Open post + meet MM’s newest family member

Mia Freedman Wednesday 8 February 2012 11:28am

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Bec with newborn Fin

This is the open post I’ve been waiting a long long time to write.

The one where I can tell you with my heart almost bursting that MM’s Rebecca Sparrow gave birth to her third child, a beautiful boy called Finlay on Monday. Many of you will know Bec who I actually met through Mamamia and who now works here with us, from her home in Adelaide.

Bec and her husband had a little girl near the end of 2010 called Georgie who was stillborn and it was immediately after that devastating time that we connected through mutual friends. It has been a privilege and an inspiration to watch Bec travel slowly from that place to this one this past 15 months or so.

I am constantly in awe of her resilience in the face of such heartbreak.

And this week, beautiful news. Bec and Brad’s daughter Ava has become a big sister again and little Fin’s arrival has allowed everyone who knows and loves Bec and Brad to exhale.

As anyone who has experienced the loss of someone they love will know, happiness and joy do not erase grief. Fin is not Georgie. Bec and Brad are painfully aware of this. There is always an edge to celebration after such a heavy loss. Of course Georgie can never be replaced and will never be forgotten. But joy does sit beside grief and it can bring much needed balance and relief to those who are forever changed by the death of someone precious to them.

Bec has a message for all of you that she sent this morning – yes, she’s emailing from hospital:

“I’m sitting in my hospital bed listening to the snuffles, sighs and tiny squeaks of a 2-day old baby -my son, Fin!!! –  and I couldn’t be happier. I just wanted to say to the MM community one thing: thank you. Over the past 9 months I have felt every ounce of your love, support and good wishes for me  and it has meant more than I can say. It actually gave me great comfort. I consider you all to be Fin’s fairy godmothers! He’s doing brilliantly and Brad and I are madly in love. Ava is besotted with him …. Although her first words upon seeing him were, “But he’s not a puppy. That’s a baby!” it was priceless.”
– Bec

Please leave any comments for Bec on this post – you can be sure she’ll be reading them….

Here’s what else is On My Mind (OMM) this week:

SMOOTHIE NEWS

What ended up in the smoothie

Yes, I know you’re all gagging for an update on how my green smoothies are going. Well, hit and miss to be honest. I have managed to hook my husband and teenage son onto them so that’s a win. We all drink them for breakfast now. Huzzah!

But yesterday, mine tasted a bit funny. A bit gritty. Crunchy. “This tastes like it’s got sand in it” I kept saying to Jason who shrugged and said “Babe, I can’t tell the difference really”. So this morning, I go to put in the protein powder and notice the little sachet of silica – you know, the one that shouts “DO NOT EAT DO NOT EAT DO NOT EAT” all over it – is missing.

Oh shit. Guess what went in the smoothie yesterday. So I tell Jason who never usually freaks out about anything but looked quite freaked out. Which freaked me out.

So I’m driving to The Today Show this morning, in the traffic. Freaking out. And I ring the Poisons Information Helpline which I memorised when my first child was small (11 13 26) and tell the kind lady who answered “Um, I put a silica sachet in my smoothie and fed it to my family – is that terrible?” and she laughs and assures me that it’s not. “But it says DO NOT EAT” I wailed.

“Chemically, silica is like sand so you wouldn’t want to eat sand either but it’s not medically bad for you so don’t worry.”

Thank God for that.

MY TODAY SHOW BLOOPER

I’m going to blame the fact I was rattled by the silica smoothie for saying “Shit!” on live TV this morning. In our Girls On The Grill segment with Karl and Georgie, one of our topics was about restaurants and customers’ pet peeves. I mentioned I was a waitress for a while and I had many pet peeves about customers. I also managed to brag that I could clear a table on one arm and that was my party trick. So Karl goes “Right, let’s get some plates and you can show us” so I turn around to see the crew rummaging in the ‘kitchen’ on set for plates and burst out “Shit!”.

Here’s the video:

I’ve never sworn on TV before. Ever. I swear a lot in real life but you just go into a different mode when you’re on TV or radio and I always manage to keep it in check.

Until this morning. I looked at Karl and Georgie and they didn’t seem to notice – something they confirmed after the segment.

But when I went to have my microphone taken off (it was attached to my bra – it’s always tricky when you wear a dress on TV) and the sound recordist said “Yep, everyone heard it.”

D’oh.

Oh well, at least it wasn’t as bad as this video which is hands-down the funniest thing I’ve ever seen and makes me cry with laughter every time I watch it.

Here’s what has been happening around the office this week.

We couldn't think of a nicer family for Fin to come home to. Brad, Rebecca and little Ava now have a son and brother.

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So how is your week going?