Okay, Baby boy, let's get this straight.

I will have no lawyers, doctors or architects in this house. This is not a friggin' university. For you, we have two plans, and we are kind enough to even let YOU choose which way to go. Ready? You can either be...

a. A Rockstar

b. A Soccer (STAR) player.

Next time I catch you with a book, you are giving me 3 laps of crawling around the house. 

A New Era Has Begun

Sweet baby G can now stand up, open the lower drawer, dig in and take everything out! Yes, I did just stand there taking pictures while this whole thing took place. Well sue me, I'm a first time mom and everything he does is new and wonderful to me! Even if only 2 days later, this has gotten really old and I'm not enjoying picking up every single thing over and over again as much as I thought I would. Strange.

Oh, and he is wearing just one sock. And Winter is just around the corner. But I needed to cook! Don't worry, he's cute and healthy as always. And dinner that night was great :)

The Simple Things (II)

Babies love catching a glimpse of themselves, or so I understand. Geno has a big mirror in his bedroom, and he is quite a Narcissist! Yesterday he managed to stand up just to get a good view of  his whole body, and his dad and I took three hundred pictures while we witnessed it. He is his own best friend, for now. Cheers to that.

Let's Do This! 3in30

I read about this challenge in Maegan's blog and I loved it! The idea is to think of 3 things you want to accomplish in the course of a month, so as not to keep leaving projects behind when you are trying to keep your house decent!
I'm joining very late in the month, only 10 more days left, so I must keep it really simple. Let's see:

In the next 10 days, I want to will:

1. Clean my washing machine. (Yes, it's alarmingly dirty. More on that later).

2. Put away all the clothes that are too small for baby G.

3. Sort through and clean up my bathroom cabinets.

I can do this! I will do this!

Wednesday night: Glee night!

Every Wednesday night, after work, Javi darling plays soccer (we call it football!) with his friends. Though soccer is not our National Sport ("pato" is), it should be. Most men -and I'm talking 98% here- love soccer. They play it if they're young enough, and when they're not anymore, they watch it on TV. Like all the time.

I don't really like it, not even during the World Cup, which gets everyone into a frenzy around here. The children are allowed to watch the matches at school, and good luck trying to find a doctor during a match!

Anyway, this post is not really about soccer. 

As I was saying, Javi plays soccer on Wednesdays, and comes back at around 11 at night, so that means that after I put Geno to sleep, I get Wednesdays off. And since Glee airs in America on Tuesdays, it means I can watch it online the nex day. That makes Wednesday Nights GLEE NIGHTS!

I can't say I've never loved a show this much, because Dawson's Creek or Friends would turn in their graves, but man, I just can't get enough of Glee! Now I have the music and it's all I've been listening to for the last month!

There's just something about it that has me completely hungry for more. It's probably the fact that I was such a loser during high school, a Mercedes without the talent. This is my own personal revenge, even if it doesn't make any sense. I love every single character in the show -well, not Terri Schuester, of course- and I hope they all get what they want. I'm so thankful for a show that portraits the winning side of the losers!

I love you Glee, you're my Wednesday date with myself, and I can't think of a better way to end this day!

PS: As I write this, 'Songbird', the song Santana sings to Brittany, is playing. My heart breaks every single time. Such a beautiful song I wouldn't even know if it wasn't for Glee!

Moving Day

Today I got to help one of my best friends move from her tiny apartment to a bigger house, just around the corner. We laughed really hard, but also got a lot of work done.
My friend V (not the one moving) and I decided we should set up a moving company and call it Bossypants, because we couldn't stop giving everyone orders all the time. We were so annoying, but we managed to move almost everything in about 2 hours! Considering NOTHING had been previously packed, I'd say we did a great job!
I'm exhausted, but happy to be a part of the whole thing. Moving to your first house with your boyfriend is such a milestone in every girl's life! I never really got that, because Javi was already living here when we started dating, so I brought my clothes and stuff gradually, over a period of time. I'm a bit jealous, I must admit it, because the new house is like a white canvas: anything can happen!
This will probably push me to make some changes in my own home, or at least I hope it will! :)

Time flies

And before you know, your tiny little baby is eight months old. And he's crawling. Getting away from you. Chasing your cat. Reaching for his favorite toys from inside his toy chest. Not needing you as much as he used to. And you are amazed, and a bit relieved, and you get to do stuff while he plays on his own. But then he sees you, and gives you that smile that melts the world. And you surrender, and want to keep this moment in a jar on your nightstand for like ever. But the moment passes, he finds something else to play with, and you feel grateful for at least having the memory. And a few photographs to share:

I love you so much, baby Geno. Please let me catch my breath while you keep growing up.

I'm going to New York!

Well, actually, no. Not yet, anyways. I'm going to go one day, probably 2 years from now, but this past week, it has shifted from a dream to a plan. Why can't I pack my bags and go right now? 4  main reasons:
1. Baby's too little. He's 8 months now, and I wouldn't like to leave him until he's at least 2 and a half.
2. I haven't got a passport, or a visa, or the faintest idea of how to get either.
3. 1 american dollar = 4.12 argentine pesos. Today. And the difference keeps growing. So, I must get some serious saving going on. I plan to get married in 2012, possibly, maybe, perhaps, so I got several things I must save for!
4. I still don't know if I dare to go alone. I say I do, but... do I, really? I'm always so shy around strangers, SPECIALLY when those strangers don't speak Spanish! But this trip is my life's dream, so I don't want to just go with the first person that comes up with the money/will to go. It must be someone extra special that I know I'll enjoy being with all the time (like either one of my sisters), or alone. Maybe going alone will force me to deal with strangers and actually speak some English, which is also kinda the point of going. I'm definitely NOT going with Javi. He doesn't speak the language, he doesn't particularily dream of going to NY. All he cares about is soccer, and I don't think he'll find much of that. In exchange, he'll go to the Soccer World Cup in Brazil, in 2014. It's closer, probably cheaper, and most importantly, it's what will make him happiest!

I know I'm quite far away from actually doing, but hey, this is a start: I'm going to New York. You hear me, Universe? You better start conspiring, because I want it with all my heart.

Great things happen as kids get older

We've gotten to that point where Geno will drink his milk bottle in his crib while I'm doing something else in the kitchen, and when 5 minutes later I go back to check on him, this is what I see.

Bliss. A napping baby means some time for mom to do whatever. And it also means that I get to stare and marvel at the most beautiful, peaceful boy I've ever met. I love him so much. My only regret about him sleeping in his crib is that I don't get to cuddle right there with him!

Getting to know me... Getting to know all about me...

I always kinda dreamed of having a child while relatively 'young', that is, before I turned 50 or something, but I also always kinda thought that just wasn't in the cards for me.
After a very, very bad first relationship -which came quite late in my life, at age 19-, I met Javier, love of my life, father of all my imaginary children, you know how that goes. We were never meant to fall in love or anything, but a friend we had in common accidentally invited both of us to the same bar, we liked each other, and BAM! we had a beautiful baby boy.
Well, actually, although there was some BAM! somewhere, things weren't that fast. We moved together a year into the relationship, and after 2 years of living together, Genaro was born. Genaro is an italian name, that goes well with his last name, but is quite unusual in our country. Actually, he's the first Genaro I know, other than my great, great, great grandfather, but that doesn't even count because I never really knew him, right?

Anyways, I meant this to be a short introduction to my small family, but I guess I failed. Great start, Ana!
What I really wanted to share with you, Universe, is that while every Mother in America was celebrating her day on Sunday, here in Argentina we were celebrating Grandchildren's Day! 'What?' you ask, I'm sure. 'I've no idea' would be the most accurate answer. Grandchildren's Day. Go figure. Or go ask random toy manufacterers, I bet they are the ones behind this...
So, no presents for poor old me on Sunday, but Baby G got a set of rubber fish for bath time.  Wanna see? Yeah, I knew you did...

Too cute for you? Don't worry, Universe, I'll give you 24 hours to recompose yourself and come back for more...

So, if you're thinking of making toys, or already are, who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters! No, sorry, I meant, Grandparents!

Hello Universe, I'm Ana. Person since 1984, mother since 2010. Still learning about being both, though.
I live here

 but I should live here

Just a couple thousand miles from where I wanna be. Story of my life.
I'm a second grade English teacher, and that here means that I basically get to teach the colours and the numbers over, and over, and over again. Maybe that's why I've finally decided to try writing in English, so that it won't get so rusty.
I don't know. I don't expect too much, though. I'm so self-conscious of my lame English. You know those people who dare to speak foreign languages and couldn't care less about making mistakes, as long as they're getting their message across? Yeah, that's not me. But whatever, you know, I'm already doing this, apparently.

I read so many blogs in English, and I hate it when I keep myself from commenting something because I just don't see the point, you know? What if someone actually liked something I wrote? What if they visit my profile? What if they actually go to my blog? Yeah, it's in Spanish, about as interesting for you as it would be for me to find a blog in Russian...
So maybe, MAYBE, I can have you over here. But, first, I have to get someone to find something I said even remotely interesting... Let's go.