Bicycle Built for 3

This past Sunday (also Easter) was really great weather, so we decided to get the bike out. And, for the first time, for LS to give it a spin.

LS wasn't *too* happy about putting the helmet on at first. But after a little explanation she trusted that it would be worth it (and since that ride, she now asks for it!).

We had a good time taking a little ride. Since it was the opening weekend of our local ice-cream stand, we decided that would be a great place to ride the bike to! LS didn't mind getting a few licks of ice-cream. I'm sure this will become a regularly scheduled event during these warm weather months.

LS also had another first, at the ice-cream stand: first skinned knee (if you look reeeeeally close you might see it in the picture). Not much of one really, we're not talking about a serious flaying or anything. She thought about crying for a couple seconds, but with some encouragement she decided that she could take it. Whew! Plenty more of those to come over the years...

For the years before LS when Mamãe and Papai would ride this bike around we would often hear kids say something along the lines of "cool! two person bike!". Now it's at least 50% cooler, being a three person bike.



Looking forward to lots more riding this summer.

Silence is Golden

It was Mamãe's idea that this video would be enhanced by leaving out the sound, and I have to agree.

I've always felt that silent family movies produced a special nostalgia. Heck, this video is barely 3 days old and I feel nostalgic watching it.

It always seems to me that those people in the movie are trying to communicate out to the future to me, but they can't. I think the missing audio really produces a particular feeling.

We can't communicate with those people from the past, and they can't communicate with us. Not having the audio prevents us from pretending otherwise.

It makes us not quite able to be in that moment. It's more like getting a secret glimpse that feels all the more fleeting.

I think it also forces us to concentrate on the visual aspect more. With the need for one of the senses removed, maybe the others are heightened slightly.

I'm sure experts of film know what is really going on here. Or maybe it's just my overactive imagination.

At any rate, this was LS this past Easter Sunday. She had a nice dress on that was a gift from her Tia Maria this past August. It was taken in the back yard at Avó and Grandpa's house.

Three minutes of beautiful silence.

Catching Up

Way too much has happened to be able to catch up on everything LS has been up to - but we have to try don't we?

It's been a big few weeks since the last post. Walking had gotten much better, and sometimes seems on the verge of running. We'll say walking briskly.

LS's language has improved seemingly daily. It seems that she knows the English equivalent of just about everything she knows in Portuguese. Often she'll translate back and forth with you like she wants to practice. I guess that's what babies/toddlers to a lot of - practice.

There's been an interesting learning of concepts and putting words together. A couple weeks back LS was with Papai and she was sitting on the sanita (toilet). Suddenly she says "Calças" ("call-suhz" which means "pants"). I often repeat what she says, I guess to let her know that she's understood and as a prompt to see where she goes next. So I say "calças". Which she follows with "Não tenho" - which best translates to "I don't have any". This is a pretty keen observation for someone sitting on the toilet without their pants on! This pattern was repeated later in the day with "chapéu" ("hat") at a point in time when she wasn't wearing a hat...

We've had some birthdays in the family so LS has had some practice with "happy birthday". Early in the month we were trying for "happy birthday Uncle John". What we got was "hap birtday unc jah!" Kind of like it would sound if over a bad cell phone connection.

Later in the month she was a little clearer for "happy birthday Aria" though it was usually in the two pieces "happy birthday" and "Aria". But just today she was still saying it, and putting it all together as one phrase. We're hoping she'll really be ready in a couple weeks with her "happy birthday Aunt April".

Speaking of Aria, since playing with her at the birthday parties LS hasn't been able to get off the topic of Aria. A typical progression will be: "Nice. Aria. Borboleta ("butterfly"). Gato ("cat"). Miau ("meow"). Bola ("ball"). Amarela ("yellow")." This was the story of Aria. She's nice, particularly because she gave LS some butterfly wings (on her own birthday!). She also pretended to be a cat, naturally saying "meow". She also played with a ball. The ball was yellow.

Last week was a big week for many concepts associated with the song (and books we have of the same) "The Wheels on the Bus". Open and shut. Up and down. All the classics. LS particular enjoys the part of what the baby says "wah wah wah" and also when the driver cries "bump bump bump". At the end of each verse she'll finish up "town" for you too, though her timing leaves a little to be desired.

To finish things up, here's a video from just today with LS enjoying a new activity - jumping on a cushion. Such simple joys in life.

Walking Translator

It's occurred to us lately that soon LS will be teaching us Portuguese back. At least two times recently, once to each of us, she reminded us what the Portuguese word for something is.

This could work out as a great tool! With her better recall, we just need to remember a word long enough to tell her a couple times. Then later, when *we* can't remember it, she'll be there to help us out! Yay! Our very own walking pocket translator.

Today it happened with Papai when we were looking at a book together. This book had a picture of a pail with a shovel next to it. So I'm going through the book with her mostly in Portuguese, and on this page I point to the pail: "balde". Then I point to the shovel and say: "shovel". A couple seconds later, LS pipes up with "pá" (pronounced "pah"). Admittedly, her pronunciation was a bit off, and I didn't quite get it at first. But after she said it a couple more times, I realized - she's telling me the translation. Wonderful!

She's actually gotten quite good at translating between the languages - providing words in both. One of her bedtime books mentions several animals and when Mamãe reads it in English, LS pipes in each time one is mentioned and gives the Portuguese translation.

The only time this language stuff is tricky is when you can't quite make out what she is saying. It could be Portuguese, it could be English, or it could be "practice". But, it's worth it.

Last week while eating dinner I asked LS: "Como é que se chama a maçã in English?" - which is "What do you call an apple in English?". After a few pensive moments she responds "Appel" (I spell it this way, because it is closer to how she says it!).

Next I ask her: "What do you call an apple em Português?" Another few pensive moments. Maybe she's thinking "he can't really be asking me that can he?". And then: "maçã!" (pronounced something like: muh-sanh)

Sim, muito bem querida!

A Spot of Tea

Over the weekend we all had a cold (LS still does a little, Mamãe even more so). This at least gave LS an opportunity to try something new.

LS took great interest in this hot drink that we were drinking, so we decided to give some to her. Wow, did she like it! After these initial tastes, we've also occasionally given her some in her own cup. She asks for it by name!

In Portuguese the word for tea is "chá" - pretty much pronounced like "shah". We introduced her quickly to the English word also, which of course is just as easy and comes out just as well.

You can catch some other Portuguese words in there if you know what you're listening for. She's getting better with her "faz favor" ("please") too. If you hear something that's "pee-shah-doh" that's her way of saying "chapéu" ("sha-poh'"), which means "hat" (since there were pictures of hats on the mug with the tea!).



At the end there she's thinking the camera is a telephone, not like you can really tell the difference these days. And I'm sure less-so by the time she's ready to use either one.

5 Days (and 5 clips) in FL

This past week we spent 5 days in Florida visiting Memére. Everyone was very pleased! To the FL natives, the weather was "cold". But we found shorts and t-shirts to be just fine (ok, the mornings really were cold...).

LS was starting to attempt some walking before we left, so we knew this trip would be when it happened. It was in Portugal when she started to crawl, so there must be something about being away from home that makes you want to stretch your legs!

In this case we had a secret weapon though, named Reesa. She's a little dog (Dachshund) that loves to lick faces. We knew that would get LS on her feet trying to escape! This also had the added benefit of teaching LS another phrase in English: "No faces!"

In this first clip, shot our first day there, LS gets a lick from Reesa and lets her know "no faces".



As you can see in this next clip, such incidents got LS on her feet and walking. Later that night she had several attempts, one of the last of which was the longest at about 9 steps. This is the best clip of catching her in action.



In this next clip, LS is making good friends with the dogs, especially Reesa. Between the two dogs plus a cat, LS was just having a ball.



And finally, LS put it all together - walking *while* playing with the dog! The stuffed bear is Reesa's, but she didn't mind sharing it for a little play time.



LS also learned some new phrases. She improved on saying "I love you", and especially had fun saying "I see you!" back and forth with Memére playing hide-and-seek. She also did a respectable job with "precious", which was Memére's pet name for her. In this last clip, LS answers the question "who's precious?" once and for all. Like there was any doubt.

What Goes Up...

She's been doing it great for probably a couple months now, but we finally took the opportunity to get some footage of LS making her way down the stairs. It seems like she'll be walking soon, so we thought we should get this stuff while we can!