Today we meet South African mom blogger Celeste, who blogs at I Wrote a Letter to My Love.
My name is Celeste Strydom and I am a 35 year old, first time (somewhat crunchy, attachment) mommy to a 15 month old little girl, Emma Rose. I am from the southern suburbs of Cape Town, living in The Middle East.
My life used to be super predictable. I was previously married to my high school sweetheart and had dreamed of motherhood for as long as I can remember. For a while I looked set to live out my days in the 25km radius I had always occupied. Maybe it’s just my circle, or maybe it’s a Cape Town thing, but school, work and home generally all took place no further apart than a 15 minute drive!
After years of obsessively planning my life and living carefully, I was swept off of my feet when the universe offered me a second chance at love and life. I fell hard and fast for a South African raised, British citizen who was living and working in The UAE. (Craig AKA Daddo) Up until then, I had barely travelled outside of SA and could never have guessed that within a year my life would be turned serendipitously on its head!
On the 1st of June 2017 I boarded a plane with two suitcases, a ring on my finger and Emma 13 weeks along in my belly. I enjoyed an idyllic pregnancy until my water broke at 30 weeks. I spent the next 4 weeks in hospital on strict bedrest (in a country I didn’t know with no friends or family besides Craig) and Emma was delivered safely and naturally at 34 weeks. We did our time in the NICU and 12 days later I was admitted back into hospital with retained and infected placenta and accreta. Recovery was slow, but we have a healthy baby and mommy at the end of it all.
Our journey has not been easy. On 13 February we boarded a plane home to CT to spend the last week with my mom, who was braving the final stages of colon cancer. We spent 6 months in SA. Immersing ourselves in family and love and loss, while sharing our greatest joy with those closest to us. When we returned to our home in Abu Dhabi, my little blog was born. https://alettertomylove.wixsite.com/alettertomylove/aboutalettertomylove
I write letters to Emma. I don’t know when she’ll read them, but I suspect that in a decade or 3 (God willing longer) these letters will be her treasure. The irony of losing my mother at a time when I am finally meeting myself as a mother has made a huge impact on me. I reread notes my mom wrote just to see her handwriting. I hope that my child will hear me in the words I pen to her.I share these letters publicly for 4 reasons:
- It allows our loved ones who are far away to keep up with what we’re up to.
- It allows me to feel connected to a larger community. The early years of expat living can be lonely. This helps.
- I appreciate that there are women who are wise in their own experiences. I hope that they will interact and comment. They say it takes a village and I would be happy for my child to read the positive opinions of other strong females.
- I hope that our transparency, truth and laughter can encourage others. Or even just a single individual.
Our blog (“our” refers to Emma and mine) has very little in the way of advice. It’s more a peek into the wisdom/wit/wonder a mother shares with her child. Who knows how it will grow, but so far I’ve covered bits ranging from prematurity and PPROM, friendship, her birth story, sensory play, some of my parenting fails… I tend to write based on what ‘comes to me’. If there’s a topic I wish I could discuss with grown up Em, I write.
A typical day for me is radically different to days gone by (corporate, financial services, for 12 years). I’m a stay at mom, and I can say that I am way more tired now than I was when I was single and working 10 hour days (hats off to the working mommas!) There is something to be said of the rejuvenating properties of catching a break at the water cooler.What I miss about work: adult conversations, mental stimulation and the money!!!I put a face and a bra on every morning. No, I don’t judge women who don’t… but, in a world where oftentimes the only person I see is a terrorist, I mean toddler, it makes me feel like I’m still kind of keeping it together!
Emma and I spend our days playing. With, fingers and toes and sand and food and paint. We did baby led weaning and so meal times are still a fun and messy part of our days. The winter months are great and we’re enjoying that now. We eat frozen yoghurt lollies in the pool and enjoy plenty of mommy-and-me, as well as family outings. Summer is impossibly hot. 50 degrees celsius is very normal and I’m dreading the coming months. If anyone can send me some tips on entertaining a toddler indoors for 4 months, please share! I’ll let you know how we get on online!
Anyone who’s familiar with the lifestyle of Abu Dhabi housewives might be shocked and horrified to know that I don’t have a nanny and I do all my own cooking and housework. My SAFFA sisters won’t be surprised at all! We werrrkkk! 🙂
Craig is a photographer and producer, when he’s not out shooting or filming he’s hard at work from home! So some days I also act as a bodyguard and gatekeeper to protect his levels of productivity from being shot by our Daddo obsessed girl! (If you’d like to follow us on Instagram we can be found @iwrotealettertomylove. I’m often spoilt with amazing pics, courtesy of my very own PAPPA-razzi)
I haven’t been blogging for long enough to feel I’ve necessarily learnt anything of value that I can share, but I am looking forward to learning from the moms in this community. This all feels a little like home.
Follow Celeste on her blog, Facebook and Instagram.
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