My 8 months of trying to conceive was long, gruelling and emotionally harrowing. And really, by comparison to the length of time it takes some people who suffer with secondary fertility it is a relatively short period of time. And yet, there’s nothing about it that seems short. I have an infinite respect for other people who go through the trying to conceive turmoil for only a small amount of time or an unbelievably long amount of time. After 8 months I was wondering how many more months I had …

Sometimes after a busy weekend, things go a bit pear shaped. Riley had a big day on Saturday. Which she loved every minute of. I was at my sister’s 40th birthday and she spent the whole day running around the beach house, convincing people to take her down to the beach, hitting her head on wayward bits of furniture and not napping.
So as we were heading home this morning I was not surprised that she fell asleep in the car at about 10am and didn’t wake up until 1:30 this …

The tiredness has set in. I am so grateful for relatives visiting this weekend. While my Dad and Step Mum were busy wearing Riley out this morning I was doing some grocery shopping. Alone. I was only going to pick up a few things but became quickly entranced with the idea of being able to shop tantrum-free and stayed out significantly longer than I planned. Which also meant that I could sneak in a nap when Riley crashed later.
Still, I don’t think this little energiser bunny is going to …

It never ceases to amaze me how many things that Riley discovers that I barely even notice. Exhibit A – these bushes in the park. Not just a form of hedging to her – but an intricate array of tunnels – just made for little people exploration. So much so, that she insisted I go in to ‘the tunnel’ as well, I imagine just in case she got lost in there and needed any assistance. Which of course, she didn’t. She’s quite the seasoned adventurer, after all.

« « 48/365 A …

It’s been the coldest Winter in awhile. At least it seems that way anyway. I don’t think Riley even notices the cold. Yesterday we went to the park and I way underestimated how chilly it was, and windy and just about to rain. You wouldn’t know it as far as she was concerned, although that might be because she never stopped running. I think that would keep me pretty warm too.
But despite the fact that I was freezing, going to the park with her in the morning is one of …

Yes, the pregnancy test is my arch nemesis. I don’t think it’s weird at all that I’m almost phobic about an inanimate object. For months, pregnancy tests have tortured me with cold, hard, horribly accurate negatives. I hate even the idea of taking one. Because as much as I hate not knowing, it still has the element of possibility to it. I bought these tests a few days ago. They’ve been mocking me from the corner of the lounge room for all of those days. Despite my disdain for limbo, …

Riley has been called clingy at various times since birth. Sometimes, even by me, when I struggled to come up with a better one. But I’ve always known that I hated the word. Even when she was attached to me for what seemed like entire weeks at a time, I still hated the word. So if anyone has a better one – I’m all ears!
Over time, she has been less dependent on me for physical reassurance in new situations. And generally she is a gregarious, adventurous little charmer. She will …

I’ve been holding on to the afternoon nap for dear life. Those few hours during the day where I could get things done, or do nothing, or just listen to the beautiful sound of silence. I persisted despite knowing, deep down that it was over.
And then I realised between it taking half an hour to an hour to get her to take the nap and the extra hour it was taking me to get her to bed at night, it wasn’t exactly giving me any extra time. And that …