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A collection of some of Charles' `firsts'. Many exciting moments and great achievements
are recorded here. Of course this is only a selection of his `firsts' - there are many we
did not record on camera, most of which would have been quite inappropriate; the ones
involving nappies, for instance.
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Although neither Ivy nor David can (yet!!) play the piano with more than one finger at
a time, Charles is already starting to play with all of his. Cacophanously, but he seems
to enjoy it! It is nice, though obviously overoptimistic, to dream that here is a Mozart
in the making ....
Charles enjoys a wide variety of music, from Bach
to the Beatles. At eighteen months, he is already showing signs of being able to
follow rhythm and hold a tune. The one requirement is that they should be
tuneful and harmonious. `Rap', and other things consisting largely of bass or
drums without noticeable melody, make him scream. Unfortunately, so does Daddy's
erratic attempts at the piano.
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Charles' first party (a Filipino party at St Ives, near Cambridge in England,
on 21 December 2002). Seen
here with Christina and Toni, who are Charles' Godmothers. Charles might have enjoyed the
party, but since he was asleep for most of the time, it was hard to tell. |
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Charles was Baptised in April 2003, in the Church in Melbourn. We held a reception
afterwards at South Farm, about five miles from home. The concluding point of the
reception was a speech given (badly) by the proud father, followed by a toast to his
health in Champagne. As Daddy drank from his glass, Charles reached out his hand and said
`?!???!!', which for people who don't speak Infantese means `Daddy, I want some of that
please'. We obliged with a tiny sip. This was a tactical error, because Charles
immediately made it clear beyond any doubt that one small sip was
not enough ...... |
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Charles enjoying his first time in
the big bath. If looks could speak, this one would say
`Mummy, I like this, please let go of me so that I can
cause some proper chaos'. The photograph was taken at
David's parents' house in Hexham, Northumberland. |
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Charles' first meal was conducted with all proper Phillipine ritual. Charles took to
solid food very quickly, especially as he soon cottoned on to what fun it was to demand a
share of ours. With an eye to nutritional value, and also to inculcating a taste for good
things early in life, we always prepare fresh food for him rather than using anything
pre-prepared or tinned. In this way we also avoid filling him up with whatever peculiar
chemicals, colourings and additives the manufacturers
are pleased to stuff into their offerings. I suppose he
gets his fair share of pesticides and fertilisers
instead |
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Charles first fed himself at about seven months. This was only moderately successful,
and indeed for many months afterwards more food ended up on the floor, table, chairs and
clothes that in Charles himself. I suppose he thinks of it as `sharing'. To make sure he
gets enough (and also to keep the time spent cleaning to a reasonable level, and to stay
sane), we have continued to feed him with his hot food for much of the ensuing year. |
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Charles at the fun fair in Melbourn. Although a very small fair as these things go,
there was still sufficient excitement to hold Charles' interest for some time. But it was
also very noisy, which Charles doesn't like so much. A
year later the same fair returned to the
village. This time Charles rushed around
with a massive excess of energy, demanding
to go on every ride for which he was too
small. He really enjoyed the Dodgems, an ill
omen for his first driving lesson when he
gets to 18
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Seen here with Daddy half way up a minor mountain in the Lake district, Charles enjoyed
his first holiday. The Lake District is a mountainous region in the north west of England.
As its name suggests, there are several dozen lakes in the area (the one here is called
Haweswater). The mixture of tough igneous rock, glacial erosion from the Ice Age, and a
high rainfall from the westerly winds coming in from the Atlantic, make it an ideal region
for the formation of lakes. There are also forests, coombs and a rugged coastline, which
all combines to make the region highly rich in wildlife diversity (for a temperate zone,
that is). Famous Lakelanders include Beatrix Potter (of Peter Rabbit fame), the poet
Christopher Wordsworth, and the huntsman John Peel. |
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