Thursday 12 November 2015

What Ella eats in a week #2

This week's "What Ella eats..." is very much "thrown together" meals consisting of whatever was left in the cupboard/fridge freezer! It can be so hard trying to come up with a balanced meal plan for her, so it's not always all that original or very fancy but I feel like you can still provide a reasonably balanced diet without having to slave away all day. Now that she's almost entering toddlerhood, I am starting to be more relaxed with food, in terms of what I am eating she'll, normally, have as well. 

She is still having three bottles of formula per day. 200mls first thing in the morning when she wakes up, 150mls at about 2.30 in the afternoon and then 200mls just before bed.

So, here is what Ella ate this week...






Monday

Breakfast - Porridge with fruit

Lunch - Cheese Muffins, Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced Cucumber (which she doesn't like but I'm persevering), Grapes (cut into quarters), a dried peach (cut into little bits) and a mixed berry yoghurt.

Snack - Raisins (while I cooked dinner)

Dinner - Mashed kumara and sweet potato with mixed veggies (some mixed into the mash and some on her highchair table). Cheesy Potato Gratin (which she stole off my plate).


Dessert - Banana and Custard (She very rarely has dessert - sweet things in moderation)




Tuesday

Breakfast - Weetbix with fruit 

Lunch - Potato Gratin (leftover from my dinner yesterday), Ham, Pineapple, banana, Cheese cubes, Yoghurt and a cheese muffin.

Dinner - Chicken with a mustard and tarragon sauce. Mashed kumara and potato. Sweetcorn.



Wednesday

Spent the day at Nana's while I went to work.

Thursday

Breakfast - Weetbix with fruit

Lunch - Scrambled eggs, Banana pancakes, Kiwifruit and a yoghurt.

Dinner - Deviled sausages, mashed potato and cherry tomatoes.



Friday

Breakfast - Porridge and fruit

Lunch - Ham, pineapple and sweetcorn fritters, grapes, cherry tomatoes and cheese cubes.

Dinner - Chicken, Garlic pita bread, mixed veggies.

Dessert - A dried peach.


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Tuesday 10 November 2015

Ella's 11 Month Update

I'm not going to do a big long intro because I normally end up rambling the same stuff every time but it's that time again - Ella's monthly update! Just one more month and she reaches the major milestone of one year! I'm not sure I will keep doing monthly updates once her birthday is over and I may just do an update every couple of months perhaps. I sort of feel like it could get a bit boring or a bit over done if I drag it out much longer.

So, without further adieu...



I am:

- Crawling properly now
- I can pull up on things and walk along the couch.
- I can sit up on my own
- I like to flop onto my bottom from standing
- I can almost climb onto the couch
- I sleeping well still
- I have four teeth, two on the top and two on the bottom. With another two on the way.
- I eat a lot and I still have three bottles per day (a total of 550mls)



I love:

- All of my family
- Playing with my toys
- I like trying to harass the cats (Mummy won't let me though)
- I love food. Especially, grapes, raisins, tomatoes, pineapple, pasta, peas, cheese and scrambled eggs.
- I love the cameras and phones, I can even put the phone to my ear.






All of Ella's updates so far...









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Sunday 8 November 2015

First Birthday Gift Guide

I can't believe I'm that already I'm writing gift guide for Ella's very fast approaching first birthday!

In less than a month my beautiful baby will be one year old and I can guarantee you there will be some hysterical sobbing from her Mother. Right now though, I am planning her birthday party, the invitations have been sent and the gifts have been bought. I thought perhaps, it might be helpful to share some gift ideas for those of you that either have a baby fast approaching this milestone or you have a birthday party to attend to. 

These are a few of the things I have already bought for Ella or that are on my wishlist - either for birthday or for Christmas!




1. Wooden Block Trolley from Peterson Woodcraft - I just discovered this beautifully hand crafted block trolley, thanks to a friend, the other day and it's definitely on my wishlist. You can't beat handcrafted toys for children. This one is made to order through Peterson Woodcraft's facebook page.

2.  Happy Hopperz Cow - Much like the moon hoppers of my childhood this is a super cute cow version and because we are very much into farming and cows this is another toy for Ella that is on my wishlist - one that will probably be for Christmas.

3. V-tech Push and Ride Alphabet train - An activity centre, trolley walker and ride on all in one. This has been earmarked for Ella from her Poppa. It makes noise, sings songs, lights up - so much entertainment for one toy!

4. Dora the Explorer 4 wheel ride on - A reasonably priced ride on. A standard toy that most children will own at one point during their childhood.



5. Fisher Price Chatter Telephone - A cute little pull along toy telephone. I love fisher price toys, they may be plastic but they are pretty robust.

6. Hape City Themed Blocks from The Wooden Toy box - In my opinion wooden toys are an amazing, long lasting gift for children. These blocks are super adorable, I have purchased something similar for Ella before I found these, and a great idea for any toddler.

7. Wooden farm playset from Mocka - Following on from my love of wooden toys. This wooden farm play set from Mocka is so cute and once again fits in with our love for farming and animals.

8. Fisher Price Little People Spinnin' Sounds Airport - May not be entirely appropriate for a one year old that is more like to chew on it rather than play with it but because Ella's Daddy is a pilot I couldn't not include the Little People Airport from Fisher Price.



9. Intex Sea Turtle Shade Baby Paddling Pool from The Warehouse - As summer is starting to makes it's presence known I was after a paddling pool for Ella to play in. This one, from The Warehouse, fits the bill nicely as it also has a built in roof to shade her from the sun and on days where it's not paddling pool appropriate it doubles as a ball pit.

10. Intex Fun Balls 100pc set from The Warehouse - Following on from the paddling pool, these plastic balls are great for indoor play.

11. Fisher Price Mega Bloks Big Building 80pc block set from The Warehouse - Obviously safer than lego, for a toddler, this speaks for itself really.

12. Love Mae Bamboo Dinner Set from MissMollyCoddle - A beautiful woodland themed dinner set made from Bamboo, free of all BPAs and nasty chemicals. Comes with a 4 section divided plate, bowl, cup with a handle and a spoon. Available in a super cute forest feast or woodland tea party theme.


13. Teepee from Mocka - A cute little tent to use for play or perhaps as a reading nook. These come in lots of different colours and styles.

14. Belle Kids Table and Chairs from Mocka - A replica of the designer Eames DSW kids table and chairs, these are a super stylish, cheaper alternative that would look great in any living room or childrens bedroom.

Lastly, this personalised book from Lost My Name is such a beautiful, heartfelt gift for any child. It's a story about a boy or girl embarking on an adventure to find their name, which they've forgotten, along the journey a character in the book will each gift the child a letter which will eventually help them to remember their name. It's beautifully illustrated and also allows you to add a personal message to your child which makes a great keepsake. I have purchased one of these for Ella and will turn this into a tradition for any other children we are fortunate enough to have.


So, there you have a gift guide suitable for most toddlers! What's on your list of things to buy?


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