Waiting For Baby

And so we wait.  Liz's "official" due date is in three days so baby could show up any time.  So, we wait, but waiting at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle is no hardship.

The kids have been doing aerial silks twice a week and Johnathan has been doing karate (in Spanish) three times a week since they came down to La Cruz.  Plus they have their friends from last season as well as a new one to play with.

Aerial Silks - Victoria and Matero

Victoria doing Aerial Silks

More Silks

More Silks

Playing with Their Friends in the Square

A Busy Local Beach (Can you see Victoria ?)

This beach is more of a hike but nicer

And of course, shopping is more interesting when it is the local weekly market.  Photos below:

Liz at the Market

The Market and some Pangas

More Market and the Beach

We have taking the collectivo bus (and, with much thanks sometimes been getting a ride with Allison from Kenta Anae in their cool van) for the regular visits to the birth center and various medical appointments.  Each of those trips is usually an adventure in itself.

Doctora Victoria

And, of course, despite protests to the contrary home schooling continues ...No photos ...

We have rented a car to ensure we can get the Birth Center when the time comes, learning from Chartlotte and Eric's (aka SV Rebel Heart) experience last year when their taxi got stuck (all the details in their excellent blog - a must read). 

So, now that we have a car and time, we went to Sayulita for a bit of a road trip today.  We took the slow road via Punta de Mita and then had a great afternoon on the beach.  The kids and I played in the waves and tried to body surf while Liz supervised from ashore.  Next time we bring or rent boards!  Liz also noticed a Mexican lady with a child in a rebozo  (a first sighting for us despite it being a traditional Mexican way of carrying a baby).  Liz managed the conversation all in Spanish and we have now bought a rebozo for baby.

The Rebozo

Our accommodation here in La Cruz is no hardship either.  We are in a relatively simple but spacious condo with an amazing view over Bandaras Bay.  A minor detail is that it is about 150 steps up from the main road on some classic Mexican steps.  Some my favourite parts are the bricks cemented to the bedrock and the missing handrail with a potentially fatal drop.  Luckily once you get past those crux moves, then any fall will be impeded by the rusty rebar (yes, our tetanus shots are up to date).  This is the same place the Rebel Heart rented last year. Of course, Rebel Heart has a great description and photos of the climb - "149 Steps to Inducing Labour".

Mind the Gap.  At Least the First Section has Handrails

Then the excellent steps

From there, the Safety Rebar will stop your fall to the restaurant below

Whew, only a few more steps to go

Worth it when you get there - The View from the Condo

One of the inhabitants of the condo.  We need some for the boat !

While I can't work on the boat since Fluenta is still in Mazatlan, I have still been doing some boat stuff figuring out some logistics, looking up charts, reviewing the celestial course I took awhile ago and teaching myself how to make soft shackles (pretty easy actually).

That's all for now.  The bags are packed, the car is rented, Liz has had her lady's day with Allison and Cyndi so we are "spring loaded in the go position".

Max