Ceci's Adventures!

Ceci has been on so many adventures lately!  Now that she no longer hates the car (I think the long drive to Philly while she was sick helped to speed this along) we are able to venture out a lot more.

  

Our first trip was to Tarifa for the the day.  Tarifa is about an hour drive west of Gibraltar, on the Spanish coast.  It's also the most southern point in Europe!  We had a lovely day.  Ceci loved putting her toes in the sand and water.  She also loved eating the sand - a lot!  We thought after having a taste she would decide it was yucky and leave it alone, but that was not the case.  Every chance she got she was shoving fistfuls in her mouth! And Ceci was great in the car - she napped both ways and didn't even cry once!

At the most Southern point in Eurpoe

Enjoying a lovely brunch in Tarifa

Family photo!

Dipping our toes in the Atlantic

We love the beach!

Sand is apparently delicious

Quality time with Daddy

Walking in the sand!

The following weekend we drove to Malaga to pick up my friend Kelly from the airport!  Ceci was a star in the car - napping both ways (though not for very long) - and she hardly fussed.  We parlayed the trip into lunch and a bit of shopping at Ikea as well where we picked up a new high chair for Ceci!

"Flying" at Malaga airport waiting for Kelly!

Sleeping in the car!

Our next outing was to Morocco with Kelly!  It was the first time in Africa for all three of us - that makes 3 continents for Ceci before her 1st birthday!  It was also her first time on a boat! We took the ferry from Tarifa to Tangier in the morning and then back in the afternoon. We had a tour guide and driver who met us at the ferry and took us all around the city - from the gorgeous beaches, to the maze like alleyways of the old town, to the bustling markets.  It was a great day and quite an adventure!  We even rode camels and saw a snake charmer!  Kelly was in charge of pictures so I only have two to share so far, but I will update with more when I can.

Ceci and Kelly on the ferry

Riding camels on the beach

 Ceci's latest adventure is going to Nursery (what they call daycare here and in the UK)!  I've been offered two part time jobs (pending background and reference checks - which are taking longer than anticipated...ugh), one working from home as an online computer science teacher and the other teaching math to soldiers here on base.  Hopefully these will both work out, and when they do I'll need to put Ceci in nursery for a few hours at least a few days a week.  There is a military nursery on one of the bases here that comes very highly recommended so we decided to check it out.  After a quick tour and a chat with the manager, Jay and I decided it would be perfect for Ceci.  

In order to take the transition slowly, we started with a quick visit to introduce Ceci to her teachers and classroom - she's in the "Tiny Tiptoes" room which is from 3-18 months.  Ceci did great and was off playing almost immediately, barely acknowledging my presence.  The following week I left Ceci for 20 minutes while I went around the corner for a coffee (thankfully while Kelly was here so I had a buddy!) and she did great!  She played, gave one of her teachers a hug, and didn't seem bothered at all that I wasn't there!  So following that success, a few days later I left Ceci for a whole hour while I dropped off forms for my background check and did a quick grocery shop.  She had been a bit fussy and 'delicate' all morning so I had a feeling she would have a harder time and she did, though they said each time she got a little upset she was very easily distracted.  She even had a snack of rice cakes, grapes and raisins.  And she was happy when I left and when I came back, so that made me feel better! Next week we'll try 1.5hrs and then go from there.  The staff is wonderful and I'm so pleased that they're so accommodating - they really want the transition to be as smooth as possible for Ceci. And since I'm not actually working yet, I have the flexibility to take it as slowly as she needs.  

So many adventures for one little girl!  We're very excited to see what's next :)