01-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Get a load of this. Ali and Katy are making dinner. Not exactly cooking dinner, but you’ll hear no complaints from me. Yes, that is a rotisserie chicken, and yes, that is a can of cheese. Don’t ask.
02-Dec-2009 7:29 PM
We all squeezed into the car today and drove on up to Sayulita for a change of scenery. I know what I said about Sayulita last time through there, but today kind of changed my view on the place. It’s still about ninety percent gringo and nobody but the trinket sellers on the beach speak Spanish, but overall it’s a nice little town. It’s got a good solid family fun vibe to it. The beach is jam packed with young couples, lots of kids, a hundred first time surfers, and dozens of grubby beach dogs. Nothing brings a smile to our face like a really mangy, yet adorable, beach mutt.
After a few hours in the sand, once Katy had gotten a nice little red tinge to her legs, we moseyed into town for lunner. There we discovered an incredible burrito stand, ate way too much, and left feeling like maybe we’d judged Sayulita a little too harshly.
02-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Curbside in Sayulita. Katy said the baby is going to sleep like, well, a baby in that backseat. The light rumble of that engine and the curvy mountain road almost had her snoring herself.
03-Dec-2009 3:20 PM
I had to break down the other day at the grocery store and buy a third fork. It was a little awkward the day before when we sat down to eat with Katy and had to give her one of our two forks. Having house guests is expensive. Eighty cents for cutlery doesn’t just grow on a tree.
03-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Skip-Bo. Biiiaaaaccchhhhh. Ali and I can’t play cards or board games against each other because we are both far too competitive and we have had countless arguments over things like the rules of “floating” in Rummy 500. Monopoly? Please. We won’t talk for a week after that one. But bring Katy into the fold and it’s game on.
03-Dec-2009 6:29 PM
There has been some question about our soon to be baby’s citizenship. The local ladies down here just love the fact that we’re having a little Mexican. The tourists we meet seem a lot less sure about the idea. “You’re having your baby down here?” is a common refrain.
Anyway, the baby will indeed be born a Mexican, and forever after will remain a Mexican citizen. And within a few days after birth it will also become an American citizen. Full fledged just like mom and dad. There is a bit of paperwork involved, but nothing much more than proving to the embassy that the baby is indeed ours and was born while we were here. The paperwork basically requires pictures of Ali during pregnancy, some documentation from the doctor, and a four ounce filet off of the placenta. No, not really.
No need to worry, our child will indeed be an American, free to work his/her life away earning enough money to retire to a beachside bungalow in his/her homeland of Mexico. It’s the new American dream.
04-Dec-2009 5:17 PM
Just got back from Mismaloya, a small half moon shaped bay just a few miles south of town. It was the setting for an old John Huston movie, Night of the Iguana. I’ve never heard of either of those before, but the bay does seem like it would have served the purpose well back in the sixties. Today it’s crowded in a bit by hotels and condos, but was still a nice place to hang out for the afternoon. The beach was a solid line of thatch roofed restaurants with beach chairs out front for the taking if you just ordered a beer. We did exactly that, then swam a bit and soaked in the sun. A nice day out.
04-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Locals continue to make guesses of the sex of our baby. Perhaps Ali floating around on her back is what makes it impossible for them to resist.
05-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
I think a common misconception of Mexico is that it is all just sort of dusty desert. Without fail our visitors have been surprised by the verdant mountains here. Especially being so close to the ocean. Our little six unit condo building is sort of tucked in right behind that peach building there.
06-Dec-2009 10:47 PM
So with only two weeks to go everybody is anxious to see Ali one more time. Yesterday we dropped Katy off at the airport where she passed her parents on the tarmac on their way in. So the past couple of days we’ve been hanging out and catching up. Today I trounced Ali’s dad 4-3 in cribbage and tomorrow we’ll embark in an epic RISK battle to conquer the world. Because that is just what we do. Meanwhile Ali’s mom surprised me with just how emotional this baby is making her. I only say surprised because she’s already got two awesome little grandchildren and I guess I thought by number three it would have become old hat. I shall never underestimate the power of the baby again.
06-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
We had dinner tonight down by the marina. They had really no idea what a trawler was so I tried to point one out to them. But even with all of these boats around I couldn’t find a trawler anywhere. Plenty of sport fishers, sailboats, and mega yachts, but not one good old fashioned trawler. It’ll be more fun this way though; if we do buy one at some point down the line it will still be a surprise for them.
08-Dec-2009 6:32 PM
Big day today. We visited the doctora this morning to see how the baby is doing. We started off answering a few questions in her office before the ultrasound. We told her that we were a little concerned the past few days because the baby really seemed to be stuck way over on Ali’s left side; the same side the placenta is stuck on.
So we went in to the ultrasound looking for that and sure enough the baby was a bit tangled up. The cord is actually going over its shoulders and back down into its hands. Not exactly wrapped around his/her neck, but closer than we would like. The doctor wasn’t too concerned, but told Ali to really take it easy the next few days. And then she decided that we were moving the due date up again. We’re going in on Friday for one last visit and on that day will decide if we will schedule the c-section for Monday or Tuesday of next week. The baby will be a bit over 38 weeks then, and cooked “medium-well” as the doctor put it. It’s not perfect, but in a few days we’ll have our baby in our arms and the rest of this stuff will be history.
Truth is, we’re happy the date got moved up again. Every day closer is cause for celebration in our home.
Ali’s mom asked me today if I was nervous. I’m really not. Not even a little bit. I know the birth will go off without a hitch. I know we’ll kick butt at this whole child rearing business. And I know that in our lives we’ve made nothing but the right decisions leading up to this. We are ready.
08-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Things are done a little differently down here in Mexico. Today our doctor told Ali she needed a shot. She then wrote out a prescription and sent us off to the pharmacy. Apparently they don’t keep a lot of that stuff around the office. When Ali came out of the pharmacy she had a box with a vial full of liquid and a three inch needle. We weren’t completely sure what the hell we were supposed to do with it. Ali said, “You can give it to me.” I looked at her like she must be out of her mind, ushered her into the car, and drove straight back to the doctors. When we got back it did seem like the doctor was a little surprised to see us, but she took Ali into the bathroom, had her drop her pants, and jabbed the needle in her butt. She then told her that we could just bring the second shot to our appointment on Friday and she’d give it to her then. Yeah she will.
09-Dec-2009 9:22 PM
The past few days we’ve spent hanging out with Ali’s parents at their hotel. We take it easy at home in the morning then make our way to the hotel around noon. We then spend a few hours lounging at the beach drinking Pacificos and strawberry smoothies before our hunger leads us to one of the nearby taco restaurants. At one restaurant I ordered up a shrimp combo platter. For seven bucks I was confronted with over thirty shrimp. The number was slightly inflated by the fact that each beer I ordered came with two shrimp stuck in the mouth of the can. Anyway, nice relaxing days counting down to the day that turns all of this upside down.
09-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Only a few days left with this beautiful crooked bump. I’m going to miss going to the beach with my pregnant wife. It seems stupid, but I feel kind of proud hanging out in the sand with her like this. Like, “Yeah, I did that, and yeah, it’s awesome.”
10-Dec-2009 12:37 PM
Last night Ali was having some cramping in her belly and thighs. We talked to the doctor and she said to come on in this morning for a look. She flipped on the ultrasound and we could see that the baby’s head had indeed moved a bit towards the cervix. Apparently trying to get itself in position for a final push. Problem is that it’s still a little earlier than any of us would like. We’re really pushing to wait until Monday. I’ve probably explained this before, but we do not want Ali to go into labor. Her placenta is blocking the baby’s exit, and is the reason for the c-section.
So she ordered Ali to go home and lay down. No stress, no walking around, just take it easy. And that’s where we’re at now. If there is any more cramping today she said we’re going in and getting the baby tonight.
Ali hasn’t had any cramping today though so we’re hopeful that she just overdid it yesterday and that by chilling out she’ll be able to get the baby through the weekend.
I have to say that Ali and I both really like the doctor. She is great. Always upbeat and happy to see us even if she’s got patients stacking up in the waiting room. Which she always does. Last night when I tried to call her I kept getting her voicemail. She had given us her husbands number as well and told us to use it if we couldn’t get a hold of her. So I finally did that. He told me to call her back in two minutes, and sure enough she picked right up. She was in the hospital and had to have her phone turned off so he had her paged. Anyway, she’s awesome, and the service that she gives us is leaps and bounds beyond what we’ve come to expect from doctors throughout our lives. Oh, and our last two appointments combined have cost us 350 pesos. That’s about twenty-seven U.S. dollars.
10-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Yep, this child does not seem to understand the meaning of minimalism. Just look at this pile of clothes. It’s in black and white of course, for the preservation of our little sorpresa. Surprise.
11-Dec-2009 10:02 AM
Ali’s parents came over last night. And for some reason were surprised by just how nice our place is. I’m not sure why that is. I mean aren’t all of Ali’s previous homes beautiful? Remember the boat? The bus? What girl’s parents don’t dream of those as homes for their daughter? Anyway, they said the pictures on the website didn’t do this place justice and that even they would live here. Well, they would if it was right on the beach.
As a husband I don’t suppose I could ask for much more than that as a seal of approval. Her mom did mention however that she was just happy the baby had a home and wouldn’t be driving through the jungle in the Porsche. I wouldn’t do that of course. You don’t do that sort of thing until a baby is at least two weeks old. Even I know that.
11-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Who ever said the 356 wasn’t a family car. Just look at the four of us in there, all ready for a five hundred mile road trip. Or a three mile jaunt to a restaurant. Whichever.
11-Dec-2009 7:19 PM
The past two days Ali and I have just been hanging out at home trying to follow doctor’s orders and take it easy. Meanwhile her parents hang out in the hotel pool and drink beer all day. Ahh well, they’ve earned it. Ali’s done good though and has managed to avoid more cramping, keeping the baby from heading for the light. Tomorrow morning we go in to the doctor for another check-up. Hopefully for the last time.
12-Dec-2009 1:40 PM
Ali’s parents flew out for home this morning. We had a nice visit, though certainly different than we are used to. We usually get to spend a lot more time together. But number one this week has been keeping Ali from overdoing it.
We just got back from the doctor again. The baby is fine, but seems to like scooching ever closer to that cervix. Dr. Laura said the baby is fully developed and ready to come out. She then asked us when we wanted to go in. I believe her exact words were, “I have a procedure at one and we could do it after that.” TODAY?! For some reason that totally threw us for a loop. We expected Monday, but today? After some stuttering Ali told her that she is more of a morning person and asked her if tomorrow morning would be okay. So now, at 1:40, we’re waiting to call her back at three and find out if her team is available for tomorrow or if it’s going to be this afternoon. Oh my goodness, we’re about to have a baby!
12-Dec-2009 4:35 PM
We are on for tomorrow. Sunday morning at 11:30 the baby is coming out. Because we don’t have a phone and I can’t get Skype to call our doctor’s cell phone, I ran across the street to make the call as usual. Once she told me it was tomorrow I asked her what we needed to bring. No need to plan for these things too far in advance right? So she ran down the list to me and I was replying, “Okay, okay, check, okay, yep got that, okay, check, wait, did you say diapers for Ali?”
She did indeed say that. She assured me it was for the bleeding and stuff. And stuff? So half an hour ago we found ourselves in the grocery store pharmacy section perusing diapers. Adult diapers. Some things about giving birth just aren’t very well publicized. On our way out of the store giggling, Ali told me to, “Quit calling them diapers, they’re just big pads.” Followed by, “God how old are we? Who giggles over adult diapers?” The question really should be who doesn’t giggle over adult diapers?
Also, while we were at the grocery store we were in the deli section and Ali picked up a plastic container of cole slaw. A minute later we were still browsing around when we noticed two deli employees opening those same containers one at a time to stick their nose in for a sniff test to determine if they were still good or not. A few did not pass the test. Ours went back on the shelf.
12-Dec-2009 5:01 PM
“God, it just feels like we should be doing something,” Ali just said while pacing around the room. It’s true. It does feel like we should be stressed out over something. Instead we’re sitting here as if it is just another day, the same as any other.
13-Dec-2009 9:30 AM
Years ago whenever I thought of children I thought about boys. Sports, motorcycles, and all that stuff ruled my visions. Then twelve years ago my niece Lea was born and changed all of that. From day one she melted my heart like only a little girl can do. And from then on I’ve been excited at the thought of one day having a little daddy’s girl of my own. So while everyone was off predicting that Ali was pregnant with a boy I just knew there was a sweet baby girl in there. It came as no real surprise at all to me when our doctor made her little slip and confirmed to me what I already knew. Ali’s never had a preference one way or the other, though she is firm in her belief that girls are harder to raise than boys. Being a not always so well behaved boy myself I find that hard to believe, but I think we both realize right now that how our girl turns out will be a direct result of how we raise her. We’ve got eighteen years from today to do a good job of it.
13-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
It’s a girl! And life couldn’t get any better.
Her name is Ouest Lill. She weighs 7 pounds 1 ounce. She is 20 inches long. And she is perfect in every other way imaginable. Ali is sore but doing great. Ouest came out a little grumpy and cold, but soon warmed up and has slept ever since. We will gush all about her as soon as we catch our breath. Thanks to everybody for sending the good thoughts our way.
14-Dec-2009 1:18 PM
Warning: as a decidedly immature thirty-five year old male this is a website post that I would rather not see had it been anybody but my own wife and child. Only because this website is our diary will I include the graphic pictures here. For any young males without children, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
So, the delivery. Ali and I walked across the street to the hospital at 11 o’clock. We introduced ourselves at reception and within a couple of minutes Ali was naked underneath her hospital gown and lying on a bed in the emergency room with an IV drip in her arm waiting for the doctor and her team to arrive for the noon delivery.
Doctor Laura arrived and burst into the room a bundle of positive energy. A few minutes later Ali was wheeled up to the surgical room and I was taken to another room to change into my smock and wait for the call to come in.
From what Ali tells me there was no room for modesty at this point. She was washed, shot up with her epidural, her arms were strapped out to her side Jesus style, and then I was brought in to sit next to her head.
This is when things really started to happen quick. Within a couple of minutes the scalpels were out and the c-section began. Not one minute after that all the doctors and nurses were telling me that I better get in position with my camera if I wanted to see this. To be totally honest, before I went in there I really had no intention of watching the bloody parts of the show. It’s just not my thing. Ali’s either, and she really didn’t want me anywhere near the goings on. But when the moment came I got up and watched my baby girl come out. The final cut started a monsoon of blood and the doctors suddenly seemed to be working at warp speed. Doctor Laura reached into the mess and pulled out a head. One more yank and the baby literally seemed to come flying out of there.
The pediatrician took over then, grabbing our screaming girl and rushing her over to another table. I don’t even remember seeing the umbilical cord getting cut it all happened so fast. On the table the doctor was suctioning her nose and throat, clearing everything out and making sure her breathing was going well. It was, and after a quick drop in the scale she was brought over to Ali and then up to the nursery. Her temperature was low and they put her into an incubator type thing for a couple of hours to get her temp up and stable.
About an hour later I met Ali in our room and Ouest was brought in. What a great moment. From that point on the day sort of became a blur. Lots of cuddling, oohing and aahing. Ali was in enough pain that she couldn’t really do much of anything. Ouest could be put in the crook of her arm, but even adjusting her beyond that point was impossible. Most of the evening we just spent lying with Ouest while a parade of nurses came in to take care of both her and Ali.
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14-Dec-2009 10:21 PM
Ouest is French for West and is pronounced very nearly the same way. Lill was, hundreds of years ago, a nickname for somebody with fair hair or skin. We’re pretty certain our little girl is going to fit that bill.
The name Ouest obviously came from our travels. To us it means always aiming for the horizon. I often wish I had been born a century or two earlier. Back when the battle cry for restless adventurous souls who wanted to make their own way in life was simply to “Go West.” We don’t want our daughter to be tied down by society’s expectations of her. We want her to find her own direction. To always, at least metaphorically, go west.
And on top of all that it just sounds bad ass and sweet all in one.
14-Dec-2009 10:28 PM
Sitting here with Ouest in my arms a few minutes ago got me wondering just what in the world she could be dreaming about. One day old, blurry eyed, and no concept of anything, yet watching her you’d think she had a million thoughts running through her mind.
14-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Get used to the sight of this little girl’s face gracing our daily life for awhile. I don’t foresee a whole lot of anything else going on.
15-Dec-2009 2:29 PM
We are elated to be home. Ali and I both woke up this morning at about five a.m. eager to get out of the hospital. Just yesterday it didn’t seem to us like it would be possible. Ali was in major pain. Just getting herself out of bed was brutal. I definitely underestimated just how major a surgery a c-section is. I sort of thought this would be the easier route. But the horrendous shooting pains when she attempted any sort of movement put an end to that theory.
But this morning she woke up feeling much better and could suddenly get out of bed without my help. Our doctor visited us, the pediatrician gave us a rundown of everything we needed to know, and the nurses kept up their constant vigil while all the while preparing us to leave. I went down to billing and got a full printout of every single charge we’d incurred and within five minutes we were paid in full. The nurses finalized our paperwork with Ouest’s footprints and before we knew it they were all saying goodbye. It could not possibly have been any easier or been run any more smoothly.
Out on the street we eased ourselves into a cab and made the hundred yard drive across the street. Another minute and we were in the house where we plan to hole up for awhile.
Ouest so far has been a dream as far as sleeping goes. We simply wrap her up tight and can then do whatever we want with her. She just sleeps. Feeding her is another matter. Getting an ounce of food into her can take an hour. Because again, she just wants to sleep. Diaper changing? No problem. One minute flat and we’re out of there. Unless, like in the middle of my first diaper change, she decides it’s time to double up what’s already in there.
Anyway, Ali is doing good. Ouest is doing great. And I’m just doing.
15-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
What am I thinking right at this moment? Thank goodness my hairline doesn’t look like this little old man’s.
15-Dec-2009 6:27 PM
It’s just starting to get dark and I suddenly feel a tension I didn’t feel before. The only thing I have to compare it to is our first overnight passage on the boat. I know there is nothing to worry about and there is no more danger in the dark, but the apprehension is still there. That one rain cloud on the horizon right before the sky got too dark to see it anymore lingers in your mind.
16-Dec-2009 9:01 AM
Ouest made the tabloids. The Bumfuzzle equivalent of the tabloids anyway. On the Cruisers Forum a Bum friend made a caring announcement of Ouest’s birth. The very first reply to that nice posting was something about Ali and I being crooks that skipped out on $9,000 worth of repair bills in the Caribbean. If Ouest ever gets mixed up with a chat room sailor I’m going to ship her off to India for an arranged marriage.
16-Dec-2009 2:23 PM
We are having some fun now. Ali and I just finished up bathing Ouest together for the first time. We had all the soaps and creams and cotton balls and diapers and clothes laid out beforehand. We talked over the exact plan of attack, everything from cleaning the eyes to spraying down the privates. And just before we were ready to go we took off her diaper and walked from the bedroom to the kitchen with our little red screaming baby.
We had already made our first mistake at this point. You don’t take the diaper off in a different room. You take it off above the sink. I realized the error of our ways the moment I felt the warm pee spraying against my naked chest and running down my leg. Ali was trying very hard not to laugh too hard because of her fresh stitches, but when the next incident occurred she was doubled over with laughter and tears running down her face. The pile of poop on the kitchen counter was what did it to her. It was one of those scenes you see on those totally cheesy movies starring people like Robin Williams or John Travolta that, while watching it, you just can’t stop rolling your eyes and thinking, “Oh, come on, what a lame cliche’.” This was us.
The rest of the bath went off without a hitch. Mainly because there were no more bodily functions to perform. We washed and rinsed at warp speed while Ouest screamed at us and I listened to Ali repeat over and over again, “Just don’t drop her, just don’t drop her.”
Frankly, everything is going pretty well so far. She doesn’t eat quite as much as the doctor ordered, but she’s trying. I’m the baby burper and after a few trials and errors I think I’ve finally mastered my face down over the knee, rub the back technique. Instant burp inducer that one. And basically with every three hours that passes we feel much more confident in our ability to not harm Ouest in any sort of permanently debilitating way.
16-Dec-2009 3:40 PM
Having a baby in Mexico. When I googled this term about seven months ago there was essentially only one meaningful result. It was an article written for the Huffington Post that ended by saying, “Retirees flock north to Canada for affordable prescription drugs. Why Americans aren’t heading south to give birth is beyond me.” And now that we’ve been through the entire process we could not agree more. So here is our story and our take on the subject for future googlers like us.
We arrived in Puerto Vallarta without any idea as to what the health care facilities were like in Mexico. The internet searches all seemed to point towards them being comparable to those in the U.S. though, and from what we’d seen in our travels we weren’t really all that concerned about it.
Another google search for Puerto Vallarta OBGYNs turned up the name Dr. Laura Garcia, along with a phone number (044-322-779-7739). It also said she spoke English. This was all we had to go on. I called her up and she answered right away. It was her cell phone. A doctor’s cell phone number listed on the internet. Imagine. She quickly agreed to meet with us just a couple of days later on a Saturday.
Her office was in a small building in the Old Town area of Puerto Vallarta. A small three doctor place with an examining room and an ultrasound room. The receptionist didn’t speak a word of English but was just as nice as could be with our halting Spanish. Doctora Laura soon came out and greeted us. Ali and I were at first taken aback by how young she looked, but we soon found out she was thirty-five and had two kids of her own. She looks about twenty. She was friendly, fun, and excited for us. We were immediately thrilled with her. During our first appointment we had an ultrasound and talked about the coming two months. On the way out we paid 500 pesos (about $38 dollars).
We then went to visit the two main private hospitals that she recommended giving birth at. Both hospitals had English speakers to show us around. They were both sparkling clean, small, quiet, and filled with attentive nurses. They had emergency rooms, operating rooms, surgeons and doctors on staff, and all in all seemed like the perfect places to have a baby. They also told us their costs right up front. We ended up choosing San Javier Marina Hospital over the other simply because it was two blocks from the apartment we had rented.
We met with Doctora Laura four more times, had ultrasounds done each time, and paid a grand total of 850 pesos (about $65 dollars) for those four visits.
Ali had some issues with her placenta which required a c-section birth done two weeks before our due date. On the scheduled day we went in to the hospital, gave them a 20,000 peso cash deposit, and were on our way. Doctora Laura arrived with her team consisting of another surgeon, a pediatrician, and an anesthesiologist. And of course there were a couple of nurses on hand as well. I won’t go into detail about the birth again, but suffice to say that things went off without a hitch and our baby girl was born healthy and without incident.
We spent the next two nights in the hospital. Our baby was the only one in the hospital at the time and got all the attention she needed and more. The baby nurses were fantastic and obviously loved their jobs. The regular nurses took excellent care of Ali, the food was good, and on and on. Everybody got us the paperwork necessary for our baby, and best of all, on the day we were checking out I went to the cashier’s office and was presented a minutely detailed bill within two minutes. I paid it, was given a receipt, and we were free to go, never to receive another bill.
We honestly don’t have a single bad word to say about the entire experience from the time we arrived in Puerto Vallarta and found Dr. Laura Garcia to the moment we left the hospital with our daughter Ouest Lill.
Ali and I don’t have health insurance which is just part of the reason we came to Mexico to have our baby. Health care is a mess in the States for people like us who have the funds to pay our own way. My greatest fear wasn’t paying the hefty price for having a baby there, it was what would happen to us if everything didn’t go exactly perfect. The other reasons for coming to Mexico are more simple. Warm weather, great food, sandy beaches, friendly people, lower cost of living, and of course the lower health care costs.
At the end of the day this is what it cost us. The c-section delivery added about twenty percent to the cost because of the extra surgeon on hand and the extra day in the hospital needed for recovery. But as you can see the cost was still extremely reasonable. We recommend Dr. Laura and have already said that if we have more children and it is at all possible we will be coming back to Puerto Vallarta and her again. This was the ideal experience for us.
Our cost to have a baby in Mexico = $3,113
doctor visits with ultrasounds (October-Delivery) $104; c-section delivery/hospital 2 days $2904; pharmacy (prenatal and postnatal) $105
16-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Two minutes after this was taken she would pee on me and poop on the kitchen counter. We are going to have to work on house breaking this little girl soon.
17-Dec-2009 1:08 PM
This morning, right after we put Ouest down for another three hour shift, I took off for the Registration Civil office with a vague hope of obtaining a birth certificate. The office was stereotypical Mexican bureaucracy. I walked through the doors and was confronted with six different booths for an array of different certificates and licenses. Milling around them all were dozens of locals that looked like they’d been filling out forms for the better part of 2009. I figured I was screwed. But then a security guard saw the papers I had in my hand and asked if I was looking for Certificado de Nacimiento. He then pointed me in the right direction.
Waiting at the desk I was more certain than minutes before that I was screwed. Two harried lady’s worked feverishly, speaking rapid fire Spanish, and generally shaking their heads at the customers in front of them. I worked my way up to the desk and wedged myself in between two fathers with their wives sporting kids on their hips. Miraculously, as one couple finished up, the lady that was helping them turned to me. I blurted out, “Certificado de Nacimiento.” She must have summed me up pretty quickly because her reply, in perfect English, was, “Is your wife a Mexican?” I told her that no, unfortunately, she was just as American as me. She then smiled and asked to see what papers I had brought.
About two minutes later I had learned that I seemed to have all the paperwork necessary, but that I just needed copies of everything. However, more importantly, I would have to return with not only my wife and daughter, but with two witnesses as well. A couple of friends who don’t mind hanging out in this stuffy mass of humanity with us for a couple of hours. Soooooo, this should be fun.
17-Dec-2009 4:32 PM
We just finished up our second bathing attempt, and did so with great success. She spends a good part of the day wrapped up in her swaddle blanket, so when we get to strip her out of her clothes for bath time we take great joy in marveling over just how tiny she really is, and in observing just how much her legs and butt look like a miniaturized version of an eighty-year-old man. We won’t mortify her just yet with those pics.
17-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Ouest’s half of the bedroom. She has slept at least eighteen hours a day in here since we got her home. Eat, burp, poop, sleep, repeat. Three hours at a crack. I was what is known as a colicky baby, so her easy going routine has been a dream so far.
17-Dec-2009 9:31 PM
I’m not usually one for quotes. Frankly I’ve seen one too many sailing blogs with the, “Twenty years from now…” quote. Sorry in advance to our many friends who use that one. You know who you are. But anyway, today I was reading an article in Time with this quote by Teddy Roosevelt that I’d had taped up at our nav station from day one of our sail around the world. When I saw it again just now I was reminded of the hundreds of times that I read it while sitting there plotting our course.
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.“
18-Dec-2009 7:45 AM
Ouest is awesome. Not a tear has been shed in more than a day. Every since I figured out this burping thing actually. We wake up every three hours through the night, Ali feeds her, I burp her, change her diaper, rub her back, and slip her back into bed where she instantly zonks out for the next three hours. It’s almost too easy right now.
18-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
While we were stripping Ouest down for a sink shower today it became clear that once access to that hand had been granted she wanted it in her mouth. It was sad watching her gape open mouthed like a little bird but not have the coordination to get it in there. Ali finally caved in and helped her to have a quick stab at it. This picture now makes Ali cry. We’re total saps.
19-Dec-2009 11:29 AM
I’ve mentioned before that we have a counter on our website that tracks where our hits come from. Referring pages I guess is what you’d call them. Anyway, today we had a look and found that one hit had come from Google India from somebody there entering this in the search box: white liquide drop in pantee. i am 13 weeks pregnent. is any problem?
Hell yes there is a problem. The problem is that bumfuzzle.com popped up as a result of that. I’d say our demographic is shifting rather rapidly. Goodbye searches for sailing around the world, hello white liquid drop in panty search.
19-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
It looks like I’m choking her to death, but no position brings her more contentment than this one. Just let the arms dangle and enjoy the back massage.
20-Dec-2009 2:15 PM
Ouest is a week old. Ali and I are feeling pretty good about that. The week has gone smoothly, Ouest seems happy and content, and we’re not stressing about much of anything. After a couple of slow days on the feeding front she is now a guzzler and a first-class burper to boot.
This morning our buzzer rang and we found a good friend of ours, Berkeley, waiting at the door. He and a couple of buddies are on a two month motorcycle road trip from Oregon to Guatemala or points beyond. It was fun to hear all of the Baja breakdown stories and about how they struggled so far just to get to this point.
After he took off Ali and I decided to venture outside of the house together for the first time. Not on much of an adventure but on a little walk to the grocery store. It felt good to get out together and to see Ali getting around so well.
Overall we’re just keeping the pace slow, enjoying our girl, and getting as much sleep as we can.
20-Dec-2009 10:31 PM
It’s amazing how quickly we can go from feeling totally in control to not having a clue. After an early afternoon snooze today Ouest decided that was it. We fed her, bathed her, rubbed her back, fed her a little more, changed diapers, rubbed her belly, cooed in her ear, you name it, but she could not get back to sleep. Six hours later she was crying off and on in what seemed like terrible pain, scrunching up tightly and then stretching out as far as she could go. It was excruciating for us not being able to figure out what was wrong and therefore not be able to help. Finally, after what felt like hours of patting her back and rubbing her I got a nice big burp out. Another thirty minutes of soothing back rubbing and she was finally asleep. Ali wasn’t far behind her.
21-Dec-2009 6:12 PM
This has been a mentally painful day for us. It started out okay, Ouest slept pretty well the last few hours of the night, but in the morning she was clearly in pain again. One second she’d be peaceful as can be and the next her body would go as rigid as a two-by-four and she’d let out a bloodcurdling cry. It broke our hearts every time. We eventually calmed her enough that we decided to all go to the doctor’s office so Ali could get her stitches taken out.
That went pretty well but shortly after returning home Ouest was right back at it again. This time I called our pediatrician. He was out of town but told us we should bring her into the hospital and have the pediatrician there have a look at her.
So we walked over there and had her checked out. The doc poked and prodded her before determining that she was just fine. A little gassy maybe, but these were just normal adjustments for a newborn. He gave us a bottle of drops to help reduce the gas and sent us home.
Back at home now we’ve been alternating still between complete peace and what appears to us to be excruciating pain. The drops do appear to be working though as the diaper toots have been coming long and strong. We’re really hoping that this works its way out soon and she can go back to being our happy little sleeping girl.
21-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Blood work. Our pediatrician told us to come back in at one week to have Ouest’s blood work done. And since we were in the hospital anyway today we decided to get it over with. Which in retrospect was probably a terrible decision as she had already had a tough day and we just made it tougher. She was apoplectic when the nurse strapped on a rubber hose to her wrist and dove that tiny needle into the vein on her hand. It only took a second, but when the nurse finished she said with a big pout of pity on her face, “That one had me shaking.” Poor Ouest was upsetting everybody today.
22-Dec-2009 2:24 PM
Some days are simply more successful than others. Today was a resounding success. I mentioned previously that in order to get Ouest a birth certificate we all had to go down to the Registro Civil along with two witnesses. Seeing as we don’t know anybody down here and our family isn’t coming down for a couple of more weeks we weren’t quite sure who we were going to get for the job. But then a couple of Bum friends came through for us.
Coop and Becky arrived down here on vacation the day before Ouest was born. They’d offered us dinner, but the baby came along sooner than we’d thought so we had to decline. It turned out they were staying in the hotel directly across the street so they then offered to bring us a pizza. How nice is that? But we turned down that offer and instead asked if they’d like to do us a different favor all together.
So this morning the five of us climbed in a cab and headed downtown. The small office was filled with parents and their babies but we moved through the line quickly and were greeted by what has to be one of the nicest bureaucrats in all of Mexico. This lady walked us through the paperwork and quickly had everything checked off and handed in to the typist.
Ouest drew a lot of inquisitive stares. We were definitely not a sight the locals were accustomed to seeing in there. And boy do little girls ever love to look at babies. They stood there slack-jawed while Ouest slept in my heavily sweating arms.
Eventually the typist came out. There was one problem. Here in Mexico the women keep their maiden names. They do take on the husband’s name, but it is secondary to their own and they are left with four names. But for the purpose of this baby paperwork the woman skips the husband’s name altogether and is left with just her maiden name on the application. We had filled everything out as Alison Renee Schulte, but found out that it would be impossible for them to enter it that way into the system. So we all agreed that they would make the necessary changes and Ali and I would sign off on the paperwork with a note saying that we agreed to make the change. Ali is now once again Alison Renee Williams. And after affixing her miniscule thumbprint to her papers our daughter officially became Ouest Lill Schulte Williams.
It took about two hours, but we walked out with Ouest’s Mexican Birth Certificate. We’re quite proud at having an official record of her birth, and also happy that we got it in the presence of new Bum friends. We often meet website friends in strange places, but this one takes the cake.
Next step: Mexican passport. After that: U.S. Citizenship and U.S. passport.
22-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
We wrap Ouest up in a swaddle blanket when she is sleeping. It’s sort of like a straight jacket for babies. It doesn’t matter though, she’s like the Harry Houdini of the under two week set. Fight the Power!
23-Dec-2009 8:45 AM
To anybody who has ever witnessed first hand the horrors of Mexican electrical and wiring this story will not come as no surprise. A couple weeks back our bathroom lights went out. At first we assumed it was the light bulbs and I asked the maintenance man, Juan, for new ones. He didn’t have any, but told me where I could probably find them. See, these were unlike any light bulbs we had ever seen. They didn’t screw in, but had some big box on the end with four copper plugs. We went to Walmart and Home Depot but nobody had ever seen these things before.
We then went back and asked Juan if he could switch out our light bulbs with the empty apartment next door. He went and got them, but despite looking the same they did not fit. They were a different brand. In the end, nobody knew what to do about it, so they called in an “electrician” who came over and switched out both light fixtures entirely with the ones from next door. This is what happens when a light bulb burns out.
Now today our refrigerator is dead. It’s a year-old now so it only makes sense. That’s about how long fridges last. Seems to me that the problem is actually the wiring again because the fridge just sits there clicking like a clock while dimming all the lights in the apartment. I can’t wait to roll in the fridge from next door.
23-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
At first glance your mind automatically assumes this onesie says Mommy’s Precious Girl, but take a closer look. What the heck is that word? I could see if we picked this up from a Mexican market stall, but this is Gerber, from Target.
23-Dec-2009 3:25 PM
Ali rode out this mornings tantrum and we are reaping the rewards this afternoon. Quiet, sleep, glorious sleep. I like this black and white photo. It seems to say, “Yeah, I’m sucking my thumb. F*** Off.”
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23-Dec-2009 7:35 PM
Just spent the last four hours getting Ouest to sleep. She can be perfect for the better part of the day and then suddenly, total meltdown. This evening we even broke out the big gun. Our ace in the hole. Anne Murray’s Greatest Hits. I mean who can’t sleep to Killing Me Softly With His Song? I’ll tell you who. During the breaks in the chaos we did get some sweet moments though.
24-Dec-2009 8:09 PM
Ali and I haven’t really done the Christmas thing for the past decade. We don’t shop, exchange gifts, or bake cookies. We just don’t get into it. The commercialism is just too over the top. And really, unless you’ve got kids around what is the point? I guess we could be called Scrooges. That would be fair.
But we’re parents now, and with that comes some sort of holiday responsibility. Ouest may be just a bit on the young side to get into the spirit but we didn’t think she was too young to sit on Santa’s lap. So off to the mall we went. Christmas here isn’t quite how we remember it from our childhood. To start with we were both dripping with sweat after the five block walk down the road. Then there was the fact that Santa was a pock faced young man with dark brown skin. No jolly fat white guy with rosy cheeks here. Fair enough.
After stripping Ouest out of her clothes and cooling off a little bit we headed straight for the big man himself. Fortunately she was practically asleep, as I don’t think the nervous looking Santa would have appreciated it if she had been screaming and squirming. We dropped her in his big white gloves and for the next couple of minutes I think she managed to yawn in every picture we took. What a great girl.
Ouest did ask Santa for a pair of fingernail clippers which we snuck off and bought when she wasn’t looking. We’ll leave it under the poinsettia that one of our neighbors left in front of our door the other day. As for our Christmas Eve, Ali and I just finished watching Christmas Vacation and knocking back a couple of Pacificos. Feliz Navidad.
By the way, Ouest was a huge hit at the mall. A crowd gathered to watch her get her picture taken. We got the feeling it was as much in awe of our poor parenting, bringing a tiny baby like her to the mall, as it was for how cute she was. When we sat down to wrap her up in her blanket mothers stopped by to show their little girls, rub her cheeks, and wish us felicidades, congratulations. And one little boy of about five walked right up to her and poked her in the forehead with his finger as if testing to see if she was real or not. Ouest slept through it all, oblivious to the attention.
25-Dec-2009 1:17 PM
After those couple of rough days with Ouest things have improved dramatically. There doesn’t appear to be any more stomach pains, she sleeps through the night except for two quick feedings about four hours apart, and continues that through most of the days as well. She tolerates and sometimes even enjoys bath time. In fact the only time we have any problems right now is around the ten a.m. to two p.m. time slot. She’s just wide awake during this time, getting more and more restless and cranky, until a small meltdown wears her out completely and she crashes and gets right back into her routine. I guess maybe that makes this time period part of the routine as well.
We don’t even mind her being up for so long since she seems to enjoy moving around, flailing limbs all over the place. The problem for us is how to entertain a two-week old. She seems to like my singing voice. For now. That will change when her hearing develops a little more. She gets hour upon hour of back and stomach massages. But beyond that we are stumped for fun things to keep us all entertained. You can only bounce a baby around for so long.
25-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Christmas Day on the beach. We thought the place would be dead, but the locals were out in force. It was a bit windy to hang out too long but a little salt air did us all good. Ouest can thank her aunt for today’s beach attire.
26-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
And this was taken after we went to the grocery store. If ever there were two people who wished that the Jetson’s vision of the future would have come true, it is us. Oh if only we could just take a turkey dinner pill, or a meatloaf pill, how grand life would be. Honestly one of my greatest fears is what the heck we’re going to feed this poor child when she gets a little older. The real kicker is that meat there was meant to be hamburger. When we got it home we realized it was ground octopus and pork. Unless pulpo means something different in this instance. What in the hell are we supposed to make out of that?
27-Dec-2009 11:56 AM
It’s a worn out saying, but, they really do grow up fast. Ouest is two weeks old today and already we can see changes in her. We go to the pediatrician tomorrow to confirm it, but we can tell that she’s putting on weight. Her cheeks are bigger and she’s got a double chin with jowls now. Her legs and arms are still skinny as can be though I doubt they’ll be far behind. Her eyes open wide now. They’re navy blue and the whites get brighter every day. We keep saying things like, “I can’t wait until she can hold her head up on her own.” Knowing that when that time comes we’ll probably pine for the days when she just laid around helplessly. Anyway, she’s healthy, she’s growing, and time is flying by.
28-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
This morning we had Ouest’s two week check-up. She’s doing great. We really didn’t have anything to tell the doctor as far as problems or concerns. She hasn’t quite hit the eight pound mark, which was a little surprising to us considering how ravenous her hunger seems to be, but overall she got a big, “Okay, looks good, see you in about six weeks.” Which, now that I’m a parent, I realize is all you hope to hear.
28-Dec-2009 3:54 PM
We got more of our important paperwork accomplished today. Our doctor finished up her report stating that she did indeed deliver a baby girl named Ouest to Ali and I. She also gave us a copy of her medical identification which, together with a whole host of other documents, should be enough to prove to the American Embassy that the United States has a new citizen to add to the books.
28-Dec-2009 8:58 PM
Again, every time we think we’ve got everything under control. It’s hard to tell exactly what the problem was but for the past three or four hours she was crying her eyes out. We could hardly get her to catch her breath and were having no luck soothing her until we tried the dryer. We turned the dryer on and I pressed her little body up against it. It worked so well that once I became exhausted from standing there we moved her little crib into the laundry room and shoved it right up against that machine. And that’s where she’s sleeping right at this moment.
29-Dec-2009 8:41 AM
And now twelve hours later she’s had a great night of sleep. Away from the dryer. This little girl of ours is all over the board.
29-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
We took a stroll on up to Walmart today in search of a hat and possibly some sort of vibrating attachment for Ouest’s crib. These were our big goals of the trip. Mexican Walmarts however, despite appearances, are not nearly as thorough in their offerings as their American brothers. We walked out of the store with neither a hat nor a vibrator. And yes, I know exactly how that sounds.
31-Dec-2009 our life. daily.
Today I tried out this baby Moby wrap-carrier-thingy for the first time. We were both a little taken aback by just how much fabric was involved in putting this on correctly, and I did feel like a first class doofus, but when Ouest slid into the fold I forgot all about what I looked like. She was about the happiest little bug you’ve ever seen snuggled in there. And best of all it left me so hands free that Ali and I were able to stroll along the beach and, get this, stop to have a beer at a sandy hotel bar along the way.
31-Dec-2009 7:58 PM
A year in review. If ever a year of ours deserved a recap it was 2009. It’s hard for us to believe that we rang in this year camped on a beach in northern Colombia. We cruised all over South America from there, loving every bit of it. Our VW gave us a few trying moments, most notably in Pisco, Peru, but for the most part carried us wherever we wanted to go.
Though we didn’t know it at the time, Ouest joined us on a secluded lakeside beach in Chile. She then got nine months of adventure that would be hard for any fetus to beat. There was the Superclásico in Argentina. Nearly a month on a container ship bound for Europe. Angry Germans to contend with upon our arrival. Friendly Germans to help us drop the VW engine. Swiss car shows to win. Austrian Alps to climb. The Running of the Bulls. Parisian streets to wander along. And dreary English weather to slog through.
Then it was back to the States for summer fun in Minnesota. Kids soccer games, ice cream parlors, Taco Bells, and of course the Minnesota State Fair. From there we loaded our belongings onto a train bound for the West coast. Gorgeous Portland weather greeted us while we fixed up the Porsche and packed it up tight. Our drive took us south to see friends all over California before crossing the border into Mexico. A couple thousand miles further on we finally settled down in Puerto Vallarta. And after six weeks baking in Ali’s belly on the beach our baby girl, Ouest Lill, was born. The finishing touch was thus in place for what has been a year that we’ll always remember.
So with that we went digging around looking for pictures that we didn’t use for one reason or another but that would still epitomize the incredible year we’ve just had.
I’m going to do everything I can to make each year as good as the last.