More and More Teeth...

O dentuço... ! Nicky now has 5 teeth on top and, in addition to his two teeth in the bottom front, he has a big molar coming through the gum on the right side. It's already half way through. Toothy baby!

Although this may lead him to be a little testy at times, he is excited: new chewing capabilities! More and more and more FOOD! Mmmmm....

We have been spending a lot of time outside lately, planting the garden, weeding, jogging, and walking.We got a free (older) baby backpack off of Craigslist, which is just great! Nicky loves it and it allows us to go hiking; also, Mommy can actually garden and weed with him in there without too much trouble, though he sometimes gets bored and complains. We all (except for old Manny) went for a short hike over at Shindagin Forest earlier this week to see all the beautiful little wildflowers growing. It was tiring to lug Nicky around in the pack, but definitely enjoyable, and relatively comfortable.

Here in Brooktondale, all the leaves are pretty much out now, after our 6 months of winter... It's great to enjoy our last summer on our beautiful property. Saturday is the annual plant sale at Ithaca High School and we'll get some nice ones for our garden! We are still waiting to see if the financing will come through for the people buying our home, which is taking much longer than we anticipated. We are eager for more certainty so we can plan our move!

We are planning some trips this summer, and we hope to see as many of Nicky's Fans as possible.

Nicky's Mama had a great first Mother's day, complete with pretty topaz necklace, fancy card, and a waterfront dinner at the Boatyard Grill. Oh-- and she got to sleep in! Nicky's Dad did a great job making her feel special and appreciated. Unfortunately, Nicky is boycotting saying "mama"-- he grins and says "Dada!" any time we suggest the word to him... he loves to imitate whatever sounds we offer that are in his repertoire, but not Mama!

Nicholas is also getting better at standing alone -- I have seen him stand for 5-10 seconds before plopping on the ground. I don't think he is very close to walking yet; I imagine around his first birthday he'll take his first steps.

He has been going to playgroup for the past few weeks and his working on learning how to share and play with other babies!

All in all, Nicky is doing just great and would love to wave hello to all of you!

10 months old! 10 meses de idade!

Precious Nicholas,

This past month has flown by and we are faced, seemingly all of a sudden, with your impending first birthday. You are cruising and climbing, "talking" (dog "duh" and cat "tuh" seem to be his first words, in addition to Dada-- he is using these words purposefully), and giving us lots of hugs and the occasional kiss. Recently you participated in Cornell's Baby Lab where you earned a t-shirt, despite your apparent unattentiveness to the experiment; you went to Ithaca MOMS playgroup where you brightened everyone's day with your laughter and smiles; and you went to the park and the farmer's market with your adorable girlfriend, Maria Clara (although she wasn't too sweet on you this time). You now have a swing, a giant blue bunny, and a xylophone; you know how to open things with switches; you are an expert at opening cabinets, as well as emptying them. You can say "vovó", ga-nh-ga-nh-ga (impossible to duplicate!), and a whole host of other sounds. You insist on eating your own food, in small bits, and your particular favorites of late are yogurt, strawberries, broccoli, raspberries, grapes, and -- cookies. Well, they are almost like crackers... And you do love bread a lot! You help mommy do her situps and pilates, you pet (that is, rip out) Manny's fur, you think Inca makes a fine pony, and you help us "fold" clothes.

We have never met anyone so sweet, spirited, enthusiastic, carefree, curious, and joyful. You are just the best-est baby ever-est in Brooktondale!

Everyday we get to know you better is a better day for us all. We love you lots and wish you a happy 10 months bday!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, Inca, Manny, and the rest of your family and friends!

Happy Earth Day!

Strawberry thumb!

Daddy pushing me in my swing!

Nicholas wants to wish everyone a very happy Earth Day from his little natural paradise in Brooktondale, NY! He is lucky enough to be from both the northern climes and the tropics... and, according to him, both are wonderful and beautiful.

Things Nicky loves about the earth:
-grass and mud!
-sticks to pick up and chew on (if mommy doesn't catch me)
-strawberries and bananas
-crocuses and tulips
-a fresh breeze in his hair while he rides his swing
-taking long walks outdoors with Inca
Nicky asks you please, please to take better care of our precious home, the earth-- so he can keep on smiling!

On a side note, he also wants to inform any other babies who read his blog about the very cool Pocoyó videos, which you can find in abundance on Youtube in English, Spanish (Spain), and Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), and even Italian-- maybe there are more languages, I'm not sure! But, as you can see, Pocoyó and Nicky somewhat resemble one another... making the character extra-cute in my opinion. The videos are very simple and interactive, and appropriate for the younger set (at least for those babies who enjoy an occasional video).

Check out a cute video of Pocoyo here:

A fun spring weekend!

Spring is here! Barefoot and fancy free!

At the park with Mommy

Nicky had great times this weekend, which was sunny and warm-- at last!

He went rollerblading with Mommy and Daddy (and with Inca, oh my! very dangerous!)


He planted lettuce, spinach, arugula, snap and snow peas, played in the grass and dirt, rode Inca's back


And as if that weren't enough, he talked with both sets of grandparents, and eagerly explored the house in between naps and snacks.

Whoo-hoo! I'm soooo happy!

And because of all the excitement, he has been refusing afternoon naps, until....


He just konked out in his highchair when I went to get him some strawberries for dessert!

Poor Nicky. He woke up about an hour later and it was very hard getting back to sleep after his bath and nursing.

But, it was worth all the fun he had, I'm sure!

No matter his ups or downs, Nicky is the light of our lives. So much surprises me about him:

-he has an amazing sense of humor and loves to laugh and be silly
-his eyes are blue with beautiful long lashes
-he is brave, resilient, and pretty tough (for a baby)
-he loves animals and the outdoors

More adventures to come! Let's hope the weather stays nice... though that is hoping for a lot in April in Brooktondale.

Happy Easter!

Happy Spring!

At 9 1/2 months, Nicky is really enjoying life, especially since he discovered how to climb and cruise the furniture. We no longer have the luxury of letting him play by himself, as he inevitably gets into some precarious situation with his newfound skills, which include climbing the staircase and opening/emptying cupboards.


He continues to cultivate his friendship with Manny the cat, which amazes us all.

She even tolerates Nicky's occasional body slam/pounce, complete with gurgling war-cry and delighted laughter.

Nicky now can play the piano by himself! And despite all his exciting baby toys, he still prefers the flat screen TV and DVD player as playthings... it must be attached to the Y chromosome... the remote control gene...!

Apart from his mania for standing and exploring, Nicky is also making lots of silly faces these days, loves to play peek-a-boo, and has a vast repertoire of sounds that sometimes seem like words (such as, yes, "strawberry" and "grandma", though this is attributable to Mommy's overactive imagination). He now insists on feeding himself food in small bits-- no more mush for Nicholas!

These past few weeks have been somewhat hectic and busy because we have been showing our house to prospective buyers in preparation for our planned move to Brazil. Luckily we received multiple offers the weekend before last and we were able to choose one that we think will work out well, while also having an excellent back-up offer. This good news (we sold the house - in this economy!- in 3 weeks without a realtor or any advertising costs) comes with mixed emotions, of course, because we would love to keep this home or stay here. But life moves on, and we are moving to Brazil for the next several years at least. We are looking forward to year-round gardening, building a beautiful home, and beginning our post-graduate school lives as a family.

We will probably close on the house in July, but we may remain here until September-- we have to see how things work out.

Nicky had a very bunny-ful Easter at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Steve's house, where he saw Grandma and Grandpa, his cousins Jeffrey and Michelle, as well as Michelle's fiancee Jay and family friends Sue, Dwayne, and Cody. Although there were probably more dogs there than people (and Inca stayed in Brooktondale, thank God!), we all managed to enjoy a pleasant weekend and delicious Easter dinner prepared by Kathy.

Silly Bunny!

As you can see in the photo, Nicky received MANY stuffed rabbits for Easter, enough to last us the next few years! He really loved all the soft, bright bunnies, as well as the other nice toys he received as belated Christmas presents. He also got some nice Easter money from the most famous Easter Bunnies, Grandma and Grandpa Spofford.

I LOVE GRANDMA!!
Me, Grandpa, and Daddy!

Happy 9 months, Nicky!

Dear Nicholas,

Wow-- how did you already turn 9 months old?? How are you already crawling, saying ma-ma, da-da, waving, drinking from your sippy cup, playing the head-shaking game? Everyday you amaze us, sweet boy! You survived your first cold (it certainly wasn't easy), you explore every corner of the world, you're getting taller and thinner...your favorite food is spaghetti, you love yogurt and cookies... you're so cute and sweet even Manny the cat plays with you! And that, indeed, is miraculous.

Now, you've even been to Harvard and rubbed John Harvard's shoe (without knowing why) for good luck!

Our visit to Boston has been fun! We saw more of Mommy's colleagues here in one day than she has seen most of this year! We are staying with Túlio and Terezinha, and their wonderful sons Lucas and Samuel (Marcos is studying in Brazil). It has been so nice to have the time to connect with Daddy's cousins.

Best of all, our precious Nicky is now 9 months old! He's matched his time inside with his time outside, now!

We love you Nicholas Spofford Xavier!

hugs and kisses

Mommy, Daddy, Inca, Manny, and all the rest of your family and friends!

We're Back in Brooktondale... and a belated happy 8 months b-day!

Eu e meu primo brasileiro, Pedrinho!

Looking Cool!

Minha família

We're back in Brooktondale! Bye-bye, Brazil! Estamos com MUITA saudade de nossa família lá. We didn't take the trip to Vila Velha this year, but luckily, we did get to the beach in Rio before we left. Behind Dani's apartment complex is a nature reserve and little ferry that goes out to a barrier beach. This was so beautiful! We are hoping she'll stay in Rio so we can go again! : ) She may have other plans, however...

Last week was somewhat hectic and stressful trying to readjust to the Northern clime and to the many unknowns of this upcoming year. Nicky spent the week wondering where all those loving titias went and why no crowds of people were surrounding him in full-fledged adoration. Just Mommy... He was very "juju", or whiny, as we say in English. Actually, we all were! Even Inca was refusing to eat properly.

In my Bam-Bam carnaval costume! Bam! Bam!

Nicky's crawling is going well. He is enjoying exploring the living room and kitchen, finding all the dangerous corners. Luckily, he is still slow. He has been happily reunited with his toys, but his gym is no longer as captivating as it once was. He definitely prefers balls, trucks, wheels, and anything like a cord, power outlet, or drawer. He is very into the "head-shaking" game (he shakes his head, waits for you to do it, does it back again), and in general is becoming more interactive-- saying sounds back, like da-da, ma-ma, and so on. He's never been a big fan of imitation, but this is changing.

This week we've been trying (rather unsuccessfully) to find a place for Nicky to stay a couple days a week during the morning, so Mommy can make more progress with her dissertation. Most places do not accept infants part time, or charge so much that it would be impossible for us to pay the fees. However, Nicky is very social and we want him to have the chance to play with other babies, in addition to giving Mommy some time to work uninterrupted. He just LOVES to play, and he loves a crowd... at Cynthia's baby shower (only a few more weeks til little Tom arrives!) he was totally elated with the other kids!

Below are some photos from Nicky's visit to Aldeias Infantis SOS in Brazil. Our visit was such fun! The kids have a really nice home where they live with the "mae social", their mom. Even though these children have suffered a lot, they are in a good spot and it's a cause definitely worth supporting. They loved meeting Nicky and he loved them too! He brought them a whole bunch of school supplies to help them with their education.

And of course, with all this, we wish Nicky a belated happy 8 months birthday. With six teeth, an expanding vocab of babble, and true gusto for food and play, you are the bestest babyest everest, particularly in Brooktondale, and perhaps in all of Brazil! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!