Kneel Before Zod

Today Mum and I weathered the trip out to IKEA on a Saturday afternoon, while Daddy stayed home and watched Holly. Holly really is getting too long for the bassinet so we had to bite the bullet and get a crib. Lucky us, the crib I wanted has been discontinued so I was able to get it for half off.

However, while we were there I picked up a high chair for Holly. She's not quite ready for real food yet, but I still think she'd like to sit at the table with us while we eat. So this afternoon was the first time Holly sat in a high chair...

...thirty seconds later was the first time Holly dropped something* from the high chair. I suspect it will not be the last time.

*Sophie le Giraffe

First Video of Holly

So I finally figured out how to compress and upload videos using iMovie. Here is the first video we shot of Holly when she was just shy of a month old. I can't believe how tiny and alien looking she looks here. She looks so different now. I wish I had got a video camera for her first few days, as its getting harder and harder to remember what she was like then.

Holly's first video from Jaime Fenton on Vimeo.

Goin' On a Hike

Yesterday we got out and enjoyed the sunshine by taking a little hike in Stanley Park. Rather than walk around the park along the seawall, we took the trails in the park leading up to Prospect Point. The trails were surprisingly deserted (when you see how packed the seawall is on a sunny day), and were cool and refreshing. We rewarded ourselves with a great lunch of fish and chips at the little cafe up at Prospect Point. Holly is really enjoying dining out, as long as she held up at peoples level and is given her food too.

Walking back along Merilees trail that skirts past a large area that had been severely damaged in 2006's windstorm, we saw tons of gorgeous magenta flowers (foxgloves, I've been told), ferns and small seedlings that would not have been there except for the now canopy-less landscape. And with so many flowers came so much beautiful fragrance and many gorgeous bees! Holly was a darling the whole way, either sleeping in her stroller or taking in the scenery. She certainly was the least fazed - after fours hours and 10.5 kilometres we were bushed but Holly was up for playing when we got home.

Holly Laughs

Holly just laughed for the very first time! It was turning on the kitchen faucet that did it(i guess she'd never seen it before and it was somehow amusing). And it wasn't just a couple of giggles either. It was a good two minutes of chuckles. It was like she had wanted to laugh for ages before this but did know how and had been storing up her laughs for when she could. Pity Jaime's away camping and missed it.

The Visitors

Haven't updated in awhile, but we have a good excuse - visitors! First off Jai's folks came out from Australia to meet their grand-daughter for the first time. Naturally Holly made a fabulous impression - how could she not? It was great because though the Grandparents were only here for ten days, Holly made some nice developmental leaps during that time. She's learned to hold her head up properly now. While she will slump a little when she's tired, most of the time she can hold her head up, which means I can now hold her on my hip and put her forward facing in the baby carrier. Also, her 'baby talk" has improved and she can make many more sounds than before. She's also grown immensely; she's now 5.5 kilos, meaning she's more than doubled her birth weight of 2.6 kilos. It does mean she's outgrowing the bassinet -we will need to buy a crib soon, making our bedroom very squishy.

While the in-laws were here, we managed a weekend up to the Sunshine Coast. We have some long-time friends who own a gorgeous bed and breakfast up there. The weather was glorious, making the ferry ride over awesome. I caught up with my friend Saba - a friend from when I was a little girl. She's the same age as me, but she has four children, the oldest of which is just graduating from high school. It's so strange as I have only just now had a little baby. Holly liked getting out of the city I think and enjoyed the gorgeous garden at the B&B. I wish I could find some place for us to live that had a little garden.

After their time here Jai's folks headed for a week in New York. The next visitor was my cousin James who came up from Seattle to meet his new cousin. While he was here we did a nice hike in Lynn Canyon, afterwards enjoying a yummy BBQ. While his visit was brief, it was great to catch up with him.