Back in th US

Well Maya and I made it successfully back to the United States last weekend. The trip went a lot better than I anticipated, and Maya slept most of the way. Christmas didn't feel like Christmas this year, at least for me anyway. Maybe it was the palm trees of Puerto Vallarta that threw me off. Or that I really wasn't prepared this year mixed with the fact of having to leave the love of my life in Mexico.

This past week has gone by a lot more smoothly as I focused on keeping my mind busy and away from the thought of being away from my husband. And though it has been smooth, it sure isn't easy. I have been struggling to find work (go figure!), and my "savings" have completely diminished.

Oh and I have another surprise: I'm pregnant! Yes. I couldn't believe it either, and this was totally unplanned. So on top of everything else, I have been scurrying around to get medical insurance for my prenatal care for my babie(s). I say "babie(s)", while stressing the "s", because come to find out... since my last, ectopic, pregnancy was a twin pregnancy my chances for another twin pregnancy significantly rises. And my chances of another are 1 in 12! (I'm talking about fraternal, not identical twins) So stay tuned, I will find out if I am having twins in maybe two weeks. I am also planning a Home birth with this pregnancy.

Immigration
So I had planned on sending in my husband's petition before I came back to the states. But it didn't work out that way. I could not find a money order, in English, in US dollars, in Puerto Vallarta. I found one bank that said they used to, but stopped doing it a year ago. So I had to wait until I was in the States to get a postal money order. Since I finally had everything, I mailed in the petition through DHL on December 27th, it was a whooping $78. Ouch. But totally worth it. I then found out yesterday that it made it to Mexico City and was delivered to the US embassy! Yes! Hopefully it will be approved next week or the week after. *fingers crossed*
FYI: I am filing DCF (Direct Consular Filing), which means that I can bypass the NVC stage by sending my paperwork directly to the US consulate in Mexico City because I legally have Mexican residency with an FM2. It also gets approved faster than if I were to send it to a US lockbox.

If you have any questions, please ask in the comment box and I will do the best I can answering any of your questions. I am Not a lawyer!

Christmas for underpriviledged families

A couple weeks ago I met a friend; while waiting outside the INM office to start my FM2 paperwork.

She is a wonderful, funny, and caring person. Earlier this year she began collecting school supplies for the many children and families who can not afford them. The basic items that we purchase for school, ie crayons, markers, backpack, paper, etc, can easily run from $25 (usually much more)USD. Though that seems common in the US, many families in mexico make less than $15 USD a day.

And as Christmas quickly approaches, my friend has been collecting donations to help out families or a very poor community. They are located maybe 30 minutes from puerto Vallarta, and yet receive no government support. Most children there do not go to school. It is a mile walk to go to school, and during the rainy season of aug-oct the rain makes it even harder for these children. And as for the holidays, there are no Christmas trees or presents.

Below are pictures of some of these families.

A Family standing outside of their home

If you can find it in your hearts to donate even $5, my friend and I are able to put it towards helping these families. Not just for the holidays, but longer term. They live without running water, some of their homes have no roofs, and those that do have to be held down with rocks to keep from blowing away, and they have sheets, plastic tarps and boards to serve as their walls.

***A Donation Box is Located to the Right ***

Thank you for your time and support

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Because there is no running water,
they pour a bucket of water down the toilet to flush it.

The "walls" of one of the home structures

More "walls"

Mexico is NEVER consistant

I am refering to local buses. Though there is a lot of inconsistancy that you can find all over the place.

Usually On good days, the bus you need will pass by almost every 10 minutes. I did not have this luck yesterday. I happened to need a bus that was going to Ixtapa to visit a friend I recently made, and I waited over 30 minutes. Here that's not the norm. Luckily Maya stayed pre-occupied with the bananas I brought her and juice. I guess I didn't have as much experience on these buses as I thought. Im always forgetful of just how full those things can get. I was reminded yesterday. I was soo thankful I had a seat because everyone tha was crammed together in the asiles looked very uncomfortable.

On the plus side I spent a wonderfully long day at my friend's house. Our daughters played together, and we chit-chatted for many hours. Many. Many hours. I loved it! Though I should have left a lot sooner than we did. The next thing I knew I looked at my phone and it was after 10pm, and Maya and I were a long ways from home. But hey the buses were probably running faster now right? Right?!

Nope.. 5 buses came and went in the 40 minutes I was waiting, but none of them was the bus I needed. And because of my inexperience with buses here I was unaware that they come only once an hour after 11pm. I thought I had untill 12am..

CAUTION! DO NOT DO THE BELOW:

Okay so I was bad. Really bad. It was around 11:30pm, Maya was passed out in my arms and I was sitting on a rock besides a tree, waiting for the bus I needed. A car pulled over and an older woman came out. She asked me where I was headed and I told her. And she told me they could give me a ride. She seemed really nice and reminded me of my mother-in-law. So i got in. There were two other guys in the car, both in their late forties (im guessing). They were extremely nice, and we talked the whole way. In spanish! I know I made a BIG no-no, but I was very proud of myself regarding my conversation skills. I really didn't mean to stay out so late, and needless to say I will never do it agian (without my hubby). Maya and I got home safetly, and I said my good-byes to the nice people and they told me (again) to be more careful. So where ever you people are; Thank you again for giving us a ride, and not being some sort of killer maniacs.

Getting My FM2

So one of the many things i was working on last week, was getting my fm2. FM2 is actually called an inmigrante familiar now, though im not sure if i spelt it right.. Either way, it it used for those that would like to become a Mexican citizen later down the road. If your married to a Mexican, I think this process is easier. I say this because its how i had to do it, and i have NO idea how i would do it if i wasn't married to a Mexican.

Okay so here's the thing, i haven't actually gotten my fm2 yet. I'm in waiting. But my paperwork process went like this:

This past wednesday my husband and I went to the INM office in Puerto Vallarta. If you go to the INM website, for the state of Jalisco, it only shows the office for Guadalajara. Though there is one in Puerto Vallarta. Before we went i spent many hours on the internet insuring that we had everything. Though when we got there we didn't. So you can probably count on having to make two trips there. Please note, I am not giving legal advice, and i am married to a Mexican Citizen so my process is different then others.

Paperwork I Had to Have:

1. You still have to got to the INM website and complete an application form that has your information. i.e name, passport number, address, etc. I will provide a link below, because i'm unable to explain this process. Caution, it's in spanish. Which is why i had my hubby do it for me.
2. 5 infantil photos. 3 front & 2 side (ears uncovered, no glasses or hats.). We found it was best to get them done at the Soriana thats around the corner from the INM office.
3. Your FMM. The tourist card that you recieve either at the airport or boarder. And a copy (front and back)
4. I had apostilles for the next following document, I am usure if it is required or not (and they will want to see the originals): Copy of Marriage Certificate, Translated
5. Copy of Passport demographics
6. Copy of husband's pay stubs. They ask for proof of $1000 monthly income, but they let it slid if your married to a Mexican.
7. Copy of Husbands Mexican I.D. card (front and back)
8. Two Letters (in Spanish), one from your spouse and the other from yourself, stating why you want an fm2. Your spouse must include in their letter that they will support you (financialy)
9. Proof of your Mexican address. i.e. electric bills, phone/internet, letter addressed to you, etc. (Bills do not have to be in your name)
10. When you first go to the office you will meet a women at a desk on the first floor. She will give you two documents. One is a list of what you need, the second is a form to be filled out. It's best to take copies of the second form incase you make a mistake. You will give the second page to the officer upstairs.

The person located at the desk on the first floor is where you want to go first. (Our person was a woman). She spoke english and talked with us about what we needed and made sure that we wanted to file an fm2 and not an fm3. She gave us the two documents and told us to return when we had everything. Because they close at 1pm it was too late in the day to gather the rest of what we needed, so we returned the following day. On Thursday we returned, she went over our documents, gave us a number, and sent us upstairs. We got very lucky, we were the third in line. Our number was 39, and they were on 36 when we went up. The room is a tight fit and has 4 couches crammed inside. When our number was called we went up to the officer and gave him our documents. He said that we were missing a copy of my husbands Mexican I.D. card (we weren't told that we needed it), and also a complete copy of our translated marriage certificate. He told us we could return to him without having to get another number. After a quick stop at Soriana we were ready. There were many more people waiting when we got back, luckily we just cut in line and went to the same officer. After he had everything he typed some stuff on his computer, gave us a print out, and said "two weeks". The print out contains a website where you can check your status online with your pieza and contrasena (a pin and passcode).. As soon as its approved you return to the INM office with your print out. They will give you a paper that you will take to the bank to pay for your fm2. When you have paid, you will return once again and go upstairs to get your card.


You can read up more on documents you need Here.

Here you can find help filing out the application form on the INM website.

If you'd like to find out more information on Mexican Visas, you can go here.

Changing blog plots

So i know i originally planned for this to be a go to blog about my life living in Mexico, but my husband and i came to the conclusion that we want to live in the United States. I know we did'nt seem to last long here, but Puerto Vallarta has left a mark on me. Though we've only been here a short time i feel as though i have learnt more about myself then i had in the past 5 years. I will continue writing on my blog about living here while i am still here, but i will also be writing about the immigration journey of my husband.

First a bit about my husband. Martin, like many immigrants, was brought into the United States at a young age, and was raised there. But due to his unlawful presence past 365 days after his 18th birthday, he has a 10 year bar from re-entry into the United States. He abided by the laws, and still does. That was the main reason for us leaving the US.

Sadly, i recently found out, i am going to be unable to file for him while in Mexico. It will benefit his immigration process if i am working in the US while awaiting his paperwork to go through. This honestly breaks my heart, and i pray i have the strength to do it. Once i took a trip with some family for 2 weeks, i thought i was going to go crazy not seeing him for so long. But i don't have much choice. And this is something i have to do for my family.

So before our 180 days is up here in March 2012, i will be making the trip back to the US with Maya. Where i will get a job and work to bring my family back together.

Tosha

Happy (late) Halloween!

Just like the title says "Happy (late) Halloween". I majorly slacked this time, but if your still interested in hearing how my first halloween in Puerto Vallarta went; then here it goes!

31/10/2011

I was very excited for this day to come, so i started of early with dressing maya up in her costume. And even though i dressed her up early i was barely able to take 5, mostly blurry, pictures of her as she ran out the door. Maya was a pumkin witch, at least that's what im going with. Though you can look at the blurry picture below and decide for yourself.

I had even tried painting her face, everything was going well untill she smeared it all over the place. Note to self, don't do face paint on a toddler..it never lasts for more then 5 minutes... I did however face paint my brother-in-law's face. He is 10 years old and he wanted me to make him a pumpkin.

With maya dressed up and ready to go, our first trick-or-treat stop was the corner store. The owner there, Don Tonio, knows us well since we always go to him. He was sitting outside on his bench happily handing out candy to a group of kids who were dressed as all sorts of goblins, vampires and skeletons who would sing "Te quiero halloween" as they went. I found this funny, because it translates to "I want halloween".

As 8pm approached, my husband, Maya and I headed to la malecon with my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and nephew. The malecon was packed with people! Locals and tourists a like. In the middle of they had several vans, some with a person sitting on top of them throwing candy to the people below. You can imagine how crazy this got. All the candy crazy people, including us, would tail the vans trying to catch the candy as it fell. There was a lot of candy hitting heads, feet stepped on, and fighting over candy that landed on the floor. Even though it was some what dangerous, i think was very exciting and i can't wait for next years!

Happy (late) Halloween Everyone!

My Trip to The Dentist..In Mexico [Insert Horror Music Here]

Okay, so it wasn't that bad. Really...


I have a wisdom tooth that took the place of a molar i had lost. So it was my first wisdom tooth. Well now my bottom row of teeth were too full for another, so the second wisdom tooth (for my left side) had no where to go and decided to cause a lot of imflamation and pain. I was tempted to leave it alone to avoid..the dentist..and after 3 days of it bothering me, my husband forced me to go. Darn that caring husband...


So today we headed down to Pitillal to go to a dentist, who is the boyfriend of my sister-in-law. The things you get by knowing people. He checked my teeth out and said i needed an x-ray of the tooth, but that he doesn't do them in his office. So he directed us where to go. After ariving the woman at the desk tell us that this dentist was at home. So she called her and we were told she would be there in 25 minutes. We decided to go ahead and spend that 25 minutes at Martin's families house. We then headed back to the dentist #2 and she started to take x-rays of my mouth. But her machine wasn't working properly. She did nnot charge us, even though she came from home to assist us. She then told us another dentist to go to. We followed her directions and realized that it lead us to dentist #1.. Dentist #1 laughed about this and told us of another dentist around the corner. At dentist #3's office we were able to get the x-ray. We then procceded to go back to dentist #1. He took us to his torture chamber and told us that the wisdom tooth was coming up straight but there was no room. He then asked me something i was not prepared for.. "do you want me to take it out now?".. Are you serious?! I am totally unprepared for this! (was my thought)...But sadly what came out was a measly, "sure". He began working on my mouth and honestly it wasn't bad. At all. I was so grateful. But thenn come to find out, the tooth was really close to the jaw bone. So when it was finally time to pull it out, i swear i thought he wanted my whole jaw to come out with it! Finally it was over. And i gotta say, that sucker was huge! Lol

(These numbers are based on people without insurance)

Minutes spent in a waiting room (US): 15+
Minutes spent in a waiting room (Mexico): 0*
Cost of x-ray (US, i'm guessing): $200+Cost of x-ray (Mexico): $15
Cost of wisdom tooth removal (US): $500+ (per tooth & totally guessing)
Cost of wisdom tooth removal (Mexico): $50

Amount of pain i was in either way: ... priceless

*Seriously, every place i wen't to today, x-rays and dentist, i did 0 minutes of waiting. I don't count waiting for dentist #2 because we left and came back..you can't do that in the US.


This story was not to scare anyone. Please do not make any reference to my use of horror terms, this is simply how i have always veiwed dentists as a child. And sadly i still do. My experience did go better thenn previous ones in the US.

My Daughter and The Churro Man

So as you may know, i am a mommy. My blog so far has been mainly about my experiences and knowledge thus far of Puerto Vallarta, which is my intentions, but my blog is also suppossed to be about being a mom. Not only a mom in Mexico, but a mom in general. Parenting, stories of my little one, the works!

This is a burro.. not a churro... my daughter is very confused :)

Well the above is not what i had entended for this post. It was a draft stored in my phone that i had slacked on completing. As it would turn our my duaghter more than likely posted it for me.. So below, i will post what i had originaly planned.

My daughter loves the churro man. He is convienently located right next to my in-laws taco shop. So whenever my little one gets the urge for something deep fried in oil and covered in suger it's right at hand. And sadly the churro man doesn't mind giving up his precious churros to Maya. I think it's an animal instinct that Maya has, much like a cute puppy or kitten. They get those big eyes and stare right at you, not budging untill they get just what they want. Like candy from the corner store lady..or churros from the churro man. It's safe to say that Maya has a secured amount of highly sugary treats here in Mexico.. Though it's safe to say she could get them anywhere...

Dear Mr. Onion

Dear Mr. Onion,

I would like to inform you of how much i hate you.

Tonight i had to use you for a dish, and even though i have had to cut you before, i still have no idea how to properly do it. As if that wasn't bad enough, you made me cry like a baby. Or like i do when i watch the happy and sad parts of disney movies'; because the pregnancy hormones from having my daughter forever changed my emotions and still haunt me today. To add to the embarassment of crying over you, litterally, i sliced the tip of my thumb.

Once it was all over, and i added you to the pot, it was to my horror that i needed more of you...

P.S
My dear limes, don't feel left out. I hate you too. After my run in with Mr. Onion, you were sure to add your own fun into the mix. So you squirted my eye with your juices.

I would like to add, that i will enjoy you more then usual tonight as i devour you both.



Love,

Tosha

Think in Pesos!



80 pesos! I'm Rich!

One of the many things i loved about Mexico when i first moved here (2 months ago) was how cheap everything was! I mean come on, $200usd for rent?! Food to feed three mouths $250 usd a month?! It's amazing! Who could complain?


Well.. I guess I can now lol.. Luckily my husband and I had eachother to remind at every turn, "Think in pesos..". It's true. Everything is in fact cheaper here, at least when compared to the US Dollar. But when your earning in pesos, that 2000 peso monthly rent starts looking pretty steep. Especially when your relying on a single income. And savings only last for so long.


It's great for those who have social security checks, or retierment savings, and they can have a decent living in Mexico. Even young expats can. But for me and my family, we're completely starting over here, with a minimal savings. I know that wasn't too smart, but in my defense, i love my husband very much and would rather come from my ownn free will then have him be deported. And hey if life was easy it wouldn't be as much fun.


So for now i will write my blog and pray one day it will bring in income, as my husband works cooking for pesos. Hasta Luego!

Mañana

Over the past two weeks we have moved out of my in-laws and into our own apartment, and have since been making it into our home. In the beginning we had some issues with the kitchen sink, where i learned "Mañana"... Often times when we would wake up in our apartment we'd find the kitchen floor with random water everywhere. It wasn't untill some investigagting that led us to find that the kichen sink was leaking whenever we used it. We told our landlord, Martin's uncle, about the issue and he assured us that in "mañana" he would have somebody come by and take a look at it as well as fix some tiles that were loose on the counter. The next day came and went with no sign of him. When we saw him the day after, Martin brought it up again. "Oh mañana." He replied.. And in mañana.. nothing. I have to admit i was getting a little frustrated, it was to the point he would'nt even say hi so to avoid us mentioning the sink. Finally i decided to take a look at why it was leaking, don't ask me why i didn't do this sooner, and found that the plastic tube (thats usually metal in the US) didnt fit into the hole it went into in the wall. It kept being pushed enough to let water slowly drip out. So we positioned it to where the tube got "stuck" so it would'nt leak. And it worked. So about a week and a half after us telly Martin's uncle, he shows up out of nowhere with another man to fix the tiles. We let him know that we did a temporary fix on the sink, and because it was "fixed" for the most part, he didnt even look at it. Which as long as it works for now i'm fine with that..


If that wasn't enough, we bought a living room set. At a good price and new. So i was very excited about it. And it would be here in 3-5 days. But then those five days came and went. We found the number to give the company a call and found out that they didnt check to see if the had it on the truck that diliveres them to the store, so the soonest we'd get everything is 8 days instead on 5... So for now its another waiting game.


At least i'm exercising my patience...

It's Hot! And Wasn't it Supposed to Rain?

I thought it would be a good idea to move to Puerto Vallarta towards the end of it's summer season for two reasons:

1. We could experience some of Vallarta at its hottest, but only have to deal with it for roughly a month, so we'd have an idea of what we got ourselves into..
Tcfcvvvbk
and 2. So that i could have a chance at all the rain, lightning, and thunder storms (the pics of them i've found are amazing!)

..and my husband and i did discuss this of course (i won..), but now i'm thinking it was a HUGE mistake! The first two days were'nt too bad, and i have no idea what the temps been at but im toasting- wait scrath that! Im steaming in my own sweat here! Lol. But every night it does cool down enough for me to enjoy it's splenders.

The rain... what to say about your obscure tantrams and odd beginings...For starters i think it's funny that on a clear day, it starts to rain, with little to no warning whats so ever. But on another where the skies were covered with grey rain clouds not a drop falls (this day was especially horid..). And today it rainned five times! Not sprinnkles either, but a downpour! And don't even get me started on the mosquitos you bring...

(For anyone traveling down here or moving or whatever, i would go to the nearest pharmacy apon your arival and buy a container of mosquito repelant. Seriously, i look like i have the chicken pox!)

We're Here!

Ok so here's a round up of the last two days.

We arrived in Puerto Vallarta at 4:58pm yesterday. The flight went a lot better then expected with my very hyper toddler. Although i would have prefered going into security a little smoother. Maya decided to go back into security after we had just gonne through it, stopping to drop her baby doll and say hi to the officer. Luckily martin was able to coax her, meaning swoopinng her up as fast as he could, im just glad security was helpful of my runaway baby. Arriving was amazing! We sailed right past everything, security and customs was easy, and we got the green light to go through so we didnt lose any more money for our baggage.
We were greeted by Martin's parents, and drove to their home in el pitillal. Which is a downtown Vallarta suburb. We then proceeded to to have a carne asada dinner with family. At first Maya wasnt sure what to think, and by the end of the night she was asking "bye-bye" windering when we were going to leave. But this morning, to my surprise, she's totally fine! Martin's little brother has taken her as though she were his own sister, and she is loving doing almost whatever she wants with her uncle and cousins. I even swore i heard her say "gato".
Today we went to an aunt's house, it was a lot of fun! More people, and more food! They even had a cake, it was a turtle's birthday! Gotta love Mexico! They celebrate for birthdays, holidays, and everything inbetween! And now we're relaxing at home, so i decided to take some pics!

This is our washing machine! lol We have an actual one, but we use this for dishes and certain clothes. You use the left side to clean, and you use the right to rise of the item. The right is filled with clean water as you need it. (Nothing dirty goes in this side!)

This is a picture of the backyard! It is positioned between the two parts of the house.



Well there you have it! So far so good. But don't worry there will be more to come. With more pictures, and more stories of our everyday life in My Little Puerto Vallarta!



Two Shakes and a Wiggle and We're in PV!

Ok people, we're almost there! 2 and a half more days and we will be flying into Mexico! We've gone through our suitcases several times, once more and I'm sure we'll be set. We left our little apartment in Lake Tahoe exactly a week ago and headed down to my dad's until our flight. So this past week we have been chilling with family and doing any last minute rounding of things we may need. Oh and we also sold our car! That cleared a lot of last minute worries, I was getting scared that we weren't going to sell it by the end of the week.

Our little Maya has kept us on our toes all week! She's growing up so fast, and she has sooo much energy that I really wish she would share! I'm hoping she handles the move well. I have been trying ever since the decision to move, to tell her what was going on. This was especially hard when she saw our little apartment slowly empty. Towards the end we were only occupying the livingroom, besides the uses of the kitchen and bathroom of course. But I'm wondering if all the change is slowly getting to her, she had a nightmare last night were she was kicking and screaming but she was asleep! Eyes closed and everything... But I could be wrong, I could of sworn she was screaming, "is mine bread!". (???). Though I'm sure that she will feel better as soon as we finally arrive and she goes back to her normal schedule.

On another note, as soon as we arrive and I unpack the camera, I will be posting photos and videos of life in Puerto Vallarta. So 'My Little Puerto Vallarta' will get a little more interesting.

An update on the babie(s)

I must apologize for not updating until now. As you may know, i found out in the beginning of July that i was pregnant.
For at least 3 weeks after i found out i was pregnant, I've made a couple different stops at the Emergency Room. The doctors there put me under as a "Threatened Miscarriage" status. During one of my visits a doctor told me that it was probably too early to get a heart-beat on the ultrasound, and that i needed to let nature take its course and i would know if i were to miscarry within a couple days. I was in excruciating pain every other day or so after that visit for a little over a week.


Finally i thought to myself; it might be appendicitis. I decided to go to the ER again. This time, a different doctor, had another ultrasound done and told me he was glad i came in. I was hemorrhaging. What the previous doctor had failed to tell me was that the baby wasn't too early to get a heartbeat from, and he was destined to miscarry. There would have been a heartbeat if the baby were alive at 6.5 weeks. This latest doctor asked me if i had been on any fertility pills. I was in shock and almost laughed at his question. I had been carrying twins. He continued to tell that the baby that was there last week was gone, miscarried; but there was another baby. A baby that was still living and growing in my left fallopian tube, and had caused it to tear. So i had emergency surgery, and at the end of this journey i lost both babies. I wish them both well...




I am truly grateful for such a wonderful husband. He stayed beside me the whole time. With the help of my mom and dad, my DD was well taken care of. This experience has made me feel even more blessed with my life.

Out of the Job, On to the Big Move

I'm a stay at home mom again! I just had my last day of work yesterday. I was a phlebotomist at a local hospital for only a short 8 months. Though i feel i learned so much in such little time working with everyone. So i have to say: Goodbye Barton! You were good to me! I will miss my dysfunctional lab family and everyone else, but am grateful for everything that everyone taught me!


Now on with the packing! We have 6 weeks left, but for the next 5 weeks i will be gathering the items we will be taking with us, and getting rid of everything else. As Ive stated before we are going to Mexico by plane, we will be taking as much as we can carry between 5 suitcases, and for the most part be starting over in Mexico!  

Surprise!

I just recently found out I'm pregnant! And the plan to move to Mexico is still on! So i will be having our next bundle of joy in Mexico, and for this pregnancy I'm bound and determined to have a natural at home birth.


With my first pregnancy with my DD i couldn't feel a thing... I was so hyped up on medication to help me sleep through labor, that my nurse gave me three hours before starting, and an epidural that my nurse said i needed 'because i wasn't strong enough to handle the pain', that i couldn't enjoy the feeling of having succeeded in one of the first steps to becoming a mother. So right after birth, though i love my DD with all my heart, i felt detached. Of course that changed over the next hour i held her in my arms, but i still regretted my whole birthing experience. Which is why this time around I'm want to have it all natural!


We will still not be leaving for Mexico for another 6 weeks, so until then i will be doing some of my OB visits here in the states. Then my next task will be finding una partera (midwife), in Mexico. And though i thought this would be easy, its proving rather difficult. Mis suegros (my in-laws) say that no one uses them anymore, and so there are none. But you bet I'm gonna have to have a look when i get down there! I'm a very stubborn mommy lol


I will be using this of course as a way to help others who may like information regarding having a baby in Mexico, based on my experiences, so stay tuned.


And if anyone that reads this has ANY information on a midwife in Puerto Vallarta, please Please PLEASE let me know! It will be greatly appreciated.

Illegal Immigration: My Opinion

Illegal immigration is such a touchy subject... I believe it's because there is so many variations. There is so many different circumstances to every one's story. And this post will be based off my own as the spouse to an illegal immigrant.


My Concern & Thoughts:

• What about the children of illegal immigrants who are illegal themselves? Their brought into when their small, sometimes never knowing their illegal till their much older. They go to school pass all their classes get into (i.e Cal Poly) , but have no hope for financial aid. The place they call home would rather kick them out for staying here illegally, even though they have a family, a spouse and kids. Whats the fate for them? when they try to become legal, even though they are married and have a child, its near impossible... All that money lost in trying to make them legal and yet its denied or doesn't go through and petitions expires. The only hope is if they get arrested while committing a crime and the spouse (whose a us citizen) fights the deportation notice...but if they've never committed a crime except their presence being here, then there's no hope.

• Most do not continue their education because of financial reasons, and the inability of being able to get a job legally prevents them from paying for school. and i know there are people out there that work illegally, but what about the ones that pay taxes? why cant their illegal children go to school if their paying taxes? An 'anchor baby' or a US spouse doesn't make the difference in some cases. I honestly wish it did. But even though I am married to an illegal, and he has a child with me, it does not prevent his deportation. I have done the paperwork and lost all the money for it and for the lawyer fees (over $3,000), my husbands parents paid taxes and he went to school and got honors, he got accepted into cal poly he had dreams of supporting his family and being an engineer, i offered to work and try to put him through college, Ive spoken to numerous lawyers and the only chance for him to become legal is if her gets a deportation notice. They say the chances of him getting citizenship if i file again are not likely. So I have done my research. I have been through this. These are the facts. My facts.

• People often get upset when they find out that many illegals will hire a coyote to sneak across the border, and the money that they spend on a coyote is as much as it would be to get paperwork started. But it's not that easy. You cannot compare how easy or difficult it is for Mexicans coming into the US as it is for Italians coming in. Depending on where the person(s) are coming from, can make all the difference. Because there is such a high volume of Mexicans that come into the US, though I'm sure it is lower due to economy and stricter state laws, it slows down the paperwork process for someone to come into the US. So some can weigh out that the likely hood of them getting in with a coyote is higher then if they try the paperwork process...Just food for thought..

Again what i have stated above is of my own opinion. So if you are to comment, i am open to your opinions as well, just please refrain from any profanity.

Still Counting

I am still counting down the days until our big move. As of today there are 66 days left. The more I say it in my head, the more i don't believe it. It seems surreal to me to think that in just 66 days I will be starting my life; in a different country non the less. And still so much to do... My last day of work is July 22nd, from then till roughly August 28th  I will be selling and getting rid of most of our belongings! and we will then head down to Visalia California to my dad's until our flight on the 3rd of September... 
... All I can say is: Bring It On! haha



On another note, I had my vacation time in June, in which i was able to enjoy a wonderful two week extravaganza! Spending a couple days in Vancouver Canada, B-E-A-utiful!, and then spend a week on the Disney Cruise Alaska! It was a very memorable experience, Thanks Dad!

Tickets

So M and I sat down last night and started browsing our ticket/airline options. He was reluctant to spend our money on them, because it had to come out of our savings. I told him not to worry our savings are there for the big move, and eventually we needed to purchase the tickets before prices go up. So after much site surfing we decided to go with Alaska Airlines, we didn't have too many options but Alaska definitely looked like a decent airline. I know 'looks can be decieving' and 'never read a book' by it's cover, but this is one thing that has me REALLY nervous. I have never been on a plane before..And in two weeks i will be taking a trip (riding a total of four planes; two by myself) with my dad, step mom, and three sisters. 
One thing I don't care for with Alaska is that we have to pay for any checked luggage, they offer free first and second luggage if you go to/from Guadalajara or Mexico City but M said that doesn't pertain to the rest of the flights that go everywhere else in Mexico. And since everything we can carry will go into our checked luggage we may have a lot of bags...


On another note i am very cheap..I'm not a strict coupon shopper, but i do plan out the best price i can get, but who doesn't now adays? So i purchased the tickets directly from Alaska's website, looked through the site and found that if we left on a different day that we'd be paying around $150 less per person... I opted for the different date. Which now makes our flight day to September 3rd, instead of the originally planned September 6th. And means i spent only $500, so far, on our flight :)

Giving Notice

I am a phlebotomist at a hospital. Every day i encounter numerous personalities, some of them truly wonderful, and then others who are not so wonderful... So my job can be a blessing or a real pain in the neck, emotionally and physically. And apparently not to many people like being woken up at 5am in the morning to be poked with a needle haha...


So I'm not sure if this is how other hospitals run or not, but my boss posts the schedule way out in advance. This is incredibly helpful when scheduling my daughters daycare, but not so much when deciding when to give my notice. As of right now, May 28th, the schedule is out until almost the end of July.


With much deliberation, i decided to opt out of the usual 2-week notice, and give it way in advance; I tuned in my notice May 25th. This way i don't have to keep my leaving a secret, and they can attempt to hire someone to take my place before i leave. It's a win win


*My last day will be July 31st. I will have the month of August to decide what to do with all of our junk. Then September 6th we will be making our way, by plane, to Puerto Vallarta with just what our suitcases will carry.*

One step closer

So yesterday I just recieved my new california drivers license, and my apostilled documents! I am incredibly excited about this because it means I finally have all of my documents in order! Passports, Birth/Marrige Certificates, The works!
And the process was unexpectingly fast.

How'd I do it [apostille]? I mailed of my documents, original birth cerificate(s) and marrige license, to the secretary of state with a check of $60 ($20 per Document) and a first-class self addressed envelope for extra speedyness ;p and I got my documents after only 1.5 weeks!

What is an Apostille? An Apostille is a legal document that verifys the authenticity of a document. So basically it verifies the signature(s) to prove its a legal document lol.

And these documents can/will be used to legalize myself and my daughter as dual citizens ^_^


Tosha

Some Q&As

I recently received an email that asked about my plans in regards to moving to Mexico. Because of them i decided it might be a good idea to post them here, along with a few other questions to ask myself.

1. Do you plan to work, start a business, or retire? My husband and I are 20 and 21, so we are far from being able to retire. My husband plans on going to a culinary school, working, and then opening his own restaurant. And I plan on possibly teaching English, being a stay at home mom and painting.
2. How many times have you been to PV(Puerto Vallarta)? I have never been to Mexico, which would explain why i am so nervous, but i have always found the culture to have somewhat of an inviting nature. Like what i would experience with my mother-in-law. I lived with her for a little less then a year, but she always had a way of making me feel like her daughter, as with all of my husbands family, i was already family. It is that sense of love and security that i feel in love with, and makes me excited for this journey. I can not wait to meet all of my husbands family in PV.
3. Do you have any concerns for your daughters safety? I plan on taking the same precautions with my daughter as i would anywhere. Though i am excited about the aspect of PV being very family oriented. I have researched a lot about this topic in the PV area and have never heard of anything of which to be concerned, with that in mind and talking to my husbands cousins regarding the safety (especially for children) i am certain it will make an inviting place to live.
4. What are you planning for her education? My daughter will go to public school, and private school when we are able to afford it. And i will teach her English.
5. Are either you or your husband Mexican nationals? My husband is a Mexican national. So we will be completing the necessary documents to adjust my daughters status to a dual citizen and mine to a permanent resident.
6. Are you American/Canadian? My daughter and myself are American

Thanks again to the young man who asked me all of these wonderful questions. If you have any questions feel free to comment and i will answer you as soon as i can.

The Big Decision

My husband and I have had the idea of moving to Mexico for about 2 years, and after much thought we have decided to make the big move. Now I have never been to Mexico, and my husband's last time there, besides being born there, was when he was in the 4th grade. So we will be fairly new to the area, but luckily with the help of his family i think we will adjust. And where will we be moving? Why to beautiful Puerto Vallarta! (at least from what i can see from the pictures) So because it IS Puerto Vallarta we're moving to, it makes the whole idea that much more satisfying

So with limited luggage and financial savings, we will make our way down to pv in September 2011 from California by plane.


Did I mention we have a little monkey? Our beautiful little girl Maya who is 2 years old will of course be taking this great and fulfilling journey with us.

I look forward to sharing our journey and many adventures with everyone!