Dinner at Luca's

Friday night we went to dinner at friends of Yael and Giampaolo's. Luca and his girlfriend Cristina had a good time playing with Leo, and he had a good time pulling a plant down on top of himself and then playing with its leaves. (William, on the other hand, was having a good time admiring Yael's photos from their trip to Nicaragua and Guatemala.)


Leo also enjoyed banging on various objects that Luca (not a father yet) keeps at child-level, such as an instrument made of bamboo, loads of books and magazines, and this typewriter.

Maybe this little monkey was about to compose a sonnet? We'll never know, there was no paper.

Playing with Sabri and Fabri

Leo and I went over to Sabrina's and had a great time, playing with more toys and books than Leo has seen in his whole life. Fabrizio quickly learned to watch out and take things away from Leo that he didn't want eaten!

Whassssssssup?

Yo yo yo homies, Leo in de house... Hangin' with my chill friend Michela, at de caffe', you know... peace out, yo.

Travellin' Tot

Everyone likes to exclaim at what a well-traveled child we are creating, what with these trans-Atlantic voyages and European tours. And indeed Leo seems to like to travel -- we think this is because he gets our complete attention the whole time (we have nothing else to do!).

On the train to Sestri he stood by himself for a while:


On the train back from Sestri he and Paul invented a fun game with a piece of paper (sometimes Leo would take it from Paul with his mouth, sometimes with his hands):


On the train to Casella, well, he survived, which is something given how hot it was. He wasn't very interested in the pretty view.


With Yael's mother, was he playing at going for a ride? Who knows :)

Genovese, born and bred

A true Genovese is not only born in Genova but learns to appreciate its unique charms. So now begins Leo's training in Things Genovese.

After sampling a bit of foam from my cappuccino, Leo tried his first piece of focaccia, on via San Lorenzo no less:


The next day we went to visit Paul in Sestri Levante and Leo had a bit of gelato (cioccolatto fondente and frutti di bosco):

And that evening we went up and up and up a creuze with Anna and Ermanno...


...to eat some real authentic pesto alla genovese along with other typical Ligurian treats such as panissa (fried chickpea flour -- looks like french fries. yummy).


Amazza! Wow! What fun.

Zii Lovin'

Leo is not normally starved for kisses and cuddles. But on this trip he is really getting a lot of loving. Zio Giampi also likes to dance with him:

and perhaps inadvertently let him play with his cellular phone:


Anna happily let him play with her colorful eyeglasses:


We are taking so many photos of Leo that he is starting to pose!


But we can still catch some candid moments reaching for the biscotti in the morning:

Daddy's Work

While Leo and I are fooling around in Genoa having a good time, Paul is hard at work running a summer school in Sestri Levante. We paid him a visit last week:


and met the i-Cub robot:


and got looked at by some robotic eyes:

Hello and Bon Voyage

Leo and I just had time to meet little Shreyan, born in May, before he and mamma Reena jetted off to India. It was funny once again to see how my baby is actually a big boy now! Big hugs to Reena, Ravinder, and Shreyan, and thanks for leaving after we arrived so we could see you!

Sleeping, Eating and Playing

After an uneventful and surprisingly rapid trip we arrived in Genoa last Sunday, into the welcoming arms of Giulio Andrea, who took us to stay in a friend's empty apartment with a magnificent panoramic view of the city.
The view from the kitchen balcony:
and from the living room balcony (all the balconies are from the same apartment except the last one):Leo fell asleep on the way and we improvised a bed for him.

That evening we went to dinner and Caterina fed Leo his first spaghetti with tomato sauce, an excellent introduction to Italian cooking.

Giulio Andrea played with Leo, hiding and producing a little green ball.

Which of course Leo wanted to eat, too.

Many thanks again to Giulio Andrea and Caterina, and congratulations to their son Leo, who did splendidly in his medical school exams this week!

Another kumquat cameth!

The ides of July saw the appearance of the newest member of the Giszpenc clan, not-so-little Simon Gregory Giszpenc, 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 23 inches. Congratulations to Vladimir, Natasha, and Daniel!

Since we were spending time with big cousin Daniel, Leo once again made a developmental leap ahead. Besides playing with Daniel on the exer-saucer, he started climbing stairs all by himself. He doesn't know how to come down yet, except by stepping out into thin air and waiting for the trust anti-gravity magic to kick in. So far it hasn't failed him.

Baby's First Fridge Raid

What's this? The sound of the fridge opening! He races over, hands slapping the floor in a rhythmic tattoo. He is on the hunt.

He crouches, preparing to pounce.

Oh, the glory! SO MUCH FOOD!!! IN ONE CONVENIENT LOCATION!!!!!!!


The fridge will never again be safe from... Leo the Hunter-Grabber!

Peachy Keen Nectarine

You can have your fruit and eat it, too: here is a photographic record of Leo's first meeting with a fruit he can hold and eat at the same time. He got rid of the skin himself, ripping it off and spitting it out. We feel we can release him into the wild any day now...

His Irish Side

Leo loves the rain, which is good, since there has been a thunderstorm nearly every day this summer. Paul encourages this attraction as he wants Leo to feel at home in Ireland. Here they are admiring the downpour from our living room window.

He's the Top

Our little Alpinist hasn't met an obstacle he doesn't wish to tackle. He is getting ambitious and even wants to conquer Mount Sofa, fabled peak of the Giszpencian Livingroom. Here he is, unaided, only spotted by his admirers, reaching the top -- and posing first in triumph and then in modesty.

Two-Foot Fitzes

Perhaps not safe to try at home. Yet so much fun. The Fitzpatrick boys do a dance with only two feet between them! Watch and marvel at the derring-do duo.

The Tooth Revealed

...and then hidden as soon as the camera came out.


Our little Chewish boy has found his inner Tooth, but he's keeping it to himself. Except when he bites our knees, or tears off a chunk of nice juicy peach.

***begin French pun section here :) ***

This milestone has led to a new nickname for Leo. He was and still is a "polisson", pronounced more or less "Paulie's son" and meaning mischievous, naughty boy. Grand-Pe came up with that one. Now he is also our "denti-fils" (sounds like toothpaste in French--Paul came up with this, a sign that his French is improving), our toothsome son. And we are so behind in publishing this news that he is now growing a second "dent-de-lion" (lion's tooth, or dandelion--another one of Papi's).

Little Monkey

There was one little monkey, sitting in a chair, eating a banana and mushing it in his hair!

Happy Fourth of July

Or, as Paul knows it, happy birthday to Granny Twomey! The Giszpenc-Fitzpatricks got all decked out in red, white, and blue and fluttered our traditional Made in China U.S. flags. Looking forward to watching fireworks with Leo when he is bigger. Leo looks like he is pledging allegiance to the flag here, but he holds his hand like that all the time, probably to achieve faster grabbing times.