Mexico recap: ¿Dónde está el hospital?

We did it. We went somewhere as a family of four.

We booked three flights with Chase points (flex), hit the runway on a Friday and vacationed in Cabo San Lucas and Mexico City.

I could show you our luggage situation, but one look would probably throw your back out. Kids have [and make] a lot of crap, and I miss the days when we could stuff them into an ergo carrier for hours at a time. But we’re getting better. A double umbrella stroller, a Doona car seat, 3 backpacks, and two checked carry-ons and THAT’S IT.

Cabo was awesome - we stayed at an all-inclusive resort with a lazy river, six thousand jacuzzis, and four sit-down restaurants that all operated on different timeframes. A rich and profound pozole? That’ll take a rapido six minutes. Spaghetti with no sauce for your hungry children? That’ll be 45 minutes señor. Such is life.

You’d think with the all-inclusive wristband I’d be crushing tacos without a care and drinking cocktails like a character from the White Lotus, but that isn’t me. I mean, we definitely sampled the entire pool menu most days, but I’ve never been much of a drinker. Maybe it’s the sugar or how it wrecks my sleep. But day drinking and ‘making sure your kids don’t drown in the pool’ all day don’t mix well.

Vacation is amazing. Vacationing with kids is simply parenting in a new location. But there were lots of upsides to Mexico visiting though: meandering beautiful and shaded avenues, eating birria tacos from street vendors (brave!), and staying in foreign hospitals. That’s right, we did 2 nights at the ER in Mexico. Go us!

The fun started on our first night, during bath time. We instructed both kids that we do not drink the water in Mexico. It will make us sick. Our oldest got the message. The youngest, a happy 2 year old, failed to receive it.

While getting shampooed for lice (a whole different story) she plunged her face under the depths, scooping up a cup of bacteria filled water and Montezuma’s revenge (six flags throwback) when she came up. 

24 hours later came the fever. A case of 101 F that didn’t go away for four days.

Once we landed in Mexico City, we thought she turned a corner. She was smiling and eating chicken soup. But the night was absolute hell. The next morning, my wife took her to see a pediatrician, who advised us to go straight to the ER. The doctor said was badly dehydrated, likely had multiple infections, and would need fluid delivered intravenously.

She was right on all counts. 

The next three days were a bit of a blur. Imagine a split-screen video…on one side, my wife and daughter are getting syringes and undergoing medical tests and having IV ports installed into a tiny vein in her elbow….

On the other side, my son and I are climbing play structures and touring coffee shops and going to fancy dinners. Each morning, all four characters cross paths and unite in the hospital. Then the boys diverge again to see the Frida Khalo museum (it was fine) and eat ice cream the size of my head. 

For those wondering why I got coffee and she got the crying baby - my wife lived in Mexico and speaks Spanish. My parlance is mainly Italian with a big assist from Google Translate, all delivered in a thick Israeli accent. I don’t know why it comes out. It just does okay?

All in all, I have unbelievable gratitude that my wife managed this disaster, likely on two hours of sleep a day, for three days straight. What women can endure is far beyond me. I told her, that even if I DID speak Spanish, I would have broken down numerous times during the event. But as a parent, you can’t let that happen. As a human, it’s inevitable. Moms man. They are wonderful people.

But on Day 3 we busted outta there like Batman and had an epic day as a family. We hit up a giant park and zoo by Condesa. We ate at that same coffee shop called Mendl’s. We tasted some of the best guacamole ever. And thanks to a friend in LA, we hired a sitter to watch the kids while we had a night out in Mexico City. That night, we drank.

10 days in a foreign country with two kids has its challenges. But in all honesty, it was still worth it. It scratched that itch I mentioned previously – that feeling of aliveness when everything is brand new to your eyes. And our children loved taking in all the sights, just like us. They were happy to ride in the stroller for miles, and thrilled to see monkeys and apes at Chapultepec Park. They rode in the Merry-Go-Round. They played with sticks in the mud. Everything is memorable at this age.

It’s not novel to say this, but parenting is all things at once: exhausting and recharging, heartbreaking and heart-opening. You can’t have one without the other. You must give if you want to get.

As for us, we’re looking to what’s next. Italy? Israel? Costco on a Sunday? Aventure awaits!

4 Things Right Now

Watch: Fargo Season 5. Almost over, and we’re sad. It’s the only thing we watch.

Listen: Huberman Lab on how to prevent and treat colds. I’m halfway through this.

Read: Rise and Kill First. I convinced my dad to buy this and another book on the Prime Ministers. We’re taking one each, then swapping. 

Move: 21 Day Hip Opening Challenge. I must confess I have not signed up for this mobility course yet. Maybe I’m waiting for someone to gift it to me as it feels indulgent. But it looks interesting.

I have this weird belief that my life would change dramatically for the better if I could do the front or side splits. What is up with guys and tight hips? I just want to do cartwheels like a Capoeira master.