Summer and Naia's first Christmas

December was amazing. Naia had heaps of fun. She celebrated her first Christmas, she played, giggled, and splashed, and she had both mummy and daddy at home for two weeks all to herself. Here's a month (-ish) in photos.

The bliss that is swings and bubbles at the same time...

Splashing and swimming in the ocean with daddy. So warm!

Helping with the chores...

Paddle pool fun...

On the move with a new trolley...

Cutie pie in the bath...

Sheer delight after a strawberry slaughter...

Big girl now, brushing her own teeth...

First "fluffy" (steamed milk froth dusted with chocolate powder)...

At swimming lessons with daddy...

And doing what she does best...splashing!

Opening her first Christmas card...

Christmas morning. Santa came, and yes, those are (nearly) all for Naia!

Opening her very own homemade stocking in her Christmas tutu...

Summer barbecue together (with extra peas on my plate as Naia is guaranteed to want more)...

 

Out for a hike in her new backpack carrier...

 

Love those eyes. 

 

Riding on her new (to her) trike. There isn't much "baby" left!

She's all about cuddles these days...

And, last but not least, she likes to ham it up for the camera :).

November fun

The highlight so far is standing. I mean real standing! Look at me Mummy...no hands!! (Lol, or at least, hands reserved only for holding my phone, not holding on!)

We've had plenty of other fun too. Swimming is always a favourite.

So is reading with Daddy.

And eating. Naia lets us know how much she loves her food quite vocally. A typical meal can take 45 minutes and she mmmmm's her way through each one!

We've also had fun at the park...look how far she's happy to roam from our lunch spot now! Sticks, dirt, leaves...it's all fascinating. So much for our baby girl who couldn't bear to touch grass just a couple of months ago.

It's all about go go go...

Since we've been home, Naia has been on the go. A lot! 

She's now tackled and mastered stair climbing (it took her about five minutes to get up this flight of stairs the first time--now she does it in under a minute!).

She's also figured out how to get to standing (now she seems to spend more time on her feet than her knees!).

All this standing means she also likes to stand in her cot (rather than sleep, ahem), so it was time to lower the cot mattress. Here she is helping Daddy...

Naia is eating loads just to keep up with all the extra energy she is burning (yes, she ate all of that!)...

She's an adventurous eater. Here she is fueling up on a kiwifruit and spinach smoothie while visiting with Jean...

Nothing is off limits now it seems...even the dishwasher is fascinating.

She's getting super speedy at crawling.

And when something (or someone) gets in the way, you just go over them (oops, sorry Ben!).

Such a pro at this standing business...

It's not all about indoor play. We've had loads of fun at the park too...

 

Hanging out with her buddy Jack in their matching overalls :) 

And last weekend we spent a fun day at the zoo. Here we are posing in front of the lions instead of having a morning nap (though eating her hat is more interesting apparently).

Hanging in the sunshine with Daddy...

And with Mummy and friends (Sarah & Ben and Julia & Jack)...

Check out the monkeys!

Naia's growing up so fast...she's big enough for rides on Daddy's shoulders now.

Something else big happened this month--Mummy went back to work! Naia has been spending three days a week with a nanny, Renee. The first couple of weeks were a tough adjustment, but she's having loads of fun now. Here she is giving Renee a cuddle...

And grinning as Renee pushes her on her swing...

Judging by what we've seen in the last few days, Naia has some new tricks up her sleeve. Watch this space!

And she's on the move!

Less than a week after we got back from Canada, our busy little bean pulled out a new trick...

Since then we've been coaxing her with all kinds of enticements to encourage her along. It doesn't always go as planned, but you can see that she's definitely on the move now!

And just one last short video, since we thought it was too cute not to share. Yes, that is me yipping like a small dog. The things we do for a laugh...

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.