Update for the Week

Well, I've tried to be true to my word and not wait for months before posting again like I did last time. Let's see, what's happened this week? Joel cut his third tooth and contrary to the normal 'order' of teeth-cutting, he got another bottom one rather than a top one. I can see one of his top teeth just under the surface and thought it might be ready to pop through at any time but so far it hasn't made its move. :) I also took Joel to see the Plunket nurse yesterday and he weighs 9kgs now (19.8lbs for my American readers.) He's quite 'solid' but the nurse said he's only about 60th percentile in terms of weight so he's not as big as I thought he was. We weighed Reuben while we were there and he's 12kgs (26.4lbs.) Both boys are happy and healthy so I'm really grateful for that.
Nathan has his last rugby game of the season today. Their team is 'top of the table' and haven't lost a game yet. He hasn't played every game this year because he and I try to alternate weekends where each one of us gets to have some 'time out' and do something for ourselves so he often plays rugby on his 'weekend' and I try to get out with some friends on my 'weekend' and go to the movies or the mall or something. We also aim to have a 'date' night every couple of weeks but that is often dependent on whether or not we can find a babysitter.
There isn't much else of any importance to tell you all about, so this post isn't going to be very long. One thing I have noticed is that the weather is SLOWLY starting to warm up. Have I mentioned I hate the cold???? I would take warm weather year-round if it were up to me and only travel to cold regions for a holiday every now and then. :) The fact that the houses here in NZ are so cold certainly doesn't help so I admit my bias may be swayed a little if I was actually warm during the winter months.
Anyway, until next time... here's some photos of my little treasures. ;) As you can tell by the photo with Reuben drawing, he's right-handed.

The Last 6 Months in a Nutshell

Okay, okay. I know I have been very 'slack' on the blogging front these past few months. I must in part blame this on Facebook which is my first port of call when updating my friends on my life's adventures but since I know some of you aren't on my Facebook friend's list, I need to make the time to fill you in as well (or you could just get a FB account and add me! Ha!) Anyway, there is lots to tell so will try to make it as concise as possible.
My youngest 'baby' is now 8 months old as of Tuesday this week! I am struggling to get my head around it as I remember very clearly the day he was born and it seems as if it was only last week. Joel has been crawling now for a couple of months and is incredibly adventurous. I understand the need for childproofing now! If I could sum up his temperament up in just a few words I would say he was determined, endearing, and utterly gorgeous! People love him and constantly comment on his outgoing and friendly personality and also what a beautiful baby he is. I know as a mother I am totally biased and think he is fantastic but it is nice to hear positive feedback from other people as well.
Reuben is now 18 months and is into absolutely everything. He is full of energy and I really don't like keeping him cooped up in this cold weather so try to get him out at least a few days a week to blow off some steam. He isn't saying a lot (at least not in coherent English) but knows lots of animal sounds and LOVES music. He claps along to certain songs in 'time' to the music so I am very excited that the musical genes in the family seem to have rubbed off on him in at least the 'rhythm' category. :) He loves his little brother but can still be rough with him and likes to sit on Joel (maybe as a dominant male gesture??) Joel usually lets out a little squeal of protest if Reuben starts annoying him too much and considering the fact that Joel is quite a solid baby, I think it won't be long before he will be giving Reuben a run for his money in the size department!
Well, I know I haven't written much but my time is precious at the moment and it is rare that I have more than a few minutes to myself so I will sign off now and attempt to be a bit more regular in my postings. :) Hope all of you out in blog-land are doing well.

Baby Joel

I noticed I seem to be writing a lot about Reuben lately and thought Joel deserved a post of his own. He is now 9 weeks old and I'm amazed at how fast he is growing. He is 5.64 kgs as of this afternoon when the Plunket nurse came to weigh him (that's just under 12 and 1/2 lbs for the US readers.) In saying that, I was amazed at how fast Reuben grew as well. That 'newborn' look doesn't last for long which is a little bit sad, but at the same time, the older they get, the more interactive they become. Joel smiles, although he seems to be 'selective' about when he smiles, and at whom. He often has quite a serious look on his face, as though he's concentrating on something - or maybe he's just pondering the meaning of life. :) He is quite alert and very strong. I think he recognizes me when I come in to get him up after a nap - he gets this cute little look of expectancy on his face when he knows I'm about to pick him up. He enjoys being on his tummy when I put him on the floor for 'tummy time' - much more than Reuben did, I must say. He is also quite 'vocal' about his likes and dislikes and if he gets upset about something, everyone is going to know about it! :) He really enjoys looking at the mobile above his changing table and kicks his little feet and makes these gorgeous little cooing noises while it spins around! He loves being held and I think he would gladly be carried 24/7 if we could manage that. Unfortunately, that is just impossible, especially with Reuben being so little still. He goes down well at night and at the moment has his last feed of the day at 8:30pm and wakes again around 4am. Then it's back to bed until about 7:30. I think he quite likes his sleep but can sometimes be hard to settle during the day. I have tried all sorts of techniques and sometimes what works one day won't work the next which has left me scratching my head in bewilderment at times. At the moment, we've found if we turn the hairdryer on next to his bed when he's grizzling, often that puts him to sleep. I have read that some babies like 'white noise' but this is the first time I've actually seen it work. It made no difference with Reuben if he was grizzling.
I try not to compare the two boys as I know they are individuals but it is hard not to at times. They are quite different though, and I will be interested to see how they develop as they grow older. Anyway, it is time to feed the subject of this post and so I'm going to post a couple of recent photos and then give him some dinner. :)

Reuben Turns One!

I can barely believe my eldest baby has turned one! It seems like only a few weeks ago that we were taking him home from the hospital and now he is this gorgeous, 'smiley,' outgoing little boy who is an absolute delight to us. He is babbling all the time (not that I can understand him very often) almost walking and is starting to get into everything, which has necessitated the setting of some boundaries and lots of child-proofing (not so many smiles from him when we are putting those in place!) All of a sudden, I am seeing this little boy's 'will' come out and he can be quite determined when he wants something. I hate having to tell him 'no' or 'don't touch' but I guess as all parents know, it's just a part of helping children grow into respectful and responsible human beings (at least that's what I remind myself when he's crying because he can't have something he wants.) He's never been one for many tears but I am seeing them a bit more these days, either because he's more mobile and can bump into things and fall down or because I'm stopping him from doing things he'd like to do, but that aren't safe or appropriate. :)

Anyway, I meant to talk about the birthday party first but got sidetracked! What's new? Ha! We celebrated Reuben's first birthday at a friend's house and had yummy nibbles and chocolate cake (I wish I could say I made his birthday cake myself but with another baby to take care of, it just didn't happen so it was buy one, or go without, and I didn't like the latter option.) He was very blessed with lots of lovely toys and so, combined with his Christmas presents, I think we have enough to stock a small toy store. Thanks to everyone for their generosity! We haven't even taken everything out of its packaging yet as we thought we'd save some things for a little while until he gets tired of some of the current toys he's playing with. Then we can have some 'new' ones to take out and add to the mix. My cousin Nina got one of the coolest (although somewhat annoying to my ears after awhile!) presents of the day and Reuben currently has this toy in his cot with him while he's taking his nap. It is this crazy dancing bull that sings a song when you push a button in his 'hand.' Reuben was a bit freaked out by him at first, I think, but now he loves him and fortunately for me, doesn't know how to turn the music on himself. Otherwise, I'd be listening to this dancing animal constantly. It's bad enough I have Wiggles' songs going through my head all day from the DVD he got for his birthday. :) In saying that, the Wiggles DVD was a fabulous idea as I have to put Reuben in his playpen when I'm feeding Joel because he just gets into too many things and is not as easy to 'police' when I'm tied up with feeding and so the DVD provides a distraction to him when he's 'incarcerated.' Ha ha! He actually handles being confined really well, which I'm so grateful for as I don't like putting him in there, but it has to be done. Anyway, I need to post some photos and get off the computer so bye for now. :)

Lots to Tell

I know I have been a bit slack in posting lately and so I will have to condense a lot of info into this post. Let's see... we had the boys' first Christmas this year and what a whirlwind it was. We celebrated with my extended family here in New Zealand on Christmas day, with Nathan's family on the 26th and had my cousin's wedding on the 27th. Both babies were recovering from ear infections - ugh!- but handled the busy days really well. Aunty Kristina even bought them matching Christmas outfits which looked really cute! Neither of the boys were old enough to really get the concept of the holiday but Reuben did understand how to rip the paper off his Christmas presents and really enjoyed that aspect of it all. He was very blessed with gifts from all the family and has new toys galore. One favorite of children and adults alike was the 'Elmo Live' which is an elmo doll that sings, talks, dances, tells stories, etc. Possibly a little advanced for Reuben at the moment but the adults sure got a kick out of him. I find it amazing that with all the fancy, hi-tech toys that are out there now for kids that Reuben's highlight of the day was probably unwrapping everything. He honestly gets as much enjoyment out of playing with a kitchen untensil or piece of crinkly paper as he would with something that cost a lot of money. Ah, how simple life is before someone comes along and informs us that true happiness lies in the acquisition of lots of 'things.' :)

On to the wedding... my cousin Ashley got married to the lovely Katie on the weekend after Christmas and it was a beautiful day for the ceremony. They met earlier in 2008 and it was love at first sight. As Katie is Vietnamese, they are having ceremonies in both New Zealand and Vietnam. Even though there was a bit of a language barrier, we could understand enough to know that they are very much in love and that she is an absolutely beautiful person, inside and out. We wish them all the best.

We saw the New Year in without much fanfare. In fact, both Nathan and I were asleep before midnight which would be a first in who knows how many years. I guess that's what happens when you have very small children, one of whom I knew would wake in the middle of the night for a feed. Sleep is a very precious commodity in our house at the moment so we take any opportunity to grab some when we can. In saying that, I am excited about this year and am optimistic about what it has in store (I think I can safely say another baby won't be on the cards just yet, though.) Hope all of you reading this had a great Christmas and New Year and that 2009 is full of many wonderful surprises for you.