Marc playing

Decided to upload some pictures of Marc playing...he loves climbing up and down and crawling all over the place, then standing for as long as he can before tumbling down again.

And I've started calling him Mr Moo. He loves every dairy product I've fed him, milk, yoghurt and recently cheddar cheese. He wiped his entire tray clean of the shredded cheese today! We need to move back to Australia or somewhere with cheap dairy products. Or maybe we should live on a farm...

Dear Marc..From Mummy

Dear Marc,

Its been some time since Mummy has written you a letter. The thought of leaving you jogged me again when I saw images of the recent Sichuan earthquake. Many perished and I was moved by stories of babies and children losing their lives, and even more moved by stories of parents and mummies who shielded their babies from danger.

You waved bye bye for the first time last Sunday! Mummy and Daddy were so excited...and Mummy was even more excited that she was around to witness it! By my calculations, I spend a good 10.5 hours away from you during working days. Which means Mummy misses out a whole lot on your life...2 days on the weekends barely makes up for it. I don't suppose you'll really understand how Mummy feels for a long while yet (and even when you become a Daddy, I can assure you Daddies don't feel the same way Mummies do)...so every milestone that is shared is so precious.

Mummy enjoyed being around you 24 hours a day during Church camp. You are full of laughter and you are so active! I'll place my bets on you being a good rugby player next time. Why?
1) You're tall for your age (90th percentile) and fairly heavy (70th percentile)
2) You are SO ROUGH. Knocking your head on walls, headboards and tables are part and parcel of your daily routine. It doesn't seem to bother you much.
3) You have a high pain threshold (see point 2 above)
4) You are so persistent. When you want something, you will not give up till you get it.
5) You have a really strong grip. Even Daddy struggles to pull you free from whatever you are grabbing onto.
I think rugby will suit you just fine. But we should really get some health insurance for your many falls and broken bones.

And you just love MEAT. I know fish doesn't suit your palette, but fish is good for your brains! Daddy is worried that you will become like Mummy - a real foodie who has a preference for good food. :) What can I say, you inherited my good genes! Your all time favourite food is yoghurt. Second comes beef. Third is chicken. Mummy is trying to expand your exposure to different kinds of food. You will try kiwi fruit next.

Based on Mummy's expert assessment (ahem ahem) you are ahead in terms of gross motor skills. You're already cruising and standing quite steadily for a few seconds without support. But the only word you can say is "Ma Ma Ma Ma Mum Mum Mum Mum". At first we thought you were referring to food. But you say that even after food! Then I thought you were referring to me. But you're not always placated after I respond to your calls. So my guess is you're a bit behind on the vocab department. But you'll catch up. :) You've recently learnt how to imitate Mummy's "brr brr" sound, a sound I make with my lips to entertain you when you're bored. The only thing is you end up spitting on everyone and everything in the vicinity...which can be a bit gross...

Mummy is thrilled that you love to spend time with her when she's around. Its amazing how you even know that I'm your Mummy, from the little that you see of me each day. Mummy's prayer for you is to be close to both Mummy and Daddy, to always share with us what's on your mind. We'll try our best to never be judgemental and to allow you to learn and make your own decisions. Most of all, Mummy's prayer is for you to trust in Jesus and love Him! Parents, friends, riches and fame will all fade away - but God is your constant friend and guide.

Till the next letter - love, hugs and kisses, from your biggest fan...Mummy!

9 months already!

I can't believe how quickly time flies. Marc is 9 months old today! Just not too long ago I was sitting at the same laptop, with a considerable distance away from the laptop cos my belly was in the way. Now my boisterous 9-month old sleeps peacefully in his cot...

Talking about sleep, Marc's not been sleeping very well. He wakes up at odd times crying....we've tried letting him cry it out and it helps to a certain extent, but its been dragging on for some time and he hasn't been completely "cured".

We brought him to Church camp and he enjoyed himself. The sleep was lousy, he ended up sleeping with me in my bed which meant neither of us had any decent sleep. But I couldn't possibly use the cry it out technique lest the other hotel guests complain. He swam in the hotel pool, decked out in his surfer dude outfit, sunnies and a cool mushroom float. He didn't like it much, and it didn't help that he was tired and due for his milk at the time. Will have to try again another time.

He was also the centre of attention at playgroup, where he got to sit on the laps of many teenage girls. My parents in law were a great help and I managed to sit down and eat my meals in peace cos they took turns to feed and entertain him.

Marc's able to stand on his own momentarily. He crawls well and is also starting to "cruise" - basically walk around whilst holding onto furniture. His mobility is beyond the benchmark for his age group, but he's slow in other areas like speaking and hand actions (waving bye bye, etc). The Husband says its normal cos Marc's a jock. He's interested in doing things rather than communicating. I suspect he speaks from experience. :)

In 3 months time he'll turn 1!!! Amazing how quickly they grow...