Our little Canuck

Yikes...Naia is now 7 and a half months old. Time is flying by, and she's making good use of every second. The latest adventure...our little bean is now an international traveller! We spent nearly a month this August visiting family and friends in Canada.

Naia insisted on staying awake while we waited in the departure lounge before boarding our flight (2 hours past bedtime!).

She had a special bassinet to sleep in on the flight. After nine hours of sleep (yes!!!) she spent the last couple of hours of the flight sitting up in her bassinet feeling pretty cool that she could look out over all the other passengers.

When we got to Canada, it was all about cuddles and playtime with family and friends. We've never seen her happier.

Lots of cuddles with Granddaddy and Grandmommy...

 

Full of beans while hanging out with Grandpa Harry and Grandma Bunny...

 

More cuddles with Nana...

Fast asleep under the watchful eye of Grandpa Dave...

Learning all about bubbles with her Uncle David and cousins Evelyn and Nadine...

And hanging out with the next little member of the family, cousin Anya.

In serious discussion with her Uncle Brendan...

(A huge shout out here to Jenny Eastman, who provided all of the toys that kept Naia entertained on this trip. You taught us just how much fun all that colourful plastic really is, and Naia now has a selection in New Zealand to rival what she became accustomed to in Canada!)

More cuddles with Uncle Brendan and Auntie Karina...

A fun afternoon visiting Auntie Christine and cousin Elise (so fun, in fact, that she was too excited to nap and decided to learn how to sit herself up for the first time instead!)...

And feeling right at home while visiting with the Eastman family...

Hmm, looks like she may have found someone to equal her cheeky grin!

Our friends Shelly and Bill made a massive effort (involving hours and hours of driving) to see us. We were extra privileged to get out on the water on their sailboat Wolf Willow. Naia got a taste of the very area that made us fall in love with the nautical life. She loved it too :).

There was hardly a time when Naia didn't have a smile on her face...

Okay, except maybe when I popped her onto the lawn for her first experience of grass!

Other firsts included mastering her sippy cup...

And picking blackberries (a quintessential BC summer experience)...

A huge thank you goes out to Ralph and Judy, who very generously allowed us to live in their home while we were there. It not only made the trip possible (no cats to suffocate Mike!), it was a big part of the reason for it working out so well. Whether playing on their rug, lunching in their high chair, or just lounging around like a big kid, Naia felt right at home...

And then all too quickly it was time to go home. Naia helped us get packed up...

And was still smiling well past her bedtime (again) at the airport, waiting for our flight.

Thanks everyone for a fabulous break away. It meant the world to us for our baby girl to meet her family and get spoiled so much with all of your love.

It's all about the water

Naia is nearly five months old!

Our little waterbabe enjoys her bath every night, especially the splashing part.

Just check out that grin!

 

She loves the water so much, she's just started "swimming" lessons.

 

Her first lesson was probably the most fun we've had yet.

 

(Naia is chewing on my hand in this video as it was that or drinking the pool water...ewww.)

 

 

We even find places with water for our weekend outings as a family...here we are saying hello to some ducks up in Matakana.

 

All this water play takes energy. Our little growing girl has started eating some fruits and vegetables...mmm mashed kumara...

 

Of course, it can't really all be about water. Other favourite activities include reading (and chewing)...

 

And jumping...

 

And talking...



Four months already!

It's been a busy few weeks, but in truth I have no idea where the time is going! Naia is a busy little girl. She rarely stops moving when she's awake...constantly "running" with her legs. Heaven help us when those legs can push against the ground and she is mobile!

She's getting really good at tummy time now.

She even loves reading while lying on her tummy!

In the midst of all this activity, she finds time for some relaxing too, such as at the osteopath...

...and in the bath...

We made our first trip to the zoo. I think we went mostly for the adults, but Naia really seemed to love it.

Naia hates daytime naps, but when we can convince her to sleep for an hour, she rewards us with a great big smile when she wakes up.

On Fridays we've started going to Mainly Music, which involves loud boisterous music with lots of noisy children. Naia absolutely loves it, in part because she loves music and in part because her daddy goes too and she gets to rock out with him.

Our little baby girl is growing up so quickly. Just check out her grin as she tries out her new high chair. It won't be long before she's starting real food!

And just for pure cuteness...

The many expressions of Naia

The big event of this week was getting a passport for Naia. At first mummy and daddy thought, how hard could it be to convince Naia to stare straight at the camera with a neutral expression? Three hours later...

(We gave up and got a professional to do it!)

For my first Mother's Day, we bundled up the bean and went out to Muriwai (on the west coast) for a picnic and a walk on the beach.

 

Naia now loves walks in her buggy...

 

...especially when she is all snuggled up with her toys (though apparently her startle reflex is still going strong!).

Naia also gets lots of daddy time in. She's so tiny in his arms.

She's still our water baby. We finish every night with a bath (and the more water splashed on the floor, the better) :).