Currently

Reading:  'The Happiness Project' by Getchen Rubin. I've been thoroughly enjoying this read in the few quiet moments I've had the past couple of weeks. But I am very determined to read this number as some inspiration for my game plan next year!

Watching: The Sopranos. Luke & I have decided to pick up where we left off a few years back with it at season three. I'm really annoyed with myself for putting it off for so long because when I watch it I really enjoy it. Tony Soprano is the weirdest sweet heart. The Bachelor Australia finished up tonight, which I had really got into over the last month or so. At first I was so disgusted with the concept of so many different women competing for the same guy. I didn't find the contestants bitchy comments funny initially, as it took me a few episodes to lighten up over it and just enjoy it for what it was. I really felt sad for Rochelle that she didn't leave with Tim, she seems like a really lovely lady. 

Listening to: 'Bangerz', I can't get past it. It is so damn catchy. Luke is getting quite sick of hearing it though.

Thinking about: Next year and the fact that is going to start happing in just weeks now. Luke & I have some big plans coming up for early-mid next year and how everything is going to be different so soon. I am also really excited for one of my close friends who recently got engaged and am excited to be celebrating such a special occasion in her life. Also my cousin is pregnant with bb 2 so that is going to be super duper exciting, and my friend shared with me today that she is planning baby 2 very soon. So many positive things are happening!

Working on: a vector illustration for a friends logo and I am having a blast with it! 

Loving: printed photos. I have been putting off printing photos for a while now because it is always such a drawn out process, and Romy gets restless by the time we're finished and she wants to look around. So I always rush, and I would much rather rush on my accord. So on Wednesday we got ready to leave the house for the morning when we dropped Luke off to work and we went straight to the shops to print specific photos that I had preemptively put on a USB stick to make it easier. It took less than five minutes & I was able to cross 'print photos' & 'send photos to family members' off of my to-do list. It's also nice to have some fresh photos to change things up on the fridge and the frames around the house. 

Anticipating: Christmas! It is so soon! Romy loved being around her extended family over the weekend when we went to the Gold Coast, so I am excited that she will be surrounded by lots of lovely people again so soon.

Romy's First Time On A Plane

I mentioned in my four simple goals post last week that I wanted to cross a few things off of 'Romy's Firsts' list, and last Friday Romy crossed off her first plane ride! In the week coming up to the much anticipated first plane ride I was starting to get extremely anxious. And when I get really anxious I get snappy & I snapped at Luke all week. Romy picked up on this tension and Friday morning while I was doing last minute packing and completely unnecessary jobs in order to feel organised, she was starting to feel a little unsettled. Once I packed the last of our things and crossed the last thing off my to-do-list I was able to lighten up a little and get excited about the wonderful weekend ahead of us. 

Romy is an excellent car traveller, the only time she gets upset during long drives is when the car slows down and stops at traffic lights. But other than that she copes really well being seated in a small space for more than a couple of hours. If she wasn't a calm car traveller I would have been way more nervous about the trip, but I still didn't know how she was going to react or what to expect. As we were boarding the plane she started to get really excited and was looking around at all the different people while rocking back and forth. She wasn't even put off by the loud engine, or the other babies that were unsettled during the flight. The only part of the experience she wasn't too keen on was being strapped into the seatbelt attached to mine. But she got over it quite quickly and fell asleep. She was even more relaxed on the flight back and didn't wake up until after we had landed. The whole weekend went smoothly with only a couple of tantrums and they were just a result of being over tired. Lets hope she is this easy going next weekend away!

Our Weekend Away

Christmas dinner (thanks for this gem Rikki!)

My family is pretty keen on Salt Water Sandals, clearly

Nanna cuddles

Aunty Ash trying to have a pre-party nap

Kissing cousins

Baby swapping

Friday afternoon my sister, brother-in-law, mother, Romy & I all went to the Gold Coast for the weekend. We had a family Christmas dinner altogether on the Friday night as this Christmas we all won't be together as some of my family will be off travelling or spending it with their in-laws. We all exchanged gifts, drank wine and ate lots of nice food. It was a very lovely evening, and Romy enjoyed meeting her extended family for the first time she didn't want to go to sleep. But after a couple of songs and a few walks around the garden, my cousin managed to get her to sleep.

On the saturday morning we woke up early to spend a few calm moments with the birthday boy before everybody arrived & to get organised for the big birthday party. While everybody was setting up mum, one of the aunties and myself quickly ducked out to get my mum a pair of salt water sandals, as everybody else had a pair and she didn't want to miss out! While we were out we had coffee and juice at this cute little cafe called The Barefoot Barista, and I had one of the tastiest coffees I've had in a long time. We got home in time to finish setting up for the party and not long afterwards everybody started arriving. There were so many cute babies it was almost too much! It was Romy's first birthday party and she had a blast being surrounded by so many people and so much noise. She especially loved playing with her cousins xylophone! On Sunday we all went out for breakfast before we said our goodbyes and headed for the air port.

Hopefully next time we're all together I am able to take proper photographs rather than the above grainy iPhone snaps with an actual camera. My cousin's partner Rikki took some really beautiful photographs over the weekend, and I cannot wait to see the rest of the moments she snapped up. It was one of the loveliest weekends we have had in a while, and I especially enjoyed seeing Romy so happy in my families company. I can't wait for her to spend more time with (almost) everyone at Christmas time.

Monday Mojitos

Romy & I got back from our lovely little weekend away late Sunday afternoon, to horrible wet weather that lasted well into this afternoon. So we gave our morning breakfast plans a rain check and Luke made french toast with blueberry jam at home and I picked up some coffees. After the weather wised up outside we did a quick grocery shop and made the decision to have nachos and make up a batch of mojitos for dinner. And it was the best way to turn a gloomy day into a good one!

This Time Last Year

This time last year I shared here that Luke & I were having a baby after we had our 13 week scan and saw Romy for the first time. However, at the time we didn't know we were having a girl for sure, but I felt like we were. And now a year later, we have a healthy 7 month old baby girl. Sometimes a year feels like no time at all, but when I think about all of the things that have happened in our lives in the past year it blows my mind how drastic life can change. Luke & I knew that once Romy came into our lives things would change and be very different, but we didn't know just how different they would be. I had no idea what being a Mother would be like, and now that I am and have been for the past 7 months I cannot even begin to imagine what things will be like this time next year. Romy will most likely be walking about, talking and telling us how she feels. We will probably be living in a different house. And most likely be doing different things. Every year Luke & I seem to be living somewhere different, surrounded by different people and changing circumstances and things. It can be exhausting, but it can also be exciting. This time next year we hope to be settled, without plans to move after the holiday period. And that is something I am looking forward to. 

Pin Of The Week

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I cannot believe in all the years I have had the internet I have never seen anything like this on my google searches. Making one of these chairs has just been added to my bucket list.

We have a plane to catch, brb

Romy & I are heading off for the weekend to the Gold Coast to visit some of my cousins. And to go to my cousin's baby's first birthday party & have a mini pre-Christmas dinner as we all won't be together this year. Also a lot of my family will be meeting Romy for the first time so this trip is especially exciting. It will also be Romy's first plane ride! During the week I caught a quick segment on a morning talk show about the negative experiences some parents had with their babies on public transport and now I am starting to get nervous about being that mum on the plan with the crying baby. Years ago when Danielle posted about her first travelling experience, I remember reading along unable to relate, and thinking how far off that ordeal would be for me. And in a few short hours I'll be able to cross it of my 'things that scare me' list. Have a great weekend!