Anyone in Madrid?

[eggnog]

Are there any other Mnttrs in Madrid? Been feeling a tad lonely recently....

Lucky you eggnog - hmmm a boozy evening and roast beef...what I've give for one of those at this moment in time. Actually feel v. optimistic today as I've been having twinges on and off all day,(YIPEE)pls let this be a sign...

EMJ - this is my 1st baby so don't really have anything else to go by...however my experience here in Spain is that the whole birth thing is treated in a much more medicalised way and there are certain aspects of that which I don't really like. I think it would be worth your while checking babycentre.co.uk - take a look at the 'parents in Spain' link. If I remember rightly there is a girl on there living in your area who is also pregnant... It may be worth visiting your local medical centre for some information, like eggnog said you will need residencia, also a N.I.E number (from local police station) as a start (if you haven't already got one. Good luck...
eggnog - wishing you a safe journey (if I'm unable to get on-line) so sorry about your friend x

Eggnog, hope you and fam have a fab trip to the UK - Happy xmas and new year! ps. your next ds? I admire your energetic spirit

Bebe, congratulations! what a lovely xmas &new year present.

Hi all

I am also in Spain - in Andalucia - and reading this thread reminds me of what life was like before I threw poor DS (2.5) at the mercy of the local nursery. I have just found another site about mothering abroad written by an American woman now in Madrid too. The lack of 'things to do' is sooo depressing sometimes.
I have thrown myself into doing Usborne Books at Home so that I get out of the house at least! DO you have contact with anyone doing it in Madrid. if not, i would really like to recruit someone to do it there as there are so many schools. Might send some leaflets and info to some playgroups ( well, to the few that exist!)
Felices Fiesta a todos.

Oops - meant to add my website details:
www.usbornebooksspain.com

Hi there

Baby Félix finally arrived on Monday 18th December. I went into natural labour on Sunday evening. Unfortunately despite regular contractions I failed to dilate, getting stuck at 2cms, and ended up having the dreaded C-Section... not what I had in mind but looking back it was probably for the best as I was exhausted. The pain afterwards was not nice but I've had my stiches out now and finally feel human again - yipee!!
Félix is just beautiful and was born weighing 4.1 kgs, so he was on the big side but seems so tiny to me! At the moment he is eating lots and seems to be sleeping less (yawn) but I'm sure things can only get better...!!!
Best wishes to everyone. Glad you enjoyed your trip back to the UK Eggnog!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!! i LOVE the name felix. gorgeous. 4.1kgs is brilliant. totally empathise with the lack of sleep thang. it does get better. let us know how you get on, the first 6 weeks are usually the hardest.

well done you

huge hugs

Hello - thought I'd just say that I'm in Madrid too - I live right near the Plaza Mayor. My DS has just turned six months and I'd also love to meet up with other mums... (here's my blog )

Congrats to bebespain! Félix sounds adorable. That was one of my fave names (- esp as DP and I met in the Spanish class of a teacher called Félix!) But we opted for Ryan in the end.... I also had a c-section. Just take it really easy - I tried to do too much early on and I'm sure it made my recuperation slower.

Anyway, hope we can all arrange a meet up soon. Lovely to read all your stories.

Hugs ImpyChica x

Hi Impy!

Just had a quick look at your blog - Ryan is soooo cute, he's adorable!
Félix is asleep at the moment so thought I´d make the most of it and have a quick look on-line. We've had a few bad nights with lots of crying seemingly for no reason so that's been somewhat unnerving. Still today has been a good day and Félix has been really settled...I doubt it´ll last though...
It's nice to see there´s yet another M´Netter in Madrid and a meet-up sounds like a great idea, would really love to do that some time in the near future. We're hoping to be back in Madrid (Torrejon) at the end of January...You're so lucky to be living in Plaza Espana, I bet that's great.
Thanks for the advice re the C-Sec. I must admit I'm feeling more like my old self now, something I couldn't have imagined two weeks ago! I hated feeling so helpless at the beginning, but hey that's behind me now!
Anyway, "bye" for now and hope to be back on-line soon!

Happy New Year to eggnog and maamee - hope you´re both well and rested!!!

...even better - Plaza Mayor, it's so true what they say about baby brain!!!

Just wanted to say Congratulations Bebe, I have been thinking about you. Welcome to the world Felix! xxx

Thanks Lucy! I've sent you an e-mail, check your inbox when you get chance...
Best wishes to you x

Hi all!

Big congratulations to Bebes on Felix (4.1kg!), sorry belated - we´ve just moved and unpacking takes longer with a baby and all! I´m glad to hear that you are feeling yourself. When are you moving to Madrid? There is a very reasonably priced company called Urbano- they pack for you the day before the move and the next day they take all the stuff. I recommend them... but they don´t unpack :-(

Eggnog, good to hear that you´ve had a good trip. I visited the Scandi school and the teachers seem really nice. The school itself is small but we were really happy with what we saw.

Hello to all fellow expats in Madrid!

Hello to you too Mamee! And hope you're doing alright with Baby Felix, BebeSpain. The first couple of months are a bit crazy, getting to know each other and all. Hope your scar is healing ok.

Hope we can all arrange a meet up when the weather picks up..... (nasty day today!)

Hugs to all.

Impy

Hi Impy, went to your website. Ryan is sooooo cute! how old is he? We used to live quite close to Plaza mayor and went for regular walks with ds (9 mo) - we´ve probably even crossed paths. The internet is amazing, I can´t imagine life without it.

Hi girls hope you're all well...
Félix is fine thanks Impy, but he hasn't got the hang of sleeping at all yet - some days goes for hours without bothering, preferring to cry instead. Now thinking it must be colic as everything else is checked...these first few weeks have just been a total blurrrrrr
How did the move go Maamee? Hope it went well.. we are hoping to be back in Madrid the second week of Feb...here's hoping Dh's end of project date here keeps getting changed much to my frustration as can't plan anything.
Eggnog - where are you? Hope you are well...

Bye for now x

Thanks Mamee! He'll be seven months at beginning of Feb... how time flies! You're right about the Internet - it has been a life saver. Have now got both sets of Grannies set up on Skype so they can watch the progress of their first grandson... fantastic!

You've moved to El Pardo - right? How is it out there? We love the centre but will have to think about getting a bigger place soon and prices here are so ridiculous, maybe it would be good to move out....

Great to hear from you BebeSpain. Poor thing! I can remember those early days of 'why is he crying???????!' Have you tried walking him around in a sling? That's supposed to help colic. Cooled camomile or rooibos tea have been suggested too...not sure how effective they are. It will get better soon - hang on in there! Would love to see pix of Félix and of your DS too, Mamee.

Hugs Impy

Hi bebes,
The move was fine, thanks! We are still unpacking and will be spending the next months painting etc.

these days are harder as you are getting to know little felix... I was so surprised it took several months to get the hang of it- or at least something more of a routine. Oliver (my ds), had colic -the trapped gas was really giving him a hard time. We got relatives to send some Dentinox over to put (dimethicone drops) in his bottle and it worked. They have Aerored in Spain but unfortunately it has added coloring. Also I read that the smell of mint essential oil helps with digestion and I use it on a breast pad and leave it inside the closet where I keep DS clothes.

Impy, Ryan is a big baby! From his facial expressions I guessed he was 9-10mo old.

As for el pardo:It´s a lot quieter outside of madrid, although I haven´t been here, I guess it takes some getting use to. I miss the walks I took with Oliver in his stroller, around Opera, the palace and calle mayor....But like you said, space is at a premium being centrally located and the extra space is coming in handy. We were living literally on top of each other in our flat. Are you based in Madrid for a long time?

Hi Mamee

Yes, Ryan's a little bruiser! His rate of growth has slowed down a lot recently though - he's been in the same clothes for over a couple of months, which was unheard of before!

How's Oliver liking his new pueblo? Are you a SAHM or are you booking him into a nursery?

I think we're staying in Madrid for a while..... we were set on moving back to the UK before Ryan came along but now we see how baby-friendly Spain is and it's v tempting just to stay here. We both work in Spanish firms - so there's no time limit on our stay (theoretically, though you never know what's down the line).

Anyway, if you come into the centre at any point, would love to meet up for a coffee....

Impy x

Hi Maamee - glad to hear your move went well! I too never realised just how hard things can be with a baby, it really is all consuming! Thanks for the tip on the aerored, I bought some a few days ago but didn't like the idea of the colourant and alcohol it contains so am now waiting on some Infacol which a friend in the UK is sending me over...the sooner it arrives the better as Félix is having a bad time of it with his windy tummy...
Thanks for the tips too Impy, someone else recommended fennel tea which I have tried but as yet to no avail. I'm putting all my hopes on the Infacol arriving! Yes, I'm sure these first few months are the toughest. I feel awful wishing time away so soon but already looking forward to the 3 month mark
Hope you both have an enjoyable weekend x

Hi Impy, glad to hear that your family are liking living in Madrid and that you are likely to stay.
I've been living in Madrid for the past 3.5 years, my DH is actually a native and for the forseable next couple or 3 years we are staying put. Although it is a lot harder for me, as my relatives mum dad bros and sis are not based in europe.
I am self employed and now with a baby I actually work from home which can be good and can be bad. From your photo, is Ryan at a nursery nearby your work or home?
Because of a delay in the move, we postponed a trip to asia (uugh! long haul flight with Oliver!) to see my relatives in mid Feb for 3 weeks and right now, my brother is visiting.

When I get back in march, we must try to organise a get together in the centre! and in better weather :-)

Good luck with your move to Madrid Bebespain, Keep in touch!

Hi Mamee

Really feel for you, having family so far away. I thought the UK was far away - but it's nothing compared with Asia... Are you able to Skype etc to keep in touch? I guess with the time difference, it makes it a bit trickier. Glad you've got your brother over, anyway - though shame it's such rubbish weather at the mo...

Good luck with the long haul flight! Take more nappies than you think you'll going to need and spare clothes for you on the plane too... just in case! Hopefully you'll have more room than we did on our EasyJet flights!
I bet Oliver will get loads of attention - hand him round all the passengers to give yourself a break

Ry's nursery is just down the road from our house in Puerta de Toledo. The staff are adorable and he seems to really enjoy it - though he picks up every bug that's going and seems to be off sick loads.

Well, hopefully meet up in March - in a nice terraza in the Plaza Oriente for example...?

And BebeSpain, hope Félix's colic is getting better. Hope you're managing to get some sleep.
Hugs, Impy x

sorry i disappeared. had to wean myself off my mumsnet addiction by going cold turkey.

things are good with us here. mini eggnog is finally sleeping through the night. after swearing i would never do it i did the crying it out thang- and it worked after one night. cant believe how much better my life is now i get some bloody sleep.

anyway, i was wondering if anyone fancied a meet up? coffee in starbucks one day? let me know if you're up for it and we can get something together.

Hi Eggnog!

Know what you mean about the whole Mumsnet addiction thang - I've had a bit of a break myself of late. Glad I logged on tonight to find you've posted - would love to meet up. I'm afraid I'm not v adventurous and tend to stay in the centre of Madrid - do you ever come into town? I work mornings - so anytime after 3.30 would be great for me. There's a great baby-friendly cafe called Faborit on c/Alcala just outside Metro Sevilla if you fancy it....

Hasta pronto. Impy x

Anyone fancy meeting up in the Retiro now it's heating up?