Samuel Talay Birecki

  Here you guys are going down the slides in MeLand  I guess for Leo, it was too "slow."  Oh well, I found the place rather fun 

 We went to the snake show with the family here in Bangkok a couple of days ago, and you had such a great time.  Here are some images at the end of the show of you with the snake, in this case of reticulated python, way too big to keep as a pet. 

 One of my goals here in Bangkok was to take you to a car show. Is the  thing you really really love, you're constantly playing with cars, constantly asking me which car goes faster than another, or anyone who would have an answer for you for that matter. You're constantly watching crashing on TV, where simulated AI cars crash in various ways. You're also watching the occasional drag race between cars.  So, when we got to Bangkok, I looked up to see whether or not there was a car show that was taking place. And there was, and I decided that I was going to do everything I could to take you, and here are the photos.  Honestly, I don't care about cars at all, I took you because I know how much you love it.  And that for me was the best gift ever was to watch you light up.  At the end of the show, when we had seen all the cars, we came to a stand selling miniature models, toys of vehicles.  You of course wanted a Bugatti. You wanted it bad, I wanted to ord...

  Your favorite race car is the Bugatti Chiron. You love cars and everything about them, this is what you play with, this is a video of you in your element, playing with your McLaren, which I originally missed took as a Lamborghini. I never taught you to like cars, you loved them on your own, it's a natural state of being that no one needed to demonstrate to you. You've taken an interest in them since you were tiny, and your four going on five now. I love you, I support you, and we are going to take you to car shows in Bangkok. 

 My dear boy, we drove home yesterday, and as always when I drive you alone, you ask me about each car that passes by, and what brand it is, and you especially get excited when it is a Toyota, which is by far the most common brand owned in Thailand.  You always ask me which one is the fastest? Whether one car is faster than another, especially my or mommy's car? You are a little bit ornery towards me, especially in the morning, but incredibly sweet to Nanna and mommy. I certainly hope that you and I will grow closer over the years, because I really do love you and I hope that you are an athlete, which I think you have a gift for especially soccer.  I love you very much

  This is you pretending to be a kitty, which is rather ironic because you often mistreat our beautiful cat figgy. But you're a sweet, sweet boy in general, even if you don't always want my attention, which I'm a little sad about, although you do love to race me up and down the hallways and outside as well. You're really fast for a four-year-old, at least I think so. I want you to know that I will always love you no matter what, and then I'm proud that you're my boy.

 Here, we went to Ya nui Beach last Saturday, and I was so excited for you guys to get to see the fish. 

 I am so excited that you want to walk home with me from our favorite restaurant Le Celtique. Often times, you can be a little bit ornery, and standoffish with me, but I really want to have a great relationship with you, so when you decided that you wanted to walk home with daddy from the restaurant, the last two times that we went, I jumped at the opportunity and left my car there. We walked home together, and I protected you from the cars because it's not the 100% safest without sidewalks, etc., but we made it home. Yesterday Leo joined us, and we walked home as men. I really do love you, you're a very sweet boy

 Today was Sunday, which is always the hardest day for me and because we have to deal with all four of you with only the Help usually of super Nanna.  But honestly, honestly, I made it a point to play with you a lot more. I want to be able to spend time with you, to coach you, so that you have trust with me.  Today we went to the beach, and had lots of fun. You ran with me from one to the beach to the other, all the way to Rockall. I love you so much, your handsome boy and I have a lot of fun with you.  We also went to Villa this morning, where we played a ton. Here is Reya sitting on you in the ball pit area.    here you and Aira play by the waves in Nai Harn

 Hi Sammy, I have to write to you and tell you that of the four children, because of our schedule and you going to school and Nanna, taking such good care of you, for whatever reason I have spent less time with you recently than the other kids. But today I tried to make up for that, and I played cars with you, and we fought and wrestled, and then you wanted meIn the fort where no one could find us. And I spent so much time with you and you were so sweet and loving. I really do love you and I'm going to be spending so much more time with you going forward. We are going to be enrolling in swim lessons as soon as possible also. I want you to be able to swim in our fabulous pool. 

  Here you sure you are training for soccer, at your school. I actually think that you're going to be a very talented athlete if you apply yourself. 

  My God are you ever a CUTIE! Love you Sammy! This is you at Rosso Vivo enjoying ice cream :) 

  Here we are playing together, as you blow up the daddy balloon and release him to fly around, randomly around the living room 

  here is Amos dancing with his best friend Nina at the Montessori school here on the island of Phuket. You guys were actually better than the older kids by a longshot. I really enjoyed watching you dance, and you have a little bit of rhythm, unlike. You did great, although I do wonder sometimes that you don't smile a heck of a lot, but you're very loving and kind with us. Looking forward to seeing you develop more.  Here my handsome boy and Nina wait to perform

 You and I are getting along absolutely famously, we're playing superheroes every day, shooting lasers at each other from our hands. I'm almost always the Hulk, and you're either Captain America, Batman, or Spider-Man. We're also playing cars consistently, I'm always Dino car, and the bad guy. You are the hero.  But when I'm really impressed by is that I picked you up at your Montessori school one day, and you saw me and told me "wait daddy," and then proceeded to put your toy away neatly, and then came and ran and jumped into my arms. I was so impressed, and I love you so much. Mommy says I shouldn't have a favorite, but honestly right now you are it.

 Hi Sammy, I'm so sorry that I'm not going to be in Thailand for your third birthday. As you know, the family is now moving there. I think I went too fast, we should've all come home to Mexico. Here are photos and a video of you blowing out the candles on your third birthday cake at the Montessori school that you guys are going to. I miss you and I wish I was there to celebrate with you.

 So, you were born with a hydrocele that didn't seem to close as we were told was likely. That is a communication between the body and he scrotum that normally closes up on its own, so we took you to age 1.5 to have a surgery with a doctor in Mexico.  For 9 months it seemed like everything was great, but that your ballsack began to fill with fluid again. So we waited, took you back to the doctor, and Mommy said we should take you to Thailand and have a second surgery done there.  The good news is that we were able to close a communication on the other side that had developed. But regardless, it was scary to put you under the knife and anesthesia. Scary.  It turns out that you had scarring from the last surgery :( There was no communication between the body and the scrotum.  But for a month after the surgery we didn't ket you do anything. And you didn't feel like it either. But on July 25, before were leaving Bangkok for Phuket, we took you to the doctor again, a...

 Hi Sammy, here you are with your grandma, Nana Margie, playing catch with a football. For your age you're incredibly talented and good. 

 Well, Sammy, I hope you never know this in the future, but right now you have a Hydrocele, meaning that there is communication between your scrotum and abdomen, allowing in water.  You had a surgery to get it solved permanently, which seem to work over a year ago, but nine months later it returned, and now it is quite big. We are going to take you to Bangkok to have the second surgery done which I hope solves it permanently along with your other side, being filled with water as well. I am quite worried, but the good news is that the surgeon told us that it was a very simple procedure, so we will be going to Bangkok to have this done. The problem that I have is that you are such an active little boy, and like to play rough and tumble, and we are going to have to calm you down for about one month. It's not fun, but it needs to be done. We are doing this out of love, because the only thing that I can do is to make sure that you have the best possibilities to succeed in life, and...

  For whatever I lack as a father, please remember that I played with you. Here we are dancing in Puerto Vallarta, outside the mall.