Manuela

Manuela, our Italian babysitter, delivered bad news to us this week. She and her husband are returning to Naples indefinitely. She's been coming every Tuesday morning for the past six months and Currier has grown very fond of "Wella" and has continued to learn the Italian language. I wanted so much for Currier to stay connected with his birthplace and now I'm afraid we'll have to let go of Sicily. Per favore non di andare, Manuela!

Just Us

Yesterday morning Currier and I went to the pool and we were the only ones there. At first I thought maybe the pool was closed for maintenance but then it dawned on me that the kids are all back in school. It was wonderful to have the whole place to ourselves.

There won't be many more moments with just the two of us. The baby's arrival is coming up quickly and Currier and I will be sharing our time with his baby sister. For two years it's been just us all day, every weekday. There have been some rocky times when I thought this whole stay-at-home-mom thing was not for me and then there are days when we get the whole community pool to ourselves to act silly and laugh until our bellies hurt that make this whole stay-at-home-mom gig totally worth it! I'm going to miss these private moments with just us.

Making Friends

John and Kathrine, 3-year-old twins, live across the street from us and Currier adores them. We met them before we even bought our house. They came over and introduced themselves while we were looking at the house and their smiling faces helped seal the deal. At least once a day Currier asks to play with "the kids".

Such A Big Boy

Guess who prefers showers over baths now?

Paolo's 3rd Birthday

A few weeks ago I ordered a You Are Special Today plate and Paolo got to be the first family member to use it. Paolo turned 3-years-old today and we celebrated his life with a steak dinner. We also sang happy birthday to him a million times and gave him a gift of dog treats and a new collar. We love you, Paolo. Happy birthday little guy!

Preschool

Currier started preschool two days a week this week. We thought it would be best to get him in a routine before the baby comes and mostly I just need the break. I'm going to take advantage and get as much rest as possible before the impending sleep deprivation of having a newborn. Currier's already been going to preschool one day a week for months so he's comfortable with the teachers and looks forward to school so we're expecting a smooth transition.

Visita di Meagan

A few weeks ago I emailed my friend in Sicily and asked if she could possibly send me some of my favorite Italian balsamic vinegar and she responded, "How about I deliver it in person?" Meagan came to the USA to visit family in Virginia Beach and managed to squeeze in a side trip to Charleston to see us and indeed hand deliver balsamic vinegar from Modena—because she rocks! Yesterday we went downtown Charleston to the Aquarium. We spent the morning viewing turtles, sharks, alligators and to Currier's amazement- a scuba diver! We finished our morning with take out soup and sandwiches from the Atlanta Bread Company, ate lunch at home and took a long afternoon nap—a ritual for Currier and his pregnant Mama. Last night Trent and Currier stayed home and let Meagan and I go downtown Charleston to enjoy a quiet dinner. We strolled around downtown for a few minutes before deciding on the East Bay Crab Shack. It was just like old times (minus a beer in my hand!)—we chatted, giggled and gossiped. Meagan left early this morning to head back to Virginia and we miss her already.

Celebrating on the IOP (Isle Of Palms)

Trent and I have been married 11 years today. We celebrated with a picnic on the beach with our favorite person, Currier. We were a little bummed to wake to overcast skies and the temperature in the low 70's, but it actually turned out to be a perfect day to play on the beach. There was no sweating and no sun burns. We rode the big waves, we made Lightning McQueen a race track (he's not in a time out anymore!), we ate tuna sandwiches and watermelon and we fed crackers to the seagulls. We came home mid-afternoon and took a two hour nap and woke to a fantastic thunder storm. I couldn't ask for a better day!

Museum, Pasta & Gelato

On Friday, Currier and I hit the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry downtown Charleston. We're members now and Currier knows his way around the museum very well. He raced right to the water room and spent most of his time racing the boats down the currents. After he was sufficiently soaked, we spent a good part of the morning in the Charleston Market "shopping" and ramming the mini shopping cart into the heels of other consumers. Insert evil laugh!

After the museum, I was feeling brave and decided to try a lunch date with my two-year-old son. We choose the first restaurant we saw which was Joe Pasta. Currier was so well behaved in the museum I thought he might be well behaved for lunch. I thought wrong! From the second we sat in our cozy little booth, he turned into someone else's child. I even said loud enough for the table next to us to hear, "Wait until I tell your mother how you're acting!"

The aggravating memories of our pasta lunch from hell were quickly overshadowed when we stopped at Paolo's to finally try some Italian gelato in Charleston. I was surprised to see that they had my favorite flavor from Sicily, Zuppa Inglese. Currier, who was now acting like an angel, and I shared a small cup and quietly declared it was delizioso but still no comparison to the gelato in Sicily.

Time Out

I asked Currier what this was all about and he said that Lightning McQueen was in a time out against the naughty wall for being fresh. The kid cracks me up!

25 Weeks Pregnant in the August Heat

We went to Trent's boss's wedding last night at the Isle of Palms Citadel Beach House. What kind of idiots get married on the beach in the August humidity? I'm of course being sarcastic. Trent and I celebrate the 11th anniversary of our Plum Island beach wedding next weekend.

The second trimester is slowly coming to a close. I'm 25 weeks pregnant now and feeling as good as a pregnant woman can in this horrific summer heat. Now that the nausea has completely subsided, my sciatic nerve is killing me. If it's not one thing it's another with this pregnancy, but I'm hanging in there and trying my best to keep my sense of humor. Only 15 weeks or an eternity to go!

Hey, Where's Paolo?

Becca & Nick

Some of our best friends from Sicily came over last night for dinner. Becca and Nick are now stationed in Mississippi and came to South Carolina for the weekend to visit some of Becca's friends on Johns Island. It was so good to see them as they are two of the funniest people we know, especially Becca's impressions of her dad and Nick's crazy college stories! Bruco and Paolo definitely remembered them from our many dog play dates with their little Sicilian Yorkie, Steve Wissler. Unfortunately, Steve had to stay behind in Mississippi because the condo where they are staying doesn't allow pets. I asked Currier if he remembered Becca and Nick and he said, "Yeah. Becca Nick Fun!" So he definitely remembered them too!

Cars

Currier wanted his picture taken with his cars and since I never deny a photo request/blogging opportunity... Here it is!

Surprise For Carrie

Trent's sister, Carrie, turned the big 40 on August 1st and Hilde arranged a surprise party in the Tennessee Smokey Mountains to celebrate. She rented the Creekside Getaway, an eight bedroom log cabin large enough to accommodate the entire family and a few friends. Hilde arranged everything. All we had to do was keep our mouths shut and get to the cabin in Tennessee by 4PM on Friday, August 1st.

We began celebrating early when Trent's sister, Kathy and her family (Christopher, Jonathan and Austin) stopped over in Charleston for a few nights on their way up to the cabin in Tennessee. They arrived on Wednesday evening and we had sushi and sake awaiting their arrival.

On Thursday morning, another one of Trent's sisters from Florida, Beth and her family (Robbie, Clayton and Nyah), arrived. Currier was estatic to have so many cousins visiting. That evening the men cooked us a delicious spicy pasta dish with scallops and shrimp.

Early Friday morning, we hitched a ride with Beth and Robbie and followed Kathy and Christopher to Tennessee for the big surprise! Beth and Robbie's car seats eight comfortably and it has a DVD player. During the six hour drive, we didn't hear a peep out of the kids. It was actually a very pleasant trip up to Tennessee. Note to self: get a car with a built in DVD player.

We arrived in Sevierville, Tennessee around 3PM on Friday with just an hour to spare before Carrie's arrival. Hilde lured Carrie up to the cabins promising a quiet weekend with Carrie's parents at a cabin rental. She arrived to find her parents, her four siblings, their spouses, her seven nieces and nephews and a dozen of her friends. It was awesome to see Carrie's amazement and I can't think of anyone more deserving of such a wonderful surprise! There was a little creek behind our cabin that the kids took great pleasure in hurling rocks into. Aside from rock throwing, we ate BBQ and cake, drank lots of beer and booze, sat in the jacuzzi, played pool, squeezed in a couple games of Scrabble and Catch Phrase, went fishing, shopped at Pigeon Forge, and took a nature hike.

It was such a fun and memorable weekend together as a family. Hey, let's do it all over again next weekend?!

Those Damn Dogs

While we were in Tennessee, we hired a pet sitter to come by the house several times a day to check in on the dogs. The first night at the cabin in between dinner and the birthday cake I got a call from Katy, the pet sitter, saying that Paolo was struggling to breathe. When Paolo was hit by a truck as a puppy his nose was deformed beyond repair. He always struggles a little bit to breathe but when Katy held the phone up to Paolo's face I could clearly hear that he was in distress. Katy rushed Paolo to the emergency vet for x-rays and tests while I sat on the front porch of the cabin a couple States away and helplessly cried. It turned out that Paolo had a terrible sinus infection and due to his deviated septum was unable to clear any of the mucus in his sinus cavity. After some antihistamines, antibiotics and spending the night at the dog hospital, Paolo was released the following morning feeling much better. That damn dog!

I haven't mentioned Bruco in a while because he's on my shit list right now. He's been acting up big time lately. I think he senses the new baby coming and knows that he'll have to share me with yet another creature. In the past month Bruco seems to have forgotten all basic commands such as sit, stay and come. I can't turn my back for a second without Bruco stealing whatever food is in Currier's hand or on his plate. He's been snapping at strangers and after taking him for his 45 minute evening walk he usually comes home and then craps on the bathroom floor. It's beneath him to shit outside. I swear he thinks he's human. I have news for him though. I'm hiring an obedience trainer and putting a stop to this behavior. That damn dog!