Month 11 (05/19/2010-06/18/2010)

Since this month started with a holiday weekend (Pentecost), we used the spare time to drive to Kirchberg once more. There, Daniel was greeted by tons of "new" toys, or rather, old toys once used by me and my siblings, which my mother had dug up from the attic and elsewhere. We spent a nice, sunny weekend there, barbecuing in the garden, taking a walk through the small town, visiting the annual Pentecost fun fair, and having lunch at the city hall. Daniel got to meet - and entertain - lots and lots of people, for example, his grand-uncle and grand-aunt and some of my parents' friends. Of course, safely from the arms of his Mom or Dad, since he has started to show more and more fear of strangers - only very rarely would he accept to stay for just a short moment with "Oma" or "Opa".

Back in Aachen, we used the good weather for spending more time outdoors. Sometimes just for a short while, like a little walk near our apartment around sunset. But we also went for a whole afternoon to visit a big flea market/fun fair at nearby Kornelimünster.

Daniel has also been continuing his baby swimming course, and enjoying it quite a bit. He is crazy for the water, jumping in from the side eagerly, kicking the water and splashing it with his arms whenever he can. One of the latest and probably most demanding exercises, crawling over a floating red mat, seems like a piece of cake to him (so much that Jefferson could barely catch him plunging himself into the water at the other end). He even is ok (though obviously always a bit surprised) with diving under water. The only thing he absolutely didn't like was an exercise where he had to exchange parents with another kid for a moment - which scared him so much that Jefferson had to take him back immediately and give him a big hug!

In the meantime, Daniel is figuring out the world around him better every day. He has learned to stand free and take some steps on his own (loving to let himself plunge in our arms). He also has, after several months of intent practice, learned how to purposefully use light switches. He seems to enjoy or at least find it positively interesting to have his teeth brushed or nails cut. And he is getting very skilled at making a mess - e.g., flooding the apartment ;-) , if we leave him unattended for a few minutes with his "drinking" cup full of water...

First steps (and many stumbles ;-) ) of Daniel on June 2nd...

and on June 6th.

Last but not least, with the soccer world cup starting, we got him fully equipped to bring luck to both of our teams. Let's see if he succeeds. Either way, he looks cute for sure, as a German, as a Brazilian, and as a mix of both.