Spanglish

In elementary school, I had some bilingual friends who spoke Spanish. And I was so jealous of them! It was like they could talk with each other in a secret code, and I thought it was so cool. I felt left out, for sure, since I didn't know what they were saying, but I secretly admired them.

Those experiences along with my brother learning to speak Spanish when he went on his two-year LDS mission to Argentina ignited a desire in me to learn it myself. So when I reached high school, Spanish is what I took for my foreign language credits. Plus, there are a lot of Spanish-speaking people in my area, and I thought that it might actually come in handy someday. I mean, when am I ever going to run into a unilingual German in Southern Idaho? Seriously.

So I took two years of Spanish in high school and then another 11 credits in college. And it was hard! I often wondered what the heck I was wasting my time for and considered changing my B.A. to a B.S. so that I didn't need those Spanish credits. I mean, I couldn't speak it, I couldn't read it, and I could barely understand what others said to me, and what I did understand was mostly derived from their hand gestures and facial expressions. Worse yet, when I did try to speak it to some native speakers, they looked at me like I was stupid or their preschool-aged children laughed at me. Money-well spent, let me tell ya.

But now, going on a decade since my last Spanish class, I am amazed at how much I still remember. And now that I'm working at a place where I often come into contact with Spanish-speakers again, it actually has come in handy. One gal the other day had a hard time remembering "salad", and when I said it in Spanish, ensalada, she felt comfortable enough to ask how to pronounce it correctly in English. Then we finished the rest of our exchange in Spanish. We didn't say much, mind you, but it was pretty cool for both of us to be understood.

Then I had a gentleman come up to the hot case, point at something, and say, "Papas?"

"Sí," I replied, knowing that he was talking about the potato wedges (here's a tip for anyone who shops at a deli--when you point to something in the case, we have no idea what you're pointing at. The case is designed to give both of us a good view of the food, but I can't see you any better than you can see me. So maybe saying, "The dark brown chicken chunks," or "The third dish back," or something like that would be more helpful).

Then he held up one finger and said, "Un dollar," meaning, he wanted $1.00's worth of potato wedges. Cool. I was pretty proud of myself for reverting to Spanish so naturally. Didn't even have to think about it.

He then asked if I spoke Spanish, I said, "Un poquito," and he told me that he speaks only Spanish. I wanted to say that that must be difficult for him (in a sympathetic way, not an accusatory way), but I couldn't remember how to say "difficult" (difícil. I couldn't help myself from looking it up), so I didn't get to tell him that. But at least I knew what his papas were.

One thing I've noticed since the last time I worked in a deli back before I was married, is that the Spanish-speaking people seem to know English much better than they did then. They used to just communicate through gestures or have their kids translate for them, but I've met a lot of people who are striving to speak for themselves in English. Even though I do know a little bit of Spanish, I try to hold back from speaking to them in it because I think it's so cool of them to put in the effort to learn this country's official language. Even when I know that they don't quite understand what I'm saying, I just speak in English. If I'm not sure what they're saying and I need to clarify, then I will. Or like when that guy spoke to me in Spanish, then I will. With the gal, I just really like the word ensalada and wanted to say it, so I did. I am glad that I did, though, because I really do think that I made her feel more comfortable. I know how potentially embarrassing it is to try to say something and you're not quite sure how to pronounce it and you don't want to look or feel stupid in the attempt. It's humbling, learning a new language. So I feel for them. But I'm proud of the many who are trying, and I want to give them the opportunity to practice and not show-off with my own lame bilingual skills.

Even though learning Spanish was really difícil and I felt like I wasn't learning much at the time, I actually did learn quite a bit. Enough to be able to speak in the "secret code" anyway, and that's pretty fun. Turns out it was worth it after all.

So Tired

I am soooo tired. Hmm. Sleep is good.

And I think Grayson is getting his second tooth.

And for some unbeknownst reason, people really like deep-fat-fried gizzards. I get requests for them at work. Bleh.

Good night.

Grayson's First Tooth

Grayson officially has his first tooth. And getting it was a doozy, let me tell ya. I don't really remember Trey or Ally fussing much when their teeth came in. That's either because I just don't remember, or they didn't fuss, or I didn't realize what was happening to cause their fusiness. But with Grayson, I knew the exact moment that little sucker popped through.

Trey got his first tooth at five months old. I think Ally got hers at about the same time (I'm sure I wrote it down in her baby book, but I'm too lazy to go look it up. Plus if Ally sees me with it, we'll have to look through all of her baby stuff again, and I don't really feel like doing that tonight). Back when Grayson was two months old, I could see the tops of his bottom teeth through the gums, and he was drooling like crazy, so I thought he would be the record-holder on that, too (biggest baby, most hair, earliest tooth. Kid's winning trophies left and right and he can't even walk yet!). But five months came and went and no tooth. After seven months, I began to get a little concerned, so I turned to my good pal, Google, and he said that it can take up to a year for babies to get their teeth (have you met my friend, Google? He knows everything!). So I relaxed on that.

And then, Sunday the 11th, he was NOT happy. He can get pretty cranky sometimes, but this time was different. I could tell right away that he was in pain. He kept throwing his head back and arching his back as he let out shriek after shriek. Poor guy! I kept putting my finger on his gums to help relieve the pain. No tooth, no tooth, no tooth. And then, suddenly, there was a tooth! It happened that fast. No wonder he was hurting so much.

And now he has his first little pearly white. I didn't even get to see it for a couple of days because he was constantly playing with it with his tongue. And I've yet to get a picture of it (sorry!), but it's definitely there.

Another milestone met. Even though it came later than his siblings', this little boy's still growing up way too fast!

Almost Forgot

All right, y'all, it's been three weeks since I began this writing challenge, and so far, I have written every single day! Ha! It may not look like I've written every day because I posted after midnight some days, but I assure you, I have. And I was just lying here in bed when I realized I almost forgot to post tonight! Ahh! I'm so close to my goal and I came so close to coming up short! So I thought I would quickly share my Ponderizing scripture for this week--

Doctrine and Covenants 25:14 "Continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of pride. Let thy soul delight in thy husband, and the glory which shall come upon him."

Today in Relief Society, we had a great lesson on pride, the "most misunderstood sin" (Ezra Taft Benson). I think I have unwittingly had a major problem with pride lately, and this scripture really spoke to me. Hopefully concentrating on it this week will help me humble myself and change my attitude about a few things.

Crucial Coversations

I'm currently reading a book called Crucial Conversations. It's very interesting and teaches people how to have risky conversations without offending others or just avoiding touchy subjects. Like emotional subjects with family members or dealing with difficult people at work. I'm hoping it will help me with my communication skills. I could use all the help I can get in that department!

More Bedtime Stories

Bedtime went much more smoothly tonight. First off, Trey and Ally were separated. I took Ally and Grayson grocery shopping, and Brian and Trey were already asleep when we got back. So that made it easier for me--I had only one kid to deal with, and they didn't have each other to feed off of.

Then Ally and I had our bedtime routine. Trey and I have had a routine since he was a baby--we read stories, sing songs, say a prayer, then go to bed. When Ally came along, we included her in it. But I've recently realized that she doesn't really like being read to. She would rather look through the pages and tell the story herself. So having this as her bedtime routine doesn't really work for her.

I asked her the other day what she liked about bedtime. Her response was singing songs, and she really liked listening to Jewel the other night. So now we lie down on her bed together and listen to lullabies. She likes that much better than mine and Trey's way.

After we did that tonight, she was in her room for about a half hour and I thought she was asleep, but then she came out to go potty and grab some toys. I know she shouldn't be allowed to have toys at bedtime, but I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place: do I get her riled up and possibly wake Brian and Trey with her screaming when I tell her she can't have toys, or do I let her take them and hope she quickly and quietly wears herself out and falls asleep?

Tonight I chose the latter, and the end result was pretty good: she did fall asleep after she played quietly by herself for a while. But bedtime from start to sleep took 1 1/2 hours which isn't too good. Ideally it should be half an hour. But it was much better than the four or five hours it took to get them to sleep last night. Yay for progress!

We'll hopefully be able to keep them separated again tomorrow night and see if it goes even better.

Living to Fight Another Night

Kids fought us going to bed again tonight. Big time. Good news is this situation will probably make a really good post one day. If we ever figure this whole bedtime thing out. Hopefully before they turn 18. Pray for us.