Books We're Reading

Today I'd like to sing the praises of author Eric Carle, writer and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See?  These books have all the stops and there's a reason they've sold millions and millions of copies. They both have bright beautiful pictures in a collage medium that makes me nostalgic for Ezra Jack Keats', The Snowy Day. The Hungary Caterpillar teaches the days of the week.  It teaches numbers.  It promotes healthy eating.  It demonstrates metamorphosis.  And Liv loves putting her little fingers in the holes as he eats his way through the pages.   When she picks up the book she goes straight to the last page and coos at the beautiful butterfly.  She adores Brown Bear, Brown Bear, equally.  She loves the sing-song rhythm of the verses and the big animals on every page.  Mom loves the idea that horses can be blue and cats can be purple.  It promotes imagination and simple, clean design.  Not only is it fun to read aloud, it is visually stimulating, as well.  We brought a handful of English board books down for Liv, and these are the two she spends the most time with.

Some of my clearest first memories were reading books with my mom.  I'm excited to perpetuate this important tradition with my own little girl.  She shows great interest in her books and I can't wait to cultivate the richness of language in her life.

Aunty Sarah is here!

Aunty Sarah came into town on Tuesday! The family headed into Managua a day early for a change of scenery and to do a little shopping. We always stay at Managua Hills which is right near The Galleria Mall where there are fun things like a proper coffee shop, a fancy kitchen supply store, and American brand baby gear. We mainly re-upped our food supply but also got Liv a red, bear-shaped potty in hopes of sparking some early interest. We shall see ... Sarah brought Mommy and Daddy a replacement gasket for our stovetop Bialetti espresso maker, a couple of bags of Starbucks French Roast, and some surf wax. She also gifted Liv a puzzle that sings songs when you put the pieces in their place. It's great to have family amongst us and two extra hands in the house are always a plus when there's a baby around.

Last week marked one year since my e-day, as they call it in denture forums. Yes, denture forums. E-day, or extraction day, seems like a millenium ago and I'm working on a proper recap of the misadventures of this whacky time period. I'm just now ready to share some stories and of course, there are some good ones. So, keep your eyes out for those. I think I'll start a series.

Anyways, here are some photos by sister Sarah.

 

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6.6 Earthquake off the Coast of Masachapa, Nicaragua Today

6.6 earthquake off the coast of Masachapa, Nicaragua today!  Liv and I were laying in bed when all of sudden, I thought people had begun moving furniture next door.  But, then it persisted and I realized what was happening.  We could actually see the townhouse moving!  Liv and I ran outside and the neighbors were on their doorstep, as well.  Exciting, indeed.  Ian has taken me in the golf cart on the tsunami evacuation route a number of times.  Hole 5 on the golf course tees off from the highest point in Iguana.  It's a two-minute ride, up the hill.  Ian is playing in a golf tournament today and I gave him a call to let him know that his earthquake/tsunami text message alert that he recently signed up for actually worked!  So, everyone is safe and sound here.

Sweet Water Fund and Maui Totes

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, the rains have begun here.  Sadly, with the first five inch plus night, the rivers swelled and deposited a dry season's worth of trash onto our beach which subsequently, got pulled out to sea with the first high tide.  With so much attention that has been brought to light about the effects of single-use plastic items in our ocean, it was a tough morning to be a consumer.  I love Nicaragua because the groceries stores here have been charging people for plastic bags probably since the beginning of time.  Nicaragua still has the trash plague of most other third world countries.  We have however, noticed a recent shift in awareness.  The streets are cleaner in Rivas and Granada.  Gigante has trash cans at the beach now.  This is also a country that fixes everything instead of throwing it away.  Give a guy a broken fan, he'll make it blow air again.

Here is a progressive and very special project that was facilitated by the Sweet Water Fund in the town of Gigante.  The people of this community built a kitchen for the primary school using earth-filled plastic soda bottles.  The moms of the students take turns cooking for the kids here during the week.  

 

                                           photos by sweetwaterworld.org

Since we're on the topic of the environment, I thought it would be an appropriate time to share a photo for our friends over at Maui Totes!  They just released this year's line of their popular market bags and I got my two rushed in the mail right before I left Minnesota.  Thanks so much guys.  We use them in Rivas all the time.  

What do you do to minimize your use of single-use plastic items?  Are you like my sister and shove all your groceries in your tiny little purse during checkout?

Breaking the Mold

How sweet are these little Roxy slippers that Ian bought Liv for her first Christmas?  They finally fit.

A funny thing happened last week.  Ian came on an early morning beach walk with Liv and I.  Generally, this is surf time for Daddy but that day, the waves didn't look good.  I've used an Ergo carrier as a fifth limb since Liv was born.  She's always mellow when she's snug up against my body and I appreciate the hands free aspect of the whole system.  You don't see much baby wearing here in Nicaragua.  In fact, I've only seen it once and I got very excited.  Well, of course Liv was in the Ergo this morning, as she always is, and we started to walk.  Then Ian said, "take her out."  Take her out?  This, of course, had never occurred to me before.

The tide was low and the sand was hard-packed.  Her little Roxy slippers hit the ground and for a second, she looked down at them like she was thinking, "Ready guys?  Let's do this." And then, she was off.  She walked all the way to Jack's house and back.  She pointed out rocks along the way.  She stopped to stare at the waves.  She laughed at the dogs playing with a giant stick.  She did human things.  Things that Ian and I do.

The lesson in this is simple.  Break the mold.  Welcome change.  Moms work so hard to establish a routine that they sometimes fail to recognize when it's time to alter it.  I underestimated my daughter.  I didn't think her little legs were ready to keep up with mom and dad on the beach.  Maybe, subconsciously, it was easier for me to keep carrying her because I wasn't ready to make the change yet.  I wasn't ready for my baby to be a full fledged walking humanoid.  I wasn't ready to shake up my predicatable mornings.

I'm learning that change occurs frequently in our little ones and just when you think you have it all figured out, some new thing comes into the picture and makes everything you've established, obsolete.  So, yes.  Welcome change.  Because having a baby means it's happening all the time.  Good thing for daddies or I may have been carrying Liv in the Ergo, up the stage, to receive her high school diploma.

When was the last time you underestimated your own child's abilities?

Melandia

I needed this today.  Momastery is such a great place to go for a good ole' fashion kick in the inspirational pants.

My kind and gentle partner has been coaxing me out of the fetal position for the better portion of a year now. He  has given me a six-foot folding table to create a zone to work on my Thing.  It came here yesterday morning.  With this space, will come great Things.  Great Things for you all, too.  I'm sure of it.  Plus, I'm finally out of excuses.  I call it Melandia.  Do you have a private work zone in your home?  A place where you can go to get your creative juices flowing?

Lunch at Santana

Last year, the International Surfing Association held their masters tournament right here in our neighborhood at Hacienda Iguana. I guess it was a complete mad house but it gave the area some great exposure, and helped to secure Nicaragua as a future destination for other surfing events. Well, this year they're back and Rancho Santana is hosting the Juniors event. The family headed over there a couple days ago for a little lunch and the place was buzzing. Rancho has an excellent restaurant that sits right above the shore. We're constantly impressed by their impeccable service and great, reasonably priced food. We're squeezing in as many visits as we can before the rivers fill up, and getting a little dinner becomes more like risking your life. The rains have certainly begun. Ian requested a raingage on my recent trip back to Minnesota and two nights ago it went over its five inch capacity mark. Drying laundry is a bit of a game, especially Liv's diapers which take forever. I'm constantly shifting them from the line on the covered balcony to the line in the yard or propping them up under the ceiling fan at night. The air is thick with moisture now. The afternoons are overcast and the nighttime is stormy. Winter in Nicaragua....

 

 

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