A 3 Month Old Update!

I am fully aware that I sound like a broken down record, but 3 months?! How did that fly around so fast?

Lots of people comment on Ella's vast array of facial expressions! Here are just a few I snapped on her first trip accompanying Daddy to the hairdresser:

He had quite the haircut, and was slightly concerned that for a few days after Ella had forgotten who he was since it was such a change! but she still thinks he's the funnest guy around!

and this month has been all about

smiles...

smiles...

and more smiles!

 

This baby girl is just the happiest, smiliest out there! I am pretty sure that full on giggles will happen very soon...and I couldn't be more excited for that! 

The bumbo has also become a firm favourite around here! This was the first time she tried it out at my parents house...and I'm pretty sure that's a fist pump right there showing her approval!

She always wants to be sitting upright and looking all around, she is so inquisitive and her eyes dart around so fast, she has got such strong little neck muscles and can hold it up so well already!

Another thing she really discovered this month is the T.V! She wasn't that bothered about it before, but now her eyes are drawn to all those colours, and if you're wanting to sing a song or do something fun whilst the T.V is on forget about it - the T.V gets all her attention!

Lazing around watching some shows with her Daddy:

Here she is just chilling on her tummy time pillow catching up on an episode of friends!

and one Sunday afternoon we put on Monsters Inc.  We popped her in her bumbo and she was watching it intently and even laughing at the funny moments! It was obviously complete co-incidence but anyone else watching it would have thought she was actually understanding it! We had to take a lil video clip...

She is still a huge fan of her playmat! oh the fun she has down there!

In the past week, we attached a new character to her playmat - a doll from her Aunt Judi, and it's now overtaken the white tiger as her fave pal! Last Sunday, she even grabbed on to the little hoop hanging down from it for the first time! This was the first time she's ever grabbed a toy before so was a good little milestone for her to reach! and she hasn't stopped holding on to it ever since! She also likes to try and lick her skirt, which isn't so appropriate!

Her other new best friend this month is Winnie the Pooh! which was a gift from Granny Jones. 

We put it beside her when we are changing her, and oh the fun she has chatting away to him! Here's a lil clip Daddy recorded one morning...


and then just 2 nights ago, she cuddled Pooh for the first time as she was getting her nappy changed - it was rather cute!

She is also starting to fill out a bit more, which we are very happy about! For a while she wasn't putting on as much weight each week as the health visitor was hoping for...but there's no denying that some chub is creeping in...

Love those chubby thighs!



and that double chin!



Dribble bibs are also a permanent feature around here these days.  She's starting the teething process, and with that her little fists are continually in her mouth which leaves a huge amount of dribble pouring out! She hasn't quite mastered how to hold a teething ring yet but I think it will only be a matter of time - Sophie giraffe is ready and waiting to help her out!

Things she is still not loving:

Getting dressed! Oh if anyone has any tips on how to get a baby dressed without a huge amount of crying I'm all ears! We used to think she didn't like having vests pulled over her face, so I started pulling them up over her body from the feet up...but even that doesn't stop the crying!

Traffic lights - I have worked out 2 alternate routes from some of our regular trips to minimise the amount of possible traffic light stops! but there's no getting around it, Hamilton is just full of traffic lights and this baby hates you stopping - motion is her middle name.

For some reason in the past week or so there has suddenly been tears at bath time which she used to just love! We're hoping it's a phase! or that we just need to buy her some super fun bath toys to distract her from what's going on!

Other things that happened this month was Daddy having a birthday! so we took a little family outing to Viva Brazil - one of those meat restaurants where they just keep bringing you more and more and more! The South African was loving it!

I stocked up on a lot of the delicious salads and sides and had little room left over for meat! The South African was not impressed that when he asked what my favourite cut of meat I'd eaten had been I said sausage!

Ella slept through most of the outing, despite the loud Brazilian music blaring away!!

She woke up for some cuddles just before we left!

Oh, how I love that sweet little face!

The other exciting event that happened was Ella meeting her great grandparents for the first time! Byron's grandparents came over to visit from South Africa and are here staying with us for a week.  Ella has been loving all the attention, and we've been loving the extended lie ins - thanks Gran and Gramps!

 Lastly, here's a picture of Ella in her bouncer at one week old compared to one taken this week at 3 months old! She doesn't even look like the same baby! Her lips were ruby red when she was newborn, and her skin was still jaundiced so looking a bit yellow.  Her hair was also much darker, and there was more of it! 

She has definitely developed pale skin from the Irish side of our family! but just look at how she fills her bouncer now! 

This month has been such a fun month, seeing her become more interested in the world around her and in her toys.  She is chatting away more and more, and still finding everything we say funny! Her new favourite song is 'This Old Man' and I don't know why she finds it so funny but she does especially when you say 'give the dog a bone'! 

We are just loving every minute of our lives with our sweet baby girl, and we can't wait to see all the new things that month 4 will bring!

Ella's First Easter Extravaganza!

So not only was last weekend Ella's first Easter celebration, but it also coincided with her first trip to England (the homeland!)

and since there was a lot of sunshine involved, she thoroughly approved!

 To be fair she's never really been out in the sun in Scotland before, not because we keep her locked up inside but because there really hasn't been enough warm sunny weather to just let her lay out on the grass! So it was very cute to see how happy it made her!

She also got lots of cuddle time in with Granny and Grandad Jones which she was a fan of!

 Ellis also loves his Granny time! I love this picture of the two of them together having a right old laugh - share the joke guys!

 On Good Friday, Grandad suggested going to a nearby garden centre that had a miniature train - so we hopped in the cars and off we went! Well, after getting slightly lost, we pulled into this 'garden centre' and parked in someone's garden just in time to see the little miniature train spectacularly derail!! It was just someone's house, and they had planted tons of flowers and things in the garden they were selling and then made this miniature railway! It was pretty random! and after laughing pretty hard about the derailing we went to explore!

We discovered there was a properly miniature railway track too - how cute is that bridge!

 I had to snap this pic of the babywearers of the family!

and we finally got a family pic of the 3 of us! Trust me...Ella is in there under all that fabric!

We made our way to the 'station' and hopped on board!

We thought it was pretty funny that we were doing it for the kids, because the 10 week old and 9 month old really knew what was going on!!!

The Braithwaite's got the comfy seats in our own private carriage!

Mom and Arne - the "big kids" loving it! At this point, we were about 3 rides in and Mom was trying to applaud the train driver who said he wasn't finished yet! It wasn't very busy and I was beginning to worry that he was having so much fun that we were never going to be let off!

Back in Hodnet, we chilled in the sunshine and soaked in some of that amazing sunshine that we have been seriously lacking up here!

Auntie loving!

Are those eyebrows not the cutest?!

We went to check out the baby lambs at the farm down the lane...

I'd like to say Ellis was loving them...

but in fact these smiles were for his crazy Auntie Alli who keeps him entertained by doing all kinds of crazy songs and dances!

Little and large! It's so funny seeing these two together!

Saturday was mainly a yummy foodie day around Shrewsbury involving delicious Nutella cupcakes!

Ella has been to her fair share of cupcakeries in her short lifetime already! This one was a new one we tried out, Empire Cupcakery, and it was pretty good!

On Easter Sunday, Ella put on her special bunny dress!

and had her first taste of chocolate!!! She wishes!

When we got home from church and were sufficiently full up on a delicious lamb roast, it was time to slip into something a bit more comfy for the egg hunt in the garden! so Ella sported her special first Easter onesie! which came all the way from some lovely friends in America!

Check out her cute bunny feet! She was a bit slow off the mark at searching for eggs...

Cousin Ellis had to show her how it was done! Don't waste time peeling the paper off - he eats his paper and all!

Auntie Mel found some gourmet seagull eggs! that actually were rather tasty salted caramel flavour, yum!

Ella eventually found her haul with a little help from Mommy and Daddy!

She seemed unimpressed by her bunny ear get up...

So we gave them to the poser in the family who got much more into it! His scrapbooking mum has trained him well!

The egg hunt almost ended in tears as Mel and Arne got a bit too competitive about finding the last eggs! Luckily Mel didn't end up in the pond...but it wouldn't have been the first time!

Mommy and Daddy also bought Ella a little prezzie so she can always remember her first Easter...

by reading Spot's first Easter! I was a big Spot fan when I was little so I'm hoping Ella will be too!

It was a tasty fun filled weekend with all the family, minus Auntie Mara who was checking out Gothenburg! and a lovely way to celebrate Ella's first Easter!