Zinnia’s first year is flying by. The last post covered from 4 to 7 months and I swear I wrote that only the other day! Despite still not being a fan of sleeping the last few months have gone in the blink of an eye, and now Zinnia is growing upwards and outwards. She has well and truly figured out how to sit and now move! Nothing is safe any more……..

7 months, June

Here, back at 7 months on the dot, Mum could just leave me laying around on my mat, smiling and giggling. I would roll around but didn’t get up to too much mischief!

I do love my high chair because it means food! I also like to let my brother and sister dress me up. Here I am charming snakes…..

Vanuatu

A few days after I turned 7 months I was off on my first overseas adventure, to Vanuatu with Mum, Dad, Astrid, Soren and Granny! I’d been on a few flights before but not overseas. I have a lot of travelling to do to catch my big brother and sister…….

I was pretty good on the flights and soon I was enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. A nice break from the Canberra Winter!

I had a great time eating and watching everyone swim but I wasn’t sure about the slightly cold pool. I also had to learn to sleep in a cot. At home I had been resisting this and still wanted to sleep in my hammock, which I was well and truly too big for. Luckily I eventually learned the hotel cot was actually pretty comfortable.

I love the sunshine but I’m still not a fan of that cold pool. I normally love baths and pools but I prefer them warmer!

Not to worry, I’m pretty happy to hang out by the pool watching my siblings swim and getting lots of attention.

This holiday thing isn’t too hard to take, and they keep giving me food! I really like the breakfast croissants even scored some of my big sister’s birthday cake, as she turned 8 while we were in Vanuatu. The lucky third child gets all the treats……

I mastered sitting up just before we came to Vanuatu and I’m loving all the sitting around in the sunshine playing. This grass thing is pretty good!

I’m still not sure about this water. The beach was a little better than the pool but I wasn’t a big fan………

Of course on the last day of our holiday I couldn’t resist the pool and decided I like it after all. It was 2 hours before we had to leave for the airport, but I got there in the end. Look at me splash!

I thoroughly enjoyed my first overseas holiday. I might have to convince Mum and Dad to take me on another one……..

Astrid’s birthday

Back to reality and a cold Canberra Winter and we had another celebration for Astrid’s birthday. More cake! I con everyone with my cute smile…….

They keep giving me food because I love it so much. If they take it away before I’m done I scream. Yep I can make sad faces too!

July

It’s July and it’s a race between me and Soren to see whether he will lose his first tooth or I’ll get my first tooth. Soren won. He lost both his bottom front teeth 12 hours apart and I’m was desperately trying to grow the same ones. Teeth growing makes for even less sleep!

Since I learnt to sleep in a cot in Vanuatu, Mum and Dad have decided I should sleep in my cot in my room during the day. I am now sleeping in a portacot in their room at night, rather than the hammock. They haven’t won all the battles! The sore gums and night feeds means Mum isn’t keen on walking up and down the stairs in the middle of the night.

School holidays

It’s the July school holidays and the big kids are home to hang out with me more. I do love them, even if they wake me up a lot. They make me giggle and play with me all the time…….

8 months

In the school holidays I turned 8 months old. I’m so adorably cute and I know it!

I’m even shooting up the weight chart, look at my cute belly!

School holidays gives my brother and sister extra time to dress me up. I’m very patient with their crazy antics and costumes!

My first trip to the snow….

At the end of the school holidays we went to Corin Forest for a birthday party. It was my first snow trip. Even though it was a warm 13 degrees and all man-made snow we had fun.

I napped in the ergo, made snowmen and watched my siblings sled, which they love.

I didn’t mind this cold and wet snow stuff at all!

I even got a go at sledding with Dad. I thought it was great fun. I’ll have to convince my parents to take to Europe for some real snow!

It’s still pretty cold here in Canberra but I love my walks in the chariot all rugged up in my alpaca onesie!

I’m getting pretty good at feeding myself now and I convinced Mum to let me try gado gado. I do like satay sauce! It’s a bit messy but gee I had fun. Even brocolli is good dipped in Dad’s satay sauce…….

August

Now the kids are back at school I just love hanging out with Mum and playing with my toys. I don’t let her get much done, but gee I’m cute!

I’m really good at getting onto my tummy and trying to crawl. Unfortunately I haven’t yet figured out how to get up onto my knees properly and keep face planting and getting frustrated……….

Jolly jumping is still my favourite pastime! I can jump super high now and laugh and giggle non-stop……

August

Speaking of favourite pastimes, when I’m not jolly jumping I like to be eating. One morning my brother and sister got red velvet pancakes for a treat. I thought that all my Christmases had come at once when I got some too!

Sometimes when I’m in the jolly jumping my siblings dress me up. Like this time they dressed me as a rabbit! I wasn’t that impressed, even if I did bounce around looking cute ……

I do love my furry alpaca friends and enjoy taking them on walks in the Winter sunshine! Astrid and Soren love to run around with the alpacas and one day I’ll get to lead them too. For now I hitch a ride with Mum, in the ergo!

9 months old……

Now I’m 9 months and getting cuter by the day. I love to giggle at my brother and chew on all my toys.

I’m desperately still trying to crawl. I can go forwards a bit now but I mostly go backwards and get stuck making me super annoyed!

Mum keeps hoping I’ll figure out the crawling thing so I’ll stop getting annoyed when I get stuck!

For now I can’t move far so still have free reign of the family room. We all know that is coming to an end soon, but I look so sweet and innocent, I wouldn’t cause trouble?!!

Mum decided to brave the mess and give me my first taste of spaghetti bolognaise. Mum has learnt from experience with Astrid and Soren that this is not a clean meal. Mum was right, but gee I had fun!

Pretty soon it was book week! My brother and sister got dressed up in funny clothes and I thought they were quite hilarious. I did steal Astrid’s wand to chew on. In a few years I’ll get to dress up too!

In the last week of August it was Dad’s birthday. Our blossom trees thought that all the warm weather meant it was already Spring and were in full bloom, so we had our annual photo under the double flowering plum tree. This time last year I was just causing havoc in Mum’s tummy still…..

I clap for everything now and especially when I see cake! Mum produced a dark chocolate and salted caramel cake for Dad and I though I should get some. Luckily Grandpa is my cake dealer and gave me plenty……..

Speaking of Grandpa. He and Grandma are off overseas and I won’t see them again until I’m almost 11 months! I am not sure whether I’m happy or sad they are leaving as Grandpa is not my favourite person (although it’s all an act)……..

Sure enough after Grandpa had given me cake I was his friend again and would even be in the same photo as him…..

It’s the very end of Winter and I’m excited that I get to smell all our pretty garden flowers. I’m still not moving fast so Mum can leave me in 1 spot for a few minutes at a time. I am starting to get into all my siblings toys. Poor Soren keeps building his train track after school and I crawl and shuffle around all day removing bits and using them to chew on for my sore gums!

I might not be super good at crawling yet but I do love to bounce and shuffle along. It is rather cute…….

September

The first day of Spring also happened to be Father’s Day. It was a beautiful sunny day so we went for a visit to the Deep Space Tracking Centre at Tidbinbilla. My brother and sister are space nuts so had a wonderful time……

I was just happy to be out in the sunshine and get hot chips for lunch!

Now that I can move a bit better, albeit slowly as I’m still crawling backwards mostly, I love to pull myself up on my activity table and all the furniture. I think I’m pretty clever……

I’m getting into everything so Mum has cracked out the play pens (aka baby cages). Sometimes they put me in them with a whole heap of toys and sometimes they use them to keep things away from me.

I love to play peek a boo and think I’m pretty cute!

Now the weather is getting a bit nicer Mum has banished us to outside eating with messy meals. Soren thinks it’s a treat but I think Mum just is sick of cleaning rice and kale off the floor! I like sitting outside eating with views of the pretty bulbs so I’m not complaining……..

It’s lucky they have locked me up because I’m getting up to all sorts of mischief. I’ve already figured out how to stand up in the pen and push it around the floor. This is my cheeky grin!

In the last couple of days before I turned 10 months I am getting pretty close to crawling. I can chase my sister around. I still like to bum shuffle with my genie feet, but I’m trying my hardest to move and move fast!

10 months

The day I turned 10 months I was off and racing, finally figuring out how to crawl fowards properly. I think I’m pretty clever………

10 months and on the move…….. Let’s see what mischief I get up to in the rest of my first year!