Thoughts from the Heart..

I often have moments of being completely overwhelmed by my blessings. I hold my beautiful child and breathe in her sweet scent, and I just want time to stand still if even for just a few minutes before she squirms away from me to carry on in her own unique toddler way. She speaks and I hear myself. She makes an expression, and I know she gets it from me. She brings so much joy to our lives and even to those of perfect strangers. I can't help but be overwhelmed with the job I've been given to love, nuture, cherish, teach, and raise this wondeful blessing we call Mallory. She is smarter than I ever was or will be, she gets THIS from her dad, and I suppose she looks a little like him too :) She is articulate and knows what she wants. She can recall the smallest details. She has the most infectious laugh and cracks herself up with a giggle that seems to rise from her toes.

Being a parent is exhausting. There isn't one who will tell you otherwise, I'm sure. Soon the exhaustion will hit a new level as I navigate the waters of having 2 children. The lack of sleep, crying, midnight feedings will return as all too familiar things. This time though with a 2 1/2 year old demanding attention, interaction and stimulation from the overjoyed AND exhausted parents. I have no doubt that mommy's little helper will be in full swing and that she will be completely enamored with her new baby sister. She is already practicing with her baby doll, carrying her ever so gently, tucking her into bed, talking to her softly. We'll just have to break the news to her, that her new baby sister can't sleep with her and that we don't feed our new baby sister blueberries...she does love to share! EEK!

I always want my children to know that I am proud of them, that I believe in them, and I pray for them. I will never let an opportunitiy pass to tell them one of these things. I will be supportive and encouraging in all of their endeavors from learning to swim, using the potty, remembering their address, learning their times tables, trying out for a sports team, joining the chess club,  to getting into College or deciding on an alternative to College, dyeing their hair green, traveling the world, to starting their own business, working their way up from the bottom, finding love, losing love, finding love again, moving far away from home, or even bunkin' in with mom and dad until they can figure things out.  God willing, I will always be there for my children.

I use the analogy of my heart growing like that of the Grinch in "How the Grinch stole Christmas" when Mallory was born. Not to say that I had a small shrunken, nearly non functional heart before she was born, but rather to say, I had NO IDEA about the amount of love that would fill my heart. Sounds cheesy I know, but it is true. I'd look at the dog and think, if I love my dog this much, surely I'll love my own flesh and blood more, but how? That sounds awfully cold, but it is what I thought, because I really had no idea of the love that was about to flood my heart, and I really, really loved my dog :) I certainly believe in love at first sight...

Side-story: I have to laugh, because now that I am thinking about Kota (the dog) it was love at first sight for us too! I bypassed multiple cute cuddly puppies to this gigantic full grown dog in crate. I knew at that moment I HAD to have that dog! :) She will always be my first 4 legged baby.

....because as soon as I saw Mallory, I was in love. I felt love like I have never experienced before. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I had two major realizations that I am reminded of daily.
1. You'll never quite grasp how much YOUR parents love you, until you have children of your own.
2. I know how much I love my child, and yet my Heavenly Father loves me MORE!
How 'bout them apples eh?

That's all for now...
I love you Mallory. And baby girl #2...I know it will be love at first sight for us too!

Yachts and Lamborghinis at Lake Como...sort of.

Our trip to Lake Como was a much needed beautiful get-away. I had been feeling a little couped up and needed to get out and see something that was breathtaking. Lake Como surely scratched my itch. Just about 40 miles away from us here in Milan is Lake Como. It was perfect for a day trip, but we spent the night at a charming little hotel called "Hotel Posta" We arrived and drove up the West Coast of Lake Como which is shaped like an upside down "Y." We drove through the town of Laglio which is where George Clooney owns his Villas. We didn't spot George, but since he is newly single, I'm sure he was out cruising for a new hot Italian girlfriend on his motorcylce.

The road that runs along the lake is literally a one lane road with no shoulder that does marginally give way to 2 cars, the occasional pedestrian walking, parked cars...really....and of course motorcylcles and mopeds. There are villas lining the lake side of the road and Villas and businesses lining the hill-side of the road. It was a very tight squeeze where you should drive slow to give way to other cars, but the urge to go super fast just creeps up on you :) We saw multiple lamborghini's making their mark on the roads going quite fast!

We had lunch lakeside at a Restraunt Called Aqua Dolce, where Josh accidentally ordered an entire bottle of wine (a small bottle, but still a whole bottle!) Normally, that wouldn't be an issue with two of us, but since I am "with child" I am tragically not partaking in any of the sweet nectar of the gods. Josh was a trooper and took one for the team and gobbled up the last drops.

We made our way to Argegno a town a little further north on the West coast to try out the Funiculare. We were going to drive, but the manager at the hotel informed us the road was closed to Argegno because of a rock slide that had taken out a large portion of the road. Instead we took the Ferry on which I encountered a not so patient Italian man who swore at me in Italian as I tried to purchase our Ferry tickets. Lovely. I purchased roundtrip tickets for us, not really having a good idea of when the last ferry headed back to our town of Moltrasio. I spent most of the Ferry ride stressing about how we were getting back and what time we needed to be back from the Funiculare to catch the last Ferry, INSTEAD of enjoying the beautiful scenery. I finally worked up the nerve, along with the help of my new Italian phrasebook to ask what time the last ferry departed. A nicer Italian man who spoke a little english understood my broken Italian and showed me the last times that the ferry departed. Phew! Back to enjoying the scenery. The lake was gorgeous and we did manage to see the rockslide which took out the road and what looked like to be an entire half of a villa!

We get off the Ferry in Argegno and have no clue where the Funiculare is located. My best guess was to head towards the mountain and we would find it. But knowing myself and how I hate to wander without a firm destination in mind especially with the heat AND being six months pregnant, I knew askings someone for directions and quickly, would be the best option. We made our way to a cute little gelato shop where I asked the girl behind the counter "Parla Inglese?" Translation "Do you speak English" to which she replied "Yes" AHHH, what a sweet sound to my ears, especially after my rude Italian man experience. She sweetly instructed us on how to get to the Funiculare. A short 10 minute walk and we were there! Here she is in all of her scary glory.

I really don't do heights that well, rollercoasters, or diving boards, so this was a bit of a stretch for me, especially knowing how old this cable car was. I half expected burly men to be hoisting us up the mountain with ropes. This was not the case of course. We got our tickets and up we went with the push of a button from an "engineer?" That's what I am going to call him just to make myself feel better, although I'm pretty sure he was probably just trained to push the green button and take our money. It was much easier going up than down I must say. I suppose the view distracted me from the thought of plummeting to my death on the way up. Once to the top, the threat of losing my life was not lost. Josh decided to follow some others a little further up the mountain toward a small area for some photos. I'm glad we did, because the pictures we got were great, but at the time, with me in my sandals, a little off balance from my growing belly and with an active 2 year old by my side...it was still a bit concerning. Once my nerves calmed down a bit though, I really did feel a little closer to Heaven up there. I couldn't help but take in God's beauty and the blessing I had, to be making such great memories with my family.

We hiked into the town of Pigra (the mountain top town) in search of gelato which we had promised Mallory. We saw one little ice cream shop, but they just had pre-wrapped freezer ice cream, no gelato. We decided we would head to a small playground and let Mallory toddle around. I went and took a peek at the town cemetary (sounds creepy as I write this..hahah) Unbeknownst to me, there was a Mass taking place at the church next to the cemetary. It dawned on me as as a beautiful song sung by the congregation came pouring out of the windows. The view combined with the sweet song coming out of the church made for a moment I won't soon forget. I even managed to snap this cool picture of a little lizard friend basking in the sun on the cemetary wall, he didn't have a rosary, but I imagined him paying his respects to those memorialized in the small graveyard.

Back down the Funiculare to Argengno for Gelato and then a much more enjoyable ride back to our hotel on the ferry. The ferry stop was right across the street from our hotel, so the location was great. A quick peak at the few restraunts within walking distance and we eventually settled on the restraunt at our hotel. How convenient! Dinner seemed to last forever with a 2 year old who hadn't had a nap, but eventually we made it through with the help of a generous portion of Tiramisu to calm my nerves and it was off to bed!

The next day we headed into the actual town of Como where we found a great waterfront park for Mallory. She had a blast playing, riding the kiddie train and the merry-go-round. We had lunch and then more gelato. I must say though, that this gelato was the best I have ever had. Maybe it was the combination of flavors I chose, but it was deeee-vine! And if there is one thing I know how to do in Italian....it is to order Gelato! I got Tiramisu and Coffee Gelato. It was the most creamy delicious concoction EVER! Are you salivating yet, cause I am! After our gelato stop it was a quick walk back through the park, a bathroom break that I paid 50 euro cents for, and a nice wave to the Volta Temple/museum (a museum built to honor Volta...the guy who invented the electric battery)

"Choo Choo"

 If you recall from a previous blog, I'm not one for museums. This concluded our first official Lake Como Trip. I'm sure there will be at least a few others, especially since it is so close. I'd love to see it in the winter time,  with the towns covered in snow. What piques my interest though, is how they get the snow off the streets, and how people manage to get anywhere when it snows?! Oh how romantic it would be to be snowed in at a luxuirous villa, with private chef, in house masseuse, maid, nanny..George...uh..I mean Josh....OK, I'll snap out of it and come back to reality....at least for now :)
Ciao!
 (Excuse any mispellings, I can't figure out spell check!)

The Fourth with Baby, House, and George Clooney

4th of July Let Down...
We hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July celebrating America's Freedom and Independence with your families and friends and enjoying fireworks, hot dogs, hamburgers and all the other delicious picnic foods that we didn't get to enjoy! For most here in Italy, July 4th, was just another day on the calendar and it pretty much was that way for us too. Secretly we were singing "Happy Birthday America" and wearing Red, white and blue from head to toe, but still nodbody seemed to notice. We did attempt to join some other fellow Americans at an annual Fourth of July shindig held in downtown Milan for Americans. I had a feeling there wouldn't be many kids there, and well I was right. If we were young(er) and single, it would have been the place to be. In its advertisement they said they would have an American buffet from 7:30-9:30. Some buffet that was! (Please insert drastic sarcasm here) I managed to get half of a cheeseburger and some pasta salad and that was about it. Each time they brought more food out, it was gone in a matter of seconds and there was a long period before they brought any more out. I did see some hotdogs meandering about on plates, but none of us managed to get our hands on one, not even for Mallory. And for being an "American" Event, there were lots of Italians there...hmmm? Needless to say, our 4th of July celebration was a little lack lustre and we certainly did miss being with friends and family.

Baby Update...
We had our first ultrsound here in Italy and I also had my first driving experience down VERY NARROW streets packed with cars in the center of Milan. I think I had my eyes closed more than open, just praying I wouldn't side swipe someone on a bike or a parked car. It was a tight squeeze! Josh dropped me off in what seemed to be a small alley where the doctors office was, so he could go find parking with Mallory. I'm sure Mallory was of great help scoping out a parking spot. I spoke to a guy in the lobby who only spoke Italian but managed to understand (probably by seeing my large belly) that I was there to see the "medics". He gestured in Italian to go up two flights of stairs and there would be a sign on the door. I hike up 2 flights of stairs and only saw a door that seemed to be that of a lawer. Instead of hiking up another flight of stairs just to be in the wrong place, I went back downstairs and tried to get it across, that I couldn't find the office. The Italian gestured to me the same thing he did the first time ,so back up the two flights of stairs I went (huffing and puffing) and THIS TIME, noticed a little door leading out onto a small garden patio. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open. I was about to go BACK down the stairs when I noticed a little doorbell on the wall. ChaChing...I was in..finally. The doctors office has one patient room, a waiting room and a bathroom and a small closet that had been turned into the secretary's office.
The Dr who did the ultrasound spoke English fairly well and was able to walk me through all that we were seeing on the ultrasound. The whole thing probably took no longer than 20 minutes and Josh and Mallory missed the whole thing. Everything on the ultrasound looked fine. I got to see the baby and asked for a confirmation of the sex of the baby. She showed me and assured me it was a girl. I think I believe it now :) I got to see her face with chubby cheeks and a cute little nose, her hands with long fingers (5 fingers...I checked) To me, she looked just like Mallory did in the womb. Same chubby cheeks and little button nose. After the ultrasound it was time to pay for my services. With our insurance we pay for most everything up front and then submit for reimbursement. The secretary informed me it would be 180 Euro for my appointment, which equates to just under $270 US. My jaw almost hit the floor. I asked what type of payment they accepted and she said just cash. OH BOY! Luckily I happened to have exactly 180 Euro and handed it over feeling a little depleted and broke. The ultrasound Dr said something to the secretary in Italian, took 60 Euro and left saying "Ciao" Obviously you can tell this is very different than in the US. The ultrasound Dr is only in one day a week and she was dressed in plain street clothes. I am pretty sure I was the only patient for the day, because they closed up shop after I left. I was also sure to ask how much it would be for my next appointment with the OB doctor. Just call me money bags! I will have never used so much cash in my life! Anyway, for the next appointment, we will know to allow more time to get to the office so that we can find parking together so Josh and Mallory can be at the appointment. OH...and just for the record, Josh had just as hard of a time finding the office as I did. By the time he went up and down the stairs a few times with Mallory, a stroller, and his work bag in tow, he was a little out of sorts when he finally made it into the office. Poor guy!

House Update:
I think we have found the place we will be living! Our first choice offer fell through for multiple reasons, but we just took it as a sign it wasn't meant to be. What we found certainly isn't what we were looking for, but for some reason it just feels right. It doesn't have a yard (for Kota), and it doesn't have the number of bedrooms we needed(4). It does have 2 bedrooms though and a "jolly" room as they call it which is basically like a dining room. There is a sliding door to completely close off the dining room, so we decided we would make that our bedroom, and use the 2 other bedrooms for the kids. (gosh it sounds weird saying "kids") It has 2 bathrooms, plenty of storage space and closet-type space. It also has a washer AND a dryer which is hard to come by. It has 2 great screened in patios with sun shades. Kota will love laying out there in the winter, I just know it. It is a ground floor apartment so it has 2 levels. The only thing I am not crazy about is the very narrow spiral staircase that leads down to the large basement, which will become the guestbedroom/office/playroom. I know it will take some time for Kota to even think about attempting to go down those stairs, if she even does at all. It has a large garage and there are plenty of areas to walk Kota, so we will certainly be getting our excercise as will she with probably about 3 walks a day. Oh, did I mention it doesn't have air conditioning...LOL. As part of our proposal we asked that air conditioning be installed and they said yes, otherwise I'm pretty sure we'd still be looking for a place to live. It is being freshly painted as we speak, all of the appliances are practically brand new. The kitchen is adorable, and the fridge is much larger than any other place we have looked at. I am really excited about it despite not having the yard for Kota to run. I just can't wait to get in there and most likely realize how much crap we have and do some major purging of "stuff." Josh got an update on our sea shipment and it should be arriving mid July and then we need to allow 7-10 business days for it to go through customs. So we are right on target to move in on August 1st! I can hardly wait! I am most certainly looking forward to the arrival of my couch and my bed! The bed here at the hotel is like sleeping on a concrete slab, and well if you are pregnant, or even if you are not...it certainly is not comfortable and I really don't ever wake up feeling like a million bucks. Needless to say, my back has been killing me. I forgot to mention the apartment is under our budget! I guess this will help out with the cash flow I am going to need for doctor appts for baby girl #2!

Sorry I don't have any pictures to show this time. I meant to take some of the apartment, but left my camera in the car as I was more focused on dodging mosquitoes than I was on getting my bag out of the car. I suppose that is all for now. This week has gone by fast, and Josh has big plans this weekend of heading into Milan to try out the public transportation and possibly head to Bergamo which I think is up near Lake Como where George Clooney frequents the area. George here I come! Please have the guest bedroom on the yacht ready and stocked with bon bons, goldfish, and a Frosty machine from Wendy's. See you soon!

Houston, We have Goldfish!

Disclaimer: Lots of pictures and a little rambling/venting enclosed...


Dusty, Jackie, and Mallory



Yes, I know, this isn't a picture of Josh and I, nor is it a picture of perfect strangers we let hold our child in front of the Pantheon. No, these are our Heroes, Dusty and Jackie, friends of ours that we met up with in Rome while they were honeymooning! I call them our heroes, because shortly before their trip over, I sent Jackie a Facebook message requesting the immediate smuggling of Goldfish crackers into Italy for our little Rendevous in Rome! Mallory had still not gone a day without asking for them. Upon our meeting Jackie presented us with not one, but TWO bags of Goldfish which I tried to hide, but Mallory promptly sniffed out and insisted on having. Jackie got the best picture of Mallory holding her bag of goldfish in a loving embrace. I'm sure when she returns from Rome she will post it on Facebook and tag me for all to see. It was a great picture! Anyway, Mallory then ate Goldfish for lunch AND dinner and really not much of anything else! Despite our efforts to ration out the goldfish, we are down 1 bag already, but have yet to crack open the second bag! Thanks Jackie and Dusty!

Our first stop in Rome, was the Roman Forum. Let me start by saying,I can't say this was the most pleasant tourist experience I have had, but we are certainly all smiles for this picture aren't we!? We stood in a long line to get tickets, then stood in another line to get the audio tour guide. The couple next to us was told they were all out of audio guides while we were given 2 audio guides. They became very irate and then we hurried off with our audio guides. We get into the Roman Forum and Josh's audio guide is on the fritz, so he goes back to get another one while I wait and my scalp burns in the sun. It is making my blood pressure go up



Mallory posing with some Roman Ruins

just writing about this! A small confession to make...I do NOT enjoy museums and wandering around aimlessly without reason. The audio guide was of no help to me and a complete bore. So by the time I got through 3 different things and still not knowing where I was supposed to be or what I was looking at. I was about done. We will be going back, but most definitely with a tour guide who can keep my attention. We learned our lesson and made sure to the best of our ability that we had a guided tour with whatever we did. We wasted so much time standing in line at the Roman Forum we didn't get to use our double entrance ticket to go inside the Colosseum. I certainly didn't want to go and wander aimlessly once more! So we just decided we would come back and do them right the next time. We made the most of our short stay at the Roman Forum and got some pictures of Mallory. And after standing in the super hot sun for a little too long, it was time for a Gelato break!





Mallory hilariously sticking her finger up the horse's nose!