What makes him smile?

Is it the orange octopus?
Is it mummy's voice?
Is it the football score?
Or could it be his Yaiya and Grandad?

Whatever makes Charlie smile, makes us all smile with him.

Liverpool's Newest Fan

Charlie enjoyed the Liverpool victory over Sunderland this weekend. In particular, he thought that Sissoko showed great determination.

We had many visitors - Yaiya & Grandad, Manfred & Gertie, Amy, Matsmith, Rachel, Fabrizio and Olivia. So, it was a very eventful weekend.

Charlie has made some new discoveries. He licked a piece of pineapple today and seemed to really relish it. He has started efforts to roll himself over from his back. Finally, he tried a door-frame bouncer, which amused him moderately.

We've taken lots of video footage recently, but until I can sift through it, here are some photos from yesterday, including a close-up of a bee for good measure. (Thanks to dad for his photographic contributions).

Latest weight is 16lb 9oz.

Fun time and latest weight

I haven't posted any video footage for a while, so I've added a short clip below from earlier today, showing Charlie enjoying some fun time with Mummy and Daddy. He laughs all the time. Either he is easily amused, or we are very funny looking parents.

Warning - if you suffer from sea sickness, do not watch!

Latest weight is 16lb 5oz. A gain of 9oz since last week.

Bookworm

For several weeks we have been reading to Charlie as part of his bedtime routine. Usually he wouldn't pay much attention to the book and preferred to gaze around the room. Yesterday however, he suddenly took a major interest in the books and has started to hold the book, stroke the "Touchy Feely" pages and even turn the pages (accidentally?).

On his current reading list are:




If I had to guess his favourite, I would say it is the tractor one because he gets most excited by the tractors!

We measured his height today. He is 65cm tall which is 91st percentile, like his weight. He has put on 1cm per week over the last 7 weeks. If this trend continues, he will be roughly 15 metres tall when he is my age.

The last few days have also seen some development in Charlie's verbal communication. One of the books says that he will start experimenting with volume and pitch. He has certainly started doing that. He is continuously making sounds from low level gurgles to loud high pitch squeals.

Hand-eye coordination is also noticeably improved. Now Charlie is able to open his hand, reach for a toy (or spectacles) and then hold on to it for a few minutes.

The Water Baby

Today Lindsay took Charlie swimming for the first time, with his cousins Oscar and Summer. He really enjoyed it and lasted a full 30 minutes without complaining. He has a massive inflatable seat, and tiny swimming trunks.

Latest weight is 15lb 12oz which is still the 91st percentile (like his dad).

Pictures below from swimming, some cousin Helena took after the baptism and finally Lindsay Simpson:

Jabs 4 Babs

Charlie had his 2nd set of vaccinations today. It must be a hard job for the nurse, making a little baby cry so much. It's easy to forget that they are done for a good reason.

We hope that we can take Charlie to the cinema soon to see the Simpsons Movie. In the meantime, I've created a Simpsons character of myself. Thanks to Alex for the idea. (link)

Llama portrait photography

Today we made the most of the reasonable weather by taking a picnic to Hatton Country World with Paul, Gem, Oscar and Summer. This also gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to take some close-up llama photography. Apparently the llama in the photo is called Boris and he had adopted a minature goat, over which he is very protective.

Charlie's latest weight is 15lb 5oz, although he would be 18lb if he only dribbled half as much.

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