Puyuhuapi

The morning after Christmas we were all up and moving bright and early.  Early yes, but not so bright really. The sun was not up yet and when the sun isn't up, I feel like I shouldn't be either.  But this morning, I was excited to be up.  It meant that soon we would be on our way to Patagonia.  A place we had been talking about since the minute we found out that we were moving to Chile.  A place I have actually had on my "bucket list" since before I knew what a bucket list was.  I was like a kid on Christmas morning (just like yesterday).  So, it didn't bother me so much to half-wake the girls up, throw them in a taxi still in their jammies and begin our journey.  And a journey it was!

Ready to board the flight...Now, Please.

We live at the end of the world down here in Chile.  At least we thought we did.  But in fact, it takes two plane rides (totaling 3 1/2 hours and over 1000 miles), one bus ride (about 7 hours and who knows how many miles) and a 10 minute boat ride to reach the semi-end of the world.  I say semi because we only hit the Northern part of Patagonia.  With two little kids, we didn't think it would be wise to push them any farther than we already had.  Even though, I will say (with a bit of pride in my voice) that the girls did excellent.  Better than excellent.  Let's put it this way, the first one to whine was me.  But in my defense, I get motion sickness pretty bad - and all I was doing all day was being put into motion - in the air, on land and then on sea.  At some point, your body says enough.  I thought, this lodge had better be worth it...but I think I thought it out loud - hence, the whine.  It was more than worth it.

(The first part of the trip - Puyuhuapi Lodge and Spa - I will cover here...the second, in another post.)

This will become a theme.

It was a direct flight to our destination - sort of.  We did have to have a small stop over in Puerto Montt (no deplaning needed) before we landed at the Balmaceda airport about 11:30 am.  We were immediately met by our porters.  They hauled our luggage and our tired bodies to the big orange bus that we would be calling home for the better part of the day.  No one really paid attention to the bus, or our tired bodies. How could you when all you could see as we pulled out of the parking lot were huge, lush fields of flowers butting up against rocky outcroppings that jutted all the way to the bluest sky I had ever seen.  After all the smog in Santiago (even on a clear day it is hazy), the air here was heavenly.  I couldn't help but start shooting pictures of the landscape as we passed - through the windows of a moving bus.  Not the best, but it was all I could get (forgive them when you see them).

 We drove for about 45 minutes to the town of Coyhaique.  Small town - last civilization we would see until we hit our destination and I wouldn't call that civilization (but I would call it beautiful).  We were back on the bus in minutes and settled in to drive for awhile before we stopped for lunch.  Yes, lunch.  Keep in mind we landed at the airport at 11:30 and had already been driving for over an hour - lunch was not to be served until about 2:30 or 3 pm and we were starving.  (A good not for anyone doing a similar trip - bring snacks).  Good thing I have little kids and I always have snacks!  That bag of smuggled goldfish that my mom brought down with her was gone in a matter of minutes.

We stopped for lunch at a place called Virgen de la Cascade (The Virgin of the Falls).  We ate a quick lunch, learned about why this was here in the middle of, well, nowhere and snapped some pictures of the monument and streched our legs.   

 And then, after lunch we settled in for the long haul.  And I mean, the long haul.   We were travelling down a road called the Carretera Austral.  It runs over 770 miles through Chile and was built as a means of reaching the remote villages that are located in the southern regions of Chile (click the link above to learn more).  It is still a largely unpaved road, though we spent most of our time on pavement (or bricks, as that was what parts of the road were constructed out of).  It is still slow going even in the paved parts since it winds up and down through the peaks and valleys that surround you. 

Thankfully the girls were tired and Stinkerbell sunk into a 3 hour nap while MadHatter colored quietly.

And then, there it was, the dock.  It was a short ride from here...

to here...

                                                               to here...                              

And we were finally in our rooms.

  

It was late.  About 7:30 when we arrived but they greeted us, each and every staff member.  And at the end of the line there was a great sight - a gentleman holding a tray full of Pisco Sours.  Welcome indeed (the girls got fresh juice)!  And we quickly got changed into our swimming suits for the welcome ceremony in the Spa, followed by a 20 minute swim in the sulfer pools.  Finally dinner, and sweet sleep.   

Next up...Our two day hiking, swimming, eating and drinking adventure at the Lodge.

She will be 4

In a matter of days MadHatter will turn four. Four.  She is so ready for this, has been ready for the past couple of months.  She can't wait to be four. Actually she can't wait to be five, but she will take turning four if that is all she can get.  I, on the other hand, am having a harder time with it.

She is going to be four.

That is such a big number for my baby.  But that is the problem, isn't it?  She isn't a baby anymore, she is a little girl.  She is no longer the bow legged 9 month old who's knees still touched when she walked because she had so many rolls of fat.  No longer is her face wider than it was long because of cheeks that almost made her eyes disappear (I say almost because if you have seen her eyes, you know you could never make those things disappear).  Long gone is the sumo belly that I loved to zerbert (I still love to zerbert it, but it just isn't as big).  All signs are pointing to the fact that she has left toddler hood behind her in a blaze of growth spurts and eating binges and learning sprees.  I guess the signs have been there for awhile, I have just chosen to ignore them.

She is almost four.

This is the first year that I have celebrated the coming of her birthday with a twinge of sadness.  Every other year was such a joy to see her getting older.  Becoming more independent.  Learning new things at the speed of light.  This year, I want to tell her to slow down a bit.  Not stop altogether, just pause every once in a while.  Because I need to be able to remember these days and they are going by in such a blur.   I want her always to be my baby, and already, she is not.  And I know I cannot keep this from happening and that stinks.

She is my first.  She taught me how to be a mother.  We learned, sometimes the hard way, what it meant to be mother and daughter.  She taught me everything she knew about being a baby and I did my best to keep up with her.  Which wasn't always easy, as she has been in a hurry to grow up since the day she was born.  She was my everything, and I mean my everything, for the first 18 months of her life.  We did it all together.  And as independent as she has always been, she still needed me.  For pretty much everything that first year and then less and less as time has passed.  And I am just afraid of the day where she won't need me for anything anymore.  As it is she no longer needs me to eat breakfast (she has the whole cereal in bowl, milk after and eat thing down cold), she can dress herself and even brush her teeth (though we still help with that).  She can work a computer better than I can, turn the tv to her favorite channels (a kids remote helps) and sit for hours "reading" a book or coloring.  All things she just doesn't need help with anymore.  She can buckle her own car seat and pack her own snack for school.  All I really do is the driving anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I know that she still needs me.  I know there are 5 things she needs help with for each that she can do on her own.  And I am so proud of her for the things she can do by herself.  In fact, that is what we have been working towards, isn't it?  The purpose of my being her mother is to teach her these things.  To make sure that she is ready, both physically and emotionally, to someday survive in this world without me.  But not today.  Not any time soon.

Because she will only be four.

And that is what I have to remember.  Four is a pretty small number in the general scheme of things.  She is still just a little girl and there is so much more to come.  There will be dress up games where she needs a prince (me).  Coloring marathons that need two hands to string the pages together to make a book.  There are a million secrets that need to be told and shared between only her and me. There will be tears to wipe, that only Mama can.  And band-aids and kisses that heal only when applied by Mom.  There are night time stories to be woven and dreams to be talked about and so much more goodness to be had.

And I know that I have been privileged to be a part of her life, a part of her journey, for these past four years.  And I can't wait to be a part of the next 40.  But let's just slow down a bit.  I am just coming to terms with this birthday.

You know - the one where she turns four.

Nana and Grampa are leaving tonight so we had a small family party.  Balloons are a must.

So happy that we are celebrating her.

Hear ye, hear ye.  It is time to start celebrating!

So excited to be getting presents.  You would have thought she hadn't gotten any for Christmas just 10 days ago.

On the Tenth Day of Christmas

I can't believe we are 10 days past Christmas already.  Well, maybe I can.  We have traveled to the end of the world and back, celebrated New Year's and made a day trip to the Santa Rita Winery in those 10 days.  Has it only been 10 days since Christmas???  We have so much to talk about with our trip to Patagonia, that I will keep the Christmas recap short and sweet.  I will let the pictures tell the story of our Christmas with a few interruptions (captions) by me.  There aren't a ton because I was too busy enjoying the weekend to stop and take myself out of the situation to capture it.  I did get a few though and I hope you enjoy.  Christmas is already a very happy memory for me.  One I know I will revisit often.  I hope yours was just as full of family, joy, wine and laughter as ours was!

Traditions can't be changed just because it is 85 and sunny until 10 pm on Christmas Eve.  We always open stockings on Christmas Eve, we don't always do it outside in the backyard (new) and we don't usually make them take turns(new) but we thought MadHatter could handle waiting.  

OK Mom, enough pictures.  Just let me open in peace!

MadHatter waiting her turn patiently...well, sort of patiently.

Finally - it was her turn!

Round 2 - this time they really got set out for Santa.

A lot of families read a story on Christmas Eve before putting their kids down.  We do it with a small twist -   Nana and Grampa RECORD the story on the book and then the book reads the story to the girls while we all sit around.  Thanks Tio Ale and Tia Eve for keeping the tradition alive by sending the story this year!!!

So patient...and yet so ready to open these presents.

Her new balance bike was a bit too big...

She really wanted to ride MadHatters new scooter.

We worked up an appetite opening presents all moring...Good thing we had Choripan ready!  Ahhh, the joys of Christmas in summer!

Well, Hello 2012

The beginning of another year.  It always signals a new start, a promise of good things to come.  Oh, I know you can start over any day you want.  You can decide to begin again mid-August if it suits you.  But there is just something so arresting and final about December 31.  It's the day we have a built in do-over button just waiting to be pushed.  And all of us, whatever religion, race or creed we happen to be, must participate together.  There is no stopping Father Time from turning over the hourglass on another year.  And just before the last sands fall through the hour glass on the year past, I tend to stop, if only for a moment, to take stock of my life.  I seem to slow down a bit (it could also be the food coma from Christmas last week slowing me a bit too) and reflect on where I have been, where I am right now and where I would like to be this time next year.  The future is still all possibilities and dreams.   No resolutions have yet been broken, no disappointments have tarnished us and the calendar tells us that we have a full 365 days (366 this year) to do with what we will.  Who wouldn't love that?

This year I haven't spent as much time as usual thinking about year end and what transpired in 2011.  Mostly because this past week has been such a whirlwind.  Partly because this year was extraordinary in so many ways (up, down and inside out).  But what I know for sure just off the top of my head is that the good outweighed the trying, so I consider it a success.  My family is healthy, we are happy and we are together...can I ask for more than that?  I really don't want to tempt fate by trying.  So I haven't made any resolutions for the new year.  That doesn't mean I don't have goals, but I realized that in years past, most of my resolutions were ego driven.  I resolve to lose ten pounds...I could say it is to be healthier but we all know that what I really want is to be thinner.  I resolve to exercise more - again, healthy is just a by product.  This one allows me to eat what I want and wants are driven by the ego.  Be a better person...again, who judges better?  Me, you, my family?  So, this year I am making no promises on getting fitter, richer, thinner, more worldly.  I am just setting short, attainable goals.  Some are a stretch, some quite simple.  And they are for me. And me alone.  I will not publish them, I will not pat myself on the back when I accomplish them, and I will not berate myself publicly for failing to complete them.  I will simply work constantly and consistently towards accomplishing what I have set out to do.  No ego.  No ulterior motives.  No continuing just because I told others I would and now can't back out.  I will work, I will reassess and I will make myself proud.

So, whatever goals or resolutions you have set for yourself in the new year, I hope you accomplish them.  If you come close, I applaud your efforts.  If you decide they are not for you any longer somewhere mid-year, I celebrate the self-awareness you have acquired to understand this.  And when you succeed, I hope you hear me cheering loudly, for I know you will have worked hard and that deserves a cheer if anything does.

Hello 2012!  It is nice to meet you.  I think you and I will be getting along just fine...