And the Earth population went: +1 !

Comme promis et pour faire comme avec Chloé, les informations de base de la petite Carmen, aka … the basic specs of the new Guerrand baby!

Nom/Name	Guerrand
Prénoms	Carmen Juliette Beatriz
Née le/Born on	12 Octobre 2009, a 07H47
Lieu/Location	San José, Good Samaritan Hospital
Accoucheur/Obstetrician	Dr Gordon Rosenberg (and team)
Poids	3.430kg / 7 lbs 9 oz
Taille	52 cm / 20.5 inches
Status	Very cute too
Parents	Twice as happy

Typical newborn and mom photos will be available HERE

I am going to take a nap now.

3.430

 

A note to Chloé Valentina on her first birthday! October 19, 2008

The year was predicted to go by quickly. Without exception, everyone told us it would.

 

Arnaud described it the other night as ¨Chloe was born and then Chloé was one year old.¨  In many ways, that is how it seems and we are so taken by your presence, that the present is all we have time for. We had to stop and reflect on what the last year consisted of, because our memory is so short.  It is only through pictures that we realize just how much you´ve changed, how much more hair you now have, how much more mobile you are in comparison to when you were born, and how you´ve stretched and fattened up.

 

I want to tell you a few things about your first year of life….what was going on around you as you learned to crawl and grab your own food and say your first words….

 

When you were born, we had only been living in Madrid for six months. We were quite lonely then because we had not yet gotten the opportunity to make any friends. My work situation was okay, but very different then what I had expected. I personally had not made many friends at work and less friends outside of work, when you came along.

 

Your father had enrolled in a school to learn Spanish and at times was going every day, twice a day. This was the only thing that kept him busy, besides playing computer games and cooking delicious gourmet meals. These things and me were what filled his days. At times, we both thought, ¨what the hell are we doing here?¨

 

Around September 2007 timeframe he was contacted by a French web analytics company for employment. They stated that they would not be able to hire him until the beginning of the following year. It was this company that finally came through with an offer and your father began working in Madrid at the beginning of January 2008.

 

Your father´s assimilation to Spain has been quite impressive. He came to Madrid with minimal Spanish skills and found himself a job, began speaking Spanish fluently and incorporated himself quite fully into the Madrid community, all within one years time. 

 

In late September 2007, your grandmother came to visit and see you be born. You were supposed to arrive on October 8^th, but you decided to make us wait a bit longer. It was on the evening of October 18^th that my contractions began and my water broke.

 

At 12:20 in the morning on October 19^th, you were here. I underwent a cesarean procedure because I was not dilating and your amniotic fluid contained meconium. I was disappointed by the cesarean, as I was mentally prepared to undergo labor. I had really looked forward to it, if you can believe that! But it did not happen this way. In less than 40 minutes I was in and out of the operating room. Just like that, you were among us!

 

Your grandmother stayed with us during those first three weeks after you were born. The poor woman was clearly bored staying here. There simply wasn´t that much to do for you and there were three adults waiting on your every move and cry. Mami Beatriz is a very active woman, she likes doing THINGS and staying useful. She is also not one to feel very comfortable staying in someone elses home, even if that home happens to be her daughter´s. Throughout the weeks, she grew to really miss California.

 

During your first months stay on earth, your father had to go to the U.S. for his U.S. citizenship appointment. Your grandmother left the week after Arnaud returned. She was ready to go home.

 

Having your grandmother here opened me up to the experience of being a mother and being MY mother. I suddenly saw how much it meant to be a mom. Children have a way of consuming you in a tender and all encompassing way. I understood things about her that I had never gotten before.

 

Now, a year later, I can tell you that living in Madrid is a very different experience. I, for one, like it very much. We have made Madrid our first home both as a couple and a family. Madrid will always hold special meaning for us. Your first crawls, falls, steps, and words all happened here in Calle Don Ramon de la Cruz.

 

Yesterday (October 30, 2008), we took you to Dra. Rubio. We had not seen her since April because Ruber Hospital, where you were born, is quite far from us. Usually a trip there can take up to an hour and it involves both metro and bus transfers. We had taken you to get your check ups with doctors that were nearer to home, but since this was your yearly check up and a significant one, we decided to take you back to Dra. Rubio. She´s a very nice woman in her mid to late 40´s who studied in NYC and speaks English well.

 

You weighed in at 11.1 kilos (24.5 lbs) and 78.5 cm (31 inches). You are both heavy and tall for your age.

 

I have clipped newspapers and events that we attended during your first year of life. You have moved around a great deal, my little one. Your two passports have been used abundantly. You do quite well with traveling and are a well-adjusted child. 

 

I must tell you that we have loved you more each day. It´s that simple and without a doubt. There is a cumulative affect to loving you. Most of the time it is not for anything in particular that you do, but simply for the fact that you are around. Thanks for joining us. 

 

I see your father looking at you and the tenderness and deep admiration you see on his face, needs no words. I´m not sure you will be able to get the full impact by looking at pictures, so I thought it best to mention it.

 

You are undoubtedly smart and this became evident very quickly. You are a natural born explorer and curious one. You like music and begin moving around when a song begins to play and even try out a tune in your own manufactured words.

 

Some people say you are beautiful and they volunteer this comment often enough that I think it is safe to believe it.

 

We like you we can´t wait to continue on this road and journey with you!

 

First day at the “Zoologico de Madrid”!

(Wow actuals news from the Guerrand family… Let’s mark this day!)

Saturday Nov 15, 1PM: we are at the Madrid Zoo with Chloé, and for the first time, she gets to relate to all these books she’s been sucking into her brain (and to be honest, her mouth too!).

She now knows about the main character of “Buenas noches, Gorilla”, the first one of “Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see?” and of course, she met a real cow not just Jeannine, the one from “Une journée vachement chouette”.

The zoo is really well designed (as far as my expertise with zoo design can tell), and nothing is as neat as a petting zoo with farm animals, especially the part where kids can roam among small goats!

We HAVE NOW posted photos on Facebook: check them there!

Adios

 

Latest game trend at XiTi and in France?

It´s a random fight game (cannot control…): see my little one defendin gherself like a champion at http://kloe-valentina.labrute.fr

Hasta luego!

 

We’re baaaaack! :)

Note to our blg readers (all 4 of them).

The Guerrand family will be visiting California from Aug 4 to Aug 23.
Like the first 2 weeks will include some trips to LA/La Puente, but from the 15ish, we’ll be based in the Bay Area.

More detalladas news when we know our exact itinerary!

Hope all is well in CA, despite the politics, the fires, the state budget deficit, the real estate crisis, the price of gas, the value of the dollar… )

A bientot!

A&I&C

 

She´s great.

She is so focused on her immediate surroundings. Intently she watches as the things she touches react to her brusque handling. It is not enough to bang or pound on something once or twice, it is always a minimum of three times. She listens for noise, stops for texture and is always ready to dive into taste. These transitions occur quickly and then she´s off to the next new thing. Hopefully she´ll be kinder to her friends and admirers.

Then, by chance, she notices I´m in the same room. She gazes down and her flexible body follows, reaching for the next object of her fleeting amusement.  Now she looks up at me, clearly recognizing my face. She lifts those big, round, brown eyes encircled with delicate but pronounced eyelashes. She gives me a grin. The composition of her healthy face changes, revealing pink gums and emerging dimples. That´s all I need. I smile back encouraging more interaction from this small, mysterious creature who now dictates so many things in our life.

Chloé is her name. She is seven months old now. Chloé is our star. She is the sweet center of our gravity and the most bewitching person either Arnaud or I have ever met. Bedazzled we are, without reservation.

I read recently how at this age babies emulate self-importance. It is true in her. You see it as she is being carried in her father´s arms looking around at her domain, surveying it for any new views or things. She commands Arnaud´s and my attention without compromising herself.  She is joyous and fascinated by each thing or person she comes in contact with. Watching her is sheer diversion.

This part is for you, my dear girl: May you always keep this carefree self-assurance and straightforward charm. Resist complication, for you are so stunning just as you are. Persue your curiosity. Continue looking for possibilities in the people, places and things that come your way.

You are so strong and sweet. You are an inspiration and I hope to teach you a fraction of what you will teach me. It is lovely to share time and space with you and your father. Thank you both.

 

Site is updated..

Hola!

Still not much but internally I added some XiTi code to test my own “dog food”… Check it out at http://membres.lycos.fr/zecuke/test/

And hello from the little one!

 

I am badass…

Really… Proof?

36

 

New year

The reason for the trip back to the US was prompted by Arnaud´s appointment to be sworn in as a US Citizen. Arnaud had returned to the Bay Area twice since our arrival to Spain in order to progress the citizenship attainment process. He had enjoyed those visits and the opportunity to connect with friends. Finally, he was given his sworn in date of December 4, 2007. Now all three of us are US Citizens and two are French. I plan to join Chloé and Arnaud with a French passport in the coming years.

The swearing in ceremony was more moving than I had expected. There were nearly 1, 500 people being sworn in that day at the Masonic Auditorium on California St. in San Francisco.  I was touched by the diversity of cultures and races that were represented that day. You don´t have this here in Spain.

In that crowd there were all types of reasons for becoming citizens of the US. There is a marked difference between someone like Arnaud who had gone through this process because of his wanting to have the option of returning to the US and making it home versus someone who has come to the US to flee from difficult political, economical, or social situations. As they called out the various countries that were represented that day, the load rumbles came from China, Mexico, and India. For us, it was a welcome, leisurely experience, for others it was far more critical and this showed in their smiles laced with relief.

 After all of the excitement, we were back in Madrid for a few days then off to Normandy. We had a great week in Normandy. Arnaud´s family is quite tolerant of my inability to speak French (one of my new year´s resolution) and it was a cozy time.

New year´s eve was spent at home. Arnaud cooked a beautiful meal complete with a tasty onion soup, smoked salmon and creme fraiche toastettes, and finished off with baked pears in a white chocolate sauce. Yummy! Of course, there were the 12 grapes we consumed while the clock struck midnight. I was happy on that day, but a bit lonely the following morning. For me, this is the most difficult part of being here, those unexpected times when you want to be around those that know you. This is when the distance is difficult to deal with.

Then came El Dia de los Reyes Magos, the feast of epiphany celebrated on January 6th. Here in Spain it is the wise men that deliver the goodies to children and not papá noel. Apparently he´s too busy handling the US boys and girls. Another thing I learned is that since there are not many chimneys around here, if papá noel does come around he tends to climb up to the balconies in order to access the homes.  We saw many of these plush figures hanging from people´s balconies in our neighborhood.  And it was great to see that the wise men, Los Reyes, also were employing the same tried and true climbing techniques as Santa while they left their camels parked on the street. They must be in great shape, those guys.

 

the new year begins

As if last year had not brought us enough changes and adjustments, this year is proving to be no less active. Here are just a few thoughts from the past three months…Chloé Valentina is three months on Saturday! It went by in a flash of sleep deprived nights and most recently curious babbles and shy smiles from this little someone who is rocking our world.

Being pregnant and delivering a child abroad was a good experience, although at times lonely. Pregnant women here are treated quite gallantly, the recipients of courteous and kind acts on a routine basis. I would say that the showering of attention due to your protruding belly is greater here than in California. I enjoyed that elevated status and the nice gestures that it conjured.

The care we received at Ruber International at the hands of our doctor was outstanding. Although, Arnaud was always a bit bothered by the way the doctor would lavish me with compliments and kisses on every visit. Admittedly, it started to creep me out after a while. Arnaud attended every doctors visit, when he wasn´t making his commute to California.

 After delivery of our precious little darling, I was ever so pleased to have my mother around. She had been exercising patience, having been here three weeks before the little girl decided to join us. When she arrived, she was only scheduled to be here one week before Chloé´s birth. By week two, all three of us were exercising patience as we didn´t know what to do with ourselves. There are, after all, only so many fast walks you can take around El Retiro Park in hopes of the onset of labor pains.

But it wasn´t my mother´s experienced hands at caretaking that were so gratifying for me to have nearby, it was simply her presence that soothed me. It was fulfilling for me to share this mysterious and unfamiliar experience with the woman who raised me. The generation gap between us shrunk during those three weeks after Chloé birth. I actually ¨got¨ parts of her that had been lost in translation for all of my 39 years. The day she left to go back to California was difficult for me.  I felt the void that a close collegue leaves (someone who knows your game) when you are left alone on a project. These feelings were mixed in with baby blues (and I don´t mean the color).  Overall, not a pleasant state.

But as parent´s know, there is little time for self pity, as your child keeps the pace up demanding the next new thing…sometime routine but often requiring a new approach to accomodate their curiosity or boredom. Arnaud and I found our way, at times with difficulty, tripping over ourselves and our good intentions. Sometimes we try to hard to do the right thing. The problem is you often have no idea what the right thing is.  They tell me this is a continual part of parenthood…cluelessness. I´ve also read that the key is to keep searching for what the correct approach might be and to be creative. Pray for stamina!   

We returned from our travels to the California in mid December. It was a much needed break for me. Arnaud intuited my need for family, friends and familiarity and in a quick decision, the new family of three was off to SFO. Seeing familiar faces that know you and genuinely care about you and your new baby was a breath of fresh air. The girl did beautifully on the trip and rose to the occassion like a true survivor.  I realized that a large part of parenting is sharing your little one with others and the give and take that this puts you and your child through. We got a taste of that in California–both the wonderful and the challenging–all part of the process.

More to come…