I APOLOGIZE!!!

EXTREME apologies for the last 2 weeks of no posts! We have been busy with packing and moving etc. We have now been in our new place for a week now! Slowly but surely settling in. Adam has been gone for a week a week and will be for one more! Thank goodness for Jamma coming from the states! Don't know what I would have done without her. Moving is one thing..moving 9 hours away is another...moving 9 hours away and with a 6 month old is a whole different game!

Collette, Jamma and I have had quite a week of adventures! While organising the garage it started to rain and EVERYTHING was outside! Mad scramble to put everything under cover.  Friday we drove 1hr 45 minutes to IKEA. Got everything we needed. However we left IKEA with more than just furniture... I got food poisoning. So what should have been another 1hr 45min drive home turned into 3.5 hours ( 3 truck stops and a grocery store stop) and home around 8pm with Collette wanting nothing to do with the car or pram and me in the bathroom!  Needless to say we are laughing about it now! Those are only a few of our stories from our last week together! {Hopefully she isn't sick of me yet!}

In the next coming weeks I will post Collettes 6 month picture and 7 month! [Yes the 6th month is REALLY late! Apologies again...] I will also post some pics of our weeks with Jamma and our new place! Then I will hopefully settle into life again and start posting about things other than baby food and moving!

For now I will go and finish the laundry and pack a bag to stay with Mom so we can watch golf at 5am!
GO G-Pa!!!

 Here are just a few pics to tie you over until next time....

Jamma reading goodnight story to Collette

She loves broccoli [and the camera]

{little genetic treasure} intro to solids

First off...Sorry about no post last week! Time just seems to slip away...Where does it go?! This week Collette will be 6 months old!  I cannot believe that! She is just as happy as can be! Full of giggles and smiles for everyone! We have her 6 month check-up this week and will be taking her 6 month photo as well! More on that later on...

With the 6 months approaching...my newest topic of research has been introducing solids! Now if you were unaware...introducing solids is a lot more involved than just handing them whatever you are eating now a day. There are quite a few different techniques or methods to introducing solids. { there is the baby led weaning method, the eat right for your blood type method, the puree EVERYTHING method, the introduce certain things at certain times because of their gut flora method} I am sure  that is only a handful of the "methods" out there! Also most of you know how passionate I am about what is in our food now! It is not as pure as it was when we were growing up or even our parents. There are heaps more chemicals and pesticides in our produce and not to mention the GMO and preservatives in food. I like to think I am fairly knowledgable about food, but also know there is a lot I do not know.

With all of that said...We are not necessarily using just one "method". Just trusting our instinct and doing what feels right. We started noticing her watching us eat and trying to grab at our food. So we decided to give it a try.

We went with mashed up avocado! Not too sure if it was the mashed part, the avocado part or just the fact that it was the first taste of something besides breast milk she has had. Needless to say she did not seem to like it! We tried it for a few days in a row and then gave it a break for a week!

avocado puree coming right up

she was so eager and excited

   

          We didn't have to force it in...

                                  

                                     Yuck!                                                                                        

     

Not too happy!

The next week was mashed pumpkin... That was a similar reaction...

We then decided that maybe she just wasn't ready and waited a few more weeks. 

Last Sunday when we were @ Adam's step brother and sister inlaws for dinner, his brother gave her a big piece of pear! She chowed down on that thing like she hadn't been fed in days. When we took it away from her as it was getting too small she threw a little ITT {I Throw Tempertantrums} So we gave her another piece and she did the same thing when it was all gone!

We then started handing her big pieces of cucumber, carrot and the other night sweet potato and she has loved it! She just gnaws at it...swallows some...and just plays around with whatever it is we have given her.  I even gave her a piece of avocado instead of mashed and she actually ate that without spitting it out and making faces like she did when we mashed it.    

      

                                                

                                                             Steamed Sweet Potato {not mashed}

                                   

Long story short...We have chosen to combine a couple of the different "theories" in regards to this introduction to solids topic and just go with what Collette seems to be liking! Since she is not needing "solids" for nutritional purposes we will continue doing what we are doing until she is ready for more!

{dream inspiration} Our mini holiday @ the Atlantic

 Adam, Collette and I went up to Byron Bay for a few days this past week/weekend. We are moving up that way in about a months time so we went back up to look for a place to live. [more on that later]

A few weeks ago when we went up, we stayed one night at this EPIC boutique hotel called the Atlantic. We fell in love with it so we stayed again! I have always had a dream of owning my own boutique hotel. And this is as close to my dream I will get right now! It is made up from a couple different houses/properties that they have made into this ubber chic beach compound. 

We had a simple yet darling room in the Coconut Cottage {one of a few different areas on the property}. There is a full kitchen/lounge area which guests are welcome to use. But we were the only guests in the Coconut Cottage so it felt like we had our own house for a few days! {Our dream home too!} 

Adam and I had dinner (and an adult beverage or two)
 in the kitchen while Collette was sleeping!

Our room was that door on the left. 

Lounge Room

On the property they have another dream of mine. An Airstream trailer. 

One day I will own one of these.

 You can actually book to stay in it!   [ Even Adam fits inside it!]

These trailers only exist in Australia if imported from the states!

Here are two more photos of other guest houses on the property. 

                                

So long story short...We love this place! Whenever anyone comes to visit and we don't have room at our place this is where we will recommend staying. If interested in booking check out their website or go to www.agoda.com to find a deal on rates. [this is how we found out about it]

And last but certainly not least... here is a photo of Collette from the weekend. She is just too darling [biased? YES!] and it was hard to choose one...[may need to do another post with just pictures of her from the weekend!]

Until next week...Lots of love to you all enjoy your week (or enjoy Sunday if you're in the States!!) 

{one creative day} baby shower

So this past Sunday I co-hosted a friend's baby shower. Pre-baby this would have been a simple task as most of you know about my love of entertaining especially when it involves my passion of design. It all turned out lovely and the "mum-to-be" said it was PERFECTLY "her"! As every event I have ever thrown or designed...nothing ever happens without some glitches! Of course it all had to be the night before...the cake had to be rebaked 3 times and was still not what I had "envisioned", my computer crashed on me and some final elements could not be designed and I got the WORST night sleep I have had possibly since Collette was born!  But at the end of the day.. it was a LOVELY DAY had by all!

{Inspiration} The "mum-to-be" is a very creative and crafty individual herself. So we wanted it to obviously be a reflection of her. And although she is having a girl she didn't want it "girly". So of course I found some inspiration on good old Pinterest!! {my pastime as I nurse Collette!}
I have been obsessed with all the water colour invites I have been seeing so that is what we did.
I hand water coloured paper then taught myself Adobe Illustrator and designed the invites. And everything else came from there.

We had all the guest fill out a "Baby Adlib"for the mummy and daddy to be!

I water coloured tags in which all the guest wrote their names on and tied to their drinks.

"The CAKE!"

 It actually got rave reviews although I wanted it to be one more layer! {red velvet}

One of the co-hosters was very generous to let us host at her adorable little beach cottage as she is a new mum too!She has a 4 month old little boy {Otto}.  I definitely know how hard it is now with a baby to get the house in order to have people over! However she had it perfectly "styled" for the occasion.  Even her dog maggie sat perfectly in her dog bed!

    

 

One of the co-hosters came up with the idea of having everyone stitch whatever they wanted on pieces of fabric that will be turned into bunting for the baby's room. It was a hit and I was sooo impressed with everyone's "crafting" skills! Looks like we may have some recruitments for our next craft club. {yes we have a craft club!}

 The "mum-to-be's" family helped out with preparing food for the day. We had little sandwiches with the crusts cut off {of course}, yummy mushroom "thingys", and of course some yummy baked goods!

The reason for the day....

2 American "mommies-to-be" in Australia! 

Mum/Mom of honour is the bump on the left!

{they are both due in June about week or so apart!}

Couldn't resist this picture!

 At the end of the day...this did not scare me away from ever hosting or entertaining again. It infact lit the fire I have with in me to "create"  more "wonderful days"!

...and let the blogging begin! {again}

Well...I could be pulling a "boy who cried wolf" here as this is my 3rd time attempting to blog. However as they say "3rd time is a charm" right?! So I hope that this time you all stick with me in my blogging adventures. I thought that I will attempt to write/update once a week. {every Sunday (Saturday US time)} Once a week commitment should be do-able right?

I have to start out today by giving a friend credit for the name...Last week Adam and I visited the Sanders family up in Mudgeeraba {forgive my spelling}. Cameron has been a friend of Adams for years. His wife Erika is a little creative inspiration and their son Oskar is a bundle of 3 year old fun! Erika made a little Easter goodie bag for Collette....and signed the card  to: Coco and Co..I just loved it. So thank you Erika for the inspiration... { Not sure if I should thank you for Collette's Easter chocolates as Adam and I ate them all!} {check out her blog stopping to remind myself ... Her latest post has a picture of their son Oskar and Collette it is adorable}

I am attempting this blog to keep my creative juices flowing while adjusting to my new job {being a mum/mom}. Since becoming a mum/mom my "creative time" has definitely diminished. I know over time I will gain more and more "creative minutes" but I hope this helps with channeling some of the creative juices as my cup is overflowing.

I would also like this blog to be some sort of a journal through new mum/mom hood. I have opened a new door in my life and I am enjoying the adventure and what changes it brings!  It's an adjustment that nothing can prepare you for. Every day is a new day. It really forces you to live in the moment ( as much as you can!)


I am off for now...but hope to bring you more soon!!

xoxo Courtney