Week 13/52

I love seeing them interact and play together, even if it was just for a moment in this photo. Sometimes Che is so sweet and will play with Niko. Niko love Che. He watches him with wide, excited eyes and reaches out to him.

Playing with Grandpa Alfredo. My dad calls or texts everyday asking how the kids are or what they're doing. It's very nice of him.

One-on-One Time

Yesterday was a fun day. My mom asked to watch Niko so they could have some bonding time. I dropped him off in the morning and picked up my grandpo, to come to the senior center with me. Che stayed with Jose and got all of the attention, something that doesn't happen much for him anymore. 

Here are set of photos from 3 different perspectives. 

Gramps

On the way in we grabbed McDonald's breakfast that we ate together in my office. Then, he was off to workout. After working out he had a donut and coffee in the dining room while meeting new people. He hit the treadmill one more time. I popped a bag of popcorn that he really enjoyed. My hopes are that we can continue this routine, I drop the kids off to my mom and pick him up. 

Niko

He got to spend the day with grandma. I gush about Niko all day so I"ll save it, but here are a few pics from his day. 

Kickin'

Che

They went to eat tacos, got haircuts and played in the tub. 

Francisca Tandem Nursed

Today while pumping I was reading this story about my co-workers niece who died in her sleep from Type I diabetes. I was feeling very grateful for my family's health, but sad for my friend. I decided to give my dad a call because conversations with him are so easy going. 

I told him I was on my break pumping and we started talking about breastfeeding. He told me a very special story about my Grandma Perea, his mother, who lived in Mexico. I don't feel like I got to know her very well because I was a little kid and didn't understand the importance of getting to know my grandma and distance and a language barrier didn't help. I often wonder what kind of person she was or if I'm like her. I find myself talking to her like my higher power to hash out my bad days. 

He told me he had a cousin his age whose mother got very sick and had to be in the hospital. This was in a small rancho in Mexico in the 60's, where they didn't have access to formula, so my grandma tandem nursed both boys. 

It feels really special to be able to openly talk about about nursing with my dad because I think many people find it taboo to talk about it with males. Sometimes he jokes with me when I visit that I better go outside and feed my baby. 

This story made my day, knowing how capable our bodies are to nurture and nourish. 

Pioneer Day

It's such a nice feeling to get paid while not actually working. I spent quality time with a lot of loved ones, doing nothing traditional. 

My grandparents have their daily routine which usually starts with breakfast at McDonald's. I wanted to take them somewhere different so we stepped out of their comfort zone and went to Chick-Fil-A. Gramps tried a sausage burrito, Grandma got a bacon and egg biscuit and I passed out a chicken-mini to each of them. They didn't get their coffee very quickly so that may have discouraged them, but overall they liked it and we had a good time. 

The next part of the routine is to get a little physical activity in. My grandpo goes for a walk daily. I'm so amazed with how he sees the benefits of walking and feels good physically and mentally. We walked on the Centennail Trail. Check out this little video I threw together. 

After our 2 mile walk we went back to my house to cool off with some popsicles. 

Later on I stopped to visit my parents and watch a movie with my mom and younger cousin, Jade. My mom popped popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag, drizzled the popcorn with butter and added a sprinkle of salt. It was impressive, I could've eaten two more bowls full. 

After visiting my parents I headed to pick up my niece and nephew. We got to my house, and because I'm a car seat nerd, I worked on their seats for a bit, untwisting straps and getting everything back in order. While I worked, they ate popsicles. Then we headed to downtown Ogden to play at the park, walk 25th street and eat at Lucky Slice. 

I had a wide range of experiences today, from hanging with older souls to hanging with kiddies. Two totally different, but wonderful age groups that show different perception of the world around us. 

Grandparents Day

I'm lucky to have such a close relationship with my grandparents. I enjoy our daily visits, phone calls and FaceTime sessions. They're too good to me. 

-Priscilla