23 May 2013

Project Life, Week 16 (and documenting Edward’s first week)

What happened in Week 16?
Edward was born! And then I spent the next five days in hospital. Apart from missing the other boys, I loved every moment of it. I feel incredibly nostalgic even just thinking about it now. On Friday, Rick and the three older boys picked Edward and me up from the hospital and we all drove home together. The six of us together. Rick was straight back into work on the Saturday, and I had one of the most chaotic mornings in the history of my parenthood. It was so chaotic it was almost comical – I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Thankfully, the practice run meant that on Sunday morning, I somehow managed to get the four boys and myself to morning church on time all on my own. It was so wonderful being able to introduce Edward to our church family for the first time. Everyone had been so looking forward to meeting him.

How did you choose from the hundreds of photos that you took that week?
Very good question. Naturally, in the first week of your baby’s life, one tends to overdose on taking photos. That’s just the way it goes. I had to remind myself that this wasn’t the baby journal, or the baby book. In other words, the spread wasn’t all about Edward even though obviously he was the focal point of the week – that is, I wanted to make sure I included photos of the hospital, visitors, etc. Firstly, I decided that I would allow myself four pages instead of the usual two. This meant that I could choose thirty-two photos instead of just sixteen. Then I decided I would only include my iPhone photos in the main spread – to keep a consistent feel to the layouts and also because I knew I would be using the DSLR photos in Edward’s first year photo book. Plus, I could always include my favourite DSLR photos in the form of inserts (which is what I ended up doing). In the end, the photos I ended up choosing were mainly the ones that I’d processed already on my iPhone using the VSCO Cam app, because they had been my favourite photos at the time I took them. So it wasn’t all that hard after all.

Number of pages and inserts?
Like I said above, I settled on four pages instead of the standard two. I also had six inserts using 8×10 vertical protectors, ie. twelve insert pages in total. The first insert held my birth story. I used the second insert to frame my favourite photos of Edward and myself that were taken on the Canon EOS. The third one contained the more traditional ‘family shots’ that we took on the day of his birth using the EOS. The last three inserts allowed me to include my favourite EOS photos taken during the rest of the week (I used a similar collage layout to the one shown in this post.)

How were the photos taken and processed?
All the photos were taken on my iPhone 4S camera. About 80% of the photos were processed using VSCO Cam on my iPhone. The rest were processed in Aperture on my Mac using the VSCO Film 01 Kodak Portra 800+ preset.

Anything special in this week’s documentation?
Apart from the extra two pages, I adopted an approach like the one I used for our family holiday earlier this year. Instead of my usual point-form summary of the week in the first 3×4 pocket, I wrote a small paragraph outlining what happened for every day of Week 16. I then spaced these throughout the four pages. It was a nice way to visually break up all the photos, and I felt happier including some more detailed journalling for the first week of Edward’s life (keeping in mind the whole time my overall framework).

Favourite photo(s) from Week 16?
This is very hard, as technically, all the photos that went into the main spread are already my favourites. But if I had to pick, it would be the black and white photo of Edward on my chest in the first page, the one of his first bath at the top of the second page, the one I took of him and myself at the bottom of the second page (I absolutely adore the lighting in that shot), and the one of him in his cot for the very first time (fourth page). If I could also sneak in a fifth favourite, it would be the very first photo – the one of Rick and myself on the morning of the induction. He has gotten me through every single birth and delivery, that amazing husband of mine.

Overall thoughts?
I love the overall calm feel to Week 16. It’s almost hard to believe it, but that really is what the week was like. I remember talking about that wonderful quiet lull of being in hospital, and I think my Project Life layout has captured it beautifully.

Supplies used?
Becky Higgins Design A page protector; Becky Higgins 8×10 vertical page protector; Kodak 210gsm glossy premium photo paper. All photos printed on the Canon MG6360 Pixma using genuine Canon ink.

* * *

Other posts you might be interested in reading:
My weekly Project Life process from beginning to end
Tips on taking photos for Project Life
What you need to get started with Project Life

You can read all my Project Life posts here.

* * *

Project Life is a system created by Becky Higgins that is designed to simplify your efforts to document life and help get your photos into a book. To learn more about the product and how to get started, click here.

0 Comments

22 May 2013

Today’s textures

Berry bush / concrete pavement / flowers for a friend / lighting fixture / thriving fern

Today I took Jamie back to the coffee house at Illie for a babycino, a latte and that amazing homemade banana bread. Jamie loved the banana bread so much that he requested a second serving and, you know what, I didn’t say no.

What did you do today?

p.s. Loved all your comments on the last post – thanks so much for sharing!

5 Comments

21 May 2013

Ronnie’s survival tips (No. 1)

Preserve the sanctity of napping. Divide and conquer if necessary.

Perhaps the biggest thing that keeps me sane amidst the constant busyness is what I like to call ‘synchronised napping.’ In other words, the boys all sleep at the same time in the middle of the day. And usually for somewhere between two to three hours. During which time I get to regroup, tidy the house, use the bathroom (woohoo!), eat lunch, do stretches, unwind and sometimes I even take a nap myself.

It’s like coming up for air.

At the risk of sounding like a militant ‘tiger mum’ (I am Chinese after all), daytime napping in our household is non-negotiable. The boys are not given a choice in the matter. And yes, they have all at various times attempted to drop their nap. But we just keep putting them back down, and if they cry about it, well – we leave them crying about it. And even though the crying has been hard to listen to over the years, the up side is that ‘quiet time’ (as we like to call it) is now a given in our daily family life. The boys all know that after play time, it’s lunch time, and after lunch time, it’s quiet time. There is no argument and no fuss (most days), and on a good day, we are able to put them all down in the space of ten minutes.

Of course, there are special occasions throughout the year for which we will make an exception to the quiet time rule. But generally speaking, we will always go home for quiet time. This does not bother me in the least from a social point of view, because by the time I’ve been out with the boys all morning (or should I say, by the time I’ve managed to strap them all into the car), I am exhausted myself anyway.

As for dividing and conquering, the boys all nap in a different place of the house to allow for ‘maximum napping’: Edward sleeps in his cot in his room; Jamie sleeps in his cot in the big boys’ room, Pete sleeps on the couch downstairs in the lounge room, and Angus sleeps on the queen-sized bed our room (lucky him). By my careful calculation, this leaves the study couch and the family room couch for Rick and yours truly should we need to lie down ourselves. Being the eldest, Angus will sometimes stay awake but even so, he remains in our bed and afterwards he’ll tell me that he’s had “a rest.”

That’s good enough for this second generation tiger mum.

Over to you – how important is daytime napping in your family?

(This new series is partly inspired by Erin’s tips for living in a tiny apartment, which is a must-read, especially if you’ve ever lived in a small space.)

26 Comments

20 May 2013

The coffee house at Illie

If you were to ask me about my ‘perfect’ day, it would surely involve drinking coffee at a cafe. Seriously, I love cafes. Whenever I dream about getting out and having fun, I inevitably picture myself in a cafe. Is that sad? Maybe so. Nonetheless, when Rick introduced me to this gorgeous cafe in Narrabeen a week and a half ago, I was filled with what can only be described as glee. It turns out that he discovered it sometime last year on his way home from a meeting – I could hardly believe he’d been holding out on me for so long! I fell instantly in love with the delightful decor, the aromatic coffee and the beautifully presented succulents that were available for purchase throughout the cafe.

I was so taken by the cafe that I asked Rick if we could go back there after church on Mother’s Day. One by one, we got each of the boys out of the car and seated them at one of the outdoor tables. In addition to coffee, we ordered milkshakes for the boys and two serves of their homemade banana bread. It was divine. It was so delicious that a few days later, I actually stopped by whilst I was out running errands and ordered myself a whole piece of the banana bread and woofed ate it in a ladylike fashion before rushing on home to my house full of boys.

I ended up buying two of these succulents as a Mother’s Day present to myself. I can’t wait to repot them and I’m crossing all my fingers and toes in the hopes of seeing them grow and thrive (I’ve been told by many people they’re hard to kill, but I guess we’ll see.) Whilst waiting to pay for the plants, I met the lovely couple who own and run the business. They were so friendly and helpful, and I loved the fact that the lady had her son on her hip as she was serving me.

This cafe has definitely been added to my favourites list. Aside from the good coffee, the other half of the premises is filled with beautiful homewares and gifts. In particular, some stunning notebooks by Elephant Maximus Paper caught my attention, and I will no doubt have one eye on them every time I drop by now. I am already planning a return visit tomorrow while Rick’s mum is here with the boys. It will be so lovely to sit under that chandelier, get out my laptop, work on my Project Life or some writing, and sip on my latte, all the while knowing that the ocean was just across the road.

Illie’s coffee house
1329 Pittwater Road
Narrabeen, Sydney
Phone: (02) 8002 1848

12 Comments

19 May 2013

Fleeting moments

This is only my second post for this new series, and I can already tell this one will go the distance. There is nothing quite like capturing those tiny, seemingly ordinary moments in everyday life that are, in reality, both magical and beautiful. And my goodness, am I learning to love shade as much as I love light!

This last week has been fraught with stress and anxiety, and just when we thought we could breathe more easily, we’ve since discovered a new health issue in the family for us to worry about. I guess this is the way life goes, especially when life is filled with little children. The up side of all this is that I am getting a little bit better each day at cherishing the present. I am nowhere near accomplished at this yet, but small things like looking at Edward while I’m feeding him instead of reading on my iPhone, or answering Angus’ plethora of questions instead of asking him to wait, or stopping to give my husband a kiss instead of walking right past him, move me one step closer.

How has your week been?

(Linking up with Em.)

p.s. If you’re interested in improving your phone photography skills, have a look at The Phone Photography Project, an online month-long workshop hosted by Big Picture Classes. I’m very excited (and honoured) to be one of the instructors, along with 31 awesome ladies, and the workshop is currently still available for the early bird rate of $39. If you’re keen, register now before the price goes up to $49.

11 Comments

16 May 2013

Project Life, Week 15

What happened in Week 15?
This was the week before my induction date with Edward. I was thrown a ‘surprise’ baby shower by ladies from my church (‘surprise’ being in air quotes because Rick actually had to tell me about it, in order to convince me to leave the house that night), and both his mum and my mum came over that day to spend time with the boys. I made the most of my last one-on-day day with Jamie by taking him out to Dee Why for a lunch date at our favourite cafe. I distinctly remember ordering gyozas (for me), banana bread (for him), a banana smoothie (for me) and a babycino (for him) – clearly, we went all out. We also shared some extra special family cuddles that week, including a Monday morning with all of us cocooned under the doona together. There was also our last visit to see my obstetrician, an fun family dinner at Kam Fook Chinese Restaurant and a pre-baby date night for Rick and myself the night before the induction. It was such a wonderful week and just looking at the Project Life spread now makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Number of pages and inserts?
Just the usual two page layout for Week 15, along with three 8×10 vertical inserts. I used the inserts to include the head shots of Rick and myself from my maternity series that week, a ‘selfie’ of the five of us in bed together and photos that I took on our date night.

How were the photos taken and processed?
All the photos were taken on my iPhone 4S camera. About half the photos were processed using VSCO Cam on my iPhone. The rest were processed in Aperture on my Mac using the VSCO Film 01 Kodak Portra 800+ preset.

Favourite photo(s) from Week 15?
My favourites definitely include the photos of us in bed together – both the one in the title card and and the black and white one shown in the second insert (see image below). I also love the second and fourth 3×4 photos on the second page (see image above). The second image is one that I captured as we were leaving the hospital for the final time, and the fourth photo was taken as Rick and I sat at our table during our date, looking out the window onto the beach at night. The lights in the chandelier behind us were reflected in the glass of the window, making for a rather abstract photo. Both these 3×4 photos take me back to those two separate moments.

Overall thoughts?
I love the gorgeous blue tones of the various photos against the lovely neutral palette. The two-page spread feels rather calm and serene to me, and that is exactly what that week before Edward’s arrival was like.

Supplies used?
Becky Higgins Design A page protector; Becky Higgins 8×10 vertical page protector; Kodak 210gsm glossy premium photo paper. All photos printed on the Canon MG6360 Pixma using genuine Canon ink.

* * *

Other posts you might be interested in reading:
My weekly Project Life process from beginning to end
Tips on taking photos for Project Life
What you need to get started with Project Life

You can read all my Project Life posts here.

* * *

Project Life is a system created by Becky Higgins that is designed to simplify your efforts to document life and help get your photos into a book. To learn more about the product and how to get started, click here.

14 Comments

15 May 2013

Around here

With Jamie’s laryngoscopy behind us, we are now facing colds, sniffles, blocked noses and sleepless nights. It seems that no matter how hard I work to bundle up the boys in warm clothes, colds always get the better of us. Edward has definitely been sounding snuffly for the last few days, and poor Pete has a blocked nose that keeps waking him up and sending him into great distress. Tonight, in fact, I actually had to call Rick while he was in the middle of bible study and ask him to come home early because Pete was so distraught and inconsolable. It was incredibly upsetting to see him like that and by the time Rick got home, I was in tears myself.

On a brighter note, I have been so much more light-hearted now that Jamie’s laryngoscopy is over. I love that I can actually be with Jamie now without worrying myself sick the entire time. Tomorrow I will be sharing morning tea with some other mums from preschool, and then I am looking forward to spending time with the three younger boys for the rest of the day. In the afternoon, I will pick Angus up from preschool and take him to a nearby cafe for a babycino. Then in the evening, I am hopeful that we can all enjoy dinnertime together in a somewhat more relaxed fashion than we did tonight. And so life continues – a mixture of laughter, exhaustion, busyness, joy and tears. And through it all, I am reminding myself every day to simply be present. Because no matter how overwhelming a single day can be, the years pass by all too quickly…

17 Comments

14 May 2013

Edward’s birth story

Rick’s alarm goes off promptly at 7am. He jumps out of bed, eager to get the boys sorted with breakfast before we are due to leave at 7.20am. I delay getting out of bed for another five minutes, mainly due to the fact that I’m still half in denial that I am going to push out a baby today.

Today!? Oh my word, this is really happening.

I slowly manoeuvre my hips to the edge of the bed. My ligaments are so loose by now that they are barely holding my pelvis together. I wash my face, brush my teeth, comb my hair and smear on the Garnier BB cream that I’ve been wearing for the past few months. I pull on my clothes as quickly as I can, and add the final items to my hospital bags.

Blindfold – check! Ear plugs – check!

Before I head downstairs, I make our bed and tidy the boys’ bedroom as well. I feel nostalgic knowing that I won’t be back for five days.

Downstairs, I can see that Rick is ready (and anxious) to go. As soon as he spots me, he rushes upstairs to grab my bags. The boys are already at the meals table, finishing off their Weet Bix and muesli. Nan and Pa are at the table with them, having slept over from the night before. Everyone beams at me.

Excitedly, Angus exclaims, “Mummy, baby Edward is coming today!”

I smile at him and kiss his hair and face. “Yes, he is darling. Love you so much.”

I kiss and hug each of the three boys in turn. I feel slightly sad that I can’t bring them with me, and I’m already looking forward to seeing them again later that day when they come into the hospital. I peck Peter and Mary on the cheek as well, and thank them again for looking after the boys.

“We will be thinking of you!” they say with a smile.

In the car, I start panicking about birth. Would I be able to get through labour again? Was it going to go well? Would Edward be okay? I start to think back over all my other births, and by the time I start remembering Cameron’s birth, I am in a flood of tears. Rick looks over at me and immediately knows that I am weeping for Cam. He leans over and takes my hand. I keep crying and can’t stop.

By the time we reach the hospital, my eyes are finally dry. I couldn’t care less that half my face looks streaked and messy. I’m pretty certain my mid wife and obstetrician won’t care either. Up at the maternity ward, we are greeted by the receptionist who tell us to wait.

Here we go, I tell myself. This is it. You can do this. You can totally do this. Edward is alive. What more can you ask for? You will be fine.

I move in closer to Rick for a hug.

“Do you think I can do this?” I ask him for the billionth time.

“Absolutely. You will be fine.”

My mid-wife finally appears, and introduces herself as Ruth. We follow her to our birthing suite. It looks much the same as the others we’ve been in before. We settle in as quickly as we can, conscious that it’s already half past eight and that my obstetrician would be appearing shortly. I change my clothes and pull on Rick’s thick green socks – the same socks that I’ve worn to my other four births. They are rough and warm on my feet and imbue me with much-needed comfort.

Rick sets up my Macbook Pro on the table for me, along with my mouse, iPhone and mouse pad. I connect everything up and immediately feel more at home. Other women bring aromatherapy and calming music into the delivery ward; I bring my IT gear.

Each to their own, right?

[click to continue…]

36 Comments

13 May 2013

Edward Bear, four weeks old

Our little guy is four weeks old today, and I am completely in love with his big eyes, his plump cheeks, his tiny mouth, his fuzzy hair, and his gorgeous smell. It’s remarkable how much bigger he’s gotten these last two weeks – we’re definitely not worried about any weight gain issues anymore around here. His legs and arms are visibly chubbier, and he’s starting to get so much longer already. Rick continues to help out with the night feeds, and I just adore him for it. The boys are still really sweet with Edward – they always ask to see him when I bring him downstairs and they’re all really good with only kissing him on the top of his head or on his tummy. Angus, in particular, has been enjoying his cuddles with Edward Bear, and it seems like the feeling is reciprocal. Sometimes, I really do wish I could make time stand still…

Thank you to everyone for your beautiful words of support. Honestly, you guys helped me feel so much better about this morning. Jamie did extremely well, and I’m so proud of him. The prognosis is that it’s nothing serious, which is wonderful news. As you can probably guess, I’m immensely relieved that it’s all over for now.

17 Comments

12 May 2013

As of this moment…

…Edward has just had his last feed and Rick is putting him down. The older boys are all in bed, though possibly not all yet asleep. Rick’s parents are in our family room, watching television. They are staying over tonight because tomorrow morning Rick and I have to take Jamie off to the hospital for a laryngoscopy to try and determine the cause of his husky voice. This means that he will be undergoing general anaesthetic for the first time. It is almost impossible to express how anxious I feel right now – how terrified I’ve been all week in fact. I’ve been playing and re-playing worst case scenarios in my head, and in all honestly, it’s been ‘doing my head in.’ I’ve had more than a few bouts of tears as I picture life without my little boy, and it’s simply been awful; I should never have read that novel, Oxygen, in which a young child dies in the operating theatre because of anaesthesia. Rationally, I know it’s a common routine procedure, but the mother in me cannot help but imagine the worst and be scared. I can’t even bear the thought of my little guy struggling against the gas. I just want it to be over and done with. Tomorrow, we will leave early in the morning at 6am and Jamie is first on the list at 8am. At least we won’t have to wait around for a long time. I just want him to be okay. That’s all I ask. If you are someone who prays, please pray for us…

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