First week in Puerto Vallarta

Aaaah Mexico...

Well we have embarked on a wild and crazy adventure with 7-month old Giselle in tow. Making our way through Mexico meeting Marcos’ family for the very first time. Our first stop Puerto Vallarta. A beautiful and quite crowded little city wrapped around the bay. It is loaded with market lined streets busy with kids and grow ups alike walking from place to place.. As Marcos said to me, “Here the cars come first, pedestrians second.” Yes it’s true. Although it all seems totally chaotic to me, everyone seems to handle it with ease and happiness. One thing I noticed about the drivers is that they are way crazier and cut each other off every five seconds but never get mad.. Seems ironic but it’s true! I hardly ever see anyone flashing bad looks or gestures for driving like a maniac.. The one thing all of Vallarta could use is one giant smog check.. That’s our big joke. We’ll be rolling behind some beater exhausting enough fumes to power a large building and I’ll yell, “Smog check!” The car pollition is quite noticable to me, but Marcos doesn’t even flinch.. He practically rides with his head out the window :)
So here in Vallarta we are staying in the quaint little apartment of his sister, Lluvia (pronounced Yuvia) and her family, husband Raoul and 4 year old daughter Dana Valeria.. Marcos and his sister could be twins, looks wise.. Cracks me up! Their house is in the center of a busy little neighborhood lined with sandwich shops and fresh quesadillias.. The water trucks roll around each day yelling, “Agua!!” Everyone will sell just about any kind of food they can manage to think of.. Which actually got me into a little trouble a few days back.. I was warned and I tried hard to be careful but really I’m living like a local and watching what you eat can only be a general rule in that case.. So on Saturday I found myself on the wrong side of a Cubana Torta (Mexican sandwich) that I will never eat again.. Food poisoning struck for a day but thankfully Marcos’ best friend is a doctor and prescribed some medicine to flush out my system.. By Sunday we were back in action.. I chalk it up to being indoctrinated into Mexican cuisine as the “gringa” (white girl) that I am :) Point taken. Take it a few days back though to the second night I was in town.. Marcos took all of us to this beautiful restaurant literally 20 feet from the rolling waves.. I had my feet in the sand as I was eating Mahi Mahi and drinking a Corona.. Heavenly!! It was magical to be there all together with little Giselle.. I thought, “What a lucky girl having beach dinners at 7 months old!”
The language barrier between me and everyone else has proven to be interesting to say the least.. The what I thought to be ‘alot’ of Spanish I speak turned out to be pretty minescule. So it has been a little intimidating, but hey this girls always up for the challenge. It does make awkward silences even more awkward that’s for sure.. I’m a talker but when I don’t know what to say I am out of my element. So it’s been a lesson so far in pushing myself to search for words, new for me! And if you think that four year olds have alot of questions and things to say try a four year old who speaks a different language! She has had me on my toes! She must be thinking, “ What in the heck is this lady talking about?” When I don’t know what to say I just answer in English, that usually throws her off for a minute or two :) All in all though I am pleased to say Giselle and I are adjusting very well, doing as much as we can to be careful and to just relax and go along for the ride..
Little Giselle bell, like the angel baby she is, has been a breeze.. She cruises from here to there, has done great with the time change and is taking kindly to her family on this side. She is bit more on my hip as expected in a new place with new people, if I could be, I would be on her hip.. I probably feel more vulnerable than her! When she saw her Papi she gave him the shy look, laying her head on my chest and turning it the other way.. Then looking again, then turning it again, until finally getting really excited.. She is thrilled with her Papi.. They are so in love those two.. Sometimes I feel like the odd man out, you know, three’s a crows sort of thing.. No, just kidding, in all seriousness they are maddly in love and I wouldn’t have it any other way. She is pleased as punch with Daddy all the time only until she’s ready for some Chi Chi (the boob). So that is my report so far, about a week into it.. We are headed to Puebla in a few days to be with his parents Papa Henry and Mama Nena for about three or four weeks. That will be great too.. Can’t wait to meet his parents in person finally and see all of Puebla.. It’s supposed to be chalk full of culture.. So lots of love to all of you.. We miss you all and are sending just the best wishes as this year begins to unfold in radical ways... xoxoxo