Spain Dad, a baby blog

Alleke stood next to the couch and watched the computer screen as Grandma blew a kiss for her into the camera. She clapped her hands and squealed, pulling at the couch cushions like she was about to start a riot. Grandma and Grandma had visited for two weeks earlier this summer, and Alleke seemed happy [...]

Yesterday Alleke played with power tools. She sat perched on Grandpa’s knee and watched carefully as he helped her squeeze the trigger on the drill, the motor whining as the screws turned into the end of the wood plank sitting on the living room floor. They were building a shelf for our DVDs. Grandpa had [...]

Grandpa and Grandma Crull are visiting for two weeks. They’ve been coaching Alleke on how to crawl. For more on Grandpa and Grandma, read about the time Grandpa decided he wanted to try babysitting Alleke all by himself.

Our time in Iowa is coming to an end. In nine days we will return to Madrid. I gave my family the opportunity to write a short letter to Alleke about getting to know her over the last four months. Here is what they wrote: Grandma TGOne night, when grandpa and I were taking care [...]

Alleke and Grandparents Photo by kellyandapril. “I can babysit,” my dad said. April stopped reading the paper and looked up at me. I glanced from her to my mom who was standing in front of the open refrigerator, milk in hand, staring at the two of us. We all looked back at dad. “You’d have [...]

“I’ll fold the rest of the diapers,” I said to April as she walked downstairs with Alleke in one arm. I walked into the dining room and sat down at my laptop to check email one last time before going to bed. I wrote a few emails, got a drink of water from the kitchen, [...]

Iowa Blizzard Photo by kellyandapril. My dad went out to look at the road. He said there was a car in the ditch by our mailbox. He said there were snow drifts over the road as high as the window of the car. I asked my dad if anyone had been on our road besides [...]

I’m ready to go! Photo by Mikenan1. I carried the duffle bag into the bathroom and set it down on the floor. I pulled open the top drawer in the chest of drawers next to Alleke’s changing table. With hands spread wide like salad tongs, I picked up handfuls of baby clothes and dropped them [...]

Alleke reading Photo by kellyandapril. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop and a cup of Christmas tea when my mother-in-law walked in the room with a cardboard box. “I found the toys,” she said, smiling, as she set the box down next to the sink. She squinted as she looked in [...]

This is the last post in a series of three about our trip back to the U.S. with our six-week-old daughter Alleke. Feel free to jump into the story here or at any other point, but if you would like to start from the beginning, you can do so here. Pilot Photo by faz the [...]