George has become much more mobile. He's able to climb the stairs in our house, although he doesn't know how to get down them. He only walks where there are things to hold on to - chairs, tables, sofas etc. He's had his first trip to the shoeshop - size 3G, which reminded me of getting my shoes in Clarks 30 years ago - not much has changed - they still have the little green measuring devices with the sliding metal bit and the tape :)
Today we took George with us to a pub by the river - where he made friends with a chocolate labrador, who patiently played with him. Unfortunately George playfully bit Henrietta on one of her hind legs, which suprisingly she tolerated. George loves all the animals he's encountered so far, but we have to keep a close eye on him around cats and dogs until he understands that they can hurt him. Unlike some of his peers who are in nursery, George doesn't get that much time playing with other kids so he has yet to learn how to play with them.
George enjoyed his Christmas experiences, crawling around an unfamiliar house, meeting the relatives, eating wrapping paper. We stayed in a hotel on Christmas day, as there wasn't enough space in the house, and there was only a shower there, so George has his first shower. He always seems to laugh at anything unfamiliar - I wonder how long this will continue for. Jana is not letting me have his hair cut until he is one and by then its going to be quite crazy.
George is eating a lot of new foods - Its a great feeling when we cook something new that George takes to. He's moved on from only liking fruit and carrot based foods.
The other thing thats changed is the way George reacts to new people, it used to be he would generally smile at anyone, now he smiles at females whether or not he knows them, but with males he does not know, he watches them for a while, and watches Jana's or my reaction to them, before then sometimes smiling.
He's not talking yet - we get the odd mama and dada, baba (granny) and deda (grandad) mixed in with all his burbling. The funniest noises he makes are in the car, when sometimes he seems to be singing, and when he is fighting the onset of sleep, when he roars like a territorial sealion.
We are looking forward to the imminent arrival of George's first cousin.
