Spain Dad, a baby blog

At Christmas time Americans sing about roasted chestnuts. Europeans eat them.

Since we got back from vacation our friend Solomon has been asking me to bring Teo and Alleke by the grocery store where he works opening doors for customers and collecting tips. His two kids are still in Nigeria, and while I’m sure they look nothing like Teo and Alleke, Solomon never misses an opportunity [...]

Alleke slouched in her high chair and stared at the plate of food sitting in front of her. “Why do I always want candy?” she asked and sighed.

Carrots – Carota – Wortels – Geze – 胡萝卜- zanahoria – carotte – ニンジン by color line. “Hello,” I said, answering the phone. “Do you guys want to go for ice cream?” I didn’t say anything, but walked across the apartment and peered through the crack in the door at my daughter sleeping spread eagle [...]

Teo eats solid food for the first time… In case you’re asking the question: “Why are you letting Teo play with an avocado instead of feeding him baby food with a spoon?”

Alleke bowed her head reverently and folded her hands above her plate. “Dear God, thank you for my cousin Josie and my cousin Emma and my cousin DJ and my cousin Charlie.” She lifted her head and peeked at the people sitting around the table. “Thank you for mama and for Teo and for daddy [...]

Tapas Bar by ixtlan “Daddy?” Alleke said, peering up at me from under the restaurant table. “Yes Alleke?” I asked, nodding a thanks to the waitress as she set down a plate in front of me. “I need to go to the bathroom,” Alleke said triumphantly. I took a closer look at the plate of [...]

Welcome back to Alleke’s Cooking Show. In the spirit of summer, Alleke would like to show you how to make a cold pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade. Like all toddlers, Alleke’s recipe includes carefully counting all the lemons, licking the sugar off her fingers, and of course taking the first glass to mom for a taste [...]

When I came home from work on Friday, April and Alleke were playing Memory in the middle of the living room floor. April turned over two cards, and Alleke quickly scrambled to her feet, pointed and shouted, “Same.” “What is this?” April asked, tapping her finger on the card. I walked over and took a [...]

I’ve always found it strange that April uses her socks to clean things. I’m not talking about old socks with holes in them that have been retired to the pile of rags. I’m talking about the ones she’s wearing right now. For example, I remember taking April to The Olive Garden when we had been [...]