mom-mode post #96 - on ten things I love about you

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"What do you mean I don't get to eat my cake?"

In celebration of my sweet son's 1/2 birthday, I decided to write ten things I love about him. Now mind you, the list could go on for days, so that's why I've chosen only ten. So when time flies by again and I forget what he was like at 6 months, I can come back here and reminisce. Behold, the-ten-things-I-love-about-you-list:


1. The two little indentions that form on each side of your face when you smile. Your dimples are my favorite and I know that  someday they will swoon a girl or two with that boyish charm of yours.
2. Your smile. How it lights up your face, wide opened toothless mouth, a twinkle on your eye. How it is always genuine, never fake.
3. Your early morning quiet babbles. Your  tiny little voice, trying to tell us about your dreams ( or so I think). Your positive morning disposition is inspiring and it makes it for a lovely start of the day, no strong coffee needed.
4. The soft cuddles after you are all bathed in smelly goodness, ready for bed. Probably my favorite part of our day.
5. Your pursed lips when examining something new. You press both lips together and frown your little eyebrows enthralled by the new textures and sounds. No small detail goes unnoticed.
6. Your unruly hair. Although it may drive your uber style-conscious mother crazy when it just chooses to stick up and not go where the comb takes it. In so many ways, you are your hair. Your firecracker-y personality shines through every unruly strand.
7. No matter where or what you may be doing when mommy or daddy enter the room, you look right up. Usually offering up the sweetest of smiles.
8. When you are asleep. The way you just look so peaceful and rested. Some days I fight the urge to go in your room just to watch you sleep. 'Cause you are just toooo cute.
9. Your roll-y, wobbly bits. Can I just say yum?!?
10. The sweetest most contagious sounding laugh. Your daddy makes funny noises and faces and you just die laughing. Oh how I love the sight and sounds of you two playing together.


Apologies for the over-indulgent post, but I just needed to make sure these special little things are never ever deleted from my mommy memory.

mom-mode post #95 - on Wednesday @ 4pm

mom-mode post #94 - on a broken foot and new for fall boot.

It is old news that being a mom has its share of challenges.
Being the mom  of a young baby can have the gruesome challenge of the  sleepless nights.
Being the mom of a young baby away from everything and everyone that is familiar to you can be brutal.
Being the mom of a young baby away from everything and everyone that is familiar and break your foot can be... Challenging would be an understatement.
That's right folks, I broke my foot. Thankfully it is nothing huge, just a small crack that should heal quickly.
Just when the weather was starting to cool and I was going to go back to running so I could lose the last stubborn 7 baby pounds. Just when the temperatures were not too unbearable to start taking baby O for refreshing walks and spend afternoons at the park. Just when he started sitting up and we were going to start working on crawling, just when...
I have to admit I needed an attitude adjustment when I realized the grandiosity of being momentarily impaired with a baby to care for. But being the eternal optimist that I am ( in my mind the glass is always half full in a pink-tinted glass...), I made a mental note of all the positive outcomes of my newfound predicament:
1. This is temporarily. I was sitting by the window holding O as he watched the cars go by today. And I was feeling pretty miserable that I couldn't stand with him and as usual tell him all the colors of the cars that come by. Then I remembered this lady I saw on a news bit one day. She had no arms and cared for her infant using only her feet. Praise God my situation is temporary and I still have both my arms and one leg to care for my baby.

2. To add to those two arms and a leg? I have a wonderful hubby. I've said it before how much more I love my hubby now that I've seen him as a father. But seeing him care for me and O when he already has so much going on has been so special in a bittersweet kind of way. I know it's been hard for him but he refuses to complain. He keeps a great attitude and his servant heart blesses me so much.

3. I've always struggled with wanting to control everything, every detail. This predicament is making helping me let go. It's been hard but it's been good. I'm now forced to lower the crazy high standards I set for myself and I realized how much the pressure is off now that there's nothing I can do about it. Maybe through this I'll finally learn to give me a bit more grace. The Lord certainly gives it to me. And His is sufficient for me.

4. Laundry, dinner, house cleaning, grocery shopping... I get to put it all in the back burner and focus on making my baby let out the sweetest of laughs. We have found all kinds of new games and I'm SO glad I get to enjoy it all.

I was going to leave you with a lovely picture of my new-for-fall single white boot. But Blogger has been messing up. So you'll have to wait on that one! Meanwhile, pray for me.:)

mom-mode post #93 - on a little token of appreciation

Dear Aunt Jules,

I'm glad you read this little old blog of ours because you still haven't sent me your new mailing address. Therefore, I cannot send you an old-fashioned "thank you note". So in lieu of a proper note, please accept this little blog post as a small token of our appreciation.
First of all you're insane. I've said it before and I'll say it again. When you said you were going to get a "few things" to help me get Oliver started on solids I thought you would send me a couple of bowls and spoons not an ENTIRE suitcase full of stuff! Wow we are so blessed by your generosity. And I'm so blessed by your friendship, really.
We love everything. I love the Dr. Seuss bowls and O is in love with his new spoons. He is also thriving on his new-found love: watered down juice from a soft tip sippy cup. And don't get me started on the puffs. He just loves the puffs. And the "mesh-popsicle" thingy. O loves being able to feed himself from those. And we use the bib you gave us back in June every. single. day.
But you see, the sweet thing about these gifts is not only the fact that they are making my life and O's much easier, but is the fact that every time we feed O we think of you. And that's just the sweetest gift to us.
I miss you every day. Thanks for being my friend. Thanks for not forgetting about us all the way here on the other side of the world.
And give our buddy J a big hug from us, please.

Love,

P.

p.s.: I'd still would like your mailing address please.:)

mom-mode post #92 - on hot days and cooking

let me tell ya, these days the weather in our city has been extremely hot. And like I've said before, there are no beaches around here. We also don't have a neighborhood pool. There's no breeze during the day. And did I mention there's no AC in our apartment? But who's complaining? Hubby and have done the occasional "escape the heat" trip to the mall. But most days we just turn on all the fans, plop O on his super duper pool and just hope for night time to come.
Needless to say, I have been doing very minimal cooking on the stove. So here are some recipes we have been enjoying these hot days:

Chicken Pesto Croissant Sandwich:

1. 1 chicken breast cooked, shredded and seasoned to taste
2. 1 1/2 tablespoon of pesto sauce ( you can make it yourself, but since I've killed my basil plant, I bought it ready at the grocery store)
3. Cheese of your preference
4. 4 Croissants or I guess you could get a tortilla and make a wrap out of it.

Assemble the sandwiches and enjoy!

I've also tried out my mom-in-law's frozen coffee drink, but I've forgotten the recipe so I made it like this:

1 cup of brewed coffee
2 tablespoons of sugar
3-4 scoops of chocolate ice cream.
Throw everything in a blender. Done.

mom- mode post #91 - on (what do you know!) my first award.

I received The Versatile Blogger Award from Sofia's World

My first award, how exciting!In order to fully accept the award I must:

1) Thank the person who gave me the award. Thanks Sofia!! I write this little blog for my friends and family to get an insight on what life has been like as a new mommy. Glad you have enjoyed the read.

2) Share seven things about ourselves.

3) Nominate 15 newly discovered blogs, and let the nominees know about the award.

Seven things about me: 

• I live in a far far away country away from everyone I love and it hurts everyday.
• I speak Portuguese, English, Spanish, I've forgotten all of my German and Turkish is kicking my butt ( can I say butt on a family blog? Maybe I should say behind. Kicking my behind.)
• I miss teaching. Well, I miss my kiddos I used to teach. Most of them are in Middle School now. I pray and wish that they are defying all the odds and are being successful. 
• Speaking of things I miss, I miss Target. Lame I know, but I do.
• Another thing I miss? Summer days in my beautiful hometown. 
• I love fashion and I love going shopping with people and helping them find their style.
• I'm still trying to figure out life here and some days culture shock still gets the best of me.

And...I would like to nominate the blogs below because they are on my blogfeed and I read them often... Unfortunately I do not know of 15 new blogs to nominate, so I nominate 8  :


1. Momfessions
2. Saco de Farinha

3. Gringuinhos
5. Comer para Crescer
6. Aventuras de uma familia na Europa
7. My busy home
8. The Lewii



Congrats!

mom-mode post # 90 - on a little growing perspective

O @ 2 weeks of life (and then)

O @ 5 months (now)

Now and then:
Boy oh boy how life has changed. Os is a growing, active, smiling little baby boy. No longer a sleepy, hungry little newborn.
Then he used to eat every two hours, was still learning the difference between night and day and I felt like so inadequate as a new mommy. Learning everything from taking care of a belly button, giving him a bath and what was the most adequate feeding position.
Now he eats some solids ( with gusto!), thrives on his daily routine and I don't feel quite so inadequate anymore. We are on a groove, O and I. I know him more and more each day. And with every new week hew develops a new little cry, a new little trick, a sweet new smile.:) Hubby and I are just so in love with this little guy with his chubby legs and toothless smile.

Here's to what five months can bring. A new perspective in life. Life is most definitely different, most definitely challenging, most definitely wonderful.