this year...

you began by dancing with who is from now on your favourite dance partner: TiBernie!

last year...

you learned to sit on your own at just five months and to charm everyone in site with your gaze and your smile!
this is the first post of 2010, so happy new year my little big love! may you be well and content and strong and glad! and that wish extends to all our loved ones!
here are some pictures from the last month:

your first xmas with the family

concentration

glee

with Vovô

sitting on your own at the biblioteca

first friends

and because we are on the subject of firsts (we will be for some time now!!!) here are some photos of your first little friends:

Zé Maria



Martim, Maria, Leonor and Sofia

hmmmm....

i thought it would be easier to write often...i'll get the hang of it i suppose!!!
we are now in Madeira to spend Mam Djara's first Xmas with the family...at long last we have children to add gurgling noises and giggles to the occasion!!!!
I'll go and get my baby book (i told you it was a habit!) and try to fill in the data as it appears there!
Here goes:


"I was born at 23h43 on Monday the 20th July 2009 at the Hospital São Francisco Xavier in Lisboa.
My Daddy Baye Selle Mbaye
My Mummy Sofia Luísa Bodé Maul

Daddy's Daddy Ali Mbousse Mbaye
My Daddy's Mummy Nganga Faye
Mummy's Daddy Timothy Robert Rushworth Maul
Mummy's Mummy Harriet Irene Bodé

My name is Mam Djara Maul Mbaye

My weight at birth: 4,250 kg
After 1 week: 3,410kg
After 2 week: 3,900kg
After 3 week: 4,180kg
After 4 week: 4,280kg
After 8 week: 5,230kg
After 3rd month:6,000kg
After 4th month:6,430kg
After 5th month:6,960kg
After 6th month:
After 7th month:
After 8th month:
After 9th month:
After 10th month:
After 11th month:
After 12th month:


My height at birth: 52,2cm
at 3 months: 62,0cm
at 6 months:
at 1 year:
at 2 years:
at 3 years:
at 4 years:
at 5 years:
at 6 years:
at 7 years:
at 8 years:
at 9 years:
at 10 years:

My hair colour is black and my eyes are black too

My navel fell off on the 25th July

My first visitors at birth were Mormor and Pai Baye and Ângela and the next day were: Rita and Pere and João and Helena.

My first tooth came out at

My first smile was for Mummy (of course!) at 4 weeks

I start trying to grab things at 3 months
When i don't put it immediately in my mouth(very rare)I can pass things from one hand to the other at 4 months but still have a little difficulty letting go!
Now is also when i start rolling from tummy to back but i still need help the other way.
I can sit quite straight just with some pillows round my bottom at 5 months.

I am a delightfully smiley baby...i just don't really want to go to sleep...i'd miss all the excitement!!!
My chucha is only necessary to help me sleep!"

Ok...
I think that's enough for now...
i'll keep filling in as we go along!
Till next time here are some of the earliest photos:

first post

this is my first ever blog post!
as i am a storyteller i must begin with a story, a true one:
every time i go home to the house i grew up in, i look at the shelves packed with books foreign lands, amazing animal life and the lives of people real and imaginary, and invariably i pull out the same short and squat volume: my baby book! i have read it many many times but i can't tell you how it makes me feel each time...warm and fuzzy and real and...
oh you better get used to it: i am a great fan of exclamations and ... !!!
on with the story...
when i watched my belly grow and grow and grow with my daughter swimming inside i promised myself and herself that i would make and write her a lovely baby book...and i did buy her a gorgeous blue notebook...but only wrote in it once....
you might have guessed this story doesn't end anytime soon, for this blog is her story and the story of our little family which we are hoping will grow and grow told for her especially but also for you, our family and friends!!! Tomorrow i will transcribe some of that first scribbling that is in the blue notebook and i hope you will bear with us as there is a lot to tell because our little princess is today 4 months and 19 days and a lot has been going on!!!