The nursery is simple and relaxed...
It echoes our own aesthetic, but with elements of colour, curiosity and fun. My favourite items in the nursery are a Peruvian woven hat hanging on her wall; a still from Where the Wild Things Are by Chris Searl; Margiela babushka dolls; an old Norwegian hand-painted donkey from Harriette’s Great Grandmother, Marlie; and a timber music ball that plays Mozart when you wind it up.
“ I believe babies are happiest when the parents are happy and relaxed ”
This was the wrapping paper from a gift that Harriette was given by an old friend...
I loved it and saved it for her door.
I get dressed up once or twice a week...
It’s funny, before having Harriette, I didn’t enjoy getting dressed up, but now I really love putting an outfit together for a night out. I’ve even found myself overdressing on some occasions. I will wear heels at night, but during the day, I have been living in Celine skate shoes for the last four months. Oddly enough, I’m not as low maintenance as I used to be. After so long wearing elasticised pants and oversized tops, I’m enjoying putting more effort into my day-to-day outfits. I finally even own a hairdryer and an ironing board – two things I had amazingly managed to live without for way too long.
My beauty regime is quite simple...
I like to use Crème de la Mer as my moisturiser, Aveda Invati for haircare (great for post-pregnancy hair care), Organic Chilean Rosehip Oil for stretch marks and Aveda stress-fix concentrate on my temples – it’s a daily luxury.
We keep her sleep routine consistent...
After a bath, she has her milk, followed by some cuddles in her dimly lit room and is then put into her cot. I give her a few pats on the bottom and give her a chance to get herself to sleep on her own. She still occasionally wakes once through the night, but we’ve just upped her solids in the hope that she’ll sleep through the night more often. It seems to have worked for the last few nights – we’ve been getting 10-12 hour stretches … it’s heaven.
When I was pregnant, I used to crave white chocolate magnums...
I also craved dumplings and bunches of choy sum and Quick-Eze – out of pure necessity! Luckily we live on the top floor of an apartment block without a lift so in-between breastfeeding and walking up three flights of stairs to our apartment multiple times a day, I managed to get back to my pre-baby weight in about 6-8 weeks.
I was really excited about the birth, and particularly eager to see what my body was capable of doing...
We enrolled ourselves into the Calm Birth course, which was fascinating and full of fantastic information. The premise of the course is to educate and empower thus alleviating the fear and anxiety around childbirth. There is a study that shows the chances of medical intervention are significantly reduced for those who’ve done the course! Highly recommended – it’s the best $500 I’ve ever spent. I also saw a reflexologist who specialised in prenatal treatment throughout the pregnancy, and she ended up being our doula for us when the time came for Harriette to be born. I went into labour at 3am on 11th November 2012. By 6am, we were in our birthing suite. Our doula arrived shortly after and began helping me through contractions with massage and reflexology. As the intensity of the contractions increased, I found myself not wanting to be touched at all. Instead I would pace around the room, stand under a hot shower, bounce on the yoga ball, or just stand against a wall while taking long, calming breaths. This went on for quite some time. As the hours passed, I found myself going further and further ‘inward’. My focus on the calm breathing was unbreakable I wasn’t really thinking about anything else. Any inhibitions were well and truly gone. I was completely naked and breathing so deeply, it could only be described as groaning – far from graceful. The time seemed to go rather quickly. Before I knew it, it was 2pm, I was 10cm dilated and finally the midwife gave me the go-ahead to start pushing. As it turned out, Harriette was posterior. I ended up pushing for so long that Harriette’s heart rate was dropping. The midwife suggested that Kelvin speak to Harriette with encouraging and reassuring words. Amazingly, Harriette’s heart rate would come back up when Kelvin would speak. It was such an incredible thing to witness! Finally, after 1½ hours of pushing, our baby girl was born at 3pm. 12 hours from start to finish and completely drug-free. Kelvin helped deliver her and announced the sex. It was the single most incredible experience we have ever had and it has actually given me goosebumps reliving our birth story.
“ I’m so proud of everything to do with the last 16 months. The pregnancy, birth, our journey as parents, and of course Harriette. ”
My favourite places to buy clothes for Harriette would have to be...
J.Crew for cashmere jumpers; bassike mini for organic cotton slouch pants and striped T-shirts; Goatmilk NYC for their organic cotton onesies; printebebe for adorable printed cotton pants and smocks; and Makie Clothier for something special. I have also been eyeing off the toys section of the Smallable website.
My reading list...
Baby Love by Robin Barker – a good go-to guide on everything from feeding, sleeping, baby-health, developmental milestones and so much more; Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig – for information on foods and optimum baby nutrition; Baby’s First 100 Days by Margaret Stephenson-Meere – I kept this on my bedside table for the first three months. It was a constant point of reference for me. Every time I was feeding Harriette in the middle of the night I would flip through this book. It gave me concise, easy to remember, straight-forward advice.
I knew I wanted a girl and we came up with her name over dinner with our close friends three days before Harriette was born...
Her surname is Ho, so we were gearing a lot of our baby names around beginning with the letter ‘H’. We liked Henry for a boy, Harriette for a girl. There were so many baby names I was coming up with throughout the pregnancy, but Kelvin kept shutting them down. Harriette was one that we both finally loved.
I usually work three days a week, but I need to be flexible as the needs of the business change...
For example, if we’re shooting a collection or showing the range to press, I will work an extra day or two for the week. Likewise, if I need to move some days around to suit Harriette and I, bassike is more than accommodating. I always knew that I would return to work. My mum ran her own business when I was a baby, so ‘the juggle’ feels very much the norm for me. We are so lucky with childcare. Harriette’s Grandma Mimi takes care of her on the days that I am working. I think when Harriette is two we will consider one day of daycare a week – hopefully at a small, family daycare place. I love that Harriette is with family on the days that I am at work.
I love this Smythson ‘baby’s first years’ notebook...
A gorgeous journal that I jot down cute observations about Harriette for her to one day read for herself – such as ‘you rub your feet together when you’re breastfeeding’, and ‘you get the hiccups when you try and laugh’. The watch is a 1955 Rolex from Kelvin. The back of the watch has been engraved with Harriette’s name and birth date, ‘Forever Happy 11.11.12’. Harriette’s Cantonese name, Wing Lok, means ‘Forever Happy’.
Harriette’s favourite book is a Golden Sturdy Book called ‘I am a Bunny’...
It’s about a bunny named Nicholas who tells tales about the different seasons. When Winter comes around, Nicholas curls up in his hollow tree, goes to sleep and dreams about spring. It’s super sweet, and the illustrations are divine.
Before Harriette was born, Kelvin and I promised each other that we’d always treat one another with love and respect...
Whenever I am on the edge, I remember that promise. I truly believe it has saved us from a lot of meltdowns. And I feel like this makes us better parents. Babies are such sensitive creatures who pick up on our energy, so we make a very conscious effort to keep that energy positive, happy and loving. Also, being able to laugh at yourself is important. There is a lot of laughter in our home.
Jacqueline Perrett is one of those effortlessly cool girls. Based in Sydney’s Bondi, the communications manager for fashion brand Bassike lives in a sun-drenched apartment with her architect partner Kelvin Ho and dog Lily. She became a mother for the first time back in November last year. ”Motherhood has taught me the ability to go with the flow and the power of three deep breaths. We tried to follow routines in the early days, but we ended up following Harriettes own natural routine, it meant less stress for all involved. Now that she’s older, we pretty much know what to expect each day.”
Working for a brand whose signature pieces include jersey basics and drawstring pants, dressing during pregnancy was easy for Perrett. She lived in bassike black leather track-pants, mens oversized white shirts, suede loafers and styled her hair in ponytails. “Post-baby I am still in the bassike leather track-pants. I wear a lot of bassike and I also love Celine, Proenza Schouler and Tome.” And as for her daughter, Perrett loves cashmere jumpers from J. Crew, bassike mini for organic cotton slouch pants and striped T-shirts and Makie Clothier for something special.
Perrett is the kind of mum who scribbles daily musings about her daughter into a Smythson notebook, who buys her organic fruit and veggies and who lists watching her partner Kelvin and Harriette together as one of her favourite things. ”We want to teach Harriette about compassion; a strong sense of self; and to listen to – and trust – her inner wisdom.”
Jacqueline’s little list of loves:
Giving Harriette a bath. She loves kicking her legs in the water.
Shopping online for Harriettes clothes.
Watching Kelvin and Harriette together - it melts my heart!
Having my nails done.
An afternoon siesta.
Harriette’s laugh.
Going to the organic shop and picking fruit and veggies for Harriette’s meals.
Weekend walks with Kelvin, Harriette and our dog Lily.
Catching up with friends and their babies.
Putting my feet up and watching a little television at the end of the day.
Photography: Julie Adams Hair: Paloma Rose Garcia at Oscar Oscar Salons Paddington Make-up: Sarina Carruthers Words: Georgie Abay