Welcoming Ava

It's been a long time since I last wrote on my blog. I last wrote as I became pregnant with my second child, Ava. Jacques and I were thrilled at her arrival, and although a pregnancy which occured during the COVID pandemic was a little scary, Ava was born well and healthy. I wrote an article about Ava's birth for a local magazine because when I was pregnant with Ava, many of the articles I read online were scary. I couldn't have had a better experience though.

Ava is a little gem who has brought such joy to both of our lives. At the moment, she is starting to coo and will regularly speak to us in her own little language. She is definately a nature lover and adores being outside picking the leaves, smelling the flowers and gazing at birds and lizards. It's made me realise how deeply children love nature. Danny, my first child, is still a nature lover who adores her animals. The days when strolling to the playground used to take an hour, when Danny would take time to watch the flowers grow have come back to me now. Ava adores planting seeds with her dad and watering them with an old enamel kettle. I'd had no idea that Jacques was watering flowers with a kettle, so when Ava was pointing to the kettle with such excitement, I wasn't sure what she wanted to do. After a little bit of frustration, I asked Jacques and he explained.

Once again, I am reminded of how little babies need. Ava has a lot of generous relatives who have given her so much. She has a baby jumper for when she can sit up, a lot of toys and lots of clothes. She adores her baby gym and her Clip Clop donkey rattle. Other than this though, she is happy to be carried around the garden, exploring nature. She'll sit contendedly on the patio steps with me for well over half an hour, just watching the birds in the trees. It's also been a great stress reliever for me. I have learned to calm down again, to take time to explore and to simply be mindful once again. Spending time with children is always a reminder to re-view the world.