Bringing up Gaby

Breaking into Song and Dance

2010-02-13T21:18:00.002-05:00

One thing that I notice about Gabs is that she is always singing and dancing. If there is any music playing, she will dance to her heart's content! It's really cute because now she will try to sing along to songs she's never even heard before. She does it by repeating the last couple of words in each line. It's adorable! The interesting thing is that, she doesn't really even need a song. At least a couple of times a day, I will be doing something in the kitchen and I'll turn around to find her dancing to her own tune. She will make up songs about anything around her.

The place she sings the most is in her bathtub. On most nights I let her play in there for a few minutes before I actually get down to bathing her. If I have been with her all day I'll normally just read a book or sit with the laptop while she entertains herself. If I've been working all day, then I try to interact with her the whole time. Anyway, I am always amused by the songs she makes up as she plays with her toys. She loves bubbles! So somewhere in her singing, she'll talk about them.

I am not around a lot of other kids her age, so I'm not sure how common this is for a two-year old. I would assume that it is. Kids have an amazing ability to entertain themselves. They are never bored! And those of us privileged enough to be around one are never bored either, we just have to observed them enough and we always catch them doing or saying something funny/cute/impressive. Who says we can't learn from kids? I'm taking a lesson from my daughter and breaking into song & dance :-)

Me, Myself & Math

2010-02-12T14:00:00.006-05:00

The other day I was thinking about how much easier my academic life would be if I just got over my issues with math. I mean really. Contrary to what some may say, it's not a matter of just buckling down and doing problems over and over until you get it. It's a lot more complicated than that. I can actually remember when the problems first started.

It was 7th grade. A new accelerated math program was being introduced at the school and some of us in the "top" class were put in the program. We were going to be introduced to pre-algebra. The thing about this section, that I can't remember I even knew at the time, was that it was a temporary placement. Whether or not you were kept there would depend on how well and how quickly you adjusted to the new material. After I don't know how many weeks, some got to stay in the accelerated program, while the rest of us shamefully had to return to the "regular" math class. To make matters worst, some of my closest friends stayed in the "accelerated" group and to top it off...the "regular" math teacher stunk. Needless to say, I felt really crappy and from that point on math and I never saw eye to eye again.

Until 7th grade, math was just another subject in school. Over all I was a pretty good student but I was never very motivated (except in 4th grade). I was never one of those kids who could do crazy calculations in their heads but then again my English was not that awesome either. The difference though, is that my Language Arts skills (or lack of) never made me feel inferior or incapable. I always felt that I could do better if I just tried harder. When I tried, this truth held true for every subject...except math. It seemed like I had a constant mathematician's block.

Whenever I was presented with new material I had this queasy feeling. The kind you get when you know inevitable failure awaits. I felt that no matter how much I tried, I'd never really get it. This of course, became a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more I felt this way, the less motivated I became to really try and when I did try I was too nervous to really absorb. Add to that the fact that math builds upon itself....not having the basic stuff down only crippled me.

I went to a magnet school and in the high school placement test I scored high enough to qualify for another "accelerated" math program. This time I would be taking algebra & geometry my freshmen year, and if I did well, I would catch up with my friends & be in their "section". So yeah, freshmen year was a lonely one for me, as I only had French class with the group of kids I graduated 8th grade with. Thankfully I did well and was back with my group sophomore year.

It's amazing how impressionable our minds can be! You would think that taking two math classes at the same time and doing well would be enough to dispel my inferiority complex. But no. The damage had already been done. That is the damage that I know have to deal with if I am not to let it be a deterrent to my academic/professional success. Basically, I have to find a way to conquer math.

Discipline

2010-02-11T21:47:00.006-05:00

To spank or not to spank? That is the question I wrestle with about every few weeks. Now that Gabs is two, it seems like almost anything has the potential to turn into a power struggle. How do you get a, sometimes seemingly defiant, two-year to do what you are asking? It's very confusing, especially when, this same toddler, is generally extremely helpful and good-natured. The more I read on the subject, the more I realize that I don't want to adopt it as a parenting style. Then, there are moments when I think to myself, "if we did spank this would not be happening right now".

Part of the reason why it's so difficult to discipline her is that our babysitter (M) does no disciplining. As long as whatever Gabs wants is safe, the answer is yes. Now, M is an older lady, older than my mother. I guess she treats Gaby as many grandma's would, giving in to whatever the child wants. The problem is that at our home, things do not work that way. That's when the problems begin. She's used to having her way there and then is outraged that it does work at home. For most of the day, Gaby is the only child at the sitter's home, so this only adds to the level of spoiling that is taking place. Don't get me wrong, I love M! I am so grateful for her and how much she loves my daughter. I can leave Gabriella there every morning knowing that she is safe and well cared for. I know I don't have to worry about her being mistreated and neglected. Only now that Gaby is two did I really start to feel that the lack of discipline is an issue. I don't want her to be treated like the world revolves around her or that it is ok to be confrontational with everyone around her. This is especially important when she starts going to preschool and has to interact with many other children and adults.

Seriously though, I always feel bad complaining about my Gabs because she so great. I mean it! Ask anyone who's met her and they will tell you she is one of the best kids ever. She is pleasant to be around, has an awesome sense of humor, is extremely smart and "with it", and most of the time, is very cooperative. She is super independent and social, which I love! I guess that it's only right that we have these issues come up or she'd be perfect. Ok, enough bragging!

So, the latest book I am reading is "The Successful Child" by Dr. William Sears. Anyone who's read about parenting probably has heard of Dr. Sears and his wife Martha (a nurse). They have 8 children of their own (almost 30 years between the eldest and the youngest) and he has been in practice as a pediatrician for over 30 years. I think he and his wife have written on almost every aspect of parenting. The first time I heard of them was when my sister-in-law lent me her copy of "The Birth Book". It was life changing. Really. That's when I decided to not go for the epidural or anesthesia during labor, one of the decisions I am most proud of as a mother. After that I stayed away from their other publications because they are proponents of attachment parenting and at the time I was not prepared to even consider walking down that path.

Anyway, I picked up "The Vaccine Book" by his son (also a pediatrician) and finally decided to check out some of the family's other books. I borrowed The Successful Child" from my local library and am waiting for "The Discipline Book" to arrive so I can pick that one up as well.

What I love most about this book so far is how he talks about success is not being rich because that is not what makes people happy. "We believe it's the depth of relationships we sustain, not the accomplishments we tick off, that makes our lives successful and happy: the relationships children have with themselves, as well as the other lives they touch". I love it! Given that his two older sons are both doctors, it's safe to say that he is not going to give advice to raise underachievers. I also love how much emphasis he places on the importance of teaching kids empathy and compassion. These are things that you don't commonly find if "success" book that focus on me, me, me!

Class

2010-02-09T14:14:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I started taking general biology at a community college. I took the class at Rutgers about 7 years ago but I am amazed at how different it is to take it at a small school. The Rutgers class had about 400 students in the lecture hall and the class I'm in now has about 30 students. The direct interaction with the professor is really making a difference in my in-classroom learning experience. Overall I am enjoying this time around. I guess, since it's the only textbook I have to pickup, everything is a lot more interesting now.

Taking a class while working fulltime and being a parent is definitely hectic. I am thankful that my job allows some flexibility and I am not stuck taking a night one. If I had to be in school from 6:40-9:40pm I would be passed out! At 8:30 in the morning I am able to retain a lot more information because I am wide a wake.

I got my first exam back yesterday and was pleasantly surprised that I got all the questions correct. I was expecting to do well, since I had studied, but I did not foresee the 100%.

I'm Back!

2010-02-03T21:47:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I have a feeling that this blog will bounce between English and Portuguese posts. Not in any particular order but more dependent on the mood I'm in. Right now for example, I am exhausted!I had class and later work today and this evening I have been making dinner for the weekend and also studying for tomorrow's biology exam. The thought of writing a blog in Portuguese tonight is almost painful. I guess some topics are just easier for me to write and express myself in English. I also think that my English grammar is better. Not that I claim to have great English grammar, but the Portuguese one has many more rules and details that just take to long to accomplish using my keyboard. I normally have to write the Port. post on a word doc and then copy & paste it onto here (since I can easily add accents in Word). So yeah, my blog will be "like a boxf chocolate...you never know what you're going to get".

As I mentioned before, I was cooking this evening. I decided to make lasagna because I will be leaving for a work conference tomorrow and will be gone until Sunday. This way, Lucas can have something that is ready to eat as a choice for dinner. There are other easy to make stuff in the freezer and I sincerely hope he doesn't eat lasagna 3 nights in a row!

I was telling my coworkers how much easier it is for me to go to the conference this year. Last year was my first time and Gaby was only one. I hurt so much to leave her for over 24 hours! Thankfully Lucas drove down to Long Branch and stayed over family friends on Saturday and I was able to sleep over there with them instead of at the hotel that one night. This year though, I know I'll miss her but it's not as overwhelming. She can speak very well and let her wants be known. I'm also no longer nursing and that makes a huge difference! I remember having to pump at the hotel lol

So today I bonded with Gabs over dinner preparation. From time to time she insists on giving me a hand which normally just means helping mommy make a bigger mess than usual :-) I've noticed she is especially fond of garlic. It was one of the first few words she learned in the kitchen. She normally just sits in her booster seat and plays with them as I peel. Today, however, she was determined to really help. She actually peeled 5 cloves all on her own! It was s o adorable! Each day I am amazed at how muh she is growing, she is such a girl now! It's also amazing, and equally scary, how much she takes after me lol

Biscoito de Natal

2009-12-29T13:57:00.006-05:00

Semana passada foi maravilhosa!!! Passei todos os dias com minha pequena!
Segunda & Terça foi um pouco dificil porque ela não estava de bom humor mas o resto da semana ela se comportou super bem J Dia 24, nós duas fizemos biscoito de Natal. A receita é bem simples e ela gostou muito de fazer. Claro que ela so ajudou corta com os “cookie cutters” mas ficou todafeliz e se sentindo super importante! Fiquei impolgada e decidi fazer biscoito pra toda minha f amilia e alguns amigos. Fui no Walmart e comprei 12 vasilhas de Natal plasticas e fiz mais de 200 biscoitos! Graças a Deus minha mãe me ajudou terminar tudo no dia 25.

Pirraça

2009-12-23T21:28:00.003-05:00

Esta semana estou de ferias :-) Tenho tentado usar esse tempo para por algumas coisas de casa em ordem e tambem aproveitar o maximo a Gabriella. Os primeiros dias foram bem agitados. No fim de semana ela nao dormio nas horas certas e ela sempre ficar super agitada quando nao dormi bem. Pra peorar, o intestino dela nao estava muito bem e ela nao estava "indo ao banheiro". De modo geral estava be mal humor, dengoza e pirrasenta!

Dia 21, o primeiro dia de semana em casa, foi o aniversario de dois aninhos dela. Esse ano nao fizemos festa, no dia 13 apenas convidei as priminhas Nataly, Nikky e Julia pra vim brincar e cantar parabens pra Gaby. Como Segunda foi o dia oficial, o Lucas comprou outro bolinho e nos dois cantamos parabens outra vez. Tinha sido um dia bem estresante mas terminou muito bem :-)

Ontem ela tambem estava muito pirracenta. De alguns meses pra ca ela anda querendo fazer tudo sozinha e quando nao da certo ela fica muito frustrada. Comeca chorar mas mesmo assim nao quer ajuda. Ontem quando eu estava me arrumando para sair ela comecou a gritar porque nao conseguia enrolar a Dora. Ela queria fazer a boneca dormir e o pano nao ficava do jeitinho que ela queria. Depois de falar com ela algumas vezes que parace de chorar, eu tirei a boneca dela e levei ela pro quarto. La ela se recuzou ficar sentada na cama de "time out". Como eu estava com muita pressa, me contentei com ela de pe no chao do quarto. Literalmente, por mais de 10 minutos ela gritava, esperniava, e chorava! Parecia que alguem estava espancando ela. Pela primeira vez eu consegui ignorar ela completamente. Nao disse mais nada! Dexei ela armar aquele barraco! De repende ela parou, pegou a bola que estava no chao e comecou a brincar. Eu continuei ignorando. Quando ela veio ate mim para brincar eu disse que nao estava satisfeita com o que ela tinha feito e nao podia brincar porque ainda tinha que arrumar as coisas antes de sair.

Parece mentira mas depois disso nao houve mais escandalo! Depois dessa experiencia vi que realmente nao posso dar atencao quando ela se comporta assim. Sei que isso vai acontecer de vez em quando, principalmente quando ela estiver cansada ou aborrida, faz parte dessa faze. Quando eu fico nervosa e grito nao muda nada. Ela chora mais e eu fico ainda mais frustada, o pior e' que de certa forma estou dando atencao. Isso so serve para incentivar ela continuar com esse comportamento.

Gracas a Deus hoje o dia foi otimo!! A Gabriella se comportou super bem e nao tivemos nenhuma crise :-)

Estou de volta! Será??

2009-12-22T13:18:00.003-05:00

Mais de um ano que nao escrevo nada! Nunca tive a intencao de abandonar o blog, apenas queria tirar um "break" porque nao andava com tempo para escrever. Agora com o fim deste ano, quero ver se escrevo pelo menos algumas vezes por semana. Mudei de idea e vou escrever em Portugues. As vezes nao escrevo corretamente mas tenho que praticar (ou practicar?). Antes tive um blog no multiply.com mas esse tambem foi abandonado. Vamos ver quanto tempo esse aqui vai durar :-)

Baby's First Passport

2008-11-09T22:42:00.004-05:00

We will be going to Costa Rica in December to visit Lucas' family. His mother, older sister and younger brother live there. Since it's Gaby's first international trip, she never had a need for a passport until now. Saturday we finally went to apply for it, considering the fact that we fly in 5 weeks, we are cutting it close. According to the US Department of State, it is now taking about 3 weeks for the application to be processed. I sure hope they are right. The applying part was easy enough. I took Gaby to the CVS pharmacy to take her pictures and downloaded the application from the website. Our local post office is an acceptance site, so we didn't have to go far. Since Gabs is an infant both parents had to present. The ID's needed were, her certified birth certificate and our driver's license. We got there and the clerk had us sign the application which needs to be signed on site. She made copies of our license but the original certificate was to be mailed with the application (will be mailed back to us). We paid by check, $60 application fee (made out to US Department of State) and $25 processing fee (made to post office). I found out that I could have taken the pictures there for a $15 fee ($7.99 at CVS). Next year I will have to go through a similar process for myself, my passport will be expiring in July. I can't wait because the one I have has a terrible, now 10 year old, picture. I hope that the passport will be used to go to Brazil (if I don't get to go before it expires!). Can't believe I haven't been there in almost 10 years!!!

Daddy's Birthday

2008-11-09T21:32:00.005-05:00

Tuesday was Lucas' birthday. Between voting, work and a doctor's appointment it was not possible to truly celebrate the occasion. That night had baked salmon (his favorite) for dinner and bought a peice of cake at Shoprite. I also called his two best friends to schedule a lunch for Sunday. Unfortunately Wilson could not make it but Jose came with his wife and two children. I made lasagna and tres leches (Lucas' favorite cake). We had lunch and sang happy birthday. First we sang in English and Spanish. Finally I sang it in Portuguese. It was interesting that the minute I started "parabens" Gaby started clapping but she had not done that with the other languages. That is because when teaching her to clap I always sang happy birthday to her in Portuguese. Now, everytime she hears it, she claps on cue...hehe That afternoon, Carolina (Jose's wife) and I took the kids to the playground a couple of blocks from our place. I went down the slide and on the swing with Gabs. The kids had a great time!

Yes we can...and we did!

2008-11-05T09:50:00.010-05:00

I placed my vote at 6am yesterday morning. I have never been as proud to be an American as I am today. I am grateful for the privilege of being part of this historical election. Despite the fact that the need for change is so apparent, I was still afraid that once again the polls would be wrong and that we would have to suffer another four years of ill administration. I thank God that this was not the case! It was a beautiful acceptance speech. Obama showed composure, dignity and humility. He confirmed what many of us have known but others have doubted...that he is ready to be the president of the United States. I see in him a leader with a heart as well as a conscious. His election marks the beginning of a new era in American politics. The election of Barack Obama proves that dreams do come true.

"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

That day has come!

On TRACK

2008-10-24T11:22:00.008-04:00

Last Saturday was Red Ribbon & my On TRACK girls had the opportunity to perform before a good size audience. Ryan, the dance instructor, was not going to be able to make it to the event but in the end showed up. It was quite a surprise for the girls...they were thrilled! The time finally came for them to perfom, I was so excited! It almost felt like I was the one going up :-) I couldn't hold back the tears as I watched them "do their thang". We've been through so much drama these last 6 weeks and they pulled it off beautifully! I am so proud of them and the work that we've done together.

Red Ribbon Day

2008-10-17T14:14:00.008-04:00

Red Ribbon week honors the memory of USDEA Agent, Enrique Camarena and others, who lost their lives in the fight against drugs. It is a nationwide campaign to raise drug awareness. Prevention Links, the organization I work for, is the host for the main event in Union County, NJ. The 10th annual Red Ribbon Day will be this Saturday at Nomahegan Park in Cranford. It is an all day, fun-filled family event. Activities include a countywide parade, rock wall climbing, face painting, helicopter landings, award ceremony, and performances. The main performance will be by the On TRACK kids. This is the group of kids I work with.On TRACK is one of our agency's youth program and the one I am personally in charge of. It stands for Teens Reaching Artistic Creativity & Knowledge of Self. It's A weekly after School & Summer Program designed to build each child’s internal assets and foster the development of healthy life-skill while integrating creative arts activities as means to help each child tap into his/her unique talents. The program is funded by the Union County Youth Services Commission.

The group I am currently working with is composed 7 very dedicated 12 year-old girls. We hired a hip-hop dance instructor who has been working with them for the past 6 weeks. In this little time they learned the moves and will be dancing to "I Believe I Can" by Yolanda Adams. It is on the "Honey" soundtrack. If you read the lyrics you'll see that it is the perfect song for this program. I am very proud of the girls and can't wait to see them perfom tomorrow!

Preparing for the GRE

2008-10-16T15:54:00.006-04:00

I will finally start my GRE preparation. For my international readers, the Graduate Record Examination is a standardized test required for admission for many graduate schools in the US (some other countries as well). There is a General Test and various Subject Tests. Most graduate programs require the general one. This exam measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking and analytical writing skills. From what I understand, the material tested is not particularly difficult, but, as with all Standardized exams, time constraint is everyone's problem. I can't say I'm a terrible test taker. I definitely get very nervous, but if I know the material I can get myself under control. I know people whose minds go blank or they get sick to their stomach, even though they know the material.

When it comes to my performance on the GRE, my main concern is the math section. I am one of those "I can't do math" people. Rationally, I know I can learn math if I put enough effort into it. The problem is that after years of telling myself "I can't", it's ingrained in my subconscious. I know that the first step in my GRE math preparation is to change my belief system in regards to my math abilities.

In that spirit, this morning before work (I don't start until 1pm on Thursdays) Gaby & I finally made our way to the Kearny Public Library. I'm ashamed to say that I've been living here for months & only now did get my card. My first thought as I walked in, "God I miss Rutgers". After getting over how small & cramped the place was, I found the math section. I took out 6 books, including a GRE prep, an algebra textbook (algebra is my math monster), and a conquering math anxiety book. The other 3 are also math books but will probably not be used. For some reason I have a difficult time taking out few books from the library. It becomes a problem when I miss the due date & end up paying fines for books I never opened.

I can't see myself going back to school until Gaby is at least two, so I won't be taking the test until sometime next year. I figure by then she'll be a more independent (she'll be walking!) & I'll have a little more time. I'll also have been in the workforce for a while and it will be easier for me to change my work schedule to accommodate my classes.

Ana Rebeka Andrade

2008-10-13T12:49:00.007-04:00

Wednesday my friend Patricia and I went to Ana's wake. It was difficult being there and seeing her family distraught by the tragedy. It was closed casket. Knowing why it had to be closed saddened me, but I couldn't help the feeling relief when I realized I would not see her. It was a night of mixed emotions. I was happy to see many people I had not seen in years but sad that it happened under those circumstances. I had thought my emotions were under control but the wake brought it all gushing back. I couldn't help the tears. At home I couldn't sleep and I was having a hard time being alone. At every idle moment, my mind wondered back to it all. I felt despair. Despair in knowing my friend had died a terrible death. Despair in knowing that, so many times, I had disregarded the urge to see her and that, in this life time, I would not have that opportunity again. I felt a great sense of loss. A feeling that I had felt weeks before, when I thought about her but now intensified to the 1000th power. In Portuguese, we have a word... saudade. That's what I felt. Saudade of the good times we had together. Saudade of our many conversations and laughter. Saudade of all the moments that could have been but never were. After nights of lost sleep & even nightmares, I made the decision to honor my friend by laying to rest all what-ifs and simply cherishing the years we were in each other's lives and those wonderful memories.

The Loss of a Friend

2008-10-03T10:20:00.007-04:00

The last 12 hours have been very difficult. Yesterday, a good friend of mine was a passenger in a fatal car accident. Ana died at the scene, she was only 24 years old. She was an extraordinary person with a heart of gold and the voice of an angel. I'll always remember her beautiful smile.

I had known Ana since the 6th grade, but unfortunately we grew apart after high school. It saddens me that, since moving back to New Jersey, I had been meaning to reach out to her but never made the time to do so. It's amazing how easy it is to postpone things, thinking there is always tomorrow. How easy it is to take for granted the chances we have to be with those we care about. Life is so fragile. We know this, but often forget it. I pray that God may comfort her family, bringing them strength to endure this trying time.

Halloween: to be or not to be... a part of its festivities?

2008-10-01T12:11:00.007-04:00

It is October first and Halloween is right around the corner. For most American, whether or not to participate in Halloween tradition is not even a question. I however, only dressed up & went Trick or Treating once. I was seven years-old & had just move to the US from Brazil in April of that year. My cousin & dressed as witches, my little brother was a pumpkin. That afternoon, my aunt took us out. We walked around stopping at stores/homes along the way, collecting candy & other goodies. In Brazil we do not have Halloween, and I still remember my amazement with the holiday. The art projects, the costumes...even School was so much fun that week! A national day of free candy & fun, what a marvelous idea! "They should have this everywhere!", I thought. When we returned home, my mother said she had been listening to the Spanish christian radio station & that she had heard a very long sermon about the evils of Halloween. Out of genuine concern for our souls, my mom decided it was not a good idea to celebrate the holiday and that was the end of it for my brother & I (my aunt thought it was ridiculous to spoil an innocent day &

continued to allow my cousin to participate). For the next few years I resented the fact that I was the only person in my class who could not get involved with anything that had to do with this day. And every 31st of October I was allowed to miss school. I can't remember exactly when I embraced the non-practice of Halloween as my own, but eventually I did. Once that happened, not only did it not bother me to not practice it, I felt proud to make a public statement of my beliefs. Now, almost 20 years later, Halloween is once again haunting me.

Six years ago, it would have never crossed my mind to involve my child in Halloween. Since then, I have questioned many of my beliefs (this being one of them) and have struggled with finding a balance for my life. I still consider myself a Christian. Most Christians I know probably would not, but I still do. When it comes it this, I almost feel like putting the issue on a shelf until Gaby is old enough to make the decision for herself. That means I would have to resist the temptation to dress her up! What scrap booking mom would not want to see her cutie patootie as a lady bug, bunny or a little lamb?

I have been trying so hard to step away from all the superstition that comes along with religion & I feel that this would be a great opportunity to do so. I also know that not only would I have to overcome years of mental programming & subconscious fear-based beliefs. I know I will also be confronted by my mother on this topic.

At Karena's suggestion, I will research the origins & practice of Halloween, so I can be better informed when making my decision. I would appreciate your comment & personal stand on the matter. TIA!

It's a small world after all, it's a small...

2008-09-22T14:45:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday I went to a wedding with my friend Jennifer. It was funny how the whole thing started. About 2 weeks before the wedding , I was hanging out at Jen's place talking about work. I mentioned my co-worker Karena and this is how the conversation progressed:

Jen: Karena King?
me: What?! You know her? How?
Jen: I met her through my friend, the one who's getting married next month
(a while back, Jen had told me about a wedding she was going to)
me: Keilynn is the friend who's getting married?"
Jen: You know Keilynn?!
me: no, but Karena is constantly talking about the wedding!
Jen: Yeah! She's the maid of honor!
me: OMG! I know!

For the rest of the evening we couldn't get over it. What a small world! A couple of months before, I had made plans with Jen to go to the Portuguese Festival in the Ironbound. That Friday, I remember mentioning that to Karena & she said that she was thinking about going with her friends. Little did we know, we were talking about the same group of people. In the end it didn't work out for me because Gaby was not feeling too well & Karena ended up not going either. But Jen & Keilynn did go. Had it all worked out, we would have had quite a surprise! For four months I had been sharing the office with Karena, not knowing that she knew my friend.

So yeah, that's how I got invited to the wedding. I was Jen's d ate...lol. The wedding was in Galloway, nj, about 15 minutes from Atlantic City. Although the drive was long, h ad a good time. The wedding was beautiful & the food was great. I met some interesting people, like Frank Villafañe, the bride's stepfather & Latin Ja zz pianist. I had heard him & his salsa band perform at Nova Terra...goes to show how small the world really is.

Flamenco dancers performing at the wedding.

Gaby stayed with my mom because Lucas had work. It was the first time I was away from her for so many hours during the night. I missed her so much! I called practically every hour, wanting to know play by play what had happened since my last call. It's not like I don't trust my parents, they are great with her. I don't know. Everytime I thought of her I wanted to call & & tried to restrain myself as much as I could. Jen thought it was guilt. Since I hadn't really been out without Gaby since her birth, I was feeling bad for leaving her. I guess it kinda makes sense.

What do you think?

Nine Months!

2008-09-21T14:55:00.002-04:00

Today Gabs turned nine months old. Nine months!! I can't believe how quickly she's growing! I don't think it'll be long before she takes her first solo step. For the last couple of month, she's been able pull herself up to a stand while holding on to things and now (pics below) she stands on her own for a few seconds before falling on her butt.

When ever she hears music, Gaby dances by moving her arms & clapping (when sitting) or bendng her knees (when standing). It's the cutest thing! She' fascinated by the optimum triple play Reggaeton commercial...lol. She'll stop whatever she's doing to look at the TV & clap.

Her new favorite foods are cheese & yogurt (she loves them!). She knows to slap the palm of my hand when I say "give me five" (although she never hits my hand only once :) and she points to my nose when I ask "Cadê o nariz da mamãe?" (where's mommy's nose?). She says "mãe" when she cries and "boo" when she wants to be breastfed.

One of the biggest changes that we've noticed is the separation anxiety. I work full time so I drop her off at the sitter at 9am & pick her up at 5pm. She never cries when I drop her off, I usually breastfeed her and get her ready for morning nap. She willingly goes into the arms of the sitter, whom my family affectionately calls " vó" (grandma). This is a great thing because if she cried in the morning, I'd be too heartbroken to leave. However, the afternoon is a whole different story. The second she sees me I have to pick her. In the past, I was able to at least go to the sink to wash my hands. Now, she'll get histerical! Instead, I keep the hand sanitizer in the car and just use that. After I pick her up, she refuses to be held by anyone else but me. Although this can be a little problematic, I've noticed a little boost in my "mommy ego".

So who is she?

2008-09-19T13:03:00.003-04:00

Gaby is my beautiful little girl. She was born on December 21, 2007, and has since brought unsurpassable joy into our lives. She is my treasure! I am thankful for the precious gift of motherhood, and through the trials that come hand-in-hand with it, I pray that I always remember how truly blessed I am. Gaby (yes, I spell it w/one b), is the happiest baby I have ever met. She is very active, always attentive to everything around her. No matter where we are, people always stop to interact with her. She LOVES the attention! She squeals in delight & flashes her "tongue sticking out" smile :-) She's definetely a people person.

Intro

2008-09-19T13:03:00.001-04:00

After much debating I have decided to give the blogging thing a try again, but this time in English. This gives me an opportunity to share the joy of bringing up Gaby with family & friends :)