Traduce Aqui:

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Just Keep Swimming

This week has been an odd one at work.  We are in the midst of transitioning from the school year to summer and have also just finished an exam period so there are many students who are leaving the academy and many others who are signing up for summer classes.  Yes, you read that right: summer classes.  We do not have summer vacation like most teachers, except for one week in August; which is just as well because it means a steady income year round.  All the changes meant that I swapped my day off to Tuesday this week because there weren't any classes scheduled that day anyway.  So our family day was moved up in the week.

We packed up the car early Tuesday morning and headed for the beach, but just as we were coming over the summit heading down toward the coast, a few big rain drops began to fall from the low-hanging clouds.  Rather than push our luck at the beach, we decided to head west of Málaga to Benalmádena and explore the aquarium they have there.  It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but in the end, quite a good one.

We parked rather far from the aquarium and walked although since we'd been planning to spend the day on the sand we didn't have our stroller or even the baby carrier.  Emily prefers walking anyway, so that was alright; our pace, however was a bit slower than usual. ;)  It was still overcast when we arrived which made for nice strolling weather, but just as we got to the aquarium it began to pour!  It was perfect timing.  We scooped up Emily and ran for cover.

It was amazing to watch this guy move--so elegant.
It's been ages since I've visited an aquarium.  I cannot remember the last time... Maybe when I was a child and we visited Sea World (does that cout as an aquarium?).  Zoos and animal parks are not my favorite places, but we decided that Emily would probably really like it; after all, she loves our neighbor's big fish tank!  And besides, I want to get into the habbit of visiting these kinds of educational places with her.  In the end we decided to buy year passes because they have events and things for children throughout the year and if we go three times in 12 months we'll have got our money's worth.  We are already planning a trip back with Grandma and Grandpa at the end of July.

It's hard to say if Emily was more interested in the fish or the other child visitors.  She was certainly entertained. Our visit was a bit poorly planned though because we arrived almost right at siesta time.  It was dark inside and there was music.  Between the gentle motion of the sea plants, the beautifully colored fish, the music and the sound of water Emily fell asleep before our visit ended.  Angelines and I also left feeling much more relaxed.  Maybe these year passes will be good de-stressors!

We saw Dory and Nemo...of course, Emmy doesn't know who they are.
The aquarium was very nice.  As I said, I don't really have anything to compare to, but they had a large portion dedicated to the marine life in the Mediterranean, of course, and then also the Amazon.  They have otters and perhaps also more fish, but we didn't get the chance to see them this time.  There were small-ish sharks, sea turtles, octopi, and giant crabs and snails.  There was also a "petting tank".  Emily seemed to like touching the sea cucumber, but I think she liked splashing her hands in the water more than anything else.

It was a long walk back to the car with a sleeping baby in our arms, but it turned out to be a great family outing and I'm looking forward to more visits to the aquarium. 

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Lucky Dog

"Shadow" in the patio.
There is a real problem in Spain with people abandoning dogs.  Usually they are greyhounds (common rabbit hunting dogs) who for whatever reason are no longer useful to their owners; but there are always strays of many different breeds roaming the streets and fields.  It is heartbreaking, especially when they're injured or emaciated.  In general I just try not to look because it is completely unfeasible for us to take in another dog, nor can I afford to heal them.  This morning, however, I did a good turn to one (un)lucky pup.

Emily and I had just started out with our bikes through the olive fields to give Bela her morning run, when I spotted a little dog off to the side of the road.  My mistake must have been slowing down, because he immediately ran up to us yapping and licking at my feet and legs.  He was pretty cute a bodeguero as they call them here, some kind of little terrier similar to a Jack Russell, and obviously a puppy.  I don't think he could have been more than four months old.  But as I said, I am not in the market for a dog and so I moved it out of the way with my feet and headed off again with the bike.

This persistant little puppy not only followed me for my whole ride, but ran right next to the rear tire (I was slightly afraid I'd squish him!) yipping and whinning for what must have been close to 6km.  Summer is here and although the temperatures are notably lower today, we're still getting into the high nineties.  It was only 10am, but it was quite warm and I was worried this little dog would die on me.  There was no way, after that long ride that I could leave him out in the heat with no water...  I asked at all the little farms along the route if someone was missing a puppy, but nobody was; and so I had no choice but to bring him home to give him water and decide what to do next.  Of course, I think even had I decided to leave him on his own I couldn't have done it unless I were willing to kick him or throw rocks at him.  He had pretty much decided that I was his ticket to salvation--and as it turns out, he was right.

In the patio I gave him a bath and he drank some water.  He and Emily warmed right up to each other, but I was worried about what Angelines would say when she woke up.  Bela didn't seem to care much, but I think she was a little worried that we'd found yet another creature to knock her down a notch on the household totem pole!

Angelines wasn't too upset, after all, she does have a heart and I assured her that we weren't keeping this dog, but that I just couldn't abandon it.  I sent out a mass message on whatsapp to about half the contacts in my phone with a picture of the dog asking if anyone was interested in adopting.  I thought at the very least someone with a country house or a shed where they keep their tractor might be interested in a dog to keep guard, although honestly I was hoping to give hime to someone as a pet.

He was a very sweet tempered dog, very gentle and loving, so I was thrilled when in just ten minutes a woman got back to me asking how much I wanted for him (!).  She has two daughters for whom this was going to be a spur-of-the-moment surprise.  I knew this would be a good home for my little "Shadow" as I had decided to call him.  Of course, I told her we were giving him away and she came by before lunch to take him home. 

When the girls timidly followed their mother into the house and realized they would be taking home a puppy there were outbursts of nervous laughter and huge smiles. :)  I was tickled.  The whole scene reminded me of my own childhood--those times when I wanted a pet so badly and then the momenst when I first got to hold my future dog/cat. I was especially reminded of the surpise my parents gave Emily and I one Christmas morning when we discovered our pony tied up on the lawn with a big red bow around his neck.  Come to think of it, I should have put a bow on Shadow...sadly that little detail slipped my mind.  Anyway, it was a beautiful thing to witness these girls' happiness and excitement and also to see how pleased this little puppy was to be held and petted.

I'm so happy he's gone to a good home, and happy that I was able to help make that happen.  He certainly is a lucky little dog!

I have a little shadow
that goes in and out with me,
but what can be the use of him
is more than I can see. 

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

A day at the beach

My chilly baby
This morning we got out of the house as quickly as posible to beat the mid-day heat at the beach in Torremolinos, Málaga.  It was a little on the breezy side, but that made for a comfortable temperature.  I didn't, however, actually swim because I was afraid I'd be too cold afterwards with all the wind.  Yes, I've become a Spanish wimp.

It was a lovely morning though.  We set up our towels and umbrella, picnic basket and table, and even a wading pool for Em.  She was intrigued by the salty water and after sipping out of a shell we found on the beach, proclaimed, "Mmmmm!" Yuck!

It would seem that Emily's sandbox has cured her of her fear of sand. ;)  (Mission accomplished!) And she was even quite brave with the waves as you'll see in the video I posted.  It looks as though she's trying to go to the bathroom, but really my poor baby was getting cold.  By the time I got the camera out we'd been playing for some time and before I realized it, her little lips were blue!  Still, she had a grand time stomping in the waves and ordering us back into the surf to splash and jump with a shrill, "Mamáááá!" stabbing with her pointer out to the waves.  She was the reina de la playa for sure.  She certainly looked the part, with her dark glasses and pink ball cap, which she didn't take off the whole time. ;) 


She was quite the trooper, but the sun inevitably wore her out.  She fell asleep for around 30min in the car and then I was able to put her in bed at home for another hour+.  She's just woken up mid-post, finally.  In fact, I am typing the rest of this while she cleans off in the bathtub. 

When it cools down a bit more, we'll go for a bike ride with Bela and then maybe to the park to try and tire her out even more and compensate for such a long, late nap! 




Beach Baby

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Baby time-bomb Ticking

Yes, Emily is getting toward the end of her nap, and I have decided (perhaps unwisely) to sit down a blog for a minute.  Her naps can be anywhere from one to two hours + and at the moment she's coming up on that plus--pushing three.

A friend commented on my last post that her daughter's bedtime is about 7:30 in part because she refuses to nap.  I have other American friends who have told me similar stories: they can't get their kids to sleep in the middle of the day.  I have never had this problem, in fact, quite the opposite.  Depending on where we are or what's going on, I cannot keep Emily awake past about 3pm!

Siesta in Spain varries around the country, but even in big cities you can find small businesses that close from about 3-5pm.  In (here she woke up...) a small town like La Roda you can't find anything but a few bars open that time of day, so even if you don't sleep people do tend to slow down for their mid-day meals.  We usually lie down and most days sleep for at least 45 minutes.  For Angelines the siesta is sacred.  Anyone who disturbs her quite time will hear about it...or at least get a killer glare for it. 

When she was younger Emily took two naps, as I think most babies do once they are through that phase of non-stop sleeping as newborns; but as she got older she has fallen into a sleep pattern more similar to our own. Siesta is just a part of our life and so although we have never really imposed a schedule on her, she goes down daily with little or no trouble.  It's hard for me to consieve of a child who refused to nap...  These few minutes (sometimes an hour or so) of each day when I can do what I like without a toddler constantly demanding my attention--MAMÁÁÁÁ, MAMÁÁÁÁÁÁÁ!--are precious to me.

Well, she's up and at 'em now...so I'd best be off.  I promise a more newsy post soon.