Watching Sesame Street this morning with the toddler, and I think I was more excited than she was when this segment with my boyfriend, Juanes, came up. But since she knows exactly what "manos, cabeza y pies" are, she got into it, too. This behind-the-scenes clip of Juanes and a 'no hablo español' Elmo is pretty funny to watch, too.

So I'm kind of going to back into this story by starting with this picture my husband took of me and my new BF Juanes earlier this week. It was after a performance, and when I went up to him I said something like that it was such a pleasure to hear him or something very I-carried-a-watermelon-ish. As I'm saying it he's giving me this look. Juanes, Colombian roquero superstar, humanitarian, was giving me un look. And finally, he says to me with those squinty eyes you get cuando quieres reconocer a alguien: "Juro que te he visto antes." Red lights start flashing all around me: I'M MELTING. So hot. I'm totally and completely stupefied and smitten, just like that. I sort of shook my head like no, no we've never met before, and all the while I'm thinking waaaaay in the back of my head that I want to say, "Si, en tus suenos," but my mind is totally tangled and the words are not making their way to my mouth. Picture snapped, and I just sort of walked off in a total buzz.

Super babosa.

But all I can say is now that, ladies and gentlemen, is how major game gets played.

I've been a big Juanes fan -- of his music -- since the days of 'A Dios le Pido." But the school girl crush days are looong gone (okay except for Mark Wahlberg, I'll admit). Or were long gone. Damn you, Juanes and your jeans and your guitarrita singing songs like: Me enamora/ Que me hablas con tu boca me enamora.

So about how I came to meet Juanes -- This performance for was a Tiny Desk Concert at NPR. These are small, intimate mid-day performances for NPR's All Songs Considered, and the artists usually just play a few numbers. It's recorded, and NPR staff -- a crowd of maybe 30 people -- hang around and watch. My husband, who works there, called me last minute on Wednesday to see if I wanted to come over to see Juanes perform. Of course, I said Hell Yeah! Or I texted that, rather.

I got there a few minutes before while he was still warming up. He was on the electric guitar and had another dude playing the acoustic. At the request of someone, he played 'Camisa Negra,' and had a few false starts, as you can see in the video I posted below. Afterward someone asked, "So, he's like the Bono of Latin America, right?" You know, I guess you could say that. I mean, it has been said before. But to me, Juanes is Juanes. I think by now he's earned his own title. Of course, I could very well be biased <3 I drove away from NPR in my VW Routan (totally sexy, especially with the baby seat in the back) on a total Juanes high. Maybe I should stalk him, I thought. That would be very Pedro Almodovar-ish of me. I'll just settle for the Juanes high. I think I'm still on it. I haven't been this smitten in a very long time.

El Burrito de Belen is officially the toddler K's favorite Christmas song, and in particular she likes the Juanes version that's on the Superestrellas En Navidad album. She really shakes her hips to it.

Si me ven, si me ven, voy camino de Belen

Tuqui tuqui tuqui tuqui/ tuqui tuqui tuqui ta/ Apurate mi burrito/ que ya vamos a llegar!

Okay, I like it too. I'm not so into the Christmas songs that are just English translations -- like the 'All I Want for Christmas is You' in Spanish. For that, I'll stick to Mariah. Or the young girl from Love Actually. I'm not really a fan of Hugh Grant, the man, but I'm a sucker for most of his movies. Especially this one. And About a Boy. And Four Weddings and a Funeral.