Laura and Vera: Five month update


You guys! It's already been five months since Vera and Laura were born. And they have already become international travelers! Below you can find their other monthly updates if you are curious to see how things have changed.

One month update
Two month update
Three month update
Four month update


We spent the first half of the month back in Spain basically saying goodbye to friends and family and getting prepared both physically and mentally for our trip. We finally flew out on the 19th of July and the girls did great (which was a pleasant surprise for me since I had been dreading our trip). We arrived without any big problems and I wrote a blog about traveling with twin infants that you can check out here.


Before we left Spain we were able to spend a weekend in Jose's family's hometown where we attended his cousin's baptism. Baptisms are a big deal in Spain as they are an important right of passage. We are planning the babies' baptism for September when we are back home. Jose is also going to be godfather to our niece Eva who will have her ceremony the day after we arrive back in Spain. I am hoping we aren't too jetlagged! Besides being able to celebrate with Jose's cousin Marta, we got to say goodbye to all his aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins before leaving for the summer. It was a fun time and I think everyone enjoyed being with the babies.


The weekend after we arrived here in Michigan we had a come meet the babies party at my sister Chrissie's beautiful new house. A lot of family and friends came to see Laura and Vera. I wrote about the party here. Then we spent another couple days with her and our niece Caroline. She is adorable! We have all girl granddaughters both in my family and in Jose's so far. It's so sweet to see them all together and to imagine what it will be like as they get older.

We really have just been hanging out at my parents' house at the lake. I can't believe how hot it is! I feel as if we aren't even able to enjoy being outside since I don't want the girls to be too hot or to go inside and out of the A/C too much.


This past weekend we headed up to Grand Rapids with all my sisters, spouses, nieces and my parents. We toured the city a bit, went to quite a few breweries and just hung out in general in our themed family reunion which we call GAGME. I will write another post about it soon. Jose and I stayed another few days at my sister Katie's house after everyone else went home.

The girls are being spoiled. I am nervous as to how they will act when we are back in Spain and there aren't people to constantly fawn over them and carry them around. They are getting bigger each week and are almost sleeping through the night. Laura continues to smile and be happy all the time. Vera is still grumpier and LOVES to be held. When she does smile she has the cutest dimple only on one side. People fall in love with them no matter where we go. They charm everyone.

We still have about three weeks left of our visit and have a lot of plans. This weekend I am headed up north to spend time with my aunts. Then we have people visiting and I am hoping that it cools off a bit. Overall everything has been really great with our visit.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

La mesa camilla

Image
The mesa camilla is a very Spanish invention (in fact I believe it to be a very southernly Spanish invention). It consists of a table, a heater and a heavy, long tablecloth-like fabric that drapes over the sides. The idea is that you put the heater under the table and when you sit down you put the fabric over you like a blanket. The truth is that it does keep you quite warm. The downside is that once you get up and move, you lose the heat. Since the houses and apartments here in the south of Spain are not created for the cold (no central heating) a mesa camilla can be found almost every where.  We didn't have one last year and survived with blankets, space heaters and flannel pajamas throughout the winter. This year Jose decided we needed to get a mesa camilla. I fought the good fight (since often times they look very similar to the option in the picture above) but we ended up ordering one not too long ago.  Typically the mesa camilla is made of wood and can be stored throu
Read more

Simple Spanish recipe: Chipirones a la plancha

Image
Ok so I know this picture is a bit blurry and I apologize but it is the final result of my having cooked chipirones a la plancha for the first time. Let me explain, chipirones are small squid and a la plancha means grilled. They are served in an olive oil, parsley and garlic sauce. At first I wasn't sold on the idea of this recipe but believe me, it is pretty awesome and super healthy. It is a really typical tapa that you can order at almost any bar here in the south of Spain. Chipirones a la plancha is usually served on a bed of lettuce or with a small side salad. Yum! Here's the how: First you need the chipirones (small squid that come with the heads and tentacles attached). I can buy them at my local grocery store in the fresh seafood section. I bought a package of 400 grams though the good thing about this recipe is that you can make as much or as little as you like. Allow me to also explain that here in Spain people tend to eat a lot more fish and seafood than
Read more

Spanish names

Image
Maaaaaaaria, I just met a girl named Maria Hopefully you just read that and sang the song from West Side Story in your head. Let's just say that from what I have experienced here in Spain, people really, really like this name. In fact, there are times when it seems like EVERY woman or girl is named Maria (or Maria de/l something) and though they might go by the second part of their name, their given one is still Maria. People definitely opt for traditional names here, unlike the US where names go through trends.  Recently a friend on Facebook posted a link which contained a GIF  (originally from The Atlantic)  showing the different female names that had been popular in the US since 1960. It is interesting to see how a name like Jennifer would be popular in one region and then would sweep the nation. Such a map would not be as cool here in Spain since not a whole lot would change. Maria. Maria del Carmen. Miriam. Marian. Mirian. Variations on a theme. Religious names I
Read more