I've been a bit slack with updating the website... and with blog posts... and with product development... but I have a really good reason... we had a baby girl!!! Ok, well that happened just over three months ago (May 9th to be exact) however life has completely changed, for the better, and I'm taking advantage of the opportunity I have to spend every moment with our girl whilst slowly easing myself back into work mode.

Being first time parents, we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. I was given a few books to read and I also googled more times than I care to admit in times of doubt, plus we endured all the (wanted and unwanted) advice from family and friends, however we soon came to realise that no matter what the data said there are many variables when it comes to raising a human... ie. no two babies are alike and they all develop differently. Certain techniques work for some babies and some don't.

I can honestly admit that the moment our obstetrician said 'Are you ready to meet your daughter?' and pulled her out, was by far the most incredible of my life. It seemed like time stopped when she was placed on my chest and nothing else in the world mattered. We were lost in our little bubble, our little family.

Then came reality... The first two weeks were the absolute worst, because as any new parent would admit, the exhaustion you experience is unfathomable. We were delirious through most of it. I actually had a pretty good pregnancy (blood pressure was always good, no diabetes, no preclampsia) it was pretty much text book - apart from a little stint I had in hospital when I was just over 15 weeks pregnant, whilst we were on holidays in another state... but that's a story for another day.

Without getting into the gritty details of the labour I guess I could say that although it was the worst pain of my life (whoever said it's like period pain lied because it totally isn't!!) it actually went as well as it could and due to the expertise of my brilliant obstetricion, there weren't any complications. I remember a friend saying that although labour pain can be brutal, there's also an end to it, along with the most beautiful blessing, a baby (God willing).

We soon came to realise that even with all the advice in the world, the best way we were going to get through the first couple of months was with a lot of patience, perseverance, deep breaths and just tending to our baby's needs - there's not a lot they ask for ie. food, nappy change, cuddles, comfort. I'll be honest, I think I kept my sanity due to the incredible support we had - my sister coming over in the first week for a few hours just so both of us could take a break and sleep, relatives offering help, my mum and mother-in-law bringing over food (word to the wise, always say yes if anyone offers to bring food!), friends offering a listening ear to us to vent out our frustrations. We were so lucky to have that support network that I know a lot of others don't have. And it did take a couple of weeks before we started feeling human again. Some days felt wonderful and others felt like total fails, at the end of the day we did and will continue to do what we feel is best for our baby girl.

We somehow managed to get through these first couple of months adjusting to our new way of life - Saturday nights are spent in, doing the usual, washing, sterilising, feeding, changing and redoing all over - and feel so incredibly lucky to be parents to our little lady.

The overwhelming love we feel for her trumps all of the issues, the hard nights, the tears, the breakdowns and the exhaustion. And it does get better everyday. Seeing her grow and develop (along with those heart melting gummy smiles) is truly the best gift we have been given.

Being a parent is definitely the hardest job. There's no off switch. Being completely responsible for another human being is frightening and yet ridiculously satisfying. So thankful for this blessing and being able to add 'mum' and 'dad' to our list of duties.

xoxo