Baby haul

I've alway had a bit of a shopping habit when and I found out I was pregnant it slowly got worse and now that she's actually here it's out of control, well not really but I find it really hard to control myself. Luckily though, she's growing so fast, I have an excuse. She fits size 3-6months now so I need to start stocking up on 6 - 9 months. This haul is a bit of a collection of things over a month or so, so not all in one go. I ordered some things online from Charlie & Me, Cotton on Kids and I got a couple of bits from Postie and the Warehouse. I will try and link everything directly to the websites.

I love Charlie & Me, everything is so reasonable and adorable, the autumn collections coming out now are just gorgeous. I was given a gift card from a good friend so I decided to get Ella a couple of warmer things for the coming Winter in size 6 - 9 months they happened to have a sale on at the time so I got all these bits for quite a reasonable price.

These pale pink little shoes are in a size 3. They're adorable, I'm a sucker for little people shoes. Butterfly Ballerina shoes from Charlie & Me Kids.

Next, these adorable pink and white striped jeans. 

I love these jeans, they're really soft and stretchy with a comfy stretch fabric waistband. Unfortunately, I  can't find them on the website so I am not sure if they are still stocked.

Let just get things clear, anything with little ears is right up my street so when I saw this adorable little hoodie jumper I couldn't pass it up!

All little girls need a staple pink cardigan and this little girl is no exception with this Frill Hemmed Cardigan.

Now on to Cotton on, if you sign up to Cotton on online you get a 30% off code which of course I had to take advantage of. I love Cotton on for clothing so I had to pick up a few bits, this is the first of many online purchases. I find myself to be a bit of an online shopping addict!

I love these overalls, they are a super soft denim with a very pretty floral lining.

Seeing as Autumn is here and Winter is on it's way, these sweatshirts will be perfect to keep her warm. They are so pretty and so soft! Here is where you can find the "Love" Sweatshirt and the pink "Cherries" sweatshirt.

The joggers are just as adorable and just as warm. Here is where to find the Star print joggers. I'm afraid the gold ones are sold out online but you may still be able to find them in-store.

Lastly a couple of bits for next summer, you can't say I'm not prepared, in size 1. A gorgeous dress and bloomers set from Postie.

and a leopard print bodysuit, you'll see a theme in that I have a thing for leopard print...

See.. this leopard dress with fluoro pink trim is from The Warehouse.

As I mentioned previously, little people shoes are the cutest thing ever, Ella has already accumulated more pairs of shoes than I have but I couldn't resist adding these two pairs to her collection. Both from TheWarehouse.

So, there you have it a few gorgeous item clothing's for Ella, it's so much fun shopping for her it's like dressing a doll that has no say whatsoever into what she wears, for the moment anyway! I have no doubt there will be plenty more of these hauls as I stock up!

DIY Keepsake Footprint

I saw a good idea the other day that one of my mummy friends posted on our group Facebook page and decided to give it a go. We did a mould of Ella's footprint when she was a newborn and I thought it would be nice to do one at each age milestone. Something nice to keep, to capture her growth from my little baby to a toddler. I've decided to do 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months and maybe go from there.

It's super easy to do, the recipe is as follows:

- Half a cup of Salt

- Half a cup of Plain Flour

- Quarter of a cup of water, give or take (I used a bit extra)

Combine ingredients and knead into a dough, roll out with a rolling pin and cut into your desired shape.  Make your impression, hand or foot or both, and bake at 95 degrees celsius for 3 hours.

Simple!

I also cut her name and age into the dough. Eventually, once i've finished I'll probably create some sort of shadowbox frame to display it. I have this really antsy feeling, she's growing so quick, that if I blink I will miss it and therefore I want to take as many photo's and make as many memories of her as I can before it's too late.

Note: The dough probably needs to be kneaded longer than I did to get a better consistency :-)

Our story in pictures - part 1

I'm a huge lover of photography and each big milestone in our relationship so far has been documented through the use of photography. 

Everyone loves looking at other people photo's - I know I do - it's a way to get to know someone better. So, I thought why not share our story - in pictures!

We met at a bar in the south of Auckland when I was 19 and Tom was 20. Thanks to an introduction from a friend of Tom's we hit it off instantly and the rest is history. We moved in together after only 3 months of dating - it was a bit of a whirlwind. Circumstance, though, helped us along.

We got engaged at Lake Tekapo in April 2010 on a camper van trip around the South Island. We set a date for our wedding for the 17 December 2011. We chose the amazing Dan Mason Photography as our photographer.

Our engagement shoot took place on the historical North Head in Devonport. Having an engagement shoot was a good chance to get to know our photographer and to get comfortable in front of the camera.

Here is Part 1 - Our Engagement Shoot

Next - Part 2 - Our Wedding

Daddy's girl

They are my world.

Weekly recap

I've decided to start doing a weekly recap, maybe not every week as my life isn't that exciting but most weeks. I'll try to document and take photos of things we get upto during the week! Starting with the first week of Autumn - I can't believe Summer is technically over!

Monday

Hubby had the day off so we decided to take Ella for her first ever swim in a pool, she's just hit the three month mark and had her second round of immunisations. So, we headed to the Takapuna public pools and leisure centre. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it, she spent most of her time staring into the water, she's always been a water baby so I think she quite enjoyed it!

After our swim we had lunch at Portofinos and went for a walk around Takapuna and down to the beach, it was such a gorgeous day and the view wash't too bad either!

Tuesday

Today was spent doing nothing in particular, a relaxing day doing not alot and not getting out of my pyjamas.

Wednesday

Today I undertook my first "workout" post-partem, Ella chilled whilst I sweated. It was hell and a bit too intense considering it was my first workout since my C-Section. It was also a busy day on the farm, the maize was being harvested so hubby looked after Ella while I milked the cows for the first time since before giving birth.

Thursday

Ella and I chilled out before our regular trip to the Plunket nurse for a check-up, Ella is now weighing 6.280kgs and is 62cm in length at 13.5 weeks and in the 75th percentile.

Friday

Was one of our weekly coffee group meet ups, we met at Charlies for ice cream and baby talk. FYI, Charlies do the best Gelato in the Rodney District! Afterwards, Hubby picked us up and we went out to lunch at the Matakana Kitchen.

Saturday

Not hugely exciting, we did the groceries - a job I love to do...not!

Sunday

The first time I've ever left my baby! Hubby shouted me, and my Brother-in-law shouted his Fiancé, to a spa pamper package for Valentines Day. So, that's what we did! Ella was an angel for her Nana and I coped with leaving her better than I thought I would. Was nice to be pampered and feel a bit like myself  again and not just someone's Mummy.

Recent favourites - 3 Months Old

Now that we've hit the three month mark it's fair to say the tools I needed for the newborn age aren't as necessary at the 3 month. So, here are a bunch of my current baby related items I have found useful so far.

 1. Olive Baby Skin Care - For the first couple of months after Ella was born we didn't use any product on her skin (e.g no shampoos, body washes or wet wipes) purely because newborn skin is very sensitive. Now that she is over 3 months I wanted to start using some sort of body wash or shampoo that was gentle and natural on her skin. The Olive Baby Hair & Body Wash was a good choice containing natural ingredients, the main ingredient being extra virgin olive oil from Simunovich Olive Estate in New Zealand, and free from parabens, artificial colourants and preservatives, silicones, mineral oils and animal testing. It is also certified organic. It smells amazing and even cleared up Ella's cradle cap after a only couple of weeks of use! It's amazing and I would swear by it.

2. Nuk Milk Powder Stackable Container - Perfect for on-the-go formula storage with the capacity to hold up to 4 or 5 scoops of formula per container.

3. Water Wipes - When Ella was first born and for the following couple of months we used disposable cloths that we dampened with warm water it was a bit tedious having to go to the kitchen every time I needed a wipe and was difficult when we went out and about. Now though I only use Water Wipes and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. 99.9% water and 0.1% natural fruit extract these are those closest thing to natural you can get in a wet wipe. I bought mine online in a bulk pack of 4 from Mighty Ape.

4. Bright Starts Ingenuity Whimsical Wonders Automatic Bouncer - A battery powered bouncer with two different bouncing settings and plays music. This is great for when I either need to go to the bathroom or get something to eat etc. I can plonk her in it turn on the bouncer and leave her to it or I can drag it into the bathroom with me while I have a shower or in the kitchen whilst I do the dishes. Great for a bit of handsfree time.

5. Skip Hop Treetop Friends Activity Gym - Now that Ella is becoming more active and starting to reach for things  the activity gym is another saviour to give me a bit of break. Plonking her down underneath the bright and colourful toys, all of which make sounds, gives me about 10 mins respite. It's also great for tummy time as the bright mat provides another interesting focal point.

6. Lamaze My Friend Emily - This has to be her favourite toy, with the bright colours, crinkly skirt, rattle and rings, Ella will stare at it, chew on it and grab it for endless amounts of time.

7. Sophie Le Giraffe - The much hyped, talked about teething toy. She loves to chew on this, she's not all that co-ordinated but occasionally manages to jam it in her mouth rather than hit herself in the head. Hand painted and made from natural rubber Sophie is a hit!

8. Nuk Latex Soothers - Ah, I have a love hate relationship with these things. I love them because it soothes her for day sleeps and I hate them because I hate dummies! If I need to use them though, I would recommend these, made from latex and are orthodontically approved. Shaped nicely to comfortably fit her mouth.

So, there you have it my current favourite baby items. I'm always on the look out for parent approved items, so if you swear by something please don't hesitate to comment below!

Nothing could have prepared me...

"You are my sun, my moon and all of my stars" - E. E Cummings