I left Markus lying on Owen’s mattress (it’s on the floor) and when I returned he was sitting up on the floor. He has also been able to get in the crawling position from his belly. He tried to crawl but only managed to move one knee a few millimeters. He is cruising with minimal help and working hard to get to it on his own. We are still doing his physio exercises though his neck is still weak on one side. He is super smiley and I often get stopped on the street by people he was smiling at. Lately he has been falling asleep in the backpack so I am able to take nice walks while he is resting. Markus can now say Barbara (well, more like ba-ba-boo, but definitely sounding like Barbara). I have also heard him say banana.

Trevor has been working on his drawings. This is quite surprising to me as I had pretty much given up on him drawing anything with much interest. He is still working on his Solar System opus but is also developing the trains and cars portfolio. Trev is still not speaking Croatian but has improved his ability to ask a short question if he really wants something. For example, when I come to pick him up from daycare, he asks the teacher for his drawings by saying “Molim slicica”.

Owen is still a handful, but is improving. He has come to term with the knowledge that he can only eat a little bit of chocolate every day. Today he ate a plate full of papalines (sardine like fish). He has some cute games like pretending his kinderegg egg shell is an x-ray machine in which he can take x-rays of little toy’s bones. He is also super happy about bath time. Lately he lets the water out and plays in the suds. Here is a block structure he made:

Owen is going through a slightly rowdy phase and is questioning our authority. He has decided that his diet should consist of chocolate eggs. Chocolate cake is ok as substitute. Certain level of conflict ensues. He has made lots of friends at the daycare when he is not chasing around with Trev. He is observing and copying Trev and when Trev is not around, he quietly plays with his toys. We have been able to go to the parks and his climbing skills make him the star of the playground. Here is a park based conversation:
O: “ljuljic!”
AB: “ljuljacka”
O: “ljuckacka!”

Markus has been developing at a crazy rate. His favourite new game is dropping a spoon and picking it up. Yes, his favourite toy in the whole wide world is a spoon. He loves standing though he can’t yet do it independently. He can say mama and boob. He can also spit which amuses him very much.

Fritula : beaver tails ball

Markus is so over sitting down. He wants to stand and balance all the time. He is still super smiley and wants everyone’s attention. He was not too fond of oatmeal but he loves blueberries. We are still doing physio for his neck and there is improvement but still a lot of work to do. A neurologist checked him also and said that his hear was interesting but everything is as it should be and helmet would only be for cosmetic purposes. We decided not to get him a helmet at this time. I think it’s a right decision. I still hope that his head shape will improve over time. Despite his funny head, both of his older brothers think Markus is the cutest baby in the World.

Conversations with Trevor are becoming more interesting. He is now interested in mining. For bed time reading tonight, Chris read him a book about oceans and explained erosion concepts. Yesterday I explained to him the concept of infinity.

Can you tell who is excited about our upcoming trip?

Owen has a new favourite toy:

It is a reader helper he calls Piku-tiku. Why? I don’t know. We put up the trampoline the other day and Owen loves it. His favourite book right now is “How do dinosaurs clean their rooms?”.

Markus, meanwhile, has started eating carrots.

And prime time:

or even…

Just in case the height of the crib rail does not give you a hint of how huge this baby is, here is a photo of Trev at my office Christmas party two months before his second birthday wearing the same shirt:

of Trevor when he had just started to sit

or Owen at the same point.

I was not as successful, alas. I am a week too late and dirty socks, shirt and hair do not help. These pictures might not make it to my desktop at work, but I still love them. Markus was totally into posing for the camera.

I’ll try again after I give him a bath and some clean clothes.

I actually caught Markus making the Owen goggly eyes in the mirror today. It was just for a fleeting moment, but it was the whole look from a tentative “I am looking at you handsome” to “hihihihi”.

I did not catch that on camera, but this is a little clip from his modelling session today:

Markus is at the stage where he has to be standing, or at least sitting all the time. It is a bit difficult as he can’t hold himself up for longer than a minute or so. Out comes the red box. I still have to be very close as he sometimes tries to stand up in it, but so far he is happy sitting upright by himself. I remember doing the same thing with Owen with equally good results. These boxes are also fantastic for baths. Owen has been bathing in it up until very recently. Anyhow, Markus does enjoy long walks in the stroller too so yay! nice day for baby and mommy. He is smiley and coos a lot. He loves grabbing my hair and trying to eat my face. I think he is trying to give me a kiss. I can’t believe he is six months old already!

I don’t have any good pictures of Owen and Trevor lately because they are such whirlwinds. Well, most of the time. Trevor figured out how to watch movies on the iPhone (we password locked the iPad already). The two of them have been digging the dirt outside and making puzzles inside. They have also had fun with sticker books. Owen loves making his animal puzzles. It has gotten to the point where he is making them upside down so you can only see the back of the picture.