Both girls frequently astonish us with things they remember. Here are some recent examples from Lorena.
1) We were at the museums' cafeteria, and she started pointing to a table far away. She said that they had the same bottles that they gave to kids at her sister's preschool (sister now in K). We had no idea what she was talking about, so we asked her to clarify. She said that Ms. S had given kids that water bottle at the field trip. She went on to say that it was the field trip she had been invited to at the museum with the dinosaurs bones. She then added the other snack items she was given that day by Ms S.
2) When she asked what was for dinner and I said Ravioli, she replied that she doesn't like those. Lately she has been saying that too frequently, so I told her that she hadn't tasted them. "Yes, I have mom, remember, that was what we had the day we saw Annie, and you let us have dinner in the family room, watching TV".
Mmh... 2 food items, maybe there is a pattern here.
3) When I was going to do her hair, she said she wanted to have braids AND a headband that day, like the girl in the book. What girl? what book? She ran upstairs, brought down "Gigi, God's little princess" book, and turned pages until she found the right one. Her sister got that book as a party favor last year, and neither of the girls really liked it that much. I am sure we read it to both, but definitely not too frequently. She did not remember the girl's name. What surprised me most is that Gigi has different hairstyles through out the book.
4) We went to the super market and I put her in one of those annoying carts with the huge plastic car add-ons, the ones that look like cars. I playfully put her down, sideways, and she "fell" in it, with her arms and legs up. She laughed and said, "just like Goldilocks". What? Apparently, Goldilocks fell just like that from the chair in one of the "versions" (her word) of Goldilocks that we have, the one in the thick book with a compendium (my word) of stories in Spanish. We came home, and she showed me the illustration.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Found it, found it, found the diamond...
We were not even a full week away from our 10th anniversary. I had read books to Lorena in our bed, and then played, roughly with her, on the bottom of the stairs. That is when I realized that the diamond was missing from my engagement ring, as I felt something scratching me. I immediately let out a big "Help! Pablo, come!". I am sure there was a sense of urgency in my voice, but I think it did not sound as if someone had broken a leg.
I stayed looking on the steps, with my eyes and passing my hand over the carpet. Nothing. Lorena was trying to help. Pablo had run to get some flashlights. Nothing on the stairs, I went back to the bed, nothing. I made Lorena undress, and checked my clothing as well, nothing. I must add that our house was spotless as it had been cleaned in the morning: no distracting clutter on the floor, freshly vaccuumed; and I was positive I had the stone in the morning.
We had been about to leave out for dinner when I realized. Arantxa was barely aware than anything was going on, since she was immersed in her books in the family room. Lorena, on the other hand, really tried to help. I found myself alternating from being annoyed at her when she got in the way, or moved things roughly; and melted by her genuined desire to help.
Now, bare in mind that we live in a house with 2 small girls. I cannot tell you how many fake jewels, glitter, or otherwise sparkly small items we found. We had countless moments of false hope. Pablo had looked in the car. I had gotten back to the few places I had been in before (Thursdays I mostly chaufeur kids around. The 3 of us leave the house at 7:30 am, and we all get back around 3:30, many miles later).
All of this time my mind kept racing, but my emotions were kept at bay: "we will have to quit soon. Once the girls are in bed, we can extend a dark towel in our carpet, and empty the folded clothes from the bins. We'll sleep in the guest room..."
Eventually, it was clear that it was time to quit looking. We had been searching for 1:15 hours. I was going to take a last peek in Mei aka as Pablo's car (the one I had been driving due to snow), but he took over as I got the girls ready in Satsuki, i.e. my van. (Yes, we love My Neighbor Totoro movie). Pablo exclaimed, "found it" and then "maybe not, I think it is another of the girls' jewels". But it was not, it was the real deal. He had found it under the driver's seat. Phew!
That is when all the emotions hit with full force. I must say that all the time that we were looking I was so relieved that it had not been my fault: I hadn't misplaced the ring, or forgotten it someplace. One of the little "legs" holding it, had broken off. We went to dinner, and it took me several hours to calm down. We were both exhausted when we went to bed!
At the end, I could just think of the Kindermusic song, both girls, but especially Arantxa, used to love "Found it, found it, here is the diamong ring...". Oh, and in the middle of the search, the song that kept popping to my mind was "Hush Little Baby"; and thinking that the way the economy is going "if that diamond ring gets lost... nobody is getting you another one...".
Oh, and I want my mom to read this and remind me of a similar story. I just remember a few details of when this daugher of their friends had come to my apartement with a tape of music from their choir. Pablo and I were engaged and looking at choirs for our wedding. I think this woman also had just lost her diamond, and I remember that she had also found it in the car. My memory might be failing me, though, it sounds too similar to our own story!
I stayed looking on the steps, with my eyes and passing my hand over the carpet. Nothing. Lorena was trying to help. Pablo had run to get some flashlights. Nothing on the stairs, I went back to the bed, nothing. I made Lorena undress, and checked my clothing as well, nothing. I must add that our house was spotless as it had been cleaned in the morning: no distracting clutter on the floor, freshly vaccuumed; and I was positive I had the stone in the morning.
We had been about to leave out for dinner when I realized. Arantxa was barely aware than anything was going on, since she was immersed in her books in the family room. Lorena, on the other hand, really tried to help. I found myself alternating from being annoyed at her when she got in the way, or moved things roughly; and melted by her genuined desire to help.
Now, bare in mind that we live in a house with 2 small girls. I cannot tell you how many fake jewels, glitter, or otherwise sparkly small items we found. We had countless moments of false hope. Pablo had looked in the car. I had gotten back to the few places I had been in before (Thursdays I mostly chaufeur kids around. The 3 of us leave the house at 7:30 am, and we all get back around 3:30, many miles later).
All of this time my mind kept racing, but my emotions were kept at bay: "we will have to quit soon. Once the girls are in bed, we can extend a dark towel in our carpet, and empty the folded clothes from the bins. We'll sleep in the guest room..."
Eventually, it was clear that it was time to quit looking. We had been searching for 1:15 hours. I was going to take a last peek in Mei aka as Pablo's car (the one I had been driving due to snow), but he took over as I got the girls ready in Satsuki, i.e. my van. (Yes, we love My Neighbor Totoro movie). Pablo exclaimed, "found it" and then "maybe not, I think it is another of the girls' jewels". But it was not, it was the real deal. He had found it under the driver's seat. Phew!
That is when all the emotions hit with full force. I must say that all the time that we were looking I was so relieved that it had not been my fault: I hadn't misplaced the ring, or forgotten it someplace. One of the little "legs" holding it, had broken off. We went to dinner, and it took me several hours to calm down. We were both exhausted when we went to bed!
At the end, I could just think of the Kindermusic song, both girls, but especially Arantxa, used to love "Found it, found it, here is the diamong ring...". Oh, and in the middle of the search, the song that kept popping to my mind was "Hush Little Baby"; and thinking that the way the economy is going "if that diamond ring gets lost... nobody is getting you another one...".
Oh, and I want my mom to read this and remind me of a similar story. I just remember a few details of when this daugher of their friends had come to my apartement with a tape of music from their choir. Pablo and I were engaged and looking at choirs for our wedding. I think this woman also had just lost her diamond, and I remember that she had also found it in the car. My memory might be failing me, though, it sounds too similar to our own story!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Some things they have said this year
We were at a public restroom and there was something different about the sinks/faucets. I guess she wanted to close it, but it was automatic (press on, but stops on its own). Lorena said, "look, that is quite a spectacle!". "Mira mamá, es todo un espectáculo".
I did not let her get her shirt off for a car ride. It was cold outside and I did not want her only in her undershirt. "Mom, you are destroying my world" (In Spanish she used the reflexive, so this was my best translation: "me estás destruyendo el mundo").
I prepared "cochinita pibil" some time ago, Arantxa loved and as she asked for seconds she asked, ""mom, can I please have the recipe?". "Mamá, ?me puedes dar la receta por favor?". She had suggested that it would be a good idea to keep hers and Lorena's favorite recipes handy for when they got married or went to live on their own.
Lorena, describing parallel play. After Arantxa's party.
- Hey, Lorena, what were you playing with C yesterday?
- We were sitting next to each other playing with Little People, but she was playing her game and I was playing mine. We were not really playing together. What a hassle! She did not want to play the same thing. "Estábamos sentadas juntas jugando con Little People, pero ella estaba de su lado jugando su juego, y yo de mi lado jugando el mío. No estábamos jugando juntas. !qué lata"! Ella no quería que jugáramos la misma cosa."
Lorena, being annoyed AND annoying. It was my turn to choose music on the car, so I turned to NPR. "Argh! No aguanto el radio, por favor, alguien, ayúdeme a quitarme la cabeza. (mientras se la jalaba para arriba) !AAAH! Por favor, quien sea, ayuden a que me quite la cabeza. El mundo sería MÁS MEJOR si no tuviera mi cabeza y no pudiera escuchar el radio"."I can't stand the radio, please, somebody help me pull my head out. "Remove my head! (while actually pulling her head up). Please, someone, help me remove my head! The world would be more better if I did not have my head, I wouldn't have to listen to the radio" Does anybody else thinks she might be slightly over reacting? Ah, the drama never ends!
The next 2 are Arantxa being profound and self-reflective.
1) Pondering on the conscience.
"We (humans) are made of 2 parts;l one is the voice that tells you what you have to do, like no hitting; but there is another part that just does the things. Sometimes the parts are connected, and one can stop the other one; but sometimes those 2 parts are completely separate". "Estamos (humanos) hechos de dos partes, una es la voz que te dice lo que debes hacer, como no pegar; pero hay otra parte que solo hace las cosas. A veces las partes están conectadas y una puede detener a la otra; pero a veces las 2 partes están completamente separadas".
And no, she was not trying to get out of trouble, I guess her 2 parts had been connected that whole day.
2) Pondering on personal space and explaining this to Lorena. Apparently it was a concept she though of herself, she had not read/heard about it. "It is like everybody has a bubble, and if someone else comes to close to your bubble it bursts. Voice can come in the bubble, and sometimes hands." We all then later elaborated on how very loud voices can indeed burst the bubble, and how everybody's bubble is a different size. "Lorena, es como si cada quien tuviera una burbuja, y si alguien se acerca mucho a tu burbuja, se rompe. La voz si puede entrar a tu burbuja y a veces las manos".
Did Lorena understand? Sort of. The three of us were eating out, and we were seated in a circular booth, Lorena in the middle. Arantxa had to approach to get Purell for her hands, so I explained to Lorena that Arantxa was going to get close. After all hands were clean, Arantxa scooted back, but not all the way to her original "place". Lorena turned to me and said, "Mom, Arantxa entered OUR bubble". "Mamá, Arantxa se metió a NUESTRA burbuja". I had to explain that bubbles were personal.
A final one from Lorena. "I don't need protein, there was Hawaiian pizza at my school's Valentine party yesterday, it had Canadian bacon; so I don''t need any protein". "Yo no necesito proteína, hubo Pizza Hawaiiana en la fiesta de San Valentín de mi escuela, y tenía lomo canadiense, así que no necesito proteína."
The last one from Arantxa. She was dictating thank you notes to me. "The flower you drew was very detailed and it looks like a real flower. I loved it! The way you drew the picture made me imagine myself in a garden with giant flowers and the sun shining down on me."
I did not let her get her shirt off for a car ride. It was cold outside and I did not want her only in her undershirt. "Mom, you are destroying my world" (In Spanish she used the reflexive, so this was my best translation: "me estás destruyendo el mundo").
I prepared "cochinita pibil" some time ago, Arantxa loved and as she asked for seconds she asked, ""mom, can I please have the recipe?". "Mamá, ?me puedes dar la receta por favor?". She had suggested that it would be a good idea to keep hers and Lorena's favorite recipes handy for when they got married or went to live on their own.
Lorena, describing parallel play. After Arantxa's party.
- Hey, Lorena, what were you playing with C yesterday?
- We were sitting next to each other playing with Little People, but she was playing her game and I was playing mine. We were not really playing together. What a hassle! She did not want to play the same thing. "Estábamos sentadas juntas jugando con Little People, pero ella estaba de su lado jugando su juego, y yo de mi lado jugando el mío. No estábamos jugando juntas. !qué lata"! Ella no quería que jugáramos la misma cosa."
Lorena, being annoyed AND annoying. It was my turn to choose music on the car, so I turned to NPR. "Argh! No aguanto el radio, por favor, alguien, ayúdeme a quitarme la cabeza. (mientras se la jalaba para arriba) !AAAH! Por favor, quien sea, ayuden a que me quite la cabeza. El mundo sería MÁS MEJOR si no tuviera mi cabeza y no pudiera escuchar el radio"."I can't stand the radio, please, somebody help me pull my head out. "Remove my head! (while actually pulling her head up). Please, someone, help me remove my head! The world would be more better if I did not have my head, I wouldn't have to listen to the radio" Does anybody else thinks she might be slightly over reacting? Ah, the drama never ends!
The next 2 are Arantxa being profound and self-reflective.
1) Pondering on the conscience.
"We (humans) are made of 2 parts;l one is the voice that tells you what you have to do, like no hitting; but there is another part that just does the things. Sometimes the parts are connected, and one can stop the other one; but sometimes those 2 parts are completely separate". "Estamos (humanos) hechos de dos partes, una es la voz que te dice lo que debes hacer, como no pegar; pero hay otra parte que solo hace las cosas. A veces las partes están conectadas y una puede detener a la otra; pero a veces las 2 partes están completamente separadas".
And no, she was not trying to get out of trouble, I guess her 2 parts had been connected that whole day.
2) Pondering on personal space and explaining this to Lorena. Apparently it was a concept she though of herself, she had not read/heard about it. "It is like everybody has a bubble, and if someone else comes to close to your bubble it bursts. Voice can come in the bubble, and sometimes hands." We all then later elaborated on how very loud voices can indeed burst the bubble, and how everybody's bubble is a different size. "Lorena, es como si cada quien tuviera una burbuja, y si alguien se acerca mucho a tu burbuja, se rompe. La voz si puede entrar a tu burbuja y a veces las manos".
Did Lorena understand? Sort of. The three of us were eating out, and we were seated in a circular booth, Lorena in the middle. Arantxa had to approach to get Purell for her hands, so I explained to Lorena that Arantxa was going to get close. After all hands were clean, Arantxa scooted back, but not all the way to her original "place". Lorena turned to me and said, "Mom, Arantxa entered OUR bubble". "Mamá, Arantxa se metió a NUESTRA burbuja". I had to explain that bubbles were personal.
A final one from Lorena. "I don't need protein, there was Hawaiian pizza at my school's Valentine party yesterday, it had Canadian bacon; so I don''t need any protein". "Yo no necesito proteína, hubo Pizza Hawaiiana en la fiesta de San Valentín de mi escuela, y tenía lomo canadiense, así que no necesito proteína."
The last one from Arantxa. She was dictating thank you notes to me. "The flower you drew was very detailed and it looks like a real flower. I loved it! The way you drew the picture made me imagine myself in a garden with giant flowers and the sun shining down on me."
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The birthday party and the castle cake!
We finally had Arantxa's 6th party on Sunday. With her b'day so close to Xmas and our trip, it is just crazy to do anything before that. However, later we have the Super Bowl, Valentine's day, and Winter break. I have to remember all of this for next year.
What she really wanted was to have the party at home, have some crafts, play, and especially a piñata. Since it is during the winter, she had to settle for about a dozen kids.
Last year, she wanted a "bear" cake. We ended up getting a fisherman's cake: it was guy fishing on a stream. We removed the guy, added some Schleich bears, kept the salmon, and voilà, a bear cake. This year, she REALLY wanted a castle cake. Not any castle cake, not a flat cake, but one that indeed looked like a castle. When we were in Mexico she and her cousin spent hours creating 3D cardboard furniture for a little house. This is then, a real interest of hers.
I started by baking 3 batches of carrot cake. I needed 2 for the bottom layer, and another one for the top layer. I had bought a kit that includes the towers, door, windows, etc. I prepared the frosting and set to work the night before. It was definitely a challenge, but overall I had fun doing it. I have been wanting to take a cake decorating class, and in the meantime I have learned on my own. I set up knowing that I would be unable to even come close to the one in the box, but that I could make something work that would impress the little kids.
First I figured out how to use "dowels" to stablize the cake and keep it from falling. Then, came the trickiest part: frosting the layers do that they would look smooth. Afterwards came the fun of actual decorating the towers and the rest of the cake. I knew my limitations so I decided toto simplify in some ways while still aiming for an "awe" factor. Oh,. by the way, Pablo helped me, not only bouncing off ideas, actually doing some frosting.
Here is the just finished product.
What she really wanted was to have the party at home, have some crafts, play, and especially a piñata. Since it is during the winter, she had to settle for about a dozen kids.
Last year, she wanted a "bear" cake. We ended up getting a fisherman's cake: it was guy fishing on a stream. We removed the guy, added some Schleich bears, kept the salmon, and voilà, a bear cake. This year, she REALLY wanted a castle cake. Not any castle cake, not a flat cake, but one that indeed looked like a castle. When we were in Mexico she and her cousin spent hours creating 3D cardboard furniture for a little house. This is then, a real interest of hers.
I started by baking 3 batches of carrot cake. I needed 2 for the bottom layer, and another one for the top layer. I had bought a kit that includes the towers, door, windows, etc. I prepared the frosting and set to work the night before. It was definitely a challenge, but overall I had fun doing it. I have been wanting to take a cake decorating class, and in the meantime I have learned on my own. I set up knowing that I would be unable to even come close to the one in the box, but that I could make something work that would impress the little kids.
First I figured out how to use "dowels" to stablize the cake and keep it from falling. Then, came the trickiest part: frosting the layers do that they would look smooth. Afterwards came the fun of actual decorating the towers and the rest of the cake. I knew my limitations so I decided toto simplify in some ways while still aiming for an "awe" factor. Oh,. by the way, Pablo helped me, not only bouncing off ideas, actually doing some frosting.
Here is the just finished product.
I joked with Pablo that the cake looked good from the distance, sort of like you have to see many a masterpiece in a museum: not too close.
The girls woke up early in the morning; well, maybe not that early, but definitely too much for those of us who had gone to bed late getting everything ready. We heard the girls excitedly talking and getting dressed. Half asleep I heard them speculate who would be the second guest to arrive (the first one was guaranteed to be Lorena). Lorena even came to our room to share the most exciting news. "Arantxa invited the twins! She said they could come!!!!". Which twins are we talking about? Lorena's teddy bear baby twins. Arantxa then asked if they could go downstairs to see the cake (no touching, not even with a finger!!!) and so they did. We just heard them ooh and aah over the cake. They were so excited!
Pablo took the girls out for breakfast while I made some sandwiches, and got the rest of the stuff ready. Here is the ever so important task of filling the piñata.
Most kids started arriving on time. This was our first party with "big" kids and we did not know what to expect. Most parents stayed. They got started by decorating their goody bag, scratching some "magic" picture frames, or other crafts.
The day was gorgeous (meaning sunny, dry from the night before, and not freezing); so pretty soon they all were outside. We were so glad they were able to enjoy the backyard. A lof ot them tried the scooters, chalk, sand table, and the play structure. It was really nice to mostly play in small groups or individually, but they all interacted really well. They were all in their best behavior. We really lucked out since that night it snowed and it was all covered in white! We had games planned in case they were going crazy or we had to stay inside, but they were playing so happily we did not have the heart to direct their play.
The Piñata was of course a big hit! Arantxa had 2 or 3 small drama moments, but she was able to move on. You can see some of the chalk creations.
We cut and enjoyed the cake. My favorite part of the party was while all the kids were sitting on the table singing silly made up verses to a song. You do need a teacher to go to school. You don't need a teacher to learn how to learn. You don't need a dolphin to say hello to you in the ocean. If you are in Jupiter you do need some place to walk on because it is made out of gas. They all giggled and were creative together.
THINGS ARANTXA SAID:
I heard Arantxa tell all her friends that she already knew how to fly. Since she continues to be obsessed with flying (remember the rule in our house, all attempts of flying must begin at ground level, and can't involve jumping off things); my mom ears are always detecting any flying reference. All I need to do is find a place with no gravity and then jump up and I will be floating and flying by moving my body.
A certain friend of ours called to apologize before they arrived since they had left the present home. We relayed the message to Arantxa who said: No problem, presents are the least important thing in a party. The most important thing in a party is to have your family and at least one other guest. you can't have a party unless you have one or more guests.
She later was talking about birthdays, so she started saying. When I am 8, I am going to be thinking, only 2 years away from 10; and then when I am 9, I'll say that it is only one more year. Then, the day before I turn 10, I will think, we are only a day away. I really want to be 10, but I don't want to skip the middle part. I love that!
As she was opening presents, a mom overheard her saying, Wow, all my friends got me things I really needed, I am so happy.
She later was talking about birthdays, so she started saying. When I am 8, I am going to be thinking, only 2 years away from 10; and then when I am 9, I'll say that it is only one more year. Then, the day before I turn 10, I will think, we are only a day away. I really want to be 10, but I don't want to skip the middle part. I love that!
As she was opening presents, a mom overheard her saying, Wow, all my friends got me things I really needed, I am so happy.
Finally, at night, after reading to her (yes, we still read to her every night), she gave me a great big hug and thanked me for making a special cake, organizing the party, and for letting them have cake for dinner.
So, there you go. From all of the above comments, it is clear to us that she is indeed growing and maturing.
Thanks for reading!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Theories on why Lorena is slimming down
You know how it is harder to see changes in people you see all the time. It seemed as if Lorena was slimming down a bit, but we were not so sure. However, it was unequivocal in Mexico. It of course helped that we were seeing much more of her in her swimming suit versus the layers of costumes and clothes she usually wears.
We wondered whether she had just had a growth spurt. Both girls looked taller so we measured them when we got back home. Sure enough, they had both grown almost an inch (2.5 cm). After their summer growth, we had measured them back a couple of months ago, but there had been no change. It has been really interesting, for a long time now, they seem to grow together. They both grew similar amounts in the summer, stayed several months in the same height, and then grew again. Their 28 months of age difference, has translated into a stable delta of 7-10 cm.
Arantxa now measures about 1.13 m (44.5") and Lorena is 1.05 m (41.3").
Back to Lorena, her baby belly seem to be practically gone. I know it is normal for kids to gain some weight, then stretch keeping the same weight, and back to gaining weight again. This has NEVER been the case with Lorena. When she started moving more and more as a baby, when she began walking, she still kept being chubby. Yes, she did slow her weight gain, she was off the charts for weight as a baby, but not as a toddler.
Getting them on the scale confirmed it. Not only had she stretched, but she was also weighing maybe one pound less. Last week, when she was sick, she got weighed at the doctor, and sure enough she was considerably lighter than last time.
So, why would this happen at this unusual age?
First theory.
Both girls, but especially Lorena, was extremely bad at turning off lights. Every time I walked past her room, I'd see the lights on. I turned them off, and kept asking and reminding them to turn off the lights when they left a room. I finally realized that my gentle reminders were not having any effect; so I instituted a new policy. Whenever I see a light on, I call the person, and they have to stop what they are doing, and immediately go turn the light off.
We started doing that in November or December. Every day, Lorena would be summoned back to her room. And, yes, I felt ridiculous waiting for her to come from downstairs, all the way up, when I was right there next to the switch. The weeks went by with no change in habits.
I am sure you, bright readers, have already figured out the first theory. Yes, she has been excercising MUCH more: up and down the stairs all day long, it is like her private "step" class.
I know, maybe that doesn't explain the weight loss. However, I am very happy to report, that it FINALLY made a difference in the light habits. I think at least a whole week has passed without her being called up.
Second Theory.
This brings us to the second theory. Lorena has realized there is a difference between liking and loving a food. A few weeks ago she did not eat pizza during lunch at her school because it did not have pinapples on, and she only likes pizza with pinapples. <: o
She is constantly saying "I am not going to eat this, it is not my favorite". Seriously, the girl who ate anything and everything, suddenly became super picky! It is SO strange! She used to gobble up a big bowl of soup. This week she hand-picked the kidney beans, carrots, and peas from her veggie soup. She now eats only the frosting and leaves the cake. We are still pushing her to eat a bit of everything; and we make a big deal, for both of them when they like something they did not before.
Now, I can't complain, I have met many real picky eaters; and she is not even close. She continues to enjoy a variety of foods, eats healthy stuff, etc. It is just that it is so unusual to have her follow through with her "I don't like this since it is not my favorite." Before, she would announce that she did not like salad, and 2 seconds later gobbled up all her greens and then asked for a second helping.
I asked the doctor whether she should be seen for this. We agreed that we are going to wait until her 4 year appointment. Just one more comment for reference. At the 3 year appointment we talked to the doctor about the opposite problem. We have always read/been told, that little kids know what they need in terms of food, that you should let them regulate themselves, etc. My question to the doctor was when we were supposed to start distrusting her body. She said this (3) was a good time. While we continued to let her eat, we, for example, gave her water after her cup of milk in every meal if she was still thirsty.
For anybody that keeps track; the girls are back to weighing the same; and Arantxa's feet are only a tad longer than her sisters'.
All this doctor talk reminded me to schedule Lorena's 4 year appointment. 3 months ahead is the perfect time to call. Isn't that crazy?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Waffles or omelet?
Since we were scheduled to leave within a couple of hours, and the flight was going to be long, we tried to keep Lorena from falling asleep in the airport. We managed, and she was soon asleep after takeoff. Oh, and I must say that she finds it most amusing when the airplanes “walk”, it is quite silly to her. Back to the flight; she watched the wings and said, “But look, the wings are not moving, they are not flapping!” Come to think of it, one really would expect the wings to flap, and that very thought guided many a failed attempt to device a flying machine. Later on, it might have been on that flight or a subsequent one, Lorena covered her ears and said, “I am covering my ears because I don’t want to hear: BOOM, BANG, PASSS, or, the plane is crashing!!!” Again an example of thoughts little kids have, sometimes they say them aloud, allowing you a quick glimpse into their heads, but many others they remain quiet thoughts,.
She was sitting with dad, and Arantxa was sitting next to me. With experience, we have figured that the best set up is to be seated on the same side of the plane, example seats 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B. Lorena has to get a window seat so she can seat in her car seat. Then, Arantxa sits right in front of her, thus keeping Lorena’s kicks in the family. We can then all easily share books, toys, etc. and help each other out.
Arantxa and I were reading Pippi Longstocking among other things, so she laughed aloud frequently. When they came to offer us food, they asked her: “Would you like waffles or omelet?” She looked perplexed and asked them to repeat the choices. “Waffles or omelet?” repeated the attendant. Arantxa turned around, opened the window blind (it was pitch dark outside), and she told me, “but mom, it is nighttime!”
I had to explain that since we would have left in the morning, the food they had prepared was breakfast items. She took the waffles and managed to empty the syrup on her clothes. The flight attendants gave us a bunch of wet towels, and we cleaned as best we could, and it got all stiff but not sticky after it dried.
When we finally landed, it was quite late; and even more so after we cleared customs and immigration. We saw Palo and Vane (Pablo’s dad and sister) with the traditional red balloons, Yeya had stayed home sick. We went to the car rental booth, and found that calling Alamo to explain that the flight was delayed, and hearing from them that a note had been tagged to our reservation, was a waste of time. Why? Simply because we called Alamo, not Alamo Mexico. ARGH!!!!
We installed the car seats in Yeya’s car, and Pablo wanted to take a taxi; but it was really late and it had been a very long day. I ended sitting between the car seats (not an easy feat), Pablo drove, and his dad and sister sat on the passenger’s side.
Aeromexico is now exclusively using the new Terminal 2, we’d never been there. We followed the sign that said “Circuito Interior”, basically ignoring a Mexican driving rule of thumb: signs are randomly put in the city with no logic behind them. In this case, as in many others, it was worse to follow them. Side story. Once some friends and I were driving back to the city, and we followed a sign to the new highway. We followed the exit and ended up in a dirt patch of road right away. We thought we had made a wrong turn, so we backed up and tried again. We had followed the sign correctly. Then we understood: the highway was not yet built, but the sign was already installed.
All 4 adults kept trying to figure out where we were and how to get home. Arantxa fell asleep right away, she’d been awake many hours. Lorena was awake for the most part. The city was very difficult to navigate because they had had the brilliant idea to repave several of the main arterial streets at once (all to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the independence and 100th of the revolution next year). Many areas looked as if they had been bombed. After much driving, we pulled over to ask a policeman. Funny how we could do that with 3 passengers in the front seats; they guy did not blink, perhaps because everybody was wearing a seat belt.
Finally, we arrived home at about 3:30 am. Both girls transferred easily to the mattress that was set for them.
She was sitting with dad, and Arantxa was sitting next to me. With experience, we have figured that the best set up is to be seated on the same side of the plane, example seats 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B. Lorena has to get a window seat so she can seat in her car seat. Then, Arantxa sits right in front of her, thus keeping Lorena’s kicks in the family. We can then all easily share books, toys, etc. and help each other out.
Arantxa and I were reading Pippi Longstocking among other things, so she laughed aloud frequently. When they came to offer us food, they asked her: “Would you like waffles or omelet?” She looked perplexed and asked them to repeat the choices. “Waffles or omelet?” repeated the attendant. Arantxa turned around, opened the window blind (it was pitch dark outside), and she told me, “but mom, it is nighttime!”
I had to explain that since we would have left in the morning, the food they had prepared was breakfast items. She took the waffles and managed to empty the syrup on her clothes. The flight attendants gave us a bunch of wet towels, and we cleaned as best we could, and it got all stiff but not sticky after it dried.
When we finally landed, it was quite late; and even more so after we cleared customs and immigration. We saw Palo and Vane (Pablo’s dad and sister) with the traditional red balloons, Yeya had stayed home sick. We went to the car rental booth, and found that calling Alamo to explain that the flight was delayed, and hearing from them that a note had been tagged to our reservation, was a waste of time. Why? Simply because we called Alamo, not Alamo Mexico. ARGH!!!!
We installed the car seats in Yeya’s car, and Pablo wanted to take a taxi; but it was really late and it had been a very long day. I ended sitting between the car seats (not an easy feat), Pablo drove, and his dad and sister sat on the passenger’s side.
Aeromexico is now exclusively using the new Terminal 2, we’d never been there. We followed the sign that said “Circuito Interior”, basically ignoring a Mexican driving rule of thumb: signs are randomly put in the city with no logic behind them. In this case, as in many others, it was worse to follow them. Side story. Once some friends and I were driving back to the city, and we followed a sign to the new highway. We followed the exit and ended up in a dirt patch of road right away. We thought we had made a wrong turn, so we backed up and tried again. We had followed the sign correctly. Then we understood: the highway was not yet built, but the sign was already installed.
All 4 adults kept trying to figure out where we were and how to get home. Arantxa fell asleep right away, she’d been awake many hours. Lorena was awake for the most part. The city was very difficult to navigate because they had had the brilliant idea to repave several of the main arterial streets at once (all to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the independence and 100th of the revolution next year). Many areas looked as if they had been bombed. After much driving, we pulled over to ask a policeman. Funny how we could do that with 3 passengers in the front seats; they guy did not blink, perhaps because everybody was wearing a seat belt.
Finally, we arrived home at about 3:30 am. Both girls transferred easily to the mattress that was set for them.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Airport Stories and Adventures
If anybody had been wondering why Alaska/Horizon had cancelled all their flights, here is the answer. Can you see the guy with the little red shovel, under the wing? he had a lot of work to do....
Well, yes, that was a joke, but seriously, while we saw those little trucks that shove snow around, this guy cleaned all of that, on his own, just with the shovel!!
It is impossible to retell all of our airport adventures. Here are a few, from us, or people we met, on the way to Mexico.
You know you have been at the airport too long when:
- you have already used half of your SD card, and you still haven’t even formally left for vacation.
- you know all the names, basic stories, and information on the passengers that are stranded next to you.
- you feel extremely lucky to have been there sitting at the gate for only 10 hours.
- you know that since you are in a direct flight, you will make it to your destination, at some point....
- you feel extremely lucky to have been there sitting at the gate for only 10 hours.
- the kids’ backpacks and snacks are shared freely among several kids.
you hear a big cheer and applause coming from a neighboring gate. The reason? A single flight attendant had shown up, thus increasing the chances of them actually leaving.
Our situation in a nutshell.
Some of you followed along with us, via Facebook, as we were at the airport. Some of you have no idea, so here is the short story (can I really make it short????) of our travel to Mexico.
Seattle had had a TON of snow during the days prior to our trip. Much more than usual. We were really worried Sunday night, thinking we wouldn't make it to the airport. We had several plans, but we went with our first option. A taxi service was going to pick us up at 7 am (they couldn't come any earlier), they'd come in an SUV, and our flight was scheduled for 9:30. We left the house, all nice and clean, even beds were made. We managed to get our luggage and the girls
into the SUV, I had to wear my rainboots, and Pablo took them back to the house. We had several inches of snow, but not close to 1 foot.
The ride to the airport was super long and tricky. Aeromexico had reassured us over and over, that there'd be no problem. While Alaska Airlines had cancelled ALL their flights the previous 2 days, they had left on time. Even the interstate had not yet been cleaned that morning. Once we got to the airport at 8, we thought we'd be fine.
We knew things were crazy at the airport, with thousands of passengers still stranded there. However, we better understood the reality of the mess when we heard the following announcement, "To those passengers that arrived in last night’s flight from Hawaiian Airlines, please pick up your baggage at carousel number 3".
We checked in with no problem and proceeded to our gate. We soon realized that Aeromexico's prior direct flight to Mexico had not yet departed. We sat close to their counter, so we were able to hear some of what was happening.
While Alaska had cancelled their flights because they did not have anti-freeze, and their Canadian supplier was on strike; Aeromexico had the precious liquid, but, the de-icing machine was broken. Eventually, they would be able to use another airline's machine, when they were done using it.
Every hour or so, they made an announcement: Passengers on flights X and Y, please stay in this area, your flight will be leaving within a few hours. The other flight left, and some time later, our finally did. I think it might have been close to 6 pm. We made it past bureaucracy sometime in the early AM; and we got to PAblo's parents house, at around 3:30 am.
Some random stories
A family with 4 kids, maybe ages 3-10, were camping out next to the gate; they had been ON the plane for 7 hours the previous day, before letting them out. By the time we saw them, they had been out of the plane for 15+ hours.
Another family, with a not yet 2.5 year old boy, we met had spent 2 days at the airport. Their flight from Bellingham to Seattle had been cancelled so they drove down to Sea-Tac. At that point, ALL of Alaska Airlines flights were cancelled. The airline offered to get them to Playa del Carmen (final destination), 2 days after the end of their scheduled family vacation with extended family. They found spots in Aeromexico’s flight to Mexico City. That was our flight, Aeromexico had been departing with no problems the previous days. They spent a couple of hours in a hotel, the second night. They finally arrived in Mexico City, 2.5 days later, had to spend the night there, and hopefully made it to Playa the following day.
It took people 7 hours to get their checked luggage back (and they hadn’t even traveled).
A picture is worth a thousand words (or dollars???).
To be expected, right? Tens of thousands of people have been at the airport for over 2 days. However...
Are those drinks that bad NOBODY wants them? Not even under those circumstances. I think the marketing/product development of that company would pay money for that picture.
This was our preschool section of the gate. Eowyn (pink) was almost 2.5, she and her Mexican mom were flying to Mexico. Jackson, was the 2.5 year old on his way to Playa del Carmen (probably took them 3.5 days to get there). he was so sweet, after everything he'd been through. He had recently turned 2.5. We all shared parental duties, shared toys, snacks, had story time, etc.
Arantxa spent a good chunk of the time reading. Lorena was read from her princesses stories book, over and over. We all knew the stories pretty well, it was a good gift from Santa!
Finally, on the plane!!!!
Well, yes, that was a joke, but seriously, while we saw those little trucks that shove snow around, this guy cleaned all of that, on his own, just with the shovel!!
It is impossible to retell all of our airport adventures. Here are a few, from us, or people we met, on the way to Mexico.
You know you have been at the airport too long when:
- you have already used half of your SD card, and you still haven’t even formally left for vacation.
- you know all the names, basic stories, and information on the passengers that are stranded next to you.
- you feel extremely lucky to have been there sitting at the gate for only 10 hours.
- you know that since you are in a direct flight, you will make it to your destination, at some point....
- you feel extremely lucky to have been there sitting at the gate for only 10 hours.
- the kids’ backpacks and snacks are shared freely among several kids.
you hear a big cheer and applause coming from a neighboring gate. The reason? A single flight attendant had shown up, thus increasing the chances of them actually leaving.
Our situation in a nutshell.
Some of you followed along with us, via Facebook, as we were at the airport. Some of you have no idea, so here is the short story (can I really make it short????) of our travel to Mexico.
Seattle had had a TON of snow during the days prior to our trip. Much more than usual. We were really worried Sunday night, thinking we wouldn't make it to the airport. We had several plans, but we went with our first option. A taxi service was going to pick us up at 7 am (they couldn't come any earlier), they'd come in an SUV, and our flight was scheduled for 9:30. We left the house, all nice and clean, even beds were made. We managed to get our luggage and the girls
into the SUV, I had to wear my rainboots, and Pablo took them back to the house. We had several inches of snow, but not close to 1 foot.
The ride to the airport was super long and tricky. Aeromexico had reassured us over and over, that there'd be no problem. While Alaska Airlines had cancelled ALL their flights the previous 2 days, they had left on time. Even the interstate had not yet been cleaned that morning. Once we got to the airport at 8, we thought we'd be fine.
We knew things were crazy at the airport, with thousands of passengers still stranded there. However, we better understood the reality of the mess when we heard the following announcement, "To those passengers that arrived in last night’s flight from Hawaiian Airlines, please pick up your baggage at carousel number 3".
We checked in with no problem and proceeded to our gate. We soon realized that Aeromexico's prior direct flight to Mexico had not yet departed. We sat close to their counter, so we were able to hear some of what was happening.
While Alaska had cancelled their flights because they did not have anti-freeze, and their Canadian supplier was on strike; Aeromexico had the precious liquid, but, the de-icing machine was broken. Eventually, they would be able to use another airline's machine, when they were done using it.
Every hour or so, they made an announcement: Passengers on flights X and Y, please stay in this area, your flight will be leaving within a few hours. The other flight left, and some time later, our finally did. I think it might have been close to 6 pm. We made it past bureaucracy sometime in the early AM; and we got to PAblo's parents house, at around 3:30 am.
Some random stories
A family with 4 kids, maybe ages 3-10, were camping out next to the gate; they had been ON the plane for 7 hours the previous day, before letting them out. By the time we saw them, they had been out of the plane for 15+ hours.
Another family, with a not yet 2.5 year old boy, we met had spent 2 days at the airport. Their flight from Bellingham to Seattle had been cancelled so they drove down to Sea-Tac. At that point, ALL of Alaska Airlines flights were cancelled. The airline offered to get them to Playa del Carmen (final destination), 2 days after the end of their scheduled family vacation with extended family. They found spots in Aeromexico’s flight to Mexico City. That was our flight, Aeromexico had been departing with no problems the previous days. They spent a couple of hours in a hotel, the second night. They finally arrived in Mexico City, 2.5 days later, had to spend the night there, and hopefully made it to Playa the following day.
It took people 7 hours to get their checked luggage back (and they hadn’t even traveled).
A picture is worth a thousand words (or dollars???).
To be expected, right? Tens of thousands of people have been at the airport for over 2 days. However...
Are those drinks that bad NOBODY wants them? Not even under those circumstances. I think the marketing/product development of that company would pay money for that picture.
This was our preschool section of the gate. Eowyn (pink) was almost 2.5, she and her Mexican mom were flying to Mexico. Jackson, was the 2.5 year old on his way to Playa del Carmen (probably took them 3.5 days to get there). he was so sweet, after everything he'd been through. He had recently turned 2.5. We all shared parental duties, shared toys, snacks, had story time, etc.
Arantxa spent a good chunk of the time reading. Lorena was read from her princesses stories book, over and over. We all knew the stories pretty well, it was a good gift from Santa!
Finally, on the plane!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
