Happy 11 month Birthday Matteo!!

2nd CHEO appointment

Matteo had his second CHEO appointment on Tuesday and Dr. M. went over all the bloodwork that was done last time....everything looks good!! Matteo is doing well. He weighs about 18.8 lbs (8.56kg) and is 27.2 inches (69cm) in length. Yesterday he also had his TB shot (of course he cried!!)...and we're heading back on Thursday to have his arm read....so far it looks fine (to me anyway).

Here are some photos of Matteo having fun at the fun mirror while we waited for our turn. I usually have to keep the carriage moving so he doesn't get bored, and he sure enjoyed the funny way he looked!!

Matteo's first Easter egg hunt....

Matteo was invited to S&W's for his first Easter egg hunt. You can see some great photos of the event here. The weather was spectacular. I'm not sure that Matteo really understood what was happening but I nudged him towards an egg sitting on top of the barbecue and true to Matteo's usual, it immediately went into his mouth! For the most part Matteo enjoyed playing on the floor with a few of the MANY toys available and of course did try to get into one of the twins' Easter basket....I'm sure next year he'll understand a bit more about the hunt and the Easter bunny!

Buona Pasqua, Happy Easter, Chúc Mừng Phục Sinh

This is my mom's traditional Calabrian Easter Bread called 'Nguta (Sguta). She would wake up early on Good Friday and knead the dough and when we got up later, we'd all help (sometimes very reluctantly) to form the different shapes. There is also a parrot shape that I didn't make this year as it takes longer to form, as my time was limited so opted for baskets, articoke hearts with and without the eggs. My mom carried these traditions forward from her time in Italy and I'm sure modified to her life in Canada. I feel spiritually close to her when I continue these traditions so it was nice to work on these on Holy Thursday. In some cultures this bread is taken to church to be blessed and then eaten with the special Easter meals. Praying that each of you and your families are enveloped in the peace and joy of this special holiday in remembrance of a very important Christian experience....and of course the other not as important but very special enjoyment of Easter egg hunts, chocolate, candy, family, friends and a visit from the Easter bunny.....

Italian Chocolate Easter egg.....

On Tuesday Matteo received his first traditional Italian chocolate Easter egg from my friend Davide who met Matteo for the first time. We were at Luciano's the other day (Italian deli on Preston) and Matteo was in awe of all the colour as he looked up and saw all of these eggs hanging. So I'm glad he now has one of his own!! Grazie Davide e famiglia.... As I child I remember we loved getting these....in many of them there is a surprise hidden inside....as children we would try to open them, poke a hole through the chocolate to get at the surprise and try to wrap it back up as it if hadn't been opened...much like trying to find your presents before Christmas.

Matteo has been more cautious with new people, which is very good, and it takes him a bit of time to warm up, but he did with Davide and they were able to spend a bit of time together. We also discovered that Matteo loves pizza and apple pie. More and more he wants the foods I'm eating, which is great and will much simplify our lives. I'm so glad he has, for the most part a healthy appetite. Knows what he likes and doesn't like and is able to communicate it.

....for now so looking forward to some down time and some family time. Buona Pasqua, Happy Easter, Chúc Mừng Phục Sinh to everyone.

...my own Etsy shop....

....have just opened up my own artistaincanada etsy shop...after purchasing a beautiful hand made Asian doll at another little acorn etsy shop. Could not resist it and the others were going fast but I had my eye on the one I got!! Then decided it was time to get back to my own studio work. I have a few pieces that show the Asian influence in my artwork way before Matteo entered my life and way before he was even a glimmer in my eye. So stay tuned for some old artwork for sale and some newly inspired through motherhood. I hope any sales I make will be squirreled away into Matteo's recently created RESP!!....so exciting....here are some tidbits to tantalize...

These are both small pieces, but both use Chinese paper (purchased in Toronto), via collage, as the background of the figures. The first is an etching, and the second is a silkscreen....more details to come on etsy...

Well I had some plans for an evening out...

but Matteo had other ideas....Was going to head out for my first social evening without Matteo, dinner and a movie...but Matteo was not himself all day, clingy, whiny, not so playful....seemed to eat and drink like normal...slept his usual, but just wanted to be held more than usual....my instincts were in overdrive. He did feel slightly warm, but only slightly so he may have had a tiny fever....just as he was finishing his supper, and I was putting his evening bottle in the diaper bag, he threw up and that was that....so instead of Thai, it was frozen pizza and watching a movie on TV.....I guess Matteo really didn't want me to go out....

A video of Matteo on a better day, eating some banana

Just waiting for

my baby sitter to arrive this morning for a few hours while I finalize my marking for the grad course I taught!! Will be so happy to have it finished and then a bit of down time....just a bit as I am scheduled to start a new part-time job...but for today like C. am so looking forward to the weekend!! .....the plan for the afternoon is to nap when Matteo naps and then to go for a long walk and end up at a special birthday party!....and then relaxing at home and easing into spring with just me and my boys, Matteo, my three cats Michino, Micio and Bice and of course my nephew David too!!

Matteo loves swinging

It has been an emotional week. Matteo's godmother Isa, and my childhood and dearest friend, underwent brain surgery on Thursday to remove a tumour. Thank God, it went very well, tumour is all out and is benign, and Isa was discharged today...yes too early but she will be off work for 3 months, needs to watch for swelling, any discharge etc....she has nausea and pain, and will experience headaches. She is doing really well and as there is a c-difficile outbreak at the hospital, it really is best that she is at home. Anyhow it has also been emotional as I have been following S's blog who is in Vietnam and adopted a little girl Trinh from Matteo's same orphanage. Her posts have been so detailed and some of the places she visited I was familiar with and they brought me back to my time with Matteo there. While they are mostly happy memories I am so very glad we are here and living our lives though I hope to head back to Vietnam for a month in the summer in the next year or two....and want to stay in Vung Tau as well as do a bit of visiting...while Matteo is very little probably won't go very far from Vung Tau, but as he grows I hope to return often to allow him to understand and learn about his homeland as I did with Italy. Of course that is the plan or hope. Anyhow last Sunday we went to Isa's with my sister and then went to a local park with Isa's son Luca. Luca pushed Matteo on his very first swing here in Canada which then reminded me that I did put him in a swing at the Somerset which has a small play area and he sure loved it there and here...so parks are definitely on the agenda but because he's not walking yet, we'll have to stick to parks with swings and sadly the 3 parks closest to us don't have any so we'll have to continue to search!!.

Tonight I'm feeling so grateful for so much.

For now I'll leave you with the photos of Matteo, one in Dec. 2010 in Saigon at the Somerset and then a few of Matteo on April 3, 2011 having fun and of course a photo with Luca.

Celebrating the 9/10 month birthday with two cousins....