D is for Disney, E is for Eva, F is for flippin tired, mang

I grew up with thick, curly hair that was as much a part of my identity as my obscure name, my Elton John-sized glasses, and my freckles. Such is the case that when I am asked for my hair color, I still automatically answer blond even though my hair turned a particularly ordinary shade of brown almost 10 years ago. Inside, I still feel that I am blond. So it is no wonder to me that having a shaved head has been a great source of trauma for Dominic. The first night he cried, "I look like another boy!" and to this day feels he has to tell people that he is "still Dominic on the inside." It was another standard case of unattended scissors and the lengths that needed to be taken to correct the subsequent mishap. So unfortunate too, as we had just paid for a professional haircut days before our Disney trip.

But I am ahead of myself. On March 26, my great-uncle Emilio went home to be with the Lord. He was the youngest of my abuela's brothers, her junior by 8 years. I posted a picture of his 80th birthday celebration last October. To the end, he was a kind, sweet man. And I am, for the first time in a long time, confident that his was a peaceful parting from this earth, and that I will see him again, to God be the glory!

His funeral was held March 28th, and in that funny way that God coordinates his cosmic doings, this was the same day that another precious little star finally made her brilliant earthly debut. And I don't mean "precious" like the nice thing to say when you can't say a newborn baby is beautiful, because she is really beautiful and I, her proud aunt, am totally bonkers over her! In fact, I was almost a little shocked that I didn't receive any congratulatory remarks.

We went to see her on her birth-day, but Dominic and Noemie weren't permitted to enter the maternity ward because South Miami Hospital does not understand the familial bonds of Hispanic families. (Or perhaps...it's because they do understand....) In any case, we made arrangements for Eva to be brought as near to the hall entrance as possible without setting off the alarm, while Dominic and Noemie peered at her from afar.

They put alarms on babies when they're born. Baby stealing is frowned upon here. Baby stealing, cousins, and, if I remember from my own experience, not having your hemoglobin counted. Bad, bad, bad. Eva was born on a Monday, my mom celebrated her birthday that Thursday, and on Friday we were off to the land of the Mickeys. Noemie had turned three years old and she knew that meant a trip to Disney World. She had been telling everyone for weeks that her abuelos were taking her there so that she could ride horseys.

She was crazy excited is what she was.

My mom had gotten us a cabin at Ft. Wilderness like she had done for Dominic's third birthday. And this time we got there early enough to play in the pool, where Dominic rode his first waterslide. The next day, we were up bright and early...well, maybe not too bright, but definitely early... to be at the Magic Kingdom by 8:30 am. (We take our Disney vacations seriously. I also refuse to wait an hour to sit atop an orbiting fiberglass elephant for two minutes.)

Flying elephants, hula dancing animatronics, the joys of Fantasyland. Dominic and Noemie took multiple rides on Cinderella's carousel and were heckled by the her ugly step-sisters as they tried to remove King Arthur's enchanted sword from its stone. Then, joy of joys, we spotted Pinocchio in a corner. This was the highlight of Noemie's morning.

We returned after naps to visit Tom Sawyer Island, a first for Danny and for myself, even though I've been to Disney about 10 times. The Jungle Cruise was much funnier than I remember, we opted for a magic carpet ride over Pirates of the Caribbean because Noemie was feeling "scared," and we grabbed dinner at the Chowder House in Liberty Square.

We found a great spot from which to see the Electric Main Street Parade, and then rushed out the gates of the Magic Kingdom during the fireworks. I suppose we were trying to get out before the crowds but I don't know why it happened quite that way. I asked Danny to run with the stroller facing backwards at least, so the kids could enjoy some of it.

The next day we took the ferry to the Contemporary Resort where we had been able to make a reservation at Chef Mickey's, a great feat I've been told. The kids had a blast and I am oh so grateful that Cristovan found the characters amusing and not scary.

After breakfast, we went back to Ft. Wilderness where Noemie and Dominic enjoyed the marina-side playground, rode real horseys, played some more in the pool, and after a homemade spaghetti dinner (courtesy of abuela), roasted marshmallows at the campfire sing-a-long, and danced the Hokey Pokey with Chip and Dale. We finished the night with a big-screen viewing of Toy Story under the stars.

We basked in a post-Disney glow for a few days after our return. Danny attended a training at the college (which translates to 7 straight days of work, no overtime). I made photobooks during nap times, gave Noemie her first homeschool assessment, took the van in for a repair, designed some invitations for my church, and had a swim date with friends. Dominic at some point in there got a hold of a pair of scissors and gave himself the bald spot which I was remedying at 11pm last Saturday night with clippers. Hence the aforementioned buzz cut. Yesterday, I drove to Coral Springs to give my first Spanish lesson (in exchange for a reading lesson for Dominic). I must admit it was a bit messy. For one, I'd forgotten to take the house number down when I wrote the address. I was driving up and down the street for a while before I figured things out. Then, I totally misjudged my student's knowledge base. When do kids learn what a pronoun is? I've always hated lesson plans anyway. I arrived so late, my lesson time was reduced to 15 minutes before I had to rush out the door to make my 11 am appointment with the pediatrician. Oh, and I left in such a rush, that I left all my materials at my student's house- whiteboard, curriculum plans, folder, everything.

I was terribly late to my pediatrician's office. My kids were tired and hungry. Dominic decided that annoying Noemie would be the best use of his energies and the entire event, three vaccines and two blood tests later, was a nightmare of the kind that only happens when Danny picks up an extra half-shift of work. That night, Amy babysat for us so we could attend an Awards Banquet where "pound for pound the baddest cop in Hallandale" received Meritorious Service awards for catching a burglary in progress, and that whole bank robber incident.

So. Don't rob banks in Hallandale. Don't tell Dominic he looks like someone else. And don't think your niece is cuter than my niece (unless your niece is Noemie). In the words of Noemie, "estoy cansada." Gracias.