Park, Park, Park & Park

On days when C isn't going to school (when we would all leave together), he and Bells will wave good-bye to me when I go. (Taken with my Sony Ericsson 7501 phone)

C made the social rounds today. We yelped and played with best mate Rubert. We toured the re-decorated flat where C spent the first 9 months of his life. And we finished with tea with his godfather Andy. Of course, he needed to look his Sunday best for the occasion.

We were out for a short hike in Wimbledon Common today. C had on his Artic Tundra Full Weather Repellent fur lined birthday gift from Godfather Worth. He was snug as a bug in a rug.

Our very good friend Philipp came over for dinner last night. He was in London for a few days, and headed back home to Hamburg today. We had a fantastic meal (and some very good Chilean wines) with a side dish of great conversation. Here he is with C just before bedtime.

C had never really experienced a rain shower- you know, standing in the middle of it and feeling the rain on your face. So, we did that today. Although this picture doesn't show it, he did smile and enjoy it.

Weight: 20 pounds Height: 2 foot, 7 inches

Look out! Charging baby!

A weekend of long walks - in Bushey Park, and at Black Down on the South Downs. After Bushey Park, we stopped off to see LM and Ben. LM couldn't get over how much C now looks like Bella's father Michael Wigan. We think she's right.

We had Bella's Godmother Georgie and her family over for Sunday Lunch today. C napped while we ate a fabulous beef roast. As a bit of post-roast exercise, we all took a lap around Wimbledon Common.

Here is C with his new favourite toy- a little cart which carries blocks (on loan from a very generous friend). He also is working on his Latin (or is it Greek?).

On Saturday, we went to a birthday party. Christian's friend, Rupert, celebrated his first birthday. Here he his riding his trike, given by doting grandparents. Don't tell Christian but his grandparents in America might be giving him a trike like this for his birthday too!

Here's our little lumber jack! Taken in Hyde Park last week-end.  

Jack and I met in my old neighborhood today for a couple of pints on a sunny day. It was C's first outing to my old local- the stag night location and a few other memorable times.

C helped me over the week-end with our first Father-Son workshop project. We built a simple wine rack, with a bit of wood, glue and a hammer. Lots of pounding and chewing on dowels. And then... a finished product, which C handily displays (but will not use).

Grandma and Grand-dad are upstairs packing. They fly back to the States early tomorrow morning, after a really enjoyable two week stay with us. So, as a last treat for everyone involved, they read C a story tonight after bathtime.

The Champ took his first tentative steps yesterday with Bella. Hopefully, we'll have some video evidence some time soon.

My parents arrived earlier this week for a two week tour of Southfields. Michael came to lunch on Thursday, and Bella took this. C was very impressed to have the attention of both Grandpa (Wigan) and Grand-Dad (Park).

And refreshed. All three of us had a lovely time, although the small one had a ear infection for a couple of days. It didn't slow C down out at the pool though.

We're off on a vacation to Portugal for a week. I take no responsibility for any pictures that find their way to this blog in the next 7 days.

Here's a good one from the festivities last week-end.

I just put some recent photos into Flickr. Just click on the tile to see them all in big size.

Uncle Adrian spent some time over the weekend teaching C the finer points of Cricket. Adrian is a keen cricketer, and his skill helped him learn to hit a baseball pretty easily while he was in Canada. This puts C in a good position to learn both National Sports.

This is the first picture of C standing un-aided. He's looking quite dashing in his jacket, and I, of course, held his cocktail while he asked the ladies to dance.

Our friends Katrina and Edward gave us some beautiful 1920s-style 'bowl' champagne glasses as a housewarming present. And here is Nettie, complete with 'flapper hairstyle', looking very sophisticated and trying one out.

Idoia and Inigo, our friends from San Sebastian in the Basque Country, came over to London last weekend. Last time (in February) they brought their daughter Laia. This time they brought two other couples and we had a very jolly pub lunch at the Earl Spencer, Adam's new local. Here we all are outside our new house.

Alex and Mila, old friends of mine (Bella's) when I lived in Spain were over in England last week, and came to say 'hola'. Their little boy Daniel (aged 3) opted for an afternoon siesta, and Christian kindly lent him his pram.

On Friday, we went for' gouter' or 'tea' with one of our NCT friends, Claire Maxey and her baby Amelie. Claire is half French and is bringing Amelie up as a little French girl. While C munched on peas and rice, Amelie had something un peu plus exotique.

Daddy runs home from work most evenings and reads to C and gives him his bath. Here are the two of them just before bathtime. C is sucking a Christmas penguin given to him by Grandpa Wigan.

A little out of date, this, but two days after we moved in, we took a day off from unpacking and went to Goodwood (the races) with Christian's godfather Andy and his girlfriend Sophie. Here are A and C decked out in their finery. The racecourse had a creche so we left C for a few hours - a good lesson in independence for us as well as him. Horses are featuring quite a lot in C's life lately. Katrina has lent him a 'horse' walking trolley which he pushes back and forth on the ground floor of his new house.

C is happily ensconced in his new home now. He's got his own room, plenty of crawl space, and a school right across the street. The neighbors seem friendly also. A few final touches still needed, like internet access (at the local Starbucks now). That should be sorted later this week, so normal posting will resume then.

Well, the move was successful for the most part. No broken stuff, and C enjoys his new-found BIG bedroom. Much room for toys and crawling. Unfortunately, no internet at home yet though. May take a week or two. So posts may be a bit sporadic until then.

C now has his own Amazon Wish List . Good stuff- ranges from classic Maurice Sendac to Czech graphic designers from the 1960's. Just click on the link to the right.

Bella, C and I spent Sunday morning walking through South Ken, Little Boltons and Earls Court. We even stopped for coffee and newspapers at our favorite little French place- where we went on a very early date back in the summer of 2002. Just soaking up the last bit of time in our soon-to-be Old Stomping Grounds. And then in the evening, a little impromptu to drinks party at the Flat- to finish things off. C was a gentleman throughout.

C enlisted a bit of a star helper for his packing. The important stuff is ready to go to Southfields now.

This will be the last week-end in the Flat where Bella and I met, and C spent his first several months. I'll try and get some pictures- maybe even video- up of the last days. We're moving to Southfields- an area just south of the Thames, but still within Tube distance. If you'd like the new address, just email Bella or I. Many, many fond memories...

As C can pull himself up to things, he can now find objects. Here he's found a big Teddy Dog- a gift from my college roommate. Mark are you paying attention?

We took this last week in the living room. This could be some of the last footage in C's first home- we move next week. He's thinking he may drive himself to the next house.

We spent this past week-end down in Brighton with good friends Katrina and Edward. The boys had a ball together. Rupert is just a bit older than C.

Click the white triangle at the bottom of the screen.

Just a little snippet of C learning to stand up on his own.

Our little champ was weighed and measured a couple of days ago. He's still very tall for his age (a massive 2 foot 4), which puts him in the 91st percentile. And he weighs in at just under 20 poounds (55th percentile). So he's tall and thin. Here he is exploring the kitchen.

I've uploaded three new pictures to flickr. Frankly, they're very sweet, very good- one in the bath, one at Hyde Park, one at home. Just click on the logo at the right on the top of the picture tile and you'll see them all.

Here's a bit of crawling video. Just click the white triangle at the bottom to play.

Philipp, our very good friend in Hamburg, has commented that this blog is a bit like a soap opera- various installments with a dramatic element. So, today's installment shows C balancing himself on the secretary. A dramatic element because 50% of the time he ends up back on the floor with a bump to the head.

C eats well- a great variety of food and he's not picky. His is, however, very enthusiastic for his meals!

We spent a lot of time over the weekend playing Peekaboo! Not sure whether he was pretending to hide at this point - or whether he was just trying to look cute - but we had a lot of fun pretending.

Rupert and C are best mates. They play at the park together (see above) and are the only two who don't cry at swim lessons. Today, they worked their magic at the local fete- The Church of the Boltons Summer Fayre. The associated parents just drank a bit of Pimms.

I've uploaded some new pictures into Flickr. Just click on the flickr logo for a slide show.

C, the little whippersnapper, took it upon himself to create a HAPPY FATHERS DAY video for both of the grandfathers. He single-handedly created the props, set, directed the takes, read several books on "method acting" prior to a rigorous shooting schedule, and finally contracted out the voice over. The only payment he wanted was full rights to thoroughly gum the prop after shooting. Our love to the respective fathers.

This snippit was taken with our camera. Just click the white triangle at the bottom. This also includes the famous Eton Toy from an earlier post.

Here's a test of our first video. This was taken with my phone just yesterday. If this works, then there's more where that came from...

Few foodstuffs provide all-over body covering like fish pie. After this feed, not only did I wash his hands and face, I also stripped him down (incoluding his nappy) and gave him a shower.

Ever since he's got more mobile on his stomach, he has asked to be walked around more too. Here he is with Mummy.

He's started to go forward a lot more confidently now on his stomach. He still needs a bit of encouragement, and can get a touch frustrated, but he's getting there. Here he is on his way across to the carpet.

When you're trying to figure out how to combat-crawl, you don't want to get backed into a corner. Here's the boy under the desk in our sitting-room. He also had a go at some bottom-shuffing today as well, but ended up going in circles. Very frustrating being six and a half months old.

I came home today to the thick smell of creamed fish. C has started on proteins, and Bells has obliged with chicken and now a fish puree. Bells has fed him a pretty wide variety of fruit and veg. So far, corgette, cheese and leak mash is a big hit. And, separately, mango mash. It's a bit early for the "Two bites before a no thank you" rule, but we'll see how the fish mash goes down soon.

In this shot, Bell's resourcefulness is fully on display. C showed a great deal of interest in a cardboard tube with a wooden toy clamped to the end. It's ideas like this that will allow us to save the funds to send C to Eton... At £23,000 pounds per year.

Here's a shot of C's newest interest. It's got alot of things to pull, makes a few noises and is stuffed with fluff. Kind of like his Dad.

Following still on from past proportion installments, here is an update of the growth. My hand, C's hand:

In the spirit of equality and balance between the American and British, C received a blessing today at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. The Canon-in-residence Lucy Winkett gave Bella and I a wedding blessing back in 2004, and we thought it would do well to have C blessed by the Anglican church. As you can see, Michael and Helen (Grandpa and Granny) joined us for the special ceremony. Of course, C was well behaved.

The good news: Bella and C arrived back in London Friday. It was great to nip out of work early and spend some time together laughing and playing. The bad news: C didn't seem to adjust to the jetlag well last night. He went on a couple of nighttime crying jags, which cuddling, soothing or drugs would not stop. Like a massive forest fire, we just had to let him burn himself out. He's in perfect, well-rested form this morning though.

Before I left Chicago, Bells suggested that take full advantage of the garden when I got back. Just sit under the lilac flowers and read, she said. Well, I did. And now I'm updating the blog from underneath the lilacs. It's been a beautiful day here in London, so I'm having a pint and missing my family. Wish you were here.

As Dad and I (and some special others) have done for 30 years (only missing a few), we went to a small town south of Chicago, to a little bar, drank mint juleps and watched the Kentucky Derby horse race. This year, we brought C for his first of many more to come.

On my way back to London (at OHare Airport as I write): We celebrated Mothers Day in the States today since we wouldn't all be together on the traditional day next week-end. It was truly fantastic to have the whole family together just before I left.

I've uploaded some fresh pictures into Flickr. Just click on the tile of pictures on the right hand side of the page, and then you'll get a slide show.

Bella and C attended their first Baseball game on Tuesday. The Chicago Cubs played the Pittsburg Pirates on a beauitful, sunny day. We all sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch- a solid American tradition.

C took to the water perfectly. The Christening went without a hitch, no crying, no fussing. He now has official Godparents who are Lutheran, Anglican and Dutch Reformist (and was baptized in an Episcopal church). C acted as the parcel in a game of "pass the parcel" at the party afterwards, and handled that diplomatically after his nap.

We arrived. C arrived in style. Bella changed C into his Chicago Cubs baseball team outfit before we landed. He wore his team colors well, right through US Immigration (first stamp in his US Passport- 28 April 2006; O'Hare Airport). I had a picture on my phone but seem to have lost it. More to come- we'll actually be at his first baseball game on Tuesday, rain or shine. All three of us are adjusting to the jetlag: C is still on London time. 3am - He wants to eat...

We're off later today for Chicago. This will be C's first flight, and his first opportunity to put his American passport to use. Posts may be a bit sporadic over the next week, but hopefully technology will work in our favor, and we'll get some good pictures of the States up.

This is Rupert, Christian's buddy, taking his first crawls last week. Rupert is a month older than C and already on the move. We haven't even THOUGHT about baby-proofing. R is C's swimming buddy and the two boys had a great time at the swimming pool on Monday.

C will have his first swim lesson on Monday, so we needed to try on his swim suit this week-end. Great Aunt Nettie was gracious enough to help out the little trooper. Thanks to Grandma Park for the outfit. If this works, he starts surfing lessons on the Devon coast at 3 years old.