Homemade Love

Folding

2012-02-08T08:46:00.001+01:00

Although I promised myself that I won't publish these photos on this (public) blog, due to some relatives who might get upset with this kind of unhygienic game, I'm so doing it. Get shocked and see what has been happening in our home over the past month.

Emeline has always been very fond of everything I do. The past months it has been folding month. She would fold the clothes the same way I do, because she wanted to help. Now she took the game into completely new level. From all the drawers in the house, she takes out napkins, towels (big and small), sheets, pillow casings and so on...and lays them on the floor and then...

...uses them as a bed or beds for her dolls and for herself;
...eats on them;
...or cleans her dolls with them.

And then the game ends and she usually folds everything back together and places the things into their place.

Sledging on the playground

2012-02-05T18:14:00.000+01:00

If you want to find a quiet place where to sledge in Caltrano - go to the playground. I guarantee you that there will not be anyone! Like literally no-one. And that's what we've been doing for the last couple of days - enjoying the snow right behind our home - in the playground! (I have to add that it's my favorite playground here in Caltrano!)

Today thought all of us went out plus our friends and Emeline was soooo brave! I was so proud of her! Not once she cried or said that she doesn't want to be here or that she wants to go home - she enjoyed the morning 100%, just like us. She even had the courage to go downhill alone! Multiple times! Way to go girl!

Onu Niko we miss you!

2012-02-01T20:18:00.004+01:00

26 photos of our vacation in a small village near Bordeaux with Uncle Nico in September 2011.

We miss you Onu Tiko!

Puzzle

2012-01-30T21:28:00.002+01:00

About a month ago or perhaps a bit more, Emeline dove into the puzzle world. Now she loves to put puzzles together...alone and with us, parents. From Emil she escapes with all the pieces, since he puts them into his mouth. But he doesn't give up and follows her :)

Emil 9 months

2012-01-30T16:29:00.000+01:00

Smiling... with all his 8 teeth

Yep, taking charge of things.

Peekaboo

Faster than walking

Helping his sister...well, that would be the next step :)

This is Emil. He stands up. He crawls. He is a free spirit and goes wherever he wants...whatever might stay on his way, he will cross it. He eats good and sleeps better than the previous 8 months - this month he made a sleeping "record" of sleeping 5 hours straight.
He is where Emeline is. He does what she does - there is no way around it.

His favorite games are: hide and seek on the bed - Emeline hiding under the blanket
and
throwing things down into the bathtub.
Playing with water will be in that category as well.

And if you meet him and ask him something, he will say: "prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" and wave and clap with his hands.

Caffè d'orzo

2012-01-29T15:52:00.001+01:00

Dear Readers, I am in love. I'm in love of Caffè d'orzo in other words caffein-free roasted grain beverage made from ground barley aka children's coffee.

I haven't drank coffee more than...ten years. Before that I was addicted to it. And then one day I decided to stop. No more coffee. When I visited someone, I always said that I prefer to have a cup of tea. Those rare times, when I had coffee, I was awake until unearthly hours...with my eyes open and looking like an owl. It's not funny, mainly when it happens at 4 in the morning and you have to work the next day.

And now I discovered this children's coffee. Well, I heard people speaking about it and offering to me but I never had the courage, since I heard the word "coffee". But then one Monday morning I tried it and by chance, for Christmas we got a box with teas and.....orzo! And I made myself a cup....and another one....and another one...

And it tastes goooooooood! I was a big fan of milk coffee - half coffee half milk. And now this "children's coffee" brought back those ..........sweet memories from the past and I am addicted to Orzo! I love it, I love it! And I make it 100% from milk :D That's how crazy I am!

And guess what I am going to drink now?

Rest

2012-01-24T17:38:00.002+01:00

Emeline singing Noel Gallager's song

2012-01-19T09:38:00.000+01:00

This is her favorite song (and video!) from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds album. The first time we heard her singing along any of these songs from the album, was when we were on the highway, driving towards Milan-Bergamo airport. It was 5 am.

Unfortunately she hasn't had any opportunities to hear or speak English (from a native) since September. But since we still speak English with each other (me and my husband), she hears it and sometimes, she repeats after us and makes her own sentences. Something like: "Mina ka voglio shoes!"
Mina ka - in Estonian - me too
voglio - in Italian - (I) want
shoes - in English

She's 2 years and 8 months old.

Crazy Frog

2012-01-16T16:29:00.000+01:00

Only eight and half months, this little fella is very stubborn when it comes to eating. That's how he does it - standing up!

Snow video

2012-01-08T12:00:00.001+01:00

When we woke up this morning there was some snow on the ground and right after breakfast we went out. Emeline had lots of fun, she really likes snow and all the activities connected to it.

On the video you can see my Mom wearing Emil on her back. The song you hear is the beginning of Noel Gallagher's "A Simple Game Genius"

Batti batti!

2012-01-07T12:59:00.002+01:00

8-months-old Emil

2012-01-06T16:13:00.000+01:00

8 months now he is, 8 months. This was one of the fastest month or at least it seemed one of the fastest. Keywords of this months would be: Mamma's Boy, screaming, crawling, standing and eating. Lots of eating.Some days after he turned eight months, two teeth came out! TWO! Now he has six of them.

Mostly he is in a good mood. But if he sees Mommy, he wants to be picked up. By me of course, only me.

Mamma's Boy face and position...but this time with Daddy

Crawling. In two (now 3 weeks) he gained speed and now he is very fast crawler. From one room to another, searching for Emeline, the cat, uncle Bruno or me.

But not only he crawls, he stands up, too. And wants to walk. He stands holding with one hand already! Fast learner he is.

The cat and uncle Bruno are the most interesting play-mates.

Taking a nap outside

Eating with Grandpa

Emil is a good eater. I give him everything. He knows how to chew and I give him food in pieces. He eats what we eat. Some some months now. I'd say he is weaning himself well. But he hasn't given up from breast-milk, yet.

He goes to bed around 21 and sleeps until 8-9 in the morning. But he wakes up every 1-2 hours. Every night. Sometimes for a feed, sometimes for a hug.

Like I said, he is fun and sweet to be with. He knows what he wants and knows how to get it. He is Emil.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T18:17:00.000+01:00

We made it!

2011-12-18T16:50:00.000+01:00

And here we are, in Estonia, at last. The trip was rather fast (11H) and without problems. Both kids (all kids) behaved well and slept though most of the joyrney.

Once we arrived to Antsla, a small town in South-Estonia, a rather strange bus was parked in the center. The mini van is called Pangabuss - The bank's Bus and it circulates on regular basis in towns that don't have bank offices anymore. The bus enables to the people do all transactions that they once did in the bank. Of course you can do it online as well...but the bus seems to be really useful for the ones that don't have internet or don't know how to navigate in it. (For accuracy check the bank's website).

Then the kids attended the local Christmas party. A small concert was held by bigger children and then the distribution of candies by Santa began. Emeline was too shy to say anything to Santa therefore I had to come up with something....and Manuel represented little Emil. All went well and kids got their candy as you can notice on the photo.

On Friday we took a 1h20min drive to Viljandi, where Estonian bestsellers authors Epp and Justin Petrone were meeting their readers and signing books. We really enjoyed to meet them in person or as they say: to put a face/voice to the characters of their books (they are (one of) the main characters (depending on the book) to each others books :D ) . Epp wrote 3 books about her experiences (as a family) in America and Justin has written two books about his (family) adventures in Estonia. We all are waiting for the third book to come out.

It's not snowing here...the ground was white for twenty minutes... Because it is around 0 degrees here. But we all have our hopes up for White Christmas :) Now we get back to our board games :)

Climbing

2011-12-07T12:19:00.001+01:00

Fiaba in Estone

2011-12-03T21:59:00.001+01:00

Giovedi' a Sandona' (Caltrano -VI-) raccontero' una fiaba in mia madre lingua - estone. Siete tutti benvenuti ad ascoltare! Ci vediamo le 16:00 a Sandona'?

Next Thursday I will read a fairy tale in Estonian here in Italy. It will take place in a small village called Sandona' which is part of the town where we live -Caltrano. There will be a story also in German. See you there?

Red bicycle

2011-11-29T16:08:00.001+01:00

Less than two weeks ago Emeline finally got her first bicycle. A learner bike, which means it's without pedals. She just has to find the equilibrium and push herself with feet to move on. An early Christmas present (or very late birthday present, as you wish) totally worth the wait. In Italy you cannot find this bike, maybe from some privileged shops that we haven't seen or heard about. It arrived straight from Germany, where it was made. A Puky. A red Puky.

When we went to pick it up from the friend's place, I explained her about the bike. "It's for you, Emeline". When she saw it, she looked happy. Then she took it for a stroll. Mostly walking with it, not pushing as she should've. The two kilometers home were long but she never gave up.

I explained all the way: "sit and push. SIT and push. SIT!!!" In the end she got it :)

The day after she was already better and on the third day I had to run to catch her because she was going that fast.

Now it's been a week and a half and she has quite mastered how to handle her new red bike. We go out every day and she's very happy about it. And we are, too.

Our little learner :)

I'm still here!

2011-11-11T22:23:00.001+01:00

Every now and then I notice that more people have started to follow my blog although I haven't had time to write any updates. But here I am with a quick update.

Honestly the past two months have been the hardest of my entire life. I don't remember ever being as exhausted physically and mentally as I am now. I watch the homemade videos recorded one year ago and I don't recognize myself. My glass has become half empty instead of half full.

I can handle two kids, also when they are both ill. I can be a Mother with a capital letter. Even when I am ill and also the kids are. I can and I am. But when even a tiniest problem enters my world, the bubble pops and my well-created beautiful illusion shatters. I become mean and frustrated. Stressed as I slightly am these days (I should write "months"), things get a wicked twist when they are not done my way and all that chaos creates the first symptoms of depression. Been there, done that and for sure I am not proud of it.

Some days are better than the others. But those "better days" are so scarce that I don't even remember when was the last one. Mainly the past month. I've never been as ill as this last one month. I've caught three flus in one month plus a killer tooth-ache. Should I celebrate? (it was ironic)

And now I don't know what to write anymore. Months and months without typing down anything decent, I ran out of ideas. That's just so me (these days). I'm constantly tired and stressed but I am happy. That's all what matters to me.

But the kids are doing ok- look for yourself: a photo from two days ago - this is how they are now, doing what they are doing.

Emil 6 months

2011-10-27T09:47:00.000+02:00

Six months ago our little baby boy Emil was born.

He is a bit fussy child, yet happy. Having a conversation with him is really sweet - he replies to your monologue with lots of face impressions (smiling) and different sounds (chuckling, cooking). Meanwhile he "says" something, for sure some drops of saliva will fall out from his mouth - because this little man is teething! He already has his first tooth - a lower incisor! That explains the many sleepless nights - well, rather waking-up-every-hour-nights.

Little Emil is very expressive with movements. When he wants something, he has to get it..and once he has it, he just lets it drop on the ground. For sure he is not shy with others. Sometimes hunger can make him shy in the eyes of the other people but once he's fed, the baby is happy and can go from lap to lap and enchant the young and old ladies :)

His hands have become very active. You can notice it while we eat and he is sitting in his baby-chair. The vigorous bouncing is strong and loud - as if he's going to the battle. With his hands he loves to explore the faces around him AND the hair. Emeline's hair seem to be the best for pulling.

He knows how to sit alone and roll and turn himself. Therefore he really manages to get what he sees, like for example the card games Emeline left on the ground. Because whatever he touches goes straight in his mouth. Ugh, and he blows (saliva) raspberries too.

For two or three weeks now, we introduced him to the solids. I haven't cut back with the breast milk yet, because we are still in the trying phase. Until now I have to admit, the weaning has had a great start.

For fruit and millet porridge he actually opens the mouth and seems like he likes the taste. Pear is his favorite fruit. Me and Emeline cook the food for him and we eat all together. He loves to hold his own spoon but always reaches out for other family members cutlery.

He still wakes up during the night - every two hours now and it seems like he's truly hungry. I guess soon he will start to have dinners as well, hopefully that will ease the hunger during the night.

He usually wakes up at 8:30, then has a short nap around 10 o'clock and another around 13:30. I'm surprised that he is capable of staying awake for even 5 or 6 hours. He goes to bed at 20:15. And then wakes up one or two hours after the falls asleep for another quick meal. During the night he cries for "emme" which means mommy in Estonian.

He loves to bathe. Bath-time ritual is right before the bed-time. Emil and Emeline bathe together, she is a good sister. She is a good sister anyway - always trying to help me out. And he loves her presence. Their bond is strong and beautiful to see.

We've started potty training too and it is progressing well. (But I will write about it another time).

At five and a half months he was 62 cm and 7 kilos.

Some photos

2011-10-25T10:45:00.002+02:00

Baby wearing week

2011-10-12T21:50:00.001+02:00

This is a sight that made my eyes wet...in other words I shed a tear while capturing this image. We were in France, in a small town near Bordeaux and by accident we entered this place... this paradise with all the boardgames I could imagine of... beautiful! And there is my husband with our smallest child, wearing him while he's taking a nap.

Happy baby wearing week to baby-wearers!

Raine's photoblog website is launched!

2011-09-19T14:08:00.000+02:00

Last month has been very busy for me. It seems like autumn is magical. I can feel the changes around me and I am going along with them and I am not afraid. Inspired I am. Inspired!

Emil has become very active little boy and because of that I don't have any "free" time until he is asleep. But then there's Emeline who wants attention, too. So most of the time I am outside, where everybody's relaxed. Emeline doesn't go to the playgroup or nursery. Both of the children stay at home with me. Or I stay at home with my children?

Once they are sound asleep, I am tired tired tired but happy because then starts "my free time". Not every evening, but when my husband wants to have some "alone" time, I get mine as well. And I spend it behind the computer, while my husband reads from his sweet white Kindle. He presented it to himself one week after he did me the present by 5d mark II. Now we are both playing with our toys.

Well, my toy is very powerful and sometimes it even scares me of what it is capable of but...I am coping with it. lol

I have too many e-mails to reply to our friends but the passion towards what I am doing now took control. I am telling you folks - if a day would be longer than 24H I would have replied to you by now.

So basically- my new website...well...photoblog is finally up! One day it will become a website with my own domain but until then it remains as a wordpress.com blog. (I wish I had the time to check into the whole domain thing). Here it is- http://rainephoto.wordpress.com/ - in Italian because surprise surprise - it's where my (hopefully) future clients live :) I am not a professional but rather an enthusiast photographer and it is my hobby. Perhaps one day I could make decent living out of it? Well, time will tell, won't it (I hope it will and soon :D )

Now I say au revoir and I go to pack the bags because we are off to France for a week. Good friends, nature and croissants - what do you want more from life, eh :D

Touch of Sun in Italy

2011-09-19T08:52:00.003+02:00

Here is my first entry for the I Heart Faces photo challenge - "the touch of Sun". In the same time, this photo serves as a sneak peek into my most recent photo shoot ;)

Check out on I Heart Faces for more tutorials, tips and photo challenges.

Freestyle

2011-09-03T08:11:00.000+02:00

Yesterday we went to the playground. While our daughter and her friend were swinging I spotted this cloud shaped so nicely behind them and I took a photo of what I saw (I wish I had my filter with me though). These days here in Italy, clouds are rather rare sight so I thought that capturing they might last longer :) (oh silly me)
Today is another cloudless hot day...therefore I am enjoying my photo that represents me in the DPS weekly challenge.

Videoclips from Estonia

2011-08-31T10:09:00.000+02:00

See (short version) of our summer in Estonia!

Sneak peek - on the field

2011-08-30T23:37:00.001+02:00

Sneak peek on yesterday's photoshoot. Many more to come. Still having difficulties of deleting photos...but it must be done. I can't put all 200 of them (from the same shooting) here, can I? :)

Uncle Sam

2011-08-30T01:51:00.000+02:00

Yep. The t-shirt says it all: CouchSurfing, Florianopolis and Brazil. I just add that his name is Sam and he is cool.

Sam has stayed with us couple of days, last time was this weekend and we took him down to the river. Here are some of my favorite photos from the day.

Apparently Sam became (overnight) the Master of The Settlers of Catan. (that's why he looks particularly jolly on this photograph...) He didn't win Risk, though. I did :)

Now I hope to see him with his travel instrument - ukulele...

Tripod

2011-08-30T01:17:00.000+02:00

I just wish I had my tripod with me - the shot might have been much much better.

Early autumn photo

2011-08-30T00:22:00.000+02:00

It is 29th of August and I can already spot the first signs of Autumn

Hug Daddy photoshoot

2011-08-29T15:14:00.000+02:00

On Saturday when we were walking back home from the beach, I was challenged by the beautiful sunset-light. I am currently (trying) to learn how to shoot against the light (another photo from the day before is here).

In this particular shooting, out of 30 photos, these two came out fine but I am not happy with the result, therefore...I'll keep shooting until I get my settings right.

{this moment} - Sorrisi

2011-08-26T16:02:00.000+02:00

What happened to my husband?

2011-08-26T15:43:00.000+02:00

My husband is acting all weird lately. First he did me this very expensive present that is still intimidating me. Then, during his lunch break at home, while I put children to sleep he...washes the dishes! In the evening he is fixing the living room (putting all the toys together). If you know my husband then you know how weird it is. What can be next? He starts cooking and stays home all day and tells me to go to work?! (I hope not :) )

Don't get me wrong - I am not negative about it - I am rather worried because...I could get used to it :)

Life of Riley

2011-08-26T09:17:00.001+02:00

"Carefree Childhood"

George

2011-08-25T23:37:00.000+02:00

Little George is keeping an eye on napping Emil. And his dinosaur as well.

Yogurt

2011-08-25T23:33:00.000+02:00

It is so hot that Emeline eats only yoghurt for breakfast. Yoghurt and juice.

Assai gelata

2011-08-20T16:01:00.000+02:00

Il beach di Caltrano si trova sotto il ponte dei Granatieri. Noi lo chiamiamo così perché sembra veramente una spiaggia. Lì non c'è acqua salata ne sporca. Solo acqua fresca e pulita.
C'è sabbia, ci sono i sassi - c'è un pò di tutto. Per me la combinazione dell'acqua e sabbia vuol dire che c'è la spiaggia. In questo caso: la spiaggia de Caltran.

Scendiamo giù al fiume da quando ci siamo trasferiti a Caltrano. Crediamo che sia stato amore a prima vista con questo luogo incantevole.

Tuttavia, non abbiamo mai fatto il bagno. Personalmente penso che sia stata colpa dell'acqua - è freddddissima. Per una ragazza nordica come me, era gelata. Non potevo stare dentro più di 30 secondi senza che l'acqua mi pizzicasse i piedi. Bagnare il ginocchio era già una grande cosa che ho fatto solo una volta...poi basta. Troppo fredda. (vedi come giocano i bambini dentro l'acqua...come se fosse tiepida...)

Però fino a qualche giorno fa non c'è l'ha facevo più. Volevo entrare, ma avevo paura. Mettevo le dita del piede dentro ed ci ripensavo perdendo così il mio "grande" coraggio. Il coraggio accumulato in 3 anni!

Sudavo. No, volevo entrare, volevo. Però da sola? No. C'era mio marito ma non sono riuscita a convincerlo ad entrare. E mi sono buttata dentro l'acqua. L'acqua fredda dell' Astico. Che sensazione! Sono uscita subito, perché non sono molto brava a nuotare ed ho insistito con mio marito per entrare insieme.

Uno, due, tre e VIA! Ci siamo buttati nell'acqua gelida, ma rinfrescante. E' quanto bene si stava dopo - magnifico!

Adesso sono dipendente dalla nuotata nel Astico. Ogni volta che scendo, vorrei buttarmi dentro!

Direi che questa è lo sfizio che mi sono tolta :)

Addirittura, facciamo tutti 4 il bagno nell'acqua fredda - anche Emil. Come no?

E indovinate dove andiamo adesso??? :)

Glasses

2011-08-18T10:40:00.001+02:00

Emil 3,5 months

2011-08-12T11:01:00.000+02:00

3in1 or 1in3

2011-08-12T10:53:00.000+02:00

Writing

2011-08-05T00:48:00.000+02:00

In Estonia he started writing again...and then he stopped. Again. Does he know how good he is?

The importance of WORK

2011-08-05T00:39:00.000+02:00

Work. There are (at least) two kinds of work in this world - for one you get money and for the other you get satisfaction, warmth, roof over your head, food etc etc . This time I am focusing on the country-side life, where work is the thing to do all summer long. Preparing for winter. All summer you work, you don't relax- winter is for relaxing.

That's how I grew up. Wintertime was really for relaxing - days were so short that we couldn't do nothing outside. Except during the holidays, when we went to the forest to cut trees. I grew up working all summer long. My first real summer vacation was the summer when I came to Italy. Here other people or machines do the work for you.

I can write more and more about this topic but just right now I will speak about Emeline, our 2-year-old daughter and work.

She's our little Mommy - she doesn't play with dolls, yet, but she loves to do the chores. Whatever I start to do, she wants to do it. Whatever I don't finish, she does. She's my little helper and that's how it was also in Estonia. Here are some photos from last month's vacation.

Emeline quickly posed while being on top of the woodpile. She was handing the logs to her Granny, who carefully made the woodpiles for the winter.

This year even Daddy helped with WORK during his VACATION :)

Emeline saw some dirt also in front of the garage. Everything must be clean!

Washing dishes with Granny

Here she's helping me with cutting tomatoes, cucumbers, dill, etc for salad.

Now we're cleaning the strawberries for winter!

And of course picking strawberries!

Hanging the clothes. She has become somewhat a master at this. If all the strings would have been at her lever, I wouldn't have had to move a muscle, which is fine by me.

With Uncle Bruno bringing the logs for currants - for the support.

And even Emeline knows how to hoe weeds ;)

Happy Family from Strasbourg

2011-08-04T23:10:00.000+02:00

It has been a while since we had CouchSurfers over. We were still in Estonia when they contacted us - the family, the HAPPY family, we met more than a year ago when we stayed at their place. Yes - Yoav and Lilian came to visit us.

I let the photos speak for themselves. I just make a short conclusion: I was truly happy they decided to make this trip to the South! :)

"The Holy Water" - Both Yoav and Lilian swam in this (bloody) cold river. Me and my husband never had the courage to do it. Not like the beaver that was on the other side of the river... :)

SuperMom Lilian with the smallest Emil - that's our son. The bigger Emil is theirs :)

Proud Daddys with their daughters.

Cutie on his bike

Goodbye, Facebook

2011-08-01T14:00:00.002+02:00

After years and years I got tired of the place and I just deleted my account. Just like this. So, no more Facebook to me. But you can still reach me through e-mail: rainedg @ gmail.com

update
Some hours after. No- I wasn't tempted to go back online, but I started to think that I have way too many contacts there that I want to keep in touch with. I just deleted some annoying "friends" away, deleted photos and did some serious privacy settings changes. It doesn't make me feel better though. Today is one of those days that you just want to stop existing...hopefully tomorrow will be better. (and the sunshine is not helping, it makes things even worse, with its heat)

Little Maid

2011-07-24T16:22:00.002+02:00

"When was the last time they cleaned here"?

Cooking party animal

2011-07-24T16:08:00.001+02:00

Hammock

2011-07-08T17:35:00.000+02:00

Hard work

2011-07-08T09:50:00.000+02:00

First hard work, then play

Pasta alla carbonara and Estonians.

2011-07-05T10:40:00.000+02:00

Five years in Italy has changed me in different ways. For example- when I speak, I gesture a lot. I am not afraid to ask people how they are doing and I smile at them. I even laugh at stupid jokes. Driving with 50 km/h seems like I am standing still oh well, those and many more are the side effects of living in Italy.

But the biggest thing that I noticed is food and eating. It's not a secret that Estonians don't eat for pleasure but for fulfillment. They don't care how the food looks like - important is that it is edible...and that it has ketchup. And usually food is eaten while watching telly.

A week alone with 6 "children" (youngest 2 months old and oldest 78 years) I established some "ground rules" - eating strong breakfast (porridge), having lunch at 13 o'clock, dinner at 19. All in the kitchen, sitting behind the table. I was the only one cooking...3 times per day.

The youngest eats only (my) milk and the oldest "child" aka my grandmother at 11 o'clock and 17. Niente da fare.

When my Mom got back from the festival, I was happy to cook for all the family. Pasta alla carbonara, which is pasta mixed with (smoked) ham, eggs and cheese.
They put it on the plate and before I could ask: "how is it?" I noticed that on one plate there was already ketchup added, second one had mixed salad inside the pasta and the third plate was a mix of vegetable salad, pasta and ketchup. Me and my daughter were only ones eating the pasta the way I cooked it.

Sometimes cooking for Estonians is very, very disappointing.

Green Life

2011-07-01T19:27:00.000+02:00

Making Italian pizza in Estonia

2011-06-30T15:57:00.000+02:00

Making Italian pizza in Estonia is not an impossible task. Well, first of all - in my sincere opinion, ANYONE can do their pizza the way they want and they can call it whatever they want. So I made MY Italian pizza with a dough which I made from scratch.

And I covered it with Italian tomato sauce...

Emil was entertaining us while pizza was cooking in the oven...

And then cheese and ham. Well, mozzarella we don't have in this tiny town but normal cheese (asiago kind) yes. So - there it is - Italian pizza in Estonia with Estonian cheese. How original is that :D?

"pi-ta, pi-ta" says Emeline while eating enthusiastically

7 photos for 7 days in Estonia

2011-06-30T15:43:00.000+02:00

Emil 2 months

2011-06-27T17:55:00.000+02:00

Con la nonna - with grandmother

Raising two small children

2011-06-17T23:25:00.000+02:00

Two kids.
Who would have thought that four years ago? I didn't for sure. But it wasn't an unwanted "accident". No-no. You see, it was all actually planned. They, our two little children, were planned by their parents. That's us.

Emeline has always been what they call "an easy child". She is cautious, well-behaved and easygoing. But that wasn't the reason why we decided to have another baby. Our plan was that they could grow together - in other words - have a small age difference. Two years of age difference was fine with us. And two children is what we wanted.

I've met various mothers and fathers of 2/3 or 4-year old child(ren), who confessed that they are not even thinking to have another child. "It would be too much for us. Look at this one - he/she is jumping like crazy, always moving around...and what's worse - I think he/she will be jealous with the baby". They are concerned and they have every right to feel that way. Besides- who knows your child better than the parents, eh?! (or who is supposed to know your child better than the parents?)

Arrival of Emil changed our every-day routine a lot. And it is quite normal thing to happen. A new person with its own character. I really don't know if we were lucky but Emeline hasn't shown real jealousy towards her baby brother. But she is very proud and protective with him. And caring!

But how it really is with two kids...you know, behind the curtains? Well, I have to admit, sometimes it gets tiring. Mainly in the evenings when everybody's worn out...and if one or both of the children doesn't want to fall asleep... Or in Emil's case- from over-exhaustion he doesn't KNOW how to fall asleep alone. Closing his eyes seems to be the hardest thing in the whole wide world. And they cry. One cries, the other one cries. And I wish I could cry. Then one stops, the other one starts and vice-versa. Those moments I wish I could smash my own head to the wall...or scream. But it passes. Parents are equipped with infinite patience and love towards their children that sooner than you'll know, everybody will be sound asleep. The parents included.

And that's it - that is THE hardest moment of having two small kids in the house. From my 1,5 month experience. And it's not like that every evening, oh no. whew.

Of course I have to be very flexible, patient, caring, loving (and so on) to make things work. Being a mother is not easy. I nurture myself with lots of sleep. Usually I nap in the afternoons as well... Being a mother and breastfeeding is not easy :) But I have to have my batteries loaded since morning. I'll never know what the new day will bring...

At this point I should mention how important is the role of the husband...to the wife. The support is strongly needed...sharing loads, and not only looking after children, is needed. Team work is needed.

And ultimately- LOVE is needed to make things work - no matter what they are.
Love, patience and knowing how to sacrifice. Simple recipe for being happy. And it works with us. And the sacrifices are so worth it!

Even the Beatles knew it:

"All you need is love" by Lennon/McCartney

There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It's easy.

Nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time.
It's easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

Nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.

Yes, it is easy!

{this moment} - Little brother and Big sister

2011-06-17T16:37:00.000+02:00

Emeline's first.... funfair!

2011-06-16T14:52:00.001+02:00

Miraculously our Daddy arrived home with a handful of amusement ride tickets that he got for free... Since Emeline didn't know what an amusement park is about, Daddy was the only one excited and indeed he had this weird-happy-smile all the way trough dinner. Amusement parks don't excite me much. It was after dinner that we all went to Thiene to check out the rides.

Caterpillar ride - at first she was scared of the moving caterpillar but together with Daddy she agreed to sit on it.

Train ride was smooth and cool

The bouncy slide was supposed to be a definite success. And it was - the first 2-3 times...but the forth time she refused to come down. Daddy had to rescue her and slide down with her. I think it was from the unfortunate falls she did the first 2 times..

Although it seems that Emeline rode with horses only, it wasn't like that. We tried out also the truck and plane.

And her very favorite, ironically the only one we didn't have a free ticket for - the (Watkins) swinger! This swing ride was definitely her favorite.

Overall it was a nice evening and we all enjoyed the rides. I say ALL because Emeline had to be accompanied by adults so we got amused as well :)

The settles of Catan

2011-06-14T13:35:00.000+02:00

I think the face says it all :)

My pearls

2011-06-13T16:23:00.000+02:00

How I love these boys

2011-06-13T16:17:00.000+02:00

Such a sweet little girl...

2011-06-11T16:27:00.000+02:00

Sometimes Emeline does or says things that make us wonder if she is even our child :)

Today Emanuele put Emil to sleep in the guest room. Emeline and Daddy were playing in the living room, I was preparing lunch. Suddenly she notices Emil's blanket in the living room, takes it and brings it to the last room. Emanuele ran after her, without saying anything, to see what she is doing. And she placed the blanket on top of her little sleeping baby brother!

Some days ago a heater maintenance guy came. Just before that I told Emeline: "Let's go to wash our teeth, because a man* is coming to our place". And she asked: "Tiko**?"

Every time she hears a plane, she points up with a finger and says: "Tiko**!" :)

*a man- in Estonian I say "an uncle" - onu - when speaking about men that I do not know or I have not met, yet.
** Tiko - or rather Nico is our best friend from France. Tiko is the way she pronounces his name :) And we call him "onu Nico" in english: uncle Nico.

Happy birthday Daddy

2011-06-11T09:57:00.000+02:00

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Also if it is raining cats and dogs today, he has his two little sunshines to make the day perfect :)

Green food

2011-06-10T16:19:00.000+02:00

Yummi, she says!

6 weeks

2011-06-07T17:01:00.001+02:00

So yes, the little De Giorgi is growing. Already before his 6th week (tomorrow) he is cooing and smiling most of the time while awake. It is just soooo sweet. He stays awake maximum 2 hours two or three times per day.

Emeline is not showing any jealousy towards her little brother. Actually, she would like to keep him in her arms all the time. And point out with her little finger where his eyes, nose and mouth are :)

Sleeping is not chaotic, actually, he figured out our rhythms during the first week at home. I haven't written down how often or how long he sleeps during the day but for sure I know the night-time-schedule. Emeline and Emil go to sleep together around 21:00. Emeline falls asleep and doesn't wake up until the morning. Meanwhile Emil wakes up in 3-4 hours, then eats max 5 minutes, then sleeps another 2-3 hours, then eats 5 min, then sleep 1-3 hours until it is 8 o'clock.

What HAS changed during the past week, is that he doesn't poop during the night. It helps a lot ( no nappy changing during the night) but he wakes up early (around 8:30) because he has to "free himself".

And guys, you don't wanna know what happened, when couple of weeks ago, when we ALL caught cold and were fighting a rather nasty flu for a week, when I tried to measure his temperature. I had had a shower and raised his legs up to put the thermometer in his anus....and lets just say everything between and beyond me and Emil was yellow. Ew.

Tomorrow he will go to his first check-up. I am really curious how much he weighs.

So he is 5 kilos and 57cm tall. This means that in 6 weeks he gained 2 kilos and grew 8 cm!

Happy boy

2011-06-04T15:13:00.002+02:00

Whenever he is awake, he is always smiling! And he is soooo darn cute when he smiles!

La pomme magique

2011-06-04T09:25:00.000+02:00

Emeline wants to help Emil with this Magic Apple.

So, she explains how it works and tries to make Emil understand. But sadly Emil is too small and doesn't quite follow what his older sister is trying to say... So Emeline tries to give things into Emil's hand ... of course without much success, because Emil lets the apple-worm go from his hand in 3 seconds.

"alright, alright, I will try to teach you another time" says Emeline.

It's me!

2011-06-03T19:03:00.000+02:00

Emil 5 weeks +2 days

I primi sorrisi di Emil

2011-05-31T19:15:00.006+02:00

(video) The first smiles of Emil (5 weeks)

Ready, steady.... e vaiiiiiiiii!

2011-05-31T09:25:00.000+02:00

Ready, steady, go!

Emeline had seen this move on the playground for quite awhile. Yesterday, finally, she decided to take matters in her own tiny hands and become one step closer to independency - she manages to climb up on the swing by herself. No parental guide needed...actually no words used - she just observed for months and then she imitated other children.

Now she doesn't want that I push her - she wants to climb up and down all the time :D
Next step: pushing herself alone. When will that happen? (not that I mind pushing her) :)

Angel/Devil

2011-05-30T15:24:00.000+02:00

This title "Angel/Devil" is a clear fact that "Terrible Two" year (hopefully less than 12 months..) has started!

Find 10 differences

2011-05-30T13:54:00.000+02:00

may 2009

Pictures up and down appear to be the same but they are not :D Find all the differences. lol

may 2011

-10 cm

2011-05-24T12:55:00.001+02:00

Since Daddy here wants our daughter to have long hair, our conversations about cutting her hair were rather terse. But some days ago I noticed that in various parts of the head, the hair were growing unevenly therefore I decided to cut everything even. And He agreed...but I guess he forgot about this conversation since...

...he didn't even notice that I'd cut her hair!!! (until more than 12 hours later) :) Silly daddy

1922

2011-05-22T13:20:00.003+02:00

Emil - 3 weeks

2011-05-19T15:12:00.001+02:00

Which of these boys is mine?

Three weeks have passed in a blink. In a way it seems like we have never been without him. But they have been beautiful three weeks in one way or another.

Emil's routine is quite simple, just like every other newborn's. He eats exclusively breast milk, sleeps, makes diapers dirty ( lol) .... and eats-sleeps-and-poops again :) And he cries as well. Not only for hungriness, but also for attention. He likes to be spoken to. He likes to observe (already!). He doesn't like to be "left-out". So we carry him in a wrap, we cuddle him, we spend time with him. Perhaps that's why it seems like he has always been with us.

I have to admit-- he is not a difficult child and our life (well, until now) is in harmony.

Another video with this Infamous Uncle Nico ;)

2011-05-19T15:04:00.000+02:00

Playing God

2011-05-19T12:23:00.000+02:00

Uncle Nico, Daddy and Emeline made this little river.

Playing God is hard work...

...no wonder why the 7th day he decided to relax.

Like God, also Emeline relaxed.

Going home...

Surrounded by Nature

2011-05-17T16:24:00.000+02:00

Wiiiiiii with Uncle Nico

2011-05-17T00:23:00.002+02:00

Compleanno di Emeline

2011-05-15T08:03:00.000+02:00

Il est ici!

2011-05-14T14:59:00.000+02:00

Finally, finally Uncle Nico arrived here!!

Watching Teletubbies...of course :)

Emil 2 weeks and Emeline 2 years

2011-05-12T15:18:00.000+02:00

Big Sister is showing how posing is done.

Emeline is playing sleeping game

Sorry folks, this time only photos - that's what I can do these days. Otherwise I am nursing or changing (washable) diapers :)

....or I am taking a walk outside with children (read: I am escaping from all the chores waiting for me back in the flat) lol

Messy hair

2011-05-12T13:04:00.000+02:00

It couple of weeks now that Emeline wakes up with messy hair - why?

Happy birthday little Emeline!

2011-05-10T09:06:00.002+02:00

Happy birthday little Emeline!

Sound asleep

2011-05-02T16:47:00.000+02:00

Here he is- our little 5-day-old baby boy Emil - sound asleep.

Baby brother

2011-05-02T13:54:00.000+02:00

Emeline is making sure that Emil is sound asleep

Eating ice-cream. For the first time, Emil is in the ring-sling. He slept through the whole event :) But for sure there will be many more ice-cream outings :)

My men

2011-05-01T09:44:00.000+02:00

Since Emeline went to bed earlier than usual (at 19:30), we had some time to remember how things were, when Emeline was as little and we'd just become a family of three.

Little Emil is born!

2011-04-30T18:17:00.000+02:00

ON 27/04/2011 EMIL WAS BORN, HE WEIGHTS 3,220 KG, HE'S HEALTHY AND BEAUTIFUL LIKE ALL CHILDREN, HIS MOM HAS SHOWN TO ME WHAT A HERO LOOKS LIKE, RAINE HAS BEEN MAJESTIC AND BRAVE. I CUT, AS WELL, THE UMBILICAL CORD... WHICH WAS AMAZING. IT WAS, AGAIN, A MOMENT WHERE YOU CAN SEE NATURE AT ITS BEST. THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT.

IL 27/04/2011 E' NATO EMIL, PESA 3,220 KG, STA BENE ED E' BELLO COME TUTTI I NEONATI. RAINE MI HA FATTO VEDERE COSA VUOL DIRE LA PAROLA EROE. CORAGGIOSA E FORTE. MA TUTTE LE DONNE CHE HO SENTITO IERI SERA SONO STATE EROICHE E LO SIETE IN GENERALE. A NOI UOMINI NON RESTA CHE L'ORGOGLIO DI ESSERE PARTNER DI ESSERI COSI' STRAORDINARI

At home

Laghi, Italy

2011-04-26T01:49:00.000+02:00

Day off + beautiful weather + nothing to do = LAGHI! Yep, in those circumstances, going to Laghi is always our first option. But today, since it was a national holiday here in Italy, about hundred other people had the same thought...

But we prefer to have Laghi all by ourselves... Therefore today's experience seemed like an invasion of "our place" :)

We have to remember not to go there when it's Sunday or a national holiday :)

La Magia di San Donà

2011-04-26T01:41:00.000+02:00

Thanks to our neighbor we found out about this event in one of the fractions of Caltrano. I had seen the a4 hanging on the local billboard but...somehow I didn't GET the message. (it's not the first time. lol)

In San Donà, which is very close to where we live (basically the same town), was a small festival. I still don't remember what it was all about, but what I do know is that it was BEAUTIFUL!
Do you see all the flowers on the photos? Yes? Well, they are all HANDMADE from paper! All the way from the center to the church was decorated with these flowers - truly beautiful. I didn't do more photos because...I was busy walking uphill and later my eyes were so used to this beauty that it seemed pointless to photograph it (yeah, I know, I should think less and make more photos)

For children there were lots of different workshops - decoupage, coloring eggs and some other stuff, but mainly it was the cardboard that drew the attention of the little ones, just like our daughter. Yes, CARDBOARD boxes were used to make castles, towers, fortresses and tunnels. Chalks to decorate or write on the wall. Can you imagine all the fun?!

Emeline returned home so tired that in the middle of the dinner she decided to take her clothes off and go to bed. "Emme, papaa- tuttu" (meaning: Mommy, Daddy to bed!") she said while fixing the blanket on her naked body. That's how tired she was :)
La magia di San Donà...

Photos from the weekend

2011-04-24T23:43:00.000+02:00

Don't know what to write these last days... Here are some photos from Saturday. I'm 40 weeks pregnant now.

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T23:35:00.000+02:00

Serious Giardiniera

2011-04-19T22:23:00.000+02:00

Emeline and her best friend take gardening very seriously.

Gelato

2011-04-17T14:24:00.001+02:00

Every time, when I think "yes, I got it!" things start to go downhill. As you can see, I am taking baby-steps with Photoshop. This time I'm struggling with borders and layouts.

Getting tired of being pregnant

2011-04-15T23:29:00.001+02:00

Photo by Elena Bass

Last couple of weeks have been tiring. Whatever I do, I am tired. Whatever I don't do or I think about doing, I am even more tired. I'm a wuss, complete wuss.

I feel the heaviness of the belly. It has become hard as a rock and the skin is not flexible anymore. Indeed I have a new, small, scar near my bellybutton. yeey
My legs hurt and become swollen if stand up for more than an hour. During the night I keep having heartburn because of the position of the baby and it wakes me up. I sleep 12 hours a day! I sincerely hate to be so weak!
I don't remember being like this while carrying Emeline. I guess it's because back then I spent most of my days watching "Lord of the rings" while being horizontally on the sofa and not moving from there until my husband arrived home. No, I am not kidding. I really did. Suddenly I miss those days.

Now, after one hour of being awake, I can't wait to go back to sleep. I skip a nap, the day after I sleep even longer. And my brain just blocks out the alarm. What's worse - even Emeline has stopped hearing the alarm. Too often we wake up up to one hour AFTER the alarm. That's embarrassing. Mostly because the alarm keeps repeating every 10 minutes..

Full moon is arriving, I am truly hoping that its "power" works because I am tired. Emeline was born with a full moon two years ago.
And now, guess what? - I am going to sleep, of course.

And I wanted add how disappointed I am at my gynecologist, who said that I will go into labor in maximum 2 weeks. That was more than 2 weeks ago. He should have kept his mouth shut, instead of giving me hope.. hope to go into labor earlier.

Alright, alright, I am off to bed now :) No more whining :D I should be happy for not being an elephant, right? - They're pregnant for 22 months!
Bed, Raine, beeeeeeed!!!

Italian-Estonian girls: who speaks less?

2011-04-15T23:01:00.001+02:00

All of these children playing in the small sandbox are bilingual! Photo by Mari-Ly

Couple of weeks ago we were invited to a birthday party of an Estonian-Italian girl, here in Italy. Besides the birthday-girl, there were other Estonian-Italian children as well, and for me, as a parent, it was quite interesting to observe how they behave, what they say, how they say it and so on. "They are like Emeline" I thought.

And the little girls they ARE like Emeline :D They are beautiful, sweet, serious, a bit shy and... rather silent.
Emanuele was playing with three Estonian-Italian girls in the sandbox and he was the only one speaking :D Later on the girls melted, when they started to have some confidence towards Mr.Emanuele but until then it was a "contest": who says less words while playing? LOL

Cherry trees on the road

2011-04-12T14:17:00.001+02:00

Original post: http://degiorgis.blogspot.com/2011/04/cherry-trees-on-road.html

When I read in CouchSurfing group a post about a photographic outing in the area I wanted to raise both of my hands and scream: "I'M IN!!!" Of course I forgot about the fact that I am pregnant and that I could give birth any minute.
"Oh, the baby can wait until Sunday..." I silently thought (read: prayed). Luckily the baby hears my thoughts. (I'm 38+ weeks pregnant)

Since I'd never seen the cherry blossoms that Marostica area (nearby) is famous for, I proposed to go somewhere there, not knowing when or if they are even blossoming. Whatever place would have been alright with me, since I love taking photos AND nature. 2 in 1, I'd say.

Luckily somebody from the group knew about cherries and their blossoms - CS Giacomo. Hurray! He'd also know a path to walk between the cherry trees in Mason Vicentino. "Super" I thought, "now I just have to wait until Sunday and keep my legs crossed."

Sunday morning arrived sooner than I had expected. Picnic preparations were made early in the morning and thanks to an (great and necessary) idea of making chocolate muffins, we were late 15 minutes. An Italian wouldn't say he was late - 15 minutes is still "in time". But I am an Estonian and I feel ashamed when I am late more than couple of minutes.
At least the muffins came out alright.

The day was beautiful and I was full of enthusiasm to see the area, the infamous cherry trees with their blossoms. Well, it seems we arrived a bit late because most of the cherry tress had just finished blossoming but nevertheless the walk was beautiful.

After lots of up-up-uphills and some down-hills we stopped for lunch. Everybody took something to eat and share with others. For me and my family, preparing the picnic basket was easy..

Since Emanuele doesn't eat sandwiches or other cold meals (including fruits), I put a loaf of bread in the bag. With Emeline it's much easier- she's just like me - eats everything and everywhere. But I've noticed that she slightly prefers oatmeal with milk (boiled) and that's exactly what I prepared for her. And as you can see from the photo above, she enjoyed it. Plus fruits and veggies and chocolate muffins for everyone.

I had already forgotten how fun are picnics. The last time we had a picnic was...last June and that's a long time ago.

Food, beautiful weather, fun people and card game(s) just made my afternoon. Perhaps with a nap it would have been even better, but I wanted to snap some photos instead. Just, my hands were itching :D

Also Emeline skipped her lunch nap.

Coming back to the parking lot was beautiful and easier thanks to the downhill road. Uncle Giacomo asked if he could carry Emeline (help with carrying) and Emanuele agreed to share the "load" :D

So basically we didn't see many blossoming cherry trees but we had fun, got sunburned and enjoyed the nature around us. Now, I start to wait for the cherries to ripe :D Shouldn't take long I guess...

{this moment}

2011-04-09T10:14:00.000+02:00

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Favorite shoes

2011-04-08T21:47:00.000+02:00

For some reason, these shoes are Emeline's favorite ones. On this video which I made yesterday, she demonstrates how she puts them on. Alone. Well, she's not able to tie them up...yet :) We're working on it.

Again I was lazy to add subtitles. Anyhow, the only time I say something is,
when she put the shoes wrong;
when I ask her where her Peppa Pig's bag is;
when I ask her to put her hat on and saying that the hat is in Mommy's bag.
when I say: "let's go then" and she watches me and says: "Emme?" (translation: mommy? -meaning - "mommy, will you come with me, please?")

37 weeks - still pregnant

2011-04-04T22:17:00.001+02:00

For FB readers: here's the direct link to the post to see HQ photos: http://degiorgis.blogspot.com/2011/04/37-weeks-still-pregnant.html

Guess, the title says it all, right? :) Just wanted to upload a family photo here before the special (read: painful) day. We try to capture another one - as you can see, Emeline was ill when we took it.

Another photo here, which is out of focus, but shows the movement of the baby inside the belly :)

Rainbow! (in Caltrano)

2011-04-04T22:11:00.000+02:00

First time this year we saw rainbow(s - yes, there were two)! And the sunset was (visible and) beautiful as well. Oh, spring... :)

Simple but beautiful shirt/dress for summer

2011-04-04T21:04:00.000+02:00

After finishing my last cardigan I felt the urge to knit something for the summer. That was more than a month ago, when there wasn't any sign of spring arriving any time soon. Therefore while knitting this shirt, I could not stop thinking about spring, sunshine, colors and summer.

My idea was simple - a colorful cotton shirt with lace in the bottom. I consulted with my husband about the colors. I pulled out all the cotton balls I had bought over the years and showed all of them to him and asked - "which ones do you like?" And, oh well, he said: "all of them". And that's what I did - I used every color that I had (not many as you can see) to make this shirt.

The reason I keep calling this garment "a shirt" is simple - it was supposed to be a shirt. Then, while knitting, I thought - "if I knit some lines more, it would become like a shirt-dress... and maybe it will fit her next year". So, I knit some lines more and now, after washing, she could wear it even as a dress, when will be the occasion.

Knitting it was a mess, obviously because of all the colors involved. Therefore I didn't feel like continuing to work on it but then I decided: "No! I shall not start with another project BEFORE I finish this one!"

Although it was a messy knitting, the random pattern was easy. I knit on 3+1 needles, in a round. Crocheted a bit and knit+sew a lace to the bottom.

The outcome is cheerful and light. Fancy yet casual. I like it. Also Emeline. She keeps saying: "ilu" (beautiful) every time she sees it. I take it as a compliment :)

{this moment}

2011-04-02T00:25:00.000+02:00

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.