A shout out to people around the globe...

I just figured out how to see where people who view your blog are located. I can't believe the variety of countries that people who hit my blog came from. So too all you folks around the world Welcome! Yes i mean you, viewer in The Netherlands, and S. Korea, Cameroon, Malaysia and all the other folks out there who take the time to open my blog (intentionally or  not)

God Bless!

Health care and small town Mexico

We had our first "emergency"l here in Mexico were we required some health care last night. I figured i would let those who are interested know how it all worked out.....

So our son fell and hurt his arm. It was at night (about 7pm) and while it defiantly seemed to bother him, it didn't appear to be broken or anything so we put him to bed. He woke up about an hour later crying and unwilling to move his arm and it was swelling a bit so we decided to bring him to be checked. Where we live there is no huge hospitals. There is one Seguro (public) hospital and an urgent care private clinic. After reading that people had a lot of success with the public system we figured we would go there to save the money. Well we went and they said we needed to bring them XRays first. So we drove across town to a private xray guy. The office was closed but we called his cell phone (it was on the sign) He agreed to come in.

So the guy shows up with his girlfriend and he looked like 15 (you know you are getting old when all the drs are suddenly younger) Anyways he brought us in and did the xrays. I will note they didn''t use any lead vests or anything. The xray guy left the room when he took the pics, but didn't suggest that we do. I wasn't super concerned about the radiation from one xray, but still found it interesting they didn't use the lead smocks. The cost of the xrays was 240pesos (about $21)

We then went back to the seguro, but there was like a 2hr wait so we went to the private clinic instead. They saw us immediately. The orthopedic dr was not available though so the on call dr, assured us that there was no major break but we needed to see an orthopedic dr in the morning. He wrapped Daniel's arm and sent us on our way. Visit cost 200 pesos (about $16)

This morning we took him to a town about 30min away to a DR who was highly recommended. He took one look at the xrays and saw a hairline fracture above the elbow. He put like a half cast on it...the arm was rested in a plaster cast on the bottom and than wrapped in ace bandage. We are too have it removed in 4weeks. Cost was 1200 pesos (about $100)

Overalll we are happy with the care received. I felt all the drs were knowledgeable. Now i have to spend the next 4 weeks with a little guy who loves to climb in a full arm cast...no fun especially since we leave to the states in 2 weeks (where i plan to have him checked)

Two more weeks...

Two more weeks till i am headed to the states. I am dreaming of Red Robin and Taco Bell and Arby's. Also Target, Kohls, Old Navy, shopping malls. I suppose seeing friends and family is alright too ;)

My son's 4th birthday falls midtrip. Originally i was gonna skip a big party since i wouldn't be here, and parties there are so expensive, plus i can't haul a bunch of gifts home. He has started asking about his party and the cake and pinatas and brinkolene (bounce house) I suppose i can't just let his bday slide by with just a cupcake and presents for me. We decided that even though it will be a few weeks late to have the party here when we get back. Even though there are lots of fun bday options in the states, it isn't really something i want to pour a couple hundred dollars into and the weather is to unreliable to plan something outdoors. I for some reason have been stressing nonstop about this stupid party and keep going back and forth on what to do and where. I wish i could just plan something and be done with it.

Speaking of his bday....i can hardly believe he is four....i swear i was just pg a blink of the eye ago. I am 28 yrs old and i thought time wasn't suppose to fly by till your like 60. I guess i was wrong.

Carseats in Mexico

After reading a MSN article about new recommendations to keep children rear facing until two, i thought i would write a bit about car seats here in Mexico. They don't really exist. I remember my first trip here and the horror of seeing kids in the front seat and unrestrained. I recall unbelief at the obvious disregard for safety. After having it drilled into your head that kids should be in boosters till like 12yrs it is hard to think otherwise.

I realize now, that first people probably can't afford car seats, beyond that they don't really even seem to sell anything beyond the infant carrier seats which people use for carrying infants, not as restraints in a car. I don't hear about children dying in car accidents here anymore than i did at home. Actually i have never heard it (not that it doesn't happen, i just don't know of it) Now i still think car seats are safest, but i can't lie...i have gone to the store a few blocks away and not strapped my 4yr old in his seat. Maybe the ways of the land are getting into my head. I don't know. We still always use his seat when we are leaving town or going on main roads.

I guess i understand a bit more why people here don't use them. Unlike a previous thought that they just didn't care about safety, it is more that there is no availability and you do what you know....why would they use car seats if no one does and they don't know the benefits or risks involved. Anyways i have learned not to be to quick to judge.

Why do i torture myself??

Every time i purchase a trip i promise myself that that is it, i will no longer browse travel sites for a better deal. Without fail though i continually check, as if it would make a difference. Now if i see prices have gone up i am happy, but on the flip side i get grumpy when i see if i waited a day, a week, a month i could have saved. For example i just saw plane tickets for the day i am leaving the US for $50 less which would be $100 with both me and my sons ticket. When i bought the tickets i  looked around, waited a few weeks, checked prices daily and felt i made a good choice. I know i did, and i know for me it is to risky and not well planned enough to wait 2 weeks out to purchase, but it still makes me mad that had i waited i could have saved...oh well so goes life right?

Missing big bird

I have been throwing around the idea of bringing my car down here to Mexico. Right now it is just parked at my parents not doing much good. I figure if i don't bring it here i might as well sell it. The idea of selling it though makes me sad. It was the first (and only) new car i bought. I walked on the Mitsubishi lot, knowing i wanted a lancer, took one look at Big Bird (my car) and said....yuck not that one looks like a car for an Asian teenage boy.  Needless to say i left that day a lot poorer and over my head in debt with Big Bird and totally in love. I was twenty years old and so excited. Anyways lots of memories in Big Bird. I just can't bare to part with her. Took me almost 7rs to pay her off but she is all mine and she sits lonely at my Mom and Dad's

Now we already have two vehicles here, a Jeep Cherokee and a Geo Tracker. The tracker is good on gas but not reliable enough to take far. The jeep gets horrible gas mileage but is reliable. If we brought my car we would most likely sell the jeep. We already talked to the legalization service people and it would be $1000 to legalize the car, which would be a lot cheaper than any decent car we could buy here. Plus we would have the extra money from the sale of the jeep. We could also sell the car here, where it is actually worth more than it is in the states. Again though i don't want to see soeone else driving my Big Bird.

I suppose we shall see.....

Four weeks and counting.....

I leave in exactly four weeks for the states. I am excited for seeing my family and friends and shopping and eating out and getting some fake Mexican food (the kind i like) but as the time gets closer i don't want to spend the five weeks away from my husband. It is funny since over the past year and half while we lived apart the time between  visits was anywhere between 7 and 12 weeks. So we have been apart much longer. I suppose the time together has reminded me how much i don't want time apart. I know the time will fly by though and i will have a ton of fun and he will be here waiting when we return. Still doesn't make me think that five weeks isn't a long time though 8(

Getting Mexican visas...

Me and my son are currently here on travel visas, but because of the cost of having to travel back to the states every 6 months and because we want to register our son in school here, we are going to apply for are family visas so we can be residents here.

We made our first trip to the local government office (known as "the presidencia") to see what papers we needed so that i can get them when i go back to the states in a few weeks. From reading many other blogs, i know depending on who you talk to these things change and nothing is simple here in Mexico. Regardless, these are the forms we were told we needed to apply for our residencies


For my visa...

Apostilled official copy of my birth certificate
Apostilled  official copy  of our marriage license (we were married in the US)
Copies (don't need official ones) of my parent's birth certificates
Goverment ID (passport, driver's licence)

For my son...

Apostilled copy of my birth certificate
Apostilled copy of his birth certificate
Official copy of my husbands birth certificate
Goverment ID


So once i bring those back, i will update you on the process. I also plan on stopping in the Mexican consulate in Seattle to see what they say, since it seems that everyone gets different info.

Since it has been awhile...

Figured i would pop in and say Hi! Nothing really to say or report. Life here is dull at best. Not in a bad way necessarly, there is just not a lot going on right now. I leave for the US in five weeks. We will stay five weeks than fly back into Puerto Vallarta. Really excited for that.

My five year anniversary is March 25th. We are thinking about getting our legal marriage here taken care of at that time. NO other reason than it seemed like a cute idea. Maybe headed to the beach this weekend (melaque/barra de Navidad) That is always good times.