What Sofia is Thankful For

At 14 months, Sofia is a very thankful toddler. Her list was very long this year and it was hard to make sense of the "mamamamama ohohohohoh bobobobob eheheheheh" that is constantly streaming from her lips, but I have tried to translate for you:

• Mama and Dada, who I kiss and cuddle constantly.
• Her people: Grandma, Grandad, Gigi, Poppi, Old Grandma, Old Grandpa, Aunt Megan, Uncle Chris, Max, Aunties and Uncles across the US and the UK and random people on the street that smile at her.
• Food - any food. Except several fruits - no thanks, she says.
• Walking is AWESOME
• Sleeping without a pacifier
• Two naps a day. ("Mama, don't try to take my morning nap away again. I'll make you wish you didn't.")
• Cashmere
• Teddy, who's nose fur is almost completely rubbed off.
• Giggling and waving to strangers.
• Being able to now properly use toys, like building blocks and stacking shapes.
• The mouse in "That's not my ....." book series. I love finding that little mouse, says she.
• Calling for taxis with one finger in the air.
• Freebies from Daddy's new job where they make baby products.
• Being the center of attention every minute of every day.

That was about all I could make out.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Miss you and love you.

Sofia's First 'Real' Walking Day

A few weeks ago Sofia graced us with a few lonely steps. She then decided to stop. Today with Jessica, both friend and babysitter, she decided to walk. Properly. Check it out.

Halloween

Halloween - urban style. This is pretty funny stuff. Sofia and I started the day off having brunch with Matt, Inigo and Phillip at HK (aka Gay Night Club that does brunch). HK was blasting Lady Gaga while the waitstaff pranced around in naughty costumes. Patrons were also getting into the spirit, and our favorites were Gem and the Holograms (for those out there that understand the reference).

After a late and much needed nap (for both of us), we went to a friend's party where there were 10 toddlers all over heating, running around a loft apartment and eating far too many cookies. Our little ladybug had a great time. By the time we left she was ready for some 'real' dinner followed by more trick-or-treating. And in true NY style, we came back with an apple, a bag of Chinese grape flavored gummies and an (almost) new Tickle Me Elmo. Suburbia - this is not.

Special props go out to my sister who whipped up this costume for her niece - who was very appreciative.

Clippity-Clop

Max gave Sofia this wooden puzzle. She doesn't have a clue how to work the puzzle but instead uses the pieces to 'make herself known' in the apartment. We just think she is the cutest thing doing this - maybe you will too.

Sofia - "It's Fun to be One"

A disproportionate amount of her cards said this phrase, but Hallmark was not lying. Sofia is tons of fun at a year old and she seems to just be getting better and better. Now I am not saying that I am over the moon at this baby/toddler turning point. I am quite sad when I store away her little outfits or she wiggles a bit more in the rocking chair when I am in the mood for a 'moment.' But I also applaud her development: her tiny tooth, putting her hand up to her ear when we say 'hello' as if she is answering the phone, and her special way of hailing a taxi (one finger pointed in the air). She is an amazing little creature and I (we) love her dearly.

Her daddy loves her so dearly that he is going to bust out the rest of this blog (readers, be ready).

I know I am supposed to say, a year already? really! but it really does seem along time ago and to be honest I can't remember what the old Antony was like. I know he had a lot more free time and a lot less grey hair but he seems a stranger to me now. The new me is not necessarily better but more rounded and richer (in a purely non financial sense of course) for going through the pain barrier time and again then being rewarded with a sloppy kiss or a squeal of delight.

I have no idea how we lucked out and brought such a happy and gorgeous little girl into the world or how we have managed to go through a whole year without a visit to the emergency room but here we are, she is one and we are ever so proud. She will be our little girl forever and the worst day with her exceeds all the days that went before. So cheers to the little monkey, may she be happy, smiling and carefree forever and a day.

Love R & A xxx

PS Just went into her room to give her a kiss while she is sleeping, she looks adorable.

Sofia's 1st Birthday Party(s) Photo Album

Sofia's NYC Birthday Party: September 18, 2010

Sofia's Birthday: September 14, 2010

Sofia's UK Birthday Party: Newcastle, August 2010

For those extra keen fans, here are a couple of albums chronicling "Sofia's Best."

Sofia's Best

Sofia's Best (Cont.)

Nearly a year

Nearly a year and I am not happy about it - where did my baby go? I was in Chicago recently with work and when I got back she seemed older! Perhaps it is the peek-a-boo new tooth she has now that wasn't there when I left. I will lament my baby's growth more in the next blog which will highlight her birthday, Sept 14th, and her party, Sept 18th. But for now, let me tell you about our latest trip to the UK.

We were planning a trip to the UK this summer and luckily were able to accommodate two major events: Bernard's 70th birthday party and the V Festival. Clearly, the V Festival wasn't as major as 70 years of life, but this V was going to be baby-free for three nights. So for us, pretty major. Here we are, "reliving our youth" as Anne suggested. We did, of course, have a great time with our dear friends Howard and Vicki who were also enjoying childless freedom (evidenced in the photo below).

Our childless fun didn't stop at V, we also had some great nights out with our Northern pals. Below is a photo with my fab girlfriends from back-in-the-day, Joanne, Alizon, Susan and Nicola. Our men were with us too but we just wanted a picture of ourselves, thank you very much.

It sounds as though we didn't spend any time with the baby. Of course we did, and the photos below act as evidence. Here is a proud and doting Uncle Bobo (he left his fairy princess crown at home this time).

Sofia was a great lover of the Northumberland coast. She didn't even mind the atmospheric August weather.

And Daddy got lots of cuddle time with his baby girl.

And before leaving the UK, we spent a weekend in London visiting our friends Dan & Grania and meeting their newest addition, Alice. What sweeties, Sofia and Alice were fast friends and they spent the majority of the weekend squeaking at each other. Here is some bath time fun. This is the kind of thing we will torture them with when they are 16 and moody.

Thanks everyone, as always, for showing we three such a great time. See you in the Spring!

Ps. Sofia did have an early birthday party in the UK but this will be highlighted in the next blog which will be all about BIRTHDAYS!

Family

It has been a while since I posted any blogs - for good reason. We have been spending a lot of time visiting family this summer. More to follow soon. But in the meantime, here are a couple of pictures from our most recent trips. The first is a 4 generations photo taken in July and the second is a Pereira family self-portrait taken in August.

Note: Sofia has about a million outfits and it is just a coincidence that she is wearing the same rainbow dress in each of these pictures. She also smiles, almost all of the time. It is also just a coincidence that she looks like she would rather be anywhere else!

All Joy, No Fun

'All Joy, No Fun' was the sub headline of this article in the New York magazine a few weeks back. Despite agreeing whole-hearted with the article's general premise, we thought we would try to break out of our humdrum routine and go on our first, short, family vacation. We choose the Catskills, a mountain range 3 hrs north of NYC.

We had a great time, staying in a ski lodge in the summer. One day we hiked to a waterfall and Sofia cooled off by wadding in. In this picture she doesn't look too keen but she got into shortly afterward.

We also went to a petting zoo - good though we didn't agree with their choice of keeping some bigger animals that most certainly did not belong (tiger, bear and bison). But we did feel a bit better when we saw that all of the animals appeared to be healthy. Here we are looking like we love our child and our lives.

Some of the better animals included giant tortoises, roaming around freely, and baby bunnies. We were able to take them out of their hutch and hold them. Sofia was trying to be gentle but still managed to poke everyone of them in the eye.

Here is Sofia literally trying to climb into the deer's enclosure. If you can see, she is holding on unaided. We suggested that we throw her in with the monkeys. She would be just fine.

So all in all, quite a lot of fun really. We were still asleep by 10pm and awake by 7am. But I think that is now life as we know it. Babies just don't sleep in on vacation. But we love her anyway.

Girls on Tour

Sofia and I recently made a trip to California. I am careful to describe this as a trip - NOT a vacation. I'm feeling that I am not going to have one of those in a very, very long time. Sofia really was a well behaved little traveler but she didn't carry anything, make any meals, pay for anything, or even change her own diaper. Therefore, she was more of a fashion accessory than a contributing member of our travelling team. I'll forgive her - this time. We did, however, have a wonderful time seeing our friends in Northern California. This photo was taken at a Flash Back Play Date, featuring Vicky/Emmy and Jodi/Rio. Both great friends from high school and with babies near Sofia's age.

We also stayed with one of my nearest and dearest friends from back home, Trisha, and her family. She also was kind enough to have a baby around Sofia's age so she had a live-in playmate. Here are Cooper and Sofia playing in his crib. She, of course, is thinking about how she is going to get her hands on him. And he is thinking about how he is going to get away from her.

And as expected, Trisha and family exposed Sofia to all sorts to delights, including BBQ ribs. She worked on this thing for (seemingly) hours. She really enjoyed it, to the point of being sick. But good things don't come cheap, right?

Our friend, Rob (aka Uncle Bobo), tagged along with us from part of the trip. It was great having him aboard the 'Girls on Tour' tour bus. But really, can you trust a man that sleeps in a princess bed with a pink magician's hat?

The last of the trip was rounded out by flying to San Diego and visiting Auntie Megan and Uncle Chris. They did what they know best: treat us to an awesome time, encourage drinking and hanging out at the beach. Here we are taking Sofia to the beach for the first time. She LOVED the sand, by the way, and promptly tried to display her affection by putting her mouth on it (seaweed included). Gritty diapers are not pretty (not that Megan would know).

We arrived back home more tired than I thought humanly possible. But I felt like Super Mom. Rob agrees - I AM Super Mom. But I am not going to try out my powers again for a very long time.

Sofia on the Move

Here is Sofia doing two of her new tricks: crawling and saying "dada." Other unfilmed tricks include waving, clapping and refusing fruit outright.

More please!

This is what my sister just texted me. The blog isn't cutting it, she said. Well, nothing helps me pull my finger out like an insult to my blog. So this is more. So do you wonder how a near 9 month old spends her day? Other than sleeping, eating and pooping (while making some excellent faces and grunts) she is generally trying to get up and go. Just recently she figured out how to roll over. That one has been a tough one for her. She is, however, an fantastic butt scooter. She is constantly rocking back and forth moving herself around millimeter by millimeter. This new found movement has caused some distress, for all of us, as MANY times in the night we are awoken to her screeches. When we rush in to see what has devastated our little princess, we see that she has rolled over and is on all fours - and can't figure out how to lay back down. We will all be thrilled when she finally aces that test.

She is also working on some other baby tricks, namely saying 'mama' and ignoring 'dada' completely. She is also starting to wave bye-bye and give kisses (though the kisses seem to be solely reserved for her daddy and her baby lover-lover Max).

And lastly,we are all gearing up for the World Cup. Uncle Bobo has even sent over an England strip so that she can be supporting the winning side (or in any case, the side who cares the most).

Here is the 'more' that Megan was after. Please excuse Antony's hairy chest and boxer shorts in the video. I wanted to include it as THAT is exactly how she spends her days.

Our Resident Camera Hog

She is the focal point of any picture. She has her own personal paparazzi. She smiles the majority of the day so most every shot is a winner. But can you blame us? We are transfixed by her gummy grin (still no teeth), cornflower blue eyes and peek-a-boo ears.

The last few weeks have been busy with work commitments and settling into our new apartment. With the grandparents extraordinaire here until early this week, we had a live-in nanny and a handyman. We used their talents well and literally worked them until the final hours before their departure! They now are enjoying a well deserved break from their two month vacation.

So now it's just the three of us - but only for a few weeks and then Gigi the Great comes for a couple of weeks to look after the baby while Rachelle does two weeks of FULL TIME WORK. Ouch, this is going to hurt.

In other news, Sofia now likes to eat lamb tagine, chicken stir fry and cauliflower with granddad's beef bourguignon sauce. But try to give her a banana, mango or strawberry and she will curl her lips into a pout and refuse to open up. Go figure.

Home Sweet Home

It has been a while since I have made any postings - I apologise to the two of you that regularly tune in! Things have been crazy here - with friendly and familiar visits and, of course, the big move. Luckily, we have had Ann & Bernard, grandparents extraordinaire, here to help us and take care of baby. You might be thinking that our move must not have been that big of a deal, besides out 600 sq ft apartment was about the size of a modest suburban bathroom. But our stuff, and Sofia's giant collection of clothes and toys, needed to be lugged down 4 flights of stairs. Even with burly Ukrainians heaving it up and down the stairs, it was a big job. But now the dust has settled in our new place and now we have places to sit and sleep. What's left is just a million jobs necessary to make this apartment our home.

You may be wondering what we think of our new place. Well, we are enjoying this moment where we don't have much furniture and there seems to be vast open spaces - giving us the impression that we live in a 1,000 ft Taj Mahal. This is a picture of Sofia kicking back, enjoying the space. I must admit that we do sort of miss the clouds of pot smoke lingering in the hallway, but we are dealing with it.

Babysitting and moving related chores can start to become overwhelming, so we decided to take a well deserved break at the Cloisters. For those of you New Yorkers (and tourists) who have never been, it is a must see on a nice Spring weekday.

Next stop... Oprah

So our friend, Matt, convinced me to take a video of Sofia playing with our newly purchased iPad. He predicted that it would become wildly popular on YouTube and before we knew it Oprah would be knocking on our door wanting to film Sofia playing with an array of ridiculously cool electronics.

Well, it has been about a week and we do have over 2,500 viewings. Not quite Oprah level but thought I'd direct our nearest and dearest to it so that they could have a look too.

Easter and New Beginnings

We had a fantastic first Easter as a new mini-family. Firstly, the weather turned divine again. That does wonders for the spirits. Secondly, Sofia was able to wear her first sundress which showed off every deliciously fatty roll - ripe for the occasional nibble. Thirdly, we spent the day walking around Midtown watching locals and tourists alike dress up in their Easter Sunday 'best.' All, of course, who stopped and gawked at our cheerful smiler.

And the new beginning part of this blog relates to our soon-to-be exodus from the 5 floor walk to a new building (also in Hells Kitchen) with an elevator, laundry room, children's playroom, deck area and a not-so-cheery doorman. Our new 12 floor, south-facing apartment has three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a dishwasher and full ceiling height in every room! (Note: for those of you who can't believe that isn't a given haven't seen our bat cave.) We are so excited! So the Pereiras are literally "movin' on up!" we just hope we can afford the rent! May 1st is the moving date - watch this space!

Spring?

This Spring has been a tease. A couple of weeks ago, I took Sofia to a pediatrician's appointment on the Upper West Side. The temperature was a glorious 70 degrees (F) so I decided push the freshly pricked princess the 2 miles back home. So with the baby passed out in the stroller and her chubby legs hanging out the sides, we began our journey back to Hell's Kitchen.

When the weather is suddenly, and abnormally, warm everyone seems to have a smile on their face. That day was no different. In a city when eye contact is a naughty word and you feel like you've hit the jackpot when someone holds the door open for you, people can still surprise you. The sun was a real attitude changer. Strangers stopped to coo over the sleeping baby, pedestrians moved to make space for us to pass and doors began opening all over the city.

Nannies pushed children enjoying melting ice creams while they sipped their Italian ices. Posh mommies also were seen pushing their newborns on the streets, sporting their newly acquired fit figures, while eating Pink Berry or Tasty-Delight (if they were feeling dangerous). Diving between them, bicyclists sang along to the music blaring from the boom boxes roped to their backs.

The flowers bloomed, the sun shone, New Yorkers were practically dancing in the streets. I think you get the idea.

But now it's raining - and it has for days. Will Spring ever arrive and decide to stay? Will I ever see happy New Yorkers again?

Happy Half Birthday!

Well, Miss Sofia, you are halfway there - to your first birthday. And what a little person you are turning into! The most noteworthy thing to mention about you at 6 months is how happy you are. You smile 300 times a day and not just to us but to the people in the laundromat, dry cleaners, gym, grocery store, subway, etc. If they smile at you, you smile right back. It's pretty easy to make friends with you.

Your easy-going, friendly attitude rubs off on other parts of your life. For example you seem to be up for anything. You like small things; you find a walk around the block is wildly entertaining and a feather will keep you happy for 30 mins. But also you are up for bigger adventures, like the swing set and the swimming pool (despite the temperature being a far cry from bath water). You are just so curious!


But this curiosity has not extended to the physical. You don't roll - not even close. You don't crawl or scoot or even reach that much. If a toy is out of reach, you just happily wait for another to be dropped in your lap. Forever the optimist. But you can sit like a champ. Nowadays, you rarely tip yourself backwards and seem pretty confident with your solid foundation.

Speaking of your foundation, that is another thing you excel in: growing. I suspect that you are now around 20 lbs and in the last month you have grown 2.5 inches (imagine, that is a lot when you are only 2 foot tall!). This ability to grow is no surprise, given your parents.

Over the past two weeks, you have been enjoying 'solid' food (i.e. baby rice that tastes like pureed cardboard). But today, you tasted real food. Pear puree. I can safely say that it was a big hit. Next apples, then carrots, and then perhaps bananas - and the world is your oyster. But you can't eat those for another 6 months, at least.

You like the funniest things: eating bubbles in the bath, 'Caps for Sale' when the peddler yells at the monkeys for stealing his caps, any and all animal noises, the sound of your own high-pitched squeal. One day you might think that snapping our fingers is the craziest thing and you howl with laughter and the next day you will look at us like we're nuts when we keep snapping our fingers with sappy smiles waiting for the smiles to explode. Only they don't - she is SO over it now.

So baby girl, it has been quite an adventure. I keep trying to come up with clever ideas to stunt your growth and keep you just as you are right now. But as time moves on we are continually in awe as we learn more about you. We partly feel like we can't wait to see what you do next, but the other part is firmly enjoying today. Keep smiling! Love, Mommy & Daddy

Hair!

Hair is all the talk around our place at the moment.

• Firstly, Sofia is growing more of it. We can almost create a comb-over on the bald spot found on the back of her head (made from tossing and turning while trying to fall asleep).

• Secondly, I am losing tons of it. This is a seriously delayed post-partum reaction. But this hair loss has resulted in finding my hair on everything Sofia - her bath water, her clothes, her toys, between her toes, in her diaper! Poor thing - my hair is slowly taking her over, alien style.

• And lastly, I went dark! As you can see in the photo, I have embraced the dark side and trying life out as a brunette. Jury's out at the moment. Antony is a fan (he feel like he is living some alternative life with another woman). Comments welcomed!

Sofia's First Bite

By looking at her, you'd think that Sofia could put away a cheeseburger, no problem. But this first taste of baby rice didn't go down so well. And the hours following this video included LOTS of baby vom. We'll try again tomorrow!

Sofia's Party

In sweet celebration of hip and leg freedom, our friends from around NY joined us (and my mom) for a boozy brunch (aka Free Sofia Party). Dressed in a beautiful dress bought for her by her English Grandma, she dazzled her guests with sticking out her tongue and raising her dress over her head so that she could stuff the delicate silk into her mouth.

Despite being out of the brace and now enjoying the ability to kick her legs as much as she pleases, she still continues to grow at an alarming rate. Now at 5 months she is a whooping 18 lbs! Size 6-9 month clothes will soon be a thing of the past. What a high achiever, eh?