La Dolce Vita: 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.