dear baby

Dear Baby,

I can now call you by your name, sweet little Olivia. I'm so excited to have finally met you, to know that you are exactly the person I thought you were, carried inside me all those months, and yet, you are completely new to me! Daddy and I simply cannot believe that today you are two weeks old. Where have those 2 weeks gone? They have been a mix of snuggles and endless feeds and little sleep...the most precious time we could imagine and yet they fly by so fast!

Already you have changed so much, in such a short space of time. Your cheeks are getting chubbier (and I'm so proud that I can say "I'm doing that!"), your eyes are getting bluer, your smiles are getting more and more real...and our hearts grow more and more full of love for you. And for each other.

You are the most amazing gift that anyone could have given to us and we are both amazed and terrified that such a tiny little person is all ours. We cannot wait to see you grow, see your personality emerge and see who you look like (and whether you get some dimples!) but right now, I want you to stay teeny and squishy for a good while yet...as terrifying as that can be it's almost amazing to feel your warmth against me and know that right now, you are all ours. The world has not yet touched you and you are perfect.

Welcome to the world little Livie. You just became ours.

Love, Mama xx

Weight: 3340 grams, 135 grams above her birth weight

Keep an eye out for Olivia's birth story, coming soon!

dear baby

Dear Baby,

Well Little Bean, we are two hundred days into this pregnancy according to Mama's phone app...roughly 11 weeks til your due date. I often wonder just how long it will be before we get to see your squishy little face...

Last night I watched you and your Daddy communicating through your own little Morse Code - he tapping on my belly, you kicking back. Amazing. When Daddy found your foot and pressed against it, you kicked against him, almost like, "Get lost Dad, this is my space"... I can't wait to see the two of you together in person. I think my heart will bust.

We often wonder who you are, which of the names we've chosen you will take on, grow into. Who you will look like, how you will come into this world and how you will change our lives...11 weeks seems so short, but also so long...

Keep growing strong no-longer-so-Little Bean. As much as we are dying to meet you, you're not quite ready to join us yet. But oh when you do...how happy we will be.

Love Mama

dear baby

Written on 25th of March, 2013

Dear Little Bean!

Well, it's been a while since I wrote a letter instead of just a weekly catch up! Pretty much everyone in our world knows about you now - yesterday we shared our excitement about you on Facebook!! Boy oh boy, did our pages blow up!! Everyone is thrilled and has been expressing so much love and happiness over your news :)

We had our first midwife appointment on Wednesday, which was awesome! Our midwife, Sarah, is lovely and is going to provide us with so much support (including come out to Mama and Daddy for all future appointments! No having to fight for parking at the hospital - score!). Mama found out that due to her job she is highly likely to get a single room - second score!

But most importantly, the week before we got to see your little self up on the ultrasound screen again - this time looking like a real little baby! You were waving and jumping around, arching your back and jumping away from the ultrasound wand. It was very exciting... And emotional hearing your little heartbeat for the first time! Mama didn't even mind the blood test afterwards, she was still on a high from seeing your beautiful self.

We have started collecting things for you already - at barely 12 weeks you had already accumulated more than 12 outfits from friends and family, and Aunty Kylie and Uncle Mark have already dropped around 2 rockers, a capsule, a monitor & a present for you! Spoiled and just over 3 months in existence.

Daddy and I have been talking about names for you... We've only started on girl names so far, but we'll get to the boy's names... Just in case ;) Everyone around us thinks you are a little miss, except Aunty Kylie C, who changed her mind to boy when she saw Mama last. Even a medium lady has told Mama that she sees PINK!! I think we will all be rather surprised should you be a little boy - but what an entrance that would make!! (We will promise to apologise for thinking you are a little girl, we promise!)

Whatever your gender, we are so completely in love with you already and are so overwhelmed with how much love everyone around us has already expressed for you - this little person they are yet to meet. Love will definitely surround you when you come into this world!

Love always, Mama xxx

dear baby

Written on the 12th of February, 2013

Dear Baby,

Wow, it's been a busy time since I wrote to you last. Almost all your immediate family knows about you now! We told the W side aunties and uncles on Australia Day at Nanny and Poppy's house, trying to sneak in the news while Great Uncle Ron (who was down in Sydney fixing Nanny's bathroom) was out of the room. We went and saw your Auntie Leesha, Uncle Micheal, Auntie Kimmy and Uncle Garth the next day. Aunty Meeka and Uncle Mark weren't home so we still need to share the news with them.

Auntie Leesha was so excited when we told her she would be getting THREE new nieces and nephews towards the end of the year, instead of just the two she thought! And Auntie Kimmy and Uncle Garth were over the moon! Auntie Kimmy is growing your little cousin as we speak, and we are so excited that you guys will be about 5 weeks apart in age. She is so excited to share her last pregnancy with our first :)

Ouma came home from America on Thursday - a surprise for everyone! She'll be here now to meet you. Auntie Leesha got Ouma's reaction on video - I will definitely be sharing that with you one day...

You gave Mummy a bit of nerves on Thursday, when I had a some cramping that moved to my back. So we went to the doctor. I got a bunch of tests, but the most exciting thing was that we finally got a referral to see you for the first time!!

On Saturday, 09.02.2013, - one day before our 8 year anniversary - we got to see you and your little heartbeat flashing away on the screen. You looked like a little jelly bean, but it's crazy to think that you are OUR little jelly bean. The lady was did our scan was just lovely and assured us you had a good, strong heart beat and were measuring at 7 weeks, 6 days! The doctor had estimated us to be 7 weeks 1 day, but I had thought we were a little further than that. Not quite that far though!

So we are now classified as 8 weeks and 2 days, as I write this. I'm excited to get started on all the ways I hope to document this journey - particularly as the kind scan lady sent us home with a few pictures, since we had to wait for our scan results until today (which Daddy is picking up for me since I'm at work!). We also can't wait to slowly start telling more of our family and friends... Starting with your Great Nan, who will be so excited about you! She's going to be hoping you are a little girl, so she can finally knit something pink! But she will love you regardless...

...As we already do little bean. Can't wait to see you again soon! Until then - grow strong!

Love, Mama

dear baby

Written on 23rd of January, 2013

Dear Baby,

It's been a busy couple of days. On Monday Mama booked in with our midwife - her name is Sarah. She sounds lovely and I can't wait to meet her. Yesterday, I had to share your existence with my big boss at work... I hadn't wanted to so early but she had requested an update on my CPH and well, I couldn't really discuss it without mentioning you!!

However, that led Daddy and I to the decision to tell Nanny and Poppy about you last night. It took a few minutes for the news to click... Then Nanny cried. Hehe. It's going to be hard for them to keep your secret for a little while longer!! Soon we will tell Oupa, then a little later, Ouma and all your Aunties and Uncles. They are all going to be so excited!!

I wonder if Aunty Juzzie's scream will be louder then when she realised Mama and Daddy were engaged??

Counting down til we can see you and hear your little heartbeat...

Love Mama

dear baby

Written on 20th of January, 2013

Dear Baby,

Yesterday your Daddy and I got confirmation that you are definitely growing in there. We're officially 4 weeks! We've been told our first due date - 27th of September, 2013. At this stage I hope you come early or late - our first wedding anniversary is the 29th of September! The idea of being in labour on our first wedding anniversary doesn't sound terribly appealing hehe (and I'm sure you won't want to share your birthday with your oldies!!)

We went out to dinner last night, the day the doctor said "Congratulations", to celebrate us, and you! We had a good ol' chat about how we want to tell your family and our friends about your existence... The how/when and where. It was scary exciting... Because you will go from our little secret to a real, exciting pregnancy!!

In the next couple of days we'll be booking into the hospital and in a few weeks we can book in our first ultrasound - we can't wait to see you up on the screen, even if you will be only a lil' nugget!!

We love you already and look towards the next 8 months, full of hope!

Love Mama

dear baby

Dear Baby,

Well it's official! Our little family has a new place to call home :) It has all happened so fast, but in such a way that it feels like it is meant to be! After a terrible start to house hunting, which was getting me down, I was beginning to think we were going to be stuck in an unhappy little rental.

Then, on Saturday I saw the perfect little house, in our price range and freshly renovated. As fate would have it the owner arrived before the estate agent and let us in. While everyone else went straight to the agent when he arrived, your Nanny and I chatted with the owner - asking him questions, finding out what he was after in tenants and just generally chatting. He was lovely! By the time we left, he had offered your Mama and Daddy the home!

We signed the paperwork today and visited the house for your Daddy to check it out. We move on Friday! You officially have a home, and a nursery, and this Mama can't wait to start setting it up!

Another new adventure - one that takes us that much closer to the point we get to meet you. Bring it on.

Love Mama

dear baby

Written on the 14th of January, 2013

Dear Baby

Today we found out about you. Mama had her suspicions already and waiting until I could know for real was killing me... I snuck away on my lunch break today and what do you know - that little test confirmed my suspicions and let me know that you were indeed tucked away somewhere, quietly starting your growing adventure.

I set up a special little box for your Daddy to open when I got home from work... I worked myself up to telling your Daddy... Only to find him not home when I got there!! Luckily he didn't wait too long to come home to us and the look on his face when he opened his special package is one ill never forget. He didn't even see the test - he only saw the card and grinned at me... "Is this for real?"

I had to tell him there was more in the box!!

Daddy and I have already started talking about how we are going to tell our family all about you... We can't wait, yet wait we have to! Until its safe to make sure you're ok... Then we can shout it from the rooftops!

We have a lot of decisions to make and lots of things to plan... But for now we are happy to just let it sink in -

We're going to be your Mama and Daddy.

Darling, let's be adventurers!

Love Mama


inside the card: "Our family is growing by TWO FEET!"


will never forget this moment, or this face!