Roryworld

Nothing more guaranteed to make a person melt than looking at TINY LITTLE SHOES, and how cute are these ones? Not just cute but well-travelled - they're from Australia! (Thanks Catriona and Colm!)

Moving about in Roryworld is an elaborate, slightly hazardous and backwards process. Not for him the classic baby "roll to get the toy" nor the "shuffle on your tummy" movements: no. Instead his wee ginger bonce offers ideal rearward traction. See illustrations below.

Oh yes indeed. Everybody's doing a brand new dance now (c'mon Rory, do the locomotion...)

Step 1: gather your resources (viz, your thumb, your feet and your ginger cat...)

Step 2: AAARRRCCHH that back. Yogis the world over work for years to achieve this posture but you can do it at age 7.5 months! Impressive. Roll onto the top of your head. Chuckling merrily throughout is optional...
Step 3: Rest and wave at the camera
Step 4: Arch that back again and - whoah! - you're making excellent progress! Very nearly off the end of the bed there.

Yes, turns out he likes pears too. This photo records for posterity the teeny wee bit of squishy core that was left after he got torn into a whole pear today at lunchtime... Believe me, it was twice that size when he started...

Thanks to all entrants for your guesses as to the identity of the MYSTERY ANIMAL.

No, it wasn't an elephant. Or anything extinct, thanks Diarmid.

No, the sticky bun prize goes to Ali's Dad who correctly identified it as a rhino although it's neither a baby or a white rhino so points deducted on those scores, I'm afraid. It's a Greater One-Horned Rhino. The crazy-looking armour-plated one. From India!!

This is a cautionary tale for any of you thinking of believing the claims of baby crap manufacturers. We gt this wonder device - manufactured by Tommy-Tippee - which claimed it would keep a baby bowl stuck fast to the table.

"Oh, really?" We thought..

"Why, yes.." the bowl and related apparatus said.

Onyways - the results are detailed below. Now, weaning is meant to be about food being fun. But not like paint or playdo is fun. And I slaved for hours over that chili..

See also further discussion on this point on a baby-led weaning blog: http://babyledweaning.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2006/10/12/2409300.html

Still, though - he's getting the hang of the whole eating thing, slowly but surely. Yesterday he enjoyed some dates... as witnessed in triumphant photos below... and today there was evidence of dates having been ingested (you know, at the other end...)

We went to the ZOO. There we saw many animals in the back of their enclosures sheltering from the showers.

This visit was not for Rory's benefit. He's not bothered. It was in fact his Dad's birthday treat.

Anyway we saw a CASSOWARY

But actually - some of the best things were the starlings at the picnic tables..

But you don't want to see that. You want to see this..

Rory did like the Penguins, though...

Also you will want to see this which was taken by D Mogg who it turns out has quite good Flickr page - as well as the blog we've already linked to. He's very ladida and metrosexual and urban and with it and hip isn't he? Mr Flickr, blog, interweb trousers..

Now in a bid to generate some interactivity - we will be publishing below a mystery animal.. And you can use the Comments function to guess what it is. The answer will be in the next blog entry.

Well - Rory is starting down the slippery path that leads to sausage suppers and Pickled Onion Nik Naks.. Solids..

He is - as any of you unfortunate enough to get either of us going on the subject will know all too well - following a process called Baby-Led Weaning (http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/vast_voedsel/rapley_guidelines.html).

Essentially this means he does as he likes. He tries out foods we're having. And no puree..

so he has taken pretty well to weetabix; bread; bread with Katherine's home made soup; tomato slices; sooking on bits of chicken and Rice Cakes.

He's so far lukewarm on green veg and cheese.

Raspberries are a little tart for his tastes it turns out..

The downside to this process is that it results in a bit of a culinary Paschendale. A lot of mess. Witness..