Busy Bees

So my New Year resolution wasn't for me this year, it was for Layla :) I promised her that I would book her into baby classes so we can have some fun and she can meet/play with other babies. And I've stuck to my promise! So starting next week we have:

Monday - baby gym 

Tuesday - mother and toddlers group

Wednesday - wiggle & giggle

Thursday - book bug

Friday - baby massage

Saturday - well earned rest!

Sunday - swimming

Lots of variety in there to give her a little taste of everything! And we'll hopefully make some little friends for her too :)

Oblivious...

That's what Layla is! She has no idea how absolutely amazing and clever she really is! This is our clever little lady who pulled herself up on her activity table and stood up all on her own! My heart is bursting with pride and she has absolutely no idea what all the fuss is about :)

Love And Laughter

"All you need in the world is love and laughter. That's all anybody needs. To have love in one hand and laughter in the other."

- August Wilson

Today I felt so grateful for everything, I truly did have love in one hand and laughter in the other.

Our little Layla was exceptional today, only a small cry before a nap, the rest of the day was spent exploring new things, like shadow puppets on the wall, different tastes as we sampled some pureed baby bolognese (yes, I mean we, as it was spat on me a couple of times as Layla tried to talk and eat at the same time), exhilaration as she was spun around in her baby walker and "driven" around in it too, making "vroom, vroom" noises as we went.

But the best part of the day was tonight just before bath time when Daddy decided to be silly with a half-deflated balloon and Layla gave us her best laughs yet! And so many of them! We were both in stitches, it's amazing how a baby's laughter is so contagious, I'm grinning now just remembering all the silliness!

So yes, today has been my favourite by far since Layla was born. I can't wait for all the great things still to come!

Roly Poly!

Yesterday Layla learned to roll from her back to her belly all by herself!! She wasn't quite sure of what she was doing at the time but every time we put her on the floor for playtime today, she goes straight to her belly! She hasn't sat still for 2 minutes and is constantly rolling about the living room, she's determined to get on the move as quickly as possible! :-D It's hard to believe she's only 18 weeks, she's growing so fast!

A Great Surprise!

So as promised here's a post about my Dad coming over from Cape Town to visit our little Layla!

I'm sitting cosy at home feeding Layla when I get a text from Dad

"Oi!! Open the door...it's f*ckin freezin out here..xoxo"

Eh? Don't think that was meant for me Dad. Wait a minute... that was a car door outside... Angie (Dad's sister) is meant to be coming to visit today... Coincidence?

So I get up and go open the door and I'm stunned to see my dad walking up our path!! :-D I have never been so shocked or happy to see anyone ever!

It was a short visit unfortunately, but I can't say how pleased I am that he got to meet our little Princess. There was talk of him coming over for his 50th birthday next year (the day before Layla's!) and we were looking forward to that, but I'm so glad he got to meet her sooner when she's still little and discovering the world around her.

The weather was also dreadful while he was staying with us, with gale force winds that meant bridges were closed and cars were advised to stay off the roads, so we couldn't really go out, but it was lovely spending the time with Dad, Layla and Scott all together.

 Aawww cuddles from Grandad

 Our inquisitive little girl

Big smiles with Grandad

Four Months Old!

I can't quite believe that our little Layla is four months old already! In fact, I'm still getting to grips with the fact she's actually here with us!

It's been absolutely amazing seeing her grow and learn and watch her develop her own little personality. I can already tell she's going to be a thinker like her Daddy but she has a fierce side like me and is not shy letting you know that she doesn't like something!

At the moment she's learning to roll from her back to he tummy and has so very nearly got it! All she needs to do is learn to move the arm she's rolling over and it'll be easy. At the minute when she gets stuck on her arm, you just need to hold out your hand and she instinctively knows to grab it and pulls herself over!

Layla's also in the process of getting ready to crawl. Her little bum goes in the air and her legs do all the right moves and she can push up on her arms but she can't seem to co-ordinate the two just yet. Although I have every confidence that it won't take her long to get there, she's such a determined little soul!