Lately...

A little re-cap of June so far. And my thoughts on Botox.

Bonjour! Ça va? (My boys favourite phrase at the moment).

Ocean also says the cutest merci! to everything, without being prompted.

In case you were wondering, baby stores are my happy place. Oh I get so excited if I walk past a baby store…all the cute Velzy things! I can’t resist buying Velvet a cute little bunny (Ocean stole it immediately) or soft fluffy rattle. The baby stage goes so fast, and I’m absolutely soaking it all up. I’m already getting emotional thinking how fast this year is going. All the baby rompers, all the sweet children’s books (in French, I love the illustrations). One of our favourite bookstores in Paris is Librairie Galignani. Sammy and I used to wander in there each year in our twenties, past the children’s book section and I would dream of being able to shop there one day. Atlas now loves going to the bookstore with me (he loves choosing incredible books on insects, and he goes home and draws them). I’m living my dream.

Sitting in Noir, and slowly drinking an oat flat white is actual happiness. My favourite coffee in Paris, especially in the 16e.

The 16th arrondissement is often overlooked when visiting Paris, but it’s one of my favourite neighbourhoods, especially for families. Maybe I need to do a whole post on my favourite local spots and playgrounds in this area… it’s where you will find us almost every weekend.

I’m embracing a new style era. I’m slowly trying to find myself again…or my style. I currently want to grow my hair longer, wear romantic summer dresses, change up most of the furniture in our house, and I’m drawn to floral everything. My nails are short and bare, and my makeup is more natural again. I did a double take when I saw this dress recently at Le Bon Marché. I was bopping Velzy around at the time, but I think I need to go back and try it on. Also, I love the brands website. All mirror selfies, but done in a great way, where you can really get a sense of the fit of the pieces. Merci!

People watching in Paris is always fun. The chic Parisian older woman have the best style. Not a single puffer jacket in sight. Navy blazers are on my mind, I saw a lady in her 60s (or maybe 70s) wearing one and it looked incredible on her. I would love to still wear pieces from my wardrobe when I’m 70…and still be living in Paris hehe! Or the south of France…

There was a vintage street market out the front of our apartment recently, and I was searching for some lace and crochet pieces. And I found them! I loved one or two, and a few ceramic pieces, and asked the lady how much roughly everything was. She replied, one euro! I didn’t have any cash, so I quickly ran home, and came back with Atlas. We went through the cardboard box together and I found so many more incredible pieces, all in perfect condition. It was the end of the day, and the stall holders were packing up. A large stack of crochet pieces, a little vase and two ceramic cups for all the coins I could find: 4.70 euros. My Dutch Oma had so many lace pieces around her home, and I have always loved them. They covered coffee tables, dressers, they sat under vases, and there were lace curtains in every room. Every candle and vase will now sit proudly on one of these throughout our home…

Atlas also lost his second tooth! The tooth fairy only had an Australian two dollar coin on hand this time. Atlas loved it! I don’t want them to grow up and lose their sense of wonder. It’s such a special time, believing in magic.

Substack is my safe space. I read a quote recently that sums up my thoughts perfectly. “The way women and mothers are sharing their minds and hearts on Substack…is the kind of renaissance the world needs right now.” Brands are starting to be curious about Substack and asking for analytics. 10,000 views on a post is a lot of views. Engaged views. But, I’m hesitant to work with brands here, and would much rather stay community led. I’ve missed writing. I love sharing. All my little thoughts that pop into my head in the beautiful chaos of motherhood, that you might resonate with (or laugh about) too.

Velzy is blowing raspberries!! It’s the sweetest!

We also moved her into her princess bed (ie baby cot) from her bassinet and the boys think it’s very cute. I was having a pinch me moment when I was tying the little bows from her cot bumpers. I never had bumpers with the boys (Australia has very strict safe sleep guidelines), but she loves rolling and I think the bumpers keep her cosy. She’s less likely to roll over and want to see what’s through the bars on her cot. We ended up going with this baby cot (I preferred the standard cot dimensions) and her pretty bedding is from Garbo & Friends. We transitioned her slowly, first with some daytime naps, then overnight. We are also now dressing her in larger, puffier style sleeping bags, as we aren’t using any blankets now she’s rolling around.

During the week, when Ocean has his mandatory nap at school (I’ve tried, Sammy’s tried, his teachers say it is not possible when we ask if he can pretty please have quite time instead as it really affects his bedtime), I went in at 10pm (the light was on in their room, Atlas was fast asleep) and Ocean had drawn all over his new bed and walls, including above Atlas’ bed. Fun fun. The artwork is très magnifique though. Gentle parenting is working well haha. There are zero consequences. Please please go to sleep. Weekends Ocean doesn’t have a nap, and he’s fast asleep by 6.30pm.

I have a folder in Notes in my phone where I write down all the cute things Atlas says. He loves reciting facts at the moment. This one had me giggling.

Atlas: Daddy, if a human eats another human, it’s called a ‘canon ball’.

I’ve realised I’m really good at navigating a french website, adding to cart, and making purchases all in french. I rarely turn on the English version. Slowly slowly learning more french…through shopping! And from reading AD France and trying to work out what they are saying: dans la salon, sur la table, nouvel hôtel, un miroir et des luminaires Art Déco vintage.

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The strawberry full moon. All I can say is WOW. Did you guys feel it too? Optimism, new experiences, and new beginnings.

A cheque finally cleared that we deposited weeks ago. Haha yes, a cheque. The French still love cheques. Sammy went out to buy a television, something we haven’t had since 2017, bar one year in Peregian Beach, but we sold it before moving to Parii. One request to Sammy le French: please can you get an aluminium frame. I had a little sleep-in (deep in the regression nights), and came out to the delivery man installing a wonderful television in our living room, with a black frame. Oh no, no, no! He was not happy, especially working on a Saturday morning, but luckily the refund email came through almost instantly: you will receive a cheque in the mail. I would have well and truly lost the piece of paper by now if it was up to me. No television, no cheque. Even receiving bills (or cheques) in the mail feels so strange!

After my third postpartum, it’s safe to say I look tired. Even if I feel like I have some of my energy back. Most nights, I’m only up once or twice with one of the cubs. I still have some melasma under my eyes from pregnancy hormones (slowly fading). The reality is, the majority of my work involves being in front of the lens. My skin is clearer than it has been in a long time. I have been consistent with retinol and SPF, since I ended breastfeeding around 5-6 weeks ago. A combined total of 33 months of breastfeeding, between the three cubs. Of course I’m going to look a little dehydrated when I look in the mirror. My view on preventative botox? Maybe let’s not overthink it. Honestly. Do what makes you happy and confident. In two weeks I’ll look a million dollars. Haha! Not really! But maybe, like I’ve just had a good nights sleep. I will keep you posted with the results. I love that more people are being honest about Botox. I know I’m curious. When a stunning founder (that I used to model with back in Melbourne) shared she has Botox twice a year, and she’s under 30 with no bébé’s, I’m like, that’s it! I’m getting Botox! No wonder these girls all look incredible… The perfect hydrating serum or highlighting balm is just the icing. I genuinely think wrinkles are beautiful. And grey hair. Just not yet s'il vous plaît.

We are off to Copenhagen tomorrow for 3daysofdesign! It’s one of my favourite cities. Last time I was there, I strangely had no appetite at all, and could barely eat anything — even though I wanted to eat three breakfasts, the food is always so delicious. The seeded bread, the whipped butter, the comté. The cardamom buns. I’ll do a little updated Copenhagen guide with all our favourite spots when we return. Looking back, I think it was the medication I was on at the time as we were trying to conceive, or stress.

Should I still share my fertility journey with you? Please let me know.

Bisous xoxo

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