y lava los manos

The girls like to wash their hands. Which is good because we all drink a lot of water in the heat. For that matter, there’s an all around love of water (coming from whatever source) that gets them excited. Good thing we’ve marble floors – it’s easy to clean up.

I’m two days into this papi thing and I’m loving it. I have to say it was a brilliant idea to put us in a hotel with a pool. Talk about a crash course in family bonding. Skin on skin. Lots of “Mira Papi/Mami” and directions given that, when followed, helps build trust. And lots and lots of laughter.

I know we’re only at the start, but it’s been fun to begin to understand the girls personalities. They’re definitely a pair – always looking out for each other.  Both girls love to be held. Criss cross applesauce is a huge favorite. It’s also the first words they’ve learned in English. Go figure.

Monica was timid at first. It took a while to get used to us. When the shyness fades she gets bossy and laughs, loudly, and talks to all of us, loudly, with big teeth smiles. She’s beautiful…I adore her smiles. She’s definitely more cautious. In the pool she always wants to be holding on to one of us (usually momi – although she likes to show off for me). She can hold her breath for a freakishly long time and likes us to count while she, essentially, dips the front of her face into the pool. She likes to help out with things (cleaning, putting together food, etc). Praise and loving comments seem to go a long way with Monica. When she does something wrong (like calling her papi “feo” last night) and gets caught she crosses her arms, frowns, and sulks for 3 minutes or so. Then, on with life.

Kelly Jo is fearless. She pretty much always has a smile on her face. This morning she was the spitting image of Renee – confused, dazed, and maybe not quite ready for the day…yet. In the pool she’ll jump off the shallow area in the deep just expecting her Papi will be there to catch her. She seems to me pretty gregarious. She’s missing her front teeth which actually makes her all the more cute. She’ll pretty much eats anything in front of her (Monica’s a bit hit and miss). We’ve had one  meltdown with her (and boy, I never knew how much heat was generated with a temper tantrum!), but afterwards she’s none the worse for wear.

So now it’s play together as a family. I’ll be honest, just passing the days waiting made me a bit nervous. What were we going to do? But bubbles can occupy enourmous amounts of time. And 2 90 minute jaunts to the pool burns energy like no tomorrow.

Food is probably the most awkward thing we’ve encountered. Our hotel restaurant is crazy expensive, so we can’t eat here 3 times a day. Fortunately there are a ton of supermarkets near the hotel. It’s taking a while to figure out how this works with the girls. More than anything else I wish I had a kitchen (is that weird?). I’ve a feeling Monica will love to help out with the cooking (sorry if that sounds like a stereotype – but she loves to help).

Alright. That’s all for today. Ren’s telling me I need to make a TP run and get some wool lite. Sounds like a new adventure.