wow I have been busy. I went to Namibia flyfishing for yellowfish on the Orange river. We had a great weekend. Dad got a puncture in the new car . No sooner were we back and we went to Struis baai with Piet for the weekend . Georg, Kami , Sunil and his family were all there as well. Dad caught a small sandshark.

We have just got back from 2 weeks in the eastern cape . We spent some time at St Francis Bay and also went through to Port Elizabeth. I am now almost able to run. Stairs are no longer a problem and I am starting to try them forwards instead of backwards! I now try to feed myself with a fork. Very messy! I had a great time at the sea. Mom caught me trying to eat the little creatures in the rock pools , also licking everything due to the salty taste. I had a great time with trevor and craig's children especially Christie and Kelsey. I am 13.5 months old and weigh 12.8 kg. I discovered lots of new foods on holiday including tomatoes , popcorn, lentils ,kidney beans ,prawns and calamari. As you can see I had a big Pooh Bear birthday cake. Mom and dad taught me how to blow out the candle 2 weeks before.

It is 5 days before my birthday. My 5th tooth has finally popped out. Mom has a new car and now I can see much better when we go for a drive as I am higher up. Unfortunately the throb from the diesel engine usually puts me to sleep almost immediately. Smimming lessons are now twice a week and soon I am going to go to Moms and Tots so I can start enrolling members for my gang! We went to visit Ouma and Oupa and saw the snow on the mountains . Brrrr cold.

I am 4 days short of 11.5 months . I weigh 11.5 kg still. I am walking independantly and brush away any offered assistance. I received my first bit of mail 2 days ago from cousin billy ,aunty Yvonne and uncle Tim. I have taken to hiding things under the couches , beds and my cot. Daddy is always finding either a dummy or a comb etc hidden away for later . I like to stand up in the bath now . I have started eating scrambled eggs and like them with tomato sauce. Toast and Marmite is nice , but cheese is still my favourite.

In 5 weeks time I will be 1 year old! I am helping my parents undress myself before bathtime. I have started walking short distances unaided and cruise around easily holding on to furniture and walls etc.I still prefer to crawl as my primary means of locomotion. I went to my first children's birthday party on Sunday, Alec who turned 2 years old. I have never seen so many small people like myself before in one place! I have been bumping my head a lot as I am quite adventurous and don't listen to my parents when they warn me not to try and support my body weight from curtains that move! I am eating pear, oranges and like lemons as well. I got a sucker at the birthday party which was very nice. It was even nicer when dad took the wrapper off! I still like cheese a lot .

I am now just over 10.5 months old. I have started to walk short distances (about 1-2m) unaided, usually from mom to dad or vice versa. The first night I discovered I could do this i nearly went hysterical. It was just before bedtime and mommy needed about 1.5 extra hours to put me to sleep ,I was so excited. Swimming is fun . I went with dad yesterday and got dunked under the water 3 times. I dont play with my bath toys anymore but prefer the shampoo and bubblebath bottles now. I don't sit still in bath anymore but like to turn and stand up etc. I met Klara van de Velde who is 2 weeks older than me last weekend. She seems nice. Went to mom's old workplace today and met all her old friends. I like cruisung around the coffee table . I play with the lemons that I also like to eat ( I don't care for oranges). I love pulling down all the washing off the dryer. I like to eat bark and sometimes manage to keep the same piece in my mouth all day despite the best efforts of my parents. Breakfast this morning was French toast, some cereal and cheddar cheese, rounded off with a little tea. I prefer Rooibos. Biltong is also very good.

Sorry , you can make that 4 teeth now. The top right one is now showing as well.

I have popped out a top tooth in the last week! On the left. Went for swimming yesterday and had great fun . Made quite a hit with the instructor who took me for an extra turn at floating . Dad was working so could not come along. I recently started playing hide and seek with mom. Today I am 10 months and 1 week old . Weigh just under 12 kg. I am now very mobile, crawl , pull myself up to standing, walk if I have a finger to hold onto. Very active in the bath now, dont just sit still any more. I can now get over the ridge at the back door with my little buggy/walking ring but only oneway ie outwards. Need help to get back inside still.Like playing with dad's spinners and poppers ( hooks removed fortunately). Mom bought me a miniature broom which I love playing with .