Pearly White

Ben's first swimming adventure. Loves it! July 21st.

Ben and 2nd-cousin-once-removed Chris at lunch in Victoria. July 23rd.

Mom (and Ben) killing time while in the car line-up for the ferry. These backseat mirrors come highly recommended. July 24th.

On the little Mill Bay car ferry, on our way home from Victoria. July 24th.

Out for a hike in the Morell Nature Sanctuary. July 28th.

Mom used to wear this shirt when she was that little. July 28th.

It has been a tough few nights as Ben's first tooth has errupted, and one more is imminent. Just one of many new experiences since the last entry. While he still has yet to figure out how to roll over onto his back from his stomach (a blessing in disguise), he can last about 30 seconds sitting up on his own. He is also much faster at grabbing things, making it difficult now for Dad to hold Ben at the dinner table and be sure to get an unintercepted forkfull of food. This led us to decide to start him on rather liquid solids yesterday, after 5 days of spoon-feeding prep in the form of breastmilk. Grandma Jane is here for a visit for a couple weeks, perhaps permitting a dinner out for *just* Mom and Dad.

Da Da Da

Reading with Mummy. July 16th.

But the book tastes better than it looks. July 16th.

I'm 5 months old today! July 19th.

My backyard neighbours invited me over for a playdate with their Australian grandson, Aiden, who is just 2 weeks older than I am. July 20th.

Go Jays Go!

We should be updating the blog more often now. New skills daily....few days ago it was the consonant "d." Yesterday it was figuring out how to slowly turn head to sip bath water. He is also getting very good at getting his parents to pick him up. Neatest of all to watch lately though is the beginnings of language acquisition. He understands "diaper," "bath," "milk," and "up."

High Chair

This photo does not do justice to how far up I can lift my head now. But it sure shows off my chunky arms :-) July 12th.

Happy highchair. July 13th.

Imitating Daddy eating. July 13th.

Close to discovering the consonant "L". July 13th.

We go out for a walk every evening, just before bed. July 13th.

We now have a third body at the dinner table. Ben has graduated from the bouncy chair to the highchair, where we're sure this setting is just the beginning for many a messy photo over the next year. Perhaps some Pablum will convince Ben that sleeping through the night is indeed possible. Still another month of exclusive breast milk to go though. (Mom does, however, confess that she fed Ben a tiny piece of her apple a few weeks ago).

Summer Travels - Vancouver

After giving Dad a couple weeks of recovery from work, we headed off to Vancouver this past week to visit Auntie Lisl. Despite the Ontario-like summer weather (not too many people on the West Coast have A/C for the 4 days per year that it tends to get above 30oC), we managed to get out a lot. Partly because the car has A/C. Ben's firsts on this trip included sitting in a high chair, 36.4oC, a picnic on the beach in White Rock, watching Mom try out the $8000 carbon fibre cello that was on display at Long and McQuade, a one-sailing wait at Horseshoe Bay, discovery of the consonant "B," and best of all, a HAIRCUT!

A couple Cool Dudes hanging out at Departure Bay ferry terminal, waiting for our ferry to arrive. July 10.

Ben, in the cafeteria on the ferry, gives Daddy a stern talking to about his dietary choices. July 10th.

The ultimate multi-tasker: sleeping, eating, and getting his hair cut. Granville Island, July 11th.


Ben and Daddy hanging out on the floor of Auntie Lisl's steaming condo. July 11th. (See accompanying video on Facebook).

Tasty Toes

Thanks for the fresh diaper, Daddy. June 24th.

This chair, albeit a different colour (orange??) at the time, has been the backdrop for photos of Daddy and Auntie Lisl when they were babies. Photo taken June 25th.

Out to dinner June 28th, in celebration of Daddy's last day of work.

If I keep this practicing up, in a couple of weeks I'll be sitting up on my own. June 29th.

Here I am in my stroller at the park, waiting for Mommy to get me a Canada Day balloon. Auntie Lisl came for a visit last weekend, and we all went out for a walk along the sea wall where we ran into Canada Day celebrations. July 1st.

Mom will put me down on my Floor Jungle mat and 20 mins later, I'll have turned 270 degrees the other way, largely due to my back-arching capabilities. July 4th.

Ben is very much enjoying having Dad at home all the time, now that the school year is over. His new favourite word is "mmm, mmm, mmm." He has found his toes and has managed to get them into his mouth on occassion. He's also beginning to get more and more interested in what it is Mom and Dad are eating or drinking. One more month until solids!