Spain Dad, a baby blog

A few days ago I walked down to the playground with Alleke and noticed that someone had scribbled on the sign at the entrance with a permanent marker. Where the sign used to read, “Area for kids ages 1 to 8,” someone had drawn in a small zero with a smiley face in the middle. [...]

April watched from a bench close by as I lifted Alleke into my arms and set her again at the top of the slide. Alleke bit her lip with determination as she wiggled her way forward. until her weight pulled her over the edge, and she slid to the bottom. All the while, I watched [...]

Grandpa and I sat on a park bench in the square and watched Alleke as she wandered around, stopping occasionally to study the fallen leaves. A dad pushing his daughter in a stroller bought a balloon from the vender standing in the middle of the square and walked over. He took his daughter out of [...]

Our friend Barbara is hoping to be a grandma soon, so she asked if she could take care of Alleke on Monday night to get some practice. So, on Monday night April and I went around the corner to get a drink, and Barbara took Alleke down to the playground. When we got home, the [...]

“I think she has something in her mouth,” I said as I glanced over my shoulder at José’s mom. José was sitting in the sand next to Alleke playing with a plastic rake. I leaned in for a closer look. Alleke’s lips were pressed together in a fish face, and her jaw was going up [...]

Last night Alleke and I were sitting on a park bench in the square near our house. Alleke was sitting on my lap, and we were watching the dogs–chasing after tennis balls, lapping water out of the fountain, and running circles around their owners looking for attention. I got thinking about last year at this [...]

I mentioned two weeks ago that Alleke took her first steps. Yesterday she took some more and I got them on video, so now you can see for yourself.

Update: I found this video a little hard to see, so for those who are interested, I’ve uploaded a higher-quality version. You may have to wait a minute for the video to load before you can watch it.