Not THAT Anymore! Sudden Changes and More...

I love to be in control of exactly how, when and where things happen. Planning, making lists, wanting things to be done in certain ways and in precise moments are all examples of how I love being in control. But guess what? Little boy wonder has also taught me in the past year that there are many things about him that I cannot control and that I just need to learn to accept! So, I'm happy to say that I've been able to handle pretty well the last unexpected and sudden changes that have occurred since Daniel turned 1!

What am I referring to? Well, for starters, Daniel has, almost overnight (about two weeks ago), decided to stop drinking milk, period. This is a boy who has always loved his milk and only 2 weeks ago, was walloping 8 oz of milk in the morning and at bedtime as well as about 6 oz mid-morning and mid-afternoon. But then, he got sick and had croup (we even had to take him to the ER one night to help his breathing; thank God he is all better now) and since then, has literally refused milk - either in his bottle or sippy cup. We offer it to him now several times a day but he will choose water over milk each time. We were puzzled..."Why don't you want milk anymore, Daniel?" "Don't you remember loving it just a few days ago?" We cannot answer these questions; it's just the way it is!

Of course, we were worried because we have always heard that children need their milk and that at this age, should be drinking up to 20 oz a day! Well, Daniel is now pretty much not having any milk (except for a few sips here and there and on an odd day when he'll drink a few ounces when he just gets up). But, a friend recently encouraged me that as long as we are giving him foods that are rich in calcium, he doesn't really need milk specifically. Her children never really drank milk and have grown up just fine. And, I know that in many cultures children don't drink milk and still thrive. So, we've had to suddenly adapt and now Daniel is eating yogurt twice a day, has milk in his cereal, more cheese and veggies high in calcium (well, at least that is the plan :))! And instead of milk, he is having breakfast earlier, snacks mid-morning and afternoon and dinner a little later so he will not get hungry at night. And thank God, this new food routine is working welll! Phew!

It's funny because we were just starting to think about how to wean Daniel off his bottle and get him drinking milk from a sippy cup. But hey, who said I could control that?! We don't have to think about that anymore, he just decided to do it all by himself! Looking back, this sudden change shouldn't really surprise me because it's exactly what he did at 5 months with nursing!

Having learned that everything is a phase, however, he'll probably start to drink milk again some day... But one thing I know for sure, the bottle days are now over and it's only the sippy cup now. Gosh, just another reminder that my little boy is no longer a baby...

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Here are some other noteworthy changes that have recently occurred:

-He's understanding us so much more! For example, the other day I told him to go to the window to see his friend Takumi who was leaving the house and he crawled over immediately! And if we ask him to clap, most of the time he'll do just that!

- Daniel is now loving reading books! Until only recently, he wouldn't really focus on the pictures but now he does, turns the pages and pays close attention! He has also started to bring out books during the day for us to read with him and likes to look at them on his own. So much fun!

- Calling me "ma-ma" more often (am now almost sure that this is his official 1st word - yay! - but am just waiting to make sure he doesn't stop doing it). Previously, he seemed to be saying in Portuguese "oi" (which means "hi") and "vem" (which means "come"), but that has disappeared which makes me think they were just sounds. He has also said "pa-pa" a few times but not consistently yet towards Jonny so could still just be imitating...

- Pointing much more clearly at things with his index finger.

- Standing on his own for several seconds without holding onto anything for support!

- Every time he sees Buffy, he imitates her sound and says "eeoooww". He started doing this on his own and Stephen, my step-father, was the first to notice! Yesterday when he went for a walk, he saw two dogs and started to say "wow-wow" (Portuguese equivalent of woof-woof!)!

- Daniel is definitely transitioning to 1 nap per day. I'm still watching him carefully to make sure he really is ready but there have been quite a few days now that he has only had one nap - either just one in the morning or one in the afternoon - and he's generally done well with that. This is exciting since especially now that spring is arriving, we'll be able to enjoy the outdoors more in the morning!

- And lastly, his favorite activity is climbing the stairs! He does it several times a day and is so fast; his energy is incredible! Just think what it will be like when he is running? More adventures to come for sure...

Here are some cute pictures of Daniel taken today!

One Year Later...It's Not About Me Anymore

Since boy wonder just recently turned 1, I have been reflecting a lot about how he has impacted me. I had heard before "that children teach their parents a lot" but now I know from experience that this statement is true. It's almost a year since I wrote this blog when Daniel was 6 weeks old, about how I was learning that "it's not about me anymore." I knew that I was undergoing some intense training in the selfishness department but boy, today I can say that I didn't realize how difficult that training would be!

Having Daniel has been one of the most amazing but also challenging experiences of my life. I think that because I had experienced the tragedy of losing Jonathan David, I subconsciously thought that I would be able to handle other challenges quite easily. After all, what could be more difficult than losing a child?

But, becoming Daniel's mother brought its own difficulties. I have always theoretically known that having a child would be demanding, but the reality is that nothing could have prepared me for what I have experienced this past year. The sleep deprivation was very difficult for me to handle. At about 3 months when he was going through a growth spurt, I started to feel a lot of anxiety and experience insomnia. It was horrible. Thank God, my sister visited me at that time and provided some invaluable support and then later, I went to see a counselor who really helped me realize I needed to give myself time to adjust. The anxiety didn't last for long, and from 4 months onwards, I started to accept the difficulties, adjust better and enjoy my new role as a mother more and more.

But it wasn't just the sleep deprivation. I have also come to realize that serving people is really not my forte (I did kind of know that before, but now it's been confirmed!). For Jonny, for example, serving comes much more easily and he enjoys it. I had always been very spoilt in that department; growing up in developing countries we always had house-help and then later, I married Jonny who due to his gift of serving (and my gift of receiving :-)) continued to spoil me. But, once Daniel arrived, everything changed: as his mother I had to learn to serve him, day and night, and in every aspect of his life. Serving a child is particularly self-sacrificing because it is constant and requires a lot of patience, perseverance, strength, energy and tons of love (and you don't get much encouraging feedback either)!

However today, a year later, I can wholeheartedly say that I'm so thankful for Daniel. Not only for the great blessing, joy, and cuteness that he is, but also for what he has done to me "in the inside." God has used Daniel to grow me in many ways; He has used my son to prune my branches so that I can become a better person - more selfless, a greater servant, and more dependent on Him. John 15:2 "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

And for this, I'm very thankful. I have by no means arrived in this department, however. There is still a lot of pruning to be done. Serving, though it has become easier over the past year, is still not easy for me. There is still a lot that Daniel has to teach me. But even though growth is often difficult and painful, I'm looking forward to growing more . I'm looking forward to it because I know that for those who believe, God uses everything for our good - all our pain, all we experience. He uses everything to help us become more like Him, the greatest of all: the Lord Jesus.

Thank You Lord for my son. Thank You for pruning my branches. Thank You for teaching and growing me. I pray that I may bear more fruit for Your glory.

Photos of Daniel from about a year ago...

The House Feels So Empty... We Miss You!

Dear Vozinha e Vozinho Fofinho,

You have left a big empty feeling in our home and in our hearts; we are all missing you! At the same time, we are very grateful that you came all the way from Portugal to spend two weeks with us, to celebrate Daniel's 1st Birthday and to give us much joy. Thank you! The memories of our time together are wonderful and they are many... I put together the best photos of our two weeks together so that we can keep all the memories alive - check out the slide show (to download or see bigger, click on the slide show and you will be taken to Picasa).

We love you and please come back soon!

With all our love,

Ana, Jonny and your special grandson, Daniel

More photos from Daniel's First Birthday Party!

Our dear friend Pastor Dan Taylor, took some wonderful photos at Daniel's party - check out his website to see and download them! Thanks Dan so much for these wonderful photos! And it was very special to have you and Lori there!

Celebrating Daniel's 1st Birthday!

This past Saturday, we celebrated Daniel's First Birthday with some of our family and friends and had a great time. Daniel did generally well at the party but did feel overwhelmed at times with the busyness. One of the highlights was that we were able to bring together four of the women who had taken care of Daniel over the past year: Azad, Azra, Ruth and Maria!

Check out the slide show for some of the photos that were taken (to see in bigger size or to download, click on the slide show and you will be taken to Picasa):

Boy Wonder is ONE!!!

Yesterday, March 3rd, was Daniel's First Birthday! Wow, what a special milestone! We spent the whole day cherishing him and in amazement that he already is one! He had no idea why we were extra excited but seemed to enjoy the multiple times we sang "Happy Birthday" in both English and Portuguese. The day started with Papai making Daniel a birthday cake and then in the early evening, we had a small celebration in which he got to try his first cake ever (he ate a little but didn't seem to love it) and then opening presents.

Check out the slide show of Daniel on his actual birthday! (To download photos, please click on the slide show and it will take you to Picasa).




We are so thankful to God for giving us Daniel Peter, what a blessing he is! We will be celebrating more this coming weekend so stay tuned for more photos!

We Are Anxiously Waiting!

For Vozinha and Vozinho Fofinho's arrival tomorrow!!! YAY!!!

My mother and step-father are arriving tomorrow from Portugal to spend two weeks with us and to celebrate Daniel's 1st Birthday!!! We can't believe that our boy wonder will be 1 on Tuesday, March 3rd! One year ago we were waiting for my labor to begin with so many questions to be answered, including whether he would be breech or not. Remember? You can review the blog here! It's already been a year and now we have a very big, cute, loving and an overall so precious boy wonder!

We look forward to blogging soon with photos and videos of his first birthday! These are very exciting times for our family! In fact, you can see exactly how excited we are:

In the meantime, I've been asking Daniel over and over: "Who is arriving on Saturday?" And responding with much excitment: "Vozinha e Vozinho Fofinho!!!"

We will be at the airport tomorrow waiting for you with so much joy and expectation! See you tomorrow!!!

Introducing To You: Maria

Well, for those who remember, finding long-term child care for Daniel has not been easy for us... Since Daniel was almost 5 months old, we've already tried 3 family day cares and now we are on our second nanny whose name is Maria! Ruth, who we loved, had to return to Peru to be with her two daughters who were really needing her there. Fortunately, she recommended her friend Maria, who is a lovely woman, also from Peru.

We are very happy with Maria (she's already been with us for about a month) and are hoping that she will stay for many months to come... but, we are just taking one day at a time with that and just thankful that Daniel is doing well, despite all the changes he has experienced in this area. He really likes her and it's great that he's still being exposed to Spanish.

Here is a photo of Maria with Daniel on a recent early morning - not the best picture but at least you get to see what Maria looks like.

Bahooo! Wahwooo!

Recently, Daniel has been talking a lot and making the cutest of sounds! "Bahooo, Wahwooo" is music to our ears! We love listening and watching him make these sounds - check out the video!

We are now just waiting for an official first word, which I am hoping will be "mamae" :-) - though I will be very happy if it is "papai" too!

P.S. This video also shows Daniel pulling himself up and standing!

The Sweetest Greeting

When Jonny and I both go to work, we are always excited to come home to our boy wonder in the early evenings. Recently, Daniel is always by the window when we get home and we are greeted oh so sweetly.

It is always a joyful reunion; a very special moment of the day! This afternoon, I was able to get some pictures of Daniel by the window - they are a bit obscured by the reflection of the sun, but, you can see well the sweetest greeting that we so look forward to and enjoy...