Never Underestimate Your Child

This past Sunday at church, I was watching Daniel play in the toddler's room and was sitting talking to a friend about our children. We were both sharing our stories of life with a toddler and how challenging it can be at times.

Suddenly it was snack time and as in previous weeks, the much older toddlers (Daniel is by far the youngest in the room, most are at least over 2) all made their way to the table to sit down and eat their snack and drink their juice. I immediately thought, "Yes, Daniel is still too young to sit at the table, it's not even worth trying. " But as Daniel showed a desire to join the other children, I took him over and sat him on the seat, thinking that he wouldn't sit for long. But, I was wrong! He completely surprised me. Not only did he sit still, but he also joined the children in nicely eating the animal biscuits and drinking his juice, just like "a big boy!" Oh, and he also wanted to share his snack! I was amazed and so proud of him!

And then my friend turned to me and said: "Ana, as parents, we should never underestimate our children. Look what progress you are seeing in Daniel today!" Her words of wisdom really rung true to me and I said "Yes, you are so right! I really need to remember that!" Look at how well he did!

But of course, I take time to learn things and tonight, my friend's words of wisdom popped into my mind as I underestimated Daniel yet again. We were having dinner and Jonny had made us for the first time in ages, corn on the cob. We had not planned to give Daniel any since we thought he would not know what to do with it. Up until very recently, he hasn't been very good at biting pieces off food like biscuits, for example. But sure enough, he started pointing at the corn we were eating and nodding his head, clearly letting us know he also wanted some. And you guessed it, much to our surprise and delight, he ate the corn just like a big boy!

I think that most of the times that I have underestimated Daniel, I have just done so in my thoughts, but haven't actually limited him from doing new things. But, my friend's words really reminded me that my underestimation could actually lead me to prevent him from developing to his full potential. It could lead me, for example, to not let him try a new activity (and so learn a new skill) or even a new food or one that he did not like the day before (and thus encourage him to just keep eating the same thing). The truth is, he changes so rapidly that I could never keep up with him! So, yes, I hope I will remember this and continue to let him show me, at his own pace, how fast he is becoming our "big boy." Yes, Daniel, it's happening much faster than I could have ever imagined!

Papai Dresses Daniel: The Surprise Outfit

Jonny loves to choose Daniel's clothes and to put on things "that no adult man" would ever wear. He just finds it very cute that Daniel gets to wear things he would never get caught wearing, like "his light blue pants and matching yellow shorts and shirts."

Just the other afternoon, Jonny changed Daniel before his nap and put him to bed. After we all woke up from our naps (we love having a family nap on weekends after lunch!), Jonny said to me: "I've got a surprise for you, I put on some "home clothes" on Daniel before his nap." And I thought "Ooohhh, what did he choose this time?"

And then suddenly Daniel appeared, all happy after his nap dressed up in a way I had never seen before: with the light blue pants and a way too big Brazilian national football (soccer) shirt! He looked so cute!

I had bought the shirt at the local thrift store where I buy most of Daniel's clothes for only $1.90. It's the original Nike shirt and though I knew it was too big, I thought it was so lucky for me to find it and so I bought it, thinking that he would wear it in about 2 years... Well, Jonny had a completely different idea!

And so this became the photo opportunity of the afternoon and I took loads of pictures of Daniel in the outfit that his Papai had chosen, knowing that the Brazilian side of the family would love to see him wearing it. And it was a sweet reminder that he is indeed a "Half-Brazilian Boy!"

Will he grow up to be a football player? I know for sure his Papai hopes so; maybe that's why he put it on, secretly hoping the shirt would "rub off" some of those famous "samba skills"! :-)

Check out the slide show with several of the photos I took. The photos also show you all the different things Daniel gets up to in a just a few minutes of playing in the living room!

The First Of Many At The County Fair

We went to County Fair this weekend with some of our neighbors and had a wonderful time! Daniel got to do several new things for the first time: He touched a sheep and a duck, learned to milk a "cow", played in a "corn box", saw and/or heard the sounds of cows, goats, sheep, donkey and alpacas, and even rode a Pony! Have a look at the slide show below (to download photos or see larger, click on slide show and you will be taken to Picasa):




One of the highlights of the trip was that the 3 toddlers got really excited together about playing inside this empty wooden house/shed. I even caught them on video, so check it out!

We just feel so blessed that our neighbors are now friends of ours and that our children love each other! This is definitely an answer to prayer which we are very grateful for!

Fun Times At The Pool

With only a few weeks left to enjoy the pool (outdoor pools close here the first week of September) and some typical hot August days, we have been going to the pool a lot. Daniel just absolutely loves the water and so it's a very enjoyable time out for all. What has been extra special lately is that we have been having lots of different friends join us at the pool and so the fun has been even greater!

Just yesterday, we had several of Daniel's friends from church join us and despite it being overcast and not as hot as usual, it was so cute to see them all together! We had a total of 6 little boys, 4 all about Daniel's age and 2 five-month olds. Here are some photos!

This was Santiago's first time in the pool ever - how special! This is when he first entered the pool...he loved it!

Marcus was also very happy!

We tried to get a picture of the 4 toddlers together but it didn't work too well and they started to cry...this is the best shot I got.


The babies particiapted from their car seats most of the time...

Earlier this week, we also enjoyed the pool with Ella, my dear friend Corinne's daughter, and with Enya, our neighbor.

This is Ella trying to give Daniel a kiss!

Enya and Daniel liked looking inside the "hole" on the side of the pool (don't know what it's called...)

And here are some photos of Daniel enjoying the pool on his own:

Anyway, we will miss the pool soooo much when it closes!!! But for now, we plan to keep enjoying it as much as possible. So if you are ever wondering what we are doing on a hot afternoon, we are more than likely having fun at the pool... And if you want to join us, do just let us know!

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Note On Cultural Blunder:

I'm not sure if you noticed but Daniel wore shorts over his swimmers yesterday but before, I didn't think shorts were necessary - I just thought his swimmers were enough. Well, it turns out that I committed another "cultural blunder" because I was told off by one of the lifeguards that "boys need to wear shorts over their diapers!" I told her that I didn't know that, that all summer he has only been wearing his swimmers and that they are not the same as diapers, they are swimmers!

In any case, I also I didn't think twice about the swimmers because of my Brazilian background, where to wear a "speedo" is the norm (that's what the swimmers remind me of). Remember the blog I wrote about Jonny and his speedo a couple of years ago? Well, you may also have noticed, that Jonny now only wears shorts to the pool here! I guess we have been slowly learning that "when in Rome, it's better to do as the Romans do!" Hopefully by the time Daniel can understand more, we will be better at all of this cross-cultural adaptation and not embarrass him! It's just hard to keep up with all these cultural differences.

But in the meantime, I have a favor to ask the loved ones that also live here: if you notice us doing something that is "not culturally appropriate", will you please let us know? We really would like to know because we often just don't have a clue! And we would prefer to hear it from loved ones than from strangers who may be offended. Thanks! :-)

Let's Dish!

This summer, I've been going with my neighbor Heather to Let's Dish once a month. Not only do we always have a great time when we go (it's such a fun "girls night out") but, our family also ends up with 8 wonderful meals to enjoy during the month!

For those of you who have never heard of Let's Dish, it's basically a large kitchen with several workstations with all the ingredients you need to assemble different dishes. You just have to follow the easy instructions and then you leave at the end of your session with delicious meals to put in your freezer and enjoy throughout the month. It's such a great idea! This month, for example, I brought home these dishes: Four-Star BBQ Pork Tenderloins, Irresistible Asian Pork Chops, Louisiana-Style Jambalaya, Thai-Marinated Flank Steak and Pasta Pomodoro.

Since I don't cook often (Jonny is the main chef in our home), when I'm at Let's Dish, I just feel so competent and productive in the kitchen! It's so much fun, easy to do, great value, healthy fresh meals and most importantly, the food is really yummy! And at the end, after we have finished dishing, we get to enjoy some free delicious snacks and drinks whilst enjoying lots of girl talk! I'm already looking forward to going again next month, Heather!

Here are two photos that were taken of us the last time we went together this past Friday. Having to wear an apron and head-scarf makes me feel even more of a "real" chef - though Jonny says we look like factory workers! :-)

Daniel Is 17 Months Old!

I've been really busy the last couple of weeks, with deadlines at work and doing lots of different things with Daniel that I haven't been able to blog much. But I'm now back with more news and lots of photos of the boy wonder!

I cannot believe Daniel is now only one month away from being 1 and a half - that's a big landmark! It's amazing to see how much he has grown and developed since he was that little newborn not too long ago...

This little boy continues to melt our hearts every day as well as challenge us! Each and every day we experience something new and the learning curve as parents continues to be steep!

Here are some things that Daniel is really into right now:

1.He loves to go down steps on his own. He can go down a sidewalk on his own now, or more steps if he can hold on to the rails. He loves doing this and will practice going down steps over and over again!

2. Opening and closing doors. This also he does repeatedly and he loves to knock on closed doors from the inside waiting for us to open!

3. He is passionate about any kind of transportation, including bicycles and scooters. He loves to point at airplanes in the sky! He loves to watch the garbage truck come by or any other like the UPS truck. He waves at the truck drivers excitedly with two arms when they drive by! It's so nice because they often horn back! He also loves the grass cutters and blowers - the louder they are, the more it excites him!

4. He loves to drink out of "adult cups" but spills the water everywhere - so we only let him do this outside or just before bath time!

5. He wants to go outside from the minute he wakes up! This is where we are having to teach him to be patient and not to whine... this morning he grabbed my hand and took me to the front door making it very clear what he wanted. He also will get his shoes, hat and sunglasses and bring them to us with the same intention! What are we going to do in the winter?!

Here are some recent photos which tell you more about what this precious little boy has been up to...

Playdate at the Mall with our neighbor Ola and her son Ethan

(this photo should have been the last one on this blog but I got it in the wrong order)

Daniel learning to share toys with Marcus - you've got to teach them!

Only Papai would have thought of this... And Daniel loved it! He went up and down this home-made slide over and over again for about 45 minutes the first time!

Tired after playing at the park with Marcus... It was cute seeing them sharing this double stroller.

Daniel loves to watch any kind of construction or road work!

He will just stand and watch for a long time, not moving an inch, completely focused!

Daniel in the middle of lots of children dancing and singing at "Storytime & Sing-a-long with Miss Julie" at the Mall.

Riding the Carousel for the first time ever! He just sat there quietly and focused, but he definitely liked it!

Daniel was hyper one afternoon on the deck and I got some cute photos of him wearing his "Panama t-shirt" given by Tio Juju and Tia Fafa!

This is him practicing how to "throw"! We're trying to teach him that he can only throw balls and in certain places!

Sweaty hair easily transforms into the "Mohawk look!"

And here he is "drinking" from an adult cup! Can you tell how he loves this?

Opening and closing the deck door over and over again...

Daniel with sweet and happy Sophia - the beautiful daughter of my English friend Katie!

Daniel playing on the stairs at The Mall...

Up and down, over and over again...

I can't take my eyes off him for a second... he's always trying to get into something! Is this part of the "double swirl, twin cowlick" phenotype?

Daniel enjoying the Carousel for the second time with his friend Ethan...

Yes, life with a toddler is busy and fun!

Until next time, have a great weekend!