Dylan says his first words...

...other than "ma ma" and they are in Italian. He now says "tee-yow" (ciao) and "gra-tee-yay" (grazie). It's crazy. It just happened overnight. I have a feeling the whole "ciao" and "grazie" phase will only last a little while and then he will stop saying both words for a period. He seems to learn something, perfect it and then move on, getting annoyed if you ask him to perform on demand like a trick pony. This is what he did when he learned how to kiss and when he learned to say "ma ma." Now he kisses and says "ma ma" when he feels like it. It has to be on his terms.

Below are some pictures of Dylan "enjoying" the homemade toys I made. Actually, he's acting cool for the camera but he really does like the one with popcorn. At the neonatal massage class I took and then at playgroup, they've encouraged us not to be too consumeristic and to use everyday objects - from wooden spoons to wadded up newspaper - at home instead of buying toys. I'm all about reusing and recycling. I can hang with that. Cristiano says my toys are sad and look like things kids had to play with during World War II. He prefers things like this. Sometimes I wonder which one of us is American.

Can I just have my lunch now?

Old water bottles filled with popcorn and colored straws. Crafty, no?