Estamos aquí. Ya llegamos.

Mérida, MX opened its centuries-old gates and let me and my long-haired boy in. Saturday, not so much Friday, as planned. So Houston happened and we’re fine with it. Mainly and only because our sweet and new-to-Houston friend Marianne saved us from a day in the airport. I mean, I’m sure the Houston airport is just incredible, etc. and probably even has Dippin’ Dots, but hanging out with dark-haired Marianne, meeting her brother and his strangely and greatly social kits (check out ragdoll cats), and eating at Torchy’s was exponentially better. I should note and then forget, however, that Raines Wilder handled himself perfectly on Day 1 (Nashville>Houston) only to melt into the form of a droopy chihuahua on Day 2 (Houston>Mérida). And now Marianne has the crumbs of an awesome granola bar in her back seat. But he should still get a quarter or something for Day 1.

Now we are here. Norma and Silvio and Lu (beagle) are giving us our own room with a balcony and floral curtains and animal print sheets! They live on the north side of Mérida, which is the poshiest side of Mexico I’ve ever experienced. I should simply say that I’m grateful, so grateful to have a safe home while we are here. Plus they have three turtles on their back patio. So yes. I’m gonna go ahead and blame already forgetting everything I’ve read and learned about this city on my pregnant condition. I hope I can remember at least five amazing things about this place to share at some point. I think today’s Tuesday, which has nothing to do with where we are but that’s all I’ve got down right now and I keep getting distracted by this baby that’s mushing around in my stomach.

Raines Wilder and I miss Aaron and we miss him so much that we want to beam him down here now. He’s basically, uncomplicatedly, and superbly a wonderful part of us. Tonight at the park around the block, Raines ran in big, loopy waves as fast as he could in his Batman shoes. I’m certain that good and strange things are happening inside him, because when he stops to catch his breath he tells me that he’s fast, so fast, faster than Papa even. He also asks me if I wanna come run circles with him and I say no, I can’t because my back and feet feel so weird from…the baby. Lame mom. But seriously, I feel more like sitting around with a bottle of coconut water than even thinking about doing one (1) yoga pose. Raines Wilder is awesome at yoga, by the way.

So we’ll be getting to know Mérida a little more this week, and then figuring out which of the crazy-close ruins we wanna visit first. And cenotes. How did I not know about these… they’ve been in my dreams and nightmares for years. And after seeing the art at the Palacio de Gobierno yesterday, Raines Wilder is very intrigued by the grand, sad, and violent history of the Maya. So I’ll get to look back into this history with my son, which makes me a bit happy.

We’re gonna take a shower tomorrow with Raines Wilder’s new dinosaur soap, so we have at least that to look forward to. Heh… and everything else that will happen to us. We’ve done dozens more things and Raines has been brilliant and bratty multiple times a day, so instead of swishing more words around, here are some photos. Buenas noches.

Not super impressed with our delayed and delayed and delayed flights.

Asleep in a wheelchair in Houston

Free and fancy hotel

Silvio and Norma and my cochinita