Lisa is two

On July 31^st my precious baby Lisa Marielle turned two years old. I (because I am Mexican) wanted once again to have a big celebration for my girl, but Mike (because he is Mike) wanted nothing to do with a party. So like everything else in our interracial marriage this was up for discussion. I have been living in this country for almost five years and while I have been able to assimilate the culture that doesn’t mean I understand or agree with everything. We have both learned that for both of us some things are more important than others. For me it is almost mandatory to have a birthday party every year for my kids and even though Mike doesn’t understand that he tries to be understanding of my feelings just as I try to be understanding when he says he doesn’t think a party is necessary. We both realize it’s a cultural thing and agree on doing something special for her but not too over the top special. We bought her a set of table and chairs for our Spanish sessions since it really helps to have a formal space where she has to sit and listen to mom, Rio 1 and 2, and thanks to Grandma Anthony we were also able to buy her an awesome tricycle. We ate cake and had balloons in the house, we sung happy birthday and had a great time as a family. One of these years she will have a party (remember my wedding party? Well not that big) but for the time being this was just perfect.

We are so grateful for our little girl, she makes us so happy. She and her sister are the light of our lives. Lisa is a very happy and friendly girl as long as we don’t go out of her routine too much. I have found that some things make her really anxious. She has gotten too big for the laundry basket we use inside the tub to give her baths and when we decided not to use it anymore she had a fit. She cried incessantly for the entire bath for about a week; now she only cries when we first put her in the tub. She can’t stand any of us messing with her crib; if we decide to change the bedding we have to do it while she is out of the room just to avoid the tantrum. Potty training? We have tried several times and she just hates everything about the toilet. We even got her a super cute potty training set that came with a step stool, a small soft toilet seat, and a hook. She loved playing with it but as soon as we put it on the toilet she freaked out. So we don’t even know where or how to start since we don’t want to use the small potty; we don’t want to have to transition her again to the big toilet. Besides, it sounds like a hassle if you are out; with the set we got her we have a small portable seat to put on top of any toilet.

I hope these are just normal things that toddlers struggle with. Lisa is my very best friend. I have always felt a little bit out of place here and because of it I am not one to seek to be around people. I love spending time with her. Even when I have had a bad day and I cannot wait for her to go to bed when she has been sleeping for a couple of hour I miss her. Is that crazy? I feel like I want to go see her even though I know I will see her the next day. Baby Lisa is so pretty I still can’t believe how much she has changed. I love her more that words can explain.

Out with the food pouch in with the rib bone.


At two years old Lisa,

• ·         Understands both English and Spanish
• ·         Speaks mostly Spanish (Two-word sentences if we are lucky)
• ·         Loves her dog Ella
• ·         Tolerates sister Mika
• ·         Adores dad
• ·         Loves pasas and “nacks” (raisins and fruit snacks)
• ·         Absolutely hates going to the doctors
• ·         Is obsessed with Curious George and the Rio movies
• ·         Sucks the corners of her blanket (which she calls kee – kee)
• ·         Has to sleep with her kee -kee, Curious George toy, another toy called beast, and a book
• ·         Doesn’t like mom to do her hair in any way.
• ·         Loves nursery
• ·         Helps mom unload the dishwasher and feed the dogs
• ·         Still wears diapers and totally hates the toilet, she doesn’t even like to be without her diaper (lucky us)
• ·         She hands mom or dad wipes and a diaper when she wants to be changed.
• ·         She is in the 57% in weight and 98% in height
• ·         Is VERY stubborn, and throws tantrums at the least provocation (welcome to life with a toddler)

We recently had some family pictures taken and I took advantage of the time with the photographer to squeeze some birthday photos for Lisa. She wasn’t cooperating but at least we got a couple.

These are Lisa's first birthday pictures

These are Lisa's second birthday pictures

The terrible twos captured in one picture

And here are some of the pictures I took the day of her birthday. If I had planned my day better and Mika's naps would've worked out perfectly I probably would have been able to make her a cake. Mike bought the most delicious cake I have ever tasted so it turned out better that I didn't make it. Days like these are especially hard for me since I love being around family. Did you know that in Hispanic cultures kids don't leave home until the day they marry? is normal and expected to live with your parents until then. another thing that I even find a little weird is that we don't move out of state, we stay where our family is unless we are totally forced to do it; that means my brother ans my sister are probably going to stay in Merida, Mexico forever. Interesting. Anyway, Lisa's birthday was fun and we spend some time remembering the day of her birth and how we felt. It was very nice to relive some moments. not the 12 hours of labor though.

In this picture you can see George and Beast