We're back!

Man is it ever a shock to come from the lush green paradise of Asuncion into the cold stark tundra of the Midwest. There is not one green thing as far as the eye can see. My cousin who came with us for a month to visit must have felt like she was coming to another planet. I've made this trip so many times, and even for me it's quite drastic, I can only imagine what it must be like for someone who has never seen the snow.
But besides that, we are back, safe and sound, although a little insane from the length of the voyage. It's a good thing we have a few days to decompress before having to go back to work. I remember the times we would come back after the 1st, and have to immediately go to school/work the next day, NOT fun let me tell you.
Domingo once again was a real trooper on the trip. He was a little less forgiving on the way back, crying a few times and refusing to sit in his car seat on a couple of occasions. I just know all those rides in Paraguay sans car seat are going to come back and bite us in the rear. Tough luck big guy!
Another thing Domingo seems to be telling me is that his body prefers to be in Paraguay. He did not have a single issue with any food he ate, or juice, water, anything, UNTIL we got home. That boy ate EVERYTHING and did not get sick once. Today out of nowhere he has some seriously nasty diarrhea (too much info for some I know, but sorry, I've come to discover, a little to my horror, that it's what mom's talk about) although it doesn't seem to slow him down at all. Either he's telling me we should move to Paraguay, or airports are filthy, disgusting places, and we should be hermetically sealed before we enter one. For now, I'll go with option B.
We are spending New Year's here in Morris, and then are headed back to Chicago tomorrow. We'll make a stop at tia Jennifer's to see some primos and grab Grandma and Farfar and then finally get back home where I will then have to go to the store because we are poorer than old mother Hubbard with out even a bone in the cupboard!
This is one of those trips that in order to recover, you need another week vacation!
More pictures and a full recap of all the Paraguay fun to come.
Hope everyone has a wonderful, safe and happy NEW YEAR!!
xoxo
Domi's World Staff

Feliz Navidad!

Prospero Año y Felicidad! Just another very quick update, well wishes, and greetings from a foreign land.
Only a few pictures because as I said in my last post, the internet is very slow and pictures take forever to upload.
We have been having a wonderful time despite the outrageous heat. Remember a few posts back, when I was complaining about how one has no choice but to gain weight in the Chicago winter because all there was to do was stay indoors and eat? Well, I'm not much better off in the Paraguayan summer. There is no escaping the heat, unless you sequester yourself to your air-conditioned cave during the day. And there is nothing you want to do more than sleep, long, languorous and indulgent naps. Even Domingo will take a 2 and a half hour nap or two during the day. This usually coincides with no desire to eat either, which you would think would combat the chubbiness, but I manage to have a few mixto sandwiches (hot ham and cheese) a full lunch plus dessert, and then when the sun goes down, and you can venture outside again without igniting in flames, you have a few hours to stuff yourself silly with dinner, then go back to sleep. How on earth am I expected to not gain weight? Maybe my deep dark tan will camouflage my expanding thighs, oh but wait, I have no tan because were I to be outside in the sun, I would (as previously mentioned) go up immediately in flames, it's so freaking HOT! Thank goodness we now have the pool and can at least be submerged up to the tips of our noses. That said, I'm soaking up all the oppressive heat so I can deal with the long cold winter awaiting us in Chicago.

Despite all my complaining, and ever expanding girth (or perhaps because of them), we are having a great time. Domingo is the king of the castle, and everyone (it goes without saying) adores him. He's met his cousins, two great grandmothers, and myriad aunts and uncles. He's eating every fruit he can get his hands on, and more juice than he's ever had in his life, (and note to tia Leticia while knocking violently on wood- not a single troubling diaper). He is barefoot, filthy, and 99% of the time pantsless, needless to say, he is in heaven. He's not even bothered by the bugs, which tend to leave him alone and prefer my ample rear as fodder. Even the few bug bites he has do not balloon up like mine, thank God, so we haven't had to worry about scratching, infections, or baby benadryl. The only sad part is that we have so few days left, time here really flies.

Here are a few pictures to wet your appetites! More when we return. And again, Ho ho ho, Merry Everyone!



Happy juice face.




Playing with An-i (Angie)



Our Christmas package dropped out of the sky, luckily Papa was there to catch him.

We made it

I can no longer give Gustavo grief about not posting enough, this internet connection is so painfully slow!
Anyway, after a maddening 36 hour trip, we finally made it to Sunny Paraguay! Oh, scratch the sunny part. It was rainy today. But we didn't complain because along with the rain came 70 degree temps. It was really nice. Domingo was a super trooper on the trip. I'm sure I'll give a more detailed account of the blow by blow later, but now I have to put this baby to bed. With no bathtubs in the entire country, bath time is going to be a little tricky! Pictures, etc. later!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

We are in a very precariously controlled chaos right now in Domi's world. Sanity is currently sliding along on a razor's edge. There are suit case contents splayed all over the house, lists being made, and remade, people in various stages of disarray, words have been said, enemies made, ah, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Actually, we are doing alright, we are pretty much packed and ready to go. We have 12, yes, 12 giant suitcases, an ancient lady, a toddler, a guy with a broken arm, and a neurotic maniac to wrangle. Ok, I'll be fair, two neurotic maniacs. Chris and my mother have a lot in common. All right, all right, Chris and my father are the cool heads in the house. There is a good reason that we married them.
I will try my best to at least upload a picture or two, and maybe write a quick update from Paraguay. But at the very least, I know I'll have lots of material for when we get back.
So Merry Christmas/Feliz Navidad/Happy Hanukkah etc. etc. We'll see you on the other side of the world!

We all take our lumps

Domi included. This weekend proved slightly treacherous at Domi's world. We had a wonderful visit from Grandma and Farfar before we go on our big Paraguay trip. They wanted to see little D. before next year, so they came up for a nice visit. We went out to lunch at Hot Doug's, and while Mama and Domi thought it was divine, Papa just can't handle the encased meats.





Here we are waiting outside. Good thing that Domi has that Norwegian blood coursing through his veins, otherwise he'd be freezing just like I was! There is ALWAYS a line! It proves that it's really good, no?



Ah, duck fries, we didn't tell him he was eating quack quack, no need to traumatize him this early.

So Papa got a little sick after all that grease, can't really blame him, but it's hard to sympathize when you have an iron-clad stomach. So he was kind of a downer for the rest of the visit, but did we let that stop us? Heck no!
We were off to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, this is one of my favorite places in the city, especially when it's cold out. The butterfly room is always toasty warm, and Domingo loved the "posas" (mariposas) and the ssssirpientes in the special exhibit. He also is fascinated by fish, and spent a good deal of energy saying "mas pez" over and over trying to get thick Mama to take him back to the fish. It maybe time for a trip to the aquarium pretty soon.
The last time we were at this museum, we went with the twins, and Domi was just a little to little to really appreciate anything but the heat lamps in the butterfly room. But this time it was great. He was totally into everything.
After the museum we came back home and Daddy hung out in bed while Domi played with Grandma. Domi is totally enamored of Grandma. I wasn't even allowed to read him a story while Grandma was around.

So since I was reduced to chopped liver, I figured I'd make myself useful. I was busy making dinner when Domi suffered his first shiner. One of the dangers of learning to walk is falling, a lot. And although we have padded, and child-proofed most of the edges, his eye happened to find an uncushoined one. After a long silent scream, and some serious cuddles, he stopped crying. He had a little scrape and a small little bump under his eye, but other than that he was completely fine. I'm not looking forward to Ana's judgmental looks tomorrow, but that's as much a part of life as falling when you learn to walk right?
It turns out that D2 was not the only Domi to take a spill this weekend. Abuelo, aka Domi#1 fell on the ice this weekend and broke his wrist, just before we have to leave for Paraguay. Man what a treacherous weekend. Let's hope next weekend is less eventful!

15th Month day update!

One day late, and a dollar short. I was about to post about how I'm just not feelin' it these days, and have nothing really note-worthy to report, when I looked at the date and realized that it's the day after Domi's 15th Month day! Bad job Mama.
Anyway, looking back over the month, there really is quite a bit to report, I guess I was just being lazy.
Domingo, you continue to amaze everyone. You are talking up a storm, and pick up a new word at least every day. You talk about your monstros, broombrooms, trens, and pio pios all day long. You can say pretty clearly when you want more agua, jugo, leche, cheerios, cereal, pan, uvas, pina, sandia, and pretty much any other food that you enjoy. You love to look at aviones, and shout 'ion every time you spot one. Then when it flies by, you demand "mas 'ion", and can get a little on the impatient side when I don't produce another right away.
That's something else that has developed further these days, your tantrum throwing skills are indeed strong young one, but not quite cute enough to get you what you want. Don't get me wrong, I most definitely choose my battles. I will not fight you over eating yet another clementine, or if you want to read Ant and Bee for the 12th time. I will however not be swayed by tears, fist pumping, foot stomping, and back arching if what you desire is to run around with ink pens in your mouth, or poopy diapers on your bottom. But really, that's about it.
This past month we celebrated Mama's and tio Ian's birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Tia May's birthday, and boy did we do a number on the cakes! I'm a little worried to see what the damage on the scale looks like at this month's doctor appointment. But I think all the extra calories are being worked off because the fact that you are officially WALKING this month! After many months of wondering if you'd ever be interested enough to get off your hiener, you are actually walking. Yes, you still plop down on your butt often, and if you need to get there like "yesterday" you drop to hands and knees and motor where ever it is you want to be, but you are most definitely on your way to being a full time biped. One of your main problems with walking is that you are so anxious to get there already, that the time and patience it takes to stay upright is sometimes too much. You just want to run, and since you can't, you'll just crawl. Ah you are so much like your mother, if you aren't good at something new right away, you'd rather just stick with what you are good at. Well, we'll just see about that won't we.
Over all, this month you've been a joy. You keep surprising me with what an angel boy you are, I keep wondering, where is all this payback I kept hearing about? But you are the sweetest, most mellow child. You wake up every morning (sometimes much earlier than I'd like) cheerful and talkative, and go to sleep every night wanting one last snuggle.
This coming month will have lots of adventures in store with snow suits, and sleds, and not least of all, our biggest adventure yet, next Sunday we are off to Paraguay! There we'll see the opposite of snow, and lounge around the pool to stay cool in the 100 degree heat, HURRAY! I really can't wait for you to meet all your cousins, and aunts and uncles and great-grandmothers. They are sure to fall in love with you instantly, and you'll charm them, just like you charm everyone you meet.
Every month I know you is a wonder. It just gets better and better. I know I've said this so many times before, but it's true every time, I can't wait to see what next month will bring. You are my darling boy.
Love,
Mama

And now I'm back, from outer space...

Miss me? I'm still not quite recovered from my month of postings, but I figured I should get some content up here before I lose all my loyal readers that I have so carefully cultivated.
Actually, funny things have been happening around here, and Chris keeps saying, "hey that's worth a post". So here we go again!
Last night as we were putting Domingo to sleep, going through the nightly routine, we got to the good night nurse part and I had to ask the question, "how long is too long?" How much longer can I really hold out on this wet nurse routine? I had initially thought until we got back from Paraguay, but Domingo is seriously testing my reserve. He was nursing and then abruptly stopped looked at me and said "otro" while patting my other boob. He wanted to let me know it was time to switch. He is now conversant with me about my boobs. This is, for me at least, a pretty good indicator that it's time to stop.
The question becomes when do we stop, after the trip? before? Right this second? So much to think about.
But for now let enjoy some ant and bee.