Reuben aged 13-14 months

Reuben 13-14 months 

- So it turns out that our Reu is quite the little performer, when the health visitor came to visit him for his 1 year check he was doing funny things to get a reaction from her. One such thing was that he lay on the floor with a toothbrush (a gift from the health visitor) hanging out of his mouth and he was squeaking the steering wheel on his pirate ship at the same time. All the while having a cheeky smirk on his face to get giggles from the health visitor. He looked so silly and it was very comical. 

While on holiday in Cyprus he wad great fun being the centre of attention. Not surprisingly, blue-eyed, blonde wavy-haired, chubby Reuben was a big hit with the Turks. He completely played up to it though, pointing, smiling, clapping his hands and my favourite, waving at random passers by to get waves back. He loved al fresco dining on the roadside, there were so many people to watch and give him attention , and lots of cats to feed from his high chair too. 

- Reuben likes putting things inside other things; pegs in a peg basket, the peg basket in the drawer, himself in the drawer beside the pegs in the peg basket; anything that fits into something else is worth playing with. On holiday he adored playing with wet sand, putting it in his bucket (and occasionally mouth) would occupy him for hours.  

- The little man loves the Mediterranean sea, he would squeal with delight when waves splashed him. 

- He also loved the pool and the slide into the pool, by the end of our fortnight in Cyprus he was so confident around the water that you had to be careful that he didn't throw himself into it (as my mum found out the wet way!) 

- Reuben loves the moon and stars and likes to point at them 

- in Cyprus he would walk laps round the pool with his lion baby walker - very cute

- Reu sometimes gets the giggles; his belly laugh bubbles up from inside him, it's contagious, and it's the best sound in the whole world! 

- on Saturday 8th August, Reuben took his first steps (just before he turned 14 months). He did it for daddy, and to show off to big cousins kara and kian. 

Reu aged 10-12 months

Reuben aged 10-12 months

- Reuben has become an expert sleeper! He now sleeps the whole way through the night and has a regular and predictable (praise The Lord!) nap. He sleeps for at least 2 hours every afternoon! It's bliss. He puts himself to sleep, no tears, no fuss. The little cherub is way more content and I am too. I think I'll be trying a strict routine like this earlier on with the next baby (there is none in existence yet, don't get excited!) 

- Reu has become very good at walking while holding onto fingers or while walking with the baby walker. He goes fast!  

- He responds to instructions and questions much more....

When you ask him to 'clap your hands' he does, or 'point to the... tree, flowers, ladies' (decorative ladies in our coving) he does. 

- Reu initiates games of 'peek a boo' while in the bath 

- He waves and says 'baba' when you leave a room, or he leaves a room, or in response to others saying it first. 

- Reuben is a kisser! He loves kisses. He kisses with a pout and with a baby kiss (mouth open like a fish). He instigates kisses, he kisses teddies, he kisses pictures of animals, he kissed several of his birthday cards. He's so affectionate. 

- He leans in for snuggles, he especially loves to do this with daddy. 

- Reu had a lovely first birthday party with lots of friends coming to celebrate with us. He had his first taste of cake (blueberry muffin, with icing and blueberries on top). He was not really interested in the cake, he was just delighted to pick the blueberries off the top and eat them. Most of the cakey bit was thrown on the floor in disapproval! 

I can't believe that our boy is a year old. What an amazing year it has been. He's brought so much joy, laughter and smiles to our lives, and we're so grateful to God for him. 

Reuben aged 7-10 months

Well I don't get time to blog any more! The ipad belongs to Reuben. When he's awake I don't get a chance to use it. And when Reu is asleep the ipad is in his room with the white noise app on. Long gone are the leisurely feeds and internet surfing! He's grown and developed so much in the last few months that it's hard to remember what he started to do when, but I can certainly tell you some cute stories!

So the most revolutionary change in the last few months is that Reuben learnt to crawl! On the 17th Feb to be exact. He's certainly enjoying being able to explore and express himself more. Now he won't sit still.

Reu has always been a sociable little creature, enjoying snuggles with lots of different people. Since learning to crawl he's started crawling to other mums and trying to get up on their laps for snuggles (little flirt!) My favourite memory is when Caitlin had her little one (Ava) on one knee and Reu on the other. Reuben always climbs all over Linda the children's centre leader and gets lots of cuddles with her.

He started crawling slowly but then got much faster. One day I was sorting out paper work in the living room and I heard the door creak. I turned round and Reu had opened the slightly ajar door and started to explore the hall way. I called out 'reuben' and I heard the scuttling sound of Reuben crawling around the place and then little chap stuck his head back round the door with the cheekiest little smirk on his face! So sweet that he came back when I called his name.

It seems Reuben had about a million milestones in one week. Soon after learning to crawl he started to pull himself up to kneeling position and then standing position. Shortly after that he learnt to walk along using the sofa as support. Then he started doing it with just one hand.... He'll be walking by himself before long.

The little chap dances now. His favourite dancing tunes are the iPhone ringtone and 'who's a beautiful baby'. He often sticks his arms out in the air and then starts to jiggle about - I think the arms out are for balance as he's toppled over a few times from enthusiastic bobbing. He often has a really happy smile on his sweet face while he does it.

He likes wrestling with daddy. He has the sweetest belly laugh.

He absolutely loves watching birds. Sometimes I take him to the pond at the park so that he can watch the hundreds of ducks, pigeons and sea gulls squawking and flying around the place.

He loves food and he can feed himself very well. He can now have entire meals of finger food. Last night be had tuna pasta followed by grapes and he managed to put loads of it away.

He points at things.

I think he's starting to learn what 'no' means and he occasionally chooses to stop sucking on the taps when I tell him not to.

He's so much fun- he's into everything and is so energetic. He loves learning new things, making a mess, and he still loves making lots and lots of noise.

He can say 'dada' and an 'arrrr-men' sort of sound. He refuses to say 'mama'. Although occasionally when he's frustrated he makes a 'mam!' sound - cheeky monkey!

It's fun seeing more and more of his personality. He's a very fun, sociable, playful, cheeky, inquisitive, smiley and hungry little boy. He's also stubborn, boisterous, very noisy (the other mums think so!) and a monkey when it comes to sleeping. We love him lots; quirks and all.

Reuben aged 5-6 months

It feels like Reuben has grown and developed loads in the last couple of months. He looks and acts less like a new born and more like a little person. He's so much more aware of what's going on around him and he's become very playful.

It's been a really fun time but also a tricky time in some ways, with teething trouble, a couple of colds, weaning, and developmental leaps leading to some trouble sleeping. He's gone from sleeping 11-12 hours every night to waking at least a couple of times in the night for for a feed and a cuddle. But when you consider all that he's been learning and doing and all the ways he's been developing over the last couple of months, perhaps it's no surprise. He's still so much fun. He's a smiley, giggly, sociable baby. He loves cuddles and he loves being the centre of attention. We love having him around.

So here's what he's been up to:

- He's got into the habit of latching on to my chin and using it as a dummy. It's very funny and cute. On Christmas Eve he got his first tooth through. A few days later he gave me a love bite on the chin and I think he will cut his second tooth any day now.

- He does this cute little monkey impersonation. When you change his nappy, he wraps his legs around your arms and holds on tight.

- He giggles when you tickle him but he also giggles when you speak to him in funny voices and pull silly faces.

- Just after the six month mark he learnt (with some help from daddy) to roll from back to front. He had been rolling front to back for some while. Just after he learnt this he just kept rolling and rolled straight off our bed and face planted onto the floor. He got quite a shock but was absolutely fine. 

- Daddy also helped to teach him to sit up all by himself. He learnt to balance unsupported just after he turned six months old. It's transformed his playtime. He doesn't play with baby gyms anymore, now he just sits up and plays with (munches on) toys. Now he prefers to sit up in the bath, but when he does lie in the bath, splashing the water with his legs is his favourite thing. We get drenched!

- He's a very tactile, affectionate and cuddly baby. Just this evening Scott and I were having a little kiss (while I was holding Reu on my hip) and he squeaked then leaned right in with his mouth wide open to make sure he didn't get left out.

- Because he's tactile he loves to reach out and stroke your face. He's been struggling to adjust to sleeping in his own bed as he just loves knowing that we're next to him. He loves to have his hands held, to stroke your face or to have your cheek pressed up against his. Scott and I have cumulatively spent hours hanging over into his cot with our cheeks pressed up to his to help him sleep. Utterly ridiculous but sort of sweet. He'll cringe at the thought of this someday, so we'll just enjoy this season for what it is.

- He's now grabbing his feet and sticking them in his mouth. I noticed that he managed to munch on three toes at one time the other day!

- He seems keen to crawl. He often dives onto his tummy and reaches out for things. The sometimes moves his feet and hands in crawling-like motions. Daddy is trying to help him learn (I'm fairly keen on him staying stationary for a little longer- well, at least till we get the safety gates up!) 

- The other day I glanced the beginnings of him playing/ being rivals with another baby. Alice and him were sharing(?)/ both trying to grab the same toy. There was lots of interaction between them. Alice scratched his face and he cried (and so it begins!) Alice is 5 weeks older. It won't be long till he tries to get his own back. Not that I'll encourage it of course! I got a chance to glance at what life will look like for the next few years, there will be lots of behavioural management and teaching of manners. It's a bit sad that this angelic little bundle will start to assert himself soon, although exciting too. 

- Reu has started being very expressive with his crying. He doesn't just cry now, he looks at you for sympathy and he has a pet lip.

- He's started holding out his arms to be picked up. I absolutely love it! I was his preference over Sophie the giraffe the other day, and because I was thrilled, he of course got a cuddle! I'll encourage independent play another day ;)

- We started weaning when Reu turned 5 months old. It was slow initially. The first couple of weeks he just had baby rice with pear. He wasn't too fussed on that. But the night he tried broccoli and potato we saw quite a transformation! He was all smiles. We've tried a mix of purées and finger food, and I'd say that the last couple of weeks we've really turned a corner. He has a longer attention span, he looks forward to food and he often gobbles it up. He's not a fussy eater but I'd say his favourites so far are, sprout, broccoli, potato, cheese, oranges, pears, banana and Greek yogurt. With eating being a bit more of a varied experience these days, Reu will take a bottle of milk enthusiastically. He likes to help by holding the bottle with two hands- so sweet!










Sent from my iPad

Reuben the image bearer

Our son is made in the image of God

Human beings are made in the image of God. That means lots of things. We're creative, we rule, we're communicative, and we're relational. In the beginning, when The Lord was creating, he declared "good"over everything. That is until he made a solitary man. In all of creation, the only thing that was "not good" was that this man was alone. After the Lord had made a woman for the man, he then stood back, admired his handiwork and with satisfaction declared that the universe that he made was "very good". (Note that, feminists; God thinks the addition of women is the icing on the cake!)

This makes sense when we think about the nature of God. A triune God. A loving community. Father, Son and Spirit loving each other from eternity past. If the creator of all things is by definition a relational community, then it makes sense that human beings are wired not to be solitary creatures but to live in community too.

Which takes me to our son Reuben. Reu is six months old. He's (most of the time) pretty easy to please. He has some physical needs that he needs us to meet. He needs food when he's hungry, he needs sleep when he's tired, he needs to be bathed, changed and kept clean and dry. He's needs to be kept a happy temperature. But even if all these things have been seen to and he's perfectly content, he still needs one other very important thing, he needs company.

Reu is a little human being and he's a social creature. Nothing starts him crying more quickly then when I walk out of a room. He hates being alone. That's why he's happiest when he's playing with someone, when he's being cuddled and sung to, when he's sleeping in our bed (we're trying not to love it so much, and break the habit!) But of course he loves these things, because he's one of God's image bearers. And while he will become more independent from us as parents as he gets older, and while these years of physical affection and constant cuddling are short lived, Reuben will never outgrow his need for relationships. He will always crave them and I pray his life will be full of satisfying and loving relationships.

So as I struggle to do any housework because my little boy wants me to carry him, or as I relent and let Reu sleep in bed with me because it stops him crying, or as I flinch because as he tries to affectionately stroke my face but ends  up scratching it to pieces, I just need to remember this; he's acting according to his God given desire to be in community.

It's not good for Reu to be alone. I'll remember this the next time he scuppers my plans.

Reuben from 2-4 months

Here are some things that little Reu is doing now, that I'm afraid I'll forget all about when he's older. They probably aren't of interest to anyone else, but it's surprising how brilliant these little milestones and personality quirks are to a parent. I'm keen to remember them.

1) Smiles. When someone's talking to him, singing to him, tickling him, reading 'that's not my lamb!' to him. He even smiles when he doesn't want to, like this morning when I woke him up and changed his nappy and he was hungry and disgruntled and crying. He still couldn't help but smile :)

2) Praying hands. Reu has got into the habit of holding his hands together like he's praying - too cute.

3) Giggles. He's a ticklish little chap and he chuckles lots when Scott dries his neck after the bath. He giggles when you give him an Eskimo kiss. He giggles when you smell his feet.

4) Using his hands.
These three were a progression
- Hitting. Reu learnt to hit the toys that hang down on his baby gym. He would lie for 15 minutes concentrating on hitting things and watching them move. Around this time Reu spotted that he has hands and feet and would spend ages looking at them and moving them in fascination.

- Grabbing. Reu then learnt to hold things in his hands and hold tight to the toys that hang on his baby gym. He also attempts to stroke textures in books. The concentration on his face is adorable.

- Putting things in his mouth. Anything at all. Toys, mummy and daddy's fingers, muslin cloths. The other day he was determined to bring the plastic toy that he'd grabbed on his baby gym to his mouth. It definitely wasn't going to reach but he has his father's determination/stubbornness - and his whole fist went white!

5) Chatting. The wee man enjoys a natter and occasionally a little monologue to get his feelings off his chest. Therapy sessions often go on mid- meal time.

6) Rolling. He's rolled over three times. Once with some assistance ('roll for the toy son!'), once when we were watching him, and once when I was out of the room and I noticed that the babe wasn't where I left him, nor was he on his tummy!

7) Sleeping. From 11.5 weeks (not that we were counting or anything!) Reu has slept through the night. Often for around 12 hours. We are so thankful to God for this and recognise that it's not a given that your babe will sleep well. I've gotta be honest though, we've loved getting sleep after those sleep deprived first few months.

8) Dramatic yawns. Reu has got into the habit of doing very loud, dramatic yawns, which always distract the people around them from what they're doing or saying.

9) Being affectionate. He often tries to grab your hands or to gently stroke your face. He just likes to know that you're there.

10) He's got much better at listening to his bible story. Instead of just crying or feeding he actually listens and smiles. V sweet.

11) Reu has started to take an interest in us eating. We put him in his bumbo and he watches us eat our tea at night. We all hold hands (Reu grabs a finger) for grace.

He's so much fun to be around at the moment (and he's pretty easy going). We're definitely enjoying him lots at this stage.

Things that I'll miss about Reuben as he grows older

My wee boy Reu is five weeks old now. Already he is doing new things and some of the cute things that did in the very early days he's grown out of.

So here's what I'll miss about the new born version of Reuben George.

1) The way he curls his body into the foetal position. It's so cute the way he crosses his legs... With his chubby tummy and thighs he really looks like a fat Buddha!

2) The cute (and at times frustrating) way that he panics when you put him down, but how he chills out and is so reassured when you pick him up to cuddle him.

3) His funny little expressions.... Shock; frowns; suspicious eyes; drunk on milk; contentment.

4) The way that he is so into us as his parents. He looks at us in a way that seems so contented and that says that he feels safe and secure. He loves us singing to him, cuddling him, feeding him and bathing him. I love how he looks at Scott adoringly with his happy big blue eyes when Scott is bathing him.

5)  I love the way Scott styles his hair after bath time, he's had spikey hair, a Mohican and a comb over.

6) His skin is so so soft.

7) The fact that I often when look at him - even in the middle of the night when he's screaming - I can't get over how cute and tiny he is. I can't help but smile!

8) The way that he is so curious. Since birth he would try and throw his head back to look at my face. This was a bit terrifying but endearing too!

9) His shark impersonation, when he is keen to get his food. Funny now, perhaps not when he's got teeth!

10) The sweet little noises he makes....squeaks, sighs, hiccups and whimpers.

It's sad that he's already grown out of his new born clothes and has stopped doing some of these things. But I'm excited to get to know his wee personality as he grows older, and I'm going to really enjoy watching him explore the world.


It's taken forever to actually get round to posting this and he's now 8 weeks old! Smiles galore but no more foetal position. Each stage has joys of it's own.