The Bell Family

G’day Everyone

I would like take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. With everything that’s happened this year, the festive season has snuck up on us more quickly than we’d realised!

I would like to thank all of you visiting our website and look forward to updating you with the latest news and updates!!!

As usual I cannot help myself and have attached another photo of Laura going for her first swim. It took her a little while to get use to the pool, but once we started singing Laura her bath songs, she just thought it must have been a large bath and started to really enjoy it!

Anyway, wishing you all a safe and festive holiday,
Jason

Hi Everyone!

Laura is the luckiest little girl around – what other 3 month old could boast having been in a taxi, a bus, a plane, a train, a boat and a ‘skyrail gondola’ and all in the space of one week!!! We’ve just returned from a fantastic family holiday to Cairns! Laura behaved herself remarkably well – even started properly ‘sleeping through’ the night whilst we were away and just couldn’t get enough of the new sights and sounds during the day!!! So much so, that when we got home, she gave me the ‘I’m bored’ look and did everything but actually said to me ‘Mum can’t we go out again now’!!!

Here’s a little piccie of her out and about on the town.

Also, here are her latest stats:
Weight: 6.0kg
Height: 62cm
Milestones: Thumbsucking (left and right thumbs), lots more sounds, smiles all ’round, sleeping through the night and much more wakeful playtime

Anyway, thanks for checking out the blog and be sure to have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May you all have a safe and happy holiday!

Cheers,
Chrissy (Jason and Laura)

Not that I’m a biased person or anything like that, but isn’t she a cutie!!!!

I have attached another piccie of Laura.

It is amazing how interactive Laura is becoming at the moment, responding to us by smiling or, my favourite, where we take turns in blowing each other raspberries!

Unfortunately we don’t have any new stats at the moment with Laura’s weight and length, as Chrissy is now only going to the family centre once a month … but I will update the new stats as soon as we get them.

Until then, keep visiting and I will endeavor to update the site as much as possible.

Take it easy,
Jason.

Hi Everyone!!!

Thought it was about time I gave you all a little update on what Laura’s been upto!!! She’s now 10 weeks and time is really flying!

Laura’s been feeding every four hours or so during the day, and generally has one to two feeds at night (with about four hours sleep at a time). She’s starting to follow a much more regular pattern with things now, so the bedtime routine is paying off! During the day, Laura has a feed, gets changed and then we have playtime. Her favourite games at the moment are singing and talking with her Mummy and Daddy, and giving us lots of smiles, giggles and blowing bubbles! However she also loves toys, especially her orange giraffe and coloured rings, and trips in the car always go over a treat (especially if they involve a trip to see friends or family, or visit the shops, as she loves new sights, sounds and of course, faces)!!!

Laura and I have been attending a ‘New Babies’ group once a week, which has provided a great opportunity to get to know other Mums and their new little ones, as well as share stories and experiences. It’s good fun and I’ve learnt much more about being a good parent than I ever would have expected. As I’ve found out though, it’s all about trial and error and at the end of the day, you just stick with whatever works for you!!!

Jason is a wonderful Dad and I just love watching them play together (he even sings to her, which I think is pretty cute)! He’s just been awesome and together we make a very happy little family!

I’ve been enjoying all the challenges of having a family and bringing up a young ‘un!!! She can be a bit of a handful at times, but all the effort is well and truly worth it!!! I never thought I’d enjoy it half as much as I do, but I think I’ve mellowed lately and found it is the simple things in life that really matter!

Cheers,
Chrissy

Well, sorry we haven’t posted anything to the blog site for a little while, but as you can imagine, we have been kept very busy.

I have been busy with a number of things at work, but the most notable thing is an international supercomputing conference (see http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/op001-1.php?ra=1100092678&id=2024).

Well, gee hasn’t time flown – Laura is now 8 weeks old! She has been doing really well and has even managed to sleep right through the night on a couple of occasions (just enough to tease us).

She went for her check up today and she is doing great guns.

Her latest details are:

Weight: 5240 grams
Length: 58cm
Milestones: reacting to various toys (particularly shiny stuff) and smiling at faces (family and Mr G the orange giraffe).

Like all girls, Laura has been fascinated by shiny stuff! She stares at lights, reflections and of course metallic, particularly golden, objects.

Like all updates, I have attached another photo of her… As you can see, she really enjoys the baby cradle that we use to carry her around.

Enjoy and as always, feedback and comments are welcome… It would be interesting to see who actually visits this site!

Take it easy,
Jason

Well, we can’t believe it…. Laura is already 6 weeks old! Time is just flying by!

Laura had her 6 week checkup yesterday and was given a clean bill of health, which is a great relief! For those keeping track of Laura’s stats, here’s the latest…

Weight: 5000 grams
Length: 56cm
Milestones: Smiling at Mum and Dad and ‘cooing’ when she’s happy

She’s still feeding well, generally about four hourly, with a good sleep in between feeds. In the late evening she normally stocks up at the ‘milky bar’ with feeds every two hours, in preparation for bed time and hopefully a big sleep (we have been lucky lately as Laura’s been having a good 5 hours sleep at night which mightn’t sound like much, but to the initiated, you’d realise that just being able to get a few hours sleep in a row feels like heaven to us)!!!

Cheers,
Chrissy

Hi Everyone!

Just about all the photo’s we’ve posted, to this time, suggest that Laura sleeps ALL day! She’s a good little girl, but it’s not completely true that she sleep ALL the time!!! A few people have requested a photo of Laura with her eyes open, just to prove she does actually have plenty of awake time! So here it is… isn’t she gorgeous? She’s growing so quickly, we just can’t believe it!!!

Cheers,
Chrissy

Can you believe it, Laura is 4 weeks old today…. Gee time has really flown by.

Laura went for her check up today and she is doing great!!!! She has been putting on the weight and growing in length. As of 4 weeks she is:

• 4.580 Kilo’s (or 10 pounds 1.5 in the old measurement)

• She is also now 55 cm’s in length (or 22 inches)

As usual, I have to posted another picture of her, as this is a piccie of Laura at 4 weeks.

Chrissy and I will endeavor to keep you all up to date with the latest news on Laura and the rest of the family.

Keep your comments coming!!!

Take it easy,
Jason.

As you all know I have been having fun with the digital camera. And because you all have been requesting more photos’s I have another one for you.

This one was taken after Laura just had a bath with her new present “Cadbury” (named because she is a “Dairy” milk Cow).

Remember, both Chrissy and I love to hear from everyone so please keep on sending your comments.

Until next time,
Take it easy,
Jason.

I took these piccies yesterday and thought they were so cute, I’d just have to post them to the website for all to see!!!

Jason and Laura are having a little nap together in the first shot – whenever she’s a little restless, Jason just picks her up and gives her a little cuddle. He seems to have the magic touch!!! Whether it’s dancing around the house, playing on a rug or just having cuddles, it always seems to do the trick and gives Mum some valuable time out!!!

We’re all doing wonderfully though and surprisingly enough, this ‘Mothering’ thing is coming pretty naturally to me and I’m really enjoying every moment! It’s an awesome experience and I don’t want to miss a thing!!! Jason is certainly the doting Dad and this little girl has him wrapped around her little finger already!!!

In the second piccie, Laura’s getting some ‘tummy time’ just after her bath – isn’t she a cutie!!! She screamed her head off during her first bath, but seems to be pretty impressed with them now!!! Jason can’t wait to start playing with bath toys – we already have some whales and a turtle – don’t know who’s going to get more fun out of those – Jason or Laura!!!

Cheers,
Chrissy

Here’s a piccie of Laura’s Room. It’s a big cot for such a little girl, but we guess she’ll outgrow it soon enough!!!

We’ve got her into a bit of a routine already (well as much as you can with a baby, she’s the boss now and changes the routine at will)! She has been sleeping well at night though – when we go to bed, we put her into her cot and she knows it’s sleep time (as opposed to play time)! Much to my relief, she’s been feeding at 4 hourly intervals (mostly), which means I get a good 3 hours sleep in between feeds – now for a two week old baby, that’s great!!! It takes a while to get a full nights sleep of course, but I’m grateful that she’s been as good as she has!!! As soon as we get up in the morning, we bring her into the loungeroom where she rests/plays all day in the rocker and on her play mat.

Very proud Mum,
Chrissy

Jason and I have been overwhelmed with all the well wishes we have received from everyone – from flowers and baby clothes to photo frames and bunny rugs and even a couple of bottles of wine to kick off the celebrations!!! A big thank you to everyone for all your love and support – you’ve been wonderful and we ALL feel very spoilt!!!

Cheers,
Chrissy

Given that I cannot help myself and having had a number of requests from various people, I have again posted another picture of Laura.

Laura is about a week old on this photo, but already I think she must have her mothers good looks… (I’m a little bias here don’t you reckon!!!)

Enjoy and keep those comments comming.

Take it easy,
Jason.

Well, what can I say, gee time flies.

Laura is now two weeks old and already she has changed so many times it is hard to keep up. It is hard to really tell what colour her eyes are, as you all know that most babies are born with blue eyes, but they change. Well one minute we think they might be turning brown, like her Mum’s, but other times they look a little bluey-green like her Dad’s.

Being a modest Dad (not!!!!  ), I can’t believe how much she can do for a 2 week old!!! For instance:

• By the time she was 1-2 days old, she was already lifting her head off people’s shoulders to have a look around.

• In less than a week, when placed on her back, she would roll to her side so that she could look out the window.

• The other night (at less than two weeks old), she was crying for a feed, I was lying down with her on the bed and she literally crawled up my shirt looking for a feed!

I find the things she can do already simply amazing and it is great to watch her grow.

As always, I cannot help myself and I have attached another picture of Laura, this photo was taken last night when I was giving her a bath.

Well, as always I will try and keep you all posted with all the updates on Laura and also hope to display how the house renovations are going as well.

Take it easy,
Jason.

G’day All

I have had requests about Laura’s weight and size at birth. So here is all the details you might want

* Weight: 8 pounds 7
* Length: 51 cm
* Date of Birth 11:10pm on Wednesday the 15th of September

As always, I cannot resist inserting another picture.

Here is Laura at about 1 week old.

Take it easy,
Jason.

Uncle Dan and Uncle Shane are catching up with some cuddles – they’re treating their niece like a fragile china doll at the moment, but they can’t wait until she’s old enough to starting playing!

Laura loves jumpsuits that allow her to stretch out on her playmat! This little sleeping beauty could hang out and roll around on the floor quite contently all day!

The new digital camera is being put to good use!!! Jason thought he’d try out the black and white photo option and here’s a sample of the results… isn’t she a cutie (excuse our bias)!

Here’s a piccie of Chrissy and Laura on Day Two. Chrissy’s loving being a new Mum. It’s one of the most awesome and rewarding experiences ever…

Here’s a shot of us all a couple of days after Laura was born. We are all very happy and excited to have her here!