Monday, 14 July 2014

28: Gabrielle


Portraits - the Motherhood series.

1997. The year we lost Biggie Smalls and Lady Diana. The year Prince Michael Jackson was born and Stuart Diver survived the Thredbo landslide disaster. The movie Titanic and the Nintendo 64 were first released and "No Aphrodisiac" by The Whitlams was the #1 song on Triple J’s Hottest 100. It was also the year Gab met Sam. And they’ve been pretty much inseparable ever since. They were married after nine years together, enjoying life as a young couple eating out and travelling the world. Once they decided they were ready to start a family, the journey wasn’t as smooth as they had hoped. Three years later, their son Fraser (4) made it worth the wait. Marissa (19mths) or Missy as she is known completes this loving family of four. Gab tells me she can remember being surprised at the intensity of the love she felt when her babies arrived. She counts watching their spirited and affectionate personalities emerge as one of the best things about motherhood and hopes that she and Sam can help steer them to become kind and compassionate people who are confident and content in themselves. A consistent theme that I hear from mothers is the high expectation they tend to place on themselves, despite the fact everyone is learning on the job! Each day Gab tries to remind herself to simply be present and fun.

Aside from a 10 month stint working part time before Marissa was born, Gab has been able to stay at home with the kids. Having seen how challenging it was to integrate work and home schedules, she holds such admiration for mums who work full time. Now that the kids are a little older, she’s been considering a return to part time work. A decision bolstered by the fact that her own mother literally lives up the street and is always available and willing to help out. Gab was especially close to her Nan and remembers her home as a warm, safe and inviting place. Always filled with their favourite treats! In turn, Gab has delighted in seeing her children start to build their own special relationships with their Nanna. 

You can view all of my portraits from 2013/14 by clicking on the Portrait Series links in the right sidebar of this page. In case you're wondering about the inspiration for this year's Motherhood portrait series, you can read more about it here.

Belinda x

1 comment:

  1. Being a stay at home mum is such a privilege ....I remember those days with much fondness xx

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comment, so nice to hear from you. Belinda x

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