So in 2 days we leave for North Carolina again. I am cautiously excited... wondering if Leonardo will maintain the same level of grumpiness as our last trip resulting in me hurling myself off the side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Or "going for a hike" while my parents stay with the baby.. only to return 3 days later looking strangely calm and rested. Yes, my boobs may explode in the baby's absense, but did I mention 3 days of sleep?
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I have been to Rome twice. Italy for those of you who know about the charming town of Rome, Georgia - which I have also visited! Anyway, back to the cra.. Italians. So there we were having dinner with Giancarlo's mom Carla, Enzo, and Giancarlo's aunt Giovanna. This was... Feb 2002. We had pizza I think. If you have ever been to Rome, than you know that a favorite past time of the residents is honking the car horn while screaming out the window. Maybe because you are only going 60 miles over the speed limit and it is not fast enough. Maybe because you are enjoying a meal at an outside cafe and you are not twirling your pasta just so. Perhaps the person honking has just stopped by your house for a visit and noticed that you DON'T IRON YOUR SHEETS. This is more serious than you think.
Back to the story. So we were having a nice dinner, and I don't know if you have been to Rome or not, but the way they park is like this... they park EVERYWHERE. Sidewalks, restaurant entrances, in trees, with the headlights against the side of a random building. There is no wrong way to park in Rome. One of the trappings of having too many cars and not enough parking is that you can pretty much bet you will get double parked during your stay (if you are dumb enough to attempt drive there). As we exited the restaurant, we noted that we were, in fact, double parked. Oh man, bummer! Right? WRONG. This is not a "bummer" in Rome. This is a tragedy the depths of which YOU HAVE NO IDEA. I proceed to climb in the back seat and G gets in the driver's seat. But where are Carla, Enzo and Aunt Giovanna going? I'll tell you where they are going. THEY ARE GOING TO GET THE DOUBLE PARKING OFFENDER. I will repeat that this is a regular occurrence in Rome. Nothing unusual. Sometimes you really can only park 3 rows out from the curb - it happens. HOWEVER. Should this happen to any locals during your visit I urge you.. no I IMPLORE you to stop right where you are and enjoy the show. Because there isn't a comedy in existence that will even touch how funny it is.
So there I am. Backseat. Seat belt on. Hmmm.. I see Carla, Enzo and Aunt Giovanna heading back into the restaurant. They are in single file formation and each of them is making grand hand gestures and shouting different things in Italian. It sounds like "ba! beh beh BAH! be beh BAHHH!!" and the sound is dying off as they get further from the car. All I can see is 3 ducks in a row, shuffling along, mouths open and arms flailing. I start to feel what I think is a little embarrassed. Turns out I had NO IDEA WHAT EMBARRASSED meant. Waiting waiting waiting.. in the car... I jerk strait up to the sound of honking. It's Giancarlo. He has started rhythmically honking the horn. "HONK... HONK.... HONK... HONK...". It almost sounds like a car alarm, it is so precise in its cadence. I can feel myself slide down a little in the back seat.
Time passes. Honking continues. I sink down in rhythm with the honks. Then I notice a man exiting the restaurant. He looks really annoyed and is throwing his hands up - mouth moving. His hands keep getting thrown up, frown getting bigger with each step. Then I see Carla, Enzo and Aunt Giovanna, still in single file, mirroring the man's movements. Hands up, yelling, flailing hands, hearts breaking... they have located the offending double parker and they are all 3 giving him a piece of their mind. Mind you, Giancarlo is still honking. Honking, screaming, arms waiving.. Paige is now sitting on the car floor with my head between my knees. Embarrassed doesn't cover it, maybe horrified? Disbelieving?
Whenever I think Giancarlo is overreacting about something, I remind myself of this story. It gives me perspective. ITALIAN STYLE.
I don't know what it is about this kid's head and his hairline (I call it a "hair hat"), but every time I get a glance at the back of his head at JUUUSSSTTT the right angle, my heart almost can't take it:
If you'll note the area in between his ears and where his hair forms a point? I kiss there a lot. Like, A LOT. He has continued to surprise me with his recovery. Babies and animals never cease to amaze me with their resilience. I have had help though. I can't forget my little right hand person who is always there to offer help with a smile whenever it involves her brother:
I still look at them with disbelief. Not to get all corny on your asses, but to all you moms who have been at this longer than me. Do you ever stop looking at your kids like "I can't believe these are mine!". This could have double meaning, like when they are both screaming at me and Leonardo poops in my hand while Giovanna is tossing her toys in frustration - and I think "I CAN'T BELIEVE THESE ARE MINE! HUHH!", but no what I MEAN is, when you look at your kids, does the wonder of them ever go away? Because I have to tell you, I look at these two and I can hardly figure out what I did to deserve this kind of joy in my life.
This concludes the CHEEZE section of my blog. I have a hankering for entertaining myself at the expense of my husband. Stay tuned..
I felt prayed for today. I felt calm and peaceful. The only time I almost cried was when I was dressing him in his hospital gown. Is there anything more pitiful than a baby in a hospital gown?
He was such a good sport. And in his continuing theme of being Paradoxical, he did not cry or fuss or peep about not eating or drinking all morning. Go figure. He loved all the nurses and doctors. My family gathered around me like they always do. My dad stayed the entire time with us at the hospital. Blythe had Giovanna sleep over last night so the only thing I worried about this morning was getting ready and distracting the baby from wanting to eat. Anne called me to check on me. Anne is a very busy attorney and was probably in the middle of memorizing some fantastically difficult family law thingies, it was wonderful to hear her voice. Leigh came to the hospital to sit with me and hug me. Everyone kept looking at me like "Are you about to lose it?" but I wasn't. As with most things in life, the anticipation was far worse than the experience and I felt so peaceful and grateful to be getting this over with.
I have had a lot of hospital experience with loved ones. Some happy like the births of my nieces. Some scary like Giancarlo's intestinal surgeries. This one was different than all of those. This was the first time I watched one of my children go off to surgery. I don't recommend it if you can help it.. that being said, I am so thankful that we had such loving and competent medical care for my son.
I was sure. SURE! that when the nurse offered me the little bottle of Pedialyte after his surgery, that he would spit at the bottle like he always has. And I told her "Ummmm, he won't take a bottle" and then UMMMM, he made me look like I had not surrendered my boobs to his every whim and he sucked it down in about a minute. But you are not surprised are you?
Leonardo is sore. He is very tender from the surgery and everything on my "To Do" list is on hold so I can hold him in just the right position to alleviate his discomfort and sing him his ABC's. Because that is his favorite song. And I am pretty sure you all know this. But I love that little baby.
