Of Babiez, Boyz, and Gorillaz

It has been a while since our last post, but I have recently resolved to stop apologizing for our lengthy posting gaps.  It seems silly to open every post with an apology when going 6 weeks between posts is obviously the new norm.

Anyway, the last time we checked in, the MVP had just taken his very first steps.  Because he lacks common sense and doesn't mind falling, that has advanced fairly quickly to near running, climbing, and "fake jumping" where he tries to imitate a jumping motion but his feet never leave the ground.  Here are some other things the MVP has recently done:

 - sign, especially "more" and "dog"

 - sing, or at least grunting to the tune and rhythm of "the wheels on the bus"

 - talking, especially "dog" and "balloon"

 - feed himself with a spoon, much to our benefit

 - in succession: use a nursing stool to climb on a rocking chair, use the recline feature of said rocking chair to create a ramp, use the rocking motion to push the ramp to the window sill, and climb the ramp to the window sill before his mother intervened

 - basketball polo, where he shoots a basketball into a hoop while atop a rocking horse (I am not making this up)

There is much more catching up to do, but I think the pictures and video will tell much of the story.

Wut?

Hands-off, Grandad!

Daddy's new toy!

"I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free.  But those people keep a-moving, and that's what tortures meeeeee."

And here's a lengthy (3.5 min) video that brings us up to date on 2011 so far:

3 months in 3 minutes

In other news, we finally made it down to San Diego, and took the MVP and his cousin to the zoo.  I'll spare you the details but say that it takes some logistical doing to pull off a stunt like that.  Well worth it - I think we'll do it again, incorporating lessons learned.  By the way, the best place to put a baby to sleep at the zoo is by the waterfall near the gorillas - instant white noise!

The boys take in the big birds with ALL FIVE senses.

Sneering at the photographer

Tuckered out and white-noised.

Fishies!

This is how you get a baby to say "peacock".

Cousins at the zoo

And cousin Lias isn't the only one MVP has been hanging out with these days - he and Oli are starting a boy band that Oli's dad (the famed author, film director and future boy band producer) has dubbed "Babiez to Boyz".

Ain't no party like an Oak Knoll party