On the Road Again

Well, my time here in Italy is coming to a close. And if the vacation time offered by most American companies is any indication, it looks like I won’t be coming back for a while. Now I understand why Americans don’t go abroad so often.

We left the beach yesterday, and are now headed to Pavia (Ale’s birthplace) for his baptism. I know, I’m Protestant, what am I doing? If I’ve learned anything, it’s that sometimes, when the thing doesn’t hurt anyone, you just do things to keep the peace. But I digress. So, after this ceremony, we’re flying south for the week, to Sardinia (Alghero). I’ve never been to the south of Italy in all my times here, so I’m pretty excited about that. I mean, technically, we’re just trading one beach for another, but Sardinia is supposed to have the best in Italy, so we’re trading up at least.

Anyways, after that, Ale and I headed back to the States for a while (probably a very long while). I still don’t know exactly where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing, but I’m making progress. In the past month I’ve changed my mind so many times about the future, I don’t think anyone believes me anymore. First I was going to stay at home, then I was moving away, then I was staying in Cullman, but buying a house, now I’ll probably just go back to Plan A and stay with my family for a while. At least all this wondering gave me something to do...

Now that the time is getting closer, I’m starting to feel apprehensive and guilty about leaving Ale to go to work. I know millions of women do it, and they don’t torture kids at daycare, but still.. I don’t want to miss anything, whether it’s first steps or just some snuggles. But, I don’t have a choice, so I might as well find something worth doing.

Speaking of first steps, Ale has (somewhat) started walking! A couple weeks ago, he started taking steps, just a few at a time. Now he’s discovered cruising along the furniture and walls, so he refuses to take steps. He’s become quite a little character though. He shakes his head no, and he means it, too. He occasionally claps, and waves “ciao” constantly! He will definitely learn “ciao” before “hello”, as people here are always coming up to him and saying “ciao” repeatedly.



That’s about it for today, not feeling terribly inspired on this car ride. Just wanted to give a little update to my legions of fans (ha!), and let everyone know we’re alive and well! Now, I’m going to try to enjoy this last vacation before reality hits harder than ever.

Ciao for now,

Kathleen

Being a Grown Up

There are certain points in a person’s life when you realize you’re really a grown up. One of these is when you walk across a stage to get that all-important piece of paper. Another is when you hold your child for the first time. However, the most recent one I’ve experienced is maybe the most terrifying yet: the REALITY CHECK.

Let me back up first. This time a year ago, I had just moved to Italy, five months pregnant, and was planning the next year of my life. Everything went basically according to plan, except for one thing. In this year, I was to decide what I wanted to do with my life, and how to achieve that. As you know, if you’ve read my blog before, I’ve had a million ideas over the past year. My problem is not ideas; it’s how to fund these ideas. Which brings me to where I am now. The REALITY CHECK. What does this consist of, you ask? Well, it’s the simple realization that money does not, in fact, grow on trees, and that as valiant as my entrepreneurial efforts were, I’m going to have to suck it up and get a real job. Whew. It took me a year to get there. Finally, about five days ago, I realized this, and have since been frantically searching for full-time jobs.

I wanted to stay home with Ale, but the more I tossed ideas around, the more I realized it wasn’t going to happen. People do occasionally happen upon these jobs to do from home that pay well, but to be honest, most of them just offer supplemental income. Since over the next year and a half, Paolo will be staying in Europe finishing his degree, I need more than a supplemental income. That was the second part of my REALITY CHECK.

By now, I have gotten over the shock of my realization, and am fine with it. I am hoping to find a job in sales, as these are really the only jobs that are appealing to me. Sorry, but “Financial Analyst” or something like that isn’t my cup of tea. It’s actually Paolo’s cup of tea, so different strokes for different folks. I have applied for several jobs that really interest me, and hopefully one of these will work out, although the whole being abroad thing isn’t doing me any favors. I would ask that you please keep me in your thoughts and prayers during this time, as I’m majorly freaking out over the whole thing. I’m not sure why; it’s not like my family will throw us out on the street, I just really want to start adding money to the bank, not just subtracting.


By the way, we are all doing fine here. Ale is growing and changing so much; this tiny apartment can hardly contain him! We have a friend from Nice coming to visit this weekend, so that will be great!

Ciao for now,

Kathleen

The Mystery of Italy

I thought last year that people in Italy were old fashioned and ridiculous, but let me tell you.. I had no idea. It’s one thing to be here and be just a young girl, but a young girl with a baby? You’ll get advice and worries from anyone and everyone on things you never thought one could worry about. For example, earlier I was downstairs in the apartment building, waiting for Paolo to come down, and the landlord told me to be careful with Ale, because there was some wind coming through the door. I mean, WHAT? Do babies die from wind these days? Actually, it’s super hot here; probably the poor, sweaty child would like a little wind. I mean, really. Just really. And have mercy, I could write a Part 2 to my previous air-conditioning post. They literally think air-conditioning will make you sick. Personally, I think laying in a pool of sweat, trying to sleep can’t be terribly healthy, but that’s just me.


    That stuff aside, all is well here. Ale is growing up so much; just since we’ve been in Italy, he’s started sitting up, sleeping in his own bed (mostly), quasi-crawling, and even supported walking!! He’s so very sweet and curious. Beach time with him has been interesting; it’s no more relaxing to go to the beach. In fact, we don’t even go every day just because it’s kind of a hassle. We do go on lotsssss of walks though. I now know why Europeans spend $500+ on strollers; it’s like a car for them.
    I have a new business idea that I’ve been exploring. I still want to do the tea shop, but I just don’t have the capital for it now, so I’m going to start smaller by making cakes to order from my home.  Italian cakes, to be exact. So I’ve started learning and practicing, which has been both delicious and frustrating. I’ve pretty much got crostatas down at this point, which is like an jam tart, but very versatile. Today I tried a profiterole cake, which was nothing short of a disaster. That one is going to take a bit more work. So Cullmanites, get ready. When I return, I’m going to be a baking machine. I’m also looking for a nannying job, so let me know if you know someone who needs one, please!

    One thing I’ve always wondered about Italians is how they manage to stay so thin. They have such great food, I just don’t get it. The obesity rate here is 10%, while America’s is about 35%. What are they doing here?? I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that I’ve lost about 5 pounds since I got here, which brings me to my pre-pregnancy weight. At home, I was working out almost every day, with little to no results. But then I come here, feast on pizza, pasta, and so many cakes, and I lose weight. What is this phenomenon? For sure I walk a lot, and I’ve also been swimming, but I just don’t know. I would say it was the quality of food, but I eat pretty well at home too, so I’m not sure that it’s terribly different. However, I would recommend an extended vacation in Italy if you just can’t get rid of those last few pounds.

Ciao for now,

Kathleen

Summertime

Whew! It’s been a busy month. I’m going to keep using that as my excuse for why I don’t write more often. I’m starting to eat my words about how I didn’t know how a baby could take so much time. It seems that in some ways they take more time as they get older.

Ale is six months old now, almost seven actually.. time is going too fast! He’s mobile, as in he rolls like crazy, and also does this weird pivoting, quasi-crawling thing. Basically, he can get where he wants to get. We’ve had our first accident; he fell off my bed the morning of his baby dedication at church. I turned my back for a few seconds, and he took full advantage of that time. It was a bit tramatic, but we’ve moved on.



Paolo’s been back with us for almost a month now, and we’re actually back in Italy since Thursday. How was a international flight with a six month old, you ask? Not bad, actually. The preparation, security, etc., was more stressful than the flight itself. He slept a lot, and was overall fairly pleasant on our completely full flight. I slept not at all, and suffered greatly the next day. As soon as we arrived, Paolo had a full day planned of who we would visit, and it included several towns. That night we crashed, and Ale and I slept for about 12 hours. It was magical.

It’s nice to be back here, although I do miss my family. I also was quickly reminded of the air conditioning situation, which I forgot after living in the North Pole (dad keeps the house on 68 always). Going from the North Pole to sticky, sweaty indoor heat is miserable. However, we left Friday for the beach, and will be here most of the summer, so no worries; the weather is better, and there’s air conditioning!!!  Ale is loving being at the beach; it takes all my energy to make sure he doesn’t roll away and get sand in his mouth. He went swimming for the first time yesterday and loved it, although he wasn’t super impressed yet by his float. He seems to be jealous now of how much older people can do, and is a bit frustrated by his skills. Which as I speak, he’s “walking” across the room (holding hands). He’s not terribly interested in sitting, which may be because his head is so heavy to hold up, or may be just because he’s more interested in standing. He moves so much, it’s hard to hold himself up while sitting. He’s too busy, ain’t nobody got time for that.

Now that I’m an “immigrant” again, hopefully I’ll have more writing time, so look for more updates!


Ciao for now,

Kathleen

Surprised by Joy

The title of my blog is not actually in reference to C.S. Lewis’ book, although I do intend to read it (when I get some time to read). I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how life was about a year ago. I was graduating from college, which for me was kind of an anti-climatic experience. It was kind of overshadowed by the fact that I was also about 10 weeks pregnant.

Finding out you’re pregnant, whether you planned to be or not, is always a scary thing, I think. If you were trying to be pregnant, then you are suddenly faced with the reality of it. If it’s unplanned, it’s a whole new ballgame. You are suddenly faced with every emotion possible, and so many decisions. I don’t mean the decision on what to do with the baby, that was never a question for me; I think it’s more deciding how you’re going to go forward.

I won’t go into the details, but Alessandro was truly a miracle. All babies are, but some really beat the odds. When I found out I was pregnant, it seemed so impossible that I thought if it was true, then it must be something really special. I won’t lie, and say that made all the scariness of the situation go away, it just helped. Sometimes I’m still scared; I don’t know where I’m going to be this time next year.  But things are coming together, slowly but surely.

More than anything, I wish I could tell my last-year self that not only was everything going to be ok, but that this little baby was going to open a whole new world for me. I haven’t been this truly happy or fullfilled in a very long time, if ever. I’m not saying that motherhood is the end all of everything, but for me, it’s pretty spectacular. I never thought I would find so much joy just in watching a baby play with his feet, or make funny noises. I had grand plans to travel the globe and do all sorts of things- I still will, just with a child in tow. This time last year, I thought any excitement in my life was over, and that I would just become a boring, old person.

For sure it’s not the same as before. But the thing is, it’s better! I can’t go out on Friday nights and stay out late, or come and go quite so easily, but it turns out that cuddling with Ale while watching a movie, or going on walks with him is so much more wonderful. 

Before, I didn’t know what pure joy was, and that has been the biggest (and best) surprise I’ve gotten from motherhood.


Ciao for now,
Kathleen

Rainy Day Ramblings

I know it’s been a while, but the things is, I just don’t write well unless I’m in the mood for it, or have some inspiration. My forced writings are never as good. That was always my issue with school papers, as well. I hate being given a topic that’s boring; then I’ll never feel like writing it.


Anyways, it’s been very busy lately. Last time I wrote, I was with my grandma in Tennessee. I stayed there for a couple weeks, then came back here in time for Paolo’s visit, and it seems like things haven’t slowed down since. We had a great visit, but of course, not long enough. He’s coming back in a week and a half though, so not as long this time. I won’t get to go out to San Francisco after all, unfortunately. It just got to be too expensive, with flight, hotel, etc. Not to mention that traveling with a four month is probably not that easy, if I have to guess. Even car rides are not as easy now; he won’t just sleep the whole time like he used to.



However, Alessandro is getting sweeter and sweeter every day. He laughs, he plays, he babbles; so sweet! He started eating oatmeal a couple weeks ago, and bananas this week, which he looooooooves! I, however, do not love the diaper that comes the next morning. But as long as he’s happy. He’s even sleeping better at night. During the day, not so much. He’ll cat-nap, but only in someone’s arms. The second his head hits the bed, he’s awake. It’s so hard to get anything done! I like co-sleeping at night, but I can’t just nap all day.. any suggestions? I don’t want to do the whole crying-it-out thing, but he does need to learn to go to sleep on his own.


Also in the past month, I’ve come up with a business idea. I’m currently writing a business plan, and hope to find financing when I get back from Italy in September. My idea is for a cafe that specializes in tea. I went to a similar place in Collierville, where my grandma lives, and it was (in my opinion, at least), such a great idea. It’s not really a tearoom, like where ladies lunch and such, but more like a cafe, but with tea instead of coffee. I’ve always preferred tea, so it was just perfect to me. If you live/lived in Cullman, take my survey concerning the business, please!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7XSJ5S7

Oh, and I’m happy to report that my new cloth diapers are wonderful. They were inexpensive, and very effective. I’ve already ordered more! They’re called Sunbabies, and if you’re interested in cloth diapering, I would definitely recommend them (so far).

That’s about it for now, not a lot else going on! I’ll try to feel inspired to write more often in the future :)




Ciao for now,

Kathleen

Diaper Woes

The average cost of diapering a child for 2 1/2 years is from $1500-2000. Yeah, you heard right. Literally thousands of dollars for crap. That’s the main reason I decided last summer that I would cloth diaper instead. I spent $120 for 24 prefold diapers, 4 Thirsties diaper covers, and one stink-free wet bag to hold the dirties. So I thought I was really beating the system.

Umm, let’s just say... NO. I started using them when Ale was about 10 days old. By that point, I’d been spoiled by the convenience of disposables. But alas, I wouldn’t let myself buy more, so we proceeded with the cloth. It took a while to get down how to fold them, and fasten them while Ale was squirming (had to use plain safety pins; Italy doesn’t do cloth diapers). It wasn’t easy. But we figured it out eventually. Then I noticed that every time I changed him, he was soaking wet. I came to the conclusion that it was sweat, and poor baby got a rash. Ugh. So I changed him about twice as often as normal, which was fine except for at night. After being told by my mom that it wasn’t normal to have to change diapers all night long, we switched to disposables for nighttime. So we did actually do mostly cloth for the first six weeks.

HOWEVER. When I got back to the US, I found that I had been gifted many diapers. So I’ve gotten spoiled again. I’ve still kept cloth diapering some, but Ale grew so fast that I had to immediately use any newborn and size 1 diapers I had been given. Now it’s all good, so I’ve been trying to unspoil myself, but for real, I just hate those cloth diapers. I started researching and it seems that I picked the most complicated, cheapo method of cloth diapering, so I’ve now ordered my second batch, and this time they will be pocket diapers, which basically means they’re all one piece except an absorbent piece you stuff in the middle. But they’re not here yet, so the verdict is still out. They are super cute though! I was going to just keep on with the others until the new ones arrive, but earlier this week as I was changing an overly wet diaper, I noticed they were also really tight on Ale’s chubby thighs, so I just bought a big box of disposables. Whatever. I’m trying to be earth and budget conscious, but I’m taking a break for now. And also, I realized Target puts diapers on clearance, so I got a case of Luv's for only $12, which is great.

By the way, the laundry is not that bad. I’ve heard people complain about the laundry aspect of cloth diapering, but I don’t find it that awful. In Italy, I didn’t even have a dryer, and we still made it work. I will say that they require special care, so you should know that before you start (because I didn’t). Hopefully these new diapers will be more convenient and absorbent, because I so hate spending money on something so stupid. It’s like buying toilet paper or gas; something you have to use, but it just seems like money not going towards shoes. Or cute baby clothes.

Speaking of which, Paolo thinks I have a shopping problem. But seriously, I have been finding such great clearance lately. Alessandro better fit into each size when he’s supposed to or I’m going to have some nice clothes with no one to wear them. My proudest moment was last week in Macy’s when I bought 4 Carter’s pajamas, two outfits for him next year, and a sweater for me, all for $31!! Now that’s the kind of shopping that you’re being wasteful if you don’t buy it. Right?

In other news, Alessandro rolled over this week! And now he’s a rolling machine! I was snapping up his back buttons earlier and he rolled before I could even finish! He’s so funny now, really coming into his own. He’s grabbing everything and putting it straight in his mouth. But no, he still doesn’t sleep through the night. I don’t even care any more. I spent a while agonizing over that, but now we’ve worked out a kind of routine, and it’s working, so that’s all I can ask for. He’s sleeping now, as a matter of fact. Not in my arms! That’s quite a feat!  It’s really the little things...



Ciao for now,

Kathleen

Three Month Update

Guys, time is flying! Alessandro is three months old now! He’s almost rolling over and trying so hard to sit up.. what happened to my little baby? In the past couple days, he’s discovered how loudly he can “talk”, so that’s been really fun (something I’ll regret saying in a couple months, probably!).

We’ve been busy this week; Saturday we went to Auburn for a weekend visit, and then we came straight to Collierville, TN to stay with my grandma for a while. He did wonderfully on the car rides, as usual. He has really turned into a happy baby, and is just so much fun! I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s partly because he’s already been dragged along on so many adventures that he’s pretty flexible and easy-going. I mean, he had his first international flight at six weeks. He’s pretty adaptive! He’s also playing on his own now, which is great for me! He was having to be held all the time, but in the past couple weeks, he’s been enjoying laying out on his playmat or on his Boppy and looking at and grabbing toys, which also gives me some free time!

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about my future plans, so I thought I’d give a tentative outline in this post. I’m staying with my parents until June 19 while Paolo is out in San Francisco for his semester. He’ll be coming here in a couple weeks for a visit, and then in May when his school lets out. We (Alessandro and I) are also most likely going out there at the end of April, which I’m really excited about!  Anyways, June 19, we’re flying back to Italy to spend the summer there, at the beach. The complicated thing about an international baby is that everyone wants to see him! I wish the whole family could be in one place so it wasn’t going to be so back and forth, but it will probably never be that way. So, after the summer, probably in September, there are several courses of action we could take, but that remains to be seen! The most likely seems to be that I’ll come back to the US to find a big girl job while Paolo finishes school, so that stinks that we’ll be apart, but at some point, I guess I have to work.

Speaking of work, I’ve decided I would really like to pursue a career in writing. I’ve been floundering back and forth over the past couple years, and have considered everything from opening a restaurant to working in sales. But most of all, I would like to write. Especially since writing this blog, people have been telling me that’s what I should do, and I’m starting to think there may be something to it. But I have to find a way! And also, I don’t want to write books. I don’t have the attention span or desire to do that. That’s why I love blogging; it’s to the point, and I can do it when I feel the urge to do it, without having to have a flow with previous posts. So maybe a newspaper or magazine column would be ideal for me. If you have any advice on how to go about doing something like this, let me know, please! I think a blog is a great first step, so if you like my blog, follow me and/or share it, please, please, please!



Not only would writing be something I would enjoy, but it would give me the flexibility hopefully to stay home with my bebe more. I never thought I would want to be a stay-at-home mom, but pigs seem to be flying. I’ve been so blessed that both my parents and Paolo’s parents have given me the opportunity to spend time with Ale instead of working, but it won’t last forever, so I really want a job that still allows me the maximum time with him. I know, I want it all, right? Well, I’m going to try my best, so maybe in the next few months, I’ll have some happy future news!

Ciao for now,

Kathleen

My Two Cents

As Alessandro is approaching 3 months (yes, really!), I’ve been looking back on pregnancy and I have to say, there’s a lot of things I wish I’d known then. Truth be told, someone probably told me most of these things, I just didn’t listen. There are some things you just have to discover on your own. But I’ll make a list anyways, just in case some of you are wiser than I was. Here we go...

1. ALL BABIES ARE DIFFERENT.  You can read this a thousand times, but somehow there’s still this vision of how a baby is supposed to be, and if yours doesn’t fit into that, you worry. I was watching other babies yesterday in church, and the babies I saw were definitely more what I was expecting from a newborn. They were quiet, tiny and delicate, sleeping all the time, and just waking up to eat, then going back to sleep. Guess what? Alessandro was never like that. He’s always looked older than he was, and been very alert and awake since Day 1. He sleeps more now during the day (if he’s held) than he did the first few weeks. Moral of the story: Expect nothing.

2. EVERY PARENT IS DIFFERENT. It’s easy to be all judge-y while you’re pregnant; you don’t know what’s coming! If you’d asked me three months ago, I would’ve told you that my baby was sleeping in the crib, end of story. That lasted, oh, until the day he came home from the hospital. At some point during that night, he and I both fell asleep during a feeding, and woke up several hours later. It went on like that for a while, that I would try to get him to sleep in the bassinet, but give in at some point, just to get some sleep. A few weeks ago, I finally realized it wasn’t a bad thing to sleep with this little one; actually it was easier for both of us, and we end up more well-rested in the morning, because we rarely have to fully wake during the night. So, don’t knock it til you’ve tried it.

3. It’s ok to not be terribly productive. If you spend all your time worrying about housework or errands, you’ll miss sweet moments!!

4. Don’t worry so much about the way your decisions are going to affect baby. As in, don’t feel guilty for letting him sleep in your lap, or the swing, etc. Sometimes it’s just about survival, and you need some sleep too!

5. “You can sleep when they sleep” is a big, fat lie. Well, it may work for some people, but Alessandro wakes up when he hits the bed, so the few times he sleeps without being held, I do work, son.

6. Take parenting books with a grain of salt. Like I said, every baby and parent is different. Crying it out doesn’t work with everyone, and isn’t every parent’s cup of tea. I swore that I would use the Ferber method when I was pregnant, but now I don’t want to. I like soothing him to sleep, and don’t actually think that it’ll affect him long term. Maybe I’m wrong, but he’s just too little and precious for me to leave him in there crying. Not for me.

7. Most things you register for are unnecessary and you might not even use. Registering is so fun and exciting, it’s like a long Christmas list. But so many of the things stores would have you believe are useful are just not. I thought I needed all this stuff for breastfeeding; lanolin, storage bags, etc. I used my lanolin maybe five times, and none of the other things. Except my Boppy, I love that thing. And a pump. But every baby doesn’t need a bouncer, swing, and all that stuff. In fact, I would recommend waiting until you see how your baby is until you buy toys. I bought a bouncer before I left for Italy, and was so excited to use it because I just thought it was going to be a life-saver. He hates the thing. He likes to be violently bounced, and the bouncer just lightly jostles him. So we got a swing a couple weeks ago, and that’s much more his speed. I can actually eat now without holding him. I just ordered a jumperoo, so we’ll see if that makes his cut.

8. Don’t buy too much baby stuff when you’re pregnant. I know, it’s so hard not to. But I’m still getting gifts almost three months later. Definitely don’t buy socks and bibs, people love giving you those. Alessandro could probably wear a different bib every day of the month. (Not that I’m not grateful, guys!) But don’t worry that you won’t have enough of those things.

9. You do need:  a baby carrier (much easier in my opinion than lugging a carseat around), lots of baby pajamas and also some for yourself, a swaddler with velcro, a Boppy, a good stroller, carseat, and plenty of diapers (even if you’re cloth diapering, it’s great to have backup disposables). Everything else can come later.

10. It’s ok to ask for help. I felt like it would all be completely manageable when I was pregnant. I didn’t need any help. WRONG! I’m so glad Paolo’s mom was able to help us right after his birth, and even now, I still need help often! I had to ask my mom to watch Ale last Saturday just so I could run some errands without having to deal with the logistics of carrying him around (still have a 2 door car, clearly wasn’t purchased with a baby in mind). You can’t feel too guilty for these things; yes, it’s your baby, but don’t play the martyr. People like holding your baby. They really don’t mind.

11. Lastly, don’t worry too much about labor and delivery. HA, YEAH RIGHT. But seriously, if you can, try not to. It’s going to happen how it happens. Even if you have this birth plan and all these ideas for how it’s going to go, it probably won’t be that way. In Italy, I didn’t get to choose my doctor, in fact, I never met the doctor that delivered Ale (Dr. Luigi) until I was in the midst of transition. I didn’t really have much idea how things were going to go since there’s not as much information available there and things vary from region to region. But in retrospect, I’m glad for all that, because if I’d pictured myself with a completely perfect birth experience, I would’ve been highly disappointed. Regardless of how messy it was, or missing the epidural, or being without Paolo for most of it, it still happened, and Ale is still perfect and healthy.

So, the basic idea is, don’t worry. And don’t have preconceived notions. It’s all going to play itself out one way or another, regardless of how much you prepare or worry. So obviously the less of that you do, the better. I know it’s kind of in one ear and out the other, but I thought I’d try to share my limited wisdom anyways. I was all about reading baby blogs when I was pregnant, although I obviously didn’t take much to heart.

In other news, Alessandro is still thriving. He’s almost 15 pounds and super active. He makes tons of cute noises and is just so beautiful. He still doesn’t sleep a lot and is super demanding (he wants to be held non-stop). Lucky for him, he’s adorable, so I don’t mind that much.





Ciao for now,

Kathleen

Living the Sweet Life

Since I’ve been home, a lot of people have had a lot of questions for me. My favorite though, is “So, how is motherhood?”  What a loaded question!

It’s hard to sum motherhood up in a few words. Each day it changes into something new and different. In the beginning, and still sometimes, it was simply surreal. Lately, the word that comes to mind is just fantastic, although I have to admit that sometimes it can be frustrating too. But I think the easiest way to sum the whole experience up (so far) is just pure, absolute joy.

That doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. I mean, I’m 22 and living with my parents; my little family is split now as Paolo is studying in San Francisco. But looking into that little baby’s face and knowing I have been given the opportunity to help shape into the best man he can be is just amazing. Watching him learn and grow, even when it’s just him learning to put his fingers into his mouth, is so very sweet.

I never thought much before about what having children would be like; I just saw it as something I would do someday. It’s difficult to truly grasp the way it will feel before it happens. When I was pregnant, I spent a lot of time reading about taking care of babies, what to buy, sleep training, etc., but I wasn’t prepared for the emotional aspect of being a mother. Now I understand the desire to be a stay-at-home mom, or why mothers are overprotective, and especially why everyone told me that little boys are the sweetest. I originally wanted a girl, but now I am so very thankful that he’s a boy; I can’t imagine anything sweeter than that boy’s smile as I walk into the room.





So if you were wondering, yes, I am enjoying motherhood. I will spare you any more cliches and mushy stuff and just assure you that I am overwhelmingly happy with this beautiful little boy.

Ciao for now,

Kathleen

Blessed Assurance

The past week and a half have been a whirlwind for the Powers family. My grandpa, Ted Powers, whom I and many others considered the heart of our family, passed away on January 27. So it has taken me some time, but this blog post will be a tribute to Grandpa.

I have been fortunate to have all four of my grandparents throughout my life. That also makes the loss that much harder.. Grandpa has actually been sick my whole life, but I don’t want to dwell on that, because that’s not how I saw him.



When I was a little girl, my grandparents lived out in the country on a beautiful piece of land with a pond, hiking trails, and a garden. To a kid, it was paradise. I will always remember my grandpa as being on his tractor, or in his woodshop. Some of my best memories were out in the country. It was there that Grandpa taught me to shoot a gun (BB gun, of course), there that we “helped” him with the garden, there that he set up a tire swing for us, and there that he took us out to “Powers Canyon”. He loved being in the country, but even more, he loved sharing the country with the people he loved.

That’s the kind of guy he was. He loved his family and friends, and thrived on entertaining people. You knew when you went to his house that he was going to try to shake your hand, then pull his hand away. Or that he was going to tell a bunch of corny jokes. But you would laugh, no matter how many times you’d heard them, because of the enthusiasm with which he told the joke. You couldn’t help it.

If you dared to bring up politics or religion, you better not have anywhere to go. Grandpa  watched the news all the time, and knew exactly what he believed and why (for both politics and religion). That being said, if you presented a view that was the same as his, he would take the other side and argue it perfectly, just to be the devil’s advocate. Of course, I knew that if he started proclaiming his love for Obama, he was lying. But sometime, he could really have you convinced he believed the opposite, at least until you saw the twinkle in his eye and heard his booming laugh, as he realized he’d gotten another one.


I can see a lot of my Grandpa’s different traits in my dad and uncles, and even in us, the grandkids. The sense of humor, the stubbornness, the talkativeness, the hard-working attitude. But the one that had the biggest impact on my entire family was his heart. I don’t mean his physical heart, because it was very sick. But for what his physical heart was lacking, he made up for in spiritual heart. He really loved people. He loved my grandma so very much. They have been married almost 53 years, and seem more in love all the time, which doesn’t happen much anymore. He loved his sons, and was so proud of them. He loved everyone in the family, and seemed to have a special relationship with everyone. But he loved God first and foremost, and didn’t mind telling everyone he met. I have never known someone who talked so easily about going to heaven. He knew he was going there, and so did everyone else. That’s one of the things that has comforted us in the last week. He’s finally where he wanted to  be for so long. He’s free of pain and now has a fully-functioning body. It feels a bit selfish to want him to still be here.



Sometimes, when something like this happens, we think first of ourselves. I hadn’t gotten to see Grandpa yet since returning to the US, and Alessandro had never met him. This was of course one of my first thoughts. I thought somehow that if they had met, it would make Grandpa happy enough to pull through his current battle. But now I realize that the current battle was just one of many, and more than just being ready, he wanted to go. I will miss him so very much, but he will live on. He lived his life in a way that created a legacy; through his sons, through his interactions, and through his faith. Alessandro may not have met him, but he will hear about him. Maybe we’ll start with the story of Baby Check-up...



Ciao for now,

Kathleen

Looking Back

 
 I wrote this post as I was en route to Milan for my flight, but am just now posting it, so it's a bit outdated I suppose. Since I've been home, a lot of people have asked if I prefer Italy or America.. the answer is a combination of both. I've learned things from every place I've lived, so that goes along with what I wrote in this post.. I'll do an updated post when I have time; the blog isn't over just because I'm no longer an immigrant!

Well, the time is finally here. As I write, I’m in route to Milan to be ready for my flight tomorrow morning. We’re coming home!! And there are a lot of things that need to go well in the next 24 hours, so if you have a chance, say a little prayer for us!

Step one was the packing, and that was quite difficult. I thought it wouldn’t be too bad since I got to have one more carry-on than when I came for Ale, but it seems I’ve acquired far more than I realized. Or rather, Alessandro has acquired far more than I realized. So with some sneaky packing, including putting three sets of sheets on the bassinet (which is supposed to be included in his baggage allowance), and putting all the heavy things in my carry-on (which they don’t weigh), hopefully we’ll make it back with everything intact (we did!). Step Two is making it to Milan, which we are doing a day early, and I have no doubt that Paolo’s parents will make us get to the airport hours before the flight even thinks of taking off (they did not). So we can check that off. Step three will be surviving the flight, and maintaining Alessandro’s happiness. I really hate to be that person on the plane with the baby, I know that no one likes that person or wants to sit next to them. But given the circumstances, baby’s gotta travel. I have far more sympathy now for those poor parents I despised in the past (he was an angel).  Anyways, if we can do all that, we’re good, and customs and all shouldn’t be a problem.  (Haha, we actually missed our connecting flight because of customs issues!)

I’ve been thinking back on my time here in Italy, and I have to say that overall, Italy is a nice country. It was a stressful time of life to move and learn a new language and such, but it was an experience that I’ll always remember. It was much different than my time in France, mostly because I was a carefree student then, surrounded by international students, and this time I was really living amongst the Italians. I learned a lot in my six months here, and there a few parts of Italian culture I will really miss.

First, the most obvious if you know me, is the food. I mean, the food here is incomparable to the food in the US. I will miss the freshness and creativity of food so very much. My waistline will not miss the countless sweets, but I already do.

Second, I admire the way Italians deal with body image. Rather than being so consumed with dieting and the endless pursuit to be thin, many Italians just live a healthy lifestyle, and don’t seem to worry about what they look like, which in general, is thin. Also, when you go to the beach and whatnot, people don’t really care what you wear. It’s not so much of a contest as in the US. As in, almost all women wear bikinis, regardless of age or shape. I’ll admit that at first I was a bit shocked by this, but as I was pregnant at the time, I soon embraced the non-chalence of it. It’s nice not to feel like you’re being judged for your body.

Next, on a related note, lately I’ve come to appreciate Italy’s attitude towards breastfeeding. No one blinks here if you’re feeding your baby. And really, that’s all it is: feeding your baby. It’s not a sexual thing, it’s nothing to be embarrassed of; it’s just a meal. I’m not saying that women here just “whip it out”, but you don’t see those ridiculous nursing covers, or people with blankets over them. In my opinion, all of those things are far more obvious than just nursing with a little discretion. And I also think breastfeeding is done a lot more here. It’s gaining popularity in America too, but there’s still so many formula-fed babies. Not that formula is a wrong choice, but there are so many health benefits to both mom and baby with nursing. Also,while I’m on my soapbox, it’s not “gross”. It’s what nature intended for your ta-tas. There is literally no other purpose for them; all mammals produce milk to feed their young.  But alas, I’m returning to America, so I guess I’ll have to seek cover.

Another thing I really appreciate here is the attitude towards mealtime. As I’ve said before, Italians care a lot about food, but more than that, they use mealtimes as a time to be together. My family has also always eaten together, but I think a lot of Americans have gotten away from that tradition. And here it’s not just families; it’s roommates, friends, etc. We ate at least once a week with a couple of Paolo’s friends. It didn’t have to be a big, pretentious dinner; it was more about the company. And it was really nice.

The final thing I’ll miss is the abundance of true friends. I’ve found that in the US, it can be hard to come by true friends, the ones who will stick by you through everything, and keep up with you. From my experiences both in France and Italy, it seems like other countries really have friendship down. Paolo’s friends are really great guys. I mean, they came by to check on me, and were there all the time playing with Ale. They were great friends to me, and I only met them by association. I’m not saying there’s no friendship in America; I have some great friends. But there’s a different sense of camaraderie here that I haven’t seen much at home.

So, in all, I’ve learned a lot, and am glad for my experience here. I am simultaneously really glad to be coming home, but not because I didn’t like Italy. I just miss my family and friends, and really want everyone to meet Alessandro. I won’t lie, I also really want to be able to just get in my car and drive somewhere (I’m American, after all). So this is the end of this leg my journey through life, and now I’m flying on to the next one!

Ciao for now,

Kathleen

Christmas in Italy

A lot of people have asked me over the past couple weeks how Italians celebrate the holidays. After my second Christmas here, the answer can be summed up in one word: eating. In fact, figures show that due to the crisis in Italy, most families cut back on money spent on presents, but there was no change in food bought for the holiday season. So yeah, you think you got fat over Christmas break..

But really, it’s not that much different than in the US. I mean, each family has their own traditions here and there, so there are differences for sure, but essentially, the family gathers to talk and eat. The biggest difference I see here is that presents are not nearly such a big deal. Maybe that’s just because I’m not with small kids (besides Alessandro, who doesn’t quite get into presents yet). But in general, it seems like people don’t spend nearly as much on presents, and it’s kind of a secondary thing to everything else. In the Powers household, we have to be awake no later than 7 AM because that’s the longest little Chloe will wait to open presents. Paolo’s 6 year old twin cousins had to wait until after dinner to open anything. And here, waiting until after dinner can mean waiting hours.


So what did we eat on Christmas? Well, the menu was quite elaborate, and all cooked by Paolo’s mom and sister. Here’s the menu as I can remember it.

Antipasto- olives, Russian salad, Torta Salata, crostini
Crepes baked with pumpkin and porcini mushrooms inside
Tortellini in Brodo- basically a broth soup with tortellini
Radicchio lasagna
Roast with potatoes, zucchini, and beans
Christmas cookies
Pineapple
Pannettone with Prosecco

I missed stuffing and sweet potato casserole, but really? It was delicious; I can’t complain. Paolo’s mom’s whole family came, and met Alessandro also, and everyone was really nice. Ale basically got passed from aunt to aunt all day, so he had a good day. Usually Christmas here also involves going to Christmas mass, but since Ale was only three weeks old, I didn’t really want to get him out (we need a healthy baby to come back home).

To me, it doesn’t feel as Christmas-y here. I mean, the towns are decorated beautifully, there’s Christmas stuff everywhere in stores (not until December though!), but I miss my family and our traditions. Next year, I’m going to be in the US for Christmas; Paolo promised me that he would do a Christmas in Dixie.

New Year’s Eve here was remarkably similar to my family’s New Year’s Eve. A nice meal, followed by a TV countdown, games, and some little fireworks. Very low-key. I’m really too old now for parties and things like this, so low-key works for me. Somehow, having a baby makes me feel so old. Although last week, when Paolo and I were strolling Ale around the town, a man asked him if I was 15! 15!!! I’m not really at the point in life yet where I want to look younger and 15 offends me a bit, as most 15 year olds look ridiculous (no offense to 15 year olds, but I’ve been there). He was shocked that a 15 year old would have a baby.. yeah, I know 22 is still too young here for a baby, but it’s better than 15. Ridiculous.

Anyways, one more week til I start my journey home! This is also the week I get lots of alone time with Alessandro, as Paolo had to return to Pavia to take exams, and his parents returned to work. So far, so good, but it’s the first day. He was fussy all weekend, and refused to sleep, but last night he finally exhausted himself and slept, and has been quite pleasant since. He even smiled this morning, and I think it was for real! Hopefully the good mood will continue for his poor, tired mother’s sake. Little one is stirring, so my time is up!

Ciao for now,

Kathleen