GIRL ABOUT LIFE BLOG

Activities and costs

• City sightseeing bus- R300+ (2day pass with free boat cruise 
• Wine tasting with cellar tour- R110
• Cableway- R300+

I have always wanted to travel, to explore and experience different places. It does not make sense to me to not wander and find out what other provinces or countries look like.  One of my biggest goals this year was to travel whether for a day or a week, visiting a small town or flying out to the country whatever it takes to keep moving. I also wanted to create memories with my daughter, my partner, my friends and family.

Mpumalanga was the perfect place to start this "world tour". I was determined to go no matter what.

It's hard to believe baby Langa was born just over 6months ago. As soon as I found out I was pregnant my life was no longer mine. I lived for her and right after birth that sentiment intensified. It's hard to believe that it has only been 6 months,feels longer.

My life changed the minute I found out I was pregnant. This was when I was 5 months in. Most people didn't understand how I could go for so many months without noticing anything but DENIAL AIN'T JUST THE RIVER IN EGYPT. I was on double protection. I was on birth control (not for the actual birth control) for my acne and also using protection. So you can imagine how shocked I was to find out I had a little human growing inside me and how traumatized I was to find out it had been in there for 5 months. Needless to say my mother wasn't pleased,  I wasn't pleased but I quickly had to accept because there wasn't enough time left till the little love of my life was born.

Pregnancy was exhausting and challenging but not as much as being mom. "Atleast you still get to sleep whenever you want", an ex colleague commented when I complained about how tired I was and boy was she right!.
The first 2 nights after giving birth I was scared to sleep because I was breastfeeding so I didn't want to smother her. That coupled with anxiety and the nurses waking you up every 4hours to check if baby has pooped or peed there was definitely not enough sleep. I quickly got discharged and I was excited and nervous to bring baby home. I can safely say that maybe the first 2weeks things were OK. I was managing. Mom took leave and was helping here and there. The 3rd week all hell broke loose. Baby was crying, no scratch that, she was screaming almost every day around the same time, early evening. We later found out she was colicky and had to change her formula. It took about 2 weeks to see some changes.

Our first "milestone" was the 6week checkup /vaccination. Now I could start saying baby Langa is 1 month and X weeks. I never understood mothers that used weeks instead of months or years for a baby's age. No Becky, your baby is a year old NOT 12 MONTHS Old.
 I digress, this was around the time that I declined a job placement in Witbank Mpumalanga (yes I declined the offer, Yes it was crazy and yes I regretted it). I couldn't begin to digest leaving my new born baby right before her 6 week check up. I took the decision, I took it alone and looking back now it was selfish but it was well worth it.

When she approached 2 months of age I started to feel a little better about certain things . Her colic was getting better but the crying wasn't  By the time she turned 3 months we just figured she was a naturally a crier. During my pregnancy people used to tell me I shouldn't eat spicy food because my baby would cry A LOT. I of course never believed this but Langa proved this to be true,for me at least. Nothing has changed  she still cries a lot right around the same time of the day , you just learn to deal with it.

When we got to 4months I felt a little more confident with certain things. I felt like I knew her a bit better and we had gotten used to each other. I was content with that but I was still unemployed and was starting to knock on depression's door. I was broke all the time. I spent half my savings on useless things and the other half on my driver's license. My partner and I were on shakey ground. A baby either strengthens or breaks a relationship and for us it did the latter . I felt alone most of the time mainly because of the distance because ours was a long distance relationship. I felt misunderstood, I felt cheated of my freedom, I felt robbed of my life. My life changed and his was still the same for, the most part. That destroyed me.  I was tired  bitter, sad, broke and angry but the relationship I had with my daughter and God was getting better and better by the day so it wasn't all bad.


When she turned 5 months I started praying  and fasting a lot more. It helped me deal with a LOT of things. I believe it helped me get the job I have now. My happiness didn't last for long because right after the 5 month mark she started teething and that my friends is the most rewarding, most painful time for both you and the baby. I must say though that things got really stressful just last week when she started getting loose stools and vomiting. Of course all this had to happen when I had just started work. I am glad she is teething and hitting these milestones BUT does it have to be this hectic?? She is doing a whole lot better thanks to 2 medical consultations, countless oral rehydrations and some form of mental breakdown on my part . I do have to add that I also fell sick at some point during this whole debacle so it really got intense for a second there. I should add that she can sit on her own now (when supervised of course), she has 2 baby teeth out now and I think this time next week we will have 3. I am a proud, exhausted but proud mom.

We will see you again in 6months for another baby diaries/ update.

Hope you enjoyed reading 😊

1. Grow and cultivate an audience for this here blog. I have had this blog for about 5years now and I haven’t seen any significant growth. I would love for things to change in the next five years,
2. I would really love to style a major campaign or style somebody influential. I love fashion and sharing my style with the world is a dream.
3. Collaborate. I love featuring people on the blog and would love to be featured in other blogs or fashion platforms. Imagine that J
4. Curate more. I want to curate my Instagram page and this blog more. It would help me de-clutter my brain I think and get my creativity across. Lol I think I am creative
5. Work with a brand as their influencer because why not??
6. Hopefully leave pharmacy for the fashion world, wouldn’t that be great?
7. Blog more ofcourse.
8. Experiment with photography. I love taking pictures and would love to explore that side of  the creative industry.
9. Work in a different country for a month or a year whether be it pharmacy work or fashion work. I think being in a different country, alone really teaches you a lot about yourself and the world. I once read a quote that perfectly articulates the point I want to convey here and it’s really heart-breaking that I can’t find it.
10. Go back to school for fashion either for textile and design or business economics. I don’t know why I’d want to do that to myself again.

1. Buy and own a car. I have wanted a car for as long as I can remember. I already know what car I want and I am getting my licence in a week or 2 so that’s really close I think.
2. Buy property. I really want to buy my mother a house and then buy myself property either for investment or to just to live in.
3. Cultivate friendships and beautiful relationships. I find it really hard to make friends and I would really like to make more authentic connections in the next few years of my life, connections or relationships  that are genuine and awesome.
4. Travel the world. I honestly need to get out of South Africa, atleast once a year.
5. Health. I just had a baby and I feel like everything inside and out has been moved around and rearranged. I don’t feel healthy and I want to work on my health going into my 30s and make sure I am in tip top shape, this is extremely important to me.
6. See a dermatologist. I have had acne for as long as I can remember and I really want to get rid of it now. I want great skin and I am willing to pay for it LOL
7. Spoil mama. I want to give this woman everything I can, I am where I am, I am who I am because of her.
8. Be financially savvy. I want my money to work for me not the other way around.
9. Work on communicating. I am the worst communicator and I really want to work on that. When they say communication is key they are talking the truth. I have suffered so much because of my lack of communication skills.
10. Build a warm, comfortable life for my daughter. Teach her that life is beautiful and precious. Provide for her and teach her to dream.

1. Learn how to swim. I need to learn how to swim I am a 25 year old who can’t swim. This can’t be my life.
2. Bake a cake. Things like baking and cooking are good for me and myself esteem I have learnt over the years. Starting something from scratch and finishing it is fulfilling and I would really love to bake a beautiful tasty cake before the big 30.
3. Garden. I have always wanted to plant stuff and see them grow. Plus organic is the way to go, always.
4. Buy a designer bag, like from a designer store, literally a life long dream.
5. Start road tripping. It is a great way to explore. I am literally itching to get in a car and just drive for hours and hours with people I love and enjoy.
6. Plan a party for a loved one. I would love to celebrate a person I love with a fun and fabulous party.
7. Skinny dip in the Maldives, hence why a broad must learn how to swim.
8. Enroll into a dance class.
9. Go to a concert. I have never been to a concert or festival and I really don’t want to reach the age of 30 without going to one. Coechella would be a great start LOL.
10. Dye my hair platinum blonde. Am I too old for that??

The new year always brings about that sweet feeling of a do over, a renewed hope, the opportunity to rebrand and I love that feeling. It never lasts long enough. This year is quite different. It is the 8th of February and I am still hopeful, I am still optimistic and I am still excited for this year. The year 2018, the year that I promised myself to make up for 2017.

I have finally given birth. By the 9th month it feels like you have been pregnant forever hence the use of FINALLY. My daughter (yes it's a girl) is going to be 2 weeks tomorrow. Some of you may have not known about my pregnancy since I did not mention it here. It was such a confusing/ amazing journey. I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was pregnant for a whole 9 months and I am now a mother to a beautiful, most adorable baby. It feels so surreal to be honest, sometimes I really struggle with the reality of it all along side the struggles of raising a little one. I mean babies cry, they cry  A LOT lol and sometimes you don't know why they crying so it's really frustrating. I am really blessed for the support that I have in terms of family. I don't know how we would be navigating this journey without them. I am really looking forward to seeing her grow and mature. Little humans are truly a blessing, they just kinda shift your perspective on life.

I am currently on maternity leave. I will be moving to Mpumalanga in a couple of months. When people asked me last year where I wanted to do my community service I always said Witbank followed with a "Don't ask me why I just feel like it is where I need to be". I am starting to regret it a little because there is so much drama around my post and it's really annoying. I have faith that God will handle it though. I am just leaving everything to Him now because I have done all I could. I am just going to take this time and enjoy my daughter, read a lot, set my intentions for this new year and carry on with this positive light that I have in my heart right now

I don't really know what this post is about. I didn't quite think about it, I just took out my laptop and started typing.
ANYWAY

I hope you guys are having a fabulous new year.

Thanks for reading :)