You survived your first earthquake

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Yesterday afternoon you were sitting on my lap, drinking milk from a bottle, when I felt the house sway.  This being New York City, I thought nothing of it, buses and trucks will make the house shake every day.  However, this made me feel a little dizzy.  I figured I must be hungry.

Minutes later I got a message from a co-worker that said, "Earthquake?"  I had no idea what she was talking about.  Then I put two and two together.  I turned on the television to reports that NYC had indeed just experienced part of an earthquake.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake originating in Virgina was felt as far away as Canada.  What we felt was a 2.2.  Luckily it seems to have caused very little damage and no one was hurt. 

Still, it was your very first earthquake.  And you survived!

Your mom, by the way, was out helping a woman with a newborn baby and felt nothing.  She missed in our shared earthquake experience.  But that's ok, I don't think you noticed a thing. 

You finished the your bottle, watch the Mayor give a press conference, got bored by that, and started playing your ukulele.


Hoping all the earthquakes in your future are this easy,

Tu papa

Your mom is a better athlete...

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Yesterday, your mom and I complete the 3rd Annual Staten Island Triathlon. Your mom, by the way, is a better athlete than the average person, including me. There, I said it.

We once competed in a duathlon (run-bike-run) two years ago where she beat me by a couple of minutes. That same Fall I beat her in another duathlon (run-bike-run) by a couple of minutes. This triathlon (1/3 mile swim - 12 mile bike - 4 mile run) was our third head-to-head competition. And she crushed me.

we ate a healthy plate of rice, beans, and veggies for dinner the night before our race

We woke up really early to drive down to Staten Island with your Abuela Betty helping us with our equipment and keeping you entertained. Although I was nervous, there was very little time to be nervous now that we've got you. A lot of our focus is on your well-being and comfort so it's a good distraction from race-day nerves.

It feels like we barely got set up when they called us to head down to the beach. Now, the swim is my weakest sport. I learned to swim at the age of 25. Your mom was on the High School swim team. She was also a lifeguard. So, heading into the swim, I took it easy.

I was surprised by how great it felt to swim in the choppy ocean water. I was slow, with people passing me left and right, but I was swimming without having to stop; that's a victory for me. I came out of the water a full three minutes behind your mom.

Heading to the bike I pedaled as hard as I could. We biked a 4-mile loop three times, so I could see you mom ahead of me, but I could never catch up. I managed to make up some time on the bike but not nearly enough for what was about to happen.

I consider myself a runner so I was confident that I could make up some time on the 4-mile run. However, after swimming and biking for over and hour, your legs feel like tree trunks. And mine did. For about four miles. Your mom, on the other hand, said she felt great. She sped through the run leaving me gasping for air behind her.

Your mom finished in 1hr48min26sec and I finished in 1hr54min45sec, a full 6+ minutes behind her.

you joined us to celebrate the finish

So, your mom has beaten me in two of our three athletic competitions. Of course, this doesn't end here. While discussing our triathlon over dinner your mom said, confidently, that she could beat me in a road race - my sport!

So, on September 17th, we'll be facing off in a 4-mile race.

If you're smart, you'll put your money on your mom crossing the finish line before me. If you're lucky, you'll get her athletic genes.


Still running,

Tu papa

You are YouTube famous!

Dear Chicken Nugget,

You mom bought me a ukulele for my birthday a year ago since I had dropped lots of hints that I wanted to try and learn to play it.  Unfortunately, I have no musical talent and your mom had no training in string instruments so it just lay under our bed for over a year. 

A few months ago she discovered a ukulele class for parents and babies.  For four weeks she took you and the uke to Brooklyn, learned some chords, and even wrote a song for you called "Santiago's song."

You became instantly intrigued by the ukulele and always wanted to play with it.  The problem was, your mom was always practicing and you were messing up the tuning of the ukulele.  So, we ordered you your very own uke.  What happened next was beyond our expectations.

We figured it would act as a decoy for when your mom was practicing.  It turned out to be your favorite toy and a source of hours of entertainment for our family.  Between you, your mom, and I (I've finally learned some chords through your mom), we traded the two ukes endlessly, each having a go at a song or two.  In fact, one day we clocked almost four hours of ukulele playing time. 

We filmed one of your performances and put it up on YouTube to share with friends and family - an instant hit!



Our level of excitement for the ukulele hasn't diminished.  On some mornings you will crawl out of your bed and head straight for the ukulele to play for almost an hour.  And, because two ukes for three people doesn't entirely add up, we went ahead and got another one.  Now each of us has a uke. 

If some day you become a famous musician or even just pretty good at playing an instrument, you really need to thank your mom for taking those ukulele classes.  It really sparked an interest in all of us that we didn't know existed.  And, it's created the musical little monster we love to hear play and sing.


Enjoy,

tu papa