9/52

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Getting good at this sitting thing!
Taken: 24/02/2014

8/52

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014."

My baby girl had a lip tie snipped on this day, this was taken just after and she still managed beautiful grins for Mama
Taken: 20/02/2014

Easy Canvas Prints Giveaway!!

This month I am super excited to be hosting the very first giveaway here on twoninenine, courtesy of Easy Canvas Prints! Given that many of my loyal followers are either recent brides or recent Mummas, I'm pretty sure all of you have many photos that you would love to see displayed beautifully in your home. Well, here's your chance to win one!

I'll now hand over to our very first guest blogger, Stephanie from Easy Canvas Prints, to let you know a little more!

What will you do when life hands you a canvas?

We are all artists in our own way. Figuratively speaking, we paint our canvases to define our paths, our goals, our destinations. We live for the most passionate moments, yet we savor the little things, the tiny details of the day that keep us moving forward. Whether you're thinking about that vast, big picture or pausing on a single moment you want to cherish forever, I encourage you to visualize the way you would express those instances on canvas.

Now I realize that not everyone is a painter, and this figurative canvas may be nothing but blank in your mind. Lucky for you, we live in a digital age, and there is an alternative way to capture these moments in the physical sense.

Upload an image of your choosing at Easy Canvas Prints and turn your life experience into a long-lasting photo canvas. The process is designed to be easy for you to customize the product. The canvases are durable with material made for high-quality color prints. Most importantly, your finished canvas will "paint" your world in a meaningful way.

The lovely Amanda has been so kind to host a giveaway for an 8x10 Canvas Print! The giveaway is open to US residents only (Alaska and Hawaii excluded).

What moment would you capture on canvas?

Stephanie at Easy Canvas Prints

To enter the competition, please use the rafflecopter below! Winner will be drawn on Monday the 3rd of March so start spreading the word! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

7/52

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014."

This face is priceless.
Happy Valentines Day!
Taken: 14/02/2014

6/52

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014."

First time in her new, big highchair! She loved it. Mama was a little sad how grown up she seemed!
Taken 09/02/2014

5/52

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Legs in the air. Balancing a rattle.
As you do.

Taken 31/01/2014

4/52

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014."

This has got to be one of my favourite photos of my little bug. Apparently, I'm exasperating. I love it.
Taken 20/01/2014

::4 months::

FOUR MONTHS
26/12/2013 - 26/01/2014
Weight: 5.2 kgs (clothed) & 62 cm long

Clothing Size: Slowly but surely crossing over into the 000 camp, all of your singlet jumpsuits in 0000 have been passed on to Aunty Dee for baby Kendall, but your sleeved onsies in 0000/NB still managed to fit...for the moment. You are definitely in 000 for any long sleeved jumpsuits now!

New Milestones/Firsts: First roll from back to belly on 03/01/2014! Realised you can splash in the big bath on 05/01/2014. First swimming lesson and time in the pool on 16/01/2014 and you went to the public pools for the first time the next day. You really started flipping from back and belly together repeatedly on 17/01/2014.

Loves: Violet the Dog, Lulu Ladybug and Olivia the Owl. Standing on our legs and "dancing", "jumping" and stamping your little feet! "Big" baths with Mama where you can splash and float around. Your new Sophie the Giraffe!!

Milestones I think she is close to: Sitting up! Getting first teeth...

Sleeping: The month started off very, very rough and Mama and Daddy were close to tearing their hair out - mucked up night sleep, struggles to get you to sleep during the day...it was tough! You fight sleep so much during the day (although when you are down for the count, you sleep like a champ for an hour and a half - 2 hours) and at night your wind pain seems to be waking you up. Mama and Daddy purchased a little iPod dock CD player to play white noise and lullabies through (check out Rockabye Baby Albums...they are awesome!) in an attempt to help you snooze. Unfortunately, the upset sleeping pattern continued through most of the month and your needles on the 23/01/2014 didn't help! That night was filled with lost of crying and not much sleep for anyone. Mama has made the decision to have a nursing/sleeping vacation with you for the whole next week, in an attempt to get you used to settling yourself and getting enough sleep during the day! Let's hope it works! As I write this, you are asleep in your cot after falling asleep without being picked up for the first time in months...and as you drifted off "You and Me" came on the CD player

Favorite activity/toy: Definitely your new Sophie the Giraffe. She's been a Godsend, not only for your sore gums, but as something you will finally squeeze while nursing, to stop you pulling and scratching at Mama! You took to her straight away.

Best part about being a mum: You started giving Mama kisses on Australia Day - grabbing Mama's face and smothering her in slobber. Best. Thing. Ever.

This month we: Went to your 3rd cousin's Baptism (Mama's cousin's little girl), had your first swimming lesson/time in the pool, saw our midwife at Aunty Dee/Kendall's appointment, had your 4 month needles, celebrated your first Australia Day!

I've decided to stop monthly updates in this format and start with an open letter to my baby girl instead, so look for that next month! Thanks for reading!
-Amanda xox

2/365 :: 3/365

Yep, I feel like I have already fallen behind before I've really started! The post I had scheduled, or *thought* I had scheduled for the second week didn't post. So I'm putting 2 and 3 together...just in time for week 4 on Sunday! Eventually I'll get my blogging act together ;)

2/365
This week was an emotional one for me as a Mama. I finally started to really see myself in my daughter, and she started to fit into some of the little outfits I purchased for her, before I even knew who she was! In this pic, I started what I hope will be a lifelong love of reading like her Mama...even if she is reading upside down! (#reading...you'redoingitwrong!)
Taken 11/01/2014

3/365
This week Olivia started her swimming lessons! It was her first time in the pool and she loved it! This photo was taken the next day, at her playdate with her playgroup friends at our local kiddie pool. Growing up too fast!
Taken 17/01/2014

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014."

1/52

This year I will be linking up with Practicing Simplicity for a photo a week of my little Olivia, for the year. 52 photos in total, shared here on the blog. I've been following this series for a while and I'm excited to start it this year with my little bug. Of course, my photos won't be anywhere near as gorgeous as others in the link up as I only have an SLR on the occasion that I borrow it from my dad, and I have barely a clue how to use it...but it will still be fun to look back on at the end of the year! Many photos will probably be phone photos, so I apologise in advance!

But for now, here's week one! Gosh, we take so many photos in a week that I can already tell this is going to be difficult...but this week, little miss rolled from her back to her belly for the first time and this grainy, badly lit shot was taken just after she did so. She looks so cool about it, "What I rolled? Oh yeah, no biggie". Despite better quality photos, this one has to be my favourite for the week. (taken 03.01.2014)

"A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2014."