Life Update - A LOT Has Changed

Well! I just about feel like I need to reintroduce myself after such a long hiatus. In all honesty I think I’ve felt so overwhelmed by just how much has changed since my last post that I've avoided writing this for a REALLY long time. I have been incredibly busy to say the least and I have just a few things to catch you up on. I’ve been on a cruise, taken a long break from uni, moved out of home, oh and HAD A  BABY.

That’s right, I’m now a full-time mumma and I think it's safe to say that growing a human is the LAST thing I thought I would be doing with most of my 2017. 

Bryce and I went on a cruise in Feb last year (2017) to celebrate his birthday and had no clue that it was actually the first holiday we took as a family (with a jellybean in my belly). We got home and a few weeks later on a Sunday after lunch we took a pregnancy test. Two pink lines later and it was pretty clear that our plans for the rest of 2017 (and beyond!) had just taken a huge turn. 

I’d love to maybe do another post sometime about the process of us finding out and dealing with an unexpected pregnancy but for now I will just say that it was a pretty crazy couple of months which saw many ups and downs and left me feeling more supported, loved and excited than I have in my whole life.

My 22^nd birthday rolled around in July and Bryce and my family planned a surprise dinner party for me at a greek restaurant where we danced and smashed plates and I stood on a chair while the MC read aloud all the best/funny memories my guests had of me. It was by far the best birthday I’ve ever had and probably one of the best nights of my life.

Skipping straight to November, we welcomed our precious son into the world:

- - - OLIVER JAMES - - -

I don’t think I was ready for the immense love that came so quickly and took over everything in my body. He was/is GORGEOUS. It's such a cliche saying that once the baby is born nothing else matters and you can't feel any of the pain anymore and I always thought that it MUST be a lie but seriously, that's how it was for me. As soon as I held Ollie in my arms I felt such intense emotion that I thought I could burst, I cried...a LOT (happy tears!). 

In all honesty, we adapted faster and better than I could have dreamed. Bryce is the most natural dad and partner and I couldn’t feel luckier to have him by my side. For the umpteenth time last year, I was overwhelmed with the incredible support we have from the people in our lives.

Ollie is now 4 months old and we are absolutely smitten with our beautiful boy. I can't think of anything to say that isn’t hugely cliche but pretty much all the sappy things that new parents say are so true. We love him more every single day and I feel like my heart could burst with the love I have for my little family. He is the most wonderful little boy and Bryce is the most wonderful daddy for him.

I would love to share a little more about the birth at some point because I couldn't be happier with how it went and I think a lot of that has to do with how much we educated ourselves beforehand. I truly think I may be the happiest I have ever been - who would’ve thought? The anxiety that I’ve suffered from for as long as I can remember has honestly improved astronomically and I think I’ve maybe had one panic attack in 4 months compared to pretty much one a day before Ollie came along.

I’m thinking of still doing a post with some photos from the cruise and maybe a few more pregnancy/new baby ones. I think its safe to say that this blog will probably become a little more personal because I just desperately want to capture and remember every moment of my life right now and this is a great way to do it. Sorry this post has been a little all over the place, hopefully they will make a little more sense in the future and there won't be such a big break until the next post!

Caitie x

What I Got For Christmas // 2016

I know we've already started the new year and the Christmas decorations have been packed away, but I want to upload my 'What I Got For Christmas' post so I can look back on it. I know people either love or hate kinds of these posts. Personally I love them so for those who are like me, I hope you enjoy having a nosy into my 2017 Christmas gifts.

In my immediate family, my parents always follow the gift guideline of  'something to wear, something to read, something you want and something you need'. This year my thing to read was Estee's book 'Bloom' which I have already enjoyed having a flick through.
My thing to wear was a lovely maxi dress which I wore on Christmas day (and was then in the wash when I was taking these photos). My thing to need was a portable harddrive which I was desperate for after my dad decided enough is enough and he is making me clear my 1.5TB worth of crap on the family computer. And, my thing to want was some calligraphy supplies which are so lovely. Another Christmas tradition is that we wake up to a stocking on Christmas morning filled with little goodies like deodorant and tissues and my fave shampoo and conditioner (which I completely forgot to include in the photo because it was already in my shower).

I've been trying to get  into my handwriting and calligraphy a bit more lately and you'll notice that I ended up getting spoilt with tools to help me practice. Bryce gave me this gorgeous set from Speedball which came with everything a beginner would need, as well as a pad of paper to get started.  He also gave me a beautiful necklace, an  esky, one of  those inflatable lounges, a powerbank, and a glass water bottle. A perfectly random collections of bits that I love!!

Bryce's family also spoilt me by putting together a little basket of goodies including my favourite journal.

Tiarney nailed it this year and picked out so many things that I love, I was especially in love with this 'swell' waterbottle.

I received this fabulous calligraphy set from our closest family friends and a classic Cadbury stocking which was demolished as soon as I recovered from the Christmas Day food coma.

For my family (cousins etc) we do a present swap and if you don't know what it is - look it up! It is so much fun and is pretty much an alternative to 'Secret Santa'- you buy one gift, you get one gift. I got this cute set from Lush and was also given these UE speakers as a belated birthday present from my Aunty which I was so excited about! My little sister chose this journal and pen for me because 'she wants me to see the world' and my boss gave everyone a bottle of red wine and an Italian cake, plus one of my friends from work gave me this little Christmas candle which was made by her aunty.

 

I was so spoilt this Christmas and had the best time eating so much food, spending time with the people I love the most and celebrating the birth of Jesus. 

 

Here are a few snaps from Christmas day. I woke up and we opened pressies with my immediate family and then headed to church before coming home and giving Bryce his presents once he arrives after spending the morning with his family. We all helped prepare lunch and set the table ready for my Grandpa and Grandma as well as my Uncle and Aunty with their two little boys to come over. After lunch we did presents (and my Grandparents surprised us with tickets to see Aladdin at the Capitol Theatre!) and then all hung out for a while. After that Bryce and I headed to his house for Christmas feast part 2 plus some card games which we brought down from my house. I had made his whole family personalised stockings (you may have seen a glimpse in this post and my gift guide post) and they absolutely loved them, it was so nice to see them excited about something I had spent so long on making.

We had such a lovely day.  I always feel sad when another Christmas is over!

I hope everyone reading this had a fantastic festive season and felt happy, loved and very very blessed.

 

Caitie xx

Blueberry Pickin' and Cabin Stayin' // Explore

Monthly Faves // October 2016

Split, Croatia // The Europe Diaries

Zadar, Croatia // The Europe Diaries

The Most Romantic Restaurant in London // Clos Maggiore Review

Welcome Back

Camping Mini-Break // Explore

I just got home from an incredibly relaxing couple of days and thought I may as well share a few snaps from our trip. Bryce and I have been so busy lately that even finding time to hang out between uni, work, family and everything else going on is so hard so when we worked out that we had a few days off together we planned a little camping trip to Lake Macquarie. I detached completely from social media/phone and it was great- so liberating to be in the moment. Enjoy a snapshot of my mini-break!

I pretty much went product free for the couple of days and only took this stuff but really only ended up using my toothbrush and deodorant. Its so nice to pack little of this kind of thing and realize how much you actually don't NEED it.

I am loving these swimmers from Dotti...I think my stripe obsession is getting out of control...

I have the tendency to collect things that I find pretty or different when I go places. I have added these to my window sill.

I had such a lovely couple of days exploring rockpools, wandering caves, eating snacks, swimming in the sea and relaxing. Never underestimate the power of a good weekend away for de-stressing!

-Caitie x