This little family just got hit with a nasty 24 hour bug. Urghh. The worst is over now though, and we’re slowly starting to eat solids and feel a bit better on our feet.

Last Friday Ivan and I took a much needed road trip to Alamos. It was a spur of the moment thing, fueled by the fact that we have another few days to wait until our visa interview and this heat plus lack of things to do here is driving us nuts. So we hired a car for the day, left Mika with her grandma and drove for 2 hours to Alamos for a very good breakfast. We played a long scrabble game, talked about our wedding and drank a couple cups of pretty good coffee before jumping back in the car and driving home again.

It wasn’t so much for the breakfast that we did the trip. It was for everything. For the 2 hour drive with no baby, for 7 hours of just Ivan and I, for the excitement of being somewhere new (even if only for a few hours) and for sitting in a beautiful tranquil setting for 3 hours together. It was just what we needed.

The place is in Alamos and is called Teresita’s. It’s super cute as you can tell from these pictures!

Mika was perfect for her Grandma. She napped, she played, she ate and she was super stoked to see us when we got home. Oh, in other news…Mika is starting to walk! Her record so far is EIGHT steps! I’m kinda embarrassed to say that I almost cried the first time she did it. I have no idea why, but it just feels so…momentous. This is IT. This is huge. She’ll never be a little crawling baby ever again. I’m so proud and excited, but clearly also a little bit teary at the thought of it all

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• Likes: grapes, mango, black beans, mayocoba beans, banana, raisins. Dislikes: everything else.
• Has just started standing all by herself! Today! She looked at me and just stood up without holding onto anything, stayed there for a while, then crouched down again.
• Instead of giving kisses, she’s started ‘blowing’ kisses. She can smack her lips together in a kissing sort of way. Her version of ‘blowing’ a kiss is by putting her finger in her mouth and pulling it out as she does it. Too cute.
• 4 teeth! 2 on top, 2 on the bottom.
• Down to about 3 breastfeeds a day. We’re working on it.
• Can climb up and down the stairs like a boss. Boom.
• Loves her paddling pool like crazy.
• Is in love with ‘tongues’ right now. If I poke mine out at her, she gets into a fit of giggles as she tries to grab it. Quite funny.
• Has started throwing mini ‘tantrums’. It’s hilarious to watch, we’re not quite sure what we’re meant to do about it. But it is so.freaking.cute. This is what her tantrums look like:

And she keeps getting cuter every day. Proof:

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We have been in Mexico for waaaay too long now. As much as I love spending time with Ivan’s family, I am so excited to have more human interaction on a daily basis that isn’t through Skype. As much as I love that avocados and limes are so cheap, I can’t wait to have a full variety of vegetables to choose from. I can’t wait to buy vegetables that aren’t wilted or already dead.

The temperature has increased to a casual 35 degrees+ during the day and so all we can do is just sit around inside waiting for the sun to go down. There are no swimming pools. There are no exciting indoor places. There are no huge shady parks with lush grass. There is no beach or lake for swimming.  I HATE how much I have started to dislike this place.

For four months I made daily affirmations about what I was grateful for. Being here, spending endless time with Ivan and Mika together, seeing Ivan’s brothers and his mum. But now it’s been a little bit too long. I’m so ready to leave.

(This little girl on the other hand, doesn’t care about vegetables or excessive heat or lack of things to do. Ivan found an old toy car in the back of ‘the room dangerously filled with so much stuff that you really shouldn’t try to go inside’ that must have belonged to one of his brother’s kids. Mika’s current favourite thing to do is to have early morning or late afternoon walks in this thing. It is her FAVOURITE thing in the world. Like she just sits there, holding the little steering wheel and watching the world go past. She turns around every once in a while and blows us a kiss and grins so big that everything feels wonderful again. She smiles and waves at passersby and she can stay so still in it for such long walks.)

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We spent all of Friday packing our bags. Well, I spent the entire Friday packing, Ivan spent the day running around tying up loose ends with paying bills and organising things and Mika spent the day climbing through boxes and swimming in her paddling pool under the watch of her abuelita (grandma). It’s fair to say that things worked out well for Mika while Ivan and I felt just a bit miserable that we couldn’t be playing with her all day.

To cut a long story into 24 words, we were told (on Friday) that instead of leaving our house on Sunday like we had planned, we had to get out on Friday.

Strange, yes, but we had no choice. So after a very long day, a very long night and a few tears, we set up camp at Ivan’s mum’s home.

Today we just found out that we are flying to Seattle on Wednesday and I am impossibly excited whilst at the same time feeling a bit annoyed at myself for also feeling a little exhausted. Traveling is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but on little to no sleep, with working full time at the moment and with a 1 year old, sometimes just the thought of a 3 hour bus, 2 plane rides and around 12 hours in transit is just overwhelming! But I’m just being silly really, because I find the airport ridiculously exciting and I love being in new places and I am so excited to be in such a beautiful city. I’m just exhausted right now and it’s after midnight and I’ve been working on a silly problem for a website we’re building and it’s driving me nuts.

I was debating about posting some of my favourite links or just some photos of Mika and her favourite people. The favourite people won.

With her 2 godmamas doing crosswords

Being fed by Oma

Playing trains with my friend cousin Jack

Hangin out with godpapa Red (we’re still working on those names)

My Uncle Vinny

Uncle Pablo

Aunty Anita

Reading with Grandpa

Oh OK and here are some fun links I’ve collected over the week:

The ultimate roof-top garden (my hero!)

Hilarious tips for single women in 1938. (Found via Courtney’s blog)

An awesome DIY chalkboard tutorial.

Eating red meat increases chances of death.

Never fly with your bags again!

These wedding dresses

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Mika,

Last night you were so itchy and you couldn’t sleep so I lay with you next to me and you curled your little body into mine. I stroked your hair and you fell asleep and I thought to myself how lucky we all are.

Becoming a mama has made me realise how many things exist in this world that could harm you. Things that I hardly gave a second thought to before, have suddenly become terrifying. From that angry driver to that kid with the flu, the table with sharp corners or the chunky soup – dangers lurk everywhere and I need to constantly tell my terrified brain to chill out.

In your first year you have been in an airplane 6 times. You have slept in cars, in prams, in arms, in travel cots, in bassinets, in baby carriers, on trains, on planes, on busses, on floors and in beds. We’ve had sleepless nights, restless nights and peaceful nights. And somehow, we’re all still alive.

We’ve called you Pokey, Thumpy, Kicky, Bug, Rascal, but most commonly Baby. You’re our sweet sweet baby girl and not a day has gone by without your papa or I exclaiming to each other how beautiful you are. We’re fascinated with you. You’ve quickly gone from a newborn who needed me to hold her head, to a little baby girl who would much rather hold her own bottle thanks. You went from helplessly kicking your little legs, to racing around our living room on all fours, climbing the stairs and pulling yourself along on our furniture.

Often when we were in transit, flying high over the oceans or speeding along in the dark in an overnight bus, I would hold you in my arms as you slept and I would feel so lucky that I could be here protecting you right now. I know we can’t protect you forever, but I can’t say we won’t be doing our best.

We’re so grateful that we’re your parents. We’re so proud of you and the love we feel for you is terrifying and glorious. We’re not the only ones – So many people love you.

To our little moon child, our sweet winter baby,

Happy first birthday,

Your mama & papa
x

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Are you ready for the best 8 minutes of your life? If you haven’t had the opportunity to be with this little girl for the entire past year, then here is your chance to see the highlights. OK, it’s probably not gonna be that wonderful for anyone who isn’t family, so to our family around the world – this is for you.

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