Holidays, Work & Weight Loss

This past weekend we took a little family holiday down to the beach. It was so beautiful, far from swimming weather as it's averaging around 12-14 degrees here each day but beautiful just the same.

I did manage to sneak away for a couple of hours and get a pedicure which was much needed and Nick had some quality daddy daughter time.

It's amazing how just a few days away can leave you feeling completely refreshed.

I've also just returned home from my first work trip since having Mali. I was away for 3 days, 2 nights and surprisingly i was ok with it. I secretly loved having a bath in my motel room and thoroughly enjoyed the full 2 nights of 8+ hours of unbroken sleep. Even though Mali has been sleeping through for quite a while now i rarely sleep an entire night through without checking the monitor that's right next to my head. I missed her terribly the whole time but the worst was the day i was coming home, i just seemed to see so many babies her age and i couldn't wait to get to her! We had big cuddles and she was so excited when i arrived to pick her up from daycare, so so precious, she even had a little tear in her eye :)

On another note, i mentioned in one of my last vlogs that i am going to be a bridesmaid at the end of October and desperately need to shed some weight. I have been on a weight loss mission for a few months now and i still have around 12kgs to lose. So with 12 weeks to go, i'm taking some ideas from fellow bloggers and giving myself my first 30 day challenge. 

I am vowing to eat clean for the entire 30 days as well as do cardio exercise 3 days per week. I am currently up to week 4 of the C25K program which is working ok for me. It's not a lot of time required and we have the bonus of a treadmill in our home gym. It will teach me to run 5km  3 times per week which is something i've always wanted to be able to do.

I've also (along with a work colleague) committed to take part in the Melbourne Marathon (only the 10km event) on 10/10/2010.... this totally scares the crap out of me! 

So training begins...  Wish me luck :)

How awesome is this....

Just found this and i love it!!

We Have Teeth....

Within 2 weeks Mali  has got 2 top teeth, her second bottom tooth, another coming through on the bottom AND 4 more coming on the top! This is a little scary, although i have to say she is handling it very well :)

And they make it very easy to eat...Broccoli! I can't believe how much she likes it, and especially how much she loves smearing it everywhere.

Ahhh, my baby is becoming a toddler :(

It's Been Awhile!

So i know there is absolutely no excuse for my lack of Blogging or Vlogging so i'm not going to even attempt to give one. I will however say that boy does time fly!

The last time i updated Mali was just over 6 months and i was about to start back at work. She is now almost 9 months and i have been back at work (3 days a week) for 2 months and 1 week! 

She started Daycare on the 5th of July as my mum was able to look after her for the months of May and June. She only went for the first 3 days and caught a chest infection and a respiratory tract infection! So needless to say this week Nick and i are taking shifts of working from home while she is sick.

Today is Tuesday and it's my turn :)

Surprisingly, i have actually been doing quite a bit of work. Even though Mali is sick she is still a great sleeper, just gone 1.5hrs and still asleep!

The photos i've added range from 6 months to almost 9 months, i don't really think she has changed much, but others do.

So back to work.... it's hard! Not my work in general and i must admit i do like my job, but what is hard is the constant division in my brain. I can switch 20 times a day from mummy mode to career mode, it's hard to balance the two and especially when i feel a constant tugging for me to go and 'rescue' Mali from daycare and be at home with her.

I just keep telling myself that this what we have to do for now and she will benefit from it eventually. This will enable me to have at least 12 months off with our next baby, so i see it as totally worth it.

Mali is not crawling yet and i'm not actually sure that she will. She shows no interest in moving around at all and is quite happy to sit and play. My mum said that my older sister never crawled, she just went from sitting to walking, so we'll see. Apparently i crawled, but only for a short amount of time and was quite late in doing so.

She loves eating toast and cereal for breakfast and has really mastered the finger food thing now. She eats a variety of fruits, veggies, pasta, meat and yoghurt on a daily basis so i feel happy with her 'eating'.

Still has 4 bottles of formula a day and drinks water with every meal as well as between meals (especially while she's sick). Really happy with that too.

So that's a general update, maybe i'll try and be super productive today and do a Vlog too! No promises though ;)

Mali's First Easter

Mali's First EASTER...

She had the cutest outfits! They were all in one fluffy suits.... Soooo cute :)

Mali & her little boyfriend Oscar... it was freezing cold in the mornings so they were both all rugged up!

Each night before bed i'd give her her bottle by the campfire. She was so toasty warm after just having a bath :)

Starting Solids & Upcoming Naming Day

We love Rice Cereal!!

Mali has started eating solids and loves it...YAY!

So far she's had Rice Cereal, Apples & Carrots. Soooo cute :) We love watching her when she tries something new. Her facial expressions are so adorable, especially with the apple.

She loves carrot too :)

Pear, Pumpkin, Zucchini and Sweet Potato are next, can't wait.

We are having a naming day for Mali in a couple of weeks and i have no idea what to dress her in.... and then there's me... that's another story. I've been looking for cute little outfits but it's so hard with the weather right now, cold one day hot the next. Going shopping Friday night, fingers crossed.

Tam xx

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How It Feels To Be A Mother...

I thought since giving birth to Amalia i had felt and come to love the feeling of being her Mummy. I thought that my love for her couldn't possibly get any stronger or deeper.                                               

Our day to day activities of her feeding, playing, going to sleep, me going in, seeing her excited smile and cradling her in my arms when she wakes from a nap are all things i love experiencing and couldn't imagine ever tiring of. 
I thought that i had felt how it truly feels to be a 'mother'.
That is until she fell ill. 
From all my crushed high school loves to adulthood heartbreaks i thought i knew how it felt to ache for someone. But no, i was wrong, nothing has ever hit me as deep as seeing my poor little helpless baby girl sick.

Now i thank goodness that this is something that will pass and she will be fine, and my heart goes out to those parents with babies and children with very serious illnesses. But it doesn't make it feel any less traumatic at the time, nor make me feel any less helpless.

I think what also hit me hard was that whenever i have needed love, comforting or reassurance i have always had my mum to call on. This time i was the mum, i had to be the strong one, the one giving cuddles and kisses and saying that everything was going to be ok. This is what really made me realise what it's like to be a mother. No matter what i was thinking bad or otherwise, all i had to do was make sure she felt safe and that she was going to be ok.

This is Mali on her third day of being unwell.

She still manages to give us big smiles occasionally

even though i know she's feeling terrible.

So it turns out she has Croup. Very scary and very cruel for little babies. She is definitely feeling better and her appetite has returned as of today...YAY!!

I love being Mali's mummy & i hope she feels as protected & safe as i did when i was young.

Tam xx

Babies, Weight Loss & Valentines Day

Aahhh, it was only a matter of time before the question was asked.... 'so when will you guys have baby #2?'

Honestly, i don't think many days go by without me thinking about it. 

BUT... I refuse to get pregnant again while still carrying an extra 15kgs of weight. I'm so excited at the thought of having another baby and it's a great motivator in the weight loss department (I just need to keep reminding myself of this when i'm feeling lazy) but i just can't contemplate it yet.

3 more of our friends have just had babies (all are their first) and it makes me so clucky when i see these little bubbas! Eeeee... i love it!

So our Valentines Day was nice, we didn't exchange gifts or anything, we're not really into it that much, but i did make pancakes for breakfast and we went for a really long walk. We took our dog 'Bella' and i pushed Mali in her pram. It was such a beautiful day here and Mali got to wear shoes for the first time :)

They are little Puma Sneakers and they are so cute! She was so happy that she looked the part (*wink wink*) all dressed in her sporty clothes.



Tam xx

Losing This Baby Weight

Isn't it amazing how powerful your mind is? 

I think for us women it is particularly true when it comes to love, relationships, self confidence and body image. I know that unless my mind is willing to do or participate in something my physical self will find it almost impossible to proceed. 

I have found that over the last 2 weeks of my weight loss journey i have gone back and forth with the excuses, beat myself up a little and hated looking in the mirror only to find myself still sitting on the couch with chocolate in hand! 

That was until yesterday... 

That thing happened in my mind, that shift that i have longed for for around 14 days, that voice in my head that said 'yep, let's do this' finally appeared. It's like someone switched a light on and there is no turning it off. 

I love it! 

All of a sudden the things that i was making excuses to avoid seem achievable and dare i say it...FUN :) 

So, week 3 here i come with renewed enthusiasm from both body & MIND!

Tam xx 

Getting Organised...

So i've finally uploaded my first Vlogs to YouTube...YAY!! 

It's about time i say!

Here are the links in case you haven't seen them:

Introducing Our Beautiful Daughter - Amalia Maree

Intro to Mali & Me + Week 15 Update Pt1

Intro to Mali & Me + Week 15 Update Pt2

This photo was taken last saturday at home. It was beautiful weather here and my husband wanted to do some work outside so we all ventured out - i say it like that because we have a 1400m2 block so it feels like an excursion when you sit right up the back. I realised, this was Malis first time sitting in our backyard. Numerous times i've walked around the backyard with her in the sling etc but never actually sat down under the trees... I love all these 'firsts' :) First time giggling, first time rubbing her eyes when she's tired, first time sleeping on her side, first time patting (well reaching out and touching) our dog bella, first time pulling her bottle to her mouth. I love, love, love it!

So this Friday she will be 16 weeks, time for round 2 of immunisations :( I really don't like them. What is worse is that she doesn't understand why it's hurting. At her last shots, i think she was still unaware of her legs so even though it was a shock, she didn't cry for very long and i was able to soothe her quite easily. These ones though could be very different... wish me luck

Tam xx

New to this :)

My very first blog post...

This life of mine has certainly not been dull. A wonderful husband - Nick, gorgeous new baby girl - Amalia and now in the midst of deciding what to do work wise... tough decision!!