Hello stranger, remember this place?
It’s been so long since my last post, I am almost shy to start again. I feel like a stranger, lurking around on my own site! A few things happened since I was here last (that was last July, in case you were wondering). So this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down, and I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, I’ll tell you how I became the mom of a babe called Charlie-bear. 😉
Charlie and me when he was about 6 weeks old.
And that’s pretty much what happened: Charlie Adventure, our 2960g, 41cm boy was born on 28 July of last summer. About 6 days after he was due, he decided to come into the world and he has ruled ours since. We spent 6 weeks in Canada, where he was born; just long enough to get his passport and then hopped on a plane to Europe, where we spent a week in Iceland, another week in Scotland and a week in The Netherlands. We then flew on to our Asian home in Bangkok, where we’ve been ever since.
Charlie, Cristel and Brad in Iceland.
Charlie is already 6 months old now, naps 3 times a day (on a good day), knows how to roll over and shimmy 360 degrees (but no crawling yet), can sit up unassisted and has started eating a bit of real food (mostly mashed fruits and cereal). He loves going swimming every week with Brad, has grown more hair than his dad now, and is a highly spirited, energetic and extremely vocal baby. He simply does not stop moving until asleep and will clearly and loudly express his displeasure if something is not to his liking. At the moment his favourite sound to make is “Pffffrtttt” (I asked what he thought of Donald Trump and that was his answer) and involves spraying copious amount of saliva. He is the Drool King.
When we first arrived back in Bangkok, I optimistically left my easel and art supply cart out in the living room, where it had sat waiting for me since we had left Thailand months earlier. And I looked at it a lot! Most days would start off with me looking at my art station and thinking I might eke out a half hour here or there and do some sketching at least.
Alas, truth be told, my mindset just wasn’t there most days, and I have been just too damned tired! Mr Adventure does not sleep through the night, and when he’s awake he is full of energy and wants to be part of whatever is going on around him. So a quiet afternoon of painting has simply not been in the cards so far.
Just so I don’t feel so bad for not painting, and for safety reasons (Adventureman is now mobile in his walker and likes to stick everything he can get his hands on in his mouth, which with pastels would be a very bad idea), I’ve TEMPORARILY put my art cart and easel in the cupboard. But I am determined to get back to my art soon, and for that reason I have replaced the easel with a sketchbook on our coffee table. I’ve done a few sketches (none worth sharing at this point), and am slowly easing back into it. There will be art before this kid’s first birthday! 😉
With Charlie on a recent Bangkok photowalk.
Becoming a mom has certainly changed my world significantly, and there has been a lot of firsts these past 9+6 months. I am considering starting a blog about it, or dedicating a section of this blog to it. I spent many a nighttime hour googling things and reading other new parent blogs, wondering if my experiences were normal, what to expect, how to handle something, and just finding that yes, most of the time it’s normal and you’re not the only one! Which is always nice to read, so maybe a good reason to share my experiences too. Just think of all the hashtags: #oldermom, #expatmom, #artistmom, #nomadicmom, #travelwithbaby, #momblogger, #workathomemom, to name a few. In any case, it’s nice to be back here, and I’ll be sharing new art soon, I promise!
Let me know what you think of this post, share your new parent experiences (and advice always welcome!) and comments below or on my Facebook page.
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I ALWAYS love to read what you have on your mind. Being a mommy looks GREAT on you. It is true; people don’t have babies; babies have people. You guys are giving him the most amazing foundation and the coolest passport EVER!!! As far as sleeping through the night goes; I always gave Joe Joe some rice pudding or cereal right before bedtime. Once I did that; he slept like a baby!!!! When are you guys coming back to Fripp; I cannot wait to get me some Mr. Adventure hugs and kisses. I am excited that you are getting back to blogging; I will be an avid follower!!!!