1. We still have a King, Queen, and the rest of the Royal Family.
2. Flamenco
3. History everywhere
4. Siesta
5. Paella
6. Health Care
7. Real Madrid Futbol Club
8. Obviously, WE WON THE WORLD CUP !!!
9. Night Life (When I say night life, I don´t mean the partying, I mean the wonderful fact that
at 11pm I can walk home because everything is well lit and people are still out and about !!!)
10. Public Transportation (Train, taxi or bus are all readily available and at an affordable price)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
This Weeks Favorite
These pictures were taken on Easter Sunday 2011
They almost didn´t happen. After Church Ivan decided to step in some dog poop, and since that wasn´t enough he kneeled down in it too :-)
Not to worry, we were able to wash and line dry his pants just in time.
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| Running up the ramp. |
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| This was the almost perfect shot... mama needs practice. |
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| So handsome. |
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| Climbing up the stairs. |
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| These shoes always fall off ... good thing I have cute socks. |
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| B/W xoxoxo |
Thursday, April 28, 2011
WOW !!! It´s been a tough week
If I haven´t mentioned it before, Ivan has been a great teether. You know he is teething when he gets a runny nose. Other than having to wipe his nose and face off every few minutes, he is still his playful, energetic happy self.
Last week he got a fever on and off for a few days, and was just a mess. He was cranky, all he wanted was to be held, or nurse. He wasn´t interested in eating much, and didn´t find any of his toys amusing. I wasn´t sure if this had anything to do with teething since the symptoms were completely different.
This week the runny nose has finally made an appearance, so it was confirmed, it is indeed the teeth.
Poor baby, you really appreciate the type of teether that you have, when everything changes up on you.
Hopefully these new teeth will break through soon so that he can be back to himself :-(
On a more nostalgic note... Since the weather over here has been pretty warm for a month now, I decided to clean out Ivan´s closet and put away all of his winter clothes. It is bitter sweet to think that he will never use that coat, or these little mittens ever again. Its a good thing that looking at his CUTE swimsuits makes me happy :-)
Last week he got a fever on and off for a few days, and was just a mess. He was cranky, all he wanted was to be held, or nurse. He wasn´t interested in eating much, and didn´t find any of his toys amusing. I wasn´t sure if this had anything to do with teething since the symptoms were completely different.
This week the runny nose has finally made an appearance, so it was confirmed, it is indeed the teeth.
Poor baby, you really appreciate the type of teether that you have, when everything changes up on you.
Hopefully these new teeth will break through soon so that he can be back to himself :-(
On a more nostalgic note... Since the weather over here has been pretty warm for a month now, I decided to clean out Ivan´s closet and put away all of his winter clothes. It is bitter sweet to think that he will never use that coat, or these little mittens ever again. Its a good thing that looking at his CUTE swimsuits makes me happy :-)
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011
Earth Day 2011, was also the day that ¨The Great Cloth Diaper Change¨ took place worldwide.
watch the promotional video below to find out more.
Even though Ivan and I were not able to take part in the Guinness Record (The only location in Spain was way up north). We were able to be ¨cyber¨ participants :-)
Here are a few pictures of his cuteness !!! It was hard to change a diaper and document at the same time.
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| T - 1 minute |
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| 6:00 pm on the dot |
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| After |
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| yummy... |
Friday, April 22, 2011
This Weeks Favorite ... FLASHBACK
This picture was taken in Morocco just a few days after arriving here in Spain. What a cutie. Ivan has grown up so much in such a short period of time, I CAN´T BELIEVE IT !!!
Friday, April 15, 2011
This Weeks Favorite
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| I managed to get a good picture :-) Ivan was sporting his Team Grandpa T-shirt |
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| Running to the elevator, he loves buttons |
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| Not a very clear picture,,, but Ivan was so happy to be in the elevator |
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| I think I´m a little hungry |
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| The cereal box was almost bigger than him |
So sorry about the picture quality. Hopefully in the near future, we will be able to purchase an awesome camera... fingers crossed :-) Enjoy
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Breastfeeding ... In The Beginning (Part 1 of my Breastfeeding Adventure)
Okay,,, first of all here is my little disclaimer ... this is not at all an informative blog explaining the whats, whys and hows. This is me sharing my experience so far.
The Start
The first time we tried nursing was in the delivery room. Ivan was alert and so I wanted to give it a shot; however, He just wasn´t ready to eat, he very much preferred looking around at his new world.
When we were moved to a recovery room, the nurse took Ivan to the nursery to clean him up. A little while later when they brought him back, we tried again and still nothing, he just wanted to sleep with mama. Throughout his first day, when he would wake up for a few minutes we tried, with no luck, he was not interested.
The morning of day 2, a nurse came in to tell me that Ivan´s blood sugar was low and if it got any lower the pediatrician would order a formula feed. Wow, like I really needed any more pressure. His blood sugar did get lower and I was told to give him a little formula. I was sad, but a little relieved. I knew he was hungry, whenever he latched on to nurse, he would give it a try, but get mad, fuss and scream pretty quickly. He wanted milk and he wanted it immediately.
The nurse told me that when he was hungry I should first offer him the breast, and then the bottle. So that is what I did. I would put him to my breast, let him fuss and cry, try again, let him fuss and after a few minutes of hearing my baby cry for milk, I would just give him the bottle. Breast feeding was proving harder than I expected.
After a few feedings, I was out of the little formula bottle they gave me. I got up and walked to the nursery to let the nurse know I would need more. I saw a new face, this nurse must have just started her shift, she asked me if I was planning on breastfeeding, I said yes, she responded with ¨ Do you need a little help?¨ ¨YES, please !!!¨ It was so nice of her to offer some help.
After reading books about breastfeeding and attending a 3 hour class all about breastfeeding, I was having a hard time getting this show on the road. My mom didn´t have any trouble when she started breastfeeding and neither did my sister. I did have an almost perfect pregnancy, so I guess something had to go wrong, I knew everything couldn´t be perfect.
I told the nurse Ivan would probably be ready to eat again in about 2 hours. She agreed to stop by my room to give me a hand. When the nurse stopped by, Ivan was knocked out, so she told me to call her when he woke up. 1 hour later Ivan woke up, and HE WAS HUNGRY !!! While my husband went to get the nurse, I put him to my breast to see if he would take it, and he was just mad, he would suck for a few seconds and then pull his head away and scream. I tried this for a few minutes than just gave in and gave him the bottle.
When the nurse arrived, she had no idea that I had spent the time it took her to get there, trying to nurse. Underneath my calm exterior I was completely frazzled. I remember her saying ¨You gave him the bottle, now he is not gonna take the breast¨ It probably wasn´t all that bad, but I couldn´t hold it in any longer. I broke down and the water works turned on... she realized then that she could have chosen a more comforting approach.
The nurse put her arm around me and gave me a little reassurance. She held Ivan while I dried my face and got a hold of myself. I took a deep breath and we gave it a shot, it was so nice to have someone there to give me ¨On the job training¨. We did the same thing I had been doing for the past two days. I would put Ivan to my breast, he would suck for a few seconds,fuss, scream and pull his head back.
He did this a couple times, meanwhile the nurse reassured me, and helped me try again.
What made the difference? After Ivan pulled his head away for probably the 5th time, she said ¨Do it again, this time when he tries to pull his head away, hold it in place. Ivan has to give in, before you do.¨ and just like that, IT WORKED!!! I couldn´t believe it, I was actually nursing my child. It only took me 2 days...
Even before I was pregnant I knew that breastfeeding was the way I would go, however, without support, things might have gone differently. I am forever grateful to the nurse that gave me the extra help and encouragement that I needed to get over my first breastfeeding speed bump.
Starting to nurse may not come easy, but don´t give up !!!
The Start
The first time we tried nursing was in the delivery room. Ivan was alert and so I wanted to give it a shot; however, He just wasn´t ready to eat, he very much preferred looking around at his new world.
When we were moved to a recovery room, the nurse took Ivan to the nursery to clean him up. A little while later when they brought him back, we tried again and still nothing, he just wanted to sleep with mama. Throughout his first day, when he would wake up for a few minutes we tried, with no luck, he was not interested.
The morning of day 2, a nurse came in to tell me that Ivan´s blood sugar was low and if it got any lower the pediatrician would order a formula feed. Wow, like I really needed any more pressure. His blood sugar did get lower and I was told to give him a little formula. I was sad, but a little relieved. I knew he was hungry, whenever he latched on to nurse, he would give it a try, but get mad, fuss and scream pretty quickly. He wanted milk and he wanted it immediately.
The nurse told me that when he was hungry I should first offer him the breast, and then the bottle. So that is what I did. I would put him to my breast, let him fuss and cry, try again, let him fuss and after a few minutes of hearing my baby cry for milk, I would just give him the bottle. Breast feeding was proving harder than I expected.
After a few feedings, I was out of the little formula bottle they gave me. I got up and walked to the nursery to let the nurse know I would need more. I saw a new face, this nurse must have just started her shift, she asked me if I was planning on breastfeeding, I said yes, she responded with ¨ Do you need a little help?¨ ¨YES, please !!!¨ It was so nice of her to offer some help.
After reading books about breastfeeding and attending a 3 hour class all about breastfeeding, I was having a hard time getting this show on the road. My mom didn´t have any trouble when she started breastfeeding and neither did my sister. I did have an almost perfect pregnancy, so I guess something had to go wrong, I knew everything couldn´t be perfect.
I told the nurse Ivan would probably be ready to eat again in about 2 hours. She agreed to stop by my room to give me a hand. When the nurse stopped by, Ivan was knocked out, so she told me to call her when he woke up. 1 hour later Ivan woke up, and HE WAS HUNGRY !!! While my husband went to get the nurse, I put him to my breast to see if he would take it, and he was just mad, he would suck for a few seconds and then pull his head away and scream. I tried this for a few minutes than just gave in and gave him the bottle.
When the nurse arrived, she had no idea that I had spent the time it took her to get there, trying to nurse. Underneath my calm exterior I was completely frazzled. I remember her saying ¨You gave him the bottle, now he is not gonna take the breast¨ It probably wasn´t all that bad, but I couldn´t hold it in any longer. I broke down and the water works turned on... she realized then that she could have chosen a more comforting approach.
The nurse put her arm around me and gave me a little reassurance. She held Ivan while I dried my face and got a hold of myself. I took a deep breath and we gave it a shot, it was so nice to have someone there to give me ¨On the job training¨. We did the same thing I had been doing for the past two days. I would put Ivan to my breast, he would suck for a few seconds,fuss, scream and pull his head back.
He did this a couple times, meanwhile the nurse reassured me, and helped me try again.
What made the difference? After Ivan pulled his head away for probably the 5th time, she said ¨Do it again, this time when he tries to pull his head away, hold it in place. Ivan has to give in, before you do.¨ and just like that, IT WORKED!!! I couldn´t believe it, I was actually nursing my child. It only took me 2 days...
Even before I was pregnant I knew that breastfeeding was the way I would go, however, without support, things might have gone differently. I am forever grateful to the nurse that gave me the extra help and encouragement that I needed to get over my first breastfeeding speed bump.
Starting to nurse may not come easy, but don´t give up !!!
Creative Juices are FLOWING
I don´t have a fully functioning camera; however, I am going to designate a day out of the week to post my favorite pics :-)
Quality might not be so great considering the pictures will be coming from my camera phone, but hey, a picture is a picture.
Hopefully this will also help keep the fam. updated.
... so I´m thinking Fridays ??? well we will see how this goes. I am seriously gonna try people.
see you soon
Quality might not be so great considering the pictures will be coming from my camera phone, but hey, a picture is a picture.
Hopefully this will also help keep the fam. updated.
... so I´m thinking Fridays ??? well we will see how this goes. I am seriously gonna try people.
see you soon
Monday, April 11, 2011
Choices !!!
I am still in awe of supermarkets and the variety of one product ... yogurt... Here it´s commonly labeled as the Bifidus Aisle. Here is a picture of the really long aisle and another 1/3 of an aisle in the Eroski Supermarket.
You can seriously spend at least 15 minutes looking at all the options, but I just go straight for the Greek, you can´t go wrong there.
Here are a few pictures of the Honey selection. There is even POLLEN !!!
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| This was a pretty long aisle |
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| Heres the next aisle |
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| My personal Favorite : ) |
Here are a few pictures of the Honey selection. There is even POLLEN !!!
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| Honey with Rosemary |
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| Honey with Ginseng |
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| POLLEN !!! Allergy Alert !!! |
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| Honey with Lemon, Ginseng and Balsamic ¨Notes¨,,, yeah I´m not sure about that one. |
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