Tory Roberts

Tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Victoria, Tory for short, and I am a mum to my seven year old son Bear and my four month old daughter Tallulah. My lovely husband is called Ethan and we have a cat called Bowie, after David Bowie, and that makes up our little family. 

What were you doing before babies/children?

I was a florist. It's very special as I get to work with my beautiful mum, Lou Moxom.  

How did you come to be a mum?

Well....my son was a surprise! I was in my early twenties when I had him and the relationship I was in at the time wasn’t the best and soon after he was born I found myself living with my mum and step dad, a single mum. It was just me and Bear for a very very long time. I wasn't ready to see other people and I wasn't sure of who I was and if I even could let someone else in. The thought of having to introduce Bear to someone who could end up being his stepfather scared the sh*t out of me. Then when Bear was 4 I met Ethan and everything just fell into place. I talked to him about getting married and having kids very early in our relationship, i mean when you know you know...right?, anyway we stopped planning for a baby and just went with the flow. It was a month after we got married that we found out we were pregnant and I bawled my eyes out when I found out it was going to be a girl! 

What has your feeding journey been like?

I'm very lucky that both my babies have been great at breastfeeding and little miss in now starting to have some solids as she has shown such an interest in what everyone else is eating. Getting Bear to eat the good stuff is a challenge. 

What has sleep been like in your house?

My daughter is a great sleeper and so is my son so we all have a good night's sleep and I hope it lasts but you just go with the flow! 

The hardest bits…

Going from one to two, especially with the age gap. It was a hard adjustment for Bear to come to terms with. It wasn't too bad at the start as she slept all of the long hours, but as she started to become more alert with the world around her Bear struggled with the attention not being on him all of the time. Most days were filled with 'but why can't you play with me mummy? Why does Tallulah get all the attention?" However having said that it seems as though we are over the hill and he is now enjoying making her laugh and giggle. 

The best bits…

Seeing the relationship grow between Bear and Tallulah, I have this feeling that I think they will be the best of friends and if the days are going to continue going the way they are im sure she is going to be following him around for many years to come.

How do you make time for yourself?

I try my best to read a book when Tallulah is sleeping or when Ethan comes home I'll go and have a shower. Both of these activities are interrupted at some point, but it's better than no time at all. I do have to give credit to Ethan who offers to look after the both of them so I can go to the shops and get the groceries....look it's the little things these days hahah! I'll take a win whenever I can get one.  

What’s next for you and your family?

We have the winter months to get through, the joys of school kids managing to catch anything and everything and pass it on,  and then a few family weddings during the summer and who knows maybe there will be another bubba on the way by that time.  

If you could talk to your pre baby/kid self, what advice would you give?

Don't judge yourself against everybody else. No two babies are the same and they will love you no matter what. Don't be afraid to ask for help from family and friends and the advice they give you can be really helpful so don't just push it to the side.