Our little Mia is adapting really quickly to all her new activities. She started going to the Day Care! And she loves it! The Gan Chabbad House is an amazing place and we are feeling so happy to have found this place where our Mia can play, learn, make friends and have fun! She can eat sitting on the table and take naps with her friends! At the Gan they do yoga, dance classes and make Challah bread every friday! She is developing and growing in a friendly, educative and warm place where her teacher speaks portuguese (she is brazilian!), hebrew (she lived in Israel for 2.5 years!) and english! We can't believe we found that perfect place for our daughter! And it's in Brooklyn, Williamsburg! So close to our home! We couldn't be happier! :)
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Mia and Aba doing "Tovaaaaa Tovaaaa" during brunch. So Sweet!
Mia had an incredible amount of fun during those 2 months and a half in Israel with Tata and Hezi! She was so happy to spend more time with her israeli family! She wouldn't stop calling her uncles Ori and Amir and her cousins Adi, Yair and Omri! (That's the way she calls some of her loved ones: Heziiiiiiiiiiiii, Adiiiiiiiiiii, Oriiiiiiiiiiiiiiii). She learned to speak hebrew with a lot of Tata's input, to walk with Hezi's nonstop chair training, and to stay without her mama for 5 hours a day! Wow! So many accomplishments in so little time! She missed her dad a lot, but after 2 months apart, we finally got together again and had 2 marvelous weeks united in Tel Aviv! Everyday her mom would go to the Ulpan to learn hebrew and she would stay with Tata, and some days with Hezi! They would go to the park or to the Gimboree, to music classes or story telling. They had so much fun together and teached each other so many things! It was amazing, we all had a great time and we would like to thank them so much for such a warm, caring and wonderful stay! Hava, the neighbor was incredible and Mia also loved her immensely! It was so sweet to see Mia's development during those months of September and October...We started writing down all the new words in hebrew that Mia could speak, but at some point it got a little over control, we couldn't keep up with her anymore, she's "too fluent"! :) We will never forget those lovely moments...
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MIA IN SERIOUS ACTION! So many fantastic moments that we needed to register in video!
Mia finally decided to get up and walk one day while she was in Israel with her grandparents! Our little girl reached one more major milestone! We are so proud of her!
This month was full of adventures! While Mia's dad was working in Italy his girls went to Long Island to tia Susu's home/spa! We had loads of fun with her 3 dogs, going to the swimming pool and playing with the neighbor's babies! Tia Susu loves Mia and even put her down to take naps! Wow! Mia came back from there calling mommy by her name: Gaby! Gaby? Gaby! So funny! We also spent a gorgeous day at Jersey Shore...very nice...inspiring...
MIA NOW CAN SAY: Nenem (baby in portuguese), Aba (dad in hebrew), papa (dad in spanish), papai (dad in portuguese), Mamãe (mom in portuguese), mamy (mom in spanish), when asked either in portuguese or in english, she does the sound that the dog does: auaua, the duck: gagagaga, elephant: hiiiiii, cow: muuuuu, (but she says: buuuuu). When she eats she says huuuuummmmmm. She says banana (well, actually she says nanana), bola (ball in portuguese) which she says something like baaa. Menina (ninina, or mina) - girl in portuguese. And her favorite No no no no no, when she does something she knows she is not supposed to do (in fact she says in hebrew; Nu-nu-nu-nu-nu!)...too cute...
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Mia was very excited to have all her friends around her in that special day! During the whole month of June the weather was really bad...really rainy and even a little cold...but God gave us a special gift! The weather turned out to be absolutely gorgeous for our picnic and we were able to throw a beautiful party full of happy guests to our wonderful Mia! Thank you all for coming and for bringing such a fantastic energy to our circle of friends! Special thanks to Suely, who was fantastic, so helpful, totally amazing, she really made our party happen! Thank you darling for all your help before, during and after the party! { I highly recommend Suely's events company: http://tribebrazil.webs.com/ } And also we would like to thank Safta Nira, Mia's grandmother from Israel! She was here for 3 weeks giving so much love and support to our little family! She helped a lot with Mia's nap schedule and also with her menu! Not to mention all the story time and fun moments they had together! Mia has developed a lot during this month and can say a lot of new words now! Tata (for Safta, grandma in hebrew), Bye Bye, Buba (doll in hebrew), Mama (mom), Aba and Papa (for daddy in hebrew and portuguese), Au Au (the sound that the dog does in portuguese), Gaga (the sound that the duck does in hebrew). We are so proud of our Mia!
Mia's Birthday Invitation
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We had a great time with Safta Nira in New York! We went on road trips to Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Upstate; we spent Eran's first Father's Day together, we did meatballs, cakes and chocolate balls, we watched movies, played with Mia non stop, went to music classes and had so much fun! Thanks for making our month of June so special, Safta! Mia will miss waking up every day searching for Safta, finding her, opening a huge smile and saying: Tata! Tata? Tata!
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On June 10th, 2009 we lost our beloved Giuliana de Castro. It was very sad and extremely painful...We are praying for her...We hope she will rest in peace and maybe meets her mother Ana...wherever they are...We will always love and remember her...
We had a great week in Colorado! What a gorgeous family trip! That was daddy's gift to mommy's birthday! And we spent an awesome time with our dear friends Markham and Merche! We did beautiful road trips with a gorgeous scenic view from Boulder to Aspen, we enjoyed some short trackings and had a lot of fun!
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Mia having a serious conversation after breakfast.
Mia is looking forward to her 1 year old birthday! Her Safta Nira will be here and we are planning a Pic Nic Party in McCarren Park, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn! The weather has been so nice lately! Spring time in New York is wonderful! Sunshine, smily faces, play dates, new friends...Mia has been having such a great time that she doesn't want to nap anymore, and when she finally can't stay awake any longer she totally shuts down, but only for 40 min. max...simple like that...she just wants to play, well I guess "girls just wanna have fun", right? She really is a social butterfly! Today she had a hummus sandwich and loved it, just like her ababababa...
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Mia has been really excited to be in touch with her family in Brazil via Skype! Her vovô Ricardo finally has a camera, so she can see him and her aunt Giu on regular basis!
Mia and Mama having a Skype conversation with uncle Bruno, aunt Giu and Vovô Ricardo directly from Brazil!
Mia is finally back to her routine in New York! She is a beautiful, smart, pleasant, lovely, vivid, super active creature from heaven! Her blond curls contribute to her angelical figure and her parents just can't get enough of her. She brings delight, joy, love, passion and happiness to our lives in a way that we couldn't even imagine it was possible, so yes, we are in a honeymoon, we are in the sky, we are so blessed and we are so grateful for having this 10 month old child in our lives...Thank you Mia, for being just who you are...we love you so much! And this little one went to Chicago with us and again behaved so well in the airplane, wow, that was really nice! We had a wonderful time with our spectacular friends Markham, Jack, Renata and Ansgar! The weather was beautiful and Mia went to the Zoo for the first time in her life! And she loved those funky animals! Now she goes to bed at 7pm (after dinner and bath) and wakes up at 4am, we bring her to our bed and she sleeps with us until 8am, really cool! She says mamamama, ababababa, and sometimes repeats things we say, like: "bye", "pizza" and other sounds...tototototatatata, dadadada, papapapa, zzzzzzzzzzzz!! She is taking music classes and absolutely loves it! She is mesmerized by egg shakers and likes to dance! She's got the moves, yeah! Also now she stands while holding on things and does not like to take naps during the day....Twice a week, from 9am - 1pm she has a babysitter and they get along really well!!! Oh, and last but not least, now she's got 5 beautiful white and big teeth! (just like her abababababa)
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Mia with Vovó Ana in Brazil { We will always love you...}
On February 26th, Mia's 8th month birthday, she went to Brazil urgently with her mommy to see her gradma, Vovó Ana, who had been fighting cancer for over 6 years and was hospitalized. Mia brought a lot of happiness to Vovó Ana! They laughed and played together, Vovó Ana held and caressed Mia a lot and gave a fashion advise to Mia's mommy: you should brush Mia's hair and put a pin! Ok, ok, won't argue with an expert! Our beloved Mia had a chance to say goodbye to her grandma, who unfortunately passed away on March 12th, the same date that her daddy Eran arrived in Brazil. We will always remember, praise, admire and love that unforgettable woman Vovó Ana, who was so talented, chic, sophisticated, funny, sensitive, artistic, smart, passionate, extraordinary, feminine, strong and unique...she will always be alive in our hearts and memory...
A Poem from Mia's Gradma: Ana Maria Gasparini { in portuguese only }
Click on the poem to view it larger in Ana's handwritting
A Poem that Ana Memorized When She Was 3 Years Old. She Loved to Recite It with a Comic Portuguese Accent { in portuguese only }
Alma minha gentil, que te partiste Tão cedo desta vida descontente, Repousa lá no Céu eternamente, E viva eu cá na terra sempre triste.
Se lá no assento etério, onde subiste, Memória desta vida se consente, Não te esqueças daquele amor ardente Que já nos olhos meus tão puro viste.
E se vires que pode merecer-te Alguma cousa a dor que me ficou Da mágoa, sem remédio, de perder-te;
Roga a Deus que teus anos encurtou, Que tão cedo de cá me leve a ver-te, Quão cedo de meus olhos te levou.
— Luiz de Camões (ca. 1560)
And That's a Total Nonsense from an Unknown Author that She Loved to Recite Out of The Blue { it's something like that...in portuguese only }
Tão assobrejético e camalioso Que vem me latinar Nas conjuntivas abserviáceas Para conspurcar a crizocilácea Dos acarinídios encubersitosos. Para conseguirem o quê? O quê? Pergunto eu e ninguém me responde!
Here is A Video Featuring Mia's Grandma ( Mia was in her mommy's belly and nobody knew yet!) Just click in the play button to view!
Family Trip, Paris 2007
Here is Mia's Grandma With Some of Her Amazing Sculptures. The Current Theme in Her Artwork was Women, Work and Motherhood
Ana Gasparini devoted herself exclusively to her art, which includes sculptures and jewelry design, after she was diagnosed with cancer.
Ana Gasparini Will be Missed News about the lost of Ana's important presence in the brazilian fashion { in portuguese only }
http://www.marcosabino.com/blog/?p=6415
http://www.estiloiesa.com.br/
Together Forever in Our Hearts, Mind and Spirit
Mia's grandmother with her beloved family, Rio de Janeiro 2000
Mia's mother and grandmother, New York 1998
THANKS FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT
Antonio, Dedéia, Pingo, Ritinha, Luiz Armando, Mia with vovô Ricardo, Eran, Claudia and Kika
Our Mia met all her brazilian family (she had already met Vovó Ana, Vovô Ricardo and uncle Bruno in her parent's wedding in Israel! Now she met aunt Giu and her mom's cousin Roberto (along with his dear Debora!) and her mommy's friends! We stayed at Pingo and Luiz Armando's (vovô peludinho) place and we are so thankful for their friendship and hospitality! They were amazing hosts and took care of us so nicely! Special thanks to Ritinha, Etta and Antonio, who held and played with Mia every time we needed a hand! Also thanks to Kauai, the black labrador, he was a great friend for Mia! At the beginning she was really afraid of him, but after a few days she was pulling his tail and ears! They played together and had lots of fun! We are also really grateful for having such incredible friends like Kika, Dedéia, Alexandre, Claudia, Renata and Silvia! They were truly unbelievable! So helpful, loving and really available to us! We love you all! Thank you so much for all your love and support!
A TRIP TO BUZIOS
Mia with mommy and daddy in Armação de Búzios
We stayed in Brazil for one full month and it was all very intense! We visited beautiful places in Rio de Janeiro and we also went to for 4 days to Búzios, where we stayed at Yori+pregnant Clarisse+Lia's place! We had a wonderful time with them! Yori is Israeli and Clarisse is brazilian and they were totally awesome with us! Their little family is so cool and Mia and Lia got along really really well! Mia even learned to wave goodbye there! I guess it was Lia's influence, since she is 2 years old, big girl! :) During this time Mia grew a lot! She started eating more food, including the famous brazilian black beans, egg yoke and rice (all obviously smashed). We gave her bread, melon, watermelon and orange to eat by herself, holding it with her own hands, and she went crazy! Absolutely adored it! She learned how to crawl, to stand up by herself and now she has a big front tooth!
THE WEDDING
Bruno, the groom and Paula, the bride!
On March 21st our little girl went with her parents to her uncle Bruno and Paula's wedding and had a blast! She was a really good girl and did not give Etta (her babysitter) a hard time, and even danced with her daddy! It was great to have all her friends and family in Brazil under the same roof to celebrate love.
BACK TO NEW YORK
Mia and daddy having brunch in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
On March 26th we went back home and Mia was truly a fantastic traveller, during the entire flight she behaved very well and was very cute sleeping in the bassinet, she fitted just right! Now she is finally adjusting to her routine, sleep time, nap time and feeding time...Oh, and let's not forget to mention that one more teeth is growing, her 4th teeth! ;)
To view ALL the photos of Mia's Adventure in Brazil, please double click on the photo below and the photos will open in another window:
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On February 21st Mia went to Hancock, Pennsylvania with her mommy and daddy for a weekend of yoga and meditation and everybody was absolutely in love with her! We stayed on a charming Hotel that is 100 years old! Our little daughter ate on a high chair for the first time and had so much fun!
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The love of our lives is 7 months now and she is a delicious baby! So smart, happy, cheerful and mellow :) She is sleeping much better: goes to bed at 7:30pm, wakes up at 10:30pm, than at 1:30am and than...only at 8:30am! Well, at least in the last week has been like that. (sssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....knock on wood) Mia loves to eat solids! And she had already rice baby cereal, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, green beans, bananas, oatmeal baby cereal and apples! (all pureed, of course!) Her daddy went on a medical conference for 1 week and she missed having dinner + taking a bath with him...She loved to see his face and hear his voice in our skype conversation! Mia is commando crawling very quickly now and she follows her mama in the bathroom, in the kitchen, everywhere! We have to start baby-proofing the house because she absolutely loves wires, cables and plugs! Oh, and she learned how to open drawers also...but she also understands the word NO now...not that she really cares about it, but at least she stops and stares at mommy...than continues doing what she was doing...Oh, well... Also Mia became a social butterfly! Every tuesdays and fridays she has play dates with other babies and mommies at a local Brooklyn Library, on thursdays Mommy and Baby Yoga and play date afterwords, and mondays and wednesdays are open to visit other newborns :) We became part of a mom's meeting website and we know all the activities in our neighborhood! Yeah!
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Our dear daughter had loads of fun and socialized a lot during this Holiday Season! She went to Christmas Parties, celebrated Hannukah and spent New Years Eve awake: She woke up exactly at midnight asking for her mommy's milk! Isn't she smart? How could she possible know that was the time for the toast! Cheers!
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Mia is 6 moths now and she has developed a lot on the last couple of weeks! Now she is sitting, eating solids (already had rice cereal, carrots pureed and also sweet potatoes!), commando crawls going after a specific toy and once she grabs that toy she moves it from one hand to the other, and Oh! she has one very sharp tooth coming out! (she has been bitting our fingers quite a lot!). Mia also was for the first time with a hired babysitter! We went to a dance peformance and she behaved very well from 7pm till 11pm! Well, she cried a lot because she still doesn't like to drink from the bottle, but in the end she could sleep...We are so proud and in love with our girl, it's fantastic! Every day she is prettiest and learning more!
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