Dear Diego,

If I could choose one word to sum up your persona in the past year I would choose undaunted or maybe even undaunteable even though that isn’t a word. You are, my son, adventurous and brave and I cannot think of a thing we threw at you this year that you didn’t attempt with gusto (except eating spicy food – sorry, Dad). We have so many fantastic memories from the past year that this letter will be only a brief glimpse.

You learned to do so many things by yourself this year and your mantra, if you have one, has been, “I CAN DO IT” and sometimes “I CAN DO IT MYSELF” accompanied by tears of frustration when we didn’t at least let you try. But you know, honey, many times you COULD do it by yourself and did – sometimes to our complete surprise! Your Dad and I are proud of all the little accomplishments we see every day but this year held some really big ones. The one that tops my list, at least, is swimming. You have loved water since your very first baths as a baby and have never shown an ounce of fear despite waves crashing around you or stumbling face down in the baby pool only to exclaim, “Mama, I’m swimming!” when I pulled you out of the water. Well, son, now you really can swim! One of the highlights of our summer has been heading to Nana’s after school for a swim before dinner. You are truly a little dolphin when you have your life vest on, but you’re now swimming pretty well without it too. You beamed with pride when your swim teacher said, “Congratulations, Diego! Now you have graduated to the next class where you swim without Mom and Dad in the pool.” You couldn’t wait to tell everyone that you’d “gradulated” in swimming.

Your second but equal love is bicycling and you are truly amazing at it. We gave you a Strider running bike for your second birthday and you were thrilled with the idea, but a little intimidated by the reality. It was a challenge though, and a big one, so you threw yourself into it and were soon cruising around the neighborhood. Of course, just cruising along walking then even walking fast wasn’t enough for you and you started picking your feet up and balancing a few seconds at a time. A few seconds turned into a few minutes and then (even though it scared Mom to see it), you began coasting down hills with your feet up whole blocks at a time. I had crazy visions of you careening into the middle of the street but somehow you always remembered to stop before (if only inches before on occasion) the curb. One afternoon you were cruising down the hill at “90 miles per hour” so to speak and you lost your balance, fell and scraped your knee pretty badly. Not only did you not cry , but you jumped right up, picked up your strider bike, pushed it right up the hill and rode cruised down again. At that moment, I saw your future career at the X games as clear as could be. Nana bought you a 2-wheel pedal bike for your third birthday and you rode off down the sidewalk your very first pass – no training wheels! I’m sure the biggest even of your 3^rd year was the birth of your brother, Enzo. When you got home from school on the day we brought him home and you realized that Enzo wasn’t in Mom’s tummy anymore, you ran to the bedroom and peered into the bassinet. You were in absolute awe – he was finally here! From that moment you have treated him with love and understanding almost all of the time (almost). You often want to involve him in your play and share beyond your years. You are so eager to spend time with him that we have to watch and make sure you don’t sneak into his room and wake him up because he “wants you”. You are constantly translating his baby talk so we know what he wants, you stand up for him if we scold him and you call our attention to him whenever you feel that he wants or needs us. Your Dad and I couldn’t be more proud to have raised such a mature, loving and fair little guy

One of the best things about being 2 was that you could finally start attending Buena Vista Child Development Center. Your Dad and I visited your school long before you could actually attend there and we were thrilled when you became a student there. Ms. Amber, Ms. Sonia and Ms. Gloria are now 3 of the most respected and influential people in your world and your Dad and I delight daily in the lessons you’ve learned at school. You’re friends are all terrific but you especially love Love who plays with you and watches out for you with just a little bossing you around on the side. Highlights of your school year have included a field trip to Effie Yeaw Nature Center with Nana at your side, the trip to the Sacramento Zoo and a wagon ride to the Old Spaghetti Factory where you all went out to lunch together.

You have really begun to look after Baxter as he gets older and like to be the one to feed him his dinner. He sleeps in your room with you every night to keep you safe. He’s been having more health problems and you were very grown up and strong when you and Dad had to bring him to the veterinary hospital because he was having neurological problems. The vet that saw him thought he was recovering but wanted to make sure we left a light on for him at night so he could see if he had to get up and wouldn’t loose his balance. You took this advice VERY SERIOUSLY and still make sure we leave the light on “just a little” for Baxter when you are going to bed. You have really begun to love other animals as well and always make sure that you give Eclipse a pat on the neck and a “good boy” when you are riding him. You were the only kid that pet his pony while on the pony ride at the state fair and that made Dad beam with pride. At the petting zoo you were very careful to make sure that the more timid goats and sheep got some of your treats and didn’t just feed the pushy piggy goats that wanted all the grain to themselves.

Some of my favorite memories include a warm afternoon in Berkeley while your Tia Ellen was visiting. We visited the botanical gardens there and were resting on a sunny patch of lawn. You had a wonderful time rolling down the grassy hill with Dad and playing with Tia. At your Tia Maria’s birthday on Stinson Beach you and Ashley stalked the waves “hunting sharks”. I loved making cookies with you at Christmas time and reading book and singing every night before bed. I love that you are lightning quick when solving puzzles – definitely faster than I am and that you paint amazing abstract paintings with color combinations that delight me. You’re sense of humor, infectious smiles and uninhibited laughter delight me every day. I’ll leave you with your current favorite joke that you figured out almost by accident!

“Knock knock…”
“Who’s there?”
“Boo…”
“Boo who?”
“Why are you crying? (Except you usually say, “Why you cryin’?” in your Brooklynesque accent.)

Most of all, I love you just as you are with all of my heart. I can’t wait for all the fun that awaits us next year.

Love,

Mom

Daddy turns to the left at turning point.

Diego: “That’s not right! That’s left Dada!, turn right now!”

Dad: “Diego, I know the GPS is wrong and I need to turn to the left.”

Diego: No, Dada you turn to the right… now!

Dad: Silenced

Diego: NOOOOOO!!!!!! I don’t want yucky chicken.

Mama (not getting it yet): But you love teriyaki chicken.

Diego: I DON’T WANT YUCKY CHICKEN!!!!! I want CLEAN chicken!!!!

A few hours later at dinner:

Diego (about to eat some pork ribs): Is THIS yucky chicken?

While cleaning up before bed…

Diego: Look! I found a coiny! (pointing at a penny on the floor).

Today was a great day.

So many funny things are sprouting from Diego’s mouth these days – he keeps us in constant laughter. His new favorite phrase is, “I have a good idea.” He then elaborates, ending with, “is dat a good idea, DaDa, is dat a good idea?” I could listen to him speak night and day. His 2 1/2 year old accent sounds a little like he is from Brooklyn, a little Mexican and occasionally British. I haven’t the slightest idea where it all comes from! His imagination is astonishing – he tells long involved stories, some of which start out with, “Once upon a time, in a land far away when Nana was a little boy….” Priceless!

Enzo laughed for the first time 3 days ago. Like everything he does, it was a little understated but no less delightful. He is a mellow little guy that is constantly charms me with his beguiling smile. He is content to sit and watch family life unfold in front of him and, of course, especially likes to watch his older brother play and carry on. He has a hard time sleeping in the early mornings, waking up every hour after 1am, making me feel a little delirious from sleep deprivation. I hate letting him sleep in the swing all the time yet that is the only place he seems to get any prolonged rest. I have visions of him as an 18 year-old sleeping poorly unless he is in a car or on a plane or on some futuristic perpetual motion machine. I know, logically, that he is only 2 1/2 months old and this is only a phase but the little voice inside my head is repeatedly telling me that I’m enabling a miniature insomniac!

“Tash.”

“You see that?”

“No. It tash, Mama.”

“It’s that?” (At this point I cannot for the life of me come up with anything other than lame “that” to try and understand what he’s pointing out.)

“Tash, Mom, TASH!”

“I’m sorry, Diego, I don’t understand what your trying to tell Mama.”

“It garbage, Mama.”

“OHHH, you see trash!”

Thank God my two year old already gets the concept of synonyms!

Two days later…

Dada: Should we put 10 gallons or 15 gallons of gas in the Subaru, Diego?

Diego: Ummmmm, 15.

Dada: Why should we put 15 gallons in?

Diego: 15 moe than 10 gallons.

Where did this kid come from?

I thought time went by too quickly during your first year and here it’s gone doubly fast during your second. You’ve gone from being my big baby to my little boy in the last 12 months and you are truly an independent little being at this point. I have so many things to reminisce about over the last year that I don’t know where to begin… You’ve gone from uttering a few garbled words beyond Mama and Dada to full sentences and you look at us with exasperation when we don’t understand exactly what you’re trying to tell us. Your steps were tentative and slow 12 months ago and now you run, sometimes leaping just for the fun of it, with reckless abandon. You were completely dependent on us 12 months ago and now you don’t even look back when running off to join your friends. And what great friends you have made this year! Jacob, 4 months your senior, is the guy you look up to. You’ll follow him anywhere. Although your personalities are different – Jacob has a pensive way about him and thoroughly thinks through his next action before making a move. You, on the other hand, are quite reckless and jump right in even when you are literally “in over your head”. That being said, you listen to Jacob and will often follow his lead. I think he will likely be the voice of reason in your future. Savannah, 3 months your junior, is even more head strong than you are! She is always game for any trouble you might lead her into and she is the most apt to hurt your feelings if she doesn’t want to play or hold your hand. The three of you are perfect friends and inseparable.

You have shown us, over the past year, so many facets of your personality. You are at once sensitive and brave. Your feelings are hurt by any perceived injustices – like when Savannah refuses to hold your hand – and yet you have no problem running headlong into any exciting adventure. When we were in San Diego in October, you tried your hand at skateboarding – all on your own – and didn’t shed a tear when you landed head first on the concrete. You ran right into the ocean over and over again despite being bowled over by the strong waves. Your Dad took you out into the surf on a boogie board and you LOVED it, making Mama shiver with your love of the unknown. Just a month ago, when we visited your Tia for her wedding in Indiana, you lost your balance and fell face-first into the deep end of the kiddie pool. I was terrified, but when I pulled your up out of the water, you looked at me with a huge grin on your face and said, “I swimming, Mama!” I think that sums up the juxtaposition that is uniquely your personality. You are a just little boy who thinks things in this world should be fair and are crushed when they aren’t. At the same time, nothing scares you much and you will try anything – from eating sushi at Mikuni’s to horsebackriding to climbing up to the highest slide on the playground (you know, the one for the “big” kids) without looking back.

In the past year, you have gone from being unbalanced and tentative as you walked across the living room to running across the park so fast that I cannot catch up with you. You were always good at kicking a soccer ball but now you can run toward it and kick it “on the fly”. You have gone from pushing your little John Deere tractor to riding the tricycles at school on your own. You now love putting your head to the floor, trying to do somersaults without assistance. You’re not quite there yet but I know it will be any day now that you gleefully make it over your head and land sitting on the floor, filled with delight and accomplishment. In November, we “ran” the Toddler Dash at the Turkey Trot in Davis and you toddled along slowly, holding my hand. I cannot wait until next year when you can run along side your peers even though I will miss walking slowly by you side holding hands.

One year ago you were babbling a word hear and there, still calling all of the women in your world, “Mama” and now you can say so many sentences that I can’t keep track of them all. I remember distinctly one of your first complete sentences. You walked into the dining room from your bedroom, looked up at me and said, “I need shoes, Mama.” I couldn’t believe my ears! One minute you were barely uttering one word at a time and the next minute you’d figured out sentences! Since then you have become more opinionated every day and use the phrase, “my turn” whenever you’d like to take over whatever Mama or Dada are doing.

You’ve fallen in love with the entire animal kingdom, both wild and domestic, thriving and extinct. You’ve always loved Baxter, Johnny and June but your love has grown over the past year and you lovingly call them all by name. One of your biggest frustrations is that Baxter won’t always play with you and you take if very personally when he is not in the mood to play. Your favorite dog by far, though is a yellow lab named Lola. She belongs to our friend Sandy and she will play with you gently but incessantly for hours. When she plays tug-of-war with you, you laugh and laugh. She never tires of playing like Baxter does. You also love Wendy and Martin’s dog, Jack, who doesn’t play but is a total cuddle bug and loves nothing more than to be hugged all day long. You’ve always been a big fan of the horses but your love and knowledge have grown over the past year so much that you’ve known the difference between a horse and pony since the beginning of the Summer. Your not intimidated by their size in the slightest and will walk right up to Eclipse to brush his legs. You also love dinosaurs and love to hear, “How does a dinosaur say goodnight?” over and over again at bedtime. You never cease looking for cows or deer on the side of the road when we’re on road trips and will chant, “mo dee or mo cow,” over and over again once you’ve spotted one.

Possibly your two favorite pastimes are playing music and playing ball and that would be ANY kind of music and ANY game that involves a ball. Your Nana showed you how to play the harmonica and you caught on immediately! Since then you’ve been great at playing the harmonica, the guitar, drums, really any instrument you can get your hands on. Your cousin Lucy is a pianist and music teacher and you discovered the piano at her house when we visited Corvallis after Christmas. You were so thoughtful as you explored the keys, listening to each note before moving on to the next. We like to go to Southside Park on Tuesday nights to watch the Aztec dancers dance and play drums. One evening you and Jacob joined their circle! You both watched the dancers feet carefully to imitate their moves. Dancing at your Tia Ellen’s wedding and at Carnaval were two of your grandest moments. Of, how you love dancing with your cousins, especially Elise and Ashley! As for balls, well, you’ve spent the last year loving basketball, baseball and soccer. You have a wagon full of balls of all shapes and sizes and you play with them EVERY day, no joke.

Last year you’d only seen snow for a brief afternoon but this year you had two trips, one to Oregon and one to Bear Valley, where you got to spend lots of quality time playing in the snow. We visited Chito and Grammy DiDi after Christmas during a rash of snow storms and got to march around making snow balls and snow angels. A few months later we spent the weekend in Bear Valley with Meera and Matt and did lots of sledding and snow shoeing. You loved the cold but were a little intimidated by the sledding. You were never more content than when you’d fall asleep all bundled up on Dada’s back in the Ergo while we were snow shoeing.

This year has been full of times spent with people who love you. Many of them you’d spent lots of time with last year but this year you’ve realized that they are “your people”. You love going to visit your Abuelo and Abuela, watching out the window for Nana, talking to Grandpa on the phone and visiting with Tia Ellen and Tio Matvei on Skype. You are never more happy than when visiting Tia Maria and Tia Maritza because they never tire of playing with you, You recognize your Grandpa Jim on the phone and go to the refrigerator to get his picture whenever we talk about him. You visited with Will and Max and all of your cousins at Tia’s wedding and had a grand time being “one of the gang” and totally ditching the grownups. Your two favorite “big kids” in all the world are Ashley and Josie and whenever you see a picture of an older girl in one of your books you call her one of the two. You know all of the names of the teachers and kids at your school and even “tattle” when someone has wronged you. We discovered this by accident when I asked you who had bitten you (I was actually asking about mosquito bites) and you straightforwardly answered that one your classmates (who shall remain nameless) bit you.

You seem to be looking forward to the arrival of your brother and are constantly covering my belly with a blanket for the baby. You sweetly bring your baby toys to my tummy for the baby to play with and think that you have a baby in your tummy as well. A few weeks ago you told me very seriously, ” I want baby come out now…” (Some days, I couldn’t agree more.) I know you are going to be the best big brother in the whole world.

You’ve probably had as many “firsts” this year as last: you made your first best friends, Jacob and Savannah, you saw your fist movie in the theater, sled down your first hill, jumped into the swimming pool, rode a tricycle, decorated the Christmas tree, learned to brush your teeth, flew your first kite, built your first sandcastle (and destroyed it), and many more. Mama and Dada have had a fantastic time learning and growing with you every day this year. We can’t believe how far we’ve all come! I can’t wait to spend the next year with you, Dada and baby Enzo. You are the most important people in my world.

I love you with all my heart. Always.

Love,

Mama

cool to see, cool to film (see my version of the events with the video below…)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcLQF8eFRhs

Life has been busy for us lately. We haven’t posted much because we have been living like there is no tomorrow; but it has been all great as Diego continues to grow into his own. He looks more and more like a mix of both Bets and I. We took a trip recently to see our friends in Texas and had a blast… it was fantastic to see them and take Diego to them; he still wants to see Josie everyday! our friends were (as always) the best anyone would wish to have!

We have a trip coming up to Indiana for Tia Ellen’s wedding and of course we have a couple of short trips coming up in July and August and October… As you can see, having Diego has added to our social life; but the best part of it all is that Diego loves traveling and meeting new people so it is incredibly satisfying to be busy.

A couple of days ago Bets shared a blog posting with me about new baby and older sister and how hard it can be for both the mom and kid(s) and I realized that I MAY NOT BE PREPARED for the emotional roller coaster that having a new kid will be for our little Diego. Up until now (on the onset of his second birthday) he has been our world, and everything we do and plan and our lifestyle is centered around him. This is what I told Betsy:

It will be different for him, maybe a bit harder or maybe not… no one ever knows. All we can do is hug him, kiss him and tell him we will always love him. He will need us more than ever, and we will be there for him. Please, know that I will do everything possible to be there for him and Enzo at the same time, Diego may need us more than ever, but I am sure he will adjust beautifully. We have to instill in him love for his brother while at the same time love him as well… that’s some of what we can do; I am sure we will think of other things to help him cope…

The question is: will I be able to do it without a major emotional breakdown? I hope so, I want to be there for my kids and hope to be strong enough to be supportive for all: My lovely wife, Diego and Enzo.

So, yes, he will be a baby boy and his name will be Lorenzo Javier; shortened to Enzo… enough said.

We continue to build fantastic bonds with other parents with children close to Diego’s age and have come to realize how wonderful life is to grow up with people close to you, so we want to say to Stephanie, Gordon and Savanna (Vanie); Jennifer, Tim and Jacob; Stacy, Scott and Kyan: Thanks for being in our kid’s life.

Lastly, our wedding anniversary is coming up next week, and frankly I am at a lost for what to do for Bets; I love her even more every day and am glad to have married her. It was the best decision I have ever made in my life. It is not that I can’t think of anything to give her or anywhere to take her out; but the truth is that nothing I could do will ever convey how much I love her so I feel that giving her anything that doesn’t truly reflect the depth of feelings I have for her is not enough… any ideas? (feel free to post on my Facebook page if you do!)

Thanks friends, family and the occasional lurker for reading… writing this has cleared my head, giving a feeling of accomplishment and most importantly it has made me look forward to lifetime with my family….

We have updated our Photo Gallery and if you need to download them, they are available in flickr.

A few portraits of Diego with his friends!