Ok, maybe not the whole world, but definitely the top of Denia.
My intentions were to keep updating you on our trip to the US, but I have had a busy week getting other things done for other people. (Long story, some of you know what I am talking about)
So, I haven't done a lot with the blog or my family pictures at all this week, but I plan on writing more about it next week. Meanwhile, though, Eric has been spending more time at the Escoleta, and is getting used to the school experience. He usually cries at first when I leave him, but does pretty well once he gets over the initial trauma.
Also at first, he spent the whole time following around his favorite Maite when mommy wasn't around, but now he is getting to know and like the other girls. Even those who he didn't particularly like at first (you know who you are), he took a liking to, especially when he had fun giving them a scare. Yes, that is still one of his favorite pastimes. He still loves opening and closing things, "scaring people" and moving things all over the house. Luckily it seems that he also likes to make us happy by doing certain things that we ask him to do like "bring the phone to mommy." We use it as a game to get things away from him rather than tell him "no" and just take it away, resulting in a tantrum. He usually very happily follows through and brings the phone to mommy with a big smile on his face.
So, it's obvious that he understands quite a bit, despite not talking at all yet. He also appears to like to try to help out. Of course, if he has other ideas of what he'd prefer to do, then he doesn't listen and will, for example, play with the phone himself or throw it across the room or something. Even if he does listen, and brings me the phone with a big smile, expecting me to say "thank you" or "gracias," he often expects us to give the object, like the phone, right back to him. So, sometimes our little game to get things away from him backfires on us, resulting in a huge tantrum anyway.
Meanwhile, I have decided it is finally time, once and for all, for me to try to start getting off the extra pregnancy weight. I weigh at least 20 pounds more than I did before the pregnancy, and wouldn't mind losing more than that, up to 40 lbs. or so, actually. So, I've been trying to eat better, but I also noticed that I have gotten really, really out of shape. I know that Sheena also misses our little excursions together. I used to bring her up on the mountain to go hiking or jogging up there several times a week, but it is something that we hadn't done since our last trip up the mountain when I was 4 months pregnant.
Going up the mountain with a baby seemed just a little too dangerous, but now that Eric is a little bigger, I thought he might appreciate being up on the mountain. Eric gets heavier by the day, but out-of-shape I was still able to lug him up to the path in the baby sling that I made him. Sheena, of course, was only too happy to accompany us.
Honestly going up wasn't so bad. I noticed just how out of shape I have gotten, but I was able to pull myself up even the most difficult places with Eric hanging in front of me, and we were soon up on the path and walking around. Soon after being up there, though, Eric got sick of hiking and looking around, and I eventually had to put him back into the sling to get him to move back towards home. Within minutes, he was sound asleep in the sling, and I had the task of trying to get the dead weight of a sleeping toddler back down from the path to home. I had to go slowly because I didn't want to lose my footing, falling onto Eric and smashing him against anything. Overall it is actually pretty safe, and there are very few places where, even if I were to fall, where I would actually fall any real distance. With a baby, though, you obviously have more of a responsibility to be safe and not do things where you put that baby, who has no say of what you are actually doing, at risk.
It's hard to know where, exactly, to draw that line. I have to admit that I was even nervous about flying in the plane with Eric. I kept thinking that if something were to happen, that I was aware of the risk, and that I had chosen to assume that risk and travel. He, however, had no idea of where we were going or what we were doing, and if something were to go wrong, that it would be my fault if something were to happen to him. On the other hand, you can't let fear keep you, or your baby, from doing fun things. You just have to try to weight the pros and cons of each activity, and try not to be too crazy or too boring, I guess. (I just heard on the radio this week how kids who have been over-protected have more problems with self esteem, frustration, and an inability to handle stress later in life!) I try to keep a good balance in any case.
I still haven't decided on my assessment of the pros and cons of trying to hike with Eric. It's not likely something I would do daily, or weekly, for that matter yet. I have done it twice now, though, and I hope to try it from time to time now that Eric is getting to the age that he can appreciate it more.
Meanwhile, I have found another way to exercise while Eric is around. He loves being outside, so I go outside with him, put on some music, and use the steps in front of our house as if they were a step in step aerobics. Eric finds it hysterical, and runs back and forth hiding from me behind the car, and coming back to laugh at how I'm going up and down the step, moving my arms and kicking up into the air. He also likes to watch me run up and down the steps in a sort of interval training. As I start to bring him to the Escoleta, though, I should have some more time alone in which I can try to do more of a variety of things to try to get back into shape. The only downside to it is that he has been getting sick more recently, and has had a runny nose and a little bit of a fever two nights this week. Despite his cold, though, he seems to be doing pretty well, and is mostly happy and running all over the place as usual.
Next week I will try to tell more about our trip to the US, and the following week, I should have more to tell you about his experiences here in Denia now that the Fallas fiesta is coming up. Eric will be visiting the fallas on the Chiquí-tren and will be dressing up as a fallero again. It should be lots of fun!!
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