SPILT MILK // ISSUE 0001

A new year, a new baby, and a new love letter! SPILT MILK is a place for me to share both the beautiful and the sticky moments of parenthood with you, while using words like “abreast” with impunity. In a perfect world I’ll publish quarterly-ish, but I may deny ever making that promise postpartum.

Seeing as this is the first issue, I think the best place to begin is last August, when our lives changed forever (am I the drama?)

Allora… Let me cast your mind back to my well-grammed trip through Sicily: a grand, adventurous, romantic journey through wild weather and hold-your-breath-hairpin streets. For what my opinion as a former flight attendant is worth, my favourite place by far was the breathtaking city of Ragusa. To cut a long story short, we ate and drank ourselves into oblivion and walked till our feet blistered before waiving goodbye; newly engaged and pregnant. Said conception can and will be blamed squarely on the sex appeal of a 1996 Barolo.

Naturally, we had just perfected the interiors in our much-loved rental in downtown Toronto, but it was a long-spoken agreement that we would return “home” to Sydney for our first birth. And so, we soon packed our lives into boxes once more and flew back to Oz, where my parents have provided unlimited cups of tea, a room to stay as long as needed, and even the use of their second car while we settle in. I’m optimistic that any silent thoughts they may by now be suppressing along the lines of “are we there yet?” will be quickly pushed aside with the distraction of a very cute grandson. Speaking of loving parents, we also owe a belated thank you to my MIL, who not only threw a decadent engagement party for us in Toronto (where we thoroughly enjoyed the mass hysteria following our surprise baby announcement), but is graciously minding all of our furniture in her garage. Again.

Our days right now are full of life-planning and administration, which feels big but also refreshing and welcome. Are we real adults yet?? I’ve been finding contentment in the simple things: fresh mangoes, sunny afternoons, swims at Forster, watching my belly grow, and extended time with my darling Emma and her growing family. We shared a special week of being pregnant here together (Van, her two year-old, would often ask us to lift our shirts; pointing to my belly ring or her freckle and asking solemnly, “is this the baby?”) I then had the privilege of witnessing the incredible water birth of her second son/freckle baby, Charlie. If that wasn’t enough of a 20+ year friendship high, the icing on the cake was the opportunity to stay for postpartum overnights during the first couple of months while everyone in the house recuperated, loved, and navigated the transition from three to four.

My own pregnancy has been kind, and I’m excited to be sharing my reflections on the first trimester in an upcoming article I penned for Jorgen House. I’m unsure if it’s really sunk in yet that we’re going to be wonderful, tired parents in just a few short months (has it really been 25 weeks?) but I already know we’ll love it. Tyler takes exceptional care of me and I feel completely in sync with him. We’ve also decided to let our original wedding plans rest for the foreseeable future and simply enjoy this season: why rush all the best parts?

For the moment, all of the above feels like a fairly big life update, and perhaps true of most first blogs, it also feels clunky and decidedly unsexy to write about yourself. But perfection is the enemy of progress, or something. In my next newsletter I hope to share my reflections on our home birth, a family photo as three, some doula news, and the launch of something even bigger. I’ve also started planning my version of a “baby shower” which might be of interest for anyone looking for inspo by then. In the meantime, all my love to you for reading this and being a part of the Milk & Blossom community. Please enjoy the White Lotus S02 feels from my curated gallery below. Wherever you are in the world, I hope these next three months is wild for you in all the best ways.

SICILIA E ROMA, 35MM