Our Visit to Marwell Zoo!

We have had a few days out, the usual trips to town, seeing friends but nothing beats a family day out!

Poor Nanna was away so the rest of us took a trip with Natalie & Brody to Marwell Zoo for the day and what a day it was! The weather was lovely so after a quick breakfast and a slight lie in (thanks Roo!) we headed down the M3 towards Winchester.

We got to the car park at just before 10am (which is the opening time) to see the queue was quickly increasing so we took our place in line and queued for a ticket. I can't remember the last time I went to Marwell so I was quite excited to see the snow leopards and some monkeys!

Marwell is a very well laid out Zoo and has something for everyone, on this day they had a 'Dino Egg Hunt' where the kids would go round looking for rare dinosaur eggs to spell out a word on a sheet they were given - upon completing this sheet they got to meet the easter bunny and were given a Creme Egg! As you can imagine Reuben was a bit young for one so Daddy took the reins with this one :) :)

My only criticism is that the indoor eating area is a bit small with hardly any tables and chairs and when the sun went in it was a bit nippy but it's only a minor criticism if that at all!

I would certainly recommend going to Marwell especially to see how fast you can run compared to certain animals and even a human at 27mph!

Dribbling, Red Cheeks & Tears

It might seem premature but Reuben has the starter symptoms of teething, we have noticed how he seems to want to place everything in his mouth and is starting to dribble a lot!

His poor little cheeks have come up all red and the doctor confirmed his gums are rock solid and to expect some teeth to pop up some time in the future, I am led to believe there is no real timescale on the first one appearing but hopefully sooner rather than later as even thinking about what babies have to endure when teething is enough to make some of us cringe.

We have started giving him some teething gel which is a great help but failing that Calpol is good for keeping his temperature down.

Reuben is such a character and even when he is clearly in pain or upset still manages to crack a smile which makes our hearts melt :)

Any tips for us on the teething front that have worked for you?!

Food Food Food!

Hello again!

Since we last spoke our little chunk has been very hungry...all the time!

We have tried everything from upping his milk but he just seemed so disinterested in it so we thought we would try some baby rice! I know this is probably frowned upon as he isn't 4/5/6 months yet but we are his parents and we know our boy best although as first time parents decisions like these are hard to make.

The good news is that he seems to really enjoy his food although I was rather sceptical at the start, having a mixture is very good for Reuben, you'll be please to know he is now in full flow weaning and such a happy little boy, which makes for happy parents :)

He enjoys having porridge for breakfast with a rusk later in the evening and still seems keen on his milk for the time being, it's a lot to take in I must admit and I haven't had a clue what to do or where to start but luckily Katherine's experience with babies has paid dividends.

How is your little one's feeding habits, are they on food yet? I would love to hear from you :)

First Swimming Experience - Tadley Pool

Last Sunday 13th April we decided to take Reuben for his first swimming experience!

We were wondering where to go for ages with Coral Reef creeping up in the options but we decided to go with Tadley as they hold a class called 'Jelly Babies' which runs from 9am-12pm every Sunday morning :)

So off we went making the short journey and upon arrival we paid £6.30 for 2 adults and 1 child which was a very fair price in my opinion, we enquired about getting a baby ring but it was £17 so we decided not to bother!

I am glad we didn't buy the ring as a close experience with Reuben the first time was better for him so he felt safe and secure.

Unfortunately our experience poolside wasn't as expected, the changing rooms were in a horrendous state with all sorts of debris on the floor and generally very unclean.

Upon entering the pool it appeared rather cold and even when in there for a good 15-20 minutes we noticed no difference, poor little Reuben was shivering and shaking and can't have been a nice experience for him. The pool should be around 32 degrees but it was only set to 28/29.

We decided to call it a day very soon after arriving and we won't be going back there in a hurry.

Very disappointing - would love to hear where you go swimming?

Paddington Bear @ Baby Gap!

Now I know this range has gone into the sale so snap it up if you can - it is one of our personal favourites and we find Baby Gap always has a lovely range of clothing and even accessories.

Each item is reasonably priced and very well made.

Even I find that they fit Reuben nicely considering he is rather long and skinny!

I have put some pictures in a collage but be sure to check out the website :)

Reuben is 3 Months

Weight - Katherine has been getting Reuben weighed every month just so we can monitor if he is gaining steady weight, it seems he is on the right track and his femur length has stayed consistent during the first 3 months (extremely long) We think he is around 12lb mark but he is to be weighed next Monday the 7th April so I will be sure to tell you!

Milestones - Reuben seems to get very bored being sat/led still doing nothing so he is always fidgeting, he likes tummy time as he gets the opportunity to lift his head up and seeing what is around him, bless him he is quite a nosy chap but his neck is getting much stronger by doing so!

He has started trying to stand up when held up by Mummy/Daddy and has very strong legs, it must be why they are so chunky :) the HV has always said how surprised she is about how strong his neck & legs are.

We wake up so happy when we get to see this little man smiling back at us!!

Clothes - We find that everywhere you go fitment is different! Because Reuben is VERY long we find it a bit harder to find stuff that fits in length but doesn't hang off him at the same time. Mothercare/Next items seem to give off a snugger fitment but not as long as say GAP/H&M. We currently love the Paddington Bear range (post coming soon) from Baby GAP.

Routines - We have tried to maintain the 'Bath, Bottle & Bed' routine and it has been working, he is sleeping through from around 8/9 to 6 in the morning which is a godsend. Being able to sleep 8 hours again!

Sleeping - Our little star has been sleeping through since around 10 weeks so Mummy & Daddy are very well rested :)

Eating - Reuben has had his first try of baby rice and porridge with a rusk in the evening (recommended by the HV believe it or not!) we always fed him 6/7oz bottles of first milk but he seemed to get very bored and stop drinking it but then crying he was hungry - he LOVES his food does this boy so it's nice to be able to vary it up and keep him interested!

It definitely keeps him full up for longer encouraging a longer sleep pattern so I would definitely recommend it.

Comments are always welcome :)