starting to grab things

he was grabbing bla-bla and then pushing him away

thinking about my life

waiting for another baby

I know that Annona checks this blog a lot. So this is for you.

I know that Annona is now in the waiting game - I remember it so clearly!

I know that Annona is so happy to be finished with work. A new chapter has begun.

I know that Annona is excited yet nervous for what is about to happen.

I know that Annona is looking forward for our boys to meet - and so am I.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I know that Annona will be a great mom.

I know that we will see each other soon.

Sending you all my love and strenght.

already cooking with dad

We had a great bbq this weekend with friends and family.

M wanted to use his Caja China again.   If you know M well you know that he loves to cook for his friends (who are all great fans of his food!!) and he loves to prepare meat.  Before starting to rub the meat with garlic and spices, he sat Mat on the big piece of pork and asked me : "Tanja, take a picture!! I put Mat on the meat!"

I thought it was strange to put a baby on a piece of meat but I think I understand.  I am sure it is M's way of already sharing his passion for food with his son.  Since Mat cannot eat yet, since Mat cannot cook yet, the best thing for now is to have Mat sitting on the meat.  

Did I get it right M?

a family picture

M does not like taking pictures - he is the contrary of me.

We do not have a lot of family pictures since he always says no. 

This is maybe not the greatest but it is a start!

a new hairdo by Elie

my mom would like it - but not Lily!

Elie played around with his hair.  He did that without gel.  I think Mateo likes it!

my good friend came over

Claudette, Mike and her GREAT  boys came over for two days and we had a lot of fun!

We caught up on the last months since we do not get to see each other that often...I wish they could have stayed just a bit longer...

Claudette taught me three great things : 

1) putting baby clothes on hangers and not folded like I have been doing! She is right. Now, I can see the outfits more and choose something faster!

2) toss away all the tight clothes he has.  I was still putting on newborn clothes when he already weighs 16 pounds!!! It was tight but I thought it looked cool! She said : Tanja, come on !

3) and most importantly, how to calm him down by making a shhhhh sound and rubbing his back.  She had the magic touch the other night! Thank you Claudette!

Here are Zachary and Yannick! (yo baby!!!)

Mateo looks like their brother!  We even met a woman at Ikea who thought he was hers.  

for Elias

only Elias will really understand this picture!

- taken by M

happy to be babysitting

Last Friday, I went to see George Michael with aunties Nadine and Joanne.  It was an amazing show!

My parents were very happy to babysit.  I was a bit worried that Mat would not have enough milk for his before-going-to-bed snack ( I had only pumped 3 onces and half) but my mom said that he was a super good boy.  He drank it in a few seconds and then looked at my mom as to say: "So what's next? Is that it?" - so she gave him two onces of water.  He drank it although he grimaced a bit. And then he slept until 4 in the morning - I had to wake him up : my breasts were by then REALLY full of milk!

The next day, Opa, Oma, Mommy and Mat we went to Jean-Talon market! It is so nice to see my parents with my baby boy...

little boys

I have always been a people watcher.  I would even say that I stare.  I have tried to correct this bad habit many times because I know that my stares can make people feel uncomfortable but it is just too hard for me!  I am fascinated by people.  I like to look at everything : the shape of someone's nose, the hair, the freckles on the body, the teeth, the clothes, the shoes...there is so much to look at.  

And lately, I have a new target.  I have been admiring little boys.  Especially the ones with dark hair.  In their tiny faces and bodies, I see the future Matie.  Will he look like that?  Will he have that smile? Will he be shy like this one? Will he be strong like this other one? Will he be funny? Will he throw tantrums?

I know that there are no answers to my questions 

and actually I don't even want to know...

I just like to imagine all the things my son will be. 

the list on the wall

I wanted something original to decorate his room so to start with I thought of wallpaper but I did not find one that really liked (well, i did find one but the one I liked was 1000$ for one wall so I changed my mind! ) and then I thought of a wall sticker but M did not really like the ones we saw.   

And then I thought of a text that we could write on the wall and bingo, we had our concept. M and I wrote the text one night in bed. And then this cool shop came up with a fantastic design. 

This is what we hope Mateo will be doing in the next years.

He has started working on so many of them already :

celebrate life

giggle

be free

colour

dance

listen to old people

believe in magic

dream

love

see the world

be funny

keep a journal of your life

take lots of pictures

read

sing

play

smile

eat cake

listen to music

say I love you often

eats lots of fruits

cook like a chef...like your Dad

experiment...like your mom

swim in the ocean

be original

believe in yourself

the ones he cannot do right now, we are doing for him.  

making the invitations cards for your christening

since M is not around this weekend, I have a bit of free time on my hands and I am preparing the invitation cards.

Save the date : August 31st.

papa is gone

It is the first time since you are born that your dad is not sleeping at home.  

He went fishing with the boys.

He was very excited to go but he will be even more excited to see you on Sunday.

I am lucky, I get to sleep with you in my bed!

it was my birthday yesterday

ok, on the first picture I look like a prisoner but mommy wanted to put it anyways.

on the second one, I am happy and looking at the camera!

a very special quilt by a very special girl

when I was pregnant Dominique promised to make Mateo a quilt...

We had our arts and crafts date this week (lots of fun - I came back home so relaxed) and there was my surprise !

I still can't believe she did this for me - it takes so much time to do these - I would never have the patience to do this.

I know how much effort and love she put into it : finding the right fabric, cutting the fabric, assembling the fabric, sewing the fabric, finding the right colour for the letters, sewing the letters, lining it with nice white cotton in the back...and I am probably forgetting some steps.

Thank you so much Dominique - you don't know how much this means to me.

You are GREAT! 

Mateo will probably hold on to this quilt all of his life.

concentrating

mateo is starting to notice the toys attached to his bouncy chair - the red star is his favourite!

looks like kids stuff

but they are for me only - M&M with peanuts! Yamiyum!

Dominique gave me the idea of buying them - she had a nice little bowl beside her computer when I came to visit her this week.

And they look so good too : colourful!

Do I have a favourite colour? No, I like them all.

mommy, please stop taking pictures!

But I won't Mateo!

and by the way, do you like my new sunglasses?

just too funny!

auntie Jojo's glasses

a few pictures from the weekend

daddy took these pictures

he is getting the artistic touch in taking pictures...

daddy and mommy

on s'aime 

et on t'aime Mateo

mamie et papi chez mateo

Claudia offered me this nice book last week.

The story is heartwarming : Mateo is sad to see his parents leave for a few days he but he has such a good time with his grandparents that when his parents come back he asks them : "When are leaving again?"

My favourite part in the book is when Papi suggests a game :

"Il s'agit de terminer mes phrases Mateo.  On va préparer une soupe au" ...chocolat, dit Mateo.

"Des spaghettis aux"...ravioli, dit encore Mateo.  "Et un dessert"...aux verrres de terre!!!"

:)

Too cute

bath time

he has changed so much already, don't you think?

a little boy already

Look at those eyes...

maybe not trying it out soon

Marianne gave me this book at my baby shower : Twelve Hours' Sleep by Twelve Weeks

sounds great, doesn't it?

I read it three times already but I haven't started the plan yet since it requires a lot of discipline. I am not sure I will be able to follow it.

Writing things down has ALWAYS helped me get things done so let's see if it works again this time...

So the aim is to feed the baby four times a day, always at the same time.  For example, I would like to feed him at 9h00, at 1h00, at 5h00 and then a last time at 9h00, before he goes off to bed.  If he gets hungry before those hours, the aim is to distract the baby.  In the book, the author wrote it three times, in capital letters : DISTRACT, DISTRACT, DISTRACT by :

- offering the pacifier

- placing baby on bouncy seat

- placing baby on activity mat

- bouncing baby on knees and singing to him

- entertaining baby with his favourite games

Once the day schedule is a success, baby should gradually not wake up anymore - but that is the hard part : not feeding him during the night.  The night toolbox consists of :

- offering the pacifier

- patting baby's tummy

- shushing baby

- whispering things like : "everything is fine", "it's all right"

- turn baby into a different position

- giving baby an emotional toy or blankie

- turning his crib music toy

I am happy I just wrote this down.  I realize that by writing it that I am not ready yet to do all these things.  

The day time distractions seem a bit difficult because I am not always home.  If he starts crying at the mall, I can't do most of the suggestions.  And as for the night toolbox, I don't really mind getting up.  I love this time with him.

today is a rainy day

but yesterday was nice and sunny

I dried the baby clothes outside

went to the photobooth

I LOVE these pictures with Mat

The experiments with Mommy have started...

I love his expression, as if to say : whatever!

trying on clothes

Eight years ago, I had the chance of teaching in the North of Québec - or I should rather say I had the opportunity of getting to know and living with Elias.

I have found such a precious friend.

While I was there, I also had the pleasure of babysitting a six-year-old girl for a few days.  Her name was Lili and she would say the darndest things.  She was so original in her way of thinking!  Elias and I we still like to repeat the things she said...

One night, while she was trying to chose her clothes for the next day she had this fun idea:

She put the outfit she had chosen on the floor and then she laid on top of it and asked me : "So does it look good?"

I remembered this story when I put this outfit on top of Mat to see if the colour suited him.

not my son

I know this blog is about Mateo and our family but I couldn't help it.

Top model came by last weekend and he is such a wonderful boy - I cannot help myself to stare and stare at him.  ( I am trying to convince his parents to send his pictures to a model agency.)

He is not only so, so, so, soooooo good looking but also so nice, charming, intelligent, polite and insightful!

diapers of course

you cannot have a baby blog without a diaper picture!

so much to write

I can't believe I wrote so many posts already.

I could write on this blog every day.

New pictures inspire me and new stories come up in my head all the time.

I had promised myself not to spend so much time on the computer during my maternity leave but I take it back : I am having so much fun writing about Mat.

my son the poser

People who know me well know I can pose for pictures!

I did not even have to teach him!

I am so proud...

jealous?

mat has such cool hair

Everybody comments on it

I am sure that baby boys, toddlers, teenagers and even men would like to have a cool hair cut like that!

I tried to flatten it but it just bounces back into mohawk style!

Maybelline

his eyelashes are curly now
he is changing every day