A little post full of a lot of love

Tuesday this week was the birthday of a dear friend of mine, Paige. Paige and I met several years back through a mutual love of all things house rabbit. We spoke online a lot, eventually met in person and hit it off right away.
Paige was the nutter wearing motorbike boots with flames on them at my wedding. The persons house that is so inviting that my husband falls into a coma on her lounge every time we visit. She's just a little bit crazy and sometimes I'm sure she's the female incarnation of Peter Pan.
But most of all she's someone who is a huge inspiration to me in so many aspects of my life.
Despite having so many health problems, and not much understanding from others about them, she is always smiling, always ready to laugh, always filled with loving words. She is a defender of those who cannot defend themselves, and one of the biggest animal lovers I've ever met.
Paige and her husband Phil cannot have children, so they have spent their lives fostering kids, and eventually adopting their son, Joshua, who has Down Syndrome. Not that Joshua's condition defines him in any way, shape or form. This is one young man who is absolutely rocking that extra chromosome.

In Joshua you can see the model of a mother that Paige is, and just why she is such an inspiration in my own mothering of Ellie. She was such an obvious choice to be one of Ellie's Godmothers, she is the epitome of what a Godmother should be.

She spoils her "Ellie Bean" rotten, every time we see each other she is armed with clothes, toys and a million cuddles. There are so many attributes of Paige that I would love to instill in Ellie as she grows up - her compassion, her ability to laugh when she wants to cry, her strength of character, her love of animals. Maybe not so much her potty mouth and naughty sense of humor, however.
Paige is loved by so many people. When she was in a car accident recently her Facebook wall was FILLED with messages of love and well wishes from right across the globe. She has touched so many lives and hearts, but is so very modest and humbled by the love she receives. I've never seen her take anyone, or anything for granted. She is always thankful, and always generous with whatever she can share.
Happy birthday to a very loved friend. You are such a wonderful part of our lives, Paige. Thank you for sharing your huge heart with us.

Time flies when you're having fun, and now I must reflect about it

I officially have a walker now. She started walking a few weeks back and hasn't looked back since. 
It feels like not that long ago I had this little bundle:

And now, all of a sudden I have this for a shadow:

I won't pretend that I'm not enjoying the stage she is at now though. She interacts with me so much now, which can be somewhat difficult while I'm cooking, or cleaning, or using the little Mama's room. Still, we have a lot of fun. She LOVES being outdoors too, which means I now have a legitimate reason for blowing bubbles - hooray! 
I really think I was put here to be a Mum. I love it so much. Every morning when I wake up I feel at peace, and it's such a lovely feeling.

That being said, lately I've been struggling with a bit of an identity crisis of sorts. I feel like I've become a housewife and Mother and that there is little more to me. Not that I have a problem with that personally, but when someone asks me what I do I get that "...oh" response when I tell them. That or "Don't you get bored?!" - um, yeah, I have the time to be bored when? Before Ellie I was the gamer, the geek and the animal carer. "That crazy bunny lady" or "that geeky chick". Now all of a sudden I don't have the time for video games and I'm no longer working, so now I'm just "Rei's wife" and "Ellie's Mama". I feel that I've lost a little of who I was in peoples eyes. Is that what growing is? I'm not sure really. I love being who I am now, but I loved who I was before, and I still feel I am the person I was pre-baby, but maybe that part of me is lying a little dormant for now.

The most amazing thing about motherhood for me is the awesome friends I've made since becoming a Mum. I always heard that people became less social after a baby, and I worried that if that were true then I was pretty much going to be a total recluse afterward, considering how socially inept I was before Ellie. It's actually been the total opposite for me. I joined a mothers group and I have become friends with the most wonderful group of women and their bubs. We're all so diverse, but we just seem to mesh so well together. 

I am very happy with how life has changed for me in the last 14 months in general. Life is very wonderful, and I am very blessed to be where I am.