Ah-choo!

Callum in mono 5m

Reuben portraits, 23 months

Reuben portraits, 22m

Callum asleep on Mama's lap, 4m

One afternoon in March, at 22 and 4m, both boys had a spell of falling asleep on my lap whilst the sun was setting and casting long deep shadows into the playroom, creating a barely there light for shooting. Truly delightful. Callum woke with a startle and looked up at me with bright sparkly eyes with a brush of surprise and a slightly furrowed brow.

PS weren't the easiest shots to get with his head so close to me

Reuben asleep on Mama's lap, 22m

Callum in a basket, 5m

OK, I have a zillion stories to catch up on, but here's Callum at 5 months, thoroughly enjoying himself in the laundry basket.

Photo tip: Take a few shots against a black background and use natural light only. Flash photography flattens a child's features. unless you're using a fill in flash in bright sunshine to avoid deep shadows on a face. Take multiple shots from different angles, and try to avoid photographing a child from above as their heads will seem out of proportion to their bodies. Try to capture your child at their eye level.

Callum in the mirror, 4 months

There's a cute little boy who sits by the mirror mama

And who just like me is doing yoga
I feel a little bashful and I'm trying not to laugh
He's here again for me tonight before I have my bath
He stuffs his fingers in his mouth just like I like to do

And wow I see a lady now who much resembles you
He's also had his little jabs with trucks on his Bandaid

I guess they did the ouchy thing and covered the pricks they made

Oh mama, mama, you will know, what we should really do?

I'm scared if he sits on Reuben's potty, he might just leave a poo!

23 and 5 (month by month)

Sweet Reuben you:
Smell so sweet, it's intoxicatting
Hug me so tight, I am overwhelmed with a warm feeling that floods through me, shouting "love"

Can sign the whole beautiful alphabet and sign words beginning with the initial letter presented
Crawl around on the alphabet mat stopping at the letters I say to you and signing them back
Express yourself through about 220 ASL signs
Have a week consisting of 2 mornings of UCLA Early Intervention school, 3 sessions of Physical Therapy, 1 session of Speech Therapy, 2 sessions of Occupational Therapy, 1 session of LA School Hard of Hearing, and throughout the month, visiting any of your 13 Drs on rotation, at least an hour of signing with Mama every day, feeding therapy at home 3x a day with Kristina
Are really enjoying school and have a sweet group of kind, bright and gentle friends there, each with individual challenges and who call your name when you walk in
Put your hands on my throat when you want me to speak so you can feel my vocal chords move and during this, you will silently babble the words I’m saying
Are a little Mozart at heart on your red piano
Protest!
Happily accept your hearing aid
Love to throw your glasses on the floor and watch Mama’s reaction, but know how to put them back on correctly
Adjust your hearing aid band when it falls down, lifting it off your face
Like to fill your Radio Flyer wagon with Turtle (from Gran & Grandad Dodd), Doggie (from Anne-Marie) and Froggie (from Ken)
Love to bang doors and open and close kitchen cupboards
Walk 12 independent steps
Enjoy walking on your knees
Forget yourself, let of furniture and stand to sign words needing 2 hands
Enjoy sitting in the “W” position much to the “Fix your legs” pleas from all
Have migrated to a bigger bath
Sleep from 8 til 8 and are always delighted to be put to bed unless we have guests, in which case, the Pulsox will go off every 5 minutes as you stand up and disrupt the sensor. The said routine goes on and on…
and have one afternoon nap at about 4pm, almost always on Mama’s lap
Have 3 feeds during the day of 100ml Nutren Junior formula and 700ml of formula at night by pump
*
Blue eyed boy Callum you:
Smile and the whole room lights up
Laugh and it’s the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard

Have dark lashes and bushy brows which gorgeously frame your bright blue eyes
Have skin that smells of mozzarella from milk that’s been spit up
Love to splash in the bath
Are teething and can’t keep your fists out of your mouth
Devour a pot of peas, carrots, squash, guaza, apple sauce or green beans and become frustrated by my need to refill the spoon from the pot, wanting the instantaneous deliver that the bottle brings
Audibly laugh at funny faces and actions by Mama
Are trying to nap on the playmate but keep startling at Reuben’s piano playing
Say “Who is that cutie in the mirror?"
Sooth yourself to smooth with a croaky uuuuuuuugggghhh sound, flutter your eyes, roll them up and are off to na na land
Smile or babble to make social contact and gain attention
Enjoy holding the bottle with both hands
Make vowel consonant combination sounds, ma, da, ah-goo
Have just found your feet and toes
Lift you head when raised to a sitting position
Can roll over (reluctantly!) from back to front
When seated or propped up to sit, balance your head steadily and hold it erect
On stomach, raise your chest supported by hands
Reach for objects and mama’s clothes and hair
Have a soft mane of thin but growing fair hair
Squeal in delight, especially when tickled
Turn in the direction of a voice, particularly mama’s
Make a wet razzy sound
Have excellent vocal chords!
Can stand holding onto something

Are trying to stand up
Have been entered into your first sweetest baby competition by nursie Kristina and rank 28th out of 309
Are an avid fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm watching it with Daddy when you need a little calming
Sleep about 10 hours at night, occasionally waking for a 4am feed, but more often, waking at 6, having a bottle and then going back to sleep til 8am (wonderful)
Want a bottle every 3-4 hours during the day

Weigh 18.3lbs

Little blue eyes

The many faces of Callum, 3 months

Tired

Butter wouldn't melt

Little teddy

Surprise

Coy

Suspicion

Comedian




Contemplative

I've been taking these mostly in my bedroom during Callum's 3rd month and it's been wonderful seeing his head rise higher and higher when lying prone, his chest now in full view so I can see his belly button, his infinite facial expressions.