Going to the Zoo!

My Momma took me to the Zoo! We had a grand old time together with Stephanie and her daugher McKenzie. Stephanie took these pictures... thank you!!!!!


Here I am looking at the elephants. They are sooooooooo big!

After seeing the elephants, I got to watch McKenzie feed the ducks. All those ducks, and all that quacking! I got really excited!
This is the old grampa monkey. When we walked by, he tapped the window to get my attention. What a strange animal! Not quite as strange as the old great-grampa monkey.... he didn't harldy have any hair!


I also got to see the lions. One of the males was roaring, and that scared me. But I didn't cry, I just almost did. Then my Momma showed me how to roar back, and then it was fun.

Here we are in the petting zoo. When we went in there, all the goats came running towards us! They licked my hands, and even my face, until my Momma pushed them away a bit. No idea why she minded. It was fun grabbing their fur. One of the babies ate a cracker out of McKenzie's stroller. The goat in this picture is pregnant with twins!

Here I am befriending two of the goats. My Momma is holding my hand, because I kept trying to grab the goats' wet noses. I wonder why she didn't want me to?

Play -Eat -Sleep -Play

Why hello there! Welcome to the newest edition of ME! This is my toy basket...

...and it is great fun to fish in it! I toppled into it a few times before I learned to bend my knees when I go fishing... which resulted in me being stuck, head first, legs sticking out kicking. Thankfully, my Momma rescued me each time.

My Momma and Dad put this playpen in the living room specially for the kitty to sleep in. Yeah. Those big meanies. When he is in there, I can't get at him! Grrrrr....

...that doesn't keep me from shreeking at the kitty: "Gkeeh!" and trying to reach in to pull his ears.... my Dad is very jealous that my first word is not "Dada" ...I have been saying "Gkeeh!" consistently now for a while. I say "Dadadadada" and "Mamamamama" but mostly just because I like the sound of it.

Sometimes when my Dad is at work, and my Momma needs to take a shower (pew!) she puts ME in the kitty's play pen. Weird, isn't she?

I played and played and played... time for a nap! Maybe my Momma will take a nap too?

Climbing!!!!

So this whole standing thing is really fun! I like it so much that my Momma has to give me my bath while I stand up... none of that silly lying down nonsense!

My Momma has been pretty busy lately with her graduate class... sheesh! All that reading and writing papers... but I was a good boy and let her work.

Oh yeah. And I used the time to learn to climb onto the stairs in front of the fireplace. You can imagine, my Momma was delighted. So delighted that she took away all the plants and decorations that were on the upper step! Boy was she surprised when I did it the first time! She went into the kitchen while I was peacefully playing on the livingroom floor, and came back to see me crawling along the length of the first step, following the kitty! So far I have managed not to fall off.

I am liking this whole "having teeth" part of life. These things are great! I can gnaw on dried breadcrusts, I can gnaw on the kitty's paws, and I can even leave my mark on the furniture now!

Alright, my Momma is talking about putting me down for my nap now. Gotta go!

8-month check-up

Today Mark had his 8-month check-up (a little late), and was pronounced, yet again, a big, healthy, happy boy. He "delighted" the waiting room with a long monologue of LOUD "Eidileidileidileidileidi! Bvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv (rasberry)! Bwabwabwabwabwa! Yayayahhh! Hahahaaah!" ...it made people laugh.

He is now 30.5 inches (77.5cm)"tall", and weighs 20.5lbs (9560g) - this means that he grew quite a bit in length, but has only gained about a lb in 2 months. I was a tiny bit worried at this. But the doctor said that this was nothing to worry about, since Mark is such an active baby, and because he did grow in length, if not in weight.

Please admire Mark's 3 teeth, 2 on the bottom, 1 on the top! The 4th one (top middle) broke out of the gum last night. And yes, that is my soggy sock Mark was just chewing on...


That's it for now, folks, cuz I gotta get back to writing my paper!

...back after a wonderful month in the USA!

So this last month has been full of amazing and fun experiences!
My Momma and Dad took me to the USA, where we spent a wonderful time with family and friends. Thank you to everybody who opened their home to us... and we look forward to seeing all of you again!



My Dad got to perform the honor of letting my little bare feet touch American Soil for the first time... my comment: chilly!



This month has brought a lot of changes: on Feb 17th, I got my first tooth, followed a few days later by my second tooth (both on the bottom in the middle). The third tooth is poking through on one corner on the top. Don't put your finger in my mouth! I will BITE!



I am better at sitting, but still not interested in STAYING sitting. During the last week of Febuary, I became interested in pulling myself up on things. I wasn't very good at it then, but by the time I was back here in Germany, I was really good at it! (Which forced my Momma and Dad to spend all of Saturday babyproofing the house!) I pull up on the couch, the stairs, my crib, the bed, legs, or pretty much anything I can find. Now I can even walk along the length of the couch while holding on for balance. The only problem is that I have not yet figured out how to get down by myself. This is especially frustrating when I am in my crib, and really just want to sleep... but I will learn soon.

Feeding myself crackers and toasted oats (kind of like unsweetened cherios) is one of my new skills too. I like offering other people my food, but so far my Momma and my Dad were the only takers.




Well, that's it for now... but there will be more pictures soon!

...walkin' in a winter wonderland...

So this post isn't exactly about Mark... but Ben, Mark, and I went on a short weekend get-away to Garmisch (which is in the German Alps), and I thought you might enjoy seing some pictures!

We got lots of rest together, despite some nights during which Mark decided he needed to eat every 2-3 hours. We enjoyed the delicious German breakfast, took naps, went swimming, had coffee and cake in a German cafe, and hiked in the snow together. We walked around the Eibsee, which is a beautiful mountain lake at the foot of the Zugspitze. See for yourself how gorgeous it was...

We were there with Ben's Dad, Larry, in October 2005 (when I was pregnant with Mark already, but didn't know it yet!). That time it was Autumn, with bright yellow leaves and turquoise water.

This time it had snowed quite a bit, but it wasn't too windy, so the hike was pleasant. It took about 2.5 hours, and was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! Mark slept most of the time, bundled in a snow suit, and tied onto Ben's tummy. Anyway. Here are some pictures I took while we hiked.


I like how the snowy branches frame this view of the lake.

I think I will watercolor this picture...

Ben especially liked this view, with the sun glinting on the water through the clouds.

Mark is almost too heavy for me to carry him like this for
very long... but Ben didn't mind one bit, and Mark loved it!

All the pictures were taken in color... they look black-and-white though!

Here is the view from the highest point of the hike.

Getting into EVERYTHING

Why hello there! Uhm, yeah. I am helping my Momma clean. That is my story, and I am sticking to it!

My Momma hasn't had time to take a lot of pictures, among other things because she is busy keeping me out of trouble! Yes Sir! I have reached that age! To get an idea of how fast I can scoot/crawl now, I got from one end of the room (where my Momma had put me and my toys) to the other end (where there was a very interesting trash can filled with all sorts of goodies!) in the time it took my Momma to load and start the washing machine today.
I have also learned the valuable skill of "fishing." Possible locations to apply this skill are: the top of the couch while lying on the floor, underneath the couch, anything behind a person's shoulder while they are holding me and not paying attention (several plants on various window sills have found a fast demise this way), my Momma's backpack that she left open (which I understand as an invitation), or any other place I can reach into where I am not sure in advance what my grabby little hands will find! Another method of "fishing" is to pull on any cable I find, and see what is on the other end! Most educating!

That's right. I found my Dad's hiking stick. How do you like my pole-jumping pose?

That's it for now. I got tired of chewing on my Momma's (freshly showered) big toe, and am now unfolding the laundry she folded a few minutes ago...

Being a Marsupial

Sorry that it has been a while since the last post... my Momma and Dad have been busy! Last weekend, we were on a mini-vacation with some friends in Bad Herrenalb in the Black Forest! We all (9 of us) stayed in a cute bead-and-breakfast type place, and relaxed, hiked, went swimming, ate good food and enjoyed the time together. On our hike, my Dad got to carry me in my Mayan wrap for the first time! I loved it! It wasn't as soft and cuddly as when my Momma carries me... (my Dad has rock-hard abs) but I was waaaaaayyy high in the air! And I got a good-sized nap, too.

In this picture you only see my hat... I am fast asleep. My Dad is making a silly face because he doesn't like posing for pictures.

This is me chilling out with Dad after my nap. My Momma thought Dad looked funny with a rucksack on his back, and me on his front. Nothing funny about that. I thought it was JUST RIGHT!

This is me getting dedicated at church on January 7.

Oh yeah. And this is me flirting with my Momma. Right after this, she tried to video me flirting and being cute. Instead she got a video of me spitting up on the rug and slapping my hand in it! Haha! I am definitely my father's son! (He has never spit up on video, but he enjoys foiling my Momma's attempts to get nice pictures of him). Yeah, I know. My smile is still toothless. Haven't felt any teething pains in a while, maybe I won't ever get teeth? My Momma sure doesn't mind, at least as long as she is nursing me...!

More about the "Gkeeh" and me!

So I still am not able to sit without holding on to something... the doctor said this is nothing to worry about; that this is because I am so tall, so my torso is long, and with my heavy head on top, it is more difficult for me to balance! Also, because I love moving/wiggling/scooting/rolling around so much, the doctor said that I am probably just not interested in sitting still.

BUT in further news, my Momma and Dad are pretty sure that I now have a first word. Yes, I know. This is early. And guess what the word is? It is "Gkeeh!" ...which I say again and again when the kitty is in view. I wave my little arms towards him and say "Gkeeh!" At first my Momma thought that this must just be a coincidence. But it has happened often enough now that they think I am intentionally saying it.

I love the kitty, and he loves me. Playing with him is almost as fun as playing with my Dad or my Momma!

Here I am touching the tips of his whiskers. It makes him shake is head and sneeze.

Kisses anyone? Ohhhhhh, yummy! Kitty fuzz! Yep, yep, I love our "Gkeeh!"

Crawl - Roll - Scoot - Roll - Scoot

My little world is expanding! My Momma has given up putting a blanket down for me to play on... because it only takes me a few moments to roll, scoot, or CRAWL off of it! I am still not very good at crawling... I can get my tummy and butt off of the ground and into the crawling position, but I usually only go about two crawl-steps before collapsing back onto the ground. At the very least, this gets me to move forward though!
I am getting very creative: if I see a toy that is out of my reach, I first try to stretch and reach it. If I can't, I get it by a combination of rolling, scooting, and my brand-new crawling skills. This is fun!
Hi! You were calling my name? Sure, I will smile!
Ooooooooh... I know these two people! I am getting better at turning the pages. I don't have to just wave the book around to have the pictures change. Sometimes it is upside-down, but that doesn't bother me.
Of course I haven't forgotten that books continue to be delicious.
Quick! Take a picture before I collapse!
Yep, I am definitely my Dad's son... this mouse is one of my favorite toys!

My Kitty-friend Merlin

Well, first a short update from the food-sector: I have decided that I really LIKE eating "real" food for lunch! My current favorite is mashed rice with carrots or pumpkin. I eat TWO portions worth of it, and am then so full that my Momma doesn't even have to nurse me at lunch anymore! When I see my Momma mixing my food, I make little fish-mouth movements, and let her know I am happy by waving my arms and laughing. I have tried some noodles, and nibbled on some stale bread crust, too.


So here I am in my baby bouncer, which my Momma or Dad put me into to feed me, because I can't sit up yet on my own. I have already eaten, and as soon as my Dad finished feeding me, the kitty plopped down where he had sat. Oh boy, do I love the kitty! Whenever he comes near me, I get excited and laugh, and I like watching him... but nothing is quite as fun as cuddling him!

When I am feeling cuddly, I rub my head on people. Well, when I rub my head on the kitty, he rubs back! My Momma sometimes has to get fuzz out of my mouth afterwards... but that doesn't stop me from trying to lick him...
Uh oh. All this grabbing the kitty's belly fur might not be such a good idea afterall. Look at my hands. They are furry! Am I turning into a kitty, too?

Oh, he is soooooo soft... *grab*
*giggle* Heheh, that tickles! Stop licking my forehead, kitty!



Well, that's it for today, folks! Hope you have all had a good start into the year of 2007!!!