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| Bella ready to be picked up |
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| Enjoying Mami's ice tea |
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| Exhausted! |
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| Showing off mami's drawing |
Friday, August 31, 2012
Afternoon off
Today I took the afternoon off, so after school Bella and I went to Deweys for lunch and ran couple errands before picking Sofia up. After lunch Bella was exhausted, so she fell asleep in the car for a few minutes. Lucky me, I am always ready to take a good ... or a funny picture.
Ready, set, go!
I think it is safe to say that Bella is doing really well at Sands. In the mornings there hasn't been any drama at drop-off, and Sofia says that when they enter the school she walks into her room all by herself, puts her stuff in her cubie, and gets started with her day.
Bella told me that she likes Miss Mitza because, from all the things, she speaks Spanish. Also, this afternoon I spoke with Miss Mitza for a few minutes and she confirmed that Bella is doing just fine, that she has gotten the hang of the room right away, that she is a great listener (what?!?!) and that she is a little personality ... 3 going on 15! ... In other words, I have nothing to be concerned about in terms of her getting settled into the new routine.
So all is good, but I just wish Bella told me more about her days. Today, for instance, when I picked her up I asked her: "What did you do at school today? Tell me, I want to know it all!". And she literally replied: "I colored, had snack, went outside, and then you picked me up". I had to sigh about that one.
Bella told me that she likes Miss Mitza because, from all the things, she speaks Spanish. Also, this afternoon I spoke with Miss Mitza for a few minutes and she confirmed that Bella is doing just fine, that she has gotten the hang of the room right away, that she is a great listener (what?!?!) and that she is a little personality ... 3 going on 15! ... In other words, I have nothing to be concerned about in terms of her getting settled into the new routine.
So all is good, but I just wish Bella told me more about her days. Today, for instance, when I picked her up I asked her: "What did you do at school today? Tell me, I want to know it all!". And she literally replied: "I colored, had snack, went outside, and then you picked me up". I had to sigh about that one.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
14th
Today is the14th anniversary of my arrival in Cincinnati. At 14 years, this is the place where I have lived the longest in my entire life.
On August 26th, 1998 I arrived with two suitcases and nothing else to my name. Today I have a husband, two girls, a dog, a house, a good job, my parents, my sister, and many friends. Not everything has been easy, but there is no denying that overall Cincinnati has been good to me.
On August 26th, 1998 I arrived with two suitcases and nothing else to my name. Today I have a husband, two girls, a dog, a house, a good job, my parents, my sister, and many friends. Not everything has been easy, but there is no denying that overall Cincinnati has been good to me.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Bella goes to Sands
Today was Bella's first day at Sands.
I was excited for her, but while dropping her off I had to take a really deep breath. I knew she would be in good hands, but transitions are always hard to take. It was not easy to see her moving away from the car and walking into an unknown place. She was so lucky to have Sofia with her, who kept reassuring her and telling her she would like it very much. "I will walk with you into your classroom if you want" my sweet Sofia said, even adding: "And I will help you find your cubie because you don't know yet how to read".
At the end I think Bella did have a great day - not that she told me much when I asked her. But Sofia said she did not stay crying when she walked away, and that - for her very first day - can totally be called a success.
I was excited for her, but while dropping her off I had to take a really deep breath. I knew she would be in good hands, but transitions are always hard to take. It was not easy to see her moving away from the car and walking into an unknown place. She was so lucky to have Sofia with her, who kept reassuring her and telling her she would like it very much. "I will walk with you into your classroom if you want" my sweet Sofia said, even adding: "And I will help you find your cubie because you don't know yet how to read".
At the end I think Bella did have a great day - not that she told me much when I asked her. But Sofia said she did not stay crying when she walked away, and that - for her very first day - can totally be called a success.
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| All smiles at pick up time |
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| Lunch at Panera after school |
Sofia first day in second grade
Yesterday was Sofia's first day in second grade. At this point, given that this is her third year at Sands, she is a total pro. There were no tears, no whining, no nerves. She just went with the flow, like it was any other day.
Last day of vacation
This Tuesday was the girls' last day of summer vacation, so I took the day off to spend it with them. It was a fun day. We went to a park with my friend Marian and her girls, had pizza, and then went shopping for the girls' school supplies. But despite it being a full day we did not rush at all, which was a good change of pace.
Vancouver - Additional Photos
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| Lumberjack show |
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| "The eye of the wind" in the background |
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Inside "The eye of the wind"  |
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| At "Medina", brunch place |
Vancouver
This past weekend Lionel and I headed to Vancouver to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary. I had wanted to go since last year, but it just hadn't worked out. Lionel's parents kindly agreed to stay with the girls so we could have our weekend get away, and although staying with the girls for four straight days was challenging for them, they managed to survive. Besides being thankful, we were also proud of them.
Vancouver is a beautiful city, so we very much enjoyed our time there. We even joked that we need to move there because it is a perfect match for both of us: Beach during the summer and skiing during the weekend, both of them pretty much in your backyard.
We stayed at the Fairmont Pacific Rim which was a splurge, but since we were celebrating I really wanted to travel in style. We biked around the sea wall, went through Stanley park, visited Grouse Mountain, the Capilano suspension bridge, China Town, Granville Island, and of course downtown. We went to very good restaurants and enjoyed our meals a whole lot. We also met up with a former college classmate of mine who happens to be living there now, and who gave me all the recommendations in terms of places to go. It is not like we were super close back in the day, but it was still nice to see her after all this time - 14 years to be exact.
Vancouver is a beautiful city, so we very much enjoyed our time there. We even joked that we need to move there because it is a perfect match for both of us: Beach during the summer and skiing during the weekend, both of them pretty much in your backyard.
We stayed at the Fairmont Pacific Rim which was a splurge, but since we were celebrating I really wanted to travel in style. We biked around the sea wall, went through Stanley park, visited Grouse Mountain, the Capilano suspension bridge, China Town, Granville Island, and of course downtown. We went to very good restaurants and enjoyed our meals a whole lot. We also met up with a former college classmate of mine who happens to be living there now, and who gave me all the recommendations in terms of places to go. It is not like we were super close back in the day, but it was still nice to see her after all this time - 14 years to be exact.
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| View from our hotel room |
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| Olympic Torch for 2010 Winter Olympics |
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| City view from sea wall bike path |
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| Bike path by the sea wall |
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| At Miku Japanese Restaurant |
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| Capilano Suspension Bridge |
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| Capilano Suspension Bridge |
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| Capilano Suspension Bridge |
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| Capilano Tree Tops |
Lice
It is never a good thing when I get a call from daycare or summer camp in the middle of the day. Last week that call came from summer camp letting me know that I needed to go pick up Sofia ASAP because she had lice. Yep, lice!
After the initial panic and automatic head scratching that ensued when I heard the news, I called a friend of mine who recently had to deal with the same thing. She gave me great advice on how to get rid of the lice and - more importantly - peace of mind. I also had to call Bella's daycare to have them check her head, but luckily she was in the clear.
Once I picked Sofia up we still took the time to grab some lunch, and then headed to buy the stuff we needed for her hair. Putting the stuff on and checking her head took a very long time, but luckily it appeared like the problem was just getting started so I felt pretty confident that the lice would be killed and would not be coming back. Unfortunately the next day she still couldn't go to camp because we missed couple "nits" in her hair that although dead by then, still needed to be removed. So Thursday night we had another marathon head checking session, and luckily by Friday she was allowed to stay. That day they had their end-of-summer carnival, so Sofia was particularly distressed at the thought of missing out.
Yesterday we did a 7-day follow up hair treatment, and next Wednesday we will do a final one just to make sure the Lice are not coming back. But other than that I think we are good for now.
After the initial panic and automatic head scratching that ensued when I heard the news, I called a friend of mine who recently had to deal with the same thing. She gave me great advice on how to get rid of the lice and - more importantly - peace of mind. I also had to call Bella's daycare to have them check her head, but luckily she was in the clear.
Once I picked Sofia up we still took the time to grab some lunch, and then headed to buy the stuff we needed for her hair. Putting the stuff on and checking her head took a very long time, but luckily it appeared like the problem was just getting started so I felt pretty confident that the lice would be killed and would not be coming back. Unfortunately the next day she still couldn't go to camp because we missed couple "nits" in her hair that although dead by then, still needed to be removed. So Thursday night we had another marathon head checking session, and luckily by Friday she was allowed to stay. That day they had their end-of-summer carnival, so Sofia was particularly distressed at the thought of missing out.
Yesterday we did a 7-day follow up hair treatment, and next Wednesday we will do a final one just to make sure the Lice are not coming back. But other than that I think we are good for now.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Toronto 2012
Couple weekends ago the friend’s night girls and I made the trek to Toronto to visit our friend Teresina. It was a quick trip, and the weather was rainy and unseasonably cold, but we still had a great time. We had plenty of girl talk during the drive up and back, we had time to relax, and we learned of Teresina’s family plans to relocate to Panama in the coming months. Knowing that they will be moving soon made me even happier that we found the time to go see them one last time. I know we will see them again, but it will probably be a while.
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