Gregory Simon Allen
Born Friday 11th April 2014
13 to 22 weeks old
His life: Birth ♠ Week 1 ♠ Weeks 2-3 ♠ Weeks 4-7 ♠ Weeks 8-13 ♠ Weeks 14-22 ♠ 5-7 months ♠ 7-8 months ♠ 1st Christmas ♠ 8-10 months ♠ 10-12 months ♠ 1st birthday party ♠ 12-15 months ♠ 15-18 months ♠ 18-21 months ♠ 21-24 months ♠ 2nd birthday ♠ 2-2½ years ♠ 2½-3 years ♠ 3rd birthday ♠ 3-3¼ years ♠ 3¼-3½ years ♠ 3½-3¾ years ♠ 3¾-4 years ♠ 4th birthday
In summary: Index ♠ From birth to four years old ♠ Four years old onwards
Special features: Gregory translator ♠ Gregory phrases ♠ Gregory cookery
We'll start this page's proceedings with a picture from mid-July of Gregory edging his way off the jungle mat, something he actually started to do around 11 weeks old (so about two weeks prior). He had also started to interact with the jungle mat toys much more - grabbing them and hitting them.
Here he is patiently waiting to be dressed after a nappy change. Wee fountains seem few and far between these days, although perhaps it's just my luck / speed of changing the nappy, but he does like to have a good kick.
A cheeky shot of him getting some tummy time. He was fine for about two minutes, but then he was increasingly unhappy. Not a bad effort here of lifting his head up, though. Babies have strong necks these days. It's the folic acid, you see. Gregory appears to be watching a Lance Armstrong documentary. Well, not at the moment.
On the Sunday before we headed to north Wales, Gregory displayed (or possibly repeated, I don't remember exactly) a new tactic, rolling on to his side, which gave him a whole new vantage point.
I think this was taken in north Wales, not that you would know. He fixes the camera with a doe-eyed stare, with the mildest hint of "if you don't put that camera down and entertain me properly in five seconds I'll be very cross".
After returning from our week away, Gregory was really getting into his sideways position. Perhaps he was fed up of starting up at the flashing lights and dangling toys, or perhaps he really did enjoy staring across the room. Who knows.
It's nearing the end of July during what was a hot couple of months. Necessarily we stripped Gregory down to the bare minimum for bedtime as our house is evidently not equipped to deal with warm weather. By morning, the boy had got himself into an interesting position. Not one I would recommend for absolute comfort. He gives me his best "well, it's about time you came and got me" look.
Then Daisy joins the early morning party (it's shortly before 7am here). Gregory suggests using his mind powers and eyes that Daisy might want to get him out.
Well that's not where I left you. He occasionally requires to be pulled back on to the jungle mat, not least so that he is in a controlled environment in which to vomit (i.e. not on the carpet). He still brings back milk on a number of occasions, sometimes even a couple of hours after his last feed.
Whilst the sun stayed hot, I finally managed to take advantage of it properly with some BBQ action. The Englands got their invite and Suze needed no second request to hold the be-hatted, muslin-chewing scampster. Rick looks on with a fixed grin, probably thinking "I hope I don't get asked if I want a hold; I've done my bit".
Later that evening and we can probably just run through the checklist. Hot weather outfit - check. Fantastically chilled pose - check. Wide-eyed stare - check. His mother thinks he's the most beautiful baby in the world - check.
While Lynne put Daisy to bed, I settled back and shared a beer with Gregory.
The second day of the weekend arrived and it was time for more BBQ action. The temperature had dropped a little but the threatened showers never transpired and so we spent all the time in the garden again. I just about framed the two of us in a picture that I took myself on my phone (I need a name for such a thing).
Aunty Katie takes on baby-holding duty, with both of them watching on as Daisy (probably) plays the CBeebies app on her phone.
I went away for a stag do in Portugal at the beginning of August, whilst Lynne headed up to Scotland with the children. I returned on the Sunday. The next day, the rest of the family got back from Scotland and he suddenly seemed to develop before our eyes (or not, as the case may be). Firstly, he rolled on to his front while we were in the kitchen. He didn't like it - he was crying quite loudly. Nevertheless, here he is trying to do it again. Later on, he lay on his back on the sofa with me, lifting his head up as much as he could, essentially doing mini sit-ups. All very impressive for a young lad not even four months old.
At this time, he also had a phase of crying a lot when we put him down - possibly teething, given that he spent a lot of time with his fingers shoved in his mouth, like here. This is a sweet shot of the pair of them, rare enough for Daisy looking at the camera (not the TV) and doing an understated smile. Gregory's effort isn't bad either. Daisy's wrist displays the hospital band she got that morning when she had her tooth out.
With such a good shot taken by my phone, I went for my proper camera to capture more shots, but by this time the TV had taken over Daisy's attention. Gregory gives another cracking pose as if to say "well, I tried my best, but I just give up".
This is what happens if Daisy is responsible for the distribution of Gregory's toys.
So many things to play with, so little time. Also, where have the bottoms of my trousers gone?
Sometimes he has this ability to fix you with a look which is part-melancholic, part-thoughtful and part-just-plain-tired. I was sat on the sofa at this point and he did not look away for quite a while.
Over the last week or so, he had started to laugh, as demonstrated by this photo of him with Lynne. Blowing raspberries on his cheeks or belly, tickling his side or games of peekaboo all seem to work.
A brief experiment with the inflatable horseshoe did not last too long as he either wriggled himself until nearly horizontal or, when propped back upright, leaning forward so that he was almost kissing his feet. Maybe another time.
He had once repeated his rolling onto his front feat, before extending his repertoire to rolling back on to his back. In this shot, he is almost there, but quite happy to have his head and arms twisted to the side. Daisy tries to replicate the pose on request.
He remains a cracking sleeper, going all through the night every night (pretty much without fail). He looks like he is having pretty nice dreams, although that hasn't stopped him rotating round 180 degrees (we put him in the other way round).
He is still not super happy with being placed on his front. He's a day younger than four months in this picture.
And that brings you more or less up-to-date.
We start this session in mid-August with the young cheeky chappy enjoying the partial shadow of a camera phone whilst covered in a bath towel.
"Wotcha doin'?" asks Gregory, while seemingly wearing the latest fashion in low-riding trousers. Taking a photo, that's what.
Round to Waterdale after our trip to Scotland, where Aunty Katie gets a little too close with one of Gregory's toys.
The jungle mat gets everywhere, of course. My current policy is to take it with me and he took us all by surprise when he suddenly decided to flip onto his front. He's done this before, of course, but he does it sparingly.
Before long, he had manoeuvred himself into a crawling position; he just lacked the ability to crawl. The legs did broadly the right sort of movements, but his arms didn't really co-operate. Nana Sue was dutifully impressed, though (facial impression not pictured).
Into September and, as Daisy started school, Gregory went for his third set of jabs. However, this time there was no real reaction (he was hysterical for the first two sets). He also now likes the taste of Calpol, previously sobbing upon its contact with his inside cheek. Perhaps he is toughening up due to prolonged exposure to Daisy.
We now have to strap Gregory to prevent too much forward movement as he gets stronger. Still, sometimes it's good to sit back, relax and read a good book. This one is called "Giraffe's Ears", is very rustly and plays on the near-homophones of ears/hears.
Yes! Jumparoo action! Always a highlight, not least for the good tunes. Gregory has got the hang of this a bit quicker than Daisy although, given his legs NEVER, EVER STOP, that's probably not that surprising. He's not yet five months in this picture and so I don't think he was doing that much actual jumping, but he did manage to use his legs.
A sneaky mirror picture of the little scamp. He knows where I am alright.
A gloriously warm and dry September enabled plenty more garden action, although the lower sun meant that we had to be creative with the sun shades (although it is 5pm). Two clearly tired monkeys present a classic photo opportunity as they lie on their sides and gaze at each other.
And we finish this particular chapter, covering Gregory's fourth and fifth months, with a picture on the same day, wearing his favourite Gruffalo T-shirt.
He grows, he grows. Check here for beyond five months.
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