Mexico 2012

We are safely back at home.  We had a long (due to flying stand-by) few days trying to get home, and Leo had a bumpy transition back into life back at home.  He was a total trooper about being away from jb for so long and the airport waits, long plane rides, and bus rides - but once we got home it was clear that he wanted to make sure he and jb were never separated again.  Even a simple trip to the bathroom would lead to crying.  He's mostly back to normal - but is still keeping a close eye on jb.

Despite that little bump, the trip to Mexico was a total success.  We got plenty of vitamin D, ate lots of delicious food, saw some people we love, and Leo's Spanish catapulted from shy nouns to full sentences.

Here are some highlights:

Bath in Abuela's sink

Mexico (Again!): How We Do It

Please forgive the silence here - Leo and I are once again in the land of sun, fresh food, and music (oh, and limited internet access).  This is our third trip to Mexico in just over a year.  I know I’ve mentioned in passing on the blog that we had a hard time recuperating financially from my layoff and after closing the café – so how exactly are we able to afford these trips?  Travel to Mexico would not be possible for us except for the following circumstances:

1. My mother is flight attendant and can get us deeply discounted “buddy passes” to fly for a fraction of the cost we would pay retail.  Of course that means we fly stand-by and therefore have been stranded in random cities on occasion – but it’s so worth it.
2. My family owns a home in Mexico and we have several family members willing to host us.  After the plane fare, lodging would be the second biggest expense – so eliminating that makes it much more affordable. 
3. Because we have a home (and therefore a kitchen) we are able to eat many meals at home.  We go to the market and buy fruits, veggies, fresh meat and tortillas and have feasts of authentic Mexican food without breaking the bank. 
4. My mother is able to join us and help me wrangle Leo, suitcases, and general travel craziness.  This has been especially helpful this trip as I’m entering the third trimester of pregnancy and am much more tired and slow-moving. 
5. I don’t hold an out-of-the home 9-5 job.  jb is the main income-earner in our home which makes my schedule much more flexible for these (sometimes last-minute) trips.  Leo makes sure everyone knows it, too – making it a point to tell everyone, “Daddy working” when they ask why it’s just the two of us. 

Take away any one of these factors and trips would be VERY rare, if not out of reach all together.  Naturally, most people don’t have this perfect storm of travel luck – but when we realized that we had this opportunity we made sure to take advantage by saving and putting our money towards travel.  We have especially focused on it now that Leo is under two and still flying as a lap child.  I hope we can still make these trips once bug comes along and Leo has to have his own (discounted) ticket.  I’ll have to be extra nice to my mom if I want her to help me with TWO kids for six hours of flying, a layover and a two-hour bus ride.

Even at just 22 months, it’s clear that Leo has really benefitted from these trips.  Exposure to another culture and climate is invaluable.  Seeing him absorb the sounds and smells of the market, dance to ranchero music, and enjoy fresh exotic fruits and new foods makes it clear that these experiences are really helping carve his sense of the world.  Another benefit is that these trips have overlapped with his verbal development; reinforcing our efforts to teach him Spanish at home.  I think that considering I’m the only Spanish speaker in our home he is doing pretty well – but the vocabulary boost he gets from each trip is so obvious.  His language skyrockets after just a few days of immersion.  Because of all this, even if we have to scrimp in other areas, we think the money put towards these trips is well spent.  

Scenes from Cuernavaca

We've mostly been staying close to home - our house is in Cuernavaca, Morelos - which has fantastic weather year - round, so we are enjoying time outside, the food, and catching up with family and friends.  Our days are packed and our internet is spotty - but here are a few highlights:

"swimming" in the front yard

Dia De Los Muertos: Las Ofrendas de Ocotepec

For Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) we went to visit Ocotepec, Morelos - a small town just north of Cuernavaca (where my family lives) - to see the ofrendas (altars) that are still a tradition there.

To prepare, during the day we went to the market to buy candles because it is customary to give a candle to each family whose home you visit.   The market was packed with Day of the Dead things - sugar skulls, decorative paper, candles, and the traditional flowers for the holiday.

Sugar (and chocolate and gummy) skulls

  

Flying to Mexico with a Toddler

Early-early before the trip started

Leo and I are in Mexico visiting family (awesome, right?).  The trip down wasn't too bad - although the only thing I have to compare it to is the last trip when I was alone and we both had the stomach flu - so I figured it couldn't get much worse.  This time we are healthy and we've got Abi on our team.  We came armed with a long list of distractions (snacks, crayons, new small toys, playdough, books, songs, and even a couple episodes of Sesame Street in Spanish loaded on the iphone) and used every last one.  He didn't love spending six hours on the plane, but between the bag of goodies, Abi, and walking up and down the aisle - he survived.

He slept through most of the first short and early flight.  The second longer one was a little more trying.  The four hours felt like an eternity - but overall he was a real trooper.  The crayons and playdough were the biggest hit - and he was so excited to have unlimited "special" snacks like dried fruit and puffs. Surprisingly the TV episodes didn't hold his attention, but I think perhaps we waited too long and he was done sitting still by that point.