Luka Anya - 10 months old

Her first Halloween dressed up as a princess

This post a wee bit late sorry!
Bad time management on my behalf, the last month went by way too quickly for me as I was only beginning to think about getting things together for the big First Birthday in December.

Now next week I'm going to start putting things together and buying the things stored away in my shopping cart on Etsy.

The only things I have stored away are 8 wooden maracas for the kids attending to paint themselves and obviously keep as a nice little keepsake, a 32" number 1 balloon as well as 3 17" balloons which are pink, blue and yellow.
I had no specific theme in mind as Luka is too young to know what's going on, but I really liked the idea of a garden party, so we're having Luka's birthday at a local park. {you can read more about my birthday ideas for her here }
I have changed a few of the ideas on there such as the block numbers, I'm now going to do a chalk board sign.
The cake is now going to be made by a friend of mine who is an incredible cake maker! The design is now a large cupcake smash cake :-)

I can't wait to post more on her birthday after it's all over, December is just around the corner as well as January for our big trip to Australia.
I can hardly wait!



Waiting to go to preschool

Her first photo day at preschool wearing my old baby dress. She looked so sweet
even with her spiked up!

Weight: She hasn't been weighed since her 9 month visit from Plunket and won't be weighed again till the end of December.
I'm guesstimating that she'll be around 7kgs now.
She's filling in size 0 clothes and size 1 shoes. Still teeny tiny.

Sleep: Sleep is relatively better this month! She's waking twice a night but doesn't scream as bad when she wakes which makes getting through the night way easier.

Diet: Luka pretty much eats anything now, she doesn't like most of those jarred baby foods we used to feed her and loves what I cook up for dinner instead. Feeding her, though, can be trial and error as she'll either eat or she won't which can be frustrating, but I just go back to things I've read about babies and that is that they won't starve themselves and babies will eat when they're hungry.
She's still 50/50 on breast and bottle, she drinks water and the rest takes care of itself.

Social: She really is a social wee thing! But lately she gets quite shy around new people, looking at them then burying her head into my neck, sooo cute! Then she looks back at people, smiles and buries her head again until she really warms up to you then she just babbles and smiles away as normal.

Likes: She loves music and has started bopping along to sounds she likes, she loves playing peek a boo and being chased by Andrei and I. She recently started using her walker and we go for walks outside with it, she loves bath time, playing in the garden, playing with her musical toy, she loves Sesame Street and so much more!

Milestones:

• Luka started using her walker! 
• Becoming quite confident with standing by herself, even if it's only for a few seconds.
• She's also started using the handles and feeding herself her bottles now :-)
• She's finally said "MA MA"
• She has 4 teeth!

Postpartum: Things have been great the last month, I finally have my own car! It's a little 2005 Nissan Note, and even though I can't drive by myself yet until I get my license it's still great knowing I can take Luka up to preschool in the car when it rains, she's adapting well to being in her carseat too :-)
Self wise, I've given up focusing on losing weight till next year after Luka's Birthday, New Years, our holiday and my Birthday's out of the way. Even though I'm still not happy with how I look and how my health and fitness is at the moment, it's really not a big deal yet.
I always find that time of the year most expensive too as there is so much happening. So getting a gym membership will be a no no for a while yet which I'm finally OK with.
This year has been the hardest financially and has taught me so much about being more frugal with money, I used to spend money as soon as I earnt it, but I didn't spend it wisely thus ending up in debt with bills and having clothes and items I didn't use.
Now I use and recycle EVERYTHING! I haven't brought myself anything new since the beginning of the year (I recently purchased this dress from ASOS last night for a work xmas party, it's Alice in Wonderland themed and I'll be going as the Queen of Hearts which I know I'll wear again) I pay my bills first and foremost then whatever I have left goes into the house or into savings, hence why I have nothing to spend on myself but it's been a great lesson. I do a lot of window shopping and see so many things I want, but I find myself not at all tempted to buy as I used to be which makes me excited to instil those values onto Luka as she grows up and to save hard for what she wants which is what Andrei and I have been doing.
Although I'm running out of makeup I.E. my fave Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow powder I keep reminding myself that were going to Australia soon, and there's duty-free!!!!

Until next time!

XOXOX

 

Mumma and baby foot prints xx



Luka Anya | 9 months old

Seriously cannot get over that Luka is now as old as the length I carried her for!
She's done amazingly in the big wide world, becoming her own little person, I just can't believe in a matter of months she'll be a year old and heading into 'toddlerhood'.
I've been trying to consume and store away each moment I have with her in my mind as well as with my phone. It's so hard when she moves around so much so I pretty much have my camera on standby.

I can breathe a huge sigh of relief that Spring has finally arrived to little New Zealand!

This last Winter, I must say, went rather quickly I think due to having Luka take all my attention.
But I'm glad it's over, I hate rain (not so much at night) and I'm not fond of the cold which makes me question my decision to want to make a trip to Queenstown in the next two winter's....

I've already started getting all summery and am wearing my maxi skirts and dresses, sandals.
Luka has outgrown all her summer clothing obviously from when she was new so I have a small list of dresses, skirts, tops, frilly bottoms and sandals.
I'll try and restrain myself and get as much recycling out our clothes as possible due to Andrei, Luka and myself going to Brisbane early next year!

My lovely mother in law is shouting us over for Luka's Birthday. It's my first time out of the country and I couldn't be more excited, I have places I want to see and plenty of spots to shop at :-)

In the last month since her last monthly update Luka has started cutting through her upper teeth. The L hand side seems to be showing more and I'm taking in every moment of what will be the last time she'll have her gummy smiles.
She's standing up more and even venturing into standing unsupported!
Talking, babbling which I'll update you on further down the list of photos :-)
Andrei and I also took liberty in changing her from her cot into the port-a-cot, her other cot was just too narrow and she kept banging into the wooden bars; the port-a-cot has been so much better as it's more wider, shorter in length and the sides are material so she just moulds into it than hurts herself.

Mandatory sleep photo

We've been taking a lot of trips to the library which she's enjoyed!

In the big girl seat when we go grocery shopping.

Weight: She was weighed in the other day at 6.76kg from her last weigh in two months ago at 6.11kg. So she's gained a tiny bit but not much. I blame that on her teething plus getting two really bad colds in that time frame. She's grown length wise and our Plunket nurse said she is very healthy and shows no signs of malnutrition, and she's always been a petite baby so no worries :-)

Sleep: She's been waking 3-4 times a night again due to her upper teeth cutting through. Otherwise, I know when all of that will be over it'll be back to her waking 1-2 times a night. It can't come fast enough!

Diet: I've been lenient with Luka's diet as she's able to eat more proper foods now, she joins Andrei and I for dinner at the table and eats what we eat, she drinks water from her sippy cup, she's still on 50/50 b/milk and formula (she's even trying to hold the bottle on her own) but yeah she just eats whatever these days. I really can't be specific, her faves at the moment are kiwifruit, plain biscuits, frozen yoghurt, berries, bananas, apples etc. She's got a sweet tooth but still loves her veges :-)
I'm so glad we're heading into Summer so she can try more summery foods like pineapple, strawberries, watermelon etc.

The dangerous side she standing is that she reaches for EVERYTHING!

Happy bub at my work

Love this pic of her and daddy's hands, Andrei's face though!

Social: Luka really is a social butterfly, she does have a sense of stranger danger and cries when I leave her in a room with people she's not familiar with but otherwise she smiles, talks and plays with people. She has the most cutest, scrunchiest teefy smile that just makes me laugh! I have to thank pre school for her amazing social development, she loves kids and is a real honey :-)

Likes:  

• Playing in the mud (a recent one! I think it's great to let kids be kids)
• Playing with cooking utensils while I'm cooking/doing dishes in the kitchen
• Get into EVERYTHING
• Standing up
• Morning snuggles with mum and dad
• Banging things
• Chucking things
• Outdoors
• Splashing in the water (haven't taken her swimming yet)
• Climbing up the stairs at her nana's new house
• Making clicking sounds
• Preschool :-)
• Crawling
• Playing peek a boo

Milestones: Luka said "Daddy" the other morning! Since then she's added "DA" and "GA" to her baby vocab.
I'd have to say as well with her cutting her top teeth, she's also slowly learning how to wave "bye, bye".
She knows her own name (she's known it for a few months now) and that's pretty much it for now, I'm waiting to see her walk now.

Postpartum: It's been a month of highs and lows for me. I had a terrible acne breakout from getting sick and just feeling overtired (I also think it'll be my hormones regulating), I started to feel like I was storing water too and both of those things haven't helped with my self esteem.

My acne has since slowly begun to clear but I'm still not happy with how my body looks. I'm still adamant on the idea of getting my post preg body back next year and getting fit and feeling full of energy again. I just get so out of breath now which has been years since that's happened when I haven't done anything strenuous at all!

I had a big fat cry the other week when I was trying to get into clothes that hung off me and now I can't get into them!

As I always say though, first world problems, Luka and Andrei don't care how I look, but I would love to feel good about myself again.

New Years resolution me thinks!

Work has been slow, we always hit these stages in the middle of our new season stock, but on the plus side on the 13th it'll be my second year working with Overland :-)

So that's really it for now.

I'll be sending Luka's First Birthday Invites out in the next few weeks, well actually I've decided to create a group on Facebook for those that Andrei and I have decided to attend rather than spend money on postage. I have decorations and party favours stored on my Etsy account which I'll be purchasing too and I really can't wait to get things going, December is right around the corner and Andrei and I are so excited, it is such a big milestone that we can't wait share with our close family and friends :-)

Until next time!

XOXOX

She is just the light of my life!