3 months of Addi Bo Baddi!

We have a 3 month old, wait - what now?! I can't even comprehend how fast time is flying! Apparently, according to the picture above, it has come as a shock to Addison too! 

and let's do that comparison back to when Ella was 3 months old! I feel like besides their blue eyes, everything else is just so different about them! (oh, but they do both love to kick those little legs too!)

but I mean check out all that hair! baby Ella is green with envy! 

I feel like this month has been a turning point...

into finally finding my groove and starting to feel like I can be successful at life again!

  I know that sounds dramatic but last month there were certainly lots of moments of 'how will I ever eat lunch again?' 

or 'how can I ever divide my time and attention between both girls fairly?!'

Addison was napping in her moses basket sporadically, and still preferring to nap on me but this month I've been working hard on consistently putting her down in her basket for naps and she has been getting on with this really well! Most mornings she will go back down for at least 2 hours after her first feed of the day which usually gives me time to shower, unpack the dishwasher, get breakfast for Ella and I and help Ella get ready for the day.  This is a game changer! A fellow mum of two had told me after Addi was born, just massively lower your expectations of what you can accomplish in a day - so if I would usually shower and get dressed, and unpack the dishwasher, and do breakfast and put on a load of washing all before 9am...in my new mom of two role just be pleased if you accomplished one or two of those things before 5pm! So it felt like something was always suffering - if I had a spare half an hour while Addi was napping then I'd be torn between doing some chores or giving some 1:1 time to Ella but now with Addison napping for so long in her basket I can get both done! 

Another big step in the right direction this month is we now seem to have more happy evenings than sad evenings! Addi used to have fussy/crying periods every night...and she still has them occasionally but more often than not she spends most of the evening just smiling and cooing away to us making us feel like we are the funniest people ever!

She is amazing at smiling on demand, and it seems like she knows the word smiles!

because whenever we ask where her smiles are she flashes them to us! it's super cute! and we certainly love just how happy and joyful she can be!

She is also becoming much more content and will spend much longer periods entertaining herself on her playmat - she has just a few weeks ago worked out how to wriggle herself around 180 degrees and she seems pretty pleased with herself about that! I have also been propping some of her black and white baby books up against one side of the jungle gym for her to look at, and she really seems to love them - almost giggling away at the different pages - the dog being her current fave!

She is also a huge fan of her bouncy chair! We put her in it at dinner while we eat, and this seems to have become her favourite time of day! All you have to do is look in her direction and she is beaming away at you, giving all the smiles, and even her sweet little almost giggle noises she is starting to make! 

Addison is also becoming more exciting to Ella! She is doing more, and is no longer just sleeping and eating all day - although there is still plenty of that! For example she had her first ride on a slide with big sis at Abbotsford!

Ella was so delighted about that then she wanted her to go on every piece of park equipment with her!

 I had to explain she needs to get a little bigger first before going on the swing and things! but it makes me so excited for their sibling relationship to develop the more interactive Addi becomes! 

Ella got chicken pox this month, and at first we were so worried Addi would catch it that we told her she had to stay away from her - no kissing/no touching...and it literally killed Ella!

She found it so difficult to keep away from Addison - like it physically pained her to stay back! so when the chemist told me it's actually better for little babies to get chicken pox as it doesn't bother them I told Ella the ban had been lifted! and she instantly reached over in the car to start holding Addison's hand and showered her with kisses when we got home from town, it was seriously cute! 

Ella has also been independently initiating little story sessions with Addi - again so heart melting! and when Addi coos or makes a noise during one of these sessions then Ella will say 'yes I know you love your big sis reading to you don't you'! They are really adorable! 

Addi had her first ever camping trip to Yorkshire! It was just an overnight stay - to test the waters! and luckily she passed with flying colours! only waking up at 6am for a feed, and not crying down the campsite! So that was great news, ahead of our 10 night camping trip we had booked for Southern France! I'm hoping the good behaviour will continue on our first family holiday too! I snapped this pic of her looking so grown up in Ella's little camping chair!

and this one of my sweet sisters!

We were in Yorkshire for our nephew Ellis' birthday -

Addi slept through most of the party! even falling asleep on my mom mid blaring disco!

Ella was much more excited about the whole affair and had so much fun with her cousins!

and everyone seemed to enjoy meeting Addison for the first time! 

Ella and Addison entered their first fancy dress competition as a duo, for Kelso Civic week! They made a super adorable Cruella with her dalmation...

and they won 1st prize!



Have you ever seen a cuter puppy?!

and we set off for France the day ahead of Addison turning 3 months old! So she is currently enjoying her first ever holiday abroad...and loving the camping life! 

She is sleeping so great and our next door tent neighbours said they've never even heard her make one noise! The car journey was a whole other story! and she seems to have developed an aversion to her car seat which has not come at an opportune time! but luckily she is such a little happy and gorgeous thing the rest of the time that it makes us forget about those awful screaming car rides!

I can't wait to see what month 4 brings...but I hope it comes around slower than this milestone did! I need time to savour every little detail of her because she is just growing up far too quick for my liking! 

A 2 month old update!

2 months old already!!! (and this time I’m only posting this a week late so clearly my time management is improving!) and let's take a quick little flashback to what Ella looked like at 2 months old during her photoshoot!

Just so different! (apart from their matching mouths!) and I still laugh everytime I see what a little baldie she was! 

I have sooo many random people coming upto me when we're out and about to chat about Addi and most of the conversations start because of her mop of hair! 

I can hardly believe my baby is no longer a newborn!

  I feel like this month has been more challenging than the first, but it’s also brought lots of sweetness too!

This was the first time I caught her holding onto something! I was so excited at the time! Looking back at the pic, it's barely a grasp! but I did think it was super cute!

I also love all her little hand positions and poses she finds herself in! Hand in the air is a common one...

as is that little fist up to the side of her head! 

and both hands behind her head seems to be another preferred position - just loving life and chilling!

The hard parts have been Addison’s favourite pastime of crying all evening long! Ella was such a chilled and easy going baby - my dad always joked that next time we’d get a ‘normal one’!! So I fear that may have come true! Addi is certainly much more high maintenance! and it’s just hard when there’s nothing really you can do to calm her down so we just trade off the jigging and walking around during the fussy periods, fuelling ourselves with hot chocolates and slabs of Dairy Milk waiting for 10pm to come when she has a final feed and goes down for the night...and maybe we get time then to squeeze a Netflix sesh in!

However, as disheartening as it can be, month 2 also brought about smiles!!! Addi actually gave her first smile on the exact day she turned 6 weeks old so right on cue! and she hasn’t stopped ever since! Her first week of smiles she only seemed to give them away to white walls or ceilings!! but thankfully she gives them to people now! Ella loves to report each and every one to me ‘Mommy, I just saw her do a wee smile!!’ There is just nothing better than being on the receiving end of those smiles and I’m pretty sure they make the hard parts easier to manage because one flash of that smile and I’m putty in her hands and already forgiving her for the hour of seemingly random crying I’ve just endured!!

She is also feeding so much still, I really thought she’d settle down by now but she just seems to be continuously hungry (who am I to judge tho, when I am exactly the same!!)

She is so much more alert and really focuses her attention on specific things now. She has a little mobile above her change mat that she loves to watch so we took it in the car recently on a long journey and she smiles away at all the characters especially the octopus who seems to be her fave!

She still hates her dummy, we have been trying hard especially in the car to get her to take it...just to make journeys more pleasant and with less screaming once she wakes and demands milk! but she pulls the funniest face when we rub the teat over her lips and does not seem impressed! She sometimes sucks it in for a second, and then it is as if she realises it’s not the good stuff and she promptly spits it out!

She also still seems to prefer the great outdoors - we’re not sure if it’s to do with the fresh air or being in motion in the pram/sling or a combination of both but if we stay indoors she just wants to feed/cry/nap continuously throughout the day so we usually try to get out and about as she’s much happier when out!

The amazing warmth and sunshine have continued...making it one of the best summers I can remember. Addi had her first jaunt to England as we went to Shropshire to stay with my parents for my birthday weekend so she got plenty of snuggles!

 She also met Auntie Alli for the first time which was fun! Auntie Alli had the magic touch for cuddling her off to sleep during some of her fussy evenings so we were grateful for the rest she gave us!

We went to a newly opened BBQ restaurant for my bday meal. 

I loved this pic of Addi, looking like she was planning to sneak a taste of By’s ribs! 

I couldn’t wait for my root beer float (which sadly wasn’t the real deal and I suspect was just Carter’s)

but Ella was most impressed with her Oreo shake!

My friend Leanne has a very lovely and talented mum who made these adorable matching dresses for the girls. We tested them out on Father’s Day, and my heart was fit to burst! Twinning outfits is one of my fave things about being a mom of 2 girls!

I couldn’t resist popping her in this Canada vest for Canada Day (July 1st) 

It was the first item of baby clothing we bought when we found out I was pregnant with Ella. We bought it from Old Navy in Vancouver and here’s Ella in it first! 

My second fave part of having girls is getting to put Addi in all Ella’s hand me downs and compare the two of them!

We also celebrated 4th July (3 times!!) because you know I’m American crazy and any holiday which is all about BBQ’s and S’mores needs to be celebrated on repeat! 

Our awesome friends Susie and Emily in Georgia sent the girls these super cute outfits...

 and so they were really flying the flag for America!

I am also shouting less, which feels great! Ella is trying really hard to be super helpful which is just what I need! 

From always being there at nappy change times to hand over the new nappy (and even take the dirty one to the bin!) to carrying in groceries from the car when my hands are full with bags and Addi’s car seat, and even carrying my breastfeeding pillow and muslins around the house for me every time I switch rooms! 

She also is great at rocking the bouncer when I need 5 mins to eat my lunch,

and she always tries her best to soothe and calm Addi down when the fussy periods begin! or even fetching me snacks when I’m pinned under a feeding baby! 

She is a great big sister and Addi and I are lucky to have her! I just loved this picture when we were out in Peebles the other week.  I had gone to the counter to pay, and quick as a flash Ella scooted over from where she was sitting to the pram and was cooing at Addi and pushing her back and forth to keep her entertained! Such a loving big sis! 

So let’s finish out this month by focusing on the highs and remembering all those delicious smiles we were treated to! I can’t wait to see her little personality develop and shine through even more, as she gets more physical.

I cannot wait for the giggles to come next!!

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