Blog - mummalove

A Boy So Loved

I remember those early days of taking a newborn Nicholas out and about. In my memory, they were more likely to be days when the big boys were at kindy or daycare and it was just the two of us, relishing in each other… and the peace, without those unruly...Read More

10 Books to Add to Your Reading List

I am a Kindle lover. There, I said it. I feel like there's this great divide between people who love a Kindle and others who firmly hold their trusty paper books, swearing they'll never give them up for the e-reader. I still love ‘real’ books, and there’s something very magical...Read More

Gifts for the Grieving

When someone dies, it’s natural to want to express our love and comfort to friends who are experiencing the loss. But what do you give to a family when they are grieving? Essentially, we want them to know we’re thinking of them and wish beyond all wishes that we could...Read More

Moving Forward in 2018

2017 felt like a pretty big year, in hindsight. It started with an epic 800km bike ride in Thailand, and time in Singapore with the boys, staying with my sister and her family. On the school front, Charlie started Year 1 and Sam went into Year 3. Sam had his...Read More

The Ocsober Experiment: giving up alcohol for a month

I should probably start this post with the disclaimer that I don’t consider myself a big drinker. I never really have been. A typical week for me would involve one or two glasses of wine and/or a G&T most Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. We don’t usually drink between Monday...Read More

Better with You {Down syndrome awareness month}

Usually as October kicks off, I’m madly welcoming submissions, and editing and scheduling blog posts and social media for Down syndrome awareness month. For the past three years, I have attempted (thanks to some lovely writer friends, with a surprisingly good rate of consistency) to get a post up every...Read More

Finding Slivers of Light in Grief

Every time I heard myself finding something 'good' that had come out of Nicholas passing away, I caught myself: how can something good possibly come out of this cavernous loss? But the truth is that, if we look hard enough, we can always find a sliver of light in the...Read More

Making Mealtimes Fun: Eating tips from a Speech Pathologist {guest post}

We were blessed with a pretty awesome team of therapists at our local branch of Disability Services and I often said that it never felt like a chore to take Nicholas there because the adults always seemed to be having just as much fun as the kids! I was impressed with our...Read More

Becoming a Miracle Mama {guest post}

I actually remember the very first time I read Natalie's blog when a friend shared this post, and then we connected online after both having done the IAHP course in Melbourne. I'm pretty sure we're kindred spirits. While I know motherhood has been challenging and ridiculously busy for her, Natalie seems to emanate...Read More

Eleven Things that Help Keep Our Marriage On Track

I was telling Ben that sometimes in our relationship I marvel at how great it is and can’t imagine it being any other way. We are happy and in love and communicating well and it’s blissful. And then we have times where it feels as though we’re on the brink...Read More

Celebrating the Life of Nicholas Love

Just over one year ago, on 6th May 2016, we gathered to celebrate the life of Nicholas Love. When you plan a wedding, you generally have months or even years to think about the perfect inclusions for that special day, and you’re giddy with excitement over all the little details....Read More

Dear 16 Year Old Me

[caption id="attachment_86029" align="alignleft" width="330"] Cutting the cake at my 16th birthday.[/caption] Dear 16 Year Old Me, You don’t always need to be sensible. Have fun, and make the most of the time in your life where you have few responsibilities. You are young and beautiful, even if you don’t feel...Read More

One Little Word for 2017

It wasn’t until about September last year that I remembered (actually, I had to look it up) what my one little word for 2016 was. Expand. It certainly wasn’t in the way that I envisaged (is it ever in the way we imagine?), but expand I did. I broke into a...Read More

To the Brokenhearted on World Down syndrome Day

As World Down syndrome Day rolls around on 21st March (3:21), I love watching my social media feed full of amazing individuals rocking their extra chromosome. But amongst the joy is the heartbreak of knowing that our son with the almond shaped eyes is no longer lighting up our social media feed in real...Read More

To the Special Needs Mother: this was you all along {guest post}

For someone who has been part of the Down syndrome community for less than four years, Kat has achieved much and connected with many in that time, whilst also holding down a full time job and being a single mum to two children. I am thankful to know this woman, filled with such passion...Read More

Ordinary Miracles: Learning to connect by heart through a dual-diagnosis of Down syndrome & Autism Spectrum Disorder (DS/ASD) {guest post}

While Elisa and I have never met in person, from our very early interactions in an online forum, it was clear she is a woman who exudes love, warmth and empathy, a woman with a strong faith, and a woman devoted to her family. As it turns out, we are both...Read More

Juxtaposition: the opposing sentiments of a sibling {guest post}

Meeting Lucy was one of those Universe-conspiring moments. I stumbled upon her blog one night whilst feeding my baby and I immediately felt connected to her words, beautiful in their simplicity, describing life as a creative spirit and mother of two (now three!) small girls. It wasn’t until later that I discovered...Read More

Memories of My Cousin Nicholas {guest post}

Nicholas was lucky enough to have a whole tribe of wonderful cousins - 18 of them, in fact. But he definitely had a soft spot for his 11 year old cousin, and fellow blondie, Sophie. If ever I needed to encourage Nicholas to go somewhere, I just needed to tell him that...Read More