My Birthday

I had such a fun, memorable weekend celebrating my 40th birthday. Thanks again for all of your birthday wishes! I was touched with how many people remembered.

We kicked off the weekend on Friday evening by inviting Jairo's usual group of friends over for games, dinner and a movie. We played in the backyard for a while, including a heavy dose of my new exercise routine ("the alligator"), which we will soon be marketing in the U.S. as the latest fitness gimic. It involves pulling children on a plastic see-saw alligator with a long rope that I removed from an old swing (when there aren't a lot of toys around, you need to improvise). Apparently pulling them at a slow pace didn't quite do the trick, as their shouts of "rapido, rapido" clearly indicated. Since I wanted to live to be 40, this game of running while pulling about 90 pounds behind me only lasted about 20 minutes...at which point the kids tried to just do it themselves, without much success:



We headed inside to wait for the pizza, and Jairo entertained the ninos with a couple songs that he has learned during his piano lessons ("Baa Baa Black Sheep" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb"). We think it's great that he always pulls out the piano books to pretend that he's actually playing the songs in the books:



Rebecca then stepped it up a notch by breaking out the i-pod for a little dance party, which consisted of "I Like to Move it Move it" played a good 10 times in a row. We then settled down for dinner, after which we watched "Alvin and the Chipmunks" with a delicious dessert of conguil (popcorn...Papi's favorite). Just another fun night with Jairo and his friends...he (and we) are really going to miss them!



On Saturday, we headed out to Otavallo, a town that is about 2 hours north of Quito. We rode one of the local buses there...and again felt very fortunate that one of the 2 main bus terminals in Quito is located only a few blocks from the orphanage...makes these day trips so much easier (not to mention that the 2-hour bus ride only costs $2)! We're so dependent on our cars at home, but we have gotten so used to taking cabs ($2-4 to almost anywhere in Quito) and buses here that we've forgotten what it's like to have a car.

Otavallo hosts a large outdoor market every Saturday, filled with arts & crafts, food, and clothes. We felt somewhat guilty that we made Jairo ride a bus for 2 hours, only to find out that he then had to go shopping for a few hours...but he was a good sport and was very patient throughout the afternoon. We bought a few things, including one of the market's hot items--finger puppets (I bought a Bart Simpson; Jairo, a Spiderman). Rebecca added to her collection of clothes bought around the world, and I added to my pen- and random collection of chatchkis bought around the world.



We played with Suki when we got home, and then settled in for a couple movies since we were pretty beat after a long day of riding and walking.



Rebecca and I celebrated the final hours of my 30s with a box of wine and American Idol. Unfortunately we were too tired to make it until midnight...guess that's what happens when "sleeping in" now means 7:00am.

Which brings us to Sunday, my 40th birthday. In thinking back to previous milestone birthdays, I remembered that I had a bowling and pizza party for my 10th birthday (how do I remember? I had such a birthday 4-5 years in a row); my 20th birthday included Bert & Ernie cakes; and for my 30th, Rebecca took me to Disneyworld. So with the "little kid in me" still alive and well, we decided on bowling & pizza again for my 40th.

After eating toast and yogurt (bleh!) almost every morning for breakfast while in Quito, Rebecca made us a delicious breakfast of bacon, sausage and eggs. Afterward, we broke out an old-school game that I found in one of the closets of the house we're renting--electric football!! I loved that game as a kid, and had 3 different versions of it during my childhood. Jairo enjoyed setting everything up and playing with me.



We then headed out to get pizza for lunch at Archie's, the pizza place that we went to a few weeks ago. Unfortunately our party of 3 wasn't large enough to warrant reserving the private room in the back where all the other kids celebrated their birthdays...oh well.

Then on to bowling. I don't know if it was my new age, my new decade, the fact that they didn't have one ball that i could fit my thumb into (remember, I'm considered a giant down here), or my subconscious brain wanting this to happen, but Rebecca won the first game.....and Jairo came in second. Which left third place for yours truly. Needless to say we weren't going to leave until I had a chance to redeem myself...which I didn't. Congrats to Rebecca for bowling her highest score ever to win the second game as well, but at least this time I came in 2nd (I think Jairo let me beat him this time, as evidenced by the fact that he experimented with a few bowling styles, including his patented "overhand toss").



We had a blast, and I was proud of myself for actually "growing up" in at least in some areas of my life--when my high school girlfriend beat me in bowling, I didn't talk to her for days...this time I only pouted for a few minutes. I credit Derek Jeter for teaching me how to lose gracefully (during those rare instances when he actually lost).

We went back home to play in the backyard, where the three of us played catch with our tennis ball. Jairo does extremely well with the "throwing" part of the game (again, well-suited to play either center field or shortstop for the Yankees)...and is getting better at the "catching" side of the game, which will come with more practice, a mitt, and bigger hands. We forgot to take pictures, but I am including one that we forgot to include in a previous post--this is Jairo and I playing "baseball" with a plastic blue ball and our fists as the "bat" (since we haven't been able to find a wiffle bat or ball down here...again, we improvise where we can!):



After napping, it was time for presents and cake! Rebecca took Jairo out a few days ago to find presents for me--he selected a little stuffed tiger (that roars when you squeeze him); a pen with a TV on top of it (that has a slide show of the cast of "High School Musical"); and some index cards (to be added to my stack of flash cards I've created to help me learn Spanish).





I then opened cards and gifts from Rebecca and some family members. I always feel so lucky and blessed to have so many wonderful, thoughtful people in my life...and no one more so than Rebecca--the most beautiful, selfless, generous person I have ever met...who I have learned so much from during the (almost) 12 years we've been together.

Cake followed the gifts, which included Jairo's precious solo of "Cumpleanos Feliz." It is an Ecuadorian tradition for the birthday honoree to stick their face in the cake, which Jairo happily did on my behalf.





We finished the evening with a great dinner at a fancy steak restaurant...a great way to cap off such a fun, memorable day & weekend! Jairo had us laughing all night at dinner...and he had us in tearful hysterics on the 10-minute cab ride home, during which he was pretty much having a one-way "conversation" with the cab driver...updating him on everything we've done over the last few weeks, as well as what is to come when he moves to the United States (the cabbie became very well-versed on what school he goes to, who Duffer is, and what months our pool in Fairlington is open).

Jairo is the greatest gift of all, and we anxiously await our judge to sign off on our final adoption decree. Rumor has it that this may have happened over the last few days, but we won't know for sure until we have the final paperwork. So keep us in your prayers...and look out for an upcoming post in (hopefully) the very near future!

The Jungle

This past weekend our neighbors, Judd & Peggy, invited us to join them on a trip to the jungle. They had a team of guys visiting from Minnesota, who were here on a mission trip, and they planned to take the team for a weekend away. So we were very grateful for the invitation to join them, and we happily accepted.





The jungle is in the east of Ecuador, and we went to an area called Misahualli -- about a four hour drive through the mountains. It was a harrowing drive -- hairpin turns the entire way -- but Judd has been driving those roads for 15 years, so we felt safe in his hands. It's amazing that in just a few hours the climate can change so dramatically -- the jungle is significantly more hot and humid (go figure).

The place we stayed was rustic, natural and beautiful -- it reminded us of a jungle version of Kailuum, the beach resort where we were married. It was deep in the jungle, and right next to the Rio Napo. As we were falling asleep the first night, with our open windows, we felt like we were listening to a symphony -- frogs, birds, monkeys, insects and the other nocturnal animals all in harmony, with the sound of the river rushing in the background. It was amazing.




We woke up early on Saturday, had a great breakfast served by the local Quechua folks who live and work there, and then set out on a jungle hike. Samuel, one of the locals, was our guide, and he did a great job of teaching us about the indigenous flora and fauna of the Amazon. We hiked for about three hours, and it rained -- hard -- for the last two hours. But the rain actually made the experience even better -- we were wet and muddy, just as you would expect to be in the Amazonian jungle. Needless to say, Jairo had a fantastic time (as did the rest of us)!




We were all pretty wiped out after the hike, so after a great shower and a huge lunch back at the lodge, we all settled in for a very long afternoon nap. It was wonderful falling asleep to the sound of the hard rain and the rushing river.

The lodge is very remote, and we had it all to ourselves for the weekend, which was really nice. It was also probably a good thing, since after dinner things got a little crazy with a serious game of "spoons." This is a great game the guys taught us, which basically involves cards, spoons, speed and an occasional injury. I imagine it could be a tame game, but not with six large, competitive guys playing. Apparently the guys play this a lot, and they knew what to expect, because Mike set up his videocamera to capture the action. And he just happened to capture a particularly physical round that ended with both Eric and Jairo on the floor, with at least one of them crying. The video was later referred to as the infamous blackmail tape, as in "if the judge gets a copy of this, they'll never let these crazy people adopt Jairo!"

Sunday was a quiet day, as we all needed to return to Quito, so we had a good breakfast, then one of the guys -- Michael, the pastor -- gave a nice talk. It was a lovely ending to the weekend, and we were very thankful to have met and spent time with such nice folks in such a beautiful setting.

Rice: Part II

We recently attempted another round of rice-making, and once again we had little success. Here's the latest tally:

Third Batch: Paste. Believing that we needed more water and a longer cooking time, I filled a huge pot with water, and let the rice simmer for a long time. Apparently too long. I'm pretty sure that rice isn't supposed to look like this:




Fourth Batch: Burned. Having tried and failed three times, I figured it was time to let someone else have a go at it, so I handed the reins to Eric. He did his best with batch #4, but alas, it burned and we had a scorched mess on our hands.

For those keeping track, the current score is Rice 4 - Us 0.

I think it's time to enlist the help of a professional...

Carnaval Weekend

Since Ecuador celebrates Carnaval with a four-day weekend, we had hoped to take a trip out of town to take advantage...but unfortunately 86% of Quito had the same idea, so we chose to forgo the crowds and traffic and stay close to home, since there was still plenty that we hadn't done in the city.

On Friday night some of the volunteers kicked off the weekend with a bonfire near the orphanage--the kids roasted hot dogs and smores...we're still amazed that the chaos of 20 kids and 1 large dog running around the bonfire didn't conclude with one of the them landing in the fire, but the Tias and volunteers worked their magic to keep everyone under control.

Saturday during the day involved Mami's day out with Jairo--they went to a water museum (Yacu) and reptile "zoo" (the Vivarium...a small reptile house at Parque de Carolina). Both were interactive for kids and were a lot of fun. The afternoon was capped off with ice cream. Papi relished the quiet time by taking advantage of the fact that The Simpsons and Friends are always on some channel...in English! Four straight hours of these old favorites made for a great, lazy Saturday afternoon.

That evening we invited some of Jairo's friends from the orphanage over to play with Suki, eat dinner with us, and watch a movie. Carlita, Fabian, Jessica and Wilma all came over. We had a lot of fun with them--they are all such great kids and get along so well. We are also grateful that we don't have five kids of our own...they wore us out before we even ate dinner...not sure how my parents survived with the 5 of us!





Our downstairs neighbors, Judd and Peggy, then invited all of us to eat our pizza and watch the movie at their place since they have a little more space for the kids...and they have a much larger TV and seating area for the kids. We watched Ratatouille. The kids sprawled out on the couches--we were touched with how close/affectionate they are with each other...at different times during the movie, they'd be holding hands, putting their arms around each other, or resting their heads on each others' shoulders or chests. While sweet to witness, it also gives us that twinge of sadness and guilt that we are taking Jairo away from them next month.

Sunday was Valentine's Day...another memorable day for us (see previous post)!

We ventured out to the Quito Zoo on Monday, which is about 30 minutes from our house. So we took Jairo on his first adventure on the local bus. None of us were excited about how crowded and hot it was, but it got us to where we needed to go. Well...almost. The bus dropped us off on the side of the road, where a line of pick-up trucks awaited the zoo crowd...so we hopped in the back of the pick-up (a first for all of us) and rode the final couple miles to the zoo.

Jairo was fascinated with all of the animals, especially the monkeys (just another thing he "inherited" from his Papi)...so much so that he thinks that he himself is a monkey--Jairo told us on the first day that we met him that he was "Mono Curioso" (what the Ecuadorians call "Curious George"). We think he might be on to something with his climbing prowess and his never-ending curiosity.

He loved feeding the animals as well--we bought a little canister of carrots so he could feed the goats, cows and rabbits:



He also took a break to get his face painted...



The little gatito (kitten) then started answering all of our questions with a "meow." It's a fascinating game!...for about 4 minutes.

We finished our zoo adventure with Jairo taking a ride on a llama. While we were waiting in line, Jairo decided to take a 50-cent piece out of my pocket and throw it into the woods. While I was very impressed with his throwing motion and the distance of the throw, we were not impressed with his actions. Unfortunately, in trying to reprimand him, I was a step off in my Spanish--so I asked him why he kicked himself with the coin, rather than why he threw the coin in the woods. Rebecca, in trying to support my reprimanding, unfortunately followed my lead with the incorrect vocab. So in response we got a shoulder shrug and blank stare from Jairo (with him probably wondering if we ate paint chips as kids). Unfortunately it took me 2 days to realize that I used the wrong verb.



We were all pooped at the end of a long day walking around the zoo, so Rebecca and I took a siesta when we got home with our new cat.



We ended our day with the 3 of us watching Toy Story, one of the "highly discounted / may-or-may-not-be the original copy" movies that they sell all around Ecuador for a dollar...we'll eventually add this and all of the other movies we bought to the orphanage's collection.

On Tuesday we went to the bowling alley...another "first" for Jairo. He seemed to enjoy himself...but, like all 6-year-old boys, he likes (needs?) to win...so not being able to keep up with the bowling professionals that are his parents, he seemed to lose interest toward the end. That being said, even though the ball was about the same size as him, he bowled a 98 and didn't really need the bumpers for the last couple frames...so another positive "check" in Papi's mental list of whether Jairo has the genetic make-up of athleticism and eye-hand coordination to play for the Yankees in 15 years.

We partook of the video games that the bowling alley had as well--Jairo loved playing the car- and motorcycle-racing games...and Papi loved jamming with his son on Guitar Hero.



There's a good chance we'll head back to the bowling alley on the 28th to celebrate my 40th birthday. I celebrated many a birthday as a kid with bowling and pizza...so might as well resurrect this timeless tradition!

We capped off Carnaval weekend with the Ecuadorian tradition of spraying colorful "espuma" on one another...it's sorta like silly string but with the consistency of bubbles/soap. Again, we invited Jairo's friends from the orphanage over to play with us. We're sure the Tias loved the fact that we borrowed the kids so they could spray themselves with the espuma, only to bring them back an hour later, leaving the Tias to shower the kids and and clean their clothes. They must cringe every time we come over.







Such a great weekend!!! But needless to say we were worn out by the end of it. It gave us a very teeny tiny glimpse into why parents are always so excited for summer vacation to be over and to have their kids back in school!

Valentine's Day

Yesterday was the seventh anniversary of our engagement, one of the happiest days of our lives. Eric very eloquently captured the significance of this milestone, saying, "Seven years ago today we became engaged, and little did we know then that one month later, in another part of the world, our son would be born." It is so interesting to look back and to know that during the first years of our marriage, as we were forging our life together, our son was following his own path in life, and eventually, when the time was right, our two paths would meet. Life is both mysterious and wonderful.

We celebrated the day with a bunch of fun activities, beginning with a ride up the Teleferico (a gondola that climbs one of the local mountains). It was a beautiful day, and from the top we had a 180 degree view of the Quito valley, and its surrounding mountains.







Also at the top we discovered El Volcan -- a great amusement park. There were tons of rides for kids, and Jairo (and his parents) had a blast. Because Jairo has lived a very simple life thus far, we are very fortunate that we are able to share many firsts with him (e.g., amusement park rides). It is so precious to watch him as he discovers new things, and to see the wonder and excitement on his face. There was a lot of this at the amusement park!









One of the many things we've learned about Jairo is that he is a very capable and confident boy. Usually this is a great thing (and occasionally not so great -- see previous postings re: hiccups). This quality often manifests itself in Jairo's desire to help out when he sees a need, which he did at the amusement park. As Jairo was waiting for one of the rides to start, there was a little boy who was unable to get himself into his seat, and no adults were helping him. So Jairo unbuckled himself, and went over to help the boy (who was not much smaller than Jairo himself). It was really sweet to watch him helping this boy, and it made us appreciate his desire to take charge (as long as it's not his parents that he wants to take charge of, which doesn't go over quite as well).





Ironically, Jairo later ran into the same boy on another ride, and he was having the same problem. So Jairo jumped out of his seat, and went to help the boy again. And this time, he decided to sit with the boy. This left Eric to ride the ride alone, which was pretty funny to watch, because he was the only adult on the ride!




After a long day at the Teleferico and amusement park, we came home and cleaned up for a special Valentine's dinner. We hadn't taken Jairo out to a restaurant yet, so this was another fun first. He wore a new outfit (a gift from my parents), and he looked adorable. We went to a fondue restaurant, thinking he would enjoy the fun of dipping his food into cheese (who doesn't??). It was delicious, and was topped only by the chocolate fondue we had for dessert. A decadent meal, right up our alley!






After dinner, we came home and exchanged cards and small gifts. We had each made a card for one another, with Jairo's art supplies. It brought back great memories of our childhood, when we made all our cards for our parents. His cards to us were very special -- lots of hearts, and endearing sentiments -- and we will always cherish these very first gifts from him.




As for his gifts, we gave him some small chocolates (which he ate for breakfast in his bed the next morning before we woke up), a couple books, and a new set of Spiderman pajamas, complete with mask. (We had planned to give him just chocolates and books as his gift, but the previous day we came across the PJs at the bus terminal -- quite a random find, but definitely a good one!) To say he was excited about the PJs is an understatement, and we have had to bite our lips many times to keep from laughing at how incredibly adorable he looks!







It was a long and great day, and we were all spent by the end of the day. And once again, Jairo demonstrated his championship sleeping skills by falling asleep in the taxi (which he does on any trip longer than 10 minutes).




On this Valentine's Day, we are so thankful for all the love in our lives!

One Other Hiccup...

Sometimes hiccups aren't easily stopped, so let's add one more. We have realized more and more over the last week that Jairo suffers from what seems to be a common ailment among kids--partial deafness (the technical term being "selectivehearingitis"). It's the craziest thing...he can hear everyone else perfectly fine, but for whatever reason, he has a very difficult time hearing us, especially when we ask him not to doing something. Maybe chalk it up to bad acoustics in Ecuador, but the word "no" doesn't seem to make it from our mouths into his ears. Someone should really develop a vaccine for this disease...I'd do it myself, but I'm too busy developing my other $1 billion idea of domesticating squirrels.

Hiccups

Earlier this week we wrote about our daily routine, and how relatively efficient and tranquil it is, with the exception of an occasional hiccup. Lest anyone think that we have everything totally under control, here are just a few of our latest hiccups...

- Wednesday morning, we slept through our alarm, and woke up at 6:25. Tio Oscar picks the kids up at 6:30. Needless to say, we tore out of bed, ran into Jairo's room, and started dressing him before he was even awake. The poor kid probably had no idea what his crazy parents were doing. We grabbed a yogurt and a roll for him to eat in the van, and we were out the door -- miraculously -- on time. (Given our success at getting ready so quickly, we considered, then quickly discarded, the idea of shifting our regular wake-up time to 6:25. No need to push our luck.)

- Last weekend, at Parque Metropolitano, we couldn't find the ball we had brought for the kids to play with. Jairo has a tendency to lose his things (pencils, erasers, lunchbag, etc), so we've been talking with him about how it's important for him to take care of his things. I told him he couldn't play until he found his ball, which made him a bit sad, and he set off to look for it. Just then, I put my hands in my pockets, and realized I had his ball in my pocket. DOH! My first taste of parental guilt.

- A few days ago, Jairo was playing outside while I was in the kitchen. There was a large drain full of muddy water, and he was scooping it out with a cup and watering the plants with it. I was watching him from the window, and it appeared to be a harmless activity. So I went about my cooking, leaving him on his own. Not more than two minutes later, I glanced out the window, only to see Suki lying there, her fluffy white coat covered with muddy water. And standing above her with a guilty grin was Jairo, with an empty cup. This was the impetus for our first "disciplinary action" with Jairo, which didn't go over well. Both Jairo and his parents need some practice in this area.

No doubt, more hiccups to come!

Rice: Part I

How hard can it be to make rice? We usually do ok in the kitchen, so rice is not something that has ever concerned us. Alas, we have been quickly humbled. The tias told us that the high elevation of Quito affects the cooking process -- but I think they were just trying to make us feel better.

So far the score is: Rice 2 - Us 0.

Here's the tally of our attempts thus far:

First batch: Crunchy. Prior to making my first batch of Ecuadorian rice, I had only ever made Minute Rice, which is pretty straight-forward: one cup of rice, one cup of water, cook five minutes, eat. Apparently that methodology doesn't work with "real" rice.

Second batch: Mush. Taking a cue from tia Maria, we learned we needed to add more water, and cook the rice longer. So I used a full pot of water, one cup of rice, and cooked it for about 30 minutes. Result: a pot of a mush, which we quickly ditched in the sink.



We will not be defeated by rice. Tomorrow is another day.

A simple life

It's amazing how quickly one can become accustomed to a new routine. The tias at the orphanage run their houses with efficiency, organization and lots of love, so the atmosphere in the homes is tranquil and pleasant. (Not at all what you'd expect in a house with 13 children!) So we have tried to continue the simple routine that Jairo is used to, and it's working very well. We have settled into a good rhythm, and thus our days are peaceful, efficient and happy (with the occasional hiccup, of course!). Yesterday was a good example of our normal routine:

6am wake up: We rub Jairo's back for a few minutes, exchange the few morning phrases we know -- Dormiste bien? Estas cansado? (Did you sleep well? Are you tired?) -- then carry him out to the kitchen.

6:10 breakfast: He's a good breakfast eater -- Special K w/ yogurt, toast with jam, or hard boiled eggs, and some kind of juice (pear, peach, orange, apple).

6:20 get dressed, brush teeth: See previous posting of uniform rotation.

6:30 school drop off: Walk up the hill to catch Tio Oscar's shuttle, always with Eric carrying Jairo.

6:30 - 1:30: While Jairo is in school, Eric and I have Spanish classes -- me with Jaime, and Eric with Paulina. Both are excellent tutors, and we are fortunate that they can come to our house. Class is usually for two hours. After class, we spend the rest of our free time studying, shopping, doing laundry, cooking, reading, and/or resting.

1:45 pick up: Meet Jairo at the top of the hill where Tio Oscar drops him and all the other kids off.

2ish lunch: First course soup, then some combination of rice, vegetables, eggs, and/or dinner leftovers. Fruit for dessert.

3ish homework: Jairo usually has math and language homework. He's currently practicing his numbers up to 70, and is also doing basic addition. In language, he's practicing writing -- yesterday he had to come up with a list of words beginning with "f."



4ish playtime: Usually outside with Suki, or riding his bike, or anything that involves running, laughing and dirt. If the weather is bad, he'll play games inside. Yesterday he learned how to play Dominoes, though he preferred his new rules, which involved putting as many dominoes as possible under his hat. He seemed to think this made him a bull, and he called himself Toro Toro.



5pm instruction: Mon, Tues & Thurs is English class with Amy (an American gal who is currently teaching down here in Quito). She is great with the kids -- she teaches them songs (Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes is his favorite), as well as the basics -- colors, numbers, body parts, etc. She also gives out stickers, which makes her a superstar in the kids' eyes.



This Friday Jairo will have his first piano instruction with Josue, a friend of Amy's. Jairo is fascinated with the piano, and has learned to play Mary Had a Little Lamb, so we figured we'd give him the opportunity to learn the real thing. We're curious to see how it goes.

6pm playtime: Usually inside -- piano, arts & crafts, games, etc. Yesterday he did his first artwork, and we were touched that each piece he made was for us, labeled with our names -- Mami & Papi. We were especially moved by the notes he wrote for us: Papi/Mami, Te amo mucho, para siempre, todo el dia. (Papi/Mami, I love you very much, forever, all day.) We are hooked.







7ish dinner: We started trying to make the foods he ate at the orphanage, thinking that would be best for him, but we haven't been very successful (see next posting re: rice). So slowly we're integrating some of the American classics -- hot dogs, tacos, stir fry (well, I guess they're not technically American, but they're definitely not Ecuadorian). So far, he seems to love the new food, so we're going to keep experimenting.

7:45ish shower & read: He is fastidious about bathing -- more so than we are -- so we are happy to encourage this good habit. He takes a quick shower, then changes into his "feety" pajamas. (Side note: to all who thought I was crazy for wanting to make a six year old boy wear feety pjs, he actually loves them -- all the kids at the orphanage wear them, and they couldn't be more adorable!). We read a book in bed each evening by the light of his flashlight, which he keeps at his bedside. We're currently reading the story of Hercules, which is somewhat complex, and in Spanish, so it's good practice for us (though not sure if Jairo can understand much of what we're saying!)

8pm bedtime: He's great about going to sleep, and is always ready by 8pm. Last night our neighbor, Judd, stopped by just before bedtime, so we sat on the couch to chat, and Jairo fell asleep in my arms.

The simplest of days are often the best.