Some cute pictures of Merritt when he was a couple of weeks old:

In the first couple of weeks of life, Baby Merritt went to see Dr. Carlos, peeked out of a nightgown, slept in a bundle, showed his tummy, and looked like an angel:

The best book I read in 2007 was Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The best book I read in 2008 was Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
I don't know what will be my favorite book of 2009; I read a lot of chick lit, specifically Buenos Aires-based, tango chick lit, also vampire chick lit, so I don't think that will count. But it has been fun!
I was in the middle of Francine Prose's Blue Angel when I went into labor. I just picked it up again and finished it, and was thinking that it might be my best book of 2009, but now I am not so sure. I did enjoy it a lot, but the ending seemed a bit rushed (though appropriate). I suppose I wanted to go on reading about the characters, wanted to know more truths about them. Now I will have to decide what to read next, which can be a chore. There's too much to choose from! You have no idea how many unread books I brought to live with me in Argentina.

Ha ha, so I haven't been posted as often as I had hoped. However, something very exciting happend this month in Neuquen, and I must report it today.

On July 13, I had a baby! Merritt Alexander was born at Policlinco Neuquen, at 1:55 that afternoon. It took an hour and a half from the time contractions began to the final push.

Here are some of his first pictures ever:

Here he is at the hospital in our room, just a day or two old:

See, he loves hugs! (That's what his coverall says)

The pediatrician weighs him; he was 3.36 kilos or 7 pounds, 6 ounces.

He learns to text message with his dad:

Sometimes he is an angry baby (but cute!):

With Grandma Diane and Aunt Reagan!

Back at home with his Granddad Louis:

Merritt and his mommy

Merritt and his daddy

With Grandma he looks like a gnome:

Chiana is all grown up now and so cute!

Rygie makes a funny face!

The Nurse Dogs!

This Month in Neuquen (February)

Welcome back to Neuquen! Our friends made us a lechon (suckling pig) to welcome us back home. (Below: Carolina, Trinidad, Micaela, me, Maria Pia, and my mom; Next: Pia, Mica, Chiana, and Rygelito; Next: the pig!)

It's been a little over a month since I've been back in Argentina, and not much is going on this March. Last month my mom was here visiting for three weeks, and we had a good time. But now I'm just adjusting to my normal life, laying around, getting some work done, fixing the house, and sleeping as much as possible! Plus we have the new edition, little Chiana, who met me in Connecticut and then followed me back to Argentina.

Chiana and Rygel love each other! They play and play and play. Chiana is a little girl, but she really sticks up for herself. When she is sleeping, she doesn't want Rygel to mess with her. She gets frustrated because she cannot catch him when she chases him around the yard--he runs so fast! They look like cute little black and white bunnies when they run and hop around the yard.

It took quite a bit of effort to get Chiana all the way to Argentina with us. My mom and I arrived in Buenos Aires on February 4 in the morning, but we didn't see Chiana until she was released from customs five hours later. Needless to say, we were very happy to see her, and we took her straight to the hotel for some play, nuggets, and relaxation.

We spent a few days in Buenos Aires before flying to Neuquén, and Chiana went everywhere with us--to coffee at Cafe Josephine's, for walks around town, to parks for a bit of sunlight. She didn't follow us to the mall or to the tango show, but we did see a great one at El Querandí.

When my mom was here, we went to the mountains, to San Martin de los Andes, and stayed in our favorite B&B there, La Casa de Eugenia. The owners are very friendly, and they love the dogs. Here are some pictures of the dogs there, playing with the resident princess, Pareese Hilton (the big dog below):
We drove on the famed Ruta de Siete Lagos, which is a two-hour drive through the forest and along the side of seven gorgeous lakes in Western Neuquén province. It passes into Rio Negro province, too, and cumulates in Bariloche. This drive was very nice but would have been more enjoyable if the road had been fully paved; there's about 28 kilometers of it that is rocky and jarring. We wish we could have taken our time, too, like most people do, and I spotted several places I'd like to camp and maybe spend a week, like along the banks of Lago Faulkner.

On the Ruta, we stopped and tried to take some pictures in front of a waterfall. My mom took a hilarious one that doesn't quite include everyone!

A week in Buenos Aires (late Feb 2008)

Lance and I went back to Buenos Aires to see my mom and dad off; the puppies stayed home. (Below: Rygel & Chiana)

We ate at my dad's favorite Chinese resturant, Todos Contentos (more than once). It was tasty! Especially the noodles and fried rice.

While the guys did work stuff, mom and I went to lunch at La Brigada in San Telmo, then shopped for antiques in the off-hours.

Since it was Thursday afternoon, we next headed to the Plaza de Mayo to catch the Madres de Plaza de Mayo in their weekly demonstration. Several women, who were obviously long-time members of the organization, led the march that circled around the statue in front of the presidential palace. The elderly women wore white headscarves with writing on them. The march had a purposeful, but friendly and casual air; it was interrupted briefly as acquaintances greeted the women with a kiss and joined in while journalists recorded the event and curious tourists looked on. My mom and I fell in step behind.

Why they march: since the time of the Dirty War (1977-1984), they have protested the disappearance of their sons, daughters, and loved ones--the kidnapped, tortured, and executed people, so-called political prisoners of the miltary regime--and demanded information of their whereabouts and closure for the families affected.

Some children were born of the secuestrados, and these babies were often adopted to military familes, without the permission or knowledge of their biological parents. There is a film about this, and an example of the domestic strife that can result from such an arrangement is in the current case of Maria Eugenia Sampallo Barragan, who was taken from her mother shortly after birth and adopted into a military family. She is suing her adoptive parents for pain and suffering and asking for their imprisonment, claiming that they lied to her about her origins. I have been reading about her in the local papers here in Neuquen, so I'm not sure if my understanding of her situation is accurate since my Spanish is not so good. Here's a summary of the basics in English. Here is her website. While it seems strange to me that a child would want to cut all ties with the people who raised her, I can't imagine the feelings such knowledge of one's orgins would engender. All I can say is, she must have incredible ambivalance toward her adoptive parents, her country, too.

The next day, before my mom left Argentina, we went to my favorite hotel in Buenos Aires, the lovely Park Hyatt Palacio Dahou, for tea in the garden cafe.

Gustavo flew in from Neuquen, and we met up with some friends and went out in Las Canitas, a very happening part of Palermo. I didn't get a picture of the street scene, but it was so packed, it reminded me of Sixth Street in Austin. After dinner (at Baez--delicious!), we went to dance a bit at a bar nearby. (Below: Luz, Juan Pablo, Gustavo, Lance)