Reuben - 11 Months Old Today

Wow! Doesn't time fly? I can remember so clearly the day Reuben was born and now he's almost a year old - and has a little brother!!!!! He is full of energy at the moment and Nathan taught him to crawl last week while he had time off of work after Joel's birth. Reuben had been so close to getting the crawling thing happening, it was just a matter of getting the coordination of arms and legs all working at the right time. Now Nathan's back at work and I have a crawling baby on my hands who is also pulling himself up to standing. Needless to say, we have been baby-proofing everything now and are also having the 'fun' job of teaching Reuben what he is- and is not- allowed to touch. I'm actually surprised at how independent he is and he doesn't always listen when you tell him 'don't touch' the first time and wants to go back two or three times afterwards to see the very thing we tell him he's not allowed to play with. :) I guess we will be learing a lot about consistency and boundaries in the coming weeks/months!!!
He is still as gorgeous as always and tries to sing along to music and sways back and forth and sometimes claps as well when there's a CD on or one of us is singing to him - VERY cute! He babbles a lot and actually sounds as thought he's trying to make words rather than just 'bababa' noises. He finds Joel fascinating although he doesn't really understand how to be gentle with him at the moment. For some reason, little children like to go for the face and/or eyes on babies so I have to watch him closely when he's around his brother.
I think he's too young to be jealous which is nice and I guess he'll never remember life without a sibling but I know I find it challenging juggling the two sometimes, especially when they both want my attention at the same time. Because Reuben isn't walking yet, I am often putting one baby down in order to pick up the other and sometimes, inevitably, one gets left to grizzle so I can take care of the other one. I hate it when that happens but I guess it's a part of being a family and learning that the world doesn't revolve around you. :)
Joel is doing really well and is learning to go to sleep on his own in his own bed which is great. I don't remember Reuben crying as much but I'm pretty sure he did, I just don't remember because it was so long ago now and he goes to bed so easily. In fact, if Reuben ever cries, you know something is wrong because it's just not his personality style to cry unless he's really upset.
Let's see... what else has Reuben learned lately? He loves his books and he also is figuring out how to put the shapes into the box with the shapes cut out of the lid (there are shapes like triangle, square, circle, star, etc. and you put the same shaped blocks into the corresponding hole to get them into the box and Reuben can do several of them on his own - I was quite impressed that a 10 month old could do that but I'm biased anyway so you can form your own judgments!)
Life is very busy but so exciting at the same time. I'm trying to adjust to the sleep deprivation which is probably the hardest thing to cope with at the moment. Speaking of sleep, I actually have two babies asleep at the same time right now so I'm going to finish this off and head to bed for a cat nap before one of them wakes. I'll add a couple of photos of my little man- the one of him in the bath is taken with his little friend David, our friends Reuben and Katie's little boy. I thought it was very cute. :) I'll add one of Joel too, for those of you who aren't on Facebook and can't see all my photos on there. We took it while giving him a bath last night (he likes his baths.)

Welcome to the World, Baby Joel

On Friday, November 14, we welcomed baby Joel Matthew Runacres into the world. He weighed 7 lbs 10 oz, was 53 cm (21 in) long and was 11 days early. We think I probably went into early labor because I had a 24 hour tummy 'bug' two days earlier and had experienced some contractions as a result (although they had stopped and were never regular.) When the real contractions started early Friday morning, I didn't take them seriously for several hours because I figured it could still be a residual side effect of the flu. Eventually, though, I couldn't ignore them anymore and we called the midwife around midday. We headed to the hospital around 2:10 pm and I got into the birthing pool where I stayed until just after 4 and at 4:33 pm, Joel was born. After Reuben's birth, which had complications and felt very 'out-of-control,' I was incredibly grateful to have such a straightforward, uncomplicated delivery this time around.
As of today, Joel is two weeks old and he is gorgeous. He's piling on the weight (he has now surpassed his birth weight after losing some weight in hospital) and has hit the 8 lb mark. I love having another little baby in the house (Reuben seems so big after holding his little brother) but I know he will grow very quickly. He is quite relaxed and very rarely clenches his fists; he loves to sleep with his hands next to his face, and he doesn't like getting his diaper (nappy) changed and lets us know about it! Other than that, there are lots of things we are still getting to know about one another and I am looking forward to the exciting journey ahead of us.
Nathan goes back to work on Monday after 2 weeks off so I am trying to stay positive at the thought of having two babies under 1 on my hands. I am excited and a bit freaked out at the same time as Reuben is still very high maintenance (and Nathan has just taught him how to crawl this week!) and now that he is mobile, I will have my work cut out for me. At times like this, I must admit I'd love to have a mother around who could give me some helpful advice. :)
Anyway, I should head to bed as I only get 2-3 hours of sleep at a time with a newborn on my hands. I'll add a couple of photos for those of you who aren't on Facebook (which is where I post most of my pics.)

Fun in the Sun

Hi everyone! I know I have been incredibly 'slack' at posting anything lately - sorry!!! My time seems incredibly precious at the moment as we prepare for Baby No2's arrival and any spare time I get I try to lie down or at least put my feet up. Anyway, I thought I'd try to post a few photos of this past weekend when we took Reuben to the park. Nathan hadn't taken him on the swings before and the weather was so lovely that we took advantage of the opportunity. Reuben went on the swings, the see-saw, the slide, and a couple of other things and absolutely loved it! I took a video that I would've loved to post but I think I have accidentally deleted it from the camera and am not sure how to get it back - oops! Any camera gurus out there, feel free to give me some pointers on how I can retrieve it because it was very cute.
As for any other news, let's see... I am less than 3 weeks away from my due date for Baby No2, Reuben turned 10 months old yesterday and although he isn't fully crawling, he is desperate to get moving and I think he's a bit frustrated that he hasn't quite gotten all the coordination together that he needs. He loves his food, is as social as ever, and can take the rings on and off this cool little toy we have that has colored rings that stack up on a 'post'-type thing - don't know how to describe it but most of you would recognise one if you saw it. :) He claps his hands, can drink out of a straw, has 8 teeth now, and I often find him in all sorts of unusual positions in his cot when I go in to get him up after a nap. His personality is developing as well and he will let you know when he's getting frustrated. He also wants to help you feed him at dinner times and I've found I have to give him either finger food or a spoon or something to hold onto when I feed him, otherwise he tries to take the bowl/spoon out of my hand and that usually ends in a big mess! He's growing so fast and I must say I'm glad I'm having another baby soon because otherwise I think I'd be a little sad that my Reuben is flying through 'babyhood' and will soon be a little boy!
Well, gotta post these photos and then try to have a little rest before my No1 baby wakes up. I'll try to be a but more diligent about posting in the coming weeks but no promises. :)

Spring is Here... I Think

Well, after a long, freezing, wet, yucky winter, I think I can safely say that spring seems to finally have arrived! I am definitely fed up with the cold, that's for sure. In fact, winters like this make me seriously consider moving to a warmer climate. Nevertheless, the flowers are starting to bloom and my tree and magnolias out the front are looking really pretty.
Reuben is growing and making lots of talking/babbling sounds these days. He has also discovered that it's fun to move around in his cot and kick off his covers when he's supposed to be going to sleep. I have gone in on several occasions and either found him upside down in the cot or lying sideways with his feet pushed out between the bars. In the evenings I have to put him into his sleep sack (like a baby sleeping bag) to prevent him from moving around so much. His appetite is growing and I am enjoying experimenting with all the foods I can give him now that he's reached 8 months (at this point he can pretty much eat what I can eat with the exception of egg whites and honey.) Yogurt is a huge favorite and he really likes marmite on toast (for the American readers, marmite is a yeast-based spread that is very popular in NZ and Australia but has a very distinct taste and if you're not exposed to it at a young age, you most likely won't like it later on.) Another bonus of the warm weather is that I am able to give Reuben more varieties of fruit so we've experimented with pineapple, nectarines, plums, oranges, and kiwifruit as well. He seems to find the kiwifruit somewhat bitter but the others he loves.
He still isn't making huge strides towards crawling at this point but his fine motor skills are quite developed and his pincer grasp is pretty well established now, meaning he can pick up pieces of food or other objects with just his thumb and forefinger. Textures are still huge and so I'm always looking for new things for him to feel, touch, and taste. Our cats continue to be a neverendng source of entertainment for him and he gets incredibly excited whenever he sees them - or any other animal for that matter.
Well, I suppose I should post a couple of pictures and then get ready to go and get Reuben's new car seat fitted (it has to be attached with an anchor point which means I have to go get someone else to fit it in the car for me.) Hope all the readers are doing well and having a great week. Until next time...

Fun at the Gardens

This past Sunday was a beautiful day and we decided to take Reuben to the Christchurch Botanical Gardens and photograph him amongst the daffodils. When we got there, I swear every other family in the area with children under 5 had thought of the same thing as there were people everywhere! Reuben thought the flowers were pretty cool and I think he even took a couple of bites of daffodil petals when we weren't looking! :) I'll upload a couple of nice shots that we got (our friend Natalie got some nice photos of us too but we haven't had a chance to see them all yet and I didn't want to wait to add the pics so I'll choose from what we have so far.) For those of you who are on my 'friends' list on Facebook, I have put quite a few photos up of the day so feel free to check them out as well.

8 Months and Growing...

Well, our little Mr. Reuben has reached the 8 month mark and I can't get over how quickly the time is going. Part of me is excited about all the new things he's learning and part of me just wants time to slow down a little so I can absorb it all. I can understand how parents say that one minute the children are tiny and next thing you know, they're off to school. I'm actually glad there is another baby coming along soon because then I won't be so sad that my 'baby' is growing so fast because there will be another one for me to enjoy all these milestones with.

Speaking of milestones... in the past month, Reuben has cut 5 teeth (4 top ones and another bottom one) which gives him a grand total of 7! He likes to pull your finger into his mouth and have a bit of a 'chew' on it but now it is actually starting to hurt if he bites down too hard so I am trying to teach him what 'gentle' means. He is also learning how to express different emotions -excitement and frustration being just a couple that have really become more apparent in recent weeks. These emotions really show his emerging personality which is neat to watch. Sometimes when he is frustrated I can't actually figure out why but other times it will be because he can't reach something he wants or he wants something he isn't allowed. :) His excitement is usually over seeing other people -especially other babies/young children or someone he knows. He has just started 'waving' - i.e. opening and shutting his hand when you wave goodbye to him. I don't think he totally knows what he's doing, it's more copying what he sees someone else doing. We've also just taught him how to 'give me 5' which is really cute!

He is babbling a lot and 'babababa' is a common sound I hear him make. I also hear him expreimenting with different noises like squeals, grunts, and other sounds I can't really describe but I am guessing this is his way of 'trying out' new speech patterns in preparation for talking.

Fine motor skills are still more of a focus for him than the gross ones and he seems content to feel textures and try to pick small objects up rather than try to pull himself up on furniture. Secretly, I don't mind too much if he doesn't walk 'early' because as soon as he's mobile, I'll have my hands full on a whole new scale!!!!

Well, I'm about to head off to bed as it's after 10 which seems to be way past my bedtime these days. It was Father's Day today here in New Zealand which was really cool as it was Nathan's first one. We had a great day together as a family and even bought Reuben a new car seat (he's getting too big for his infant capsule that he's had since he was born.) I'm just sad the weekend is over already - they seem to go way too fast!

Fun With Paints

I take Reuben to a play group every Tuesday morning and each week we cover different topics ranging from emotional and social development to feeding and nutrition. I really enjoy getting out of the house and I think Reuben loves the interaction with other babies and mothers. We often sing songs and have various activities that the babies can engage in and today, we introduced finger/body painting! I have been looking forward to it for the past week because I thought it would be something new and exciting that Reuben hadn't experienced before. The 'paint' was made out of cornflour, water, and food coloring so when the babies chose to eat it (which they did) at least we knew it wasn't toxic! I must say I was surprised at some of the reactions to the paint. Several babies didn't like it at all and even Reuben shed a few tears at first but I think it was because he was sitting on a cold surface in only a nappy (diaper for the American audience!) and he doesn't like being cold. As soon as I put a towel under him, he was a lot better and I have some photos of the experience that I will put on so you can see. We tried to get some hand and footprints but getting a baby to hold still while you smear paint on their foot and then push it into a piece of paper is easier said than done. :) I'm sorry I haven't posted more recently but I will try to upload some video I took of Reuben in the bath the other night if I can figure out how to do it as the video is on my cell phone and the last time I tried to upload from it, I couldn't get it to work - so fingers crossed! I am also now officially heading into my 3rd trimester for baby No2 so I will keep you posted on that as well but so far everything is running really smoothly and the baby is kicking lots!

Reuben - 7 months

Well, our little boy has reached the 7 month mark. He is growing so quickly and trying to keep track of all he's learning is a challenge (and that's just the developments I can observe! Who knows what's going on in that little head of his??!!!) I'm amazed how much hair he has now - we even went to my Aunty Karen's house last week to trim the hair around his ears because it was getting quite long and Nathan and I were taking him to get his photos taken during the weekend. Wow - seven months old and getting your first haircut (although it was a small one and we only trimmed a little bit of hair. He wasn't very interested in holding still and ended up getting a small 'nick' to the ear which was just as traumatic for the grown-ups as it was for him, I think!) I think I will take him to a hairdresser at a young age to get him used to having to sit still in the seat as I've heard several stories of children completely losing the plot when someone has tried to cut their hair and they are afraid of the scissors and don't want to sit still. I know I'm no 'stylist' so won't be subjecting my children to any 'amateur' cuts from mommy!

He is also cutting more teeth! One of his top 'eye' teeth has already broken the surface and the other one isn't far behind and I also think the two middle top teeth are on their way. His two bottom teeth came through without any dramas but I think he is finding the top teeth a little more uncomfortable and his gums look quite red!! I'm not sure if the discomfort is making him a bit more 'clingy' or if he is just developing a stronger attachment to me but he has also started getting upset sometimes if I leave the room.
I can see his fine motor skills really developing and he is grasping objects and picking them up quite easily and still loves different textures. I've even see him feel the pages of books that don't have 'touchy-feely' pages to see if he can find something to scratch or feel. Perhaps he is going to be a kinesthetic learner - I know I have tendencies towards that learning style. :)
Here's a bit of an update on my current pregnancy... the baby is moving lots and lots! I reckon he's a bit more active than Reuben was in utero - either that or I'm just noticing the movements more. I am at the 25 week mark now and I'm trying to get over how fast this pregnancy is going. I have finally had to get out some maternity clothes- reluctantly!! I really wasn't looking forward to putting them on again after it seems I just got back into the normal stuff! Oh well- not much I can do about that. I don't think I'm gaining weight quite as quickly this time around, and maybe having another little one keeping me busy is contributing to that.
Anyway, I will look for some Reuby pics to upload and then get going with the rest of my day! I have just heard stirrings from his room so I am wrapping this up just in time!

It's been awhile...

Oops - sorry for the delay in adding anything to the blog in awhile. I have been meaning to write for at least a week now but time seems to slip by and not everything gets done the way I'd like. Reuben has reached several milestones since I've last posted something. He sits on his own, he rolls from back to front, and he has suddenly discovered 'textures.' Everything still goes in the mouth but he also likes to feel things with his hands/fingers. We have several 'touchy-feely' books that I have been reading to him since he was very young but in the past week to 10 days he has started really touching the fluffy/scratchy/smooth bits in the books and keeps trying to turn the book to pages that have textures he particuarly enjoys. It is so cute watching him.

His personality is coming through more and more as well and I can tell when he is getting frustrated now. He lets you know when he wants something and if he can't reach it or if it is something he's not allowed, he'll sometimes let out a little cry of protest. Object permanence is starting to develop too, and although I can usually distract him quite easily, he is starting to look for things I move out of his sight. He LOVES the cats (not sure the feeling is reciprocated yet) and I am teaching him how to pat them properly. The cats love his cot and try to make their beds at the end of the cot whenever I accidentally leave the door open (which never happens when Reuben is there but sometimes when he's out playing with me, we'll come back to his room later and a kitty will be curled up at the end of his bed.) They have never been cats that sleep next to your face so I'm not worried about them getting too close to his face but I still don't want them making a habit out of sleeping on his bed when he's this little. I think half the appeal for them is that it's off-limits! :) My cure for getting them off the bed at the moment is to let Reuben pat them - that usually sends them away pretty quickly. He is absolutely fascinated by them and when they're in the room and moving around, he will turn to try and see where they are and makes really cute noises.

Reuben is eating up to three meals a day now when we are at home. He's still not a huge fan of veges but we are persevering slowly. Any fruit is usually a total 'hit' with him so sometimes I am disguising the vegetables by mixing them in with apple or pear. I don't always attempt the 'solids' when we are out and about because he gets distracted and it is hard to feed a baby while he is sitting on your lap and trying to grab the spoon and bowl in order to feed himself. I am very excited that we have ordered a high chair that should arrive late this week or early next because I am feeding him in his 'bouncy' at the moment and it is getting dirty. Plus, the high chair will allow him to be more at our 'level' and feel a part of what's going on up in 'adult' world.

Well, I am sure there is much more I could write but I need to get ready before my little man wakes from his nap. Here are some recent photos. :) If you look closely at the ones with the book, you can see he is touching the fluffy bits.

Playing in the Kitchen

Reuben and I hung out for awhile in the kitchen the other afternoon. He played with various kitchen utensils while I made some yummy chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies. They turned out pretty good, too!! I have taken to rummaging through the kitchen drawers to see what items can be potential 'toys' for reuben to play with. He particularly likes whisks (because he can stick his tongue through the spaces) as well as sieves (I think because of the texture against his fingers.) Stainless steel bowls and measuring cups are a favorite, too. Anyway, I won't write much, I basically just wanted an excuse to post some more pictures of my little prince. Ha! :)

WHOA!!!! We're halfway there!

Yes, that's right! I am 20 weeks pregnant as of today (if my scans are accurate!) This pregnancy is 'moving' along. Baby is really starting to move and kick, especially in the morning (which was always when I noticed Reuben's movements the most too.) I even think he's had the hiccups a few times, either that or he's got a good sense of rhythm in his kicks! I had a nurse tell me once, though, that if a baby has hiccups, it shows their digestive system is developing properly so I don't mind the inconvenience if it's a good sign. :)
As for me, I'm feeling great. I barely feel pregnant which is awesome. I've spoken to some other ladies recently who really hated being pregnant but I love it (I am in the second trimester, though, which many have nicknamed 'the honeymoon phase' of pregnancy because you're over the morning sickness and you're still mobile and not too big yet.) The past couple of days I've felt quite tired but that's probably due to some late nights and early mornings I've had recently. It's 9 0'clock bedtime for me tonight!!!!
Anyway, I just wanted to make note of the milestone I've reached today. I am more and more excited about this baby the further the pregnancy progresses and I thank God the memories (and fear) of labor are really starting to subside (either that or I'm blocking them out really well. Ha!)

Our Baby Boy is 6 Months Old!

I find it hard to believe that Reuben is half a year old today! We have so many awesome memories already but the time seems to have literally raced by! He is growing so fast and the past couple of days he has even sat on his own for short periods of time. He easily recognizes people he knows now but has a preference for Mommy and Daddy (especially Mommy!!!!) He still lets pretty much anyone hold him as long as he's not too tired or overstimulated (then it's definitely Mommy that he wants.) We try to socialize him as much as possible but I must admit, it is a nice feeling to know when he is upset that I am able to comfort him quickly, usually just by picking him up. All that hard work is paying off. :)
He is very smiley and will smile at anyone and everyone and I love watching the reaction from other people. Smiles really are contagious and little children don't know that most adults walk around from day to day barely making eye contact with anyone, let alone smiling at total strangers. Maybe there is a lesson to be learned here... hmmmm.
Anyway, I am incredibly tired and am going to get into my nice warm bed because we are supposed to get a lot of snow tonight which doesn't happen a lot in Chirstchurch. The skiers will be excited!!!!
One final thought for my little boy before I sign off (in case Reuben reads this blog one day.) Reuben, you are everything I could ever have wanted in a baby. My heart overflows with gratitude daily for you and I truly believe God gave me the desires of my heart when He brought you into our lives. I love watching you grow and develop and become more interactive with the world around you. You are unique, special, bright, attentive, and all-around such a blessing to me and the rest of your family. We love you so much and are looking forward to the next 6 months, 6 years, maybe even 6 decades together. XOXOXOXOXOXO

19 Week Scan

Yesterday we went for our anatomy scan for baby No 2, which is conducted between 18-20 weeks gestation. I am just over 19 weeks - wow, almost halfway there! - and we were able to get a good look at the brain, heart, kidneys, stomach, spinal column, etc. We also took a sneak peek between the legs and it appears Reuben is going to get a little baby... BROTHER! Those of you who were in contact with me during my pregnancy with Reuben know that we were told he was a girl at his 19 weeks scan and so there was a little part of me that was skeptical about the gender of this baby but we got such a good look that it was a bit hard to miss!!!! :) Nonetheless, nothing would surprise me and if we did end up with a girl despite what it 'appeared' to be, I wouldn't really flinch. I'm happy either way this time and after having Reuben - who is such a 'dream' baby- I'm quite happy to continue with more boys for the moment. A little girl somewhere along the way would be nice but I really trusted that God knew which gender would best suit our family next and for Reuben to gain a little brother is really exciting! They really will be like twins! (I'm not sure I'll go so far as to dress them identically, though.)
As for the scan, everything appears to be totally normal and in the right places so I am blessed to have another healthy baby on the way. I was actually a little nervous before this scan for some reason - just hoping everything would be fine - but my fears were unfounded and I am very happy. I know some people really don't like to find out the gender because they like the element of surprise, but for me, finding out the sex of the baby gives me a greater sense of connection to this little person inside of me. Even though we were wrong with Reuben for much of the pregnancy, it still didn't stop me from feeling connected to him. I doubt I will ever go through another pregnancy and not want to find out now that I've found out with the first two. 'Another pregnancy' you may say - well, I've always wanted three (maybe four) children, plus I'd like to adopt so God-willing, I won't be closing up shop for awhile. However, I can say I will do my best not to add another sibling to the first two quite as quickly as we did this time around!!!! Ha!
By the way, the scan photo that I've uploaded is a profile picture of the head. We were actually given two print-outs of a couple of photos they took during the scan and the other one was a better shot by far (not sure why they only emailed us this one...) but at least you can get an idea of the baby's head shape. I think his little hands are in front of his mouth as well. I hope this helps you decipher what it is you're looking at! :)

AUSTRALIA, Part 3

Alright, I'm on a 'roll' here so thought I would add another post while Reuben is still sleeping. We had the awesome opportunity of getting to see some relatives that we don't catch up with often while we were in Australia - my Aunty Debbie and cousins Heidi and Maikel, as well as Nathan's older sister, Hannah, and her family (who also live on the Gold Coast.) I only managed to get photos of Debbie, Heidi, and Maikel with Reuben but I was really glad he was able to meet some more extended family members - and that they were able to meet him. Hannah has seven children of her own so Reuben got to meet some of his cousins (not that he'll remember it but his cousins will remember him.) He has now met most of his extended family - with a few exceptions - and my desire is that he grows up having a great relationship with all of his relatives. Family is such an important part of everyone's lives , but I think this is especially true when we are young.
I'm going to add a photo of Debbie, Heidi, and Maikel as well as one with my friend Anita and a cute one of him smiling with me.

AUSTRALIA, Part 2

Sorry it has taken me so long to add this next post. The days seem to be flying by at the moment! I thought I'd add a couple of photos of Reuben during his visit to 'Aunty' Anita's. We sat him in Shekinah's high chair and Anita fed him some yummy pureed apple one afternoon. The high chair was wonderful because my previous attempts at feeding him solids were met with mixed results. This day, however, he really seemed to enjoy the food and ate the most he'd ever eaten up to that point. I might add that now we are back at home, I have persevered with the solids and he is up to an average of two meals per day now (pear is the new favorite food!) I don't have a high chair yet but instead sit him in his 'bouncy' (not sure what you call it in the USA) and feed him in that which is working pretty well. The only problem we seem to run into is Reuben discovering that if he puts his lips together and blows out, the food does funny things like fly out of his mouth and hit other objects (including Mommy in the face.) This is actually very hilarious but I am trying not to laugh too much as I don't want to encourage this while he is eating!
I will search for my USB cable to my camera now and hopefully get some pictures on before Mr. Reuben wakes up from his nap - otherwise it could be a few more days before we get anything posted!

AUSTRALIA, Part 1

Well, I am back from an absolutely wonderful trip to Australia where I got to spend some time with one of my best friends, Anita. I took Reuben over with me so that he could meet her and we had five days together, just catching up and hanging out, and doing a little bit of shopping. The time went by too quickly, as always, but I was grateful that we were able to get together and our babies got to meet each other (her daughter, Shekinah, is 11 months old so she and Reuben got a little bit of play time together - if that's what you can call it when they're that little.)
Reuben had a raging fever for two days before we left which made me a little concerned about taking him on an international plane trip but we prayed and the fever broke and was back to normal early on the morning that we left. He had a bit of a tummy bug while we were there, but was still really happy and was the epitome of the perfect child on the plane both there and back. I even had other passengers compliment his good behavior which made me really proud as a parent that my baby was so good. He smiled at everyone and was just an all-around cutie! I know I'm biased when it comes to how cute my child is but he really was a good boy - especially considering he had been fighting off some 'bug' for several days.
While we were there Reuben discovered his foot while in the bath one night - it was so cute watching him play with his toes. His little personality is constantly developing as well and he is even starting to exert his will and gives a little cry of protest if he wants something that is out of reach or if I take something away from him that he wants. He is quite ticklish and just laughs and laughs if you get a ticklish spot on his tummy, back, or sides. He also looks for me as a reference point whenever someone he doesn't know very well is holding him. If I go out of sight, he can get quite upset very quickly so I guess the stranger anxiety is kicking in a bit. I must admit, though, that after all the hard work I've put in, it is nice to be rewarded with the knowledge that I'm the one he prefers!
I will add some more posts with some photos from the trip but for now, I just wanted to update everyone on the trip in general as I haven't written anything in awhile now. Stay tuned for more installments...

Has It Been 5 Months Already?????

Wow! How time has flown! Hard to believe that 5 months ago today, I was in labor and that in a few hours, Reuben Joseph entered the world. What a joy the journey has been so far - I couldn't have imagined how much this little guy would change, challenge, and completely consume our hearts with love! He is such a blessing and hardly a day goes by that I don't genuinely thank God for truly giving us the desires of our hearts. He has actually just woken up so I may not get to write a lot but I did want to update you on what he's been doing over the past few days.
He has already 'sprouted' his second tooth! Two in 10 days - pretty impressive if you ask me, and not a grizzle about any of it! In fact, the way we discovered the second one was coming through was as we were showing someone his first tooth. Nathan said, 'Wow, I think his second tooth is coming through as well' and sure enough, you could see the edges just breaking the surface. I guess this means I have to look for a toothbrush now???? :)
He also had his first 'sleep' in his cot last night (we thought the bassinet may be getting a little cold for him at night, even though he still fit in it and probably could've stayed there another month.) He actually ended up waking a couple of times and I'm not sure why - possibly he's just getting used to the new 'big baby' bed. He looks so tiny lying in his cot which reminds me that he is still quite little.
He also had his first taste of 'solids' yesterday (i.e. baby rice) which if you ask me, tastes pretty bland but supposedly it's tasty to babies. He didn't quite have the concept of what he was supposed to do but he did manage to swallow a couple of mouthfuls before he decided he'd had enough. I will try again today and fingers crossed, we will have more success. I'm pretty sure he's ready for more than just milk now as he often seems hungry even after he's had a full feed. I'm quite excited about giving him new foods to try and am debating whether to go with pumpkin or apples first... hmmmmm.
I will add more maybe tomorrow but Reuben is having a bit of a protest now because he has been awake and I'm not getting him up yet. Here are a couple of photos.

A Week of 'Firsts'

Well, I take it you've all had time to recover from the shock of my last post!!! :) Now I thought I'd update everyone on Reuben's latest adventures in 'babyhood.' First of all, he has just cut his first tooth! Needless to say, I am so proud of him. He is 4 and 1/2 months old and not only did he NOT fuss or cry about it, I wouldn't have even known it had come through had he not been trying to suck on my finger Friday morning and I felt this rough edge of something on his lower gums. It is on the lower right side in the middle and is just barely above the surface but it is definitely there and is visible if you look closely. He was such a good boy about the whole thing (let's hope all his teeth come through that easily.) Looking back to Thursday afternoon, I noticed his cheeks were really rosy and he had a massive nap (3 hours long which is huge for him) but it didn't click until Friday morning when I felt the tooth.
He's also discovered how to blow bubbles (or 'raspberries' if you live in NZ or OZ and are reading this) by pursing his lips together and blowing through them. It is so cute and he did it the first time when I was changing him at the mall the other day. Ever since, he does this regularly and thinks he's pretty clever. He has also started passing things from one hand to the other in the last few days and I even thought he was going to roll over for the first time on his own the other day but he didn't quite get there. We will persevere, though, and to be honest, if the rolling thing takes awhile, I can honestly say I'm not worried about it because I know I'll be having to 'baby-proof' everything once that starts happening! I'm going to make the most of his limited mobility while it lasts. There is another baby in a mother's group that I attend who started crawling at barely 5 months and I was like, 'Thank God Reuben hasn't started doing that already!'
I will try to post a photo of Reuben but my camera seems to have gone MIA and I will need to find it before that can happen. I'll try to get a shot of the tooth but if it's just not visible enough, I will wait until it is a bit more obvious!

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words

Well, maybe I should add a few of my own. Like, 'This is not a test.' Ha ha! This picture was taken last Friday at a 12 week scan for our second baby!!!!!! Needless to say, it was a HUGE surprise to find out I was pregnant again; I'm still getting my head around it myself so if you're all in shock, you're not alone. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell everyone and then I got the bright idea of posting it on our blog - sorry Tina that I didn't tell you last week, but I had my heart set on doing it this way. :)
At our best estimate, I am 13 weeks pregnant and due the end of November which would make Reuben ALMOST 11 months when he gains a sibling. I think they call two babies born within the same year Irish twins - not that I've been to Ireland - but I guess this happens a bit over there. The 12 week scan was done to check the nuchal translucency of the fetus (in other words, they measure the clear space in the developing tissue at the back of baby's neck.) Babies with an abnormally large space can be more likely to have Down Syndrome or other chromosomal disorders or congenital heart defects. Thank God our scan was totally normal! There's always a minute or two when they are doing an ultrasound that you hold your breath and pray everything is alright. We didn't have one of these scans with Reuben because we were in America when I was 12 weeks pregnant (and you can only do these scans between 11-14 weeks pregnancy.)
This was actually our 3rd scan during this pregnancy (I only had 3 total with Reuben!) because I experienced some bleeding early on for about two weeks and my doctor wanted to make sure the fetus was actually viable. I had a scan at around 6 weeks and then at 7 and the little heartbeat was going strong both times. My doctor told me once you see a heartbeat, your chances of miscarriage drop drastically but I still didn't allow myself to get very attached to the idea until after the bleeding stopped (I had no bleeding at all with Reuben.) Even now on some days the whole thing seems a bit surreal. Because we haven't told people either, there hasn't been the same amount of focus on this pregnancy as with Reuben - plus, I'm so busy with him, I barely have time to think about it.
The morning sickness was considerably more intense this time but thankfully, it has really subsided in the past couple of weeks and I'm feeling much better. Nathan is excited and has been really looking forward to telling people and I've been the one holding back this time. I was even thinking of not telling anyone at all and just waiting until I started showing and then see how long it took for people to get up the nerve to ask me if I was pregnant or just fat!!!!! Seriously! I have my days of feeling apprehensive about the whole thing as Reuben was definitely more 'planned' than this one, but at the same time, I know that this baby is being brought into the world for such a time as this, and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for this little one's life as I know Reuben has an awesome future ahead of him.
Anyway, speaking of Reuben, I will add another post in the next day or two updating everyone on his latest 'achievements' but I think listing them in this post would probably get lost amongst the excitement of the other news. Blessings to everyone reading this. I'll be interested to see how long it takes for the news to spread (and who will be the first to read this.)

My birthday and my first Mother's Day!

Well, I have now officially experienced my first Mother's Day as a mother! Yay! I got a lovely card from Reuben in which he had even done some drawing (i.e. some lines and squiggles) and it was pretty good for a 4 month old, I must say. Perhaps there is a future artist in our midst. :) Ha ha ha. I also celebrated my birthday yesterday and got lots of what I had asked for (money!!!!) I really wanted cash this year so I could pick out some new clothes and flat boots because I'm not sure my body will ever be exactly the same shape it was pre-baby and all my pairs of boots are high-heeled which just isn't practical anymore. Overall the day was relatively quiet (well, I did go out to breakfast and lunch which was lovely but nothing wild) and I must say one of the highlights was just getting to spend the whole day with my little boy. He is the best present ever and I am seriously tempted to spend some of my birthday money on him but I have been given strict instructions that the money is only for me. :)
I would love to say I have some photos of the weekend but ufortunately I can't find our memory card for the camera (grrrr!) so alas, no photos for now. I will definitely get some up by the end ofthe week, though.

Baby Update

I've been meaning to post some more recent pictures of Reuben and give an update on his new 'achievements' for a few days now but this seems to be easier said than done. He is getting SO talkative in his own baby way. I would say his latest sound could best be described as a 'gurgle.' I often try to imitate the sounds he makes back to him but I'm not sure if he realizes that this is what I'm doing. Sometimes if he starts to 'grizzle,' I imitate those sounds too and this seems to stop him in his tracks. He is most talkative in the morning after he wakes up (a definite 'morning' baby) and around people he knows well. He also recognizes people he knows by sight now (I don't have to talk to him first) and kicks his legs and smiles when he sees us.
Let's see... what else? He tries to pull himself into a sitting position, especially when I'm trying to feed him and his head control is really good. He can't do a full rollover yet, but if he's on his back and I half roll him to his tummy he will pull himself the rest of the way (I don't mind too much about the rolling part because as soon as he starts, he'll be everywhere and I will have to pay very close attention to him all the time.) He's sleeping about 12 hours a night now which is awesome and is getting up for his first feed between 7-7:30am. YAY! More sleep for us, although I haven't been sleeping well myself for some reason. Finally, a lot of his hair has grown in (he lost quite a bit about a month ago) and he has a good covering over his whole head (you may or may not be able to see this in the pictures I post.)

He will be 4 months on this coming Sunday (wow, it seems like just a few weeks ago I was holding him as a newborn.) We went and saw Amy and Ferg Turnbull's baby, Sophia Esther (who was born 29 April), last night and she is so tiny! She is only a few ounces smaller than Reuben was when he was born but it was still hard to remember him being that little! They grow so fast.
Anyway, now I'm rambling so I will add the photos and shut up! By the way, the reason I added the last photo is because he is holding his own bottle. :)

Monarch Butterflies

Those of you who have had any contact with me recently know that I have had a lot of monrach butterfly caterpillars this summer and lots of them are starting to emerge from their cocoons. Unfortunately, the weather has now turned cold all of a sudden and I am a bit concerned about the remaining chrysalises as I'm not sure they can survive in the cold temperatures. I've put some of the butterflies who hatched recently in our shed to shelter them a bit and have fed them (but I'm not sure if they eat much when it's this cold outside.) I really hope we get a few more warm days before the winter season really hits because I will be quite sad if I lose them - so many seem to die before they reach maturity anyway. :(

Anyway, I thought I'd add a couple of photos of the butterflies that 'hatched' a few days ago. They seem to be predominantly female although one of the ones in my shed is male. I'm not sure you can see the sex in my photos anyway.

Hey Grandpa! Check out my top!

Well, I have just put Reuben down for his last nap of the afternoon (after this he won't go to sleep again until bed time.) For my dad's benefit, I thought I would add a couple of pictures of the top Reuben is wearing today. It is still a little bit big but he is growing all the time. For those of you who don't know, my dad came and visited me shortly after Reuben's birth (check the blog archives for pictures of his visit) and very kindly brought me over some baby clothes that Reuben is just now starting to fit. We don't have Baby Gap here and I think my dad did pretty well picking out things when he had no idea of my tastes. Reuben is smack bang in the 50th percentile of weight, length, and head circumference for his age but most 3-6 month clothes are still too big (it often depends on the manufacturer, though.) I guess he's also only 3 months old and if he's expected to fit the clothes all the way to 6 months, then it would be a shame if they were a perfect fit now!
Anyway, that was a bit of a ramble. Nathan is off to play rugby (real rugby, not just 'touch' rugby) this afternoon so I am hoping and praying he comes back in one piece. One of our other friends who plays competitively has already been knocked unconscious twice this season and you're only allowed 3 'knock-outs' in a season before they stop you from playing for like a year due to the possibility of long term injury. I was going to try to get to the game but Reuben was asleep and since he had a big afternoon with Aunty Tina yesterday, I decided to let him sleep (and it gave me a chance to have a much-needed nap as well.)