I'm going to ride my bike until I get home

We had a super Friday, Ross had the day off so we went down to Fremantle to Wild Poppies for breakfast which was delightful. Though for some reason I decided to have salmon (this wasn't smoked salmon, it was a fillet!) for breakfast which then bought back horrible memories of the Japanese hospital breakfasts I had to endure. Not that Wild Poppies salmon was at all horrible, it was actually delicious...haha! 

Anyways, we were in Fremantle because at the Angove Street Festival Ross bought us a super cute vintage inspired bike and we have decided to get a baby bike seat so we can go on family bike rides! We walked across to South Terrace to the bike shop there (I forget what it was called!) and found the cutest baby bike seat in all the land! We fell in love with the Bobike Mini which is designed by those clever Dutch people. They have made a seat for the front of your bike which makes a lot more sense to Ross and I because we can see her!

We picked the grey and white abstract pattern called Isis Grey which matches our bike perfectly and we also ordered a tiny baby helmet which looks like a ladybug haha amazingly cute! We got home and Ross installed the seat onto our bike and we put Tallulah in it and tested it out in the safety of our carport. OMG there were sounds of joy I have never heard before! Her little face was filled with excitement!

We pick up the helmet next weekend- YAY! I can't wait to bike around!

P.S Aren't Tallulah's cherry pants the cutest little pants ever? haha love!

Fork

So over last couple of months I have been faced with a tough decision of whether I should return to work.  I think I knew the whole time I was stressing (oh yeah there were tears!) about it that it was out of my control and I wouldn't be going back to my much loved job this year. As I mentioned previously on my blog Tallulah and I have been at war over the dreaded bottle. She refused to take it. A battle obviously I have lost haha! In the end I just couldn't visualise how it was going to work. There was too many obstacles from who was going to look after her when my job got hectic and I needed to work more than 1 day a week to how was the person (my mama!) going to cope with a grumbling baby who refuses to drink from a bottle. Impossible. 

I am a project manager and work in the fashion and events industry which means long hours, hard work and lots parties! I love it and I have always been super career focussed where my job sometimes consumes me. It was really hard for me to tell my boss and my work friends I wouldn't/couldn't be part of the team this year. It really hurt my heart.

I felt like a little bit of Renee was being put into the freezer. My career has always kind of been who I was which sounds a little strange but the fashion/arts industry is a my type of lifestyle and I am pretty passionate about it and live and breathe it. But to be fair, as I have been so focussed on Tallulah and Ross and being a little family I feel like it I wouldn't be able to switch off and be 100% there and to be honest my job requires that! How do some mama's go back after 6 weeks? I am in awe of you, you are my heroes! I always thought I would be able to do the same, to juggle both career and motherhood but jolly-gosh it would be oh-so hard.

Next year (if we are still in Perth!) is a different story. Tallulah will be 12+ months and not so dependant on me. I will no longer be her walking fridge which means she can stay at her grandmas house and I won't have to worry so much as to whether she is getting enough milk as she will be able to eat real food- yippee! I am going to try out the juggle and see if I can keep all the balls in the air. I'm sure I can do, it will just take a little bit of practise!

I am trying to be a half-glass full mama and decided my new situation gives me 12 months to focus on being the best mama to Tallulah and figuring this whole baby/mama thing out. Its quite mind boggling but I'm pretty excited about it. It means I can spend Wednesdays with my mama (her day off!) and Tallulah, crafting and gossiping. Its quite delightful. My clever mama crocheted Tallulah that most awesome owl beanie. She is teaching me how to knit. It means I can spend Tuesdays with my Mum & Bubs group who I adore. It means Tallulah gets my undivided attention which is nice. As I'm writing this it actually seems quite idyllic....!

Party Animals

Had one of the b.e.s.t weekends we've had in awhile. As I mentioned in my last post we are embracing our nightlife again! Gosh, I missed it, I forgot how great fun it is to hang with my lovely friends, drinking wine and eating delish food at nighttime. Really there is no better way to spend a weekend. I'm pretty sure Tallulah didn't know what hit her, two nights out in a row! Party animals! She has mastered sleeping in her pram, OMG thankyou!!! I was starting to think I had purchased the wrong pram...

Its funny, I think I had convinced myself you can do everything you did before you had a baby, but in reality its not really that idyllic. Ross and I used to just pop down the road for a beer or cider and sometimes one afternoon beer turned into a boozy dinner and more drinks but unless you organise a babysitter this doesn't really happen. It takes more planning, doesn't?

We've embraced going to friends houses and having people over to ours and I must say I really love it! The drinks are cheaper, I love cooking and the best part Tallulah can join us! One of my best friends is expecting in July so there will be another little babe around which will be super! I really can't wait for more of my friends to join this baby world its pretty neat! Oh geez did I just say that? Hilare!

six bags of apples

OMG I have a six month old! How did this happen? Its nuts! We went for Tallulah's 6 month health appointment on Tuesday and she hasn't quite hit 6 kilos yet, she tipped the scales at 5.88kg and measures  63cm! She is one LONG yet SKINNY baby, quite like her papa!

She is oh-so happy sitting and playing with her toys now, she loves, loves it! She has also started to get up on her knees and hands and sway to and forth! Clever, girl! I feel crawling is not that far away! So in preparation we have just bought some baby safety gates so she won't be able to crawl into the kitchen or bathroom! We are expecting her to be a live wire as she is also going, going, going!

In other news we had our first dinner date with friends last night which was ah-mazing! We have been avoiding night time dates like a bad smell as Tallulah is always a little cranky! But we've decided this mama and papa need their night life back! And I must say I have missed it! It was such a lovely night out we met some friends for Hainan Chicken Rice at Tak Chee then went for Icey Ice! Tallulah was pretty entertaining and shriek and gurgled all night! Tonight we are going for pizza and wine at our friends, hooray for outings!

I hope everyone is having a super weekend! We just spent the morning dining on baked eggs, coffee and beetroot & choc cake at the new cafe Attic in Fremantle! Delightful!

Mama Love

So we had a milestone hit last week! Tallulah is officially sitting! Yippee! Its so darn cute! She still face plants from time to time so I still put cushions around her haha. She is trying so hard to tuck her feet up and what looks like crawling but she just scoots with her head! Its not far away I predict!

How was your Mama's Day? My Sunday was delightfully great! I started out the morning with snuggles in bed with Tallulah and Ross then was presented with a delicious coffee from Cantina. Oh yeah, the biggest present of the day was that Tallulah slept through the night so I slept from 11pm-7pm OMG sleep is SOOOO good. I miss it a little haha! We then piled into the car and went to my Mums for scones then off to Ross' parents for a roast lunch. It almost had a Christmas vibe to it! Eating, drinking, laughing with family! We were all exhausted when we got home and lounged around and catnapped!

I have realised how nice it is to celebrate all these special days and create your own little family traditions and everything is more exciting when you are experiencing it for the first time with a tiny human!

P.S. Looks like that sleeping thing was a one off present that only happens on Mothers Day haha Tallulah woke up at 3:30am and wanted to PLAY...haha an hour later of rocking and feeding she was back sleeping! Mr Sleep I am sure we will meet again!

3 generations! One of my all time fave photos!

Light Bulb

Thanks my lovely friend Penny Lane for this super cute photo!

Yesterday I went on a stroll through Mount Lawley en-route to our weekly mums & bubs picnic in Hyde Park (I love my mama ladies!). The sun was shining, I had a delicious coffee in hand and I was wearing a cute spring frock and Tallulah was happily gurgling in her pram when suddenly everything felt SO right. I'm going to try and explain this but its kind of hard to put into words.

Since Tallulah was an instant baby (a friend called her a polaroid baby- haha cute!) and we were just beginning a 3 month around the world trip to explore places that I had never been I have to honestly say I felt a little jipped. Not in a resentful way, I have never felt resentment towards Tallulah I just felt like something I really wanted to experience just wasn't going to happen. So perhaps a sense of disappointment because for 6 months we had been planning, planning, planning this major 'life-adventure' and it had to be abandoned for reason out of our control. Those months should have been spent planning another 'life adventure' a baby. I feel sometimes I missed out of all those right of passages like sonograms, baby shopping, baby shower and generally the mental preparation. I have never experienced a disappointment feeling like this before. Its a strange feeling.

I also spent some time in the early months of Tallulah's life mourning my dream trip which I was suppose to be doing with my love of my life. We were suppose to be eating waffles in Belgium, drinking beer in Portland and kissing in Paris and celebrating my birthday in New York. At times it was hard for me accept that these 3 months would be replaced with nappies, breastfeeding,vomit and sleepless nights.

Ross instantly accepted his new role as a Dad. For some reason I struggled a little more with the idea that I was now a Mum not a footloose and fancy free 28-year-old living it up in delightful foreign countries. It took me a bit longer to adjust. I am actually surprised how well I have adjusted. I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I have a little boo-hoo. I think thats pretty impressive for someone who considers herself a bit emo! I TRULY believe that maternal instinct just clicks. It amazes me how I feel toward this little tiny person. Pure simple love. Love forever. Its pretty dreamy.

Now I must say Ross has been one amazing man. He promises we will be going on an American adventure next year and also assures me there are going to be many more overseas trips to come. Its probably not the same style of adventure we would have initially planned but nonetheless I know its going to be an amazing family adventure. I am excited. I dream of going to Portland, San Fran, New York and all the other places we were planning of going. I can not wait to share these new places with Tallulah.

So yesterday my feeling 'rightness' was really lovely. I suddenly realised (haha only took 6 months) that I was happy through and through. Even though I know our overseas trip will mend that little piece of my heart which still longs to see new countries and places but the rest of it is filled with joy to have this tiny human in my life. Its a nice feeling, truly!