the musician Sixto Rodriguez. It was great! I love docos, but keep forgetting to watch them (if that makes sense). Rodriguez released a few albums in the late 70s but they never really sold in the US. Meanwhile, in South Africa, he sold a whopping 500 million albums and was bigger than Elvis, but had no idea because the royalties never made it to him. He was a builder's labourer living in Detroit, totally unaware that he was a household name in South Africa until the doco makers contacted him. It was very well done and the soundtrack was amazing. Highly recommended.

3. Archie and I went to Ikea on Tuesday for a spending spree with my brother Ben and my friend Asher. Ben needed heaps of stuff for his bachelor-pad sharehouse and so he went nuts. I picked up a high chair for mum's place, a few frames, some bedding and a toilet brush. And on the way home from dropping Asher off a woman flagged my down in another car to tell me that my handbag was on the roof of my car. Awesome.

4. It has been so freaking hot the past few days, and it is going to be even hotter next week. I am SO over it. It is too hot to take Archie for walks or to go too many places, so we are mostly housebound, under the air con. He is a sweaty little bloke at the best of times so he gets all hot and stinky in the heat.

5. Because we have no money, I haven't bought any clothes for months, except op shop stuff and underwear. I literally wear a pair of $10 denim shorts and striped t-shirts everywhere, which is fine, but I would like to look remotely stylish occasionally. So I sucked it up and got some polkadot jeans and wait for it... another navy t-shirt. I need stuff that can survive getting spewed on, getting smeared in weetbix-caked grubby fingers, that I can get down on the floor in easily to play with blocks, and that isn't too hot. So it seems I still reverted back to jeans-and-a-t-shirt. At least the jeans are spotty?

Getting in early.

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My birthday is on April 10, which is a bit over a month away. In the spirit of 'ask-and-ye-shall-receive' there are a few hot items that would make me a happy lady. Some practical things that I wouldn't get myself, and some things that I just WANT. Also I know that my mum and Lee reads this so... guys, you might want to bookmark this list. Just saying.

Some sort of phone charger/music player thing for the car. I know that these exist, and I actually have one in my car now, but it is way too fiddly for my liking. I am yet to find one that will play through the speakers of my old car (tape deck!) without me needing to tune it in or anything.

Subscriptions. Now that we are a 1 1/4 income family with a mortgage and kid (god that sounds boring) my magazine addiction has come to a grinding halt. But I would love a subscription to Inside Out, Real Living, or Habitus. And Anthology, Vogue Living, Belle, Living Etc, and Donna Hay. (Tangent: I once worked with Donna Hay. She is a tyrant. For the short time that I worked in the magazine office, she made someone cry every.single.day. Powerful lady, yes, but quite the bully.)

Books. Beci Orpin's new book looks rad. And I have my eye on a few cookbooks- Donna Hay's Simple Dinners, Alice Hart's Vegetarian and Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty. I am trying to cook more exciting vego dinners (Lee is vego, I am not and Archie is not, although I can definitely foresee a day when Archie will decide that if Daddy ain't eating meat, then he won't either.)

A buttery leather jacket. I have a picture of one in my head, but I am yet to actually find it in real life. Not cropped, maybe with some panelling, not too motorbikey, quite slim fitting and not shiny. How hard can it be?

More time. This is a tricky one. I would love a day where I can sit and sew, crochet, watch Grand Designs, drink tea and actually complete some projects and be creative in a non-rushed way. Maybe in about 16 years?

On the move.

Archie is on the move. He is climbing up everything, crawling like a maniac, and pulling himself up to standing IN HIS SLEEP. Last night he called out at 4am, and I went in to his room and he was standing in his cot hanging onto the rails, still asleep. Awesome. I put him back down and he woke up and started crying, so I fed him and he would have a little mouthful of milk then try and climb up me to stand up again. It's like he's thinking, 'MUM! I don't lie down anymore, remember? I only stand! IT'S JUST WHAT I DO!'

Fun nights ahead!

(Also, on a sidenote, a very very dear friend of mine is doing something very very special today. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, WOMAN. I love you and wish I was there!)

Five things for a Friday.

1. Last weekend we had a lovely mini-break at Tonimbuk House, which is down in Gippsland. It was really, really, really relaxing. I was a bit worried that we would all be in one room and as such would all have to go to bed at 7pm with Archie, but he had his own room and so we all hung out, read books, did a jigsaw puzzle, caught up with Lee's family and ate good food. Bliss.

2. It was Lee's birthday on Monday. 31! When I was 20 I briefly went out with a guy who was 31, and I remember thinking he was SO OLD. And now here we are.

I only saw the birthday boy briefly as I had uni on Monday night and he was in Dandenong finishing installing a job. So I gave him his presents on Sunday night. I got him a new wallet from Status Anxiety, a nose hair trimmer ('twas necessary, especially as he is 6"2. Ain't nobody need to see those blowfly legs sticking out), and something else which hasn't arrived yet but will CHANGE HIS LIFE. My parents got him a whipper snipper. Fuck yes. You know you are an adult when you get a whipper snipper for your birthday.

We ditched the 12WBT thing for the day and I made him this tart, we ate a small slice each then moaned about how full we were and how sickly sweet it is and how it is all TOO MUCH whilst picking away at it and shoving more in our faces. My best friend was at our place when I got home from uni and she had brought Lee baklava and cheese pies. What a dame.

3. I am reading What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. I've read all his other books and would gladly recommend them to anyone, and this book is no exception. It is a collection of his best essays for the New Yorker and New York Times over the past few years, and the essay format really suits my attention span at the moment.

4.I am trying to simplify and purge stuff from my life, partially because I know we are moving house soon and partially because I am a minimalist living a maximalist life. Clutter begone! I have cleaned out cupboards like a crazy lady, and turfed heaps of hair and face products. I have been washing my face with a castor oil and jojoba blend and with HONEY (hippie) and it has been feeling pretty good so far. I am also considering going the 'no poo' method and ditching shampoo in favour of bicarb and apple cider vinegar. We will see how that goes. My new favourite website Crunchy Betty is all about natural skincare and stuff and I am all over it.

5. On Tuesday Archie and I had the poached eggs with peas and feta at Lowlands. It was pretty freaking awesome. Archie was on fire, lots of gummy grins at the wait staff and giggling. And then yesterday we had lunch with some friends at a new-to-me place in South Morang called Two Beans and a Farm. Although when my friend texted me, it autocorrected to 'Two Beans Abducted a Farm.' Best cafe name ever. I had a super yummy steak sandwich and then a strawberry and white chocolate bread and butter pudding. Ohhh yeah. (Sorry Michelle Bridges.)

On blogging.

So, I really really really like writing here. I have a few hang-ups about it being totally self-involved and lame-o to anybody else reading, but I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that people just won't read it if they don't want to. And that is okay with me. I literally just sit down at my desk, spew out some idle thoughts from inside my head, then forget about it. I have trouble remembering specific posts or the last thing I have written, as it is totally spontaneous and written on the fly. But that is all going to change, as I am getting REGULAR! (Tangent: Speaking of regular, Archie is now pooing a lot better than before, in case you were wondering (and I know you were all kept up at night wondering about my son's bowel habits)). I'm going to try something like writing about Archie and motherhood on Mondays, maybe something design-y on Wednesdays, then a bit of a week-in-review type thing on Fridays. This might only last a week before I have had enough and can't handle the PRESSURE, but I think it might be a good way to get me writing more.

So. We'll see how it goes.

And I leave you with some photos of Archie eating/demolishing. God, I love that kid.

The Hotel Project #1.

I am waist-deep in the concept stage of my final design project for uni at the moment. It is pretty massive, but we have a huge budget which eases the pressure. We have to design and document a boutique hotel in King St, Melbourne, and to a 3D CAD flythrough video. Gulp. CAD is kind of my weak point, I much prefer hand drawing and rendering than freaking digital modelling. Anyhoo. I am still resolving the final design, but I am thinking of a quite raw, luxurious, light feel with lots of open space, timber and me old fave, the poured concrete benchtop with integrated sink. I have been scrolling through images of Japanese onsens and hotels and now want to live in Japan.

Bathroom inspiration...

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So we literally have found the worst house in the best street.

 

So we missed out on the house we wanted by a measly five grand. Which is actually quite a bit in reality, but doesn't seem much when we are attempting to spend half a million dollars that we don't actually have on a house which would probably be a giant sinkhole sucking in all our finances for ever and ever. I was a little bit relieved, because it would have been a shitload of work. I have a feeling that the dude who bought it will bulldoze the house and put a block of units up. Bastard.

But no fear! We have our eye on another falling-down, peeling, rotting, near-condemnable dump! It is in Coburg, just off Moreland Rd. We have driven past and it looks like crap (by crap I mean AWESOME) and are going to the open for inspection tonight. I spoke to the agent on the phone and he mentioned that it is nearly a tear-down job, which makes me excited at NOT tearing it down and restoring it reminiscent of it's glory days. Anyway, it is a Californian bungalow painted bright blue, like some sort of Miami beach house transplanted into a leafy Coburg Street. And we all know I have a thing for shitty houses overzealously painted in rainbow hues (Ref Exhibit A).

And because I like to get overly emotionally attached to houses before I have even inspected them, I have found a good kindergarten and park nearby, located my nearest supermarket, mapped how long it will take to get to my best friend's house, introduced myself to the neighbours and planted some tomatoes in the yard (I jest, I jest).

We will need to look at the place, do a thorough budget of how much it will cost us to renovate, plug the numbers into our awesome "are we going to lose all our money and have to eat only baked beans fur the next 30 years" spreadsheet, which is literally titled 'Awesome Spreadsheet' on my desktop, then make an offer they can't resist.

Seriously, as if I am grown up enough for this shizzle (She says as she eats cream cheese out of the tub whilst dancing to Beyonce in a ridiculously messy kitchen).

Ten things for a Tuesday.

So, I had a bit of a blogging break for the last month. There has been lots going on, and I have been too busy living to stop and blog about it!

1. Archie was eight months old last Thursday. He is so freaking gorgeous at this age. He babbles away now and following our pattern of speech. I will ask him a question and he will respond, then ask me a question with the same intonation. Such a parrot. He had a few issues with his tummy being all blocked up, but I think that is sorted out now. He eats SO MUCH. Like it is a noticeable amount that requires more groceries to be bought.  And he is sleeping through the night about 80% of the time. Yay! His day sleeps are pretty solid too, with an ninety minute nap in the morning and two more longish naps in the afternoon. Such an awesome kid.

2. We are putting the finishing touches on our house now, as we have decided to lease it out. We are trying to buy another renovator that we have our eye on, and can hopefully swing it so we can rent this place out and not have to sell it. The other place (if we get it) makes the condemnable, dilapidated state of our last two houses look easy. It will need to be pretty much gutted and started anew. It will be LOTS of work, but will be worth it. It is a gorgeous old Californian bungalow with 8-foot ceilings and lots of trees. I really hope we get it.

3. The next few months are going to be mental. If we get this other house, we will have to style and prop our house ASAP to get it rented out, then move out to Mum and Dad's place for a few months while we build the other house up to a reasonably liveable standard. Plus the little guy will be turning one in June and is a force to be reckoned with when he is on the move. And we want to try for another kiddo too. This year is another big one. But I guess that is life, hey? If we had a quiet year with no renovations or babies or travel or house moves I would probably be bored.

4. We are doing lots of exciting things with the business. We are launching a new project soon, which will hopefully bring in a little cash and let me unleash some creativity and business skills again. I'm really excited about it!

5. Lee and I are doing Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation. The name is pretty horrible so Lee and I are calling it the Healthy Living Extravaganza. My bestest mum friend, my mum and my mum's best friend doing it too, which is great as we can all be hungry and sore together. Ha! Not really (yes really). It's only Day 2 and I am hanging out for chocolate or honey toast or pizza. But once I get over the first hump it should be a bit easier. I don't really want to lose much weight, but am more into getting fitter and making healthy eating and exercise more of a habit, instead of eating five bits of toast at 11am, then a Mars Bar at the supermarket at 4pm, then a giant carby dinner followed by a Magnum. (God I would kill for a freaking Magnum right now.)

6. Lee and I have been married for 72 days now. Most of the time it feels exactly the same as being not married. I keep forgetting to wear my wedding ring and still call him my Manfriend. I think that having a baby is such a greater test for a relationship than being married. Society should encourage people to have babies before getting married, there would be waaaaaaay less divorce as you would find out pretty quickly if you are both in it for the long haul. There ain't nuthin like a midnight poo emergency to prove who's a keeper!

7. I have started making Archie a jumper for winter. My mum seems to think that Archie will get teased for having homemade clothes, but I'm pretty sure the kids at playgroup aren't going to care. It is red and grey and based on this pattern (on a sidenote, how freaky is the baby in that picture?!)

8. At the risk of sounding like a Cosmo article, I am in a bit of a wardrobe rut. I stuck some photos of pretty outfits up on the inside of my wardrobe to inspire me to wear something besides my uniform of denim shorts, striped tshirt, chuck taylors and a scarf with a messy bun. I literally wear this everyday. Sometimes I add a cardigan and leggings if it is colder, but I wear these cheapo Cotton On shorts six days a week. Actually come to think of it, that is pretty gross.

9. I just re-read this list of things that I wanted to do before my 27th birthday in April. Ha! Clearly I made it before I had a baby. 'Make Turkish delight'. 'Read a Tale of Two Cities'. 'Quit sugar'. Clearly that is a list written by a hormonal pregnant lady with no concept of how much work a baby actually is. I think I'll try to do ONE thing off the list in the next couple of months. Maybe 'Relax more'?

10. Aaaand Archie has just woken up after a 20 minute nap. Awesome.

xx

Pinspiration

While I've been on holidays, I have been going nuts on Pinterest. Lee and I are doing up his mum's bathroom soon so I've been keeping an eye out for bathroom inspiration. I still love concrete benchtops but I'm not sure if they are feasible in her place. Here are some things I have pinned lately.  

Source: doesnotcontainnuts.tumblr.com via Emma on Pinterest

Source: wright20.com via Emma on Pinterest

Source: style-files.com via Emma on Pinterest

Source: trendir.com via Emma on Pinterest

Source: style-files.com via Emma on Pinterest

Source: brwnpaperbag.com via Emma on Pinterest

Dear 2012

 

Dear 2012,

So, it would be fair to say that you were QUITE a significant year. This time last year, I was probably in the same place I am right now (sitting on the couch at my parent’s beach house at Torquay, looking out at the water and eating cherries), except this year I have a baby and a husband. My family has grown and I have grown and I have a freaking baby. A BABY.

Sometimes I look at him and wonder how on earth he got here. How nearly seven months ago he was an unknown wriggly octopus in my tummy, and nine months before that he didn’t exist at all. And now there is a new person in the world. A tiny, lumpy, squawky new person who likes sweet potato and eating books and his Nan’s silver bracelets and is stubborn and noisy and always falls asleep in the car.

You kicked my ass, 2012. The first half of the year was all pregnancy glow and baby preparations and happy fun times, and after June 7 it was all HOLY CRAP WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS/ THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER.

At the four week health nurse visit, I had to fill out a form with questions like ‘How often do you feel overwhelmed?,’ How often do you have trouble sleeping?’ and ‘How often do you feel sad for no reason?’ and because I answered ‘ALL THE FREAKING TIME’ to most of the questions I got referred to a psychiatrist. I saw her three times and was reassured that occasionally regretting my decision to procreate and that sometimes having horrible thoughts towards my gorgeous new baby in the middle of the night after being awake for 40 straight hours didn’t mean that I was a terrible person.

In retrospect, I didn’t have postnatal depression, just hardcore sleep deprivation and lasting baby blues, but it was still shitty. I remember not even being able to comprehend getting to Christmas alive.

So, you know what, 2012? I kicked your ass right back. Lee and I got married and Archie is still in one piece and we are all sane and happy and alive.

Bring it on, 2013.

xx

Archie at six months.

So, the little man turned six months old on the 7th of December. Half a year! God. I feel like I just gave birth yesterday. I wonder at what point I can stop using 'But I just had a baby!' as an excuse...

He has such a little personality. He is stubborn like his father but SO NOISY (which is not like Lee AT ALL). We have been feeding him solid foods for a few weeks now, and there seems to be no middle ground with his hunger. He is either super keen and gobbles down literally a whole cupful of food, or he doesn't want anything and will clamp his mouth shut and stare me down in a battle of wills. We are doing a bit of a combo of baby-led feeding and purees, so I give him pureed food then a chunk of something too. This morning I gave him a chunk ofpeach and he loved it - squished it up and smeared it all over himself. 

His sleeping habits had totally turned to rubbish, with feeding more at night than in the day and being grumpy all the time. So I got all Tough Love Mama and let him yell. I figured that it was best to nip the bad sleep habits in the bud before he is old enough to stand or sit up and properly miss me, and the health nurse said that a six-month-old baby doesn't really need food during the night, especially as he has more than doubled his birth weight and is clearly a very healthy little chunker. 

It was absolutely heartbreaking to listen to, but I consoled myself by reading studies on how sleep training is NOT bad for babies and is better in the long run. I kept telling myself that we aren't doing it TO him, but we are doing it FOR him. 

Anyway, the first night he woke up three times and cried for about 45 minutes each time. I went in after 5 minutes of crying, to calm him down a bit and flip him back over if he was on his tummy. It was a pretty horrendous night, but the next day he seemed happy and had two two-hour naps, which is unheard of.

And it has totally paid off, as the next night he work up twice and cried for 15 minutes each time, and last night he SLEPT THROUGH. Ohhh yeah. He woke up at 5am ready for the day, so I fed him and he fell back asleep until 7.30am. And then went back down for a nap at 10am and is still asleep now at 11.45. He is happier and smilier and calmer than usual too. Parenting WIN!