Two little boys - Daniel and Samuel

Well, our little Daniel has been very poorly recently. All of us have been ill, but he developed a chest infection and has been the worst off with it. We are tired from caring from him day and night for a couple of weeks now. He is breathing much better now though, and coughing a lot less - he is recovering. He is back to his cheery self, though still wants to be held most of the time. That's really not a problem, apart from how heavy he feels sometimes. His giggles are back, which are fun, and I love his response when someone talks to him or smiles at him and he gets all excited - he kind of curls up and smiles or giggles, often with his fists in his mouth. It's adorable!

Being ill hasn't stopped him growing! I just had to get the third size of clothes out for him to wear. There are only a few 3-6 month items that he can still fit into, and I can see that won't be for long! He seems very big sometimes, but also is so small and new-baby-like. His developing communication with everyone is very lovely. Here are a few photos of Daniel over the last approximately seven weeks...

4 weeks old

At four weeks old - very relaxed in the bath.

On our way to the bath ...

... and after the bath!

5 weeks old with Daddy

6 weeks old

8 weeks old

Daniel 10 weeks old, Peter 4 3/4 years.

Eleven weeks old.

The girls and I have been learning to knit recently. I have tried many times and got nowhere with it, and last year we began and promptly stopped. This time we are getting somewhere though! Rachel and I have each even turned to it where we can as a stress-reliever. It's so methodical, and has quite a calming effect. Well I was playing around with some organic cotton we bought last year to make something with, and decided to try to make Daniel a little hat, he having swiftly outgrown all of the others I had obtained for him! I didn't have a pattern, and although it doesn't fit very well (too loose to stay on well, and not as long as I planned it to be), and the seam at the back stops it looking quite so good as at the front, I learned a lot from it about reducing, and judging size, and just thinking around how making something knitted works. So here he is looking very cute in his little beanie, even though it won't fit him for long as it stands. He has worn it a few times and seemed very comfortable and cosy in it though.

10 weeks old

I was cutting Daniel's nails this afternoon as he had been scratching the top of his head - he seemed to like the feel of his hair I think, but had been scratching some of the cradle cap off, and had made some sore looking scratches there too. So I cut his nails. No big deal right? Well no it wasn't at all, but it reminded me of how I have NEVER been able to cut Samuel's nails with him awake (apart from the odd nail recently because he was fascinated in it - only until he fought to do it himself instead though!) From the time he was a tiny baby, he was so wriggly and so strong that I always had to wait until he was asleep before I could trim them. They are quite different. Daniel is lot more placid. Daniel is also strong, but not in the same kind of fighting against you way as Samuel. Nothing has changed either. :o) Samuel is just as wriggly, and just as cheeky as ever, and is so strong and determined in EVERYTHING he does! If he fights against you on something, it's hard work! It's so much easier to work WITH him on things, which is better anyway, but when that's not possible and you're both physically pushing or pulling in opposite directions he is strong! Sometimes stronger than we are. All the same he is a beautifully adorable boy. Our bigger baby, who still loves his "Mummy milk", and is of course a full blown toddler who is constantly getting up to his tricks. :o) So here are a few more recent pictures of Samuel. ...

He had pulled our 20 litre washing-up and washing liquid bottles (that we refill the normal ones from) off the shelf to make room for himself here!

Climbing in the store room!

Then while his bath ran, and I helped his little brother, he decided it was fun to put new bottles of shampoo from the storeroom in the bath. It was quite fun how they floated actually!

Samuel loves to cook, and this is messy play that is certainly easier to deal with, and actually makes somethig yummy at the end! "Round and round and round" (with actions) is one of his favourite things to say. It normally means drawing as he likes to draw in circles amongst other things, but also works to say he'd like to help with the baking.

Here are a couple of pictures of these two little brothers together too...

Daniel 6 weeks, Samuel 20 1/2 months old

Not the best picture of us as it was first thing in the morning, and Daniel was still feeling very poorly, but at least calm. Samuel loved matching with Daniel though, and has been groswing fonder of him all the time, so it was nice to grab a photo of them both while Samuel was still enough to do so! It didn't last long. :o)

Eleven weeks old, 21 1/2 months old, and ... um ... 30 something!