brilliant

Massimo and I really enjoyed this one. Twice. And then I watched it another four times (once with Stefano, during which he gave me that “Did I marry a crazy woman?” look).

moo after me

Stefano has been away this week and returns on Monday. So it’s been me and the little guy 24/7 (well, just 24/5 so far). Massimo’s not at an age where he’s really aware of his dad’s absence, but Stefano’s gone to great lengths to make his continued presence known. Before he left, he recorded himself reading The Bedtime Sh’ma book, Goodnight, Moon, and Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? He also recorded himself singing some songs that he regularly sings to Massimo (including the #1 hit, “My Little Massimo”). Thrown daily video chats on Skype into the mix, and it’s like he’s still here! Okay, not really, but a digital Stefano is the next best thing. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work quite as well the other way around. Kissing a computer screen falls very short of kissing Massimo’s chubby cheeks. We’ll all be so glad when Stefano is home.

Click below to listen to Stefano’s recording of Mr. Brown Can Moo! In a showdown, I’m pretty sure Stefano would beat Mr. Brown in a mooing contest.

here to make friends

Check out this onesie (also available as a tee) from Wire & Twine. So cute, right?

That was definitely Massimo’s motto today. We visited Steve and Triin at the tea shop this afternoon, and got to meet some of Steve’s friends (who were gaga over Massu) as a bonus. I’ve never before seen a group of men show so much interest in a baby! It was really sweet. And of course he deserved the attention!

remembering Andre…

Words seem so empty right now, but I thought I should share that my Andre, the feline love of my life, died on Friday morning. He was 13 years old, incredibly affectionate and intelligent. He saw me through my teen years, college, getting married, grad school, the birth of my son, and many moves between four states and two countries. He appreciated good books and fine stationary. He was very healthy and spry and fiesty until he fell from a kitchen stool and injured his neck. I am heartbroken, even more so because he suffered.

My desire is to withdraw, to curl up in a little ball and close my eyes until I can bear to open them again. But the reality is that I have a baby (with a contagious smile and laugh) to care for. Sometimes it’s tough being a mom - not because of anything having to do with the child, but because simply being a mom can prevent you from taking care of yourself. I don’t feel any resentment about this, just a sadness that I can’t mourn Andre’s passing the way I should and want.

Because of the way he died, I’m fighting some really horrible images. On Friday I was replaying everything in my mind, and that made it so much worse. Now I’m trying to focus on all the good memories (and there were so many more good moments than bad in Andre’s life). Though their lives only overlapped for three months, there were many times when I’d catch Andre rubbing his head against Massimo’s little hands and feet, just like he did with me and Stefano (and everyone). Stefano didn’t like that very much, but it’s such a sweet memory for me. Andre knew Massimo was a special little person. And in the past few weeks, Massu had become increasingly aware of Andre - watching him walk by, watching him eat and play. I’m so glad that there are photos of me and Andre and Massimo together. Too few, but some.

three months

Our little guy turned three months old today. Can you believe he’s already 17 pounds (7.73 kg) and 25 inches (63.5 cm)? And all the things he can do now that he couldn’t do just a few weeks ago…

10 May 2008

These pics were taken three months ago today, but it really feels like they were taken in another lifetime! Wow.

world breastfeeding week

Chow time in Juminda 

Today is the last day of World Breastfeeding Week. Eco Child’s Play has published a lot of breastfeeding-related posts this week, and I recommend checking them out.

Breastfeeding isn’t easy for everyone, and the first few weeks are usually the toughest. Figuring out when baby’s hungry, how to hold him, getting him to latch properly, dealing with the pain (and there’s almost always pain while mom gets used to things), and so on. Even when I was dealing with the learning curve, I loved seeing Massimo so peaceful and content. While there are many benefits for both baby and mom, just watching Massimo eating so happily was enough to keep me going.

Massu’s had a bit of congestion and a cough this week, so I looked up breastmilk in relation to cold symptoms. I found out that a few drops of breastmilk in the nose works better than a saline solution. How cool is that?

gimme, gimme!

Massimo at the beach 

We’ve been having such a great summer, the three of us. We’ve been going out quite a lot, meeting new people and old friends, seeing new sights… A couple weekends ago, we visited the Saka Cliff, last weekend we made a trip to a Tallinn beach (on Saturday) and then visited Saskia and Co. (on Sunday) in Juminda. Today we’re departing for a few days in Saaremaa, one of the Estonian islands (and the one I’ve been to the most).

But more exciting than our travels is seeing Massimo doing new things every day. Yesterday I placed him on his back on his play mat, and before I knew it he had scooted off of it in a kind of upside-down crawl. Today, I placed his Sophie the Giraffe teether in his hand and he stuck it in his mouth - another first. And then he let go of it, as usual. It was just sitting on his chest when he grabbed it ON HIS OWN and PUT IT IN HIS MOUTH! I’m sure we’ll be getting good pics of this in the days to come…

busy, busy, busy

Sassu and Massu practicing their dance moves… 

This has been one busy week! Last Saturday we visited some friends at their summer home outside of Tallinn. It had been raining in the morning, but it turned into a beautiful afternoon so we grilled out. Massimo is too young to play still, but it was nice for him to be around three other kids (one was his cousin Laura, and they were all girls!). And it was nice for us to hang with their parents. On Sunday we had other friends over for fondue. Their baby girl is a month older than Massimo, so it’s fun to compare and contrast the two kiddos. She’s ahead developmentally, of course, but they’re about the same size!

Monday was Massimo’s two-month birthday, so on Tuesday evening we celebrated with his uncle, aunt, and cousin (who was celebrating her 16-month birthday) with some tea and yummy dessert. On Wednesday, we visited another couple for tea and dessert and were out until nearly midnight! And then last night (Thursday), we went to a lovely dinner party (the theme of which was Estonian-grown ingredients). This weekend we may be headed to the Saka Cliff Hotel & Spa.

How does Massimo handle all this activity, you ask? He handles it beautifully. Some babies get overstimulated, but he loves observing movement and studying faces. He’s an easy-going baby. As long as his needs are met (and those are few), he’s happy. We’re pretty good at reading and responding to his signals, too. At home we put him to bed around 10pm, but last night it was closer to 11. Our host’s bed is similar to ours, so he fell asleep as usual and didn’t wake up until it was time to leave (close to midnight).

The other parents at the dinner party called him a model baby. One woman said that based on Massimo, she might actually consider having children. So, yeah, he does well. And while we’re hoping it lasts, we’re trying really hard not to take it for granted!

mystery gifter

This is a bit embarrassing: we received a lovely gift of Under the Nile’s organic veggie teethers, but we don’t know who from! Will the kind gift-giver please stand up?