January 2019 brought us a sad ending to the life of your last Great-Grandparent, Doña Lyda. She passed away on January 30th, 2019.

December 2018 was a weird month because midway through our Disney Birthday Vacation and after, you and dad got sick as dogs with the flu. You kept on saying that you were not going to get better and for your 8th birthday you had just gotten back your tastebuds. We got back on the 18th and for my birthday I was running around getting you guys meds and taking care of you both. It was nuts but somehow we made it through.

As the month progressed we worked on getting you back on track with homeschooling. We did visit Doña Lydia and Tio and they gave you tons of Christmas, Birthday, and Three Kings presents. And then one morning Tio Tito called your dad who had had a bad night and couldn’t sleep. Apparently while your dad was feeling sick, your Abuelita Lydia was dying.

That morning we rented a car, told you what happened, and drove to Ponce for the next three-four days to be with Tio who was so upset. Imagine living with your mom for 71 years and not having a family of your own to lean on? Earlier in January we had decided to visit your Tio Javi for February and spend some days at the Casino in Foxwoods. We did have some fun but also had to deal with your Grandma Sylvette’s health issues. I actually saw a snow fall for the first time in over 13 years in February and we actually had to stay longer in CT than planned. You started getting nervous before getting on the plane upon our trip back and then you and Dad got sick again. So between December and February you and Dad were my patients and I was losing my wits end.

Somehow we managed to get through the rest of the month of February and on to March.

Here is Daniela’s latest comic based on real-life experiences of her annoyance when a pair of pigeons decided to make a nest in the window. We would hear the pigeons in the morning and she decided to make a comic about her experience as an 8 year old trying to sleep.

Super D. and the Evil Bird!Click to read this book, made with Book Creatorhttps://read.bookcreator.com

Your first e-book

Me and my dogClick to read this book, made with Book Creatorhttps://read.bookcreator.com

I found an application that allows you to upload or draw pictures for World Book Day. So you created a story about your dog, Juanga. You’ve become so good at creating stories out of thin air and you loving drawing. You even told me that you don’t like imitating other people’s artwork when we learn about them. You sounded out most of the words with some help from me but you wrote them on your own.

Hey Daniela,

This year has been one with ups and downs. We started the year toasting champagne and sparkling apple cider for you.

We were luck to have electricity to ring in the new year. not many people could say that because electricity for most of the island including vieques and culebra didn’t come back up until july just two months shy of Hurricane Maria’s anniversary.

We had clients leave us but obtained new ones and dad worked his butt off to make sure you had clothes on your back, a roof, and food on the table.

He worked so hard he made your dreams come true about going to Disney and we did in September.

You swam so much on vacation that the lifeguards at the hotel French Quarter were impressed.

I was walking lots in the beginning of the year by myself and with you at times sometimes all three of us went to Old San Juan.

But I got hurt in July shin splints and thought I was going to have to get a wheelchair for vacation. Thanks to you and dad, I was able to go and by the time vacation was done, I had no shin splints. You made me exercise in the pool too.

Just know that through all the hard times, I love you. And eventhough Dad and I argue, we love eachother very much. So much that we have been together 14 years. and the best seven soon to be eight have been because of you.

You are the best thing that has ever happened to us and to me especially because I didn’t see any kids in my future.

But you are a mixture of Mom and Dad, sweet, empathetic, tough, fair, firm, and you won’t back down.

Just know that when it comes time for you to pick a person to love, that they should love your positive and negative faults. All of you just like your dad loves all of my faults.

I know I have been lazy with writing month to month but just know that I love you all the same. Take care of Dad and Juanga if anything should happen to me. Go on adventures with your Dad, travel often and enjoy yourself. Never stop for anyone. Always question people and don’t take no for an answer. eventually, someone will say yes.

Listen to your dad because he is a smart man and only wants what is best for you. Reach out to my friends like Jessy and Maritza and Iris. They love you too and Titi Veronica of course.

I love you my, Chuchi

 

 

As we enter into the third month of the year, some of the things that make us laugh about you are the following:

You continue to say “Like a Butt Butt” to which your dad has made you say “Like an Ear Ear, Nose Nose” or anything else besides butt.

You are loving all things Lego and Frozen and Doc McStuffins. Mickey and Minnie are a favorite too.

You are singing, dancing and even moving like a robot. You did this one day while we were in Walgreens down the toy aisle and you started moving like a Robot. I nearly peed my pants. You also found a Spiderman Mask and said you like being Spiderman.

You also confessed that you did not like dolls. Now you do have a cloth doll that you love and the little miniature dolls of Doc McStuffin and Amber. With your Legos we have added the Back to the Future car with Marty McFly and Doc. They are constantly covered with clay and you have even made Alice your lego girl a Rapunzel braid.

You Papa wen to Austin and left us for about a week. One of the things we did was get more Clay to play with and you loved mixing al the colors to create different colors.

We also drove together for the first time since you were a baby to see Bianca and Fernando aka Che-Che and Agapita at another mall in San Juan. We had lunch at Chilis and got out of the house for a bit.

Riccardo finally came back from Italy and you guys played and played. I also left you one day with Carmelina and Riccardo while I walked Juanga. It was a lot to ask of you to walk two times a day with the dog so far down the beach but you trooped even though you didn’t want to do it. You hade a couple of meltdowns but not to bad. I had one and you came and consoled me but that was because you didn’t want to walk.

When Pop came back from Austin, he was sick so we had to take care of him. And then you got sick and so did I. That was how we ended the month of March. But today is the last day of March and two of three of us are doing better. Pop is still coughing.

We have made crafts for the board downstairs like rainbows and we made Two Bunny Bags.

We are still reading at night and even doing oral storytelling. You are even telling stories that start Once Upon a time.

You do talk alot of English but with Spanish mixed in and we are going to continue to work on Speaking more Spanish to you.

This month we met up with Papa and Mama’s friend Tony and his family from Kansas. His son was named Daniel and you and him were like peas in a pod. You played so well with that he kept saying he wished he could be a big brother.

We spent the day at the beach and went to Old San Juan where you finally fell asleep as we waited for a dinner table.

Burping and Farting are your two favorite things too! You are burping on command and it reminds me of your aunt Veronica.