Alexandra

Even though the shops are decorated since the end of November and the city centre is packed with people and their big shopping bags, it just dawned on me that Christmas is coming. I have just started buying (and wrapping) presents and writing cards so I'm still well behind in the task. Nevermind! It is Alexandra's first Christmas, and we are planning on enjoying every minute of it!

From the 6th of December. What a happy moment for the family! Congratulations!

I've just realised that Alexandra has relatives living in the following cities: Southampton (UK), Shrewsbury (UK), Caracas (Venezuela), Cambridge (New Zealand), Valencia (Venezuela), Maracay (Venezuela), Tenerife (España), and God knows where else because I have lost track of most of the others.
Her best friends are mostly Southampton children, born to parents from all over the world - England, Holland, Argentina and Chile.
Also, at the tender age of 8 months, she has travelled already to the following cities in the UK: Shrewsbury, Bournemouth, Porstmouth, Lancaster, Glasgow, Newcastle, York, London, Windsor and Reading. Well.. that's proof that the world is definitely shrinking and that she's a 21st century baby.

Desde que Alexandra estaba muy chiquita, decidimos combinar el pecho con el tetero porque en las primeras semanas yo prácticamente no dormí nada ya que cada dos horas o algo así, la niña se despertaba con hambre. Yo, que ya estaba débil por la cesárea y mi anemia, pues sin descansar mi producción de leche estaba baja, cosa que no sólo la mantenía con hambre todo el tiempo (la tenía pegada al pecho todo el tiempo ;-)), sino que tardó muchísimo en recuperar el buen peso con el que nació. Así que decidimos que la última leche del día fuese de fórmula, o sea, un tetero, cosa que ha funcionado muy bien hasta esta semana, en que a Alexandra le ha dado por rechazarlo. Hoy Andy no la pudo acostar a su hora por esta razón, así que cuando llegué del trabajo mi bebita me recibió con euforia: por fin tendría su leche! Que dicho sea de paso, ahora que está comiendo sólidos, no creo que sea hambre sino costumbre, confort, qué se yo.
Yo me pregunto cómo iremos a resolver este problemita.

I started working just before Alexandra's 6th month. Just one course, nothing like the madness I went through during my pregnancy (then I worked 44 hours a week plus I was doing my teaching training!). So, I left my full time post, keeping the two part-time commitments ("los tigritos"), but accepted the unpaid maternity leave until April 2006 in one of them, so it's only one course of 2.5 teaching hours a week not including planning.
It has been very good because I love teaching (it's my true vocation, as all who know me well can vouch for), so I get my buzz of adrenaline every Wednesday and at the same time makes me feel that I'm contributing to society in a more immediate way than just being a mum (arguably, my contribution to society as a full-time mum could be realised through Alexandra, but it's not a very tangible or measurable thing, I don't think, it shouldn't even count since she is her own person and I can't expect her to "convey" my contribution to society).
Anyway, (I'm sidetracking here) additionally it gives Andy the opportunity to look after his daughter in a one-to-one basis, and likewise, also Alexandra gets the chance of being cared for someone else (who loves her just the same!). And it has worked very well for all of us. The only pitfall is that with all this adrenaline rushing, it's hard for me to wind down and go to bed early enough to have a proper rest before the next feed, which, although it seems it will be hours away, I KNOW I will be exhausted when she wakes up.
Tonight I have an extra rush of adrenaline because I had 2 observers in my classroom and even though everything went really well, (or maybe BECAUSE everything did), I can't go to bed just yet.
All I can say now is: thank goodness it's just one more lesson before the Christmas break! Hurrah!

Visitando el blog de meibell me enteré que a su bebé Diego no le gusta la playa. Yo le comentaba a Meibell que a Alexandra le encantó cuando la llevamos en verano, como se aprecia en la foto aquí, pero en realidad con mucho y "ola de calor", no se compara con el calor húmedo de nuestras playas caribeñas... además, no la metí en el agua, quizá eso haya marcado la diferencia (sin agua la arena no se hace pegostosa). Ya veremos cuando la llevemos a Venezuela!

Además de todas las compotas (comerciales y caseras) que hemos probado, también come solita:
Manzana (cocida y picada);
banana en rueditas (mejor dicho: cambur);
Avena cocida pero bien espesa y sin licuar;
"Rice Cakes" (galleticas de arroz);
Zanahoria (cocida);
Brócoli (entero - licuado nunca le gustó);
Mango;
Kiwi;
pasta ("conchiglie") con salsa bolognesa;
Couscous (también con salsa bolognesa);
Arroz;
pan;
arepa (lo de adentro);
señoritas (palitos de pan tostado);
mandarina (pelada y re-pelada :-));
...
Sus compotas favoritas (por los momentos) son: la comercial es la HiPP "Spaguetti, tomato & mozzarella", y la casera es la de manzana, seguida por la de aguacate y cambur.