What I love about the little man

I've been inspired by Naomi at Seven Cherubs to record feelings and thoughts about my own two cherubs. Sam's turn tonight. It's been challenging to see either of them as cherubs lately! For two weeks one year old Sam has had big sad eyes, with teething, then a vomiting bug, followed by an alarming rash (Monday night; Birmingham riots - ambulance ride to Children's Hospital - we're thanking God it ended with the all clear). He makes me laugh with his crawling - stopping every now and then to rest his little head on his arms in a little nap on the floor, and then taking off again so seriously. When he's held he wriggles and squirms and jiggles to get down, only to break into angry wails at being put on the floor! We do get lovely head-on-the-shoulder cuddles however, and his wee Bob the Builder jumper from Great Grandma in New Zealand makes me chuckle. When Sam grins, with just the first 8 teeth out, he looks like a cheeky little monkey and you can't help but smile with him. He says hello by pointing at you; that's the sign for 'tickle dingers' (fingers) too, and he gets a huge kick when we pretend to be tickled by him. My loveliest moments with Sam lately have been reading 'Guks'. We sit together in the rocking chair at bedtime and devour baby books - Sandra Boynton's 'Moo Baa La La La' is currently a big favourite. He turns the pages, sometimes impatiently, but always wants more. When it's time to sleep he reaches out for his snuggle blanket (which my mother-in-law bespoke when his daddy was still a teenager!), and cuddles it as he falls asleep. I love his smile, his cuddles, his strength and determination. And I'm looking forward to watching his world expand exponentially as he gets more and more confidant on his feet. Ooh, and I love his huge mud-puddle eyes ... even when they're sad.