Minha Primeira Casa

Estavamos no super, enquanto o pai do Paul tamava conta da Victoria e como as coisas de verao estao em promocao, eles tinham uma casinha de lona para colocar no jardim e nao resisti, muito fofa, listradinha com umas bolinhas coloridas no telhado.

No comeco ela nao sabia o que fazer, ficou olhando, depois comecei a colocar todos os bichinhos de pelucia dela lah dentro, entrei lah com ela e ela adorou.

Agora ela entra e joga tudo para todos os lados, os outros brinquedos tbem, muito engracado.

Fotinhos dela com o Paul lah dentro (ele nao estava dentro):

Varias da Picorrucha

 - Quando eu e o Paul estamos proximos um do outro, a Victoria vem entre nos e nos puxa ateh estarmos nos abracando, ela abraca nossas pernas e nos puxa, muito linda!

- Ela adora abracar, beijar, mandar beijos com a mao, dar tchau pela janela quando um de nos sai, fazer carinho, e… dar tapas! Nao sei o que fazer, mas ela fica impaciente com algo e jah vem dando tapas. Comecei a colocar de castigo, e ela sabe que o que ela faz eh errado, entao ela faz quando estah irritada com algo e sabe que vai nos deixar irritada.

- O brinquedo favorito dela no momento eh um macaco (feio pra burro) que o Paul deu pra ela, o “Buttons”, ele o comprou em uma dessas paradas de carro na estrada, o macaco eh maior que ela, e ela sempre o pega, abraca, joga no chao, danca com ele, dah agua pra ele.

- Jah escolhe o sapato que quer vestir e roupas tbem. Adora baguncar e mexer no armario.

- Hoje em dia ela arruma as coisas, entao se antes ela jogava todos os brinquedos no chao e deixava, hoje ela joga tudo, recolhe a maioria, pelo menos.

- Quando toma banho ela me dah todos os brinquedos que ela brincou e me dah pra guardar e o tapetinho ela me dah para eu pendurar na parede (o tapetinho anti-derrapante eh soh dela).

Agora vai ficar dificil pra eu fazer um post dos 18 meses dela, mas tudo bem…

Eu Nao Me Canso…

… de beijar, abracar, agarrar, e apertar essa menina linda, gostosa, maravilhosa e poderosa que eu posso chamar de minha filha…

 

Mais um…

1 Does your lo let you get on with more now they are older as in housework?
It depends on what I’m doing. She does like to get involved, but sometimes she’ll help me put the dirty launtdry on, then will get bored and start taking them all out of the machine again…

2 Does your lo like playing in their bedroom? Sometimes. If the curtain is closed, and it’s a bit dark she’ll never go there, but if it’s bright sometimes I’ll see her reading her books or playing away.

3 Has your lo started to tidy up after themsleves? She loves to put all her toys away, even when she finishes having a shower, she’ll give me all the toys to put away (she can’t reach it).

4 When your lo has finished their meal what would happen if you didn’t take their plate straightaway? She would pick it up and turn it upside down, then throw it on the floor… making a mess with all left overs.

5 What does your lo call you? lah, lah (she still doens’t say mummy or anything similar)

6 Does your sleep with you , their own cot or big bed? Cot since we came back from the hospital.

7 Has your lo tried ringing anyone yet on house phone or mobile? No, but loooves playing with the phone and pressing buttons. Ah, she puts it to her ear and says “aooo”.

8 Has your lo been on a plane or train since you had them and what did they think and how were they? Now that I stopped to think about it, she’s been on all types of transport, boat, plane, train, car, underground. She is alright until she gets bored, then… we gotta find something for her to do quickly, lol.

9 Does your lo need or had a haircut? Nope, I think she still has a long way to go.

10 Is their anything that your lo is unsure or scared of? strangers if they come up to her to say hello, but the weird thing is, she loves flirting with people no matter where we are… strange…

Questionarios

Aqui vao mais alguns questionarios para ficar para a posteridade…

1. What is your lo’s favourite book? Right now it’s Thomas the Tank Engine book that I bought for her before she was even born She carries it around with her everywhere.

2. What item of clothing has been your favourite for your lo?  She loves dresses and her shoes, not sure of a fav one. There is a pair of shoes she loves actually, a pair of little botties she got from a cousin of mine.

3. What photo is your favourite and what was lo doing in it? So many of her that I love, I don’t think I can pick one. The latest one was of her running towards me at the park and she has a big smile on.

 

4. Does your lo have a cute name that you give them if so why did you give them it? Many different ones: – Zu-zu (no reason), – Monkey-girl (from DH, she loves climbing and pulling his hair), – Momosa (I started calling her “my love” in portuguese all the words got mixed together and this was the result), – Peepee-Poowie (this is from DH as well, I guess it doesn’t need explaining…) 

5. What colour suits your lo? blue, purple, green

6. Does your lo have a dummy? no, always hated it.

 

7. Does your lo have a comforter i.e blankie etc? yes, her 2 middle fingers on the left hand and her ear with the other hand. 

8. How are your lo’s with other children i.e do they mix well or still rather play or their own? She loves to meet other kids.  She doesn’t go to nursery, which is a shame, because I want her to learn to share and play with other children. But everytime she sees another child, she goes up to them, tries to stroke them, hold their hand, etc.

9. Whos characteristics and manners show in your child Mammys or Daddys or a mix?stuborn just like daddy!!!!

10. Going by the way your lo’s are now what profession would suit them? vet as she loves to cuddle all her stuffed animals and can’t see a real animal that goes for them, like dogs, cats, horses.

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1. Does your lo still have bottles during the night?

Not since she started sleeping through, around 4 months old.

2. Does your lo when reading to him/her throw the book then shout for it to be picked up constantly? No, she is not pacient enough to wait until the end of the story, usually turns and walks away

3. Does your lo like wearing other peoples shoes as in older siblings or yours and shout at you because they won’t stay on? She loves to wear any shoe right now, mine, DH’s, hers, it doesn’t matter. She only shouts when she wears them backwards and can’t walk, lol.

4. What do your lo’s like to eat at lunchtime? Whatever I’m cooking that day, I try to vary everyday, but it’s hard to keep the imagination going.

5. Does your lo tell you when they need their nappy changing? She was doing all the time, she would wave her hand in front of her nose, pull a face and go to her room to get changed. All of a sudden she stopped doing it and I never know now, except for the smell, of course.

6. Does your lo prefer to play indoors our outdoors,depending on weather of course? Outdoors but mummy has been really bad since nanny & grandad left to Brazil.

7. Who is the favourite at the moment Mammy or Daddy?  Both, but when she is not feeling well, then it’s daddy.

8. Does your lo use you like a climbing frame and think its funny to jump on your stomach and make you shout?!!!  Loves it!!! Not only on the stomach, all over.

9. Do they pull faces at you to make you laugh? Yes, she does a lot of things to make us laugh.

10. Is your lo clingy or not at the moment? She was around 9-11 months old, not anymore, unless there are strangers around.

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1. Has your lo started picking clothes rather than let you?

Not yet, but I think she’s going at that direction, she’s picked some shoes and made me change what she was wearing (16 months… I couldn’t believe it, lol)

2. Have you tried them on a potty or the toilet yet or a you going to let them train themselves?

The potty is in the toilet, she has sat on it, but doesn;t like it… not sure what I’m going to do…

3. If you drive what does your lo if he/she does shout and tell you they have seen out of the window and get all excited?

Just looks forward at everything and sucks her fingers.

4. If your lo was to only have one toy to take out with them what do you think they would choose?

She has a little monkey stuck to the push chair and doesn’t even take any notice. She had a little book that she ripped the pages out and a T. bear that is still stuck to the old push chair, she liked that one, I need to get it…

5. When they have their meals are they in highchairs at the table or on a booster seat or neither?

Chair stuck to table (what do you call it)

6. Has your lo started opening the front door to let themselves out?

She shuts it and if it’s slightly open, she’ll open it all the way. She reaches the handle, but can’t grab it to turn it.

7. Have you taken your lo swimming yet, if so did they enjoy it?

In Brazil and she liked it, but was a bit scared. I need to get her swimming here… always forget!

8. If your lo gets upset what calms them down?

Cuddle from mummy or daddy (prefers mummy)

9. At bedtime does your lo go straight to bed and self settle, nursed till asleep then bed or go in pushchair/ lie on couch fall asleep then get transferred to bed?

Settles herself in the cot.

10. What is your lo like in shops when they are in their pushchair?

If she’s in the shopping trolley she gets bored and VERY loud… if she’s walking she wants to grab everything… I decided to do my shopping online now, much better.

Questionario Mensal

No forum que eu vou de maes elas sempre colocam um questionario todo mes para vermos o desenvolvimento dos nenens. Entao desse mes coloquei aqui para eu ter sempre, espero que nao me esqueca de colocar os dos proximos meses tbem.

Name: Victoria

DOB: 03/03/07

Weight at birth: 6lb 12oz

Weight now:9.6kg

Length at birth: Forgot!

Length now: Don’t know, she won’t keep still…

Hair colour at birth: Dark Brown

Hair colour now?: Same, sometimes a bit redish, depending on the light.

Wavy or straight?: A bit of both, but it seems like it will get curlier.

Colour eyes at birth: Brown

Colour eyes now: humm… like a honey colour, light brown?

How many teeth: 12

Method of movement: Running!

Fave toy: Anything she gets her hand on. I think also a huge monkey she got from daddy, called “Buttons”

Fave TV prog: Big Cook, Little Cook and her sign language DVD.

Fave music: Any music, she turns my IPOD alarm o’clock on and dances to whatever is on, especially if it’s techno ha, ha. SHe also loves a couple of Brazilian kids songs that my mum used to sign to her.

Fave person: Me!!!! But she loves daddy as well.

Hates: If we touch anywhere on her face, to clean it (ears, nose, eyes, etc), cucumber

LOVES: To laugh and to have all the attention all the time from everyone around ha, ha. Also: cheese and crackers.

Bottle/cup/breast feeding?: cup during the day and 1 bottle of milk in the morning and before bed

Clothes size: Anything from 6 – 18 months. She is small, so she’s still wearing loads of clothes from when she was 6 months.

Potty training?: not yet

Size feet: Trying desperately to have it measured, but she won’t let us.

Talking?: not much, says peh (foot in portuguese), cacah (dirty in portuguese), dada

Mostly used words: Sames as above

Fussy eater?: No, loves food, but doesn’t lilke cucumber or melons.

Bedtime?: B/W 7:30 and 8:15.

Wake up time?: Depends on the time of the year, but lately hasn’t been sleeping well, except for the past 2 nights, hope she keeps it up! Woke up at 6.

Nap in the day: Yes, she needs her 2 naps, one around 10am and another around 2:30. The lenght depends on her.

Weirdest habit: When we are at the table, she waves at everyone and everything (cars) passing at the window.

Funniest habit: She likes to trick us, pretending she is coming on our lap and going back at the last minute or pretending she is giving us something and taking it away at the last mom. She also makes the sound of ambulance when she hears them.

Most annoying habit:Screaming from the top of her lungs or trying to slap (yes, very naughty) mummy and daddy when she is bored. Also, trying to put her hand on the oven door when it’s hot.

Fish Fingers

De vez em quando eu leio o blog: “Essential Baby” e hoje li esse otimo post sobre julgar maes e pais, quem nunca fez isso? Agora vejo que foi um erro, nao somos experts em nada, ainda mais quando nao temos experiencia para basearmos nossas opinioes nela. Desculpe mas o post estah em ingles.

“Parenting karma has come back to haunt me and at least one person I know finds this very amusing, my sister in law. When my nephew was a toddler he was a very fussy eater and his mealtime repertoire consisted of three options, sausages, cheesy noodles or fish fingers. I used to be quite indignant about this, convinced that his tastes would expand if he was given a wider range of foods to try and that perhaps my sister in law just wasn’t putting in enough effort. During one mealtime I even offered to cook him something, convinced that my offering would convert him and that he would be forever changed. Surprisingly he did have a few bites of that meal and I was quite heroic about it, tactlessly pointing out that I had been successful where his mother had failed. When I think about that moment now I want to go back in time and slap my own self-righteous face. Why? Because, despite my best efforts, my toddler’s mealtime repertoire currently consists of three options and one of them is fish bloody fingers! This irritating irony has taught me one parenting lesson I hope to never forget – don’t judge.

Fish fingers is not the only parenting choice my sister in law made that I judged and then repeated, there are many. When her baby son continually woke throughout the night she decided the only way she could continue to function was to bring him into their bed. My husband and I thought it was a bad idea at the time and especially so when they couldn’t get him out of their bed a year later. They weren’t in a hurry, they loved having their child share their bed and knew he’d move on when he was ready. But we felt differently, “We’ll never let our baby sleep in our bed” we said together. “They’re making a big mistake that will cause them problems down the track,” we thought, all knowingly.

A few years later there we were exhaustedly bringing our baby son into our bed night after night, until after a while we couldn’t bear the thought of not waking up to his sweet face each morning. Both of our boys now sleep happily in their own beds and I wonder how we could have ever judged something so natural and loving as a mistake.

But we didn’t know. When you’re not a parent yourself it’s easy to judge because, like with anything, we’re all experts when we’re watching from the sidelines. But the thing that surprises me most is how often the worst judges are other parents, when we should know better.

It comes so easily, half the time we don’t even realise we’re doing it. We see a child having a tantrum in the supermarket and we think to ourselves “Can’t that mother settle her child” even though our child has done the very same thing. Or we see a child who’s not reading as well as they should be and we think “The parents must not read to them enough” even though we’ve been guilty of exactly that. Or we think that because our child achieved something easily it should be easy for everyone, despite knowing it doesn’t work that way.

I found breastfeeding very easy and for a while I found it hard to understand why any mother wouldn’t choose to do it, considering all the benefits. But then I saw mothers in my own group of friends try desperately to succeed at it and reluctantly have to give up due to weeks of unbearable pain and babies who didn’t thrive. Now, when I see a mother bottle-feeding a newborn I remind myself, don’t judge.

One of the biggest areas of judgement is for working mothers, especially those who go back to work early. Again, when I see a six week old baby in childcare I am guilty of judgement and I know I’m not the only one. But how are we to know the story behind that baby? Maybe the mother has no choice but to work and it breaks her heart every day she leaves her child. And maybe she chooses to go back to work because she loves her job and it doesn’t break her heart at all, and while that might not be the decision we would make who are we to cast judgement on how she lives her life?

It’s as though children are public property and we all have a right to throw our two cents in on how they’re raised. From the minute you announce you’re pregnant every decision you make is open to judgement and criticism, from the first choice of natural or c-section birth onwards there will be someone who judges you for doing the wrong thing. We wouldn’t do this in any other area of a person’s life so I don’t know why we feel we can do it when there’s a child involved, but we do.

Perhaps we should stop and ask ourselves if it really matters if somebody else’s child is still sucking a dummy at 2 or having a bottle at 3 or waking at night at 4 or any of the other million things we judge as ‘wrong’. Parenting is such hard work you’d think we’d all be patting each other on the back just for getting through each day, instead of being each other’s toughest critiques. None of us are perfect and we all make mistakes along the way, but we all love our kids and are trying to do the best job we can so perhaps we should all just give ourselves a break. Maybe if we supported each other a little more and judged a little less the task would be a bit easier for everyone.

So, next time you go to judge another parent do what I do – think of fish fingers and don’t judge!”

Se Acostumando com o Vovo

Quando minha mae chegou ela foi bem devagarinho com a Victoria, nao deu muita bola nem nada, mas meu pai… ele nao resiste he, he, jah chegou querendo abracar, beijar, aquela festa e por ser homem eu acho que assusta mais, a voz grossa e tals. Mas com um jeitinho ela se rendeu, ai foi soh alegria para ambas as partes he, he.

Not so sure…

Getting Closer…

“Can I play too?”

“OK, you can have it and I’ll watch.”

Victoria e Paul

O amor de pai e filha…

Vestindo Sapatos

A Monica uma vez postou sobre a Luna vestindo os sapatos da amiga (da Monica), mas eu nao sabia que era uma obcessao das criancas ha, ha. A Victoria nao pode ver um sapato de adulto que ela agora quer “vestir”. Se bem que ateh agora ela soh conseguiu vestir uma sapatilha da minha mae e eu estava com a maquina, entao esse foi o resultado…