Football Fever

We're so disappointed that we're not going to be in South Africa for the World Cup (especially since a few years ago, when we decided to stay here a bit longer, we thought we would move home in time for the World Cup ... now who knows when that'll be). Our intention is to totally immerse ourselves in the football over the next couple of months even if it is only from a distance.

For starters Nicholas has been going to Fulham Football Club's little kickers program since the beginning of this term. He was a bit apprehensive at first but he soon settled and now enjoys himself thoroughly. Maybe he even shows a bit of promise ...

Daniel also enjoys the outing every saturday as he gets to play with balls on the sideline ...

The history of Daniel's mobility

I started writing this post weeks ago and finally I am ready to publish it. It's all about the history of Daniel's mobility as the title suggests. I wanted a record of it all and I thought it would be a nice way to show some photos. It's long and it contains some cute videos too so get yourself a cuppa and enjoy ...

CRAWLING

When Daniel was about 7 months old he decided that he wanted to be more mobile. The first sign was when he dived forward from sitting onto all fours and pushed himself up from his tummy onto all fours. That was followed by rocking back and forth for a couple of weeks. Soon afterwards he realised that he could actually get around by leopard crawling. He looked so determined as he slithered around at top speed on his tummy.

Here's a video clip taken on the 16th of January
when he first discovered leopard crawling

Just before he was 8 months old it all clicked into place and he figured out the mechanics of proper crawling. It's amazing how quickly these little guys learn a new skill. One day he was still testing the water and the next there was no stopping him as he scuttled around with great excitement chasing after everything in sight. He even did a bit of bear walking at one stage.

Here's a video clip taken on the 9th of February
just after he figured out proper crawling

CRUISING

While he was becoming a pro at crawling he also discovered that he could pull himself up onto anything and everything he could find and by the time he was 9 months old he was happily cruising around holding onto stationary objects.

Here's a video clip taken on the 26th of April
showing him cruising with a bit of dancing thrown into the mix (you'll definitely hear more of this song because my boys LOVE it!)

When we got back to London towards the end of March Daniel was 9.5 months old. With the new territory came new challenges and new toys. He quickly learnt how to climb down stairs backwards and he became more adventurous by holding onto moving objects. He had had loads of fun pushing his different walking toys up and down.

Here's a video clip taken on the 27th of April
of Danny pushing his favourite toy at the time

The next phase was hanging onto people. He loved clinging to my legs irrespective of whether I was stationary or moving, enjoyed holding on to Dad's fingers and walking around but best of all he wanted Nicholas to drag him around.

Here's a video clip taken on the 10th of May
demonstrating his favourite means of getting around at that stage

STANDING

As the days went by he got braver and braver until he eventually started standing unsupported. At first he always had to have something in his hands and when he realised that he wasn't holding on he would pull a funny face and fall down. By the time he was 10 months old he was happily standing up and sitting down all on his own. One thing led to another and before we knew it he started taking his first unaided steps.

Here's a video clip taken on the 9th of May
of Danny standing up and taking one of his first steps

The rest you know already ...

Danny can walk!

Danny has perfected the art of walking over the last two weeks . This must surely be one of the most exciting moments of a baby's development. It's very difficult for a proud mother to pick a single video of this special event so I've selected four video clips that show his rapid progression from 1 or 2 steps to confident walking.

This one was taken a couple of weeks ago when he could only take 1 or 2 steps and still preferred crawling (it also demonstrates the effect that the open door has on him - he loves being outside).


This one was taken last week when he managed to string a few steps together and toppled over a lot (incase you're wondering Nicholas is practicing yoga in the background).


This one was taken a few days ago when he was becoming a bit more sure footed (it's also nice because it shows some of his other skills like waving, clapping, blocking his ears and getting ready to do a bommela).


And this one was taken this afternoon (I love Nicholas' running commentary and encouragement - there's no wonder Danny can already follow a complex set of instructions like climb over the beam, look for airplanes, walk-walk-walk, pick up balls and dunk them!)

Braai

The weather played along so we had a lovely braai on saturday. It was great to catch up with everyone again and to watch the kiddies have fun together. There was even a bit of top quality dancing at one stage. The little ones had some excellent role models to mimic. Not sure if Gary or the kids enjoyed it more!

Friends

Some nights before we go to bed Nicholas likes to ask a series of 'and then' questions about the next day until we've covered everything from sunrise until sunset. Tonight was one of those nights and tomorrow is going to be a busy day so we had a good long discussion about everything we'll do and everyone we'll see. We've invited a few friends over for a braai in the afternoon (the weather promises to be good - 18 degrees with sunny intervals - what is becoming of us!?). Nicholas looked thoughtful for a minute and said Jackson must come too. Probably because he has fond memories of the last time we had a braai with Rebecca and Jackson (in mid March before we left SA). The boys had loads of fun especially feasting on ribs and acting like dinosaurs. Even Daniel joined the chaos. And we loved watching them.

Daniel 11 months old

I can't believe that my sunshine boy is already 11 months old. The last few months have just flown by and he just gets more adorable every day. He has grown into a real character and never ceases to entertain us. There are so many more things I want to tell you about him and a hundred photos I want to share. In the meantime here are a few shots that I took this morning ...

You must admit that he is absolutely gorgeous!

Happy Birthday Noa!

Cousin Noa turned two today! Happy birthday pretty girl! Hope you ate lots of delicious cake and got lots of nice presents! We miss you lots and lots and can't wait to see you again!

One of the sad things about being so far away is that we miss out on sharing special occasions like these with our family. Luckily we managed to spend quite a bit of time with Deano, Janine and Noa while we were in South Africa so the little cousins got to know each other a bit better. It was great watching them have so much fun together!

Noa enjoyed playing with Nicholas

And she gave Daniel lots of love all the time