Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The World According to Mateo

These fine print from artist Mateo Bossut-Ugarte are available for sale.  Each masterpiece comes signed by the artist himself.  Please call to inquire about availability and pricing.

Office
Playroom
Trash in a puddle 
I guess this male obsession starts early!
Clouds
White horse


Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Happy 3rd Birthday!!

Oooh, another year for Mati ... and the changes have been huge!! No longer a passive little observer, he's now very assertive (NO! Mine! Vete! - get the drift???) and expressive (read as: lots of tantrums, explosive crying, physically assertive). As parents, we are shocked at the changes , trying to find a way to deal with them, and find explanations for them (could these be delayed TERRIBLE TWOs, jealousy over Santi, school, are we spoiling him), but regardless, we are very happy with our Mateo. He's still a darling and very affectionate ... of course, only when he wants to be ... and seeing the world through his eyes is such a joy!

I took him in to the doctor last week and he's growing very well, despite his constant eating strikes, which still continue. He weighs 13.600kg and measures 97.5cm.

Other progress reports:

1. He's doing an amazing job at swimming: he's learning freestyle!
2. He LOVES school - after this long weekend, I told him we were going back to Bogota because he had to go to school and he was so happy, he ran to the car!
3. Still talks and talks and talks ... the Energizer Bunny of Speech. And he still sings a lot.
4. Hello independence! Mati has starting wanting to do a lot of things on his own, like getting dressed, jumping, doing a lot of little tasks.
5. Imagination galore! The other day I was giving him his bath and he was splashing water all over. I asked to please not splash because I could slip and fall with Santi. He answered: "Mamita, it wasn't me. It's Dory and Marlin (from Finding Nemo) who are splashing, they are swimming away from Bruce!
6. Observative - he notices EVERYTHING!! If I paint my nails, I change a painting, nothing goes unnoticed.

Here are some pictures from our trip to Villa de Leyva.
Trying out the camera we gave him
Story time with Daddy


The Plaza at Villa de Leyva
We thought that some beers might calm Mati down a bit ... (JK!)

Checking out his pictures
View of the village from the hotel
The hotel grounds

Monday, November 17, 2008

Au Revoir Mamounette & Papounet

Mamounette and Papounet (Nico's parents) left today after being here for 3 weeks, from Halloween through Mateo's birthday...Bye bye Mamounette and Papounet..a bientot et merci d'etre venu nous rendre visite...

Here are some pictures from our trip to Villa de Leyva, more to follow ...






Monday, November 10, 2008

November Fun Part 2

Some more pictures ...

Playing with the water shoots at the club

At the Museo del Oro


November Fun

Here are some random pictures of the boys taken by their grandfather.


Con sombrero paisa

Going up to Monserrte in the teleferico
At Panaca



Lightning McQueen does Halloween

A little out-dated, but here are some pictures of Mati and me during Halloween.  We took Mati, I mean, Lightning McQueen (!!!), trick-o-treating to a friend's house - he was totally into it, but poor little thing didn't realize he could eat the candy afterwards (which made it so much easier to throw away the candy later that night).

Lightning McQueen
Trick-o-treating at Katy's house
With his buddy Abel




Thursday, November 6, 2008

Santiago is 11 weeks!


Wow ... what a week!!! 

At home, it has been a week of celebration.  For starters, Santi FINALLY accepted napping and is doing so like a pro!  What a relief for me, his nannies and HIM.  Then, he further surprises me by sleeping through the night (5 weeks later than his brother, but who's counting, right?) - a full 10 hours!  Too much bliss for one week; I'm apprehensive that things will go back to the way they were, but so far so good.  Also, his dermatitis is cured and he's looking soooo handsome, especially when he flashes those ear-to-ear smiles!

And then Obama wins the Presidency!  I feel inspired, optimistic and proud to be an American. Above all, Obama's sweeping victory marks a new era, one which will form the political consciousness of my boys and will shape the boundaries of the possible.  I am more confident now that Mateo's and Santi's future will be brighter and that they will have the tools to heal the mistakes of the past generations.  So to wrap this week up, like William Wordsworth said about the French Revolution: "Bliss it was to be alive, but to be young was very heaven."  









Smiling while sleeping ... what innocence!