That’s what my plans for the weekend consist of…just breathing and waiting for little Robin to get well. I wish you a weekend full of sunshine and good health.

We’re still homebound with this little poppet. BUT this morning the husband took over and I had 5 whole hours to myself! I had my hair dyed (hurrah for that!), chopped off a chunk of it and did some shopping. I feel like a new woman. I thoroughly enjoyed my time alone but couldn’t wait to squeeze my baby.

Since I’ve only had the use of one hand these past few days and I couldn’t very well write lengthy blog posts while a very irritable baby pulled at my hair, I thought of browsing the site a little to brighten up my days. Now I’m addicted to it. So that makes Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin and Pinterest I’m keeping up with. I usually visit them mostly at night when the kids are asleep but Pinterest has had me stuck to the screen every chance I could get.

It’s a treasure trove of inspirational images and has spurred me on to look at the mirror (which I’d been avoiding for the past few months) and fix an appointment at the hairdresser’s. I am also determined to start doing yoga again (the classes I was attending last Autumn had been stopped but will hopefully start again soon). If I used to wake up at 5.30am to fit in a 20 minute session every morning when I was still working at the shop, then I can do it now too.

What about you? Are you on Pinterest? If you aren’t, go and have a look. You might find it’s the perfect place to escape from the stresses of everyday life like I have.

Tomorrow my hair should be close to this colour. Yay!

I tend to braid my hair a lot to keep it out of my face...this is a style I'll be trying.

I've started wearing makeup again...not all the time but most days. It makes me feel so much better about myself.

I'm starting to like green a lot. It's become Robin's trademark colour. I also like this outfit a lot...the vest is great for nursing, the bag can double as a nappy bag and I love the watch. The perfect accessory? A cup of coffee of course!

Ah how I miss yoga.

PS – I didn’t take note of the sources for the first, third and fourth photo. If you happen to know the source please drop me a line and I’ll credit duly.

I am writing this in a coffee shop which I fled to a few minutes ago. I had been at home with Robin since Sunday afternoon and felt like I was losing my marbles. She is still unwell and I didn’t dare take her out in the cold for fear of her health getting worse. I’ve spent the past 48 hours cradling her (all 10kgs of her), playing with her, pulling faces to make her laugh, wiping her face and hands, changing her bib every couple of hours, disinfecting her toys, washing everything she dribbled over and trying, without success, to put her to sleep. My body is a wreck from carryig her all the time, my nerves are frazzled and I look like death. I miss Maia and I’m snapping at the husband just because I know I can get away with it. I’m not happy.

That’s why I had to grab the car keys and drive away somewhere I couldn’t hear babies crying and where nobody would talk to me (no mean feat on this island).

And now that I have sipped on my tea, written a bit and taken some really deep breaths, I find myself thinking about those mothers who do not have anyone to keep the baby so they can leave the house for an hour to let off steam. I’m thinking of those parents whose children are seriously ill or are disabled. I am thinking of those parents who have lost their little ones and who would gladly spend the rest of their lives at home if it meant being able to hold their babies again.

So right now I feel like an arse (excuse my French) and am heading right back to cuddle my snotty baby. And I hope to remind myself more often that being a mother is also about sacrificing one’s own sanity when needed, because that’s as important a part of parenting as the happy times are.

image from www.creaturecomfortsblog.com

Robin has been stuck to me and her father like velcro. We haven’t been able to put her down for more than five minutes since Friday. She has been receiving a lot of individual attention and on Saturday started saying “mama”. If I have to be honest, she might just be babbling but my heart melts every time I hear those two syllables! She has also started waving goodbye and the husband taught her how to pull a funny face. Not only that, but she got her first tooth yesterday! This weekend has been all about her.

She got very excited every time she looked outside but we only went out for a few hours yesterday afternoon.

The rest of the time she napped and wanted to be cuddled. We were happy to oblige.

How about you? How was your weekend?

It might not be a big deal to most people, especially those of you who are bloggers, but up until yesterday I had kept this blog relatively secret and avoided publicising it on Facebook like my life depended on it. Why this sudden turnaround, you say? It turns out a lot of people I know in real life and whom I had never mentioned this blog to, already knew about it because they reached this space through the other blog I write. So I decided to go the whole hog and make it as public as I possibly could.

So welcome to all new readers and many many thanks to those of you who have been following this space and who always support me with suggestions, advice and kind words. You’re the best.

Beautiful day today. Cold but sunny. Perfect for some time on the beach with the family. *sigh*

Then I came to the computer and saw this post by one of the bloggers I follow. What an inspiration this girl is! At 19, she’s fighting a deadly illness and doing it with a smile! Not only that, but she’s keeping her friends, family and strangers who are supporting her emotionally updated through a Facebook page dedicated to her. Even though it might feel like it’s too much information for some, I think it’s a very good idea. Not only does it give out a positive message about people fighting cancer, but it also keeps her going. Most of all, I am humbled by the girl’s faith.

Why don’t you head over to her page and show her some love? One day it might be one of us who needs the same kind of support and prayers.

We cuddled pretty babies.

We fed them too.

This pretty baby managed to pull herself up onto her knees (BIG achievement considering she's really heavy and she was still wearing her sleeping bag).

We had dinner at a fine restaurant.

We had a lovely soup for starters.

Chicken and veg as main course.

And a lovely cupcake for dessert.

10 Euro for a three course meal? Not too shabby!

We also celebrated a sweet girl's first birthday with wings, bouncy castles and lots of delicious food.

Did I mention cuddles?

There were a lot of those too...and a desperate need for a certain someone to get their hair and clothes sorted!