A walk in the trail

This past week we enjoyed it with Luca's aunt. She had a chance to see our daily life, and it is interesting because I think every time someone comes, they probably see something different about our lives. It is all because of our situation, we are in a very fast changing environment, making decisions in a regular basis and seeing changes in Luca's progress and behavior also almost daily. We enjoyed doing things we don't usually do and that was fun and relaxing as well. When I take Luca to school, 2 h away from where we live, I need to be around to participate in his speech therapy. But when he is not in speech, he stays in the classroom with the other kids, being exposed to a very rich listening and talking environment. The parents can watch through a window, but we spend so many hours there that sometimes we need to find things to do for ourselves. I have been researching on the internet where the closest fabric store is located. Found it, but I just go there for my own entertainment and try not to buy things that I don't need. I have also found a nice Korean restaurant that I often visit while I'm there. Soon I will have tried the whole menu. It reminds me to restaurants in Japan. And I have also found a hidden park, with a playground, a pretty big creek, an owl that lives there and even trails! This is a very quiet and special place, and I plan to go there often with my sewing projects. I've been hand quilting my mom's never ending quilt over there and it is a wonderful peaceful time for me.
This was our latest walk around the trails of the park, hopefully not the last one.

La semana pasada la disfrutamos con la tia de Luca. Tuvo la oportunidad e ver nuestra vida diaria, y es interesante porque creoq eu cada vez que alguien viene, probablemente ven algo diferente de nuestras vidas. Esto es asi debido a nuestra situacion, estamos en un ambiente que cambia rapidamente, tomando decisions todo el tiempo y viendo cambios en el progreso de Luca y en su comportamiento casi a diario. Disfrutamos hacienda cosa suq enormalmente no hacemos y fue relajante y divertido. Cuando llevo a Luca al colegio que esta a 2 h de donde vivimos, necesito estar alli con el para la session de logopeda. Pero cuando no tiene terapia, se queda en la clase con otros niños, donde estan en un ambiente lleno de oportunidades para aprender a escuchar y hablar. Los padres pueden verlos a traves de la ventana, pero pasamos tantas horas alli que a veces necesitamos hacer otras cosas para nosotros mismos. He estado buscando en internet donde esta la tienda de telas mas cercana. La encontre, pero solo voy allo para distraerme e intento no comprar nada que no necesite. Tambien encontre un buen restaurante coreano que suelo visitar cuando estoy alli. Pronto habre probado todo el menu. Me recuerda a los restaurants en Japon. Y tambien he encontrado un parquet Escondido, con una zona de columpios y toboganes, un riachuelo bastante grande, un buho que vive alli e incluso senderos! Es un lugar tranquilo y muy especial, y espero ir a menudo con mis proyectos de costura. He estado cosiendo alli la quilt para mi madre que nunca se acaba y es un tiempo muy agradable que paso.
Este fue el ultimo paseo que hicimos por los senderos, espero que haya mas en un futuro.

Apron and shopping bag

I liked the way my previous apron had come out. I had to do part of it by hand but I also used the serger and fell in love with it. I borrowed the serger once again and started a new one, this time for my sister in law that was visiting. It took me until the last day to finish it, but I think she is liking it.

Me gusto como quedo mi delantal anterior. Tuve que hacer parte a mano, pero tambien use una serger y me enamore de esa maquina (para rematar). Se la pedi prestada a u na amiga y otra vez empece otro delantal, esta vez para mi cunhada que esta visitandonos. Me llevo hasta el ultimo dia acabarlo, pero creo que le ha gustado

Here in the US is becoming more common to use fabric bags at the grocery store than plastic ones. I try to use them like this, but I'm really bad planning so I always forget the bags at home. But in this local store they sell the bags very inexpensive, and as long as you put some fabric to cover the logo, you can make wonderful things. I learned this one from my friend. I made this bag using the same fabric as for the apron.

Aqui en EEUU esta siendo mas comun usar bolsas de tela que de plastico en el supermercado. Yo intento usarlas, pero soy terrible planificando y siempre se me olvidan en casa. Pero en el super local venden bolsas baratas, y mientras cubras el logo con una telita, puedes conseguir bolsas maravillosas. Eso lo aprendi de mi amiga. Hice esta bolsa usando la misma tela del delantal.

And today Luca did wonderful in therapy, he is capable of making a new sound, the "sh" that I am certain that with the hearing aids he wasn't capable of hearing. Moments like this keeps us encouraged and excited.

Y hoy a Luca le fue muy bien en la terapia, es capaz de hacer un sonido nuevo, el "sh" que estoy segura de que con los audifonos no era capaz de oir. Son momentos asi los que nos mantienen animados y emocionados.

A sign or a coincidence

Is it a sign or is it a coincidence? I wonder, that tomorrow would have been my husband's birthday and that today I got a letter on the mail from a nurse at the emergency room telling me about him in his last moments of life and repeating his last words "Tell my wife that I love her". How strong a little detail like this can be in one's life. How powerful his words and also hers. To make things more interesting she sent it in a card with a plant drawn on it, a sage, and in the back, a recipe for a pork tenderloin, one of the things he liked to make and he was so good at. It blew us away, me and my sister in law who is here now. We will have a special celebration for him tomorrow, probably just us, his family.

Es una senhal o una coincidencia? Me pregunto, que manhana seria el cumpleanhos de mi marido y que hoy yo haya recibido una tarjeta por correo de una enfermenra de urgencias que le trato y que cuenta sobre el en sus ultimos momentos de vida, donde repite sus ultimas palabras "dile a mi mujer que la quiero". Que fuerte puede ser un detalle asi en la vida de uno. Que poderosas sus palabras y tambien las de la enfermera. Y aun mas interesante es que ella mandara la tarjeta con una planta dibujada en ella, una salvia, y por detras, la receta de lomo de cerdo al horno, una de las cosa que mas le gustaban hacer y que se le daba muy bien. Nos ha emocionado, a mi y a mi cunhada que esta aqui ahora. Tendremos una pequenha celebracion por el manhana, probablemente solo nosotros, su familia.

And my sister in law, she's been crafty as well, and she made an amazing bowl for my birthday! She actually didn't make it but she did paint it, and as you can see it has a lot of work! I love it, it looks kind of Mexican style or from the aborigines in Australia, so colorful and happy. It will have a lot of chances to get filled with delicious food!

Y mi cunhada, tambien esta muy hacendosa ultimamente, y me hizo un cuenco increible por mi cumpleanhos! La verdad es que no lo hizo pero lo pinto, y como podeis ver tiene mucho trabajo! Me encanta, parece como mexicano o de los aborigenes de Australia, tan colorido y alegre. Tendra muchas oportunidades de sostener comida deliciosa!

In the back she wrote oishi, delicious in Japanese.
Por detras escribio oishi, delicioso en Japones.

A day at the zoo

I hope everyone had a happy mothers day, whether it was this past Sunday or the one before, or maybe in October. Here it was a bittersweet day, just remembering why am I a mother made me a bit sad, but the day ended up better with a visit to the botanical garden.
Then yesterday, we visited the Zoo with Luca's classmates. It was interesting and exhausting at the same time. It feels like my life is a race these days.

Espero que todo el mundo tuviera un feliz dia de la madre, aunque fuera el domingo pasado o el anterior o incluso en Octubre. Aqui fue un dia de contrastes, simplemente recordando el porque soy madre me puso un poco triste, pero mejoro con una vista al jardin botanico.
Ayer fuimos al zoo con los companheros de Luca. Fue interesante y agotador a la vez. Parece que mi vida va a mil ultimamente.

Bamboo garden

Lately my life is going fast and slow. How is that possible? I feel so tired that I feel like I am going really slow but on the other hand I feel that time is really flying!
Luca has been hearing for maybe 3 weeks now, and I can tell he is starting to understand words without cuing them. He is also going through a crazy time, with tantrums and outburst of crying for no apparent reason. I have the feeling it has something to do with his last mapping of the implant but I need to convince the audiologist so that hopefully we can get out of this phase. The positive thing is that he is hearing and he points at his ear and nods when he hears the fan or the microwave or any other environmental sound. It's really wonderful.

Ultimamente mi vida va muy rapido y a su vez muy lenta. Como puede ser? Me siento tan cansada que creo que pasa lenta pero por otro lado siento que el tiempo vuela!
Luca ha estado oeyendo desde hace 3 semanas, y noto que esta empezando a entender palabras sin hacer gestos. Tambien esta pasando una temporada un poco loca, con rabietas y lloros inesperados sin razon aparente. Tengo la sensacion de que tiene algo que ver con su ultimo programa del implante pero necesito convencer a la audiologa de ello para que podamos pasar esta etapa. El lado bueno es que esta oyendo y que se senhala al oido y dice que si con la cabeza cuando oye el ventilador o el microondas o cualquier otro sonido ambiental. Es maravilloso.

I wish I had more time to sew and do these things that I enjoy making, but lately there is no much energy left. Although it is true that I have started two new projects, a doll that will travel to an orphanage in Chile and a present for someone.
When I have a bit of free time, I enjoy spending it with Luca in places like this:

New creations

Even though lately I don't post much about what I make, I am making stuff in my free time, whenever I have some of that! We had a birthday party today and I had to finish a skirt that I had planned during Luca's nap time yesterday. Luca was my model and he looks this girly and this cute:

Aunque ultimamente no pongo mucho sobre mis creaciones, estoy haciendo cosas en mi tiempo libre, cuando tengo algo! Hoy tuvimos una fiesta de cumpleanhos y tuve que acabar una falda que tenia en mente durante la siesta de Luca de ayer. Luca fue mi modelo y esta asi de femenino y de mono:

An this is the birthday girl with also a princess like dress.

Y aqui esta la cumpleanhera con un vestido que tambien parece de princesa.

And tonight I finished the apron we learned to make in one of out quilting workshops a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed making it and learned a few tricks that make me want to continue making more stuff to wear.

Y esta noche acabe el delantal que aprendimos a hacer en una de los talleres del grupo de quilting hace unas semanas. Me encanto hacerlo y aprendi un par de trucos que me hacen querer seguir haciendo cosas para ponerme.