my journey with children

Ileana, my friend, bought a scissor to cut hair. First client was Erica.. Just a tiny little bit. With TROTRO, she staid still. 

I had to walk a lot today... Not my day, not my best day in this life, but it will be better. Ava slept all the time, Erica was happy, when I took her from kindergarten. My girls are important for me. It gives me energy, seeing them well and happy. 

It was carnaval week. She said in advance that she wants to be a tiger. I had to order on amazon a tiger costume. In kindergarten she got the face painting and she walked like this, the whole day. People on the bus, were laughing, around the street the same... She was very proud. 

Only, purple sunglasses  She said if I buy her sunglasses, "only purple please". My laughing sunshine has preferences already...Jesus, when did this happen? Over night? 

I edit the photos and I realize how much I love them both....without the doll, of course! I had to take the photos of Ava for her passport. When I wanted to do the same thing for Erica 3 years ago, I went to a studio and when I have seen that they want to photograph her with Flash, I went outside the store and read till I got home on my handy, how to do this by myself with such a small child. After more then one hundred photos I realized you really need skills for this. It's extreme :). Same thing happened today only that Erica was my assistant, "helper". In quotes as obviously she didn't help most of the time. She was excited that the big camera was out of the rucksack and she wanted to hold it. I asked her to hold Ava's hand...this also hardly happened. In the end her doll, BEBE, needed as well a passport photo and also herself with cat mustache. I hope there is at least one good photo that can be printed in the end.   How did you take your children passport pho

Erica is fighting hard that she has the pacifier.  She ne er wanted it while she was a baby. She spitted it out in a few seconds. But now, when Ava is born, this is what she wants the most to have. She knows that she is not allowed and she takes the pacifier and hides. Now she went on the table. 

We have two babies in the house. The baby of mine, Ava, and Erica's baby

Ava started to smile.  Ava was one month old on the 9th of February. By that time I noticed she smiles back at me, when she is awake. However, this were smiles before but in her sleep.  Today Erica wanted, like every day to be next to her, to hold Ava in her arms and kiss her.Suddenly in their giggle Ava smiled beautifully. For one second I realised they look so much alike. Because until then, I didn't notice any resemblance.  I thought Erica looks very much like her father and Ava has more my features (maybe)... Even though it's a bit early to realise this. Yet, today, both smiling, they look both like their father.  I am with both of them, every single day and I find it hard to see so clear as an outsider, all these similarities?  Do you see them at your children? 

Erica loves to paint.  I find it very relaxing now, to paint with her. We have different styles now. However, her style now used to be my style, when I was younger in Fine Arts High School. I used to paint with my hand directly as well, just like her now. It's a wonderful feeling.  Now, I like to use her watercolors and of course with brushes. How do you relax the best with your toddler? 

We had the third medical verification (U3).  Ava got weighted and measured on a very snowy day. She is very healthy. 

Today Ava is one month old.  She really got her eyes so much open and started to look around and notice things. She looks big in the photo but she is actually small. She is 4 kg.  Erica takes her in arms everyday. My girls!!! 

When I say Erica is copying a lot of things that I do with her newborn sister is so much true but this goes further to other things. For a long while she wants to photograph, wants to hold hands on the big cameras but also on the handy.  This photo is taken by her with my help, I hold the phone, so she has it in the right direction. Even though I don't want her to handle mobile from 34 months old, I find it too early. But again, what is too early nowadays when it comes to this? 

I drove today alone for the first time with both my girls in the back.  I remembered when I first did this with Erica only in the back, she was 3 weeks old. My feet were trumbling and I remembered I felt like it was my first day of driving. Even though I had 15 years of driving behind me.  I used then and now with Giulia a mirror to see them. Which I installed in front of them.  Besides the driving  challenge, it came along the challenge to get them ready almost in the same time and to get out of the house.  How do you manage this stress with two children? 

I was told by Erica's midwife that black tea is great for diaper rash. I remembered it now when it happend to my second child, Ava. It happens that I am too tired during the nights to wake up every 3 hours. So I apply a thicker layer baby's calendula cream from Weleda in the evening and in the morning after cleaning I wipe the skin with a cotton pad with black tea. Works perfectly till now.  How do you do this? How do you treat the diaper rash of your baby? 

When they are so awake and I can hardly open my eyes.  Erica speaks a lot. Giulia wants to eat. Erica wants to hold Giulia in her arms. I need a bottle of Coffee next to my bed.