Cabinet of Wonders

Maman and Daddy drove me to Rutland Water – the largest man-made reservoir in the UK in the smallest county in the UK. It is famous for bird watching and is the only place in England where you can see Osprey. See here. Maman was especially excited and spent a long time looking at the lake through long black tubes and making squeaking noises when she saw a tiny bird a million miles away.

I was a little bored and Daddy gave me a big stick to play with because he knows boys like sticks and he used to play with sticks when he was a boy and dinosaurs walked the earth and I liked the stick and waved it about and bit it and hit myself on the head and it was great! Also the wind was blowing through the trees which was very exciting.

On Saturday I visited Oma today (my English / Viennese grandma) and we went to visit an art gallery. I liked the big colourful paintings and enjoyed drinking outside on the terrace. Later we went back to her house and I played on the floor and showed how good I am at moving about while Oma made funny faces at me.

I can sit up very well now and Maman and Daddy have been trying to teach me to crawl. I don’t understand why. Everyone I see is walking and I want to walk too.

They lie me on my tummy on the bed and encourage me by showing me how to crawl which is very funny and I laugh and laugh. Sometimes they put an orange tennis ball just out of my reach so that I have to crawl to it. But I have found that if I pull the bed sheet the tennis ball will come to me. This saves a lot of effort for more laughing.

I can roll over from back to front and front to back and I can stand up when I hold onto the bath but I still cannot crawl forwards. Sometimes I make a great effort, get onto my knees and push myself backwards. This is very frustrating and I complain loudly. I must see if I can put my knees on backwards!

Now I can also move about on my bottom. It is very clever.You cannot see me move but you put me on the floor over here and then I end up over there. This is how I get things that I want to play with. Daddy has taken a little film to show you how I chase the fridge magnets. So you can understand I have recorded a spoken commentary to explain what I am doing.

I love banana and always smile when given one. But when my doula (child minder) took me for a walk and starting to eat one, she didn’t give me any so I looked her straight in the eye and said “nanane” (nun-nun) and made eating noises. She understood and gave me some to eat. Sometimes you just have to teach them what you want.
My other word is “Daddeee!” which I use for Daddy and lots of other things too because when you find a good word you must use it at every possible opportunity!

I am practicing eating. Every day I need more food and I sit in my chair to try the new things that Maman and Daddy bring me. First I take the food and put it down in front of me on the tray just to check that I want to eat it. I always do!

Recently, I have eaten:

• Breakfast – muesli, Wheatabix, bread and butter sometimes with Marmite
• Meat – Pork, beef, chicken, lamb, salami, Ham
• Main dishes – Pasta, rice, omelette, Apple chicken, pizza, chicken, potato and carrot casserole, Turkish carrots mixed with garlic, Thai chicken with vegetables, beef with tomato, courgette and garlic, spaghetti bolognaise, chicken livers
• Fish – cod, tuna
• Vegetables – potatos, asparagus, peas, sweet corn, beetroot, cabbage, tomatos, avocado, cauliflower, cucumber, brocolli, sweet pepper, sugar snap peas, broad beans, green beans, carrots, spinach (if with other food)
• Herbs – Fresh basil, garlic, mixed herbs
• Dairy – Yogurt with honey, fruit yogurt, goat cheese, cheddar cheese, mozarella
• Snacks – Rice cakes, humous, liver pate on toast
• Drinks – Water (mostly), milk, fruit juice
• Sweets – Biscuits, ice cream, chocolate
• Fruit – Apples, pear, cherries, apricots, melon, kiwi fruit, grapes, pineapple, mango, clementines, peaches

….and I especially love bananas. I started eating only a little bit but now I must eat a whole one or I am not satisfied.

Do you think i will get bigger if I eat all this food at one sitting?

Daddy is very silly. He sat me on his lap and fell over…10 times! I love it and never want him to stop.

Daddy says it is very important to see things from a new perspective and he held me upside down. This is brilliant too!

Pippa and Jon bought me these cups for Easter and I played with them today throwing them about.

It is very important to concentrate but it is still lots of fun although I do get distracted by Maman and Daddy and I have to start again.

And sometimes I fall over but that is fun too as long as someone picks me up again.

But the best game is when Maman makes a great big tower and then I knock it down again. Daddy says that this is a classic game for children for many years but it is such a larf!!! 

It was hot again today and we went back into the pool in the garden. Maman and Papa splashed about with me.

Then Maman tried to get me to swim. It was such fun and I love the water.