Hell’s Half Acre

For over a year, ever since we bought here in Quintana Roo, we’ve been looking at Merida as a place we’d like to live.  Mostly it was the architecture and the colonial feel and the prospect of real estate investments.  After spending almost 2 weeks in that city we found ourselves falling head over heels.  It didn’t hurt that the weather is cool (cool being relative – ask Jamie) compared to the heat of summer, but our dear friends Jonna and Mimi have installed a weather thingie on their blog and it sure looks like the weather in Merida and Playa is very comparable.  I’d always thought the summers were too hot for reason but I guess we’ll see what happens.  We found Merida to be amazingly forward looking.  Pedestrians have the right of way in many areas and there are huge signs to that effect.  The city puts on performances and pays for singers and musicians each and every night of the week in one or another plazita throughout the centro.  There are numerous cultural events – we can’t even begin to start.  Many many museum offerings at low cost or free.  Many art galleries.  A lovely park just outside centro with a running track and swimming pool.  All free.  Many plazitas have their own mercadito.  We would be 6-8 (can’t remember) blocks from the Plaza Santiago which is known for its good market.  Makes it so much easier than having to go to the central market always.  Narco violence is really just beginning there so it seems so much safer there and at a minimum the police presence is incredibly preventative.  Much much more than any place we’ve been. Continue reading We’re such sheeple…

What a day of living!  I started a tradition this year with Jesse’s birthday that I really should continue here, but every day here in Merida is so packed full of experiences (compared to life in PaaMul) that it isn’t enough to simply report the happenings of the birthday girl.  But maybe I’ll try…

Of all our 4 kids, we planned Sissy, the 3rd.  I was CERTAIN she was the last one so I gave away all her newborn clothes and all the baby stuff we had (clothes, finally got rid of the crib we never used in all our years of babies, etc.).  We were done.  The plan had been for me to stay home until Sissy was 2 and then we’d move to a more urban area in Eugene, Oregon, where I would go back to work and Jamie would stay home with the 3 kids.  Ah plans.  This is why we don’t make plans.

Ellen definitely had other ideas and New Year’s Day 2001 was the trampita she chose.  I knew immediately and we anguished a full 2 weeks before it was possible to even test.  I was pretty certain from the start and I am not sure we actually did test.  I had a really horrific pregnancy with hyperemesis followed by a week in the hospital to get that under control.  I really didn’t even think about prenatal care until very late and if I’m not mistaken, had my first prenatal midwife exam at 32 weeks.  I found an amazing midwife who was incredibly handsoff and we had a lovely waterbirth in our livingroom (Pike was born in the back bedroom, Sissy and Ellen were waterbirths in the livingroom) at around 6pm on a lovely October day.  My sister and her 5 month old were there, my mom was watching the kids and I had a very quick labor.  Ellen was almost born in the caul – it broke just before she emerged.  It was my most lovely and peaceful home or waterbirth. Continue reading Se cumpleo siete

It only took 3 doctor visits for me to get an MRI.  The ENT consult at Hospiten in Playa recommended one, the Neuro at Hospiten in Cancun also recommended one and the ENT/Neuro I saw here in Merida very strongly advised I get over myself, listen to the past 3 doctors and get the damn MRI already.  I got really a very thorough exam from him – at certain points I knew what he was looking for and even tried to create nystagmus (because that would give a diagnosis of vertigo) but I think it is really hard to fake nystagmus.    So he gave me a really good talking to and then even tried very hard to speak English with Jamie and impress on him his desire that I get an MRI.  So alright already.  I checked the clinic of MRIs (Star Medica does not yet have a machine) and when I walked in the receptionist asked if I wanted to do it right then.  Ah, no, just checking.  He made it sound like no biggie and the price was $5300MN.  The peso has been falling like a rock and this means that not only was the procedure $1700 cheaper than Hospiten in Cancun, but I by waiting until the peso fell, I paid $451USD here vs $670USD in Cancun.  We really picked the perfect time to spend oodles of pesos. Continue reading MRI on Mexican time

I remembered from driving to Valladolid realizing that I have a certain loyalty to Quintana Roo (the state we live in) as, upon viewing a highway sign which states, “In Yucatan (state) we keep our roads clean” I immediately thought, “Well, in Quintana Roo, we do the SAME!”.  So I guess I consider myself . . . → Read More: Merida en corto

We have always instilled a strong sense of respect for the kids inner voices and tried to encourage a real honing of identification.  We attended Kidpower workshops with the boys and read Gavin de Becker’s Protecting the Gift.   We have always told them that their inner voices are much more important than anyone’s . . . → Read More: was that bad conchita pibil or my inner voice?