Merry Christmas!

Play group Christmas party

It was a bit more subdued affair than planned because of the weather, but in the end, Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) was able to brave the snow and make an appearance. Dylan wouldn't pose with him for a picture though. My cinnamon cranberry bread was a hit even though I didn't think it turned out as well as it normally does. I'd been hoarding cranberries since my last trip home just for use for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I thought this event was cranberry-worthy. Too bad cranberry translates into Italian as "red American swamp berry." Try offering "red American swamp berry bread" to people. Buon appetito!

Dylan eating pizza with his bud Kyne.

Notice how the girls have no fear of Babbo Natale while the boys cowered with their mammas. Next to Santa are the two fantastic teachers. They really are pros.

Wintered out!

This is the second major snowstorm we've had in a week and between snow, ice and record low temps, I'm really wintered out. I'm not a winter person in the best of years, but this year is really doing me in. And how's a girl supposed to dry her laundry when the temperature in the house feels almost as cold as outside? Our boiler was not meant for use in Siberia. Sigh. Dreaming of living in a warmer climate! Dylan is dying to play outside but I left his snow suit up in the mountains. Poor little guy. He's climbing the walls with cabin fever.

My car is out there somewhere under the snow

Balcony view

La mamma è bella bella

I was trying to get Dylan to tell the story of how he fell on Sunday and almost cracked his forehead open on his nonna's crystal coffee table, but he wouldn't take the bait. He's speaking less and less English! When I started talking to him in Italian, he responded right away. I asked him "What's mommy like?" and he said "Beautiful beautiful." I said "Mommy is beautiful?" and he said "Mommy is beautiful beautiful."

Dylan refusing to speak English from Michelle Marie on Vimeo.

Trimming the tree

Trying to be helpful

He likes this one particular "Santa's cell phone" ornament. When you push a button, Santa says things like "These roaming charges over Australia are killing me!"

First time sledding!

It was a long weekend to celebrate Sant'Ambrogio (Milan's patron saint) and the Immaculate Conception holiday so we went up to the mountains. There was tons of snow. Dylan had a great time sledding. Until he got cold and wet. More pics and lots of videos here. I can't believe this kid is almost two. This time last year I COULD believe he was almost one as it seemed like one of the longest years of my life (sorry Dyl - nothing personal!), but this year has flown. He's so fun. I'm really looking forward to the holidays with him this year since we can actually put up a tree without fear that he will toddle into it precariously and knock it over or try to eat the lights. Well, less fear than last year.

Thanksgiving weekend 2009

Happy Thanksgiving! from Michelle Marie on Vimeo.

More photos on Flickr here.

Swim class chronicles

Dylan in happier times at our local pool

I don't think I've mentioned Dylan's bust of a swim class. This summer he seemed to love getting in the water so much that we decided we'd sign him up for swim class in the fall. We started class the Saturday we got back from the U.S. in September. Things did not get off to a good start. Dylan was the youngest one in the class, which meant he also was the least interested in following directions (could have been an age thing or maybe it's just his personality, but in any situation where one has to follow directions and can't just be "free," he rebels). Where I come from, the people who teach swimming are usually young (like even high-school age) whereas this teacher was in her 60s. No problem there in theory. I love nonnas. But I think Dylan would have responded better to someone young and dynamic. This woman was all about "throw them in the deep end and let them fend for themselves." Dylan did not respond to that at all and soon swim class became a nightmare. When we'd merely mention that we had to go to swim class on Saturday, he'd start saying "home, mommy, pizza." He usually went with Cristiano, and I told him that when he came home, I'd have pizza for lunch. He'd start crying as soon as he got to the pool and continue saying "mommy" and "pizza" the whole time. Let's not even talk about the mandatory swim cap. Finally I decided to go instead of Cristiano to see if maybe he'd do better with me. The teacher started off by having us do an exercise where we "abandoned" the kids in the middle of the pool and made them paddle a few strokes to us. We couldn't reach our arms out to them or anything but had to stand impassively in the water and make them swim to us. ALL of the kids were hysterical, the respective moms and dads in the water highly uncomfortable and this teacher was barking orders at a bunch of two-year-olds like they were in the military. I decided not to take him back there, but in five classes, the damage was done. Now Dylan hates water and the pool. I hope he gets over it quickly.

Go Bucks!

Dylan didn't want his picture taken, kept throwing the Brutus Buckeye doll and wouldn't take his thumb out of his mouth. But he was feeling the OSU love all the same. This post's for Uncle Rob!

I need a room like this in my house

Well, I did a while ago. I don't think this will be the height of entertainment for Dylan for much longer. At least play group gives us something to do on otherwise cold and rainy Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Dylan in gym room from Michelle Marie on Vimeo.

More gym room from Michelle Marie on Vimeo.

Dylan used to dislike the baby dolls. Now he likes putting them to bed and giving them bottles.

We have graduated from crayons to colored pencils, but he's still not big on coloring or arts and crafts.

Life as a WAHM

I've been doing the Working At Home Mamma thing with a lot of work to do but not much of it getting done - at least during normal work hours. Since Dylan is up at 7 a.m. and goes full throttle until 10 p.m. (we get him in bed by 9 p.m. but it takes about 100 bedtime stories and the "putting to bed" of every toy and ball and car he owns before he will consider sleep), I have had little time to update the old blog or do much of anything else. In any case, I've been babysitter-less quite frequently lately, so Dylan has been at home "helping" me with household things, such as making the bed and doing the laundry. He loves typing on my computer and has learned where pretty much all of the letters are. In this particular video, he chokes a bit when it is time to perform and type the "D for Dylan," but rest assured, he knows his letters and points them out wherever he sees them - from license plates to signs to the most unlikely places. Whenever he sees a letter, he runs to get a closer look and tell me "Mommy, A for Arno!" (Arnaldo is his nonno) or "B for boy!" He's also gotten into the "What is that?" stage and points to everything. I never realized how many things I do not know the word for - and in my own language! I have to improvise like "That's a fork lift thingie with some kind of water spout function..." We got him on the waiting list for a state-run preschool for next semester. They will let me know at the end of January if any places open up. I know he will be two by then and it would only be part-time, but it's still a bit daunting...

Dylan at the computer from Michelle Marie on Vimeo.

P.S. In the video he is saying in Italian "I want to see!" and grabbing for the camera. His Italian has far surpassed his English and he speaks in whole sentences while in English he still speaks in words and phrases.

Hanging around the house

We've all been passing some annoying head cold/tonsillitis around for the last three weeks, so we've been spending a lot of time sniffling around the house. And not sleeping. Dylan has decided he doesn't like sleeping in his "big boy" bed and has been waking up hourly. It's been a tiring week.

I got my hands on a (small and overpriced) whole pumpkin, carved it up and put it on the balcony

Dylan putting the last piece in the U.S.A. map puzzle I bought him at FAO Schwartz two summers ago. His favorite state/piece? Michigan - it has a car on it! Shh, don't tell Uncle Rob, the crazed OSU fan.

Developments

Guess who is going to bed in his "new" big boy bed and sleeping cuddled up with his transitional objects and Mr. Bow the Carnevale costume? We unscrewed a side of the bed, and I'm not even sure if the manufacturer suggests that since they also sell a "toddler bed" kit with a larger mattress but aside from having to figure out a way to keep the world's most restless sleeper from falling out (right now we prop our large couch cushions outside the bed after he falls asleep), it's working for us! I expected tears. I expected tantrums and fits. But he has gone pretty willingly all things considered. I guess he sensed the family bed jig was up. And he likes that he can get in and out by himself, which means we do often get an early morning visitor. Anyway, small victories, small victories...

Another birthday brunch in the city

The birthday brunch is the new popular kiddie birthday party idea. We had another one this Sunday. Since we "fell back" time-wise this weekend and Dylan was up at the crack of dawn, we decided to go into the city early and take a walk around. We had some great weather after a dreary week of rain.

Dylan and mommy in front of the castle

It was World Pasta Day! Barilla was giving out free samples of over 100 different kinds of pastas (sadly we were there too early...)

The pope was speaking in Piazza Duomo (via satellite from Rome - go techie pope!)

In Milan's Galleria, you are supposed to spin around three times on the bull for good luck

Dylan looking handsome at the party

It's going to be a long winter...

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Originally uploaded by michellanea

This is what we do in the house when we can't go outside

Pre- Pre- Potty Training

I just started reading the No-Cry Potty Training Solution in an effort to plant the seeds for what the author calls "potty learning" since it's really all about how good the teachers are. No pressure! We are sleep training dropouts, and I used to console myself with the fact that even if my kid goes to bed late, sleeps with us and wakes us multiple times throughout the night, at least he was a good eater. Now as we've entered toddlerhood, he's become a picky eater and eats maybe one square meal a day. He even hates his morning bottle of milk anymore. If it's not pasta, pizza, risotto or yogurt, he won't touch it. And even then, there's no guarantee. Last night, I made broccoli cheese soup, and he had a fit. I had to heat up some pizza or he wouldn't have eaten anything. I know I'm supposed to just let him go hungry, but I can't do it.

Anyway, that's why we've got to be potty training superstars! According to the quiz I took in the book, Dylan could potentially be ready. But the author says that the longer you wait, the more you have a guarantee that they are indeed physiologically and psychologically ready. And I'm nothing if not a practical girl. I'm not starting ANYTHING that requires tons of laundry and clean-ups right now. We had a few vomiting incidents on Monday and Tuesday that I'm still digging myself out from laundry-wise. I'm thinking February would be a good time. He will have just turned two and the weather will (if I'm lucky) start to be warm enough again where I can at least hang things outside and not have them draped from the rafters in here. Which is why we are pre- pre- potty training (letting him watch us go to the bathroom, having him "discover" on his own that there's a new kind of potty in town and get curious about it - the author says that even if he wants to play with it or wear it on his head for a few months, that's OK!) now. There will be no pictures.

A day in the mountains

We do not have the obligatory seasonal picture of Dylan in a pumpkin patch (maybe next year!) or out picking apples. But we did spend the day in the mountains gathering chestnuts for a nice autumnal treat.

We saw some cows!

Dylan soon tired of hiking and needed a lift

Mr. Bow

Dylan and Mr. Bow settling in for some Little Einsteins

Dylan's Carnevale costume from February no longer fits, but that doesn't mean that it is no longer getting use. Dylan has become particularly attached to it and he drags "Mr. Bow" around the house. At night, we have to tuck Mr. Bow into the expensive Norwegian crib that Dylan doesn't want to sleep in so he can spend the night with Dylan's transitional objects Freddy the dog and Roo the kangaroo. In the morning, he runs to "wake" Mr. Bow up and then drags him into the living room with his toys. At least the crib is getting some use and the transitional objects are keeping someone company in the night...

In other news, it has gotten incredibly cold here. I'm really worried for the winter as I have no idea what I'm going to do with Dylan when the weather is too bad to go to the park. As it is now, he goes twice a day and if he misses one of his park sessions, especially the afternoon session, he freaks out and says "park, park, park, park" ad nauseum. And then we pay for it at night because he doesn't go to bed because he didn't have the opportunity to burn off steam. The other night we missed the afternoon park session and at 11 p.m. he was still wide awake despite our having repeated his routine countless times and read him about ten books. Are all kids this active or is it just boys? Or just mine? I now understand the house with a yard or house with an extra play room concept. Sometimes I take him out and let him run up and down our incredibly steep stone driveway, which is not really the best idea. But it's the only outdoor space I have for him. I've found a couple of indoor play areas on the Web but they are almost all in Milan, and that means I'd have to pack him in the car and then deal with insane rush-hour traffic on the way home and sit stopped in smog with a hungry toddler ready for dinner. It sounds like such a silly dilemma, but I literally have no idea what we are going to do in this cracker box of an apartment all winter. (we are going back and forth on the preschool idea because we didn't sign him up for a state preschool in September and the private ones are incredibly expensive and will take a chunk out of our moving-to-America budget). He's too young for sitting at the kitchen table and doing crafts (not that interested in coloring or my homemade play-dough) and his main interests are running around like a maniac, kicking and throwing balls and climbing on things. Help.

The things I do to get this kid to eat

Ricotta cheese drizzled with vitamin-enriched baby olive oil, avocado pieces and bread sticks presented colorfully. Will he take the bait?

Well, he did eat the bread sticks out of the Dylan cup...

Dylan is just not the eater he once was and getting him to eat at least two square meals a day is a struggle. He does usually eat most of his lunch or dinner but never all of both meals. And he snacks throughout the day on yogurt and fruit. I'm getting really tired of people commenting on how skinny he is. Height-wise, he has shot up and so he's looking pretty lanky. I read an article saying I should present his foods "Bento box" style in colorful containers. I've been trying it with mixed results. Below is a video I took when I thought I was taking a normal picture. It's kind of cute though it gets cut off in the middle.

When Dylan gets his picture taken, he says "gorgonzola" instead of "cheese." He has his own particular way of pronouncing "gorgonzola"

Just being Dylan on a Sunday night

Milanese brunch

IMG_0031
Originally uploaded by michellanea

This weekend we had a special Sunday brunch/lunch to celebrate Luana's Catholic confirmation. We went to a restaurant that offers a "family brunch" on Sundays and we went there a few weeks ago and really liked it because of the activities offered to the kiddies in the courtyard. They created this restaurant in a restored 15th-century guesthouse, but the courtyard is full of modern sculptures and other fun things to discover. Here's Dylan outside in the courtyard checking out a motorcycle. He always runs to the license plate first to see if there's a "D." He likes to tell you when he sees "D for Dylan" (or "M for Mommy, Mimi and Mary," "C for Cristiano" or "L for Luana") on signs, keyboards, license plates and other such things. It was an especially warm day for being mid-October. More pics here.

Auguri, mamma!

augurimamma
Originally uploaded by michellanea

Dylan takes a break from his ice cream to wish mommy "happy birthday" in Italian. Got my new camera and just learning to use it!

The case of the broken pajamas

Ugly pic taken with my camera phone this morning. This old toy is out because I'm packing it up for sale on eBay (shhh!)

It's starting to get cold, so last night I put Dylan in a new pair of pajamas with feet in them that we picked up in the U.S. this summer. As soon as I put the pajamas on, Dylan started throwing a fit. He hadn't napped much during the day, so I thought he was just really tired and cranky and having a pre-bedtime meltdown. He was trying to tell me what was wrong, but he was crying so hard and was so inconsolable, I couldn't understand what he was saying. After about 20 minutes, he calmed down, grabbed his feet and said "Mommy, broken! Feet out!" He was so upset because he wanted his feet out! I tried to explain that the pajamas were supposed to be that way, but he started getting upset again. So I put socks on a couple of his stuffed animals and told him they were going to sleep that way too. He finally calmed down and went to sleep, but I think this pajamas-with-feet thing is going to be a winter-long battle. He woke up this morning and the first thing he said was "pajamas broken!"

My kid is almost three feet tall!

How did that happen? He's so tall, in fact, that I'm putting his crib on eBay. See, the whole transition back into the crib thing didn't go over well (in the sense that he hasn't yet mastered climbing out, but he easily puts his leg up over the edge and straddles the bars precariously - until we catch him so he doesn't fall and crack his head on the wood floor). Every time I put him in the crib, he races to straddle the bars and get up and over. So the expensive round crib that was supposed to be a "happy nest" for our baby reminding him of the softness and coziness of the womb never did get that kid sleeping.

If he's going to sleep in our bed anyway, I may as well make some space to play in his room. So we are officially co-sleepers! Aside from moving around and talking a lot in his sleep, which doesn't seem to bother him but bothers us, the kid sleeps much better than he ever did alone. We could turn his crib into a child's single bed, but the extension for that costs something like 500 Euros, and since we plan on leaving Italy next year, that doesn't make much sense. We did find a basic toddler bed at IKEA (it's called Kritter and comes in all different colors but he likes the one above with a cat and dog on the headboard), and have been trying to get him used to the idea of sleeping in a "big boy bed." We took him to IKEA and let him jump all over it.

He's gotten so big in many other ways as well. The other night he and I were sitting at the dinner table having dinner, which is unusual because I usually feed him early and then eat when Cristiano gets home, but Cristiano was coming home especially late. In any case, at one point, I realized we were having an actual CONVERSATION. Dinner conversation. With Dylan. How crazy is that? Granted, he doesn't speak in full sentences but he can half carry on a conversation, referencing things that happened to him throughout the day. Like he told me, "Mommy, cat under the car!" and I knew he was talking about a cat we saw run under a parked car that day. So I said, "Yeah, did you see that cat run under the car?" and he said "Careful cat!" That's kind of a conversation, right?

The naughty mat really works! It's funny because now when he does something he knows he's not supposed to be doing, he will point out that it's time for him to go on the naughty mat. Last night I was trying to cook dinner and watch him at the same time. At one point I had my back turned to him but he called for me, and I turned around to see him standing on top of the back of the couch perfectly poised to fall and crack his head on our wood floor. That seems to be a common theme with him. He smiled broadly and said "Mommy, Not Mat!" He dutifully sat his two minutes and when it was time to get up and I asked him if he knew why he went on the naughty mat, he got a very serious face and told me "Mommy says 'no, no, no'." Yep, that's usually why he goes on the naughty mat - for doing something for which I said "no, no, no."

Pictures coming back to Il Dylan soon. Rumor has it that I'm getting a digital camera for my birthday. Dylan has been practicing saying "Happy Birthday, mommy" all week, and if he can pull it off, it will be my best birthday present ever. Aww. I'm a sap. I know. But it's a baby blog, so what do you expect?

Play acting

Play group is going better than I originally expected. That first week it was a bunch of 13-month-olds who barely walk and sat around being breastfed. This past week has seen an influx of new kids - lots of rambunctious 16- and 18-month-olds. Fun! I'm finding it impossible to get good shots of Dylan as he never sits still, and I'm using my fantastic (sarcasm there) camera phone.

The below is a picture of him in the "roleplaying" room where kids can act big and do things that big people do like cook, clean, dress up or put the baby dolls to bed. He looks kind of dorky in this picture, but like I said, it's hard to get good shots of him when he doesn't sit still much.

Putting the cart before the...carriage

The laundry station even features a drying rack, iron and ironing board. Hopefully Dylan gets really good so that I no longer have to deal with those things!

Not all fun and games

I just went to IKEA and bought a 2-Euro doormat that will serve as the "naughty mat" for time outs and an equally cheap egg timer. I was going to get a cutesy timer with a happy egg but, then, time outs are not supposed to be cheery. The doormat has (prison) stripes and the egg timer is silver with no decoration. I've placed the "naughty mat" in a very unexciting area of our hallway where Dylan won't be able to play or see the TV. I'm kind of nervous about having to play warden/Supernanny!

In unrelated news, we've been frequenting the park (otherwise known as "the ugly park;" when I lived in Brooklyn, I referred to our two local delis as "the clean deli" and "the dirty deli," but here we don't have any counterpart to "the ugly park" except for an even uglier one right next to the cemetery where the teenagers go to do illegal teenager things) quite a lot as the weather has been nice. Oh, "the ugly park" is a graffiti lover's delight, believe me....

Back to play group

We started back to play group yesterday. Fun! I'm a little disappointed though in that Dylan is the oldest and biggest kid in the group. There is one other little girl about his age and all of the other kids are from 13 to 15 months. At this age, that's quite a big difference, especially as some of the kids don't even walk yet. Dylan loves other little kids and especially kids his age or older. He seems to learn and thrive from watching others. While it's great for him to be able to go to play group and blow off steam, I really liked the socialization aspect of last year's group. I have a feeling he will be spending a lot of time playing by himself like in the photos below. If I was on the fence about sending him to preschool in January, now I'm not. At the preschool, there is quite a large group of kids his age and I think he'll have fun and learn a lot there. This Saturday we start swim class!

I know he has red eye but no time to Photoshop. Sorry!

Puffed rice. It's almost like sand at the beach!

Dylan at 20 months!

Dylan at Grandma Mimi's house at the end of our trip

This is a fun - if frustrating - age. Dylan is old enough to have a strong opinion but not mature enough to be reasoned with or properly disciplined. He refuses to sleep in his own bed (though that will change this weekend when we go through another round of the dreaded Cry It Out - sigh) and lately is refusing to eat. If he could live on yogurt, that'd be fine for him. I'm trying not to pressure him because I know they go through these phases and I know that at his age, it's a "control" issue, but I stress myself out trying to prepare these fabulous, well-balanced toddler meals only to watch him spit everything out. He's gotten really thin and lanky - he's about 34 inches tall and weighs 25 pounds, which puts him in the 50th to 75th percentile in terms of height but only the 25th to 50th percentile in terms of weight.

He's given to frequent tantrums when he doesn't get his way or when it is time to leave the park, eat, change his diaper or get dressed. The good thing is that he's very verbal and can often tell you what is bothering him. This past week when we were both sick with bronchitis, one day he was coughing a lot and just turned to me with such a look of suffering and said, "Mommy, medicine." I had been avoiding giving him cough syrup but obviously he felt he needed some!

His Italian has improved by leaps and bounds just since we've been back and he can sing entire songs from playgroup all by himself. I now realize that just hearing English from me and educational DVDs is not going to be enough. I need to seek out an English-speaking playgroup or find him some English-speaking friends. Lately, he speaks to me mainly in Italian even when I address him in English.

Since it's barely mid-September and the three of us have already been sick and seeing as though it's rainy and cold today (requiring me to hang my first laundry load of the season in the house!), I'm really dreading this coming winter. Our 900 square feet of apartment may as well be a cage. That's what he's like in here - a caged animal. Last year I felt really cozy here with the three of us but Dylan now is so active and requires much more space. If I don't let him "out" to run wild in the park at least twice a day, he gets all cranky and then has trouble sleeping at night. What in the world am I going to do in the dead of winter?

We are considering sending him to preschool for at least half a day when he turns two in January. There's a preschool in our town that I've heard nice things about. I talked to some of the mothers at the park yesterday and they said their kids are much more independent, mature and better socialized since starting this preschool. We've been lucky in that Cristiano's mom and aunt have been able to keep him, but I think it is time for him to have a more structured and disciplined environment.

If we stay in Italy and don't move to the U.S. next year (that's still up in the air...), he would start preschool in the fall of 2010 anyway as it is a common rite-of-passage for the majority of Italian three-year-olds (though Dylan would go early as he turns three in the middle of the school year).

Take me out to the ballgame...

One of the surprisingly more fun activities we did on our trip was go to a Reds' game in Cincinnati. I say "surprisingly" because I really didn't think Dylan would last long. I thought he'd get bored, would start running through the stands like a maniac and we'd have to leave within the first inning. We ended up staying for most of the game. He loved all the sound effects ("Da da da da daaaa! Charge!!"), flashing lights and images on the big screen. And when the Reds scored a home run, they shot off fireworks over the Ohio River. Of course a year ago, all of this would have been "overstimulation" but this year he was old enough to appreciate and enjoy it. Unfortunately, my camera died while in the U.S. so I don't have as many pictures from the trip as I would have liked to, but I did take quite a few at the game. And the Reds beat the Pirates. Go Reds!

More updates as I get over the jet lag and this nasty cold (flu?!) I picked up at the end of the trip!

In the box where we had the "all-you-can-eat" lunchtime buffet including a stir fry bar, pizza bar, nachos bar, hot dog bar and hamburger bar - and more! And unlimited ice cream and peanuts!

Great day for a game!

Cristiano (rocking the Reds' hat) and Dylan during the game.

Even the changing stations in the bathrooms had the Reds' theme going.

Back in the saddle

Dylan was sick with a fever all weekend but today we were able to get out and about a bit more.

Windy day

Grandma Mimi's local dragon-themed park, which is small but still pretty cool (I've gotten a bit park obsessed)

Best. Park. Ever.

Perhaps you all remember our local park. The extent of it is pretty much this. Today we took Dylan to a local park here near my cousin's house in suburban Dayton, and he had the time of his life. He could spend all day every day here. I had never really considered the importance of having a good local park, but the fact that we don't have a yard and that our local park is dirty, decrepit and full of graffiti means that we have limited places for Dylan to play outdoors. I don't know if all 19-month-olds are like this but Dylan seems to need at least a few hours per day dedicated to running wild. I'd kill to have access to a park like this on a regular basis. It's free, clean and the neighbors all bring and leave toys for the kids to play with in the sand. And they don't get stolen or defaced. I took a video of Dylan playing in the park's spray pools here.

Trip update

Dylan and Josie looking cute in their pajamas but undoubtedly plotting mayhem all the same

When I planned this trip, I did not factor in how hard the car travel would be on a 19-month-old. He is not the 7-month-old of last year who could be transported around like a chubby little accessory. Now he NEEDS to run around and play and is not enjoying traveling so much in the car. In the last week, we've zig-zagged all over the Carolinas, and it is taking its toll on the little man. For the most part, he's been doing great but you can see that he's getting very tired and irritable. Wednesday we head north to Ohio and will stay parked there for almost ten days, so that is probably a good thing.

He's been at his best when we've been with friends and around other kids. We just left "la Josie" in Charlotte who is seemingly mellow but bursting with personality all the same. Dylan enjoyed helping carry out Josie's strategies for manipulating the kitchen chairs around the living room and wedging large toys into unlikely places.

I've begun to post some trip pics on my Flickr here.

Heading north and inland

Now that Hurricane Bill is roaring up the Atlantic coast, we've headed inland. Actually it worked out with our plans that it was time for us to leave the coast. Though we saw some surfers catching some of the initial big waves off of Wilmington, North Carolina. Above is a picture of Dylan on the Isle of Palms, which is a small island off of Charleston. It was a large sandy beach dotted with colorful, characteristic homes and we had it almost all to ourselves. The water was really warm and there was a sandbar to play on for Dylan so it wasn't too deep. These are the kinds of beaches I love - long, sandy, clean and with very few people. Oh, and free. That's an absolute rarity in Italy, at least up in the north where we live. It has been really hot. I'm talking Caribbean weather - 100 degrees Fahrenheit with 96-percent humidity. I love it but Cristiano is dying. I think he's happy to head a bit north.