baby wayne

Last week, Otis took time out from reading Christopher Crocodiles Jungly Jingles to cast his eye over the teams for the AFL grand final. He sat on my knee, contemplating the teams recent form, and I asked him, "kick your legs if you think Sydney will win". He kicked his legs. His father the doubter proclaimed this to be a foolish exercise, as Otis is always kicking his legs, and so asked him "kick your legs if you think West Coast will win". His legs were still.

Today we enjoyed a delicious bbq at uncle Toms on what was a perfect day for football. During a very close last quarter, we were all perched anxiously on the edge of our seats, desperate to know if Otis would be right.

The final score? Sydney 8.10 (58) defeated West Coast 7.12 (54)

Could this be a sign of potential?

In one of her recent comments to this blog Otis' Aunty Vicki made a request for Otis to develop a new look - something akin to Derek Zoolander's Blue Steel.

Ever since then all three of us have been working hard to meet the demanding requirements of the international fashion industry. Many of the images and styles will end up on the digital cutting room floor and never see the light of day, but we are proud to announce the launch of ....

Otis - Blue Steel

Developing new looks for a 3-month old might sound like hardwork and, in some ways it is, but it's worth it, and to show that it's not all light meters and concealer we present ...

The Making of Otis - Blue Steel

At first, Otis took some quiet time to think about how to convey the true feeling behind Otis - Blue Steel

Eventually, Otis settled on the way forward and shared a lighter moment with the photographer/artistic director/mum.

After his first attempt as a self-appointed victory baby was abruptly ended a couple of weeks ago Otis turned his powers and thoughts to another strain of elite level football. In this instance Otis provided dedicated assistance to the Fitzroy Reds Reserves as they played in the D-Grade Grand Final.

Otis' father was particularly appreciative as Otis helped Fitzroy to win the game, defeating the Old Mentone Panthers by 58 points. The reserves had been notorious for failing in finals over the past five years, but after a strong season Otis pushed the team on to victory.

The team posed for the obligatory photo after the siren.

The vast expanse of the Box Hill City Oval was not matched by the hospitality of the canteen which reportedly ran out of sausage rolls before three-quarter time.

Whilst Otis was not there to run through the banner (yes, there really was a banner) with dad he was there to share some post-match reflection, although I am not sure if he really enjoyed it that much.

This week two very exciting things have happened in the world of Otis.

The first - he has discovered his hands! It seems odd that there is a time in your life when you don't know that your hands are attached to your body, but so it was for Otis until a week ago. Then, all of a sudden, he figured out that they did, indeed, belong to him, and what's more, that he could wave them about. Thus begins the hands-always-in-my-mouth phase. He has also been taking great pleasure in staring at his hands, wiggling his fingers in front of his face, and giggling at his cleverness.

The second exciting thing is that Otis has finally noticed the dog. All these months of living in the same house, and Otis barely gave Yuki a sideways glance. Last Saturday, when out for his weekend walk with Justin, Aunty Karen, Yuki and Max, Otis looked down at houndy and smiled!

The excitement of this milestone is completely lost on the dog, who still seems to regard Otis with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

A special congratulations to my friend Ablena and her new baby boy Robin, and to our friends Ian and Claire, who are expecting a baby in March.

Love to you all,
Kimberley xx

For my Dad,
love Otis