Down to the wire

We are leaving for the U.S. next Thursday (June 23) so I'm rushing to finish last-minute projects and get organized. Here are a couple of recent pics. Hope to see everyone in the U.S.!!

On Tuesday nights, Cristiano has his wine courses so Dylan and I have begun going out for pizza and gelato. He's turning into a great dinner companion and we talk and have a good time.

Dylan discovered the Boppy (the old breastfeeding pillow) somewhere, and he really likes the car pattern on it so now he likes to sit in it. I'd say he's outgrown it, no (as compared to, say, here)? He likes to hear the story of how when we first brought him home from the hospital, we put him in the Boppy right on that spot on the couch.

Summer fun

I'm really behind in posting pictures. Here are a few recent ones from our trip to Tuscany (before Dylan started vomiting due to some type of flu and before I sprained my ankle), some homemade pizza making and birthday party salami sandwich eating. They are kind of random.

Under the Tuscan sun with nonna

The chapel that was part of the little borgo/village where we stayed

Two Ferraris from Austria outside our hotel

Dylan had been asking me for a salami sandwich for days, which is weird because a) he doesn't eat salami and b) he doesn't eat in general and never says he's hungry or asks for food (unless you count candy/sweets). We went to a kiddie birthday party and they were serving salami sandwiches so his "wish" came true.

Homemade pizza making

Class picture

Sorry if I've been radio silent over here. We've had one of the most action-packed springs ever and have been out and about doing quite a bit. I'm also busier than ever with my little translation empire and am preparing to head off to the U.S. with Dylan in two weeks. I have a lot of pictures of Dylan to upload, but I thought I'd start with his class picture. It was taken the day after he got his big hair cut. Of course he's making a funny face. He's turned into such a big boy lately. He goes to the bathroom (to the toilet and washes his hands) completely independently. That's no small feat if you consider that our toilet and sink are so high that he barely reaches on his own even with the step stool. He just decided one day he didn't want me coming to the bathroom with him anymore and yelled "you stay there!" while he went on his own. I would be offended or feel nostalgic for the "good old days" of changing diapers or accompanying him to the bathroom at home, but, um, I don't. I'm actually relieved! We still have all the same old sleep issues so nothing has changed on that front, but what are you going to do?

Click on the picture to make it larger. Dylan is looking silly in the middle row on the left. One of his girlfriends (Aurora) is in the front row on the right with the black bob and pink barrette. His other girlfriend (Lucrezia) is in the back row on the right with glasses. Both older women. His 5-year-old "big brother" Omar is right behind him. Omar takes him to the bathroom and makes him wash his hands before eating, among other things. Funnily the girl who has cried hysterically all day every single day since the beginning of the school year (to the point where the kids scream "basta!" at her) is laughing joyously in this picture. She's in the middle row smack in the middle of the picture.