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
Alleke and Mom 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I got a new camera for Christmas. Here are a few shots of Alleke
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one million things to complain about 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Snow on Everything Photo by ytang3. "I feel like every time I call you on the phone I just ramble and complain
about my kids." "I think that's normal," I said. "At least you make me feel normal," I added.Monica laughed. "I don't know if this is a good example," I said, "but when I write about being a dad, I always have a millionthings
to complain about. Parenting is hard work. If I didn't write about all the hard stuff, I wouldn't work through it in my head." Monica left the phone for a second. I could hear her in the background telling one of the girls to wash something off in the sink. I sat in my parents' kitchen, chained to their corded phone. I looked at the snow out the window and wondered a while longer why it feels so good to complain about being a parent. I supposed that some of the most difficult things in life are also the best ones. Not all of them, but some. Just because from one angle parenthood is one of the best experiences, doesn't mean that Read more:one million
Baptism 1970-01-01 00:59:59 IMG_3983a Photo by openg. Alleke will be baptized on Sunday.April and I hadn't talked much about what baptism meant to us as a family until Friday when we were in the car on the way to church to talk to the pastor. We only had a few minutes to talk, but that's all we needed. (I think most new parents learn how to get to the point. It's a survival skill.) I discovered why I wanted to have Alleke baptized. I think it's important to tell other people what you intend to do and to ask them to help you do it. In the church where Alleke will be baptized, and the church where I was baptized myself, this means you get up in front of everyone holding your baby, and the pastor reads from a book and asks you questions, and in the end, you make a promise before God and a bunch of smiling people that know you very well, that you will be your baby's mom and dad. Then the pastor reminds you that God loves your child very much, and that God has given your child a gift, the church, w Read more:Baptism
Baptism (in video) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Here's the video
of Alleke's baptism. Also, I have a video of our promises to Alleke, and the song my sister and I sang to her afterwards. Read more:Baptism
Fire drill 1970-01-01 00:59:59 06b Photo by alecani. I stepped into the house from the garage and stomped the snow off my shoes. I hung up my coat and walked into the kitchen. The house was quiet. April must be feeding Alleke in bed. On the kitchen table was an open box of cereal. The milk was there too and the orange juice along with a soggy bowl of cereal with a spoon in it.April hadn't finished her breakfast. That morning I had gotten out of bed go to the bathroom. I had tried to keep myself asleep as much as possible. When I got back to the bedroom, April rolled over and said, "Can you change Alleke's diaper?" I rubbed my eyes. "Sure," I said. April lifted Alleke into my arms. I walked back to the bathroom and turned on the light.The life of a new parent is one fire drill after another. You have to be willing to stop whatever you are doing at the moment and do something else. You don't often get to do what you want to do when you want to do it--at least not for very long. Life is cut u
Boogie Boogie 1970-01-01 00:59:59 full service grandma - _MG_5020 Photo by sean dreilinger. If you change a lot of diapers, it helps to be funny. Or at least it helps if you have an act. I imagine if you asked most parents how they spend their time at the changing table, they wouldn't tell you about baby wipes or diaper rash, they would tell you about their variety show, about how they've learned to juggle toilet paper rolls or dance the tango with the plunger or sing opera into a tube of toothpaste. Changing diapers is less waste management and more stand-up comedy. Let's face it, the actual job of changing one diaper for another is about as exciting as licking stamps. Babies learn this as quickly as parents do. They don't need to know what we know--that we'll change their diapers some 7,000 times before they even reach the age of two. They know changing diapers is boring business. And so, our babies train us to entertain them. The reason I mention any of this is because last week at the changing Read more:Boogie
The Common Cold 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Chloë and the Cold, part 2: Moment of Peace Photo by Exployment Now. I was beginning to think Alleke was immune to all earthly diseases. First she survived three plane cabins (and their recirculated air) on the trip from Madrid to Omaha. The following week we celebrated Thanksgiving with both families, and Alleke got passed around from Grandma to Aunt to Niece to Mom to Dad to Uncle to Niece to Aunt to Grandma and back again. Most of us got sick. Uncle Rick got bronchitis. April got the head flu, and the next week so did April's mom and I. Alleke's cousin Emma got a rash. Her Aunt Sherri got violently ill with the flu (the one everyone around town was talking about) and so did Alleke's little friend Bennett from Kansas City who came over to play. Alleke got hugged and kissed and held and touched with sticky fingers and sweated on, and she survived it all. What can I say. She's built to last. Then, just when no one was sick (that is to say, Saturday), Alleke got Read more:Common
Smiles 1970-01-01 00:59:59 At Uncle Tim's request, new photos of Alleke are online. Read more:Smiles
Ticklish 1970-01-01 00:59:59 We discovered that Alleke is ticklish.
Peach Cobbler 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Blackberry Peach
Cobbler Photo by fonticulus. "Where would you like your tea?" April asked. I looked around. "Right here is good" I said, nodding at the small end table standing next to the armchair where I was sitting. Alleke was sound asleep against my chest, her nose buried in the pit of my arm.April set her cup of tea on the coffee table and sat down next to Andrea on the couch. Eric was sitting in another armchair on the other side of the room. Four plates of peach cobbler, each with a scoop of ice cream, were already sitting around the coffee table. The three of them picked up their plates and began eating."Do you want your cobbler now?" April asked."Sure," I said.April set down her plate and picked up mine. She moved my cup of tea to one side of the end table and placed the plate of cobbler on the corner of the table nearest to my chair. She sat back down. April and Andrea flipped through an album of wedding photos and the three of them talked while I sat there
TV 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Alleke in baby carrier Photo by kellyandapril. Last night I tried putting Alleke in the baby carrier with her face forward. She's just tall enough now for her eyes and nose to peek out the front. She looked like a little ninja master with the bottom half of her face masked behind the black fabric of the carrier, and April said that while I was walking around the kitchen making tuna salad, Alleke's little eyeballs were bouncing around in her head like lottery balls because she was trying to take it all in so fast. Alleke didn't last too long. She began meowing like the little kitties used to on the farm when they wanted milk in their bowls. I couldn't see her because she was strapped to my chest and facing outward, so at first I thought maybe she was bored. That was before April told me about her eyeballs.I was squeezing the water out of the tuna can into the kitchen sink, so I was sort of in the middle of something. I asked April what I could use to distract Alleke f
Don't be such a baby 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Alleke and Mom Photo by kellyandapril. The neighborhood where I grew up was a small gathering of houses on a dirt road, lost in the corn fields of Iowa. Tim and Amanda were my neighborhood pals, and when we got bored of building our clubhouse in the chicken coup, or digging for treasure in the junk pile, or setting booby traps for the creatures that roamed the grove behind our houses, we would walk to the closest pasture and dare each other to touch the electric fence. If one of us was too scared to touch the fence, the other two would look at each other, shake their heads, and say, "Don't be such a baby." That's what we said every time. As far as I remember, the game wasn't over until the last one either touched the fence or ran home in tears. We were young at the time, the youngest kids in the neighborhood, and I guess the worst insult we could think of was to call each other a baby. Babies were small and helpless, and they couldn't do anything for themselves. We w
Panic 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Alleke and Grandma Photo by kellyandapril. We all have panic attacks. Which of us hasn't checked our pockets for our wallets when we've left the front door or double-checked the times on our tickets at the airport or wondered whether we've left the water running or the door unlocked or the window open or the stove on. Which of us hasn't walked into a public bathroom and wondered whether we walked into the wrong one, the one of the opposite sex. I've done all of these things, more than once. Still, I've never panicked as much as after Alleke was born. She worries me. I wasn't worried that she would get sick or that we would hurt her or that she would scream for the rest of her life. Instead, I kept things simple and worried about one thing. I worried Alleke would stop breathing. Yesterday April was speaking about our life in Spain at a weekly women's group called Coffee Break. The group meets at a church, so while April was speaking, I wandered around the build Read more:Panic
More Baby 1970-01-01 00:59:59 .dtop,.dbottom{display:block;background: white /*
Movie Theater 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Pursuit of Happyness in the 22nd Century Photo by krobbie. "Two tickets for the Pursuit of Happyness," I said. The high school kid behind the counter took my card and swiped it. While the machine printed our tickets, I took April's hand in mine. She smiled. The kid handed me the tickets with my card. "Enjoy the show," he said."Thanks," we said and walked in. We walked on carpet, following the overhead signs to our theater. We pulled open the door and disappeared into the darkness. Inside, we whispered."We're the only ones here," I said, looking around. The theater was a small black box. The screen was miniature, and as I watched a preview of children chased through an animated forest by falcons, I felt more like we were looking through a window into a theatrical world than stepping into it. I had no intentions of complaining, however. We were on a date, and we had this small black box all to ourselves. April smiled and pulled me by the hand up the stairs. "Where d
Baggage Allowance 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I'm ready to go! Photo by Mikenan1. I carried the duffle bag into the bathroom and set it down on the floor. I pulled open the top drawer in the chest of drawers next to Alleke's changing table. With hands spread wide like salad tongs, I picked up handfuls of baby clothes and dropped them in the duffle bag. I emptied all the drawers. I zipped up the duffle bag and carried it into the living room. I drug a hamper into the bathroom and filled it with Alleke's dirty clothes. I drug it back into the living room. I grabbed one of our backpacks from the couch. I walked back into the bathroom. I unzipped the backpack and set it on the changing table. I pulled the wicker basket full of cloth diapers out from under the table. I lifted it over the backpack, turned it up-side-down, and shook all the diapers out. I zipped up the backpack and brought it to the living room. All of Alleke's things were out of the bathroom, so I walked into the bedroom. A pile of half-sorted Read more:Baggage
Lost in Yonkers 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Thalian Hall (seats) Photo by pochacco20. The usher showed us to our seats. We took off our coats and put them on the backs of our chairs. "Good seats," I said, looking around. Our seats were in the second row. What I meant, though, was they were at the end of the row and near the exit. April opened the program, and I read over her shoulder. The play was called Lost in Yonkers
. The director told us why he picked the play. The audience hushed, and the lights went down. Two shadowy figures moved across the stage and took their positions. With one hand, I held April's hand in mine, our fingers mingled. In the other, I held my parents' cell phone. I pressed a button on the phone, and the screen lit up. No missed calls.
Prenatal Classes 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This week April and I started our prenatal classes. Everything began well with a cheerful hello from our midwife and some encouragement to find a spot on one of the comfy blue mats lying on the floor, take off our shoes, and find a relaxing position. We began our exercises by scrunching up our toes, relaxing them, scrunching them up again, then rotating our ankles in circles. The whole experience immediately reminded me of a class I took in college called "Voice and Body Warm-ups" I was the only guy who took the class then, and looking around the room at the four pregnant women on mats, this class was the same.To put things into perspective, at the end of that college class I was absolutely ecstatic to have achieved my personal goal: I had managed to touch my toes without my legs quivering like a newborn calf. The rest of the class, the girls, however, had long moved on to complex yoga positions which such intimidating names as The Sun Salute and the Warrior I pose and others Read more:Classes
Shots 1970-01-01 00:59:59 truman gets a shot, july 2005 Photo by gisarah. Alleke discovered a new emotion today. Fear. A few of us were in a large room with a card table. A nurse was sitting behind the table with a laptop and lots of piles of colored paper. April was there, leaning over and filling something out, while the nurse shuffled papers.A little boy sat on his mom's lap in the corner. His pants were pulled down. Two nurses on either side of him were swabbing his thighs. One of the nurses saw me watching from the doorway with Alleke. She smiled, then reached for the curtain, and pulled it in front of the little boy and his mom, so we couldn't see each other.I decided to sit down on one of the plastic chairs lining the wall. I put Alleke on my knee and pulled one of her favorite toys out of the diaper bag. Alleke smiled, carefully took the toy from my hand, and began to study it. I listened as one of the nurses behind the curtain counted to three, then it was silent. I could hear the
The Coat Story 1970-01-01 00:59:59 "Here, put this on," April said.She was holding Alleke in one arm, and with the other, she reached for the baby carrier slung over a chair, and held it out to me. I looked at it. "But I thought...""I thought you wanted to wear Alleke in the baby carrier," April said. She looked confused. "I did, but...""I wore her on the way here, so you can wear her on the way home."She put the baby carrier in my hand and walked off. I followed, pulling the baby carrier around my waist and clipping it on. I slung one of the straps over my shoulder. We left the living room where April's aunts and uncles were chatting with pie and ice cream and stopped in Grandma's bedroom. April picked a blanket up off the floor and stuffed it in one of the pockets of Alleke's diaper bag, which was sitting on the bed. "You can wear my coat so Alleke doesn't get cold," April said. She zipped up the pocket on the bag. She handed Alleke to me, and I slid Alleke into the carrier like fingers into a glove. Al
Baby Kisses 1970-01-01 00:59:59 "Did you know Alleke gives kisses now?" April asked. I raised my eyebrows. "She does, I'm serious," April said. I laughed. "Show me," I said. April smiled, then lifted Alleke up and kissed her on the cheek. "Can you give mommy a kiss?" April asked Alleke, looking her in the eyes. April held Alleke up close. Alleke opened her mouth wide, reached over, and pressed her lips against mom's cheek."Thank you," April said, hugging Alleke close. Alleke giggled.April looked at me. "See," she said. Read more:Kisses
The Public Bathroom 1970-01-01 00:59:59 mens bathroom Photo by ChrisDigitalâ„¢. "Did you see a changing table in the women's bathroom?" April asked."No, no changing table," Grandma said. She pursed her lips together in an apology. "But it seemed clean enough," she added."I guess I'll have to change Alleke's diaper on my lap," April said, taking one more bite of her sandwich and setting it aside."I can do it," I said.April hesitated. "Okay," she said.I gulped the rest of my water, then reached for the diaper bag. "Okay, what do I do?"April raised her eyebrows. "I mean, what do I do if there's no changing table?" I asked, lifting Alleke into my arms. "Well," April said. "You sit down in the bathroom. You put Alleke on your lap. And you change her diaper." "I have to sit down?" I asked, grimacing.April smiled."Oh, and I would put down that water-resistant mat we have in the diaper bag," April added. "You don't want her to pee on you. We still have three more hours in the car."I shook my head and walked off Read more:Public
Cloth Diapers 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Very Baby Cloth
Diaper Covers Photo by rebeccacoke. I've discovered it's difficult to have an intelligent conversation about cloth diapers when they come with names like these...Fuzzi BunzHappy HeinysbumGeniusSnooty BootyWee OnesRobin's Fanny FluffBaby SoftwearThirstiesFussybuttKooshiesPouPondHappy HempyWiggle WormRumpsterNothing Butt ClothBummisThe Bear EssentialsTrendyTushToot-TootsMother-easeBamboozleAny favorites? I'm taken by Wee Ones and Happy Heinys. As for daily use, we're experimenting with Fuzzi Bunz, Kissaluvs, Proraps, Bummis and Baby Softwear. (Yes, we're indecisive.) Read more:Cloth Diapers
Alleke Reading the Paper 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Alleke's finding her voice. This morning she was already reading to us from the newspaper. Read more:Alleke
, Reading
Blog Birthday 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Candles Photo by gotbrimmed. I missed my blog birthday. It was February 16th. Spain Dad is one year (and ten days) old. I thought it would be fun to celebrate anyway, so I did a little work, and I came up with a list of "Most popular" posts from the past year, "Most commented" posts (so the ones that created the most conversation) and some of my favorites. I've love to hear if you have any favorite Spain Dad posts or moments from this past year. Feel free to leave a comment if you're feeling festive. Thanks, everyone, for a great year. It's been fun. Most PopularThe Manly Art of BreastfeedingOur Little GirlAli's 1st Bath Seeing is Believing Castor OilIt's a GirlGetting from Point A to Point BNo SubstituteI don't remember exactly what April and I talked about last night in the glow of the nightlight.Oh, look at her. She's the cutest what's-her-name I've ever seen.Most CommentedIt's a GirlNicknameonly because I have to tell you SOMETHINGCloth DiapersShotsBaptismT Read more:Birthday
Snowmobile 2007-03-02 20:38:00 Iowa Blizzard Photo by kellyandapril. My dad went out to look at the road. He said there was a car in the ditch by our mailbox. He said there were snow drifts over the road as high as the window of the car.I asked my dad if anyone had been on our road besides the car in the ditch.He looked at me like I had just asked him if he wanted to set up chairs on the lawn and sunbathe.Nobody's been on our road, he said, shaking his head.We were genuinely snowed in. I guess I knew that. If the highways and interstates (the main arteries of the country) were closed, our gravel road was bound to be buried under snow like an underground river.I thought for a moment.What happens if someone has a medical emergency and needs to get to the hospital, I asked.Snowmobile
, my dad replied.Really, I said, fascinated.Actually, my mom said, our neighbor's daughter-in-law went into labor during a blizzard. She had to be taken into the hospital on a snowmobile to deliver her baby. My eyes went wid
Grandma 2007-03-03 16:17:00 Alleke and Grandma
Photo by kellyandapril. "I'll fold the rest of the diapers," I said to April as she walked downstairs with Alleke in one arm.I walked into the dining room and sat down at my laptop to check email one last time before going to bed. I wrote a few emails, got a drink of water from the kitchen, and walked back into the living room to fold diapers. My mom was in the living room. She had left her magazine on the couch, and she was sitting on her knees on the floor, folding diapers. I shook my head. "Oh mother," I said, trying to reprimand her as well as she could me."I just saw them sitting here," she said, "and I thought, 'I'm not doing anything. Why don't I fold these?'"I sat down next to her and picked up a square piece of cloth from the pile. "Because you're grandma," I said, "and you don't have to." She smiled. "No," she said. "I'm folding diapers because I'm grandma."
Dropping Things 2007-03-07 21:19:00 At first I thought Alleke had unlearned how to hold on to her toys. Then April pointed out that actually she had just learned how to drop things. (Who knew that was something we had to learn.) So, we play this game. I give her a toy. She drops it.
Grandpa 2007-03-08 17:39:00 Alleke and Grandpa
rents Photo by kellyandapril. "I can babysit," my dad said. April stopped reading the paper and looked up at me. I glanced from her to my mom who was standing in front of the open refrigerator, milk in hand, staring at the two of us. We all looked back at dad. "You'd have to change her diaper" April said.Dad guffawed and looked at mom.See, my dad doesn't do diapers. I ask him all the time (just for fun) if he'll change Alleke's diaper, and he never does it. He just laughs and shakes his head. My dad is a good grandpa. He spends lots of time with his grandchildren, and he loves them. But my dad is not a mechanic. When a little one spits up or smells funny or begins to cry, dad hands baby off to grandma for a tune up. Until today, that is. "I can change a diaper," Dad said, shrugging his shoulders. I smiled. I smiled because he was willing to try, and I smiled because he didn't know how. "Let me show you how to change a diaper," I said to my da
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