Owner: Spain Dad, a baby blog URL:http://spaindad.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 07:53:29 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Spain Dad is a baby blog written by first-time dad Kelly Crull. Kelly writes in English from Madrid, Spain about everything baby from the pregnancy to prenatal classes to parenting to family values to raising kids in a foreign country all from dad's pers Site statistics:Click here
Love Letters 2007-03-09 15:32:00 Our time in Iowa is coming to an end. In nine days we will return to Madrid. I gave my family the opportunity to write a short letter to Alleke about getting to know her over the last four months. Here is what they wrote: Grandma TGOne night, when grandpa and I were taking care of you so your mom and dad could have a date, you began to miss them very much. That was one of the first times you showed that attachment. When you saw your daddy walk up the steps, you gave a big grin and were very happy! He thought it was great, and it was a big step in your development, but it made me feel inadequate. However, just a few nights later we were all together in a big group of people. You were watching all the people very seriously, but when you would see your mom and dad, or me and grandpa, you would smile and be happy. That was when I realized we were also special people in your life, and that made us very happy! You have grown in these few months from a tiny baby into a cheerful, determine Read more:Letters
Diaper Bag 2007-03-15 05:03:00 I eyed the green sign from the highway and pulled into the parking lot. This must be the place.I looked for my brother's SUV, the one with the South Dakota plates, but didn't see it. They must be running late. I turned off the van, pulled the keys out of the ignition, and put them in my pocket."You get Alleke," April said, "and I'll get the diaper bag." I opened my door and got out. I pulled open the sliding door and reached for the car seat. "Where is the diaper bag?" April asked. She picked our coats up off the floor and looked under them, then looked at me. "I thought you had it," I said. April raised her eyebrows."You mean you didn't grab it off the table?" April asked. "No, I had Alleke," I said. "I thought you grabbed it." April smiled."Well, this should be interesting." Read more:Diaper
Moving 2007-03-17 00:32:00 I took my eye off the road and looked at the clock. It said 2:04. "We'll be on a plane by this time tomorrow," I said, glancing at April. She smiled. "Are you ready?" she asked. I took a deep breath. "Yes, I'm ready," I said, saying each word slowly and carefully as if they were themselves the first steps in the direction of a different place. I watched as we passed the last mailboxes at the edge of town. "We moved two years ago, and we haven't stopped since," I said, thinking about how many different places we had lived in the last two years, then thinking about how many places we had lived since we were married, and wondering whether there was a name for people like us. People who couldn't stay in one spot. "I'm ready to be somewhere," I said. "That's what I'm worried about, though," April said. "We've moved so many times, I'm not sure what we're going to do with ourselves when we're in one place. What are we going to look forward to?"I smiled--then started to la Read more:Moving
Cars 2007-03-20 18:36:00 Nic knelt down on the floor in the living room and lined up all his cars along the front of the rug. He said Alleke needed some toys. "April, what's your favorite character from Cars?" Nic asked, pointing at his line up. I recognized each of his car as a character from Pixar's latest animated film Cars. "Hmmm..." April said, probably wracking her brain like I was to come up with the name of any of the characters from the movie. Nic waited patiently, then frowned. "Do you want me to give you a hint?" he asked.
Jet Lag 2007-03-19 22:01:00 Alleke asleep Photo by kellyandapril. I looked at the clock. It read 2:04. This time I was in Spain, I was in bed, and it was the middle of the night. My mind was like a scratched CD, playing the same fragments of thought over and over again in my head. For the moment, my mind was busy scribbling Spanish on a white board. I was practicing what I would say to Alex, a potential landlord, mentally rubbing out words with my fingers, and writing in a better Spanish word until I had a few sentences I liked. I was supposed to be sleeping. I rolled over and tried to see television fuzz. I looked at April. I could see the whites of her eyes glowing from the light shining in the room from the hallway. I wondered how long she had been awake. Alleke lay next to her, turned inward, one fist resting on April's chest, holding her shirt. "She's better at this than we are," April whispered in my direction.I nodded into my pillow. Alleke hadn't seemed to mind being in Omaha, Chic Read more:Jet Lag
Madrid, La Suma de Todos 2007-03-23 11:18:00 Suit and TieWe're standing in line at the bank. I'm grabbing Alleke's fingers with my mouth to make her giggle. She stops laughing for a moment, and lifts her chin so she can see over my shoulder. She looks very serious. I turn around to see what she's looking at. A man in a suit and tie with a briefcase is looking at Alleke, and sticking out his tongue. PDAWe step onto the metro. Two teenagers are making-out in the corner. Alleke lifts her head to see where we are. She stretches. The metro comes to a stop, and the doors open. I lean down and look through the window to see where we are. The sign says República Argentina. I catch a glimpse of the couple in the corner. They're wrapped so tightly it's hard to tell who is who. She puts her arms around his shoulders, and he kisses her neck. She looks at Alleke, winks and blows her a kiss. Alleke smiles.BreakfastApril and I are talking about how we're going to set up Alleke's room in our new apartment. April's pitch Read more:Madrid
New Apartment 2007-03-22 15:55:00 We found an apartment. We thought we might be looking for a place for a couple weeks, maybe even a month, because we were being very selective about which neighborhood we wanted to live in. Then we ended up taking the first place we looked at.All of the apartments in this neighborhood were out of our price range, so when we went to see the apartment, we were hoping to get the landlords to lower the rent by 200€. When we arrived, the landlords said they had advertised the apartment as fully-furnished, but actually wanted to take some things, so as a compromise, they would lower the rent by (you guessed it) 200€.Here's a few things we like about this particular apartment:Public TransportationWe are close to five metro lines, and we are only a ten to fifteen minute walk from Sol, which is the center of the city. MarketI love buying my fresh fruits and veggies from the market. The market is more personal, the vendors select the best produce for you and even tell you how to prepar
Toys 2007-03-27 20:42:00 Alleke in Laundry Basket, originally uploaded by kellyandapril. Alleke has a very broad definition of the term "toy." Basically anything April and I use around the house, she points to and thinks "That's a toy." The world is one giant toy box. Here are a few of Alleke's favorite toys: Toes (changing diapers and bath time)When Alleke is waiting for a diaper change or if she's playing in the bath tub, she likes to play with her toes. She likes to suck on them or just try to catch them with her fists, and the great part is they're always there. Water Bottle (public transport)April carries a water bottle on the train and the metro. Alleke likes to pretend she's mom and sucks on the lid. That hard plastic feels pretty good when new teeth are coming in. Laundry Basket (making lunch)Alleke used to sit in her (borrowed) exersaucer and watch mom and dad make lunch. Now that we're in Spain (without an exersaucer) and Alleke is such a big girl that she can sit up and play all
One Apartment Contract, Two Residency Cards, and a Baby 2007-03-29 23:36:00 Computer Photo by yoshimov. "Can you take Alleke?" April asked. "Sure," I said. I glanced over my shoulder, then finished the sentence I was typing.April put Alleke into my arms and looked over my shoulder at the computer screen. "What are you working on?" she asked. "I'm filling in some information that was missing on our apartment contract," I said with as much enthusiasm as someone filling out a tax form. April smirked. "Well, you two have fun," she said. I turned my attention back to the computer screen and began typing again with Alleke playing on my lap, pulling at the sleeve of my sweater and trying to put it in her mouth. I scanned more of the document and found a spot where I needed to put April's name, but because we're in Spain, I needed to put "Doña" (the equivalent of Mrs.) in front of her name. I wasn't on my own computer, though, so I couldn't figure out how to write the "n" with the little squiggly line on top. I thought for a moment, looking at t Read more:Residency
, Cards
One Proud Dad 2007-03-30 22:10:00 Tonight Alleke had a first. She shot milk out of her nose from giggling.I'll give you one guess who made her laugh that hard. :) Read more:Proud
Sick 2007-04-04 22:09:00 I watch from bed as April rings out a soapy rag, then wipes down the closet on the far side of the room. Alleke is sitting behind me on the bed. I have my back turned to her. I'm trying to get some sleep. I reach my arm over the side of the bed and feel around for the box of kleenexes. I find it, pull out a tissue, and blow my nose. Alleke starts to cry. She cries louder now, more like a demanding little girl than a baby, but it's worse today because my head is full.Alleke screams again, and my head stings.April turns around and looks at Alleke, then she looks at me. "Just give her the blanket," April says, nodding. I turn over and pull the blanket up next to Alleke. She grabs it with her fists and puts it in her mouth, then she looks at me and giggles.I smile and drop my head back in my pillow. What's worse than a sore throat, or a cough, or a leaky nose is the guilt a parent feels for leaving the other parent to take care of herself, her daughter, her sick husband (and in
On Strike 2007-04-10 09:17:00 she looks like she'd prefer a nap Photo by mary_gaston22. Alleke screams again. She arches her back and tries to get away from me. I hold on to her tightly, but she's as slippery as a bar of soap. Her face is glowing red. Tears make puddles in her ears. She refuses to open her eyes. It's as if she's doing anything she can to keep me out. She doesn't want to listen, or be held, or even look at me. She's a turtle in her shell. April is sitting on the bed, flipping pages in The Baby Book. "Here it is," April says. "It's called a breastfeeding strike." She reads the description: Some babies abruptly refuse to breastfeed for several days, then with coaxing resume their previous breastfeeding routine. Humorously called a breastfeeding strike...April stops reading and looks at me. We're both thinking the same thing. Neither of us finds this very humorous. April continues....this behavior is usually caused by physical upsets, such as teething, illness, or hospital
El Restaurante 2007-04-11 08:59:00 Around the Placa Reial, Barcelona Photo by Copleys. The bathroom door swung shut. I made my way between the tables towards the front door with Alleke in my arms and the diaper bag over my shoulder. We were having lunch with friends at a table outside.Two women were sitting at the bar. One of them leaned over to other one, whispered, then pointed at Alleke. She got up and walked over. I thought she wanted to say hello, but instead she lifted Alleke out of my arms and kissed her on the forehead. I played along, smiling. She showed Alleke to her friend, all three of them giggling. Then she showed Alleke to the bartender, who nodded. Then she walked off, introducing herself and this blonde baby to each table. Some people lifted Alleke into their arms and gave her a cuddle. Others just kept eating. Some flowered her with compliments telling her she was just too cute. I followed along on an imaginary leash, unsure of protocol. Was this normal, or was this crazy? Alleke Read more:Restaurante
So Many 1sts 2007-04-13 14:31:00 Alleke had so many firsts this last month. She moved to Spain. She lived in three places, including our new apartment in Madrid. She made new friends. She rode the train and the metro. She ate solid food. She learned to stick out her tongue at people, just for fun. It's all here in the photos. Flash Slideshow Alleke's complete photo albums here: 3-6 months | 0-2 months
Prostitutes 2007-04-16 10:28:00 Babies turn the world up-side-down. They smile at us. They invite us to be children again. They beg us to stop and look each other in the eyes. They make it possible to jump over the moon.April and I needed a break from unpacking boxes, so we strapped Alleke into the baby carrier and headed down the street toward our favorite gelado shop. Alleke flapped her arms and stuck out her tongue at everyone we met, leaving a trail of smiling strangers in our wake. We stepped into Plaza de la Luna, a small square in the center of the city, a forgotten place, left for the homeless, the drug addicts, and the prostitutes. Today the square was crawling with men with tools, drilling holes deep into the ground and carrying scraps of concrete and metal. Two prostitutes stood on the corner and watched. Usually when I'm with April the prostitutes ignore us. They talk on their phones. They smoke cigarettes. They stand in groups and talk. When I'm alone, they're open for business. They smile Read more:Prostitutes
Ben and Jerry's 2007-04-18 10:58:00 Ben & Jerry
's Vermonster Photo by adobemac. I don't normally eat at Ben and Jerry's. I suppose for most Americans living abroad, Ben and Jerry's reminds them of home. But in Iowa, where I'm from, we don't have Ben and Jerry's. We don't have Starbucks. Actually, my home town just got its first McDonald's three years ago. I don't mind, really. I don't usually eat at chain restaurants anyway. Except on Free Ice Cream Day, which was yesterday. One day a year Ben and Jerry's gives out free ice cream. No questions asked. In fact, you can go back for as much free ice cream as you like. I watched four teenage boys go back sixteen times to try every flavor in the store.Because Ben and Jerry's is marketed in English in Spain, part of the experience is you have to order your ice cream in English, even if you don't speak English. To help you along, each flavor is listed on the menu followed by a phonetic pronunciation in Spanish. So, for example, vanilla has
Toast 2007-04-20 10:10:00 buttered and lightly toasted, please Photo by Lex in the City. "Happy birthday," I said. April yawned, nodded, and shuffled past me towards the kitchen. I was sitting at the dining room table with my laptop, and I watched her open the fridge and pull out a box of orange juice. "Why don't we go out for breakfast?" I asked. April closed the fridge and crossed the kitchen out of view. I could hear the cupboard doors opening and closing. "We can just eat here," April said. I stared at my computer screen trying to think of some other way to spoil her. "I can run down and get some croissants from that place on Dos de Mayo," I said. "I'll just have toast," April said. I got up from the table and walked into the kitchen. "In the seven years we've been married, I don't think you've ever turned down the chance to go out for breakfast," I said. "Just last week you couldn't wait until Saturday morning to go for breakfast," I continued, playing the lawyer. "I wasn't keeping t Read more:Toast
Chat 2007-04-27 08:16:00 alleke on laptop Photo by kellyandapril. I was sitting at the dining room table with Alleke on one knee and my laptop in front of me. I was typing messages to my friend Samuel about visiting him in Sevilla in May.Alleke leaned forward and studied the keyboard. She flapped her arms, dropped her toy on the floor, and reached for the keyboard for the third time. I pushed the laptop back into the center of the table. I sighed. I turned Alleke on my knee and looked at her. She stuck out her tongue and reached for my nose. I smiled. I had an idea. I pulled the laptop back to the edge of the table and typed a few more lines. "Alleke wants to say hi," I typed. "Hold on." I sat back. Alleke looked at the keyboard for a moment, then leaned forward and reached for it again. I pulled her closer, and she carefully and deliberately pressed both hands into the keys, squealing with delight.I looked at the screen.It said, ": :t;;5wb crg"I pressed return and sent the message. Samuel
Spain Dad 3.0 2007-04-26 16:18:00 I hope you like the new design. April took the header photo of Alleke and I on the street in front of our new apartment, so (at least to me) it reflects more accurately our life now that we’re back in Madrid. Anyway, I’ve moved a lot of things around in this redesign. I hope it’s easier to use and that you can find the information you’re looking for. Most significantly, I’ve added an About Me page, a Posts by Topic page (grouping posts together by topic) and the two sidebars with advertisements. I’m not sure how you feel about ads on the site, but my hope is that if I can supplement my income even a little bit, I’ll have more time write. I hope the ads will only improve the quality of Spain
Dad over time. Thanks for reading. Kelly
About Spain Dad 2007-04-26 16:18:00 Hi. My name is Kelly. I write about being a dad. I’ve been married for seven years to my best friend, April, and we have one daughter, Alleke, who is seven months old. I’ve been living in Spain
for four years. Most of that time I’ve lived in Madrid where I currently live. Besides that, probably the best way to learn more about me is to read my blog. Here are a few significant posts that will catch you up to speed. Baby Food – my first postPrenatal Classes – being the husband of a pregnant womanIt’s a Girl – our birth storyAlleke’s 1st Bath – hey, I tried.The Manly Art of Breastfeeding – thoughts on breastfeedingPaddling – going back to work with a newbornGetting from Point A to Point B – moving across an ocean with a six week oldI don’t remember exactly what April and I talked about last night in the glow of the nightlight – feeling like Alleke takes up all my timeThe Public Bathroom – we all make mistakes, right?New Apartment – moving to Madrid (
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