We're back!

We have a camera again! Finally, you can expect more regular documentation of the non-stop frantic activity here at chez Giszpatrick...

New tricks

Leo is kicking off his fifth month of babyhood with some neat new tricks. He likes to pretend to walk from person to person along the dinner table (see neat photos below taken by M'amie Annie). He adores sucking on oranges (even disdaining my breast to go eat them!). And today, he rolled over from his front to his back twice. It is a new era.

Genoa Nostalgia

The night before we left Genoa, our friends Yael and Giampaolo (Giampi) came over and brought us dinner -- our very last taste of pesto alla genovese. Boy, Leo sure had a lot of cradle cap back then! I don't miss that, but I do miss our dear friends.

reflections on a four-month-aversary

Our little boy is all grown up! Well, maybe not all, but a lot. He is four months old, and charming the pants off everyone he meets - neighbors, nurses, random pedestrians caught in a drive-by cute attack. His favorite hobbies are sucking his fingers, vocal improv, and preventing his parents from ever sitting down (we're amazed we've found the time to write this post).

This is a good age. Bathing is starting to become a pleasure, unlike before. Passing in front of mirrors puts him in a reflective mood. He is more interested in the world, and is devoted to determining what parts are edible. You can hand him a set of plastic flowers with a crinkly leaf and he'll graciously reach out to grab it and shove it in his mouth.

M'amie and Grand-Pe'

Ah, our Leo is getting to know his Montclair grandparents -- M'amie Annie and Grand-Pe'. Typically French grandmothers are called mamie, but M'amie is a shortened version of "mon amie" (my friend). Grand-Pe' is a shortened form of Grand-pere (grandfather) and sounds like "grumpy" or "big fart" (his choice). M'amie went on a walk with Leo, and Grand-Pe' made meatballs with him.

Adorable

Our boy loves his Granny Ann.

And his second cousins were excited to meet him, too.

Now we are in New Jersey and meeting a whole bunch of new people. Photos to come!

Demon Child

No of course not. He is an angel. But we are going to have to work on those red-eye effects. And also on his tendency to want to eat the little neighbor child.

Thanks to Auntie Rebecca for visiting us and bringing a camera!

Leo smiles

Leo has been smiling more and more, but we've had trouble catching a smile on camera - his fascination for technology distracts him. But finally, when we told him it was for his grandparents, he was delighted to oblige:

Yes! And...

Leo is 2 months old today. It's taken a lot of improvisational creativity to keep up with him from day to day. I have found useful a tip learned in a workshop on how improv can help in daily life and work situations: there is a key phrase -- more like a mentality or attitude -- which is "Yes! And..." That is, one must affirm the other person, and then add on to it. Saying "No" or saying "Yes" and stopping is not so useful. So, for instance, in a comedy sketch, one person in the scene says "Doctor, I'm missing a leg!" If the other person responds, "I'm not a doctor, I'm a scuba diver!" The scene ends in disarray. If on the other hand the person responds, "Yes, you must be the one who called earlier, I have your missing leg right here. Try to remember it next time!" Then a whole scene can develop from there. In the case of the baby, if he is crying, I find it more helpful for my mental state to say, "Yes! You are hungry. And as soon as we get home I am going to feed you!" rather than, "No! Please don't cry! No, you're not that hungry! Come on, give me a break, I just fed you..."

Twelve pounds of plumpness

At a quick visit to the pediatrician's yesterday, we learned that Leo now weighs 5.5 kilos, or just over 12 pounds. Yummy!

(Photo at right of 12 pounds of pears by Jen Maiser, seen on the blog "eat local challenge", and subject to a creative commons license.)