3 Months Old

Today Zara is 3 months old! Chris & I decided to try get a set of foot prints to add to her collection - first foot print taken on day she was born, then 7 days old and again 8 weeks old.....

All I can say is that its easier said than done - half a ream of paper later, I think we got one semi decent one and now understand why Sharon uses an ink stamp pad (not paint) when she does footprints of all her babies!

As for the past 3 months of motherhood - time has truly sped by. Each day is as exciting as the last and so rewarding watching Zara grow and develop...... she is a real gem. A totally contented little girl!!! Motherhood is all I thought it would be and more - yes there are the tough days but its been well worth the wait and I now understand why people say "this is the meaning of life"

Trip to the beach.....

One of the things, Chris has been most excited about since becoming a Dad, is to take Zara to the beach. So, 2 days short of 3 months old, off we went with Shaun, Mark, Claudia & Riley....

Because of the littlies, we got to Vetchies (near Ushaka) just after 8am. We found a nice spot and set up the sun cabana. Shaun & Chris took the surf ski out for a bit while we chilled out on the beach. Riley had an absolute ball in the sea and building castles in the sand.

Being the sensible parents we like to believe we are, we packed up at about 10.30am before it was too hot an overcrowded.

With a good taste test of the Durban beach, we can now look foward to many more happy, sunfilled beach holidays together with family and friends!

Zara's First Christmas

Wow, what a super Christmas day we have had! As you can see...Chris & I got all we could have wanted, our beautiful Zara, snuggly & save inside her own Christmas stocking! And yet there was more..... Having arrived in Durban on the 22nd Dec, Zara has decided that she is really enjoying the sea air and has been sleeping through - YAY!!!

The celebrations started on Christmas Eve. Kelly and Rory hosted a fantastic dinner at their beautiful apartment in Umghlanga with the Atkinsons & Armours etc. Zara got to meet her baby cousins (2nd cousins to be precise) Riley Lindsay - 4wks old and Rebekah Armour - 3 wks old. Although the kids didn't really pay each other much attention, the adults all "gooed" over the precious bundles.

Christmas day was also divine. We spent a very relaxing day at Mark & Claudia's, opening an abundance of presents...... jeepers was Zara spoilt - I think the picture says it all! Thank you everyone!!!

Then it was time for lunch and we had a very civilised lunch at the table - we were also so lucky as both girls were sweet enough to have their naps over lunchtime which made it even nicer to be able sit and eat our roast and enjoy a good glass of wine. After lunch, with our bellies about to burst we all relaxed around the pool and enjoyed the lovely summer's day.

First Swim

So one of the joys of having a baby is the fact that your life is now once again full of "firsts".

On this typical Durban summers day, we decided to give Zara her first swim! We thought that maybe the pool would still be too cold for her, so we filled one of Riley's plastic shells with water and in no time it was almost as warm as her bath. I had to squeeze myself into the shell but as you can see, our little water baby just relaxed and enjoyed being around her cousins who were swimming in the big pool.

SEE YOU SOON...............

See this Hand Shannon

Yesterday I went to visit some very good family friends, Peter & Shannon Woodliffe. They used to live in Ficksburg when the Letseng mines in Lesotho were still mining as Peter was a pilot for De Beers. Even after they moved back to Benoni, our families stayed in close contact and we spent every Easter together growing up. Michelle their elder daughter and I were only months apart age wise but sadly lost contact over the years. When Zara was merely 4 weeks old, I went to our first "bumps and babes" and lo and behold there I met up with Melanie, their other daughter. She was till a "bump" at that stage and brought me up to date on the Woodliffe clan.

My favorite "Shannon story" is how when we were misbehaving as all children do, she would wave her hand in front of us and quote "You see this hand, do you want to see it land?" This had such an amazing effect on us that we immediately became angels. Although in those days I was scared of her, I have always been extremely fond of them and so spent a lovely afternoon with them, catching up and reminiscing about the "good ol days". Peter & Shannon are in Jozi for a month to spend time with their family ~ I couldn't miss the opportunity to go introduce Zara to them.

Zara better watch out as I may have learnt a trick or two from "see this hand Shannon"

Zara's Christening

In celebration of our first wedding anniversary, we had Zara baptised on Sunday. The intimate family, ceremony was held at St Columba's in Parkview by Rev "Chunky" Young. The service was not only special because it was our anniversary but also because I have known Chunky for years through the wedding industry and he did our marriage prep with us. All in all there were three babies, of which two were Zara!!!

After the ceremony we all came back to our place for a light lunch. In keeping with her special bug theme we had her baptism candle and cake decorated to suit.....


Even though the weather was a bit miz we had lovely day with our families. The Smeetons. Londoners and Parnells were sorely missed, thanks you all for thinking of us and sending your special blessings for Zara!

Grandpa Christmas came to town

Zara is a very lucky girl as her Grandpa is one of Santa's helpers..... the advantage of this of course is that she has a direct hotline to the man himself. But with this, there is a small price to pay too, as that same hotline can also report on any bad behaviour.

Carols by Candlelight

Last week, Jeanie hosted a small gathering for some "Carols by Candlelight". She had arranged for Brenda, the music teacher at Kirsten's school to come along and play her keyboard for us, but with all the Eskom load shedding it seemed at some point that we would be going acapello. However, just in time, the electricity came back on and shortly after that, Fr Christmas made his appearance. The poor chap stumbled in (literally) and all the kids were delighted he could make it so early before Christmas. We all sang a few carols together and then it was time for him to move on to the next group...... he assured us all that if we stayed well behaved, he would be back on Christmas eve with some more presents! [even for the adults ;~) ]

Car Comfort

I can't say Zara is the happiest baby when in the car......

Unfortunately we have been spending quite a lot of time in the car lately, trying to get organised for her Christening, Christmas and our holiday. However, thanks to Pat (my Godmother) we now have some good entertainment for her. She seems to love watching the frog, butterfly, turtle and fish as they dangle above her car seat. Her little legs kick in excitement and every now and again I her "whoop" in delight.

This pic was taken while waiting for Chris as he was coming with me to a small shoot to look after Zara while I worked.

In my Cot

Now that Zara is having more awake time during the day, I decided that we should try encourage a different environment for her day time naps when we are home. So this morning she had her first sleep in her bedroom, in her cot. She looks so tiny in the huge cot, but appeared to be quite comfy as she had a good 45 min nap while I managed to make so phone calls.

Paediatrician Visit

Today we had Zara's 8 week check with the paediatrician, Dr Lucic. This is not the same doctor that was at her birth but was our doctor of choice. Unfortunately for us it had been her weekend off when Zara was born and so we had her partner Nelli. After a thorough check we now have some stats about Zara:

	Birth	Today
weight	3.280 kg	4.880 kg
height	52 cm	56.5 cm
head	36 cm	39 cm

According to Dr Lucic, this puts her in 50 percentile and makes her 100% average on all levels.

As suspected, Zara's belly button has herniated, but Dr Lucic is confident that it will rectify itself as she grows and gets stronger. So far she has not inherited my heart murmur and it is apparently unlikely she will. There is apparently only a 2-3% chance of genetic transfer.

Dr Lucic gave me all the time I needed to ask any questions and at no point did I feel like I had to hurry up as the next patient was waiting. Once again we have been lucky to get such an amazing doctor. Even though she was running late, I must admit it was worth the wait and I look forward to seeing her again at our 6 month check next year.

Gym Bunnies

On the nights we don't go walking, "Bun and Baby Bun" enjoy a gym session together.....

This picture was taken last night while I was trying to get some "work" done. Hopefully a good exercise routine will be instilled in Zara as she watches her Dad in the gym

2 months old

Last week marked Zara's two month birthday! Life in the Atkinson household has certainly changed but we are loving every moment with our precious miracle! It is now so hard to imagine a life without her!

Zara, remains a very content baby and is growing in leaps and bounds, getting stronger and cuter everyday. She is a lot more interactive and she tracks us as we move around her. She has been enjoying her play gym (thanks to Durban v G Family) and can lie under it kicking for ages cooing and listening to Mozart. She also definitely recognises our voices and reacts when we speak to her. Often when Chris gets home from work and greets us as he comes in the door, she turns her head to where his voices came from. She also appears to be a social being and thrives on some activity, be it an outing to bumps & babes or even a walk around neighbourhood.

Although she is still a little stingy with her smiles, I was able to get this one on camera!

As you can see from her clothing, we are still having four seasons in a week....... from bright sunny days to freezing cold wintery days ~ roll on summer PLEASE!

Paddle Power

Last Sunday(on her 8 week birthday), Zara decided that "sleeping-in" was for the birds. Usually our routine is to wake for a feed between 6 & 7 am and then go off to sleep again till about 9am. Which, as you can imagine has been absolutely perfect for her late rising mother. So at 7.30am after her feed , she decided that it was time to play. I took her cue and decided to surprise Dad by going to watch him paddle the time trial. We got ourselves organised and headed off to Emmarentia.

When we arrived, we saw Chris & Dave carrying their boat back to the racks.... very confused, I went and joined the other wives on the grass and waited to see what happened. Chris eventually came back to fetch his paddle and I then heard that they had managed t break the rudder-cable and were therefore no longer able to paddle.

Never the less , we sat on the banks of the dam, had a cup of coffee and fruit salad till the time trial was over. Once again, Zara enjoyed her outing, but lets hope next time we make it to watch Dad paddle, we will actually see him paddling.

Bumps & Babes

One of the perks of having Sharon as your midwife is "Bumps & Babes". Sharon hosts this on a wed morning for all her ladies while preggie or after baby is born. Sadly I never attended as a "bump" but have been enjoying the weekly get together since Zara was 4 weeks old. It was at my first "Bumps & Babes" that I hooked up with Melanie Woodliff who was there as a "bump" (her baby was due mid Dec, he was born 3 weeks ago, Jayden is healthy and growing nicely!). So bizarre after all these years to meet up again.

Basically "Bumps & Babes" is a very informal social gathering where we take a plate of eats and sit and chat to other Mom's. The babies range from newborn through to toddlers. We are able to weigh our babies if we choose to but there is no pressure. Sharon is also available to answer any questions and guide you if you need.

As you can see on this particular day the weather was great and we all got to sit outside ~ in the first pic, the front lady is Tania who I met through yoga, her boy, Jayden, lying on the blanket is 4.5mths old. Next to me is Nicole who I did yoga with and was also in my antenatal group. Jasmine is 2 days younger than Zara!

~ thanks to Sherene for the photos!~

Walkies

In the evenings we have been going walking round the neighbourhood. Most evenings we take her out in the pram, so that Dad can proudly show her off to the world, (we often play-fight as to who will push). Some evenings we drive down to Zoo Lake, it is busy at this time of the year as the weather is usually good. Zara seems to enjoy the outing and has a good bath and then settles well for the evening.

While Graham & Heather were here a few weeks ago we enjoyed a walk around Zoo Lake and then had a delicious coffee and cake at Moyo, the African restaurant at the lake.

I have also gone walking with my friend Serife, who I met at yoga. Her little boy, Tao, is 2 weeks older than Zara. We meet at Zoo Lake and walk around with our babies in their slings. Although they are usually blissfully unaware of each other they enjoy the outing.

First Trip Away

Last weekend we had our first weekend away. With Zara, all of 6 weeks old we braved the drive to Wakkerstroom for our first weekend away. Knowing this would be a good dress rehearsal for our trip to Durban over Christmas, I made sure that she was fed before we left and true keeping with her content nature, she was as good as gold. As we were turning onto the motorway, we saw Shaun & El. Even though we had planned the weekend at the same time we had not expected to leave Jozi at the same time, let alone basically travel in convoy. Approximately 15 mins out of Standerton, Zara began to stir, ready for her next feed. We had planned to stop there for lunch so her timing was impeccable. We met up with Shaun & Eleanor and enjoyed our lunch together. After lunch, back in the car and we made it there safe and sound. The weekend was lovely, although the weather was a bit miz and cold. On Saturday night the temp dropped to about 10 degrees. Many good laughs and too much good food and it was time to come home again. The trip back was just as "easy", so roll on December! When we arrived back home I took this photo to show how we can no longer travel light and how little miss muffet has the most luggage of us all!

(while we were away, there were HUGE storms in Jozi, hence the mucky driveway! Poor Senzo is still trying to catch up all the mess that was made...)

Six Weeks Old

Last week little Zara turned 6 weeks old! I really cant believe how the time has flown by. I must say that the first six weeks of pregnancy seemed to drag by for me. That is possibly due to the fact that one feels completely exhausted and on top of that I had this constant nausea to contend with. I am not saying that the first few weeks of parenting have not been tiring, its just that when your little one looks at you its all worth it.

Chris and I are very lucky as Zara has been a very easy baby! She is extremely content and relaxed. She feeds really well and sleeps quite well too. I have been lucky to only have an average of 2 wakes during the night. She just does her little grunting thing and that's my cue for her feed. Its amazing how I have become so tuned into the sound that I don't hear the police sirens going past but one grunt and I am up.

We had her weighed at "Bumps & Babes" last week and she is now weighing 4.7kg and is 56cm tall. This means that since Sharon's last home visit (on day 7), Zara has grown 4cm and gained 1.5kg ~ according to the Chinese horoscope, 2007 is the year of the pig, and our little "pork chop" is certainly living up to it.

Zara is also a lot more interactive. She is a little stingy with her smiles ~ except to Dad, he gets loads! She sometimes lies with me at the computer kicking her legs and gurgling while I get some work done.

Everyday certainly does get better and more rewarding, but I still feel the need to slow things down. I just want to savour every second with her while she is still so tiny.

Night Owl

A couple of nights ago, at 10.30pm I took this photo Zara. As you can she she is very alert and wide awake - hence we are trying an earlier bath time schedule.

Looks like she is going to take after her Mom.......

Water Baby

Zara is now just over 5 weeks old and definitly a lot more alert and responsive. She is interacting with us an as you can see from the photos loves her bath with Dad. We have been trying to bath her earlier these days as we find that her bath seems to wake her and then she goes to bed far too late. Dad is not always home in time but when he is they have a great time together....

Lazy Dayz

In stark contrast to how we spent the Sunday Zara was born - FIVE weeks ago, we took full advantage of the beautiful weather in Jozi and spent the day in our garden.

Its hard to believe that we are already into November and this is one of the first days we can truly consider being summer. So with the sun loungers for us and the sun cabana out for Zara, our little family soaked up the quiet sunny environment. Zara was more than happy to lie on her play mat in the shade while Chris read his newspapers and I read my book. Zara even spent a little time looking at her activity gym in between the numerous feeds and naps (perhaps she is having another growth spurt...) After our picnic style lunch it was time for me too to enjoy a nap....

Multi - Tasking

The other night after my bath I came into our bedroom to see Dad really multi-tasking!

While I was having my bath, Zara had been fussing a little as she was due for her "top-up feed" before bedtime and Chris had been wanting to get some work done. As you can see from the pictures, he managed to comfort, cuddle and re-prop her dummy all while get his research material read as well!

So FOUR weeks into our new family roles and we all settling in to each others space really well.

I'm a Baby Bokke

Not only was Saturday the World Cup Rugby Final 2007, but it was Zara's given due date by Prof Jeffery and Prof Nicoloau. So, knowing how much her Dad wanted o watch the World Cup Rugby Finals, our daughter planned her entry into the world, allowing us three weeks to settle into parenting and make it possible for us to enjoy our first night out to watch the South Africa win the trophy.

Having spent the past three weeks at home, it was time to face the outside world, so we started the day off with a hearty breakfast at Fournos down the road. We then went on to do some grocery shopping and look for an appropriate outfit to show our support for SA in the rugby finals. Chris already had a rugby jersey so it was Zara we needed to kit out. Not one shop seemed to think that parents may want their newborns in a rugby jersey so by chance we went into "Buddy Bear"... Low and behold there was the perfect size rugby jersey for Zara. "Buddy Bear" is the same concept as "Build a Bear". Kids go to the shop and make their own teddy bears and then they can dress them too ~ hence the clothing. The shop assistant thought I was crazy buying teddy bears clothing for my newborn baby. When I got home, I had to make a minor adjustment to the neck line so that it would fit over Zara's head.

Zara, cause quite a stir at the restaurant in her ama bokke bokke outfit and was named the lucky charm of the evening by our table. It was a lovely evening out and Zara was as good as gold!

Guess Who??

Chris and I have seen a similarity between Zara and her cousin Leo.....

So see if you can guess who is who ?

Tight Squeeze

One week before Zara was born, I had a belly-mask done. Two weeks after she was born, I took this photo of her next to the belly-mask..... Remember that at this stage she was still supposed to be in my tummy for another week! But as you can see, it was certainly a tight squeeze and she looks as pleased as punch and highly amused that she surprised us all by joining us in the real world so early where her space is not so cramped anymore.

Sun Goddess

As promised, I have managed to keep the sunshine d treatment going. Every morning, after Dad has left for work, I get my breakfast, undress Zara and let her lie in the sun in our bedroom while I eat my food. I then give her a nice massage and after a bit of "tanning time" I get her dressed and ready to face the world. Zara loves her time in the sun. She spreads herself out to get the full benefit of the sun on her tiny body. Looks like she will be just like her parents and those family beach holidays will consist of the three of us spread out soaking up the rays.