Here are my attempts to catch Coline's amazing smile on camera: she is just too interested in the camera.

little miss sunshine

We do feel like calling her little miss pain in the neck at times but every morning on our walk to the park she is more of a little miss sunshine. And apart from the days when she wants to go out of the house in her underwear, I tend to interfere as little as possible when she gets ready to go, mostly because I like her taste!

3-year old fun

Leila had her first birthday party at school today. And she had fun! So did we, happy to see her play with her mates, in her environment. They play "big bad wolf", run, slide and jump, rather peacefully and quietly, we thought.

here to stay

I was granted permanent residency in Brazil. youpiii!

I can now safely and freely exit the country next month, and even come back.

So we do have a lot to celebrate this week-end!

While Leila is busy playing hide and seek,

- 10, 9, 8... tu es cachee Leila?

- ouiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

- mais je te vois!

- mais non maman, regarde, tu me vois pas, je me cache les yeux!

Coline is busy learning to tame her hands (I received my first slap in the face by her, so much emotion!) and I keep myself busy watching her watch her hands try to grab stuff.

And then came the first doctor's consultation by Leila:

We are in safe hands (and Coline's lungs and heart are fine).

les soeurs

we found our playground

Last week was quite a challenge for us four who were alone for the first time because Sylvia could not come (her daughter had chickenpox). And we survived! Leila has been asking me to carry her in my arms and give her a milk bottle very often, and she has been shouted at and sent to her room, but it did not escape us that she is getting wiser and more independent. She wants to "touch Coline" whether Coline is asleep, feeding, pooping or not, which sends us a double message: she can be a pain in the neck, but also she does like her sister a lot.

Coline is beginning to smile (voluntarily), not yet with the mouth, but with her eyes for sure. She has become very sensitive to noise and so sleeps a lot less peacefully, except at night.

And... we found our playground! It also happens to be an outcrop for geology students, close to a cute artist's small village. We had fun there and took our first ever picture of the four of us! Now Cristiano wants to live there and I must say that I would enjoy having this type of backyard. But although the access via dirt road reminds me of our best week-ends in South Africa, I am not convinced yet that we are made for living in a remote village in the mountains.