It will be a loooong 3 weeks

Soon after Emilio gave her a goodbye hug and kiss and went upstairs for his nap, Maria Rosa took a taxi to O'Hare and caught an Iberia Airbus to Madrid. Though I threw my body across the doorway in a desperate attempt to keep her from leaving, she managed to get away. During her two-week stay with us, Emi's abuela worked non-stop, changing diapers, shopping, cleaning house, doing laundry, playing with Emilio, taking him to the park, and feeding all five of us. She will be greatly missed. Luckily, she and Emi's abuelo Jaime are coming back 3 weeks from now on the 14th and 15th of December respectively and they will both be able to stay with us for a longer stretch of time then.

Siesta Time

Every afternoon before he takes a siesta and every night before he goes to bed (and every morning when he wakes up), Emilio gives his sibs a kiss and a gentle pat on the head. Sometimes, we wonder if he may be holding on a little too tight when he goes in for the kiss, so we're encouraging him to find another balancing point, but his enthusiasm for the ritual is hearwarming.

El ojo de la abuela

These photos were taken by Maria Rosa, who has been taking to Emilio to the park everyday (and sometimes to 2 parks in one outing). She has learned among other things that her grandson is a tree-hugger.

La abuela multitasks

La abuela talks to her cousin Elvita in Buenos Aires about the birth of Nina and Pablo, entertains Emilio by kicking balls under the gate between the kitchen and the play room, and gives us all a lesson in effective multitasking.

Short Shirt, Long Legs, Doo-Waa, Bye-Bye

In this video, we see how Emilio says good-bye to Grandmother and Granddaddy and thanks them for the Musical Blocks they gave him for his second birthday.

Emi Meets the Sibs

Emilio's Second