About Time!

Oh happy day! Rare picture opportunity: the three of us!!

So after a busy December traveling to the Dominican Republic and a sickly January, we are back on track to update the blog. HURRAY!!

A lot has changed in our little one in the past two months. Here are some highlights:

1. Mati has always been a cautious baby, but some boy energy is finally kicking in. This translates into jumping off platforms and on couches, beds, the sidewalk ... ANYWHERE!; and into climbing, especially rope ladders. He is also very interested in the monkey bars at the playground, but because his arms are still too short, he can't successfully swing from one bar to the next.

2. He is also very curious about grabbing ANYTHING that is left on desks, countertops, consoles, etc.; if he can't reach, that's not a deterrent, he simply pulls up one of his stools and up he goes! The other day I left his cough syrup within his reach on the kitchen counter and before I knew it, he poured the medicine on himself and all over the kitchen rug. Luckily, he didn't drink any! Lessons learned: the house needs a new round of child proofing and we need to be more vigilant than ever before of where we leave things.

3. Mateo had started to express interest in tricycles whenever we went to the park: getting on them, being pushed around, etc. Just as Nico and I had started contemplating the idea of buying him one, in come Uncle Brandon and Tia with a beautiful, cherry red bike! It looks like a little Harley! Mati and Nico spent Saturday morning trying to get the cycling down ... its coming, slowly ... very slowly! (THANK YOU TIOS!!)

4. He makes longer sentences and communicates much clearer. If we don't understand him, he'll look for ways to clarify his words, whether by making references to things or saying them in another language. We are getting a wider glimpse of what goes on in his head and it's truly fascinating! As his grasp of the oral language expands, so does his singing! He has a full repertoire of songs he randomly chooses from and he sings throughout the day. His favorites: "ABCD song", "Los Pollitos Dicen", "Aserrin, Aserran", "Muneca Azul", "Arroz con Leche", and "J'entends Siffler le Train".

5. Despite his age, he does a MAGNIFICENT job at sharing (and this is no mommy bragging!). Maybe because he is so empathetic to other's feelings or because he hasn't been exposed to a daycare setting where it's all about the strongest surviving, but he is well aware that he needs to share all toys, whether they are his or not. When we were in the Dominican Republic over the holidays, he shared, from his own initiative, his cars with another little boy we met at a restaurant. When he sees a child crying, his first impulse is to want to share something of his with the other child. I don't know if this benevolence will change once he's in preschool, but I'm really proud of his gentle heart. On the other hand, he has become more assertive with his things, saying, "No, mine!" and not letting others take whatever he's playing with. While I'm really happy with this change, it has come with a bit of aggression - pushing, hitting ... the usual.

One funny anecdote before the picture fest: I was at the checkout counter at the supermarket and Mati was totally absorbed staring at a magazine cover. It was the picture of a man and a woman, a la Adam and Eve. (Just to clarify: I think the magazine was something like Psychology Today.) Mati asked, "No clothes. Where are clothes? Belly butt girl." I could only answer: "They just finished taking a shower, that's why they don't have clothes. And yes, that's the girl's belly button."


At the Berkeley Marina


Flying a kite all by himself while wearing his Tia's biking sunglasses


Posing for the camera

THE tricycle