Daniel Week 22

Daniel had the sniffles and a cough on and off for a whole month before it turned really nasty. The doctor diagnosed it as a chest infection and even prescribed antibiotics, which they almost never do here, so you must know it is bad. Surprise surprise they did the job and when the course of 5 days was finished our little boy was back to his usual smiley self.

Nice and snug

Ready for bed

Delighted to see Nicholas

Soft Toys

Isn't it amazing how easy it is to accumalate soft toys. Nicholas has grown quite fond of all his animals. It is loads of fun watching him play with them and create great epics with different voices and all. Every night he selects a couple to snuggle with him in bed. His two giraffes used to be his favourites, then it was Dolphin, then Nemo, followed by Yurtle and now it's Ellie (which can be heated up in the microwave). He also has the strange desire to smother Daniel in all his soft toys. Maybe because we subjected him to the same thing when he was only a wee baby. Daniel doesn't seem to mind too much and actually seems to enjoy it.

Nicholas (3 weeks old)

Daniel (5 months old)See how the collection has grown!

Birthday Boy!

In case you've been wondering why we fell off the radar it's because we've been caught up with celebrating Nicholas' third birthday. I'll catch up with some blog posts as soon as the excitement has subsided and I have a moment to relax. In the meantime here's the invatation that Daddy made for the big boy's party.

Oumie Nettie

This post is in memory of Oumie as it would have been her birthday today. She was a kind and loving person and a devoted grandmother. We miss her so much and always will. This is one of my favourite photos of Nicholas with his beloved Oumie Nettie.

Daniel 5 months old

Photoshoot at 5 months

Daniel Week 21

Daniel started sitting on his own this week albeit only for a couple of minutes. We have to be close at hand to catch him when he topples over. He often lies on his back straining to sit up but isn't strong enough to do it on his own yet. He enjoys pulling himself up holding our hands though. It's amazing how he becomes better at his newfound skill every day!

Budding Artist

Nicholas has a real passion for drawing. It's great because it's something he can do anywhere. We always have a stash of paper and pencils in our out-and-about bag which comes in handy especially when we're in a restaurant. Here are some examples of his recent works of art.

Flower

Stegasaurus

Aeroplane in a storm

Nicholas on a tractor

Chocolate Milk

Nicholas doesn't have really have a sweet tooth and it takes a lot of convincing to get to try out new things. I finally managed to get him to have a glass of warm nesquik with mini marshmallows in it. And you guessed it ... he loved it and it asks for it every afternoon now ... milky lips has taken on a new meaning!

Daniel Week 20

Daniel really beams when anyone even just looks his way so can you imagine how excited he gets when we sing songs to him. His favourites songs at the moment are: Twinkle Star (first song he ever heard - sung beautifully by Nicholas on the way back from the hospital - heard many times since then), Incy Wincy Spider (loves all the hand actions), This is the way the ladies ride (specially the hunters part), The grand old duke of York (the upside down part fills him with glee), The alligator called Tiny Tim (it never fails to put a smile onto his face) and Row row your boat (even though it is a bit rough and loud for him with Nicholas as a partner). His latest way of expressing pleasure is putting both his fists at his mouth and giggling bashfully. It is totally irresistible!

A couple of weeks ago we moved Daniel into his crib in his own room. Before that he had his day time naps there and slept in a moses basket in our room at night but we noticed that it was becoming a bit too snug for him. This week we introduced one bottle of 120ml of formula per day. He takes the bottle without any objection and guzzles down the milk in a couple of minutes. I thought it would be a good idea to get him used to the bottle now so that we don't face refusal later on and it seems to have worked so far. He also isn't as dependend on the dummy as he was before which I am pleased about. Can't believe how quickly he is growing up!

Don't leave your baby with a magazine in reach

Bring that magazine back!

His latest favourite position

Learning action songs from Nicholas
Having some fun with mom

Playing with dadOne of his first bottles
Passed out - nice and comfySleeping soundly in his crib in his own roomEarly morning fun and gamesA different perspective

Count Down Chart

Nicholas loves charts at the moment. It all started a few months ago with his potty training reward chart. It's a great way to teach kids to work towards a goal followed by a sense of achievement. The Ceebeebies Magazine also has loads of fun reward charts every week to encourage important things like healthy eating and goode bedtime routines. Our latest chart is a count down to Nicholas' 3rd birthday!

Oupa Paddy

Here's a tribute to my beloved dad as it would have been his 60th birthday today. I still miss him terribly and not a day goes by without him crossing my mind. The only difference is now the tears have been replaced by a smile for I have so many happy memories of him. I'm just sad that the grandchildren won't get to know him and that he won't get to enjoy them. But I guess it is true that he lives on in all of us and even in them too. Here's one of my favourite photos of Nicholas with Oupa Paddy, he was only 1 month old, and already cheeky. RIP, Dad, you will live in our hearts forever!

Tonsils

October and November seem to be the months for being sick in our family. It's probably due to the change in season. We've all been sick on and off for the past few weeks - as soon as I think we're on the mend the next cycle starts - it's starting to feel like it will never end. I've given up going to the doctors because all they say is 'Keep an eye on it'. Here's a question for the experts out there, mom that's you, does it look like Nicholas has tonsilitis? Both Martin and I had our tonsils taken out when we were about Nicholas' age so we're not sure what healthy tonsils ought to look like!

Daniel Week 19

Nicholas and Daniel get on so well with each other - it is clear that Nicholas adores his little brother and that Daniel admires his big brother - this really pleases me and fills me with so much pride. I need to get the video camera out to capture some of the precious moments that they spend together. In the meantime here are some photos of them playing with each other.

Dan's the Man!