Merritt went with his mom to the doctor and his dad to a restaurant. (Okay, his mom went to the restaurant, too. Sunday, October 17, was Dia de la Madre, Mother's Day, in Argentina.) I had cochinillo (roasted piglet) for lunch, and luckily I got the costillas (ribs), which are the most delicious part. I ate it all up!

Is this possibly a two-headed dog? Nah. On closer inspection, it is revealed to be two bichos on one Ottoman.

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Oh, no! He laughs at his sleep-deprived parents!

Here are some recent photos of Merritt I must share. First, he hangs out in his papasan swing, wearing my favorite onesie (that he is soon to outgrow if he hasn't already): it reads, "I've got the keys to mommy's heart." He also has a bib that reads, "I love my daddy," and has a cute whale on it. Since I've lived in Argentina, whales have been special to me, ever since I encountered them up close in Puerto Madryn. Chiana encroaches.

Next, we have a game called "Get rid of that squid!" which is pretty much what it sounds like. Specifically, I put Merritt in his crib, show him Squidykins, place the squid (or octopus, whatever) on his tummy, and tell him he must get rid of it while I am gone. Then I go away for a little bit to wash my hands or change the laundry or whatever, and when I get back, I am proud to say the squid is usually gone! Here is a reenactment below (not an actual game of Get rid of that squid!):

Start with the squid . . . Squid is gone!

Merritt has a onesie that says, "Daddy is my hero." He still has room to grow into it. Sometimes Merritt is just plain cute!

The other day Chiana snuck into the bedroom and dove under the covers like Bostons like to do. Except she miscalculated and ferreted her way into a pillowcase--with a pillow in it! It was fun to discover her. She only weighs 13 pounds and is no bigger than a cat.

Merritt turns three months old today!

Here he is! He debuts his "bicho" outfit (aka "Ladybug", aka "Vaca de San Anton"). Later (for some reason . . . I wonder why . . .) there was a wardrobe change. He also played on his gym mat and visited the pediatrician. It was a good day!

Bye-bye for now! Love, Merritt

More on Caviahue

This is what Caviahue looks like on approach. You can see how desolate it appears to be. It looks deceptively flat (it's actually high desert), and that big plateau you can see in the background marks the beginning of even higher elevations. The ski base is only 2 km away. What is striking about the place is the sparse forest of old-growth Arucaria trees (also called Monkey Puzzles). They are uniquely shaped and hundreds of years old, remnants of what once was an extensive, Prehistoric forest. We have one of these trees in our front yard, and it is probably 30 years old, although it barely reaches the top of the one-story house.

Here's looking down a run on the mountain. It wasn't the best day to ski, but I was so grateful to be able to do something active and dangerous for the first time in over a year! It was snowing heavily and with low visibility. The view from this slope must be heavenly in full sun; here the lake appears ghostly, hanging beneath the clouds. I have no idea who that guy in yellow is. Lance and I took turns watching Merritt in the restaurant at the base.

Here are a couple of snapshots from the lift. Imagine being suspended and cold, swinging through this rare landscape. I think those white blotches in the frame are clumps of snow clinging to the lens.

I can't wait to go back to Caviahue next year! We still love San Martin de los Andes, but Caviahue is a great place to ski if you want to avoid crowds and distractions. During the winter, there is little else to do there.

Then, of course, there is the snow baby, who napped, snuggled, and played at the restaurant all day. Later, he and his dad had a talk in the hotel room. It looks like "Chanchi" (his nickname, derived from "chancho," a local word for hog; Merritt is a wee piglet, so we call him "Chanchito") had a lot to say and gave his dad a talking-to!

This is me and Carolina and Mica and Trini at the hotel restaurant. The guys and Pia were at the mountain, and we were having a relaxed breakfast.