New friend

Easy conversation without pause
Much in common
Points of difference
Laughter
Two 15 month old babes make friends too
And while they bond over some squashed banana cake
Their mums become friends

The first lemon

When the Batsman's twin died eleven weeks into the pregnancy I felt such a mixture of emotions. I was so sad to lose a precious baby but so happy that the Batsman battled on in-utero and appeared likely to make it into the world. Part of me wanted to curl up in a ball and just weep for an eternity, yet I also knew that I needed to nurture the babe within and take care of myself. It was confusing. It was bittersweet.

Both the Captain and I wanted to plant a tree to commemorate that time. We went to a beautiful plant nursery and wandered until we found the right one. We chose a gorgeous (but little) lemon tree to live in a big blue ceramic pot on our back deck. The lemon tree is still with us but has taken quite a bit of time to "find its feet".

And here it is...our very first lemon on our angel's lemon tree.

We will always love and remember you little one.

A little more like myself

I have looked in the mirror a few times over the last 3 months and felt like I could barely recognise myself. There have been dark circles under my eyes, blemishes on my face and I have just looked tired and pale and well, exhausted. It makes perfect sense because life has been so crazy and stressful and busy that yes, I have been utterly physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted every single day. That awful feeling of waking up tired and having no idea how you will get to the other end of a 12+ hour day with two small children.


This week I have...

• shared a long, comfortable conversation and a gorgeous wood fired pizza evening out with my gorgeous cousin.
• sipped a cosmopolitan and giggled along with the (albeit crass) Sex and the City 2 film at a fundraiser for the Batsman's kindergarten
• baked a flourless orange cake and some chocolate chip cookies
• had breakfast in a favourite cafe and read the newspaper in complete peace.

Sounds luxurious doesn't it. It was lovely and happened because the Captain stepped up (as he so often does) to look after the boys so I could have a break.


And I am very pleased to say that as this long weekend draws to a close, I am feeling just a little more like myself.

Shout out to a gal with get up and go

Hairdressers are important people in the worlds of so many and I just want to give a little (unsolicited) shout out to my lovely hairdresser Jane and her business Running with Scissors. Running with Scissors is a mobile hairdressing business and so every 8 weeks or so Jane appears on my doorstep with her mobile "everything" and cuts and colours my hair and cuts the Batsman's hair too (when he will allow it). It makes for a relaxed experience to chat to your hairdresser over a cup of tea in your own home. I love it.


Not only is Jane a great hairdresser, she is also one of the most positive and creative young (young when compared to me!) small business owners you could ever meet. She has get up and go this gal and I reckon Running with Scissors will go far. I know that not many of you who might read here are in Melbourne town but if you are and you (or someone you know) needs a gorgeous home based hairdressing experience then please visit Jane here.

A week of firsts

It has been a big week of firsts for the Bowler.
First "wave".
First "clapping hands".
First big crawling adventures.
First ride in the car with the car seat facing forward.
Congratulations my little toothy one. Very exciting.
My baby boy is growing up.
With all of the chaos and challenges going on with the Batsman over here I can't blink too often or I just might miss something.
I know you are there my beautiful Bowler and I don't want to miss a thing.

On Mother's Day

I have mixed feelings about Mother’s Day. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to honour and thank my mum for who she is and all that she does. Since the Captain and I became a partnership, it has often been a tricky day with juggling both families, expectations, joint gifts and other associated kerfuffle. I really don’t like the commercialism of the day and the opportunity taken by all retailers everywhere to turn the occasion into yet another gift extravaganza on the calendar and see how many very ordinary pairs of fluffy slippers made in China can make their way into homes across Australia. Yep, mixed feelings.

However, since becoming a mum I am aware now, of what the day means to so many, not as the child, but as the mum. There is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated, to cherish the time spent with your children and partner...a day of love. On Mother’s Day there is sadness too. Sadness for friends who are missing their mums and sadness for those friends who are missing their babies. There is a little sadness for me too as I think of the two twinkling little stars who never quite made it into the world. Yep, more mixed feelings.


Mixed feelings aside, today has been a lovely day. Early morning cuddles from the Batsman and the Bowler and cocoa pops in bed. A bracelet and brooch made by the Batsman at kinder. A handmade card. Chocolate. Cake. More chocolate. Some time with my mum and dad. And a part of the day that is often my very favourite time...a warm, sudsy bath with both my little boys (it’s a big bath!). The warm water relaxes everyone and we spend lots of time blowing bubbles, splashing and singing. Such a lovely day.


My beautiful Batsman and my gorgeous Bowler,
Thank you for being the most lovely boys in the world.
Thank you for somehow finding your way to me and giving me the privilege of being your mum.
For the cuddles and the smiles, the tears and the tumbles, the highs and the lows, the goodnight kisses and the early morning wrestles on the bed – thankyou.
I am so proud of both of you and I know how fortunate I am to have you with me.
I love you.
Mummy xx

Instant Winner

The winner of the lighting voucher from Buyster Lighting is scej....the only person to make a comment and enter! An instant winner of some light. So scej, email me your details and I will arrange for Buyster to get your voucher to you.

Image via weheartit

Segovia lets some new light in and a giveaway

It was time for a new look for Segovia, a bit of a spruce up, time to open some windows and let some light in. Coming across my new blog template happily co-incided with the opportunity for a wall lighting GIVEAWAY! This is the very first giveaway for Segovia and all new terrain for me so I am excited to be able to share and give my gorgeous readers the opportunity to let a little light in for themselves. Buyster Lighting are giving one lucky person a $40 gift voucher to spend on a lovely light fitting. To enter the giveaway all you need to do is leave me a comment on this post letting me know what you do to let a little extra light into your day. The giveaway is open to Australian residents only (sorry to my OS friends) until Wednesday 14th April at midnight with the winner to be randomly drawn and announced shortly thereafter.

Good luck

A lot going on

These past few weeks have felt like what I imagine it feels like to go through the extended dance mix version of a washing machine cycle. A kind of family and domestic tsunami I guess. Hot, cold, wet, dry, spinning, bubbling and being hung out to dry. So much has been going on and there has not been time to record it in any meaningful way for Segovia so I can pay only brief lip service to it by way of a list:

• storm damage (house and cars) following the almighty Melbourne deluge of March 6
• my dad having a heart valve replacement including significant post operative complications resulting in a second life-saving surgery and extended time in intensive care (he is doing well now)
• a Bowler baby who has slept little during the night (thankfully he seems to be getting his sleep groove happening now - mind you he would need to be at almost 8 months of age). Oh, and the two new teeth are through and grinning proudly.
• a domestic induced shoulder injury for me followed ever so quickly by a lower back injury (both recovering now)
• some significant (but not surprising) news about the Batsman

Just writing down that list feels exhausting and I wonder, really, and marvel, really, that we have made it into April. Amazing. I hope those of you who read here are well and happy and that your March was ever so less eventful than mine.


On the Batsman and his news - that is a rollercoaster all of its own that I will be sharing very soon by way of a new, separate blog. The I Love You Song and other adventures will record that part of our family journey. I don't want to seem too mysterious but for now TILYS will be a private, invitation only blog - at least until I get my head around where we are and what I am saying and some of the complex privacy issues involved. I would love for current readers of Segovia to become followers of The I Love You Song and other adventures so if you would like to do that, please leave me a comment below and I will send you an invitation to read.


In the meantime, I want to share a little bit of brotherly love.

Another Twinkling Little Star and his Mummy too

I stumbled across this story this morning reading the news online. I don't know this family but my heart aches for them all the same.


Rest in peace Michelle and baby Charlie

Image via weheartit

Three little words

Saturday was a special day for me. Probably one of the most special in my life. As I left home to go and do a long awaited cooking course, I imparted final instructions to the Captain for his daddy day ahead, kissed the Bowler's forehead and hugged the Batsman, telling him as I always do "love you". I couldn't believe my ears when I heard "love you Mamma". Tears sprang to my eyes. The Batsman has taken some time to get his talking mojo on and we think he will face some challenges with learning language as time goes on. Three word sentences have been much cherished from him when they float through the air toward us....music to the ears of a mum. But never will three little words be cherished more than the three I heard on Saturday.

Love you Mamma. Three little words.
xx

PS: The cooking course was amazing...I even learnt to debone a chicken! More info here

Kinder, the tooth and the new train bed

It has been a big week or so here in our house.
The Bowler welcomed his first tooth at almost six months of age.

The Bowler also had his first go at the jumper. The Batsman also learned that the jumper is not a swing!

The Batsman gave up his much treasured baby sleeping bags and moved into this special bed complete with train quilt and pillow. Much to my surprise, all that happened with minimal fuss and now he adores his new bed.

But the biggest thing to happen in our family this week was the Batsman starting his journey into the big wide world of 3 year old kinder.

He walked there.

He spent a little bit of time outside.

Then it was time to have a look inside.

He drew pictures

He played with cars

He played with some beads.

And after an hour or so, it was time to walk home.

Like I said, it has been a big week or so - no wonder I am exhausted!

A new family

Thinking right now of two friends, dear lovely people who as I write this are meeting their son for the first time...a gorgeous 14 month old boy they are adopting from a faraway city in China. Imagine...standing in the meeting room of a busy orphanage, waiting for someone to bring their little boy to them..."here is your son". Wow...it gives me shivers to imagine it.
A little boy abandoned. A couple who have travelled an almost 7 year journey to keep their dream to become parents alive. Meeting for the first time. A new family.
Travel well and gently new family.
Image from We Heart It

It's been a while

I haven't been blogging.

Reading?....yes, every day. Commenting?...yes, most days.Writing?...no.

There's lots of reasons for it....first there was Christmas and all the associated mayhem of shopping, cooking, eating, drinking and wrangling relatives and small children. Then there was the time away at the beach with no net access. And then the time at home with The Captain on holidays...doing family stuff, the zoo, the garden, the icecream. The Batsman about to start kinder and thinking worrying about that. The odd bit of family conflict that has taken up way too much of my headspace. And then all the summer harvest from our garden and the gardens of friends...tomato relish, plum jam, apricot jam, plum sauce, apricot sauce, plum upside down cake....you get the picture.
The thing is...I have lots of reasons and excuses why I haven't been blogging but there is really only one that is the real one. I haven't been making this a priority...a priority for me, the person who decided when i started to do this that it was important for me, therapeutic for me, enjoyable for me, healthy for me and fun for me. But I haven't been doing it. This is a bit of a familiar theme for me, this "flash in the pan" start something and then not fully see it through kind of approach.


I really want to stop doing the stop/start thing with this blog. The blog world has opened up some wonderful thought and connections for me. I want that to continue. I think I do have something to say here so that's why I am owning up to what's really behind all my reasons and excuses. Letting you (and myself know) that it won't be such a long while this time.