Sleigh-bells ring, are you listening?

If there really isn't anywhere you have to be at any particular time, this winter is shaping up gorgeously!  Chloe and I went and met Alex on his way home from Uni yesterday and it reminded me that I do actually like snow.  I may not like freezing winds and rain, but if the sun is out, the snow is crunching underfoot and there is a baby keeping me toasty warm then it is all good!

A few of her favourite things

Not quite raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens but here are a few of her favourite things:

Singing with Mommy, ideally with actions, brings big smiles and often laughter (yes, that's right, the little pirate can laugh now and it is the cutest thing!) - The Incy Wincy Spider, If you're Happy and You Know It..., The Wheels on the Bus... are the best ones so far.

The airplane game.  Flying backwards and forwards, preferably towards a mirror is much fun.

Peek-a-Boo!

Blowing raspberries, planting kisses on her neck.

Chewing on everything.

"Swimming" in an attempt to learn how to crawl, very funny for everyone else to watch!

Ok, I suck, it's been over a month......

19 weeks old already!  It's well and truly winter up in Edinburgh with snow all around, Arthur's seat looking like a (mini) Himalayan mountaintop, airports closed, roads impassable, cars turned into igloos.  Actually, it's what I would call Winter but the British always seem so surprised and totally unprepared when it happens every. single. year.

I have been foregoing wrapping recently in favour of my new Manduca, more practical in this weather and Chloe seems pretty happy in it too. 

Chloe has been practising her back-arching skills and can almost turn from her back onto her front.  This is about as far as she can get at the moment:

She has also been sporting her Autum/Winter 2010 collection and looking très chic.

Ok, maybe not quite so chic in that last one, but you have to admit, it is a look.

Mom was up visiting for a few days, unfortunately the little chicken was full of snot and poorly but that didn't stop her from oozing cuteness and indulging in a little TLC in the form of a massage from mummy. 

And last but not least, a comparison shot, we call it "Baby in a Bag". 

Just under 3 weeks old

Just under 19 weeks old. 

Sleeping like a little angel......

 ......and after mummy woke her up with the camera shutter

Chloe has learned how to roll onto her side, it won't be long before she's away and crawling!

And she's definitely in her "oral phase", happily sucking away on the little girl's arm.

Well, ok.  Maybe she doesn't look so happy about it.

Some classic Chloe poses

"Guess how I'm feeling, go on, I bet you can't"

Chloe demonstrating her perfected grumpy look.

Floppy baby fell asleep on my lap.

The "I've just been sick all over Mummy's tummy whilst playing Airplanes" look

Three months and counting.

Three months old today.  Hard to believe.  Such a cliche but time really does fly (and yes, I am having fun).  We went to our first mother and baby cinema show - now that would have been my idea of Hell 12 months ago.  We watched Wall Street, and while Chloe pretended to know what was going on I don't think she could really follow it.  Still, she was very well behaved and I got to watch the whole movie relatively undisturbed.  

I was pretty impressed John & Jess were there with 1 week old Isabelle, hopefully she'll be as well behaved for them as Chloe is for us.  Sometimes I really do think Alex and I have horseshoes up our asses cause we've led pretty damn lucky lives, things are good.  We must have been fucking saints in our previous life if you believe in Karma!

A lot can change in 10 days....

We got home yesterday from our 10day trip to Canada - Chloe's first ever holiday.  I think we both had a fair amount of trepidation about the flights but Chloe was a star.  She pretty much slept through all the flights (we didn't even have to drug her....not that we ever considered that of course....)

Chloe was THE centre of attention, we've got some serious baby-lovers in the family, her Auntie Kate being one of the worst offenders.  Many pictures were taken, lots of cooing was done and the occasional furry gilet was worn.  Some highlights include:

Being rucked for a lovely, if surprisingly hot, walk along the rocks near Peggy's Cove.

Learning to suck her thumb.  She sure jams that thing all the way in.

She's also started sleeping through the night.  It just happened all of a sudden, the first few nights in NS were pretty wakeful then she just slept til at least 6am every night thereafter.  Brilliant. She'll soothe herself to sleep with her thumb now so we don't have to rock her to sleep for 45 minutes every night.  That's a bit of a relief.

I really need to keep more up to date with this blog, trying to summarise 10 busy days is a little bit tricky.  I'l just say that we had a lovely time in a crowded house full of family, great food, lots of laughs, a very cute baby, a yappy dog and leave some pics to say the rest.

Chilling with Auntie Kate

At the Hubbards Market

The Old Boys chillin' at the Farmer's Market

Pumpkin carving...Ok, so it wasn't Hallowe'en but Thanksgiving is close enough!

Pirate!

Sleeping on daddy during a walk.