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!