Dear Eliza, 118 Months Old

Let the orthodontia games begin.

You’re proudly wearing your new mouth spacer—and lisping through it like a champ. Honestly, it’s been a little harder for me to understand you, thanks to my hearing loss and that new piece of plastic on the roof of your mouth. But we’re both getting used to it.

Mom and I learned you have a smaller palate, which makes you a heavy mouth breather (and a future snorer!) at night. So we found an orthodontist willing to start there. We’d actually heard about the benefits of spacers from a family we met on vacation—their daughters had big, beautiful, mostly natural smiles with minimal braces after using spacers. Creating room now means your adult teeth will have an easier time finding their place later.

I was a little older than you when I got my first orthodontic appliance—a bite plate to correct my overbite before braces in junior high—so we’re starting in similar places. I even remember being weirdly excited about it, like it was a rite of passage. Of course, that also meant learning dumb tricks to flip my retainer around and impress my friends.

You, on the other hand, are far more mature than I was. You carry your retainer case everywhere, clean everything diligently, and switch to the next set right on schedule. You’re a rule follower, and it’s paying off—we can already see your smile getting bigger!

And you’re not the only one on this journey. While we wait for Matteo to age in, we got Mom started on Invisalign to take care of her teeth straightening and finally fix that “snaggle tooth.” Mom has an amazing smile, but for both health and looks, she’s wanted to straighten her teeth for a while. We even tried a DIY solution during the pandemic through a company called AlignerCo. It worked for me, but didn’t quite get Mom’s teeth where she wanted them. Since we’re going “all in” on family orthodontia insurance costs, now felt like the right time to get her there.

You and Mom have even turned check-ups into “ortho dates,” which I love. You both have the same jobs ahead: don’t lose those valuable retainers when you take them out to eat, and wear them as much as possible. Before long, you’ll be on to “real braces”—though these days, that basically means clear Invisalign retainers. You’ll feel even more grown up than you do already.

Love,
Dad

Dear Matteo, 97 Months Old

Dear Matteo,

You’ve been such a huge baseball fan these past few months, and while we’ve gone to a few Rainiers games, Mom and I decided it was time to take you and Eliza to the big show: a Mariners game at T-Mobile Park.

Some of my favorite memories with my dad—albeit cliché—were going to Mariners games and watching a lineup full of legends: Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, and a young Alex Rodriguez. I remember one game in particular when I wore brand-new slide-in shoes. The old Kingdome had long ramps, and our parking lot was a good walk from the stadium. By the time we reached the ramps, a blister had started forming. By the end of the game, it had become a full-blown bubble on my heel. Nonno was not happy about giving me a piggyback ride all the way back to the car.

For our first family trip to a big-league game, we got great 100-level tickets for a Tuesday night matchup against the White Sox. It happened to be Ichiro Suzuki Week—he’d just been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and was getting his jersey retired that weekend. As part of the celebration, the first 10,000 fans in the stadium received Funko Ichiro figurines. I had a hunch they might be valuable, and sure enough, I saw them going for $50 apiece on eBay before the game even started.

We arrived early to watch batting practice but only caught the White Sox warming up. You and Eliza waited patiently along the first baseline for autographs, but no players stopped by—probably because of the 6:20 p.m. start time.

T-Mobile Park was a much bigger spectacle than Cheney Stadium. The music was louder, the screens were bigger, and of course, the crowd was larger—even for a midweek game. League home run leader Cal Raleigh didn’t have a great night, but the Mariners still hit a few homers, and you watched every play with great enthusiasm.

There was one emotional detour when we realized we had accidentally thrown away a baseball card you’d been given at the gate. I had tucked it under the lid of one of the Ichiro Funko boxes, which Mom unknowingly tossed while we were chasing autographs. You blew your lid and it took a couple of innings to recover.

After that, you were completely locked into the game, tracking the players and their stats. Eliza, on the other hand, was more interested in people-watching and asking me some fundamental questions about baseball—questions that made me realize I haven’t explained the sport as clearly as I thought. Innings, runs, hits, strike zones, walks… it can be a lot to follow.

We called it a night when the Mariners were up 8–1 at the top of the seventh inning. On the way out, a staff member handed you and Eliza free baseball cards, and all was well again.

Love,
Dad

Dear Eliza, 117 Months Old

Right after the school year ended, we hopped on a plane to San Diego for a week to cat-sit for Tío Jorge and Chase. Of course, cat-sitting was just a great excuse for an inexpensive vacation—someone else got the job of looking after Luna and Mona back home.

We hadn’t been to San Diego since you were little, when we took a beach babymoon before Matteo was born. Looking back, that was one of our last big adventures as a family of three. So when Jorge invited us down, we didn’t hesitate to book our flights.

These are my favorite kinds of trips—just living somewhere else for a while, with no packed itinerary or pressure to sightsee. We stayed in a studio condo in Little Italy, the perfect spot for walking downtown. We hit up happy hour for Italian food a couple of nights and played at nearby parks. While I worked a few days, you and Mom took off with Matteo to explore the San Diego Zoo and the Museum of Illusions.

We only ventured out of the neighborhood twice, driving Chase’s Subaru WRX (side note: it was fun driving a manual again!). We visited my cousin Kevin, his wife Krystal, and Aunt Pam—who was celebrating her birthday in Carlsbad. Jude and Tessa, your second cousins, were there too. We spent a perfect beach day together and capped it off with birthday donuts on the main street. Another day, we drove up to Solana Beach to visit my friend Shelby, who let us hang at her place and enjoy her practically private beach.

We found ourselves returning to the same parks and restaurants, which is what happens when you settle in somewhere new and just live for a bit. One night, during a waterfront walk, a street magician caught your attention. He dazzled us with card tricks and left you with a signed souvenir card—the same one he kept making jump to the top of the deck. You and Matteo signed it, and now you’ve been practicing your own card tricks. You’ve really nailed a few!

By the time the week ended, we were ready to head home, but you got a little emotional saying goodbye to Cheese and Nora. I’m sure Nora is happy to roam the condo freely now—we barely saw her, hiding under the bed the whole time. Cheese warmed up to us eventually, but Nora clearly didn’t love our vacation from her point of view. You can’t win them all.

Love,
Dad

Dear Matteo, 96 Months Old

Happy birthday, son.

You’ve grown so much this past year — in smarts, size, interests, and yes, your mullet.

Your seventh year felt like seven years to me. You just seem to age so quickly that I kept forgetting you were still only six. The year began with a kid who loved Pokémon and soccer, and now we’ve got a kid who still does — but who has also become obsessed with baseball and collecting cards. At this rate, we might have to sell your Pokémon collection just to fund your Topps habit. We even signed you up for fall baseball to see if your skills can keep up with your passion.

We kept your birthday low-key this year — no big party. You’ve got one of those tricky summer birthdays that lands right before the Fourth of July, so the logistics are tough. That said, we still had a huge weekend together. You scored a rebound net for baseball practice, tons of new card packs, and a card binder to keep your collection organized. We sang Happy Birthday at the cabin, and you blew out candles on your favorite Trader Joe’s vanilla sheet cake. Honestly, your birthdays are always so chill — and somehow, just right.

Back at Harstine Island this summer, everyone is commenting on how much you’ve grown and how different you look. I agree — you’ve got a little pre-adolescent look going now. But so much of you is still the same: you love to cuddle with Mom, stay physically close to people, wear your tight Italian-style swimsuits all day, and spend your beach time flipping rocks for crabs or wading way too deep in search of a moonsnail or perfect stick.

I think it’s going to be a great summer — and a great year ahead for you.

Love,
Dad

Dear Eliza, 116 Months Old

You got your ears pierced!

This is a big deal. For years, you were scared any time we brought it up, naturally linking the idea to the pain of doctor shots. I used to kick myself for not having them pierced when you were a baby like Nonno suggested—but none of that matters now. Your studs are in!

Getting to the appointment at Ulta Beauty was a journey months in the making. You started wearing sticker earrings almost daily (SO CUTE) to match your outfits, and I’m glad that satisfied you for a while. As the school year went on and more of your friends got their ears pierced—especially your bestie Aliyah—you began dropping hints: “I might want to get my ears pierced soon,” or “My friend said it doesn’t hurt that bad.” Then, suddenly, you turned a corner: “I want to get my ears pierced next week!”

Whoa. We thought you’d wait until your birthday in the fall. But you were determined to have them done in time for your big dance recital and before the school year ended, so you could show your friends. We even offered Matteo the option to get his ears pierced too. I told you the story about getting my eyebrow pierced in high school—not advisable. Matteo gave it some thought but ultimately passed. This moment was all yours.

You and Mom went to our local Ulta to scout the piercing process and earring options. You came back beaming—completely convinced you were ready. Mom booked the appointment for a few days later, and we all went as a family, joined by Aliyah and her mom (and our friend) Lindsey. When our little support crew arrived, the piercing specialist said it was the biggest audience she’d ever had. Little did she know just how big your cheering section really is.

You sat in the chair with your classic stoic look: big eyes, chin dropped, silent and focused. You were ready. The specialist lined up the piercing gun, and—bam—one ear done. You smiled right away, realizing you were already halfway there and it wasn’t so bad. Just moments later, the other ear was pierced just as quickly. We clapped, cheered, and snapped a ton of photos of the new you.

Since then, you’ve done an amazing job keeping your ears clean and turning the earrings. You probably over-clean them—you tell me at least twice a day when you’ve done it. Better safe than sorry. The earrings look fantastic, and your birthstone tourmaline (that lovely pink!) suits you so well. I can tell you’re proud of yourself—and we’re so proud of how brave and grown-up you are too.

Love,
Dad