A Visit from Nonna & Paddy

Last week before our big vacation, Nonna and Paddy came to visit.  Let's just say, we had a BLAST!  Nonna is apparently one of the most interesting people to observe, probably because she is always on the go.  And Paddy is quite a character.  For example:



The Girlie already misses their lively banter.  We hope to have them visit again soon!

Blah, blah, blah

The Bambina has been sitting up for a while now, but we finally took a video of her practicing:



It's a lot easier on the floor, but she likes the challenge of sitting on the bed.  Plus, she is too cute toppling over!
Another update, she is babbling like she is practicing for a conversational triathlon.  Check it out:



We like to tease Daddy that she gets the "Blah, blah, blah..." from him.  Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, right?

Highlights from Mother's Day Weekend

I had a feeling that celebrating my first Mother's Day as a mother would be unforgettable, and it absolutely was.  We made the most of every day this weekend.  A picture is worth a thousand words, right?  One novel, coming right up.

Friday evening we took a long stroll and spent some time at a park nearby.  O had her first experience flying in a swing!  She was in heaven!  The giggles were just erupting:

Yes, we take so many pictures that we need two websites.  Now, on to Saturday.
We went to Italy!!  We visited the Italian Embassy in DC during their open house, so technically we were on sovereign Italian soil.  E vero!

Mmm... Nocciola (hazelnut) gelato!

This trip had us brushing off our italian language skills and making some new friends.  One of our most memorable conversations was with Federico, a student on an internship with the embassy for the summer.  You can't really see in this picture, but he has quite a chic sense of fashion, like the majority of Italians.  It just might convince a passing stranger that he does in fact own this Ferrari:

Even security had runway-worthy shoes.  Unfortunately, we didn't talk fashion.  But we talked SO MUCH that it stoked those flames and gave us encouragement to keep practicing the language and teaching our Girlie.  The love affair with all things Italia rages on...

Sunday was a gorgeous picnic under the shade of the trees at the Iwo Jima Memorial.

We're so lucky to have so many great places to go at our disposal, so we can't help taking advantage of it.

Mother's Day, in it's simplest form, is a day for children to show their appreciation for the women who raised them and helped shape them into the person they are today.  I certainly felt the appreciation showered on me this weekend.  But as a young mother, I also felt like it was a celebration of the thankfulness I feel towards my daughter for making me a mother.  For this little teacher who is changing me day by day and challenging me to look at life in new ways.  Thanks, Baby...

How Sweet (Potatoes) It Is!

We learned this week that sweet potatoes don't really stain clothes-- thank God!  We got them everywhere! Not really sure what the Girlie thought about the taste of the sweet potatoes, but she certainly enjoyed the color.  It's apparently much more fun to smear and fling brightly-colored food than the less vibrant ones she's tried before.

At first, she seemed to like them:

Then, the novelty seemed to fade a bit:

Look at her clean up!  Eat that, Miss Manners:

And so went "The Week of the Sweet Potatoes."
A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!

There's a Reason for the World

A Horse Walks in to a Bar...

This one's for you, Uncle Mark:

Mmm... Beefy

The Girlie had her 6 month checkup yesterday, and here are the stats:

Length-  26 1/4 inches
Weight-  18 lbs

She performed her normal routine of wowing everyone in the office, from receptionist to doctor to random stranger in the elevator.  The docs see hundreds of babies a week--why all the fuss, you ask?  This one takes the cake, my friends.

That same evening we decided it's about time to let her try some solid food.  She stares at us in awe whenever we're eating with this look that says "Ooh, is that my bite?  What about that one?  Is that one mine?" every time we lift our forks, so we knew she would be very excited to debut her gastronomic talents.  We went with the standard rice cereal for her first taste, though I'm not really sure I would agree that it has any taste at all, per se.  I would describe it as watered-down, pulverized, soupy oatmeal that doesn't taste like oatmeal or anything else.  Yum.  Needless to say, she loved it!  She ate all 2 teaspoons (a lot for her tiny tummy)!  Check her out:



Some photos:

All done!!!

Next is sweet potatoes-- much more flavorful.  Wait till that hits those tiny taste buds.