The Bump: Nine Months

There is one week left until my due date. Yes, we've made it this far!  In the past few months, we'd been looking for a new apartment to accommodate our growing family, but the prospects were disappointing. Coincidentally, our landlord volunteered to drop our rent 100 euros. So we decided to stay in our current place which is furnished with decent pieces, has lots of sunlight, but lacks the square footage. These past few weeks, we've been busy cleaning out our closets, putting up some extra shelves, and making room for baby. To make it a comfortable living space, we'll have to give up our guest room once all of our lovely parents have visited and helped us out after a few months. 

In the meantime, mama's been doing lots of stretching, relaxation and breathing exercises for when the big day comes. I wonder what this labor and delivery will bring since I had an emergency C-section the last pregnancy. Fingers crossed that all goes well. And a prayer doesn't hurt from everyone also. Thanks!

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Baby Boy kicks and punches more than Paloma ever has, so I've never had to do any kick counts to check if he's okay in there.

The extra weight plus heat and humidity has been straining this August. And I will be relieved to have a little more freedom in movement once he arrives. I just want to pounce on the sofa!

Everyday, Paloma talks about what she'll teach her little brother once he comes out. "When he falls, I'm going to pick him up, and he'll say, 'I love you, Paloma!'" Why worry about jealousy now?

We'll see what this week brings. Hugs!

Beachy Staycation, Part II: Cadaqués

Described by Salvador Dalí as "the most beautiful village in the world", Cadaqués has proven to be that charming seaside town with a bohemian chic feel. This well-preserved town has attracted other past artists such as Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse and continues to enchant 30,000 visiting tourists every summer. It took us over two hours to get here, but it was worth it!

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The whitechalked village welcomes us as we enter after some kilometers of winding road.

Paloma marks our day's itinerary on the map.

This fishing village is lined by a few coves where people can take a dip against the old town setting.

Cadaqués is set on a slope, where cobblestoned narrow streets climb and crisscross each other.

It has a tranquil bay where one can sit on the steps and dream.

We sat. We dreamt.

There are actually several of these little coves lined along the town. This one sits at the foot of the beautiful church, Església de Santa Maria.

Another one of the said coves.

A statue of Dalí makes its statement.

We decided to walk up to the church. We're actually headed uphill, but you couldn't tell from this photo. The combination of heat, climb and pregnant belly made me want to pass out.

That stony, rustic slope again.

The flowers are a-bloomin' beautifully along this steep alley.

We made it to the church! What a sweet view.

Now throw mom and kid in the picture as a reward.

We entered the 16th-century church to marvel at the intricate Gothic-style altar.

I think this side altar pays homage to the ships and travelers who colonized the New World.

Downhill the bumpity alleys to do more pueblo-admiring. Thank God!

Bold colors of blue highlight the town.

Still love the blue.

The bright green makes me happy as well.

Paloma takes a brief pause with Baby.

And me too.

We took a little souvenir home for the winter - a handknit hat to remind of where we were on this hot day.

Did I mention it was uncomfortably hot for me? The water started to look good at about 5pm.

 As pretty and colorful as they were, we skipped the overturned fishing boats.

But took a dip on this rocky beach. I thought the rocks would kill me when I lay down, but they were all smooth and flat.

These two had to be really careful with the slippery rocks underneath them. With my bulging belly, I didn't dare.

I would love to come back during the late spring or early fall when it's not sweltering. I'd also love to catch the Salvador Dalí House Museum in the nearby Portlligat. Hope you've enjoyed!

Beachy Staycation, Part I

Hello! As locals have fled the city and headed elsewhere during this hot, humid (yet barely bearable) summer in August, we are still here in Barcelona. Mama's busy incubating this baby and getting ready for lots of changes. In roughly two weeks, we'll be a foursome! 

So before all the settling in and settling down starts, we rented a car for four days and did some local sightseeing of the region of Catalunya, which we now call home. Each day, we went to a beach town no longer than 2 hours away, which was just long enough to feel like we went on vacation but short enough to enjoy a car ride.

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Our first day of daytripping was to go to Vilanova i La Geltru...on my birthday! It's an ideal beach for kids -- the water is warm and calm, the slope is shallow, and the sand is soft enough for making sandcastles.

Paloma has really picked up her swimming skills as she swims independently in her swim ring.

Powder blue power! It was a bit shocking at first, but our rental car matches well with Paloma and Baby's outfits.

On day three (I'm skipping around), we went to Blanes, where there were tons of European tourists, particularly Germany, England and Holland. Fernando and Paloma pay homage to where they're from by posing besides the Spanish and Catalonian flags.

No marked monuments here. Just me and my daughter relaxing.

On the fourth day, we went to Platja D'Aro, which is a great resort town that offers lots of restaurants, hotels and bars along the boardwalk. I think this would be a great beach to bring family for a few days.

At this same beach, you could rent different kids of water slides and float them out to sea. 

Fun, no? Noted for when the kids are older!

One more squeeze.

Stay tuned for our day two trip to Cadaques!

Gold Seekers

We've been keeping up with some Olympic moments on TV, which is so thrilling. I like learning about other sports like track cycling, disc throwing, and tae kwon do, which I never really see in action. I also saw the beautiful movements of synchronized swimming last night, which seem much more sophisticated than I remember. Just last night Paloma asked, "Why are we watching so much TV?" Ah, she did learn that there IS a limit!

A few months ago, we bought basketball tickets to a two-day pre-Olympics event here in Barcelona: USA vs. Argentina and USA vs. Spain. We really wanted to go! And the moment was determined last night that the top contenders for the gold are our home countries, Spain and USA. Who will Paloma cheer for?

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It was exciting to see superstar basketball players altogether like Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant.

Chris Paul is so cute.

Three 1992 Dream Team members (Clyde Drexler, David Robinson, and Chris Mullin) were there as well, and were presented with some paintings that were artfully whipped up during halftime.

I won't bore you with too many action shots, but this one is USA vs. Argentina, who the USA beat last night to get to the gold competition.

Us, alone sans little P. It's the first time we had to pay for a babysitter! I told her small kids can't go, so she said, "Can giants go?" 

These are the two stellar teams playing for the gold on Sunday. Don't miss it!

A quick friendly pre-game greeting.

These two Lakers have an international bromance.

This was a real treat performance during halftime. In Catalunya, castellers are human towers usually performed during festivals but also during competitions. The tradition originated in the late 18th century.Working on another casteller formation. Here a ground-level base is formed as they work on a second-level base. I think they can go as high as 10 levels of people!

Often small children rise to the top to complete the castle. What a fabulous moment. I'd love to see more of these in the future!

Back to the Spain vs. USA game. USA won 100-78. Where are our free tacos?!

Fans mostly cheered for the Spanish team, but they really enjoyed the plays of both sides. Here's to teamwork and having the best players on the NBA!

.Good luck to both, but...USA! USA! USA!