Argentina

(I wrote this for all three boys' journal). We came back from our huge Argentina trip this week, 1000 pictures later. We were gone for 2 weeks, including a few days in Florida. Exhausting and great! You boys traveled so well, in the rented vehicles, through airport securities, in the planes, taking turns in the umbrella stroller, and on foot. The time in the air was over 18 hours total, so it was quite the endeavor. Papa hung out with Wes and Austin, and I literally nursed Isaac for hours on end to keep him confined. It was quite a challenge trying to keep Isaac out of the walkways, especially when he was figety and wanted to crawl. For the trip back we were able to put him in the airplane bassinet, which lasted for about 1 hour. You boys stayed busy with playdough, the Leapster game, gummy worms, airplane snacks (oreos, ritz crackers and peanuts), coloring, playing Go Fish, listening to the music through the arm rest, and sleeping.

There were two obstacles with the travel. The first one came when we arrived in FL, intending to leave for Argentina the next day. We were contacted a half hour before leaving for the airport that the flight had been cancelled! So, we ended up having to leave the following morning, staying in a hotel that they did provide, and then travel the 10 hours during the day. Benadryl came in handy for some drowsiness. The second obstacle was on our way back from Bs As to Florida. Our 11pm scheduled flight got delayed until 4am! That is no easy task with three little children. We left Abu’s house at midnight, you all slept in the taxi on the way there, and while Austin slept in the stroller, Wes and Isaac stayed wide awake until 4am. It was such a long morning...and that was just the beginning of the flight! You boys adjusted and didn’t complain. I was the one that was impatient! We all arrived in FL exhausted, rented another minivan and then took a family nap in a parking lot!

Highlights of the trip:

*Abu! She was thrilled to see all of you from the moment we met up at the airport. She had gone out of her way to make sure you felt loved and comfortable. From her placemats of Madagascar, to the new sheets, new swimming towels, facturas for breakfast, trips to the nearby park, helping buy diapers and ibuprofen, reading you stories from the new Christmas books, finding a loving babysitter while we went out for a Tango show, putting up a Christmas tree with presents for you to open, and of course preparing kid friendly meals as quickly as possible for your hungry mouths everyday. I am sad that she is not around more frequently to talk with you and to interact with you, but I think that you all felt of her love and affection for you. I miss her too.

*Seeing W and A communicate in Spanish with their primos. A even said, “che” one time while talking! W was more expressive and social with the boys and picked up on the new vocabulary instantly. Your accents were different, but with a bit of patience, everyone was able to understand.

*Birthday party in Rosario. The Spongebob Squarepants piñata that we took with us was a huge success. Even though we didn’t know all the little kids in attendance, you boys still played hard in the bouncy house, with the clown entertainer, enjoyed your pizza and soda, and of course hitting the piñata. Singing Feliz Cumpleanos was super fun to hear and the stacked chocolate/ dulce de leche cake was delish.

*Temaiken theme park. You boys loved the turtles who swam on top of each other, the big hippopotamus, the hanging bats, the 3D movie, and the playground. It was super hot, sticky and muggy. That part was not so fun, but we endured and enjoyed the fans that sprayed cool mists.

*Primos! You loved interacting with the Abrea primos; Santiago, Juani, Juoaquin, Camila, Franco, and Guido. The asado that we shared on Christmas day was at a campground and you boys loved getting sweaty, dirty and finding all the bichitos rolly that you could. Lots of soda, budin, carne and caramelos made you all so happy.

* Food; empanadas, gaseosa, asado, helado, pizza, and sandwiches de miga were favorites. You were not fans of the ensalada de zanahorias or tuna tarts. Dinners were at 9pm, so we had to adjust to a later dinner, and thus a later bedtime. For breakfast you usually had a yogurt, a factura or a banana. Lunch was always different, but raviolis were a favorite. Merienda was when you wanted to have dinner, but had to settle for crackers, and then dinner was usually asado. Los caramelos and alfajores were new to you, but you all just showed the same excitement to eat them as if they were from the USA.

*El Tambo in Rosario where we saw first hand a Dulce de Leche dairy farm. The sweet baby cows that sucked on our fingers were so fun to touch (we later would have to detoxify our flip flops upon returning to the USA). We also saw how cows got artificially inseminated. I am sure that was something you don’t remember or understand, but it was interesting to me.

*Mosquitoes and “Off” spray. Austin especially got eaten up on one particular day in Rosario while swimming. We were constantly on the lookout for those mosquitoes and then later any anti-itch crème. The weather was very sticky, humid and warm.

*El Subte and the Train were adventurous. We chose to go to El Abasto, a large shopping center to visit Santa (the lines were too long so we didn’t see him), and eat some helado. You all were good sports as we dragged you around the city, buying DVD’s off the black market and melting away in the heat. I sure felt bad to not have extra water on hand at all times, like I normally do here at home. We went home during rush hour, so that created a hairy situation on the subte. The car was jam packed with people going home, but somehow all 6 of us shoved our way into another car. I was touched when given priority to sit down at the window seat with Isaac in tow and thus allowing W and A to also sit down. I felt like a can of sardines. Everyone was sharing each others sweat, and I was praying that you all would just sit quietly and not fidget.

*El Medico was where I eventually took Isaac after 3 days of a fever of 104. I knew that it was from teething, but it got scarier for me when he wouldn’t nurse or eat anything from being so congested. Tylenol and saline drops were only by prescription, so it was important that we went for help. He was up for nights just crying and we couldn’t find any relief. The day before leaving the USA, Isaac also fell off of the bed and so we had to go to the E.R. for a CT scan after he had a bloody nose and threw up (both signs of internal bleeding. I didn’t want to risk anything with our long flight, cabin pressure or unfamiliar hospitals in Argentina). Everything came out clear and fine, and right now he is cruising around underneath this computer, making sounds (gah, gee, gah) and playing with a highlighter on the floor. He loves to be wherever we are!

Overall, we are so glad that we made it safely to and from South America. It was so much more work with three young children, but also so much more fun. Naptimes, snacks, water, routines, discipline, socializing and bathroom breaks were all monopolized by our trip. But, we made it and you all promised us to never forget!

“Te acuerdas Argentina?" Wesley says he remembers: papa's cumpleanos, nadando, los primos, jugando en el parque, la iglesia, Joaquin, el otro Joaquin, las vacas. Austin remembers: las galletas, leche y manzana que dejamos, el arbol navadeno verde, los regalos, la iglesia, el pan y el agua tambien