Finlay with toy

Something like a key ring, definitely from Canada.

Gee and Finlay (again...)

Finlay smiling last weekend with Gee.

Finlay in Neu-Kölln

Last weekend we took Finlay out for a trip to a region of Berlin we rarely visit, namely Neu-Kölln. Neu-Kölln is a surprising area in the south-east part of former West Berlin. Heavily Turkish, it boasts outstanding markets, excellent butchers, surprising dress and haberdashery stores featuring elaborate wedding outfits, and an absolutely absurd number of mobile phone stores and beauty salons. Like former satellite cities of Berlin (Marzahn, Charlottenburg), it features a tiny old village core with a stable and a small market square. That's where we stopped and where this photo was taken. A friend of ours, on seeing it, exclaimed "two happies!".

Quite.

Corrections...

Most of these posts take place late at night when Finlay is sleeping, so given the timing, there are bound to be errata. In the last post, "tum" should have read "tub". "Dean" should have been "nice man we met at the pub" (no, just kidding -that was Dean). And in the second-to-last post, the word "penultimate" was used. "Penultimate" actually means "next to last". Which I suppose was true for the 5 minutes or so that the last post was current on the blog. No longer true.

It'll be important to teach the boy proper Canadian English at some point. That is not a non-sequitur.

Especially when he's surrounded by people who actually - get this - think in German!

Finlay and Dean

Here is a photo from a recent visit by Dean, Finlay's godfather. It was taken in a bar in Prenzlauer Berg while it was still cold outside. Finlay seems to like pubs - I suppose he takes after his parents.

Recent milestones:

- Finlay's first real bath (out of the baby tum and into the proper bathtub!
- Finlay is now able to spend considerable time on his stomach and lifts his head to turn and look at what is going on
- Oral fixation... Everything automatically goes to the mouth
- He's almost outgrown his baby bed.

The Penultimate Finlayphoto

We were saving this one for thank-you notes (we'll take more this weekend...)

Here's Gee again, and Finlay, caught smiling, when not concerned about diapers, food and deficit / pending collapse of the Euro (yes, we told him all about the predictions of Dr W.).

Socks!

Not just for wearing. This one was probably carried around in the cat's mouth.

Is Finlay French?!

Not French-Canadian, anyhow. He appears to be playing as a mime here and has just tasted some terrible fois gras.

A rattle!

Finlay with rattle, now teething ring...

Finlay and Wölfchen

Finlay reading one of his favourite books about a small wolf named "Wölfchen" and what he does during the day. There is something about "cookies and tea at three" on this page that seems to be fascinating.

Speaking of which, this is Finlay wearing - apparently - 70s inspired lounge-wear... Very cute, but not a look we think he'll want to extend much beyond infant status. Luckily, we have just received an 80's style preppy rugby shirt in summer colours, just in time for the good weather outside! More later...

Couch Potatoes / Bluegrass Baby

Listening to the song "Ten Million Slaves" by Otis Taylor and then later, passed out on the couch.

Finlay and Gee

Finlay has a new friend - a sock puppet monkey from Nova Scotia (!) named "Gee". At least, that's what Finlay calls it when he doesn't have various parts of it in his mouth. It's a delightful toy that (for the moment) is still bigger than Finlay.

Thank you Dean!

Finlay and Ella at the Zoo (late March)

Sorry we've been delinquent in posting. Work and other commitments, including many visitors and the first nice days of the year here in Berlin, have caught up with us. In the following posts, we'll try to post some more recent pictures.

One thing we haven't yet been able to keep up with at all are photos of Finlay with all of the wonderful presents and gifts that he keeps receiving. Thank you so much to Kerstin, Dean, Ulrike, Stefan and Heike, Cathy, Sandra, Wolf, Andrew, Dean again, Susanne and Jupp and Willi, who have all sent him delightful, practical and sometimes whimsical clothes, toys and other gifts. Rest assured, you'll see all of it posted here sooner or later.

Finlay and Christine visited the Berlin Zoo two weeks ago with Christine's brother, his wife Lena, and their daughter, Ella, who is about one month older than Finlay. Finlay is passed out here in his new Chariot stroller - which we are grateful to Christine's parents for. The stroller is Canadian-made and light, practical and robust. We're thrilled with it. We just need a cowcatcher now for navigating crowded Berlin sidealks...