"Juanita " Guantanamera

Mati's version of Guajira Guantanamera ...

Mati vs Santi (@ 6 months)

Here are Mateo and Santi, both at 6 months.  

Some curious facts:

     Santi's eye color: ???  There's an green inside area surrounded by brown.

     Mati's height and weight at 6 months: 68cm, 8kg.

     Santi's height and weight at 6 months: 72cm, 7.2kg.

Sick Santi

Here are two pictures taken last night.  He woke up with his eyes completely shut due to the green mucus, but he seems to be doing better.  He doesn't like the inhaler but when I gave it to him at 2am, he didn't complain much and went right back to sleep.  :(

Santa Marta - Family Pics

Playa Cristal, Parque Nacional la Tayrona

Not the best picture, but you can see the happiness on Mati's face and Santi was loving the wind on his face (hence the open arms) and the water on his feet!

Happy 6 Months Santi!!

In honor of our smallest family member turning 6 months, I pulled down the cooking books, cracked open some eggs and baked a cake!  The little guy is sweet, smiling and babbling a lot, drooling, and ready to start eating solids (again!).  He still refuses to sit, preferring instead to stand, hates tummy time, unless he's watching Mati's remote control Lightning McQueen zoom back and forth, and is finally getting the hang of turning from his back to his tummy (and then getting stuck and awfully frustrated).  

Despite his desirable Michelin man looks, he is below the 50th percentile in terms of weight and close to the 100th percentile for height!!  He's 72cm long and 7.260kg. 

But all is not well.  Santi has been battling a terrible flu these past two days.  He has been throwing up a lot, hasn't been eating much, has a runny nose, watery eyes with yellow mucus coming out and has been just plain miserable.  I took him to his doctor this morning and she was slightly concerned about the mucus in his lungs.  So she prescribed an inhaler and warned that if I didn't give it him, he might have to be hospitalized!  YIKES!!  Hopefully he'll get better in a couple of days so I can start him on solids again (our first attempt abruptly came to an end when I changed pediatricians and she told me it was better to wait) and he can start enjoying real food.

Enjoy the pics - I'll post one of sick Santi tomorrow (too lazy to do it now - terrible ... I know).

"You guys are so cruel ... making me pose in front of my cake when I can't even have a slice of it!"

Santa Marta - Mati

A pro using the iPhone.  He almost thinks it's his!

Mati can run and run and run!!!  

Surprise, surprise ... being silly!

Ooooh, silly face again!

Favorite activity: coming down the water slide! "Again Daddy, again!!!"

At the Casa Pedro Alejandrino, where Simon Bolivar died.

What would you know?  Being silly ... again!!

Building sand castles with Harry.

Playing with his friend Issy.

Santa Marta - Santi

Normal day attire! :)

Sitting in his throne: he LOVED the water!

That pesky fly won't leave me alone!

Check out my dimples ... just like mami!

My usual look nowadays: sticking my tongue out.

Tired Mati

What a tough day at school!!   Mati came back from school on Monday clearly exhausted - too much playing in the sand, running around and playing with cars ... who wouldn't be tired???  My little angel fell asleep on the couch while he was playing with his cars and I was preparing lunch.  When I woke him up, he was even drooling!

The behavior balance has shifted for Mati.  He's more obedient (although he screams a lot when he's upset), more gentle with his brother, hasn't been getting into any trouble at school and is super polite with everyone he sees.  He has also been very affectionate with us, thanking us for bringing him here and telling us he loves us and that he's going to give us a heart (awwwww!!!) 

Mati had been suffering from massive stomach aches and "accidents" here and there.  His pediatrician requested lab work done on his stool and after four weeks of trying to get even one little piece, we succeeded and the results came back showing that nothing was wrong!! (Parenting tip:  DON'T tell your potty trained child you need a stool sample and that is why you are putting a bag over the toilet or why he needs to poop again in his little toilet.  [Mati got stage fright and just refused to poop!!] Just put on a glove and when you hear the pushing, rush in and with your best baseball skills, catch one!!) However, I've noticed that his stomach has a hard time digesting food high in fat, like chocolate cakes!  But his tummy has gotten better and he's been eating up a storm these days which always makes me extremely happy.   

We're two days away from going to Santa Marta and Mati is very excited!!  He's counting down the days in his calendar and said to me this morning that he loves hotels!  

Mateo at Dance Class - Pictures

Santi with his Marley cap, being held by nanny Carmen

Learning to dance cumbia

Isabela

With Juan Lucas, one of his best friends from school

Boogie, on down!