So much to tell you...

Busy bee that would be me - but here's the skinny on what I've been up to....Working backwards:

California Dreaming - Just returned from a month long trip to California where I splashed in my baby pool with my Auntie Marie and carried on long conversations on Fox News reporting with Grandma and Grandpa. I was keen to show them all my new vocabulary which I've developed over the past few months in English, portugese and French. Some key words are "Tetine" (Pacifier in French), Truck, Car, Camillon, Kitty Kay, Bow wow, Bus, Bike, Moto.... if you're seeing a trend in transportation than you have correctly defined the world in which I live. My very being is tied to the latest and greatest four wheeled or more transport that I can set my eyes on...I've quite a collection at home and feel it necessary to carry them all over the house and in stereo as nothing beats a moto experience without the sound of Vroom vrooooom vrooooooooom. I took my first swimming lessons as Paris seems to be a bit delinquent about actually teaching children to swim before the age of 6. I enjoyed my two week class with Stacey and Conrad and loved my fellow swimmers: Maddie, Max, and Matthew. I ingested everything under the California sun, including; fresh ginger, salmon sashimi, asparagus soup, corn soup, heirloom tomatoes, white beans, edamame, pistachios, etc. Continuing the gourmet fest into Napa and Sonoma plus a quick visit to SF and Lafayette to visit friends and visit a camera shop for Dad completed our trip - 5 luggages and two planes later we landed in Paris safely.

La Creche - Daycare finished on a low note. Some kid decided that I was a tasty treat and BIT ME! Thankfully no skin broke but what a downer. That being said another bad piece of news is that Mom's favorite staff member is leaving. I continue to enjoy the time with the kids but I am not sure what this year will bring as I'm moving to the Abeilles section from the Grenouilles ( I've graduated to BEE from being a FROG).

Learning - I have been developing all sorts of new tricks to add to my repetoire. Love helping Mom put the dirty laundry into the washing machine - even if it looks like I've taken a dive into the machine with only my feet sticking out I eventually come up for air. I have really gotten to love feeding myself and tear the spoon/fork out of Mommy's hand so that I can do it on my own. Also definitely getting the handle of the cup, as I like to drink from the same type of glass as Mom and Dad. Running like a champ, Kicking the soccer ball like a Brazilian, and just being an all around athletic kid. I enjoy carrying bags over my shoulder and saying bye bye to my parents even though I go literally nowhere- I suppose I'm preparing for the college years. I climb on everything and my mom is constantly leaping to save a vase or a fragile something or other from my grasp. Potty training is well on it's way. Mom needs to be more disciplined with me but I've shown a willingess and many successful tries now I just to get over to the potty in time for every movement.

Love to Love - I'm a hugger, it's true! I love to hug, come within a foot of me and I'll put out my arms wide widw wide and swing them around your neck and squeeze. Mommy and Daddy can't stop asking for more so apparently they must really be that good. If I see a baby cry I am immediately concerned and if Mommy gives me the go-ahead I'll approach them and slowly go in for the ....Hug.

Future Veternarian - Like my father and maternal grandfather, I have a love for animals. My favorites are Dogs and I literally lean out of my stroller to touch them or even just to point. I've met so many and I have learned to ask the owner before touching a doggy, and then offering my hand. I had the most fun one evening with a Rodesian Ridgeback....He was the size of a horse but that didn't stop me from petting him, attempting to ride on his back and sleep next to him on his mat. I just laughed and laughed everytime that he brushed by me.

Overall I'm a good kid and I mean well. I am well dressed thanks to Mommy, laugh a ton thanks to Daddy and am loved thanks to all of you and my families abroad.

I'd love to have you come over for a visit so please make sure to make you're way to Paris. I'm waiting for you with a HUG!

Spring Fling

Spring is humming along and I am grateful for the lovely ladies that take care of me at the "creche" while mom gets a little break at the beginning of every week. The weather (for the most part) has been delightful and thus we're out on the terrace tearing it up on the silde, the rocking horse, and throwing balls here and there with my other buddies at the creche. Personally I have become even more expressive and learning new words every day. Mom and Dad have been playing alot of classical music in the house lately and I've been showing off my ability to conduct the orchestras while watching for mom and dad to react with squeals of laughter. I am an avid fan of anything on wheels and I happily point out to anyone who will listen the various modes of transport that pass me by on a daily basis. We recently headed to Prague to visit with Grandma and Grandpa. Two weeks of wining and dining and bouncing along bumpy roads amongst some of the finest Gothic architecture. A special afternoon with my cousins in their garden where I played with my younger cousin, Albert, who is 3 months younger than I and already staring me straight in the eyes. There was plenty of toys and not too mention the cats who I had the chance to caress. Great afternoon minus a tumble down the stairs which led to a bump on my head....wasn't the first won't be the last.

As a result of a few mishaps (stealing strollers and bikes from other children) at the parks in paris mom finally broke down and bought me a BIKE in Paris and the stroller of my dreams in a color that Daddy could swallow (blue) in Prague. I have yet to get off either one I spend my days biking around the house and in Prague never for a minute did I let go of my little stroller. Mom seems to enjoy it as much as I do as it seems to keep me focused on keeping up with the Radimsky's which if you've ever personally walked with them is not an easy feat. Grandma kindly showed me how to get up the curbs so I was unstoppable.

I'm eating mom and dad out of house and home and have been enjoying all sorts of new dishes including foie de veau (veal liver), boudin noir (blood sausage), sushi, etc. Not every day and not in large portions but they have all entered into my mouth and been digested without any problems. This makes mom so happy as she loves to eat as much as I do. We'll certainly be bonding over food as more time passes. Can't wait to actually cook with her but for now I watch from the counter and scream quente!!! pronounced "kentchie" when I see hot things... as that means hot in Brazilian.

Recently mom has been meeting these wonderful other mom's on the bus which has led to me to meet Max, Arthur, Naomi and Noah so now I have even more fun playmates! And my most special is Madeleine. She's my sleepover buddy, and I love more than anything to spend time with her and her parents when mom and dad go out for a date. She comes over to our house as well and we're like two peas in a pod. She likes to feed me and I like to wander about showing her new things. And our parents get along swimmingly...Speaking of swimming, I haven't been to bebe nageur in awhile due to our trips and the fact that I sleep in after taking my morning bottle. But I've been active at Gymboree and I even took a music class which opened up my ears to all sorts of indigenous sounds across the world.

It's another weekend in June and I'm off to the country to a birthday party. And here's to all my new friends born recently across the world!

Easter in Burgundy

What better way to spend Easter than with our friend Cynthia who is packing up her beautiful mill for adventures in the states. So it was with great pleasure that me and my family headed to Burgundy to engage in a little Easter egg hunt a la Bourgogne. A simple affair, but in a poetic setting complete with babbling brook, potager, mill, and fabulous wine and food from the region and our wonderful friend, Cynthia.

Lucas of course only has eyes for cars at this moment so needless to say the Mercedes station wagon which Cynthia arrived in caused not only my son to stir but my husband to start to enjoy the comforts of a nice leather seat and a smooth ride. Arriving at the mill I was reminded of the many weekends that I had spent there and the glorious morning wake up calls from the local bird and cow communities and the sound of running water. We spent the rest of the day relaxing while Cynthia scurried around taking care of her home in light of her vide maison that would take place in 2 weeks. Relaxing being a relative word as Lucas moves at a mile a minute and he just does not have any sense of fear - wanting to climb every wall and descend every staircase no matter how steep. We had our work cut out for us but we were overjoyed to offer Lucas a look into the country life. Passing by "moo moo's", viewing beautiful local "tweet tweets", of course a few "ney ney's came trotting through and we were able to show him apple blossoms, tulips (actually growing in the ground), grass without the fear of dog excrement, and general pure fresh country air. Easter morning was upon us and we offered our little monkey a cute little blue bag complete with chick and a small brown stuffed animal bird. Perfectly lovely start to the easter egg hunt which was as mucvh fun for Lucas as it was for his giddy parents.

I did miss going to church, I think next year will call for a traditional Easter complete with Easter hat for Lucas and I.

Jan-Feb-Mar.....Now we're in April

The months have passed by so quickly and as I have grown (a whopping 11.5 kilos to date) so has my vocabulary. I started with Daddy, went on to Maman.....car....carro....banana.....bubble.....bye bye.....au revoir....truck.....bus....kitty cat....vovo.....bisous....pish (pesce et fish rolled into one) and I haven't stopped babbling since. Mom and Dad are quitre attentive to my stories and seek desperately to understad what I say. I've been enjoying the creche where I spend my Mondays and Tuesdays and every other Wedensdays. I've started going to Gymboree classes on Thursday mornings where I'm known for my fearless leaps and jumps and my front rolls that mommy taught me. I'm a big dancer and although a little stiff I'm slowly getting my bottom half to join my top half. I've been watching baby Einstein videos every once in a while - my favorite part is the catepillar who arrives at the beginning and I get REALLY excited when I see him that I almost loose my breath. I recently visited the acquarium with mom who currently is playing "stay at home mom" while she looks for her next career. Daddy has been working hard and has recently gotten another new project accepted which makes him the most powerful super hero in my eyes. Mommy and Daddy kiss alot which apparently makes me laugh...we're a happy family. We hope that all of you will come to visit us in Paris one day soon! May will prove to be quite fun as well as Grandma and Grandpa California are coming to Prague and we'll fly over to meet them and we're headed to the land of Big Ben to partake in the wedding of Lara and Edward. We wish you a lovely Easter - if we don't talk to you before then. Big kiss from Lucas!

Christmas and New Years in Brazil

For the holdays the entire Radimsky-Bonato clan came together in Sao Paulo. I was going to be able to see not only my grandparents, auntie Marie and Marcio but my uncle Mauritio who I had never met and who is my Daddy's twin. The flight over I was sooooo good, I slept, ate, pooped, and smiled my way into the hearts of every last passenger and flight attendant. "Oh he's so good", "Didn't even know that there was a baby on board" "Handsome young boy" "So charming" were phrases we often heard and so my reign as golden child was solid especially since I was suffering from an ear infection and a cold. We landed and we were greated by Mauritio, Ana flavia, his wife (who's also expecting!!!), My grandpa Sergio, his girlfriend and her son. Everyone clamoured to get me in their arms but I had one goal and that was to see Mauritio, as I love Daddy I knew I'd love Mauritio. My uncle Maurition is a sportscaster for TV and Radio and he's FUNNY, we never stopped laughing....lucky me. We headed directly to grandma's where we stayed for the first week before Aunti Marie was to arrive. I was fed rice, beans and manioc to my hearts content, so much so that in one month I gained 1.5 kilos....brazil is good for babies. My auntie arrived and yet another set of wonderful arms for me to play in....we spent Christmas at Mauritio's with Ana's family. We had a special guest, Tropical Santa claus and his trusted reindeer (who resembled a small white dog) dressed in appropraite attire. It was a very special Christmas and again I found myself surrounded by presents, presents, presents....I could very well get used to this. We ate a lovely dinner and I had an entire play area for me to try out my new toys. The reindeer/dog was terribly suspicious of me and thus he proceeded to pee on my playmat, bad doggie!!! Grandma and Grandpa California arrived the following day and that's when we really started to gain momentum, as we were whisked every which way top parks and museums, wined and dined in the most amazing restaurants and I even had my own "shoe"man, grandpa - every morning I'd bring my shoes to him and he'd kindly put them on. Oh to be young, adorable and dependent....New Year's was spent again around a big table in an Italian resto - Auntie Marie was already off to California but we enjoyed a lovely evening and I developed a real appreciation for "cheering" everyone with my plastic sippee cup. 2011 was officially here and it was so very special to have my family there to share it with me. Happy New Year to one and all!

365 Days later ...

I've officially arrived at my first anniversary of life. The day started out a little shaky as I had a little intestinal difficulties....but that wouldn't stop me from enjoying my party that my parents had kindly organized for me. Every guest donned a party hat and a smile.

As luck would have it I was surrounded by my amazing family and my parents' dear friends in our little nest in the sky. We offered our guests brazilian specialities and cupcakes which were a hit - although as usual mom ordered far too much food - made our building very happy as she did a tour de force handing out food after the party was done.....

I was spoiled by every last person and I felt so very special and unfortunately a little woozy which led me to sleep through most of my party but I came to just in time to blow out my candle and to open my presents.

Did I happen to mention that I'm walking? Yes sireee bob, since 11.5 months I've taken to two steppin' it throughout the house. At my party however, no one saw as I was swung from one set of arms to the next which was fine by me as I was a little needy that day.

Here's to my family and friends, thank you for making me feel so special.

(P.S Three days later I ended up in the ER do to dehydration, it seems that I caught a serious case of the gastro and nothing wanted to stay in me - and it was coming out both ends faster than mom and dad could clean change and pray that it would all be over soo. Thanks to Hospital Neckar I was up and about in no time.)

Eleven months already!

We've been remiss in updating this blog due to the sheer fact that I'm a handful. Charming and giggly but I move at a speed faster than light, I get into all sorts of trouble. To date, I've split my lip, bit my chin, bruised my head on several occasions. I've coughed, had stuffy noses which have inhibited my sleep but overall as healthy as a horse. I've been standing up on my own for the past few weeks and even finding myself standing without holing onto anything (which when I realize what I'm doing I promptly fall on my behind). Who needs t walk when you can crawl - and oh the things I find on the floor it's a literal buffet chez nous- drives mommy bonkers to see me with dust bunnies in my hand and with my mouth wide open to receive it. I've gotten on a great schedule, I wake up around 7 mommy or daddy gives me a bottle (with a little cereal) and then I either take a little nap or I play...then if needed a little sieste before lunch but recently I've been eating around 11:30 so that mommy can be assured that I've eaten as sometimes I like to sleep for 3 hours which screws up the rest of the day....after lunch I usually take a nap and then play play play. I've got my buddy Melissa, and then recently I met a new friend, Maya - who is half turk and half polish, she and I discussed the trials and tribulations of being trilingual.

It's Cooooool in Paris, fall seems to have brought bright blue skies but a chill that caused Mommy to rush out and buy two jackets for me. One that is brown wool with bits of blue and even blue stars on my elbows, and then a forest green jacket with orange silky material inside. I am a vision in both. I'll send pictures as soon as mommy can get me to sit still.

I'm looking forward to Christmas in Brazil! With both sets of grandparents and I get to meet my uncle Mauricio!!! My Daddy's twin brother who was in South Africa during the World Cup when the family came to Paris and Prague.

Sending you all big wet kisses!

Lucas

Three Generations of Bonato

All in one photo and all currently living under one roof. Sergio Bonato, Cleber's father and Lucas' grandfather is visiting us from Sao Paulo for a month and we had a great time dressing Lucas up in the various hats that Sergio brought from Brazil. Enjoy!

I'm crawling, it's official the house is no longer a nest it's a danger zone!

It's so much fun being able to zip around the house and entertain even more new sensations and toys. Love the way the rubber feels on my hands and I'm tearing the plus out of the wall and the plactic bottles of water that I try to lift with my bare hands, all very superman like as they probably weigh more than I do. Can't get enough of chasing after my ball and attempting to raise myself up on my legs but to date I've not gotten past the reaching up phase, but mommy's been great in giving me moral support.

I just got over the pain of three teeth when another three decide to appear on the scene! Causing me to wail and want mommy and daddy to help me ALOT. It's painful and I'm only a small child what do you expect!

I had my first taste of ginger just recently, mommy put together a little lunch of carrots, zucchini and ginger. Yummm! However when the results of eating blueberry puree landed in my diapers mommy was stunned by the results....who knew I could poop in blue?!

July 2010

After the rush of June which included my parents religious mariage and my baptism, it was onto July which was filled with the arrival of my three teeth. And three at one time is extremely "douleureux", painful, in whatever language it led me to bite everything in my path. I was almost dracula like yet I looked liked a pumpkin. I droooled and drooooled, everything that I wore seemed to fly off of me as mommy is not keen on a wet baby. Not to mention that I was beginning to show signs of crawling which sent mommy and daddy to various stores to ensure that all cables and breakable items were secure and out of reach from my strong and determined hands.

And then there was the fall. I managed to find the single moment in time when mommy didn't secure me in my stroller to lean over and eventually slide right over the side of my stroller, or my rolling throne as I like to call it. I ended up in the children's hospital for 2 nights and scared the living daylights out of my family who stayed by my side throughout the drama. I didn't even have a bruise, nor a scratch and thankfully other than a headache I came out of it as good as new and with about 6 new nurse girfriends. Mommy can't believe her stupidity but she wanted me to pass along a message to you new mothers': "We can therefore we do, so please do not forget to secure us before you turn your back because we might just be on the floor when you turn around"