Where are the books?

We have lots and lots of books for Nesta to read. Many of the books I bought I found on sale and are not board books. Board books are of course ideal for little hands. I am also a first time mom and didn't think of this when I bought him a pop-up book. When he was about 4-5 months he loved this book, and he still does but around 8-9 months he started ripping the snake's tail, the lion's paw and so on. So now we keep these books in a shelf where he cannot reach them. One of my favorite books One Love by Cedella Marley also has a page missing that I have yet to tape back. It seems he only likes to rip my favorite books. He did the same to his Frida book. He also chewed through La Oruga Muy Hambrienta, luckily I caught him and the caterpillar is fine thank you. 
However, now that he's not really interested in eating his books I've made some board books readily available for him to pull and read whenever he feels like it. I've also bought him books at Goodwill that cost about $1.00 and I won't feel so bad if he destroys them. One of them is his Elmo pop-up book and it is one of those with buttons and music. It is a good book for the car, but of course he has pulled Zoe's leg off already. 

This little crate is in his bedroom on his playmat. In the crate there are books we own, and in the basket there are library books. He mainly pulls from the basket since he's probably sick of the books in the crate. 

This book is in the kitchen, he likes looking at this book especially. I'm not sure why, but he loves taking these books off of the shelf and he actually looks through the Food Lover's Companion and the Mexican Anytime by Rick Bayless.

Books he hasn't ripped yet:)

Where do you keep your baby's books?

Translating on the spot... interpreter training.

It would be my wish that for every book in English we own, we could have it also in Spanish. It is not possible because the choices at B&N are not the best (especially in board books) and I am not a fan of buying books online. However, the Humboldt Park Branch of CPL just opened a little bit over a month ago and I could not be happier. Nesta spends a lot of time there. Today he went there with his dad, and dad reported that they had to leave shortly after getting all their books because Nesta kept going up to random people and screaming at them. I wonder what he said to them? I'm sure they wonder too.
Our library rules are as follow:
- Have fun!
- Get an equal number of books in English and Spanish.
- Get board books.
- Walk around, play with puzzles and make new friends.
- Read non-board books.
- Return books, renew books, check out new books.
I'm a book hoard, I have 15 books checked out right now. However, we have to have some in English and some in Spanish. Thankfully, there are bilingual books. Bilingual books usually not story books. They're the books that have one word with a picture. I am sure there are bilingual books that are stories but so far I've only seen one and I can't remember the title. It had something with sitting on mom's lap. 
Sometimes Nesta really attaches to a book in English. He brings it over and hands it to me, then sits on my lap and is ready to hear the book read. The first book in English that he really enjoyed was Where The Wild Things Are, luckily we had that one in Spanish. The next one he liked was Where's Spot? This book has flaps for Nesta to lift and find Spot. This book was the first book that I was translating on the spot (ha!) This book is very easy to translate. Each page is one sentence asking if Spot is under the stairs or piano etc. The next book was a bit more challenging. He really liked Color Kittens and this book is mainly read by dad. Dad does a really good job of reading this book, and Nesta enjoys it. However, one day dad was at work and the book was brought to me. This book is long, and it has paragraphs that rhyme. It's a cool book because it shows what colors can be mixed to get other colors like green, purple or brown. Because of all the rhyming I could not sit there and translate every single thing. At this point I just decided to shorten the story. I got to the point and took away some of the rhyming because as much as I translated literally it did not make sense, and it wasn't rhyming anyway. When dad heard me translating the book to Nesta he was appalled! He said "but that's the best part with the poem." I fully agreed with him, but I just couldn't do it justice in Spanish and so he took the book and read it to Nesta. I don't read in English to Nesta. Our one rule is that I speak in Spanish (or read) and dad speaks in English and reads the books in English. So, I will continue to translate books he likes to Spanish to keep up with that rule. I don't know if this is the right thing to do or not, but he doesn't seem to notice the difference. As long as his favorite book is being read to him he's happy. We've been lucky that many of the books he likes are bilingual. These are the books that are very simple, and he mainly likes that the pictures in the books are real pictures (not cartoonish). He also can't sit still to very long books. Color Kittens is probably the longest book he's been into. 
My rules for translating books:
-Translate literally as long as it makes sense.
- If the literal translation doesn't make sense, translate the main idea.
- Always translate it the same way (post its come in handy).
-Read the full sentence before translating.
I've taken Nesta to Story Time in Spanish and I noticed that some of the books they use for story time are in English, and the instructor translates on the spot as well. I think I can get away with doing this for a few more years until we start teaching him how to read. Hopefully by then he'll know when he's expected to speak Spanish and when he's expected to speak English so that I can also teach him to read in English.

Some cool bilingual books that we like are: Ruedas, ruedas a rodar/Wheels, wheels let's roll, Insectos/Bugs, Asi me siento/This Is How I feel, Casa/Home, Crias de animales/Baby Animals, Los germenes no son para compartir/Germs Are Not For Sharing, Mi mama me quiere porque.../My mom loves me because.
Some books in Spanish we like: Un dia ajetreado, Las lechucitas, Buenas noches a todos, Adivina cuanto te quiero?

Of course when it comes to books I have my favorites, and so does everyone else. One good thing is that lately Nesta has been more open to reading new books. He still misses his old books sometimes though. The adults in the house are the ones who get sick of reading the same books, so we're the ones who go to the library and get a bunch of new ones. Nesta doesn't get that yet. At first we would be too excited and we would want to read all the new library books in one night, until one night when Nesta had had it with the new books and went to the book shelf and got two of his old books and showed him to his dad. POINT TAKEN KID! Now we mix the books we own with the library books. Duh! 
Something else that is fun is how he now loves to read during the day. It isn't just a night time routine anymore. Yes I do get sick of reading Ruedas, ruedas a rodar ten times, but I also love that he wakes up in the morning and goes looking for a book. He looks at his books throughout the day, and sometimes you can hear him 'reading.' It's super cute. I just hope this book loving lasts forever!

Sing it sister! (or brother).

I am the worst singer in the planet! Maybe not the planet, but I am a pretty bad singer. Nesta doesn't know that, and until he does I will sing sing sing. Why? Well singing is fun for kids, and it's more than just singing, we dance and we make faces and we point to things, and we sing and repeat and repeat stuff we're learning over and over. Yes, I sing in Spanish of course. I have busted out the "Itsy-bitsy Spider.." during car rides when he's about to lose his temper, because that spider seems to calm him down. Is there itsy-bitsy in Spanish? 
Back to repetition, it really goes a long way. Kids like to watch movies over and over, and they want to read their favorite book over and over, and they want you to do that funny thing you did over and over. You get the idea. They like repetition. You may not like it, but just remember that they are learning. When teaching a language (or anything) repetition works great. Also showing works great. For example I've been teaching Nesta about where his big cabeza is and his ojos and nariz. We have a little song, and a lot of pointing and touching. Mainly he likes to pat my head or his dad's. If you were to walk in my kitchen you may find me singing cabeza cabeza cabeza while touching my head over and over. I do the same with other movements like when I pick him up and then bring him down. Arriba y abajo. There are also songs that we have been listening to that sing about moving hips and shoulders and so I point to those as we dance. It may seem like a lot of information (and sometimes I think so), but then I remember that his brain is growing super fast and that even though it seems all this information can be overwhelming he certainly doesn't seem overwhelmed. He likes to dance, and to pat my head and to put food on his head. He knows the things he likes, and if he wants them he needs to learn how to ask for them. Even if for now he just wants to point after I say the word.
It's funny because people have asked me "doesn't he get confused when you speak in Spanish and his dad speaks to him in English?" I want to say, "No m'am my kid is a genius!" He really isn't, (maybe he is :) ) he's just a baby who is growing and growing and so is his brain. All kids are capable of learning a new language just like they are capable of learning a new task. Today he finally understood how to use his spoon without flinging cheese in my face. 
Learning a language doesn't have to be confusing, not if we start them young. It may be more difficult for a 12 year-old, but even that 12 year-old's brain will pick it up pretty quickly. My 9 year-old nephew has an awesome accent when speaking Spanish. It may be more difficult for an adult, but really anything is possible for anyone. 
El Cuento at Multilingual Chicago starts with singing and ends with singing. The singing only stops while the book is being read, but even then sometimes the instructor goes back to her sing-song tune probably out of habit. The kids love the singing and respond to it. They also like to get up and dance. Of course, there is something to be said for learning styles, but when the kids are so young singing and dancing seems like the fun way to do anything.

Remember, your kid is a genius- now go on a teach him a new language, a new song, a new trick or a new way to to get a laugh! Just hit repeat.

P.S. A mom of a kid who goes to a very fancy school recently told me that the Spanish teacher is the best one there because everything they do seems to be in song, and her kid really remembers the lessons and enjoys them.

Libros para niños en español

When I was pregnant the one thing I wanted to buy for my unborn child the most was books. Let me first say that I'm a nerd. I love books. I love to read, and reread. I love it all. My top five books are:

• To Kill A Mockingbird.
• The God Of Small Things.
• One Hundred Years Of Solitude (in Spanish).
• The Hummingbird's Daugther (In Spanish).
• Of Love And Other Demons (In Spanish).

The list constantly changes. So, you see how important reading is to me. There are benefits to reading and that's why we should ALL read ALOUD to our children. I could go on about the benefits, and how this will help them in school blah blah blah. Yes, that's great, but for me reading is more than that. Reading is a way to let my imagination go wild. Reading is a way for me to fly away and experience new things that I may never experience in my life time. I get to feel what it is like to see a train for the first time like in One Hundred Years of Solitude. I get to feel the magic that seeps out of Teresita in The Hummingbird's Daughter.  This is what I want my son to feel when he reads. It will benefit him in great ways, but I also want him to read a book and live the book. I want him to appreciate literature. Honestly I want him to love reading as much as I do. If he doesn't love reading as much as I do, at least I hope that he can read in English and Spanish ha!

To prepare him for that I started picking up books that were either bilingual or in Spanish. Obviously there is not as much variety in Spanish, but I found some good ones. His favorites are:

• Cuaquito  (the story of a little duck who is afraid to go in the water).
• La Oruga Muy Hambrienta (The Very Hungry Caterpillar).
• Los Pollitos Dicen (Bilingual).
• No Llores Chiquitin   (the story of a baby who cries because he needs to burp).
• Buenas Noches a Todos   (bed time routine book).
• 8 Monitos (8 Little Monkeys).
• Donde Viven Los Monstruos (Where the WIld Things Are).
• ¿Dónde Esta El Ombliguito?

We have many more books that may be some of my favorite's or dad's favorites but maybe not Nesta's favorites, yet. 

Because there are more books in English than in Spanish I sometimes translate as I read. I really like Good Night Moon,  and I know there is one in Spanish, but I couldn't find it. So I translated it and put little post-its on it so that I can be consistent in my translation. Some books are so simple that it is easy to translate. One book I translate is Animal Talk which was a gift by his cousin Jack. It is just pictures of animals with the sound they make plus a question like "What does the happy chimp say?" This book is easy for me to translate, as well as the book Where's Spot?

I will not translate all the time. At some point I will start teaching him to read, and at that point I will just have to read him books in Spanish. I don't know if translating books is a good idea or not. I started without really planning it. It seemed he was getting sick of La Oruga Muy Hambrienta and Cuaquito so I picked up a book in English and started reading it to him. He did not like that I was reading in English. He kept swatting at the book, and trying to close it. I started translating the book and he stared at me for a minute. I continued with the translation and he sat and listened. I thought it was weird that he didn't like me reading in English. His dad reads to him in English and he seats through it just fine. Well, since that day I read to him in Spanish only.

If you find any awesome books in Spanish that you think a 1 year old will enjoy it, please send me the title :)

Decisions, decisions...

How does one decide to raise a child one way or another? Sure, when the baby is still in the womb many decisions are made. We will cloth diaper! and we will only give him/her organic food, and baby will sleep in his crib every night, and the cat won't be allowed in the room AT ALL... I've heard many of these, my husband and I said many of these. Our child was cloth diapered until the diapers didn't work, he eats mostly organic and sleeps in bed with us. However, the one thing we have stuck to is raising him bilingual. I'd say that I speak to him in Spanish 95% of the time. Sometimes, as I am speaking to an English speaking person I will look at my son and say something in English. This happens seldom, but it happens and I feel very guilty about it.
Some of the reasons why we decided to raise our son bilingual:

• I am bilingual: I speak, read, and write in English and Spanish.
• Bilingual children are more accepting of others.
• Bilingualism is often biculturalism (more on this later).
• Bilingualism increases mental agility

There are many more reasons why we decided to raise our son bilingual. The easiest one is that I am bilingual and I know how handy that's been for me. I also like to speak in Spanish. I love the way it sounds, I love how diverse it is.
Sure, you already speak Spanish...
It may seem that speaking Spanish to a baby is the easies thing to do, especially if one already speaks Spanish. I thought so too. I've been a nanny in the past, and I spoke in Spanish to those children as well. However, when I suddenly spoke in English to them for whatever reason I did not feel as guilty as I do with my own son. When he was born my mother helped me a great deal. She speaks Spanish only. She sang to him, talked to him and all of it in Spanish. When I hung out with him, my mind was overwhelmed with all the newborn caring stuff that I sometimes struggled to speak in Spanish to him. I felt silly often. I had to look up lullabies in Spanish to sing to him. Not that I was singing to him in English, because I don't know any lullabies in English either. It was a learning experience, as everything is with children. It was also a walk down memory lane. I downloaded a lot of music by Cri-Cri.
The reason it was so difficult for me it is because I speak in English to my husband and to everyone else. The only person I spoke in Spanish to before my son was born is my mother. I spoke in Spanglish to her too, which is not something I do with my son. After a year of speaking in Spanish to my son, it has become much easier. He understands commands like when I say "mano" to him, he gives me his hand. He knows what "agua" means, and often responds with "ahh" which is what you do after drinking water.
Music and Television
Television has recently been introduced to our son. Really only in the form of video. He watches the Baby Signing Time video and it is in English. I do wish it was in Spanish, but I couldn't find one. I have caught him and my mom watching telenovelas which are in Spanish. I don't know if I should be angry about this. I also grew up watching telenovelas. I just hope he grows up to dislike them as much as I do.
Music is diverse in our household. My husband loves jazz and hip-hop. I love everything else. I did download some music in Spanish that I grew up with, like Cri-Cri and Cepillin. However, I do listen to music in Spanish and so does our son. My mother listens to gospel style music in Spanish and so does our son. When it comes to music I think he should be exposed to as much variety as possible. Of course, we'll not allow Barney in this household.

I read somewhere that children's music isn't necessary. That children should be exposed to all sorts of music. Although I agree with the second part, I don't have anything against children's music. Like all music, I like some children's music and I stay away from some of it. When I downloaded Cri-Cri for him I mainly did it because it was part of my childhood and I wanted him to listen to it and enjoy it like I did. So far he likes "El Raton Vaquero." More on Cri-Cri on my next post.