Little Treasures

I started a collection of little treasures for The Bean when she was born. How I managed to do this during the haze of new motherhood I don’t know, but looking through the little collection recently I was quite impressed with my early efforts.

From my maternity record to her christening outfit, her ultrasound images to the census form from the year of her birth—the collection includes toys and 'things' and 'stuff' I hope she will treasure someday.

Perhaps the most sentimental items are the greeting cards given to me at her baby shower; on the occasion of her birth; her christening, and her first birthday. They provide a beautiful snapshot of our family and friends—words of love, humorous anecdotes and heartfelt sentiments abound. I hope that when she explores the collection as she grows, she will understand what it means to have such an amazing network of family and friends surrounding her. No matter what, she will always be loved and she will always have a safe place in this world.

My own treasure chest includes the tens of thousands of photographs I have taken— compulsively —of The Bean since she was born - it's all too easy with a digital camera or a phone. While I would like to include CDs of my favourite photographs that record each year of her life, the task of sorting through them is quite daunting. One day I will make it happen… but for now I will continue to work on this year’s letter to our darling girl, where I will try my very best to put into words how much we treasure her.

Pigs will fly

This beautifully made clip about the realities of factory farming gave me cause to think about The Bean and wonder how I will explain to her one day where some food comes from. The Make It Possible video notes that from birth, we are drawn to animals. It points out that we only have to look to children to see that kindness towards animals is natural and inherent to the human species.

Oopsy Daisy

Sunday was a gorgeous day to spend at home with The Bean. I pottered around tidying the garden while she was enthralled with her sand and water play table. A warm bath followed and a picnic in the lounge room made for an idyllic morning.

I was enjoying the very sweet sight of The Bean lying on the couch cuddling one of the cats when she suddenly sat up and tumbled backwards, striking her head on the coffee table with a gut-wrenching crack. I was less than half a metre away but I wasn’t quick enough to catch her. I snatched her up to discover what seemed to be a huge amount of blood pouring from her scalp, drenching her within seconds. We raced out the door to the neighbour’s house for help and while I shook with fear and held her, she was swiftly cleaned up and assessed. She was just fine.