About the Author

Growing up in Lake Forest, Illinois, Alex always had a passion for connecting with people from different cultures. Her love for Spanish began early, attending Spanish summer camp through Concordia Language Colleges. When the camp filled up during her high school years, her Spanish teacher made a suggestion that would shape her entire future: why not spend the summer studying in San Sebastián, Spain?

The idea captivated her immediately. After successfully pitching her parents on the adventure, she spent two transformative summers studying in San Sebastián and another in Málaga during her high school years. These early immersion experiences ignited a lifelong passion for Spanish language and culture.

After starting college at Loyola Marymount University, she transferred to Loyola University Chicago to pursue her degree in advertising—but not before taking another pivotal year abroad in Madrid. It was there she met Lucía, a friendship that blossomed into a deep familial bond. Over the years since graduation, she has visited Lucía and her family nearly annually, becoming an adopted member of their Spanish family. These relationships have been instrumental in developing her conversational Spanish skills and deepening her appreciation for Spanish culture and language nuances.

Her marketing career began in consumer packaged goods, where she honed her expertise working with beloved brands including Mike's Hard Lemonade, Ortega, Pirate's Booty, and Russell Stover Chocolates. It was her role with Russell Stover that brought her to Kansas City, where she now calls home.

When she became pregnant with her daughter Annika, now 2.5 years old, she was determined to share the Spanish language skills that had opened so many doors and created such meaningful relationships in her own life. However, she quickly discovered that conversational fluency didn't extend to the specialized vocabulary of parenting—words like "diaper" and "peekaboo" had never come up in her travels or conversations with friends.

Committed to speaking authentic Castilian Spanish with Annika to honor her Spanish family connections, she embarked on extensive research, spending countless hours consulting resources and seeking guidance from her Madrid family. What started as a personal quest to expand her parenting vocabulary evolved into this comprehensive guide—a resource she wished had existed when she began her journey as a bilingual parent.

This book represents not just linguistic research, but a bridge between cultures, born from genuine relationships and decades of Spanish immersion experiences, with a desire to help other English-speaking parents navigate the beautiful challenge of raising bilingual children with authentic Spanish vocabulary.