Celebrating and Changes

I am so thankful for the memories and moments between Luca and my Grandpa

I post about a truly inspiring and incredible man, who left us recently. There really are not enough words and space to acknowledge his love for his family and friends, the earth, and his passion for building. He was a master of all things wood, he could create gorgeous furniture, bowls, and so much more. He was always ready to teach you, and answer any questions about making anything by scratch. He was always a hard worker, patient, and so informed about anything happing in the word. He was a professor a reader, and oh so much more. He lived to the fullest and went peacefully. He is being missed terribly, but I am so honored to have called him my Grandpa, and if I turn out to be half the person he was, I truly would be blessed.

Marco looks okay in mountain gear too, na?

I am missing my Grandpa, but also celebrating his life. And forever telling him thank you for being the incredible man he was. He was a gift to the world.
 We are also celebrating fall, yes fall. It is getting cooler, crispier (can I use that to describe fall?) But I am thankful for this weather, a reminder to thank each day as they come and go. Especially the ones that bring a warm sun, and leave a clear sky. Just fyi the colder and shorter the days get here in Venice, the more grey they get, and wet, and humid. But you know what? I am thankful fir those days too.

We have been lucky though, fall has been perfect, I mean we even went swimming in Croatia a week ago! Granted the next day the temperature dropped 10 degrees, but hey, cra weather?

LB thrives and grows each day, more words, more crumbs, more mess, more laughs, more moments of pure frustration, and of smiles, and of new hairdos! (yes, I cut his hair, it was time, and so many people might want to wallop me. Sorry, I had no more patients for screaming sessions… He wanted dreads! I was/am not ready for them… not yet… maybe when your 18) He now listens, when you talk (lawd knows what goes on in his head) but he truly understand! English and Italian. So many proud Mamma moments.  But when they (whoever they are) say babies grow before your eyes, it is 100% true. Every day he amazes us.

My next post will be more specific on his toddler progressions, but now all I want to say is thank you to  the goodness of this earth. A prayer that there will still be goodness in this earth when little ones become big, hoping I will be a positive teacher to the little ones, to keep the goodness on this earth. And now, wishing you a day of positivity and goodness. 

Water baby

Water boys

In his element

Pooped. Too much mountain air.

A swim on October 19th? Why not?

Hey you! Watchu doin?

Impromptu volley game, after an impromptu bbq

Probably pointing to an imaginary airplane.  For the 100th time. Camilla is so over it

And of course he found the dog poo

He wanted to take it home to Italy

Kombucha, Kimchi and Italy

I'll be honest, it's been a perfectly sweet summer. Everything that a summer could offer, took full advantage of it all. It was so great to be around my family and friends, it just sucked big time that Marco couldn't be there to enjoy it all with us. But thats just life, well, ours that is. I hate complaining because when it's Marco's off season we get to have him around all the time, even a month in the States for Christmas this year y'all!
Anyway summer was amazing, but reality is, that it does not last forever. Did you know that?! Crazy huh? Luca and I had to slowly say goodbye to swimming in his pool, or bucket, or tupperware, whatever he could get his hands on, goodbye to eating dinners outside on the deck, goodbyes to peaches, watermelon, berries, his beloved cat Luna, his Pop's, Gram, Zia, and everyone else in between. We also had to say goodbye to Kombucha, Kimchi, and Chia Seeds! Going from my mothers   hippyish, natural, Steiner lifestyle to, well, Italy, is always (lets just say) different. Luca's toys that he plays with at my parents house are what my brother, sister and I played with as kids, so pretty much anything edible. Wood. Wool. Maybe not delicious, but nonetheless edible. Luca's toys here on the other hand are either hand me downs from cousins on Marco's side, or gifts from friends and family. You can tell the toys that Gram and Pops gave him because they don't make noise and are not made in China. I'm not complaining, or taking sides, just pointing things out. No sugar at Grams, the more sugar the better with Nonno and Nonna. So You know what I stand in between. No extremes either way. Works for us. A little plastic wont kill him (unless he eats it god forbid) and a lick of ice cream here and there will probably just temporarily make Luca's eyes pop out. Simple things. Sweet things. I like it that way.
So we made it back home, without any meltdowns or drama, just maybe a Little Bean hand in every passengers cup as we make it down the isles… Luckily the flight was full of happy elderly couples on a group trip to Italy for a cruise, so having a sticky hand in their cups was not a first time for many of them. Reminded them of their grandchildren. They were probably just saying that because they felt sorry for the single Mamma with bed head running after the brat. Luca slept maybe 2 hours or the 7 hour flight. Which was during the night btw. LUCKILY he was happy sitting next to me racing his cars up and down my face as I tried too sleep. I slept a total of zero minutes. BUT LB was happy, and that was SO important. For everyone on the plane.
When we arrived Luca was in a sort of shock. He couldn't believe that Marco wasn't just a screen in front of him, he couldn't believe that he was back in his car seat, oh and the toys! He was in utter shock. It didn't matter that he had not slept for nearly 15 hours, having his Papa' and toys that made noise was enough fuel to keep him going for another 4 hours of total bliss.
Than LB and I took a 5 hour nap.
I wont tell you about the next 5 nights though. I am doing you a favor trust me. I would like to forget about them.
BUUUUUUUT (fingers crossed, knock on wood) Luca has been sleeping 11 hours straight in is own bed. Miracles happen folks!

Doing what he does best

Labor Day fun on the river

in his element

In his element again

Chillin at the cabin with dear friends

cousins and serious business

Innocent?

Molly and Coralie live in France, Luca and I live in Italy. We come to the States to get together. Duh.

Papa' and his co captain

Just thought I would throw this in… painted the bathroom. The white just wasn't working.

Helen and Brian's wedding. So sweet and stunning location. I have grown up in MD and never knew places like that were even in the State

Brig and Billy 4 EVA!

checkin the situation out

Bmore represent!

How We Roll

This is how we've been rolling these sweet summer days.
First off we had a fabulously fun family vacation down South, and spent a week in Ashville NC where my brother lives and goes to school. First time there and let me tell you, Ashville folk know whats going on. That city is FULL of life, and such diversity. Oh and SO many fantastic restaurants!
The only poo part of the whole vacation deal is the traveling, Luca is the worst car rider ever. So much drama. I mean can't he just breath, take in the sights and, and look out the window. No. He must have CONSTANT entertainment, which sometimes includes me sticking things up my nose. Oh the things we do for our kids. Oh and thank GAWD for iPads and Peppa Pig. He can watch about a third of an episode without complaining (an episode is 10 min) so after about a 3 minutes of Peppa I have to shove something up my nose again. And so on and so forth. For 9 hours.
Soo other than car riding, its pretty smooth sailing, except for your occasional screams of frustration, when he can't get a hold of the cats tail, or get his toy duck to waddle right. Or the nights when he randomly starts screaming only to wake up the whole neighborhood (okay not really) but he really is such a comedian and ladies man. He flirts with any female from the age of 3 to 93. Weirdo.
Our days are filled with playing in the pool, biking to the new (actually old) but just discovered park, biking distance from my parents house) hanging out with family outside (SO taking advantage of having huge outside space), picnics, summer food, Luca gets tagged along on Mamma's dates with girlfriends (yes I am THAT Mom), well anyway pretty much not really worth writing about, but we ARE having a pretty darn sweet summer. We just miss the skipper who is out and about from Greece to Montenegro to Croatia, but we do get lucky and talk to him just about every day (unless they are near some remote island so the wireless is crap. First world problems. So pretty much we can't complain.

walks on the mountains of Ashville

checking out the world from above

LB's obsession with water

Zia and Zio

Summer always needs walks to the ice cream parlor

Captain Justin just taking us out on his boat in Columbia SC

ALWAYS helping Gram. (or throwing dirt on her) He is her shadow

Aaaaaaand than he ate Sh*t. And cried bloody murder

Who has picnics like hobos on the garden of the Biltmore. We do. Duh. haha oops, Sophie I just noticed Luca's hand. Typical.

my button nose bean. Just like Mamma. Sorry LB.

Where there is water, there is Luca naked

Look at the above caption. 

everyday.

just the perfect hight to get whacked in the face by tall grass

it's a tight table situation

Airplanes, The Boob and The Bean

After way to long of our arrival in the land of the free, I will share with you some updates!

First off I want to give a big hurrah to the Bean for being such a rockstar and A+ traveller. He slept for the first 3 hours and than played with some "new" toys I had picked up without him knowing from the toy store. I had downloaded some toddler apps and cartoons (desperate times calls for desperate measures) but his attention span is that of a puppy, so he preferred dropping crumbs on the head of the passenger in front of us (again, desperate times calls for desperate measures) Anyway long story short the 9+ hour flight and trip with my toddler Bean was uneventful, which is so much more than I could have ever asked for. Than the 2 hour car ride from Philly to Bmore he acted like a ham for his Gram and Pops, than basically passed out the rest of the way. When he arrived at my parents house, he was literally so happy he did not know what to touch and where to go first. His options where off the wall.  he also immediately fell in love with "Nuna" aka Luna the sweet patient cat that never fails to make Luca smile, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he has a big ol crush on the furball. 

It has already been such beautiful days here, with dear friends and family, coming "home" only twice a year truly makes me cherish my family and friends even more. Luca and I are so blessed to be able to spend the summer here. We are missing Marco but know he's in his element and in good hands:) Almost in Greece! Everytime the phone rings (and in the household of my mother it rings A LOT) Luca looks at y with his hands in the air and says, "Papa''? Poor confused Little Bean.

Right before we left for the States I weaned Luca from night time boob. It was becoming more and more evident that it was high time. LB was getting into a habit of waking up nursing and falling asleep about 5 times at night. That was 5 times too many, for the both of us, we were both not getting a good night sleep. I had in my OCD mind that I would nurse him until a year, Clearly Luca had other ideas. So I compromised with him, and let him have the boob only before bedtime. Not DURING bedtime. The first night he cried like there was no tomorrow which almost killed the both of us, but I cuddled him to sleep, and thats how t is to this day, I mean without the hysterical crying. Thank God. That is unless he falls off the bed.

At home in Venice he sleeps in his own crib, here he sleeps in a pack and play next to my bed. The Bean does not sleep in pack and plays, I mean why, if he can sleep in Mamma's bed. That little turd was on a roll, but as soon as we got to Baltimore, he wants Mamma. I mean duh. And I have gotten to the point where I just don't care anymore. He still does not get the boob, but when he cries I just put him next to me on my bed and after kicking me in the face 10 times and punching me on my pack 5 times, and sometimes even falling off the bed, he eventually falls asleep. If I don't fall asleep, I put him back in the pack and play (hey, I need sleep too) if I do fall asleep, well than I wake up to a bum on my head in the morning. At least he wakes up around 8:30. I would too if I did karate at night.

Sorry. I had to rant. My mother has no sympathy for me, I hope you all do! I'm just kidding, I wake up in the morning even more in love with LB than I was when I fell asleep (even though there might be a moment when he shoves his feet in my stomach when I think, WHYYYYYYYYYYY???)

I guess its all "normal", and I should't make a fuss over it, but I am definitely putting my foot down when we get back to Venice. No more kung fu passed 9 pm for this Mamma and he Little Bean.

I will let you all in on updates during our time Stateside, meanwhile I hope you all have fun spitting watermelon seeds, husking corn, and making smores, cause I know we have, and we're looking forward to more summer time fun, which does not involve eating ants, licking cars, and pooping on the deck. Cough cough. Luca, you are a CONSTANT source of entertainment, and therapist to your OCD Mamma.

exploring his new domain 

LB and his Pops

such a proud eater

shakespeare in the park. LB was totally hooked. for as long as it took me to take this picture

Luca and his first french fry

Lucky boy

he has decided that the staircase is his toothbrushing station. Everytime.

Brave

this boy and his CONSTANT need to move

Luca and his "waddle" walk. Too bad pictures can't capture how ridiculous and hilarious he looks

everyone needs a naked helper… follow them all over