The days have just been rushing by me this month - I honestly don't know why it is that every weekend I come to my laptop to discover that I have yet again failed to update during the week!
Other than work (which has been full of ups and downs - insane one week and then quiet the next) I have been plotting a trip to Italy this late summer / early fall. We were originally planning to head back to the U.S. in July, but now that I have managed to locate tickets for us in December (booked with miles), I thought it might be better to try a shorter long-haul trip first. Plus, my sister will be traveling at the same time and could meet up with us in Italy, which would be amazing! Lola will be about 9 months at the time of our travels - it's hard to tell how cooperative she will be with the bassinet.
It's been really fun to look at beautiful villas and farmhouses in Tuscany, but the logistics of planning out a 2 week itinerary have been a bit daunting. Plus, as Americans, we totally take for granted how easy it is to travel to nearly any country in nearly any part of the world. But because we want to take our helper with us on this journey, I am learning firsthand how painful it is to travel with a less favorable passport. The visa process is very time consuming and requires insurance coverage, guarantee letters, and verification of all parts of the itinerary - never mind that you don't really want to book all of your accommodations if you don't know if you're going to get the visa or not!
My other dilemma with the travels is which airport to fly into - I am not sure if we should pay more to fly directly into Florence (and suck up a layover in Zurich along the way), which would give us an under 1 hour drive to the villa, or if we should pay a little bit less (but still a lot) to fly direct into Rome but then do a 3 or 4 hour drive up the coast. I also want to explore northern Tuscany more (Florence, Siena, Lucca, Arezzo) and so it seems being based farther north for the entire two weeks would be better. Hmmm, decisions. About the only thing I am certain is that I want to go!
Other than trip planning, I have been taking Lola to some trial playgroup classes to acquaint her with other babies and kids and to get some story time, messy play, and music exposure. She continues to go to the playgroup in our building as well.
She has been making leaps and bounds in her development this month - her sitting skills have improved steadily and just yesterday, she managed to crawl! She's not fully up on her knees yet, but she is managing very well on her tummy (and it's not just an army crawl as she is using her legs and not just dragging them behind her).
At the advice of her pediatrician, we have tried a couple of times to give her pieces of food that she can eat by herself, but it usually turns into her licking the bowl or spoon, or getting the food anywhere but in her mouth...
Other than work (which has been full of ups and downs - insane one week and then quiet the next) I have been plotting a trip to Italy this late summer / early fall. We were originally planning to head back to the U.S. in July, but now that I have managed to locate tickets for us in December (booked with miles), I thought it might be better to try a shorter long-haul trip first. Plus, my sister will be traveling at the same time and could meet up with us in Italy, which would be amazing! Lola will be about 9 months at the time of our travels - it's hard to tell how cooperative she will be with the bassinet.
It's been really fun to look at beautiful villas and farmhouses in Tuscany, but the logistics of planning out a 2 week itinerary have been a bit daunting. Plus, as Americans, we totally take for granted how easy it is to travel to nearly any country in nearly any part of the world. But because we want to take our helper with us on this journey, I am learning firsthand how painful it is to travel with a less favorable passport. The visa process is very time consuming and requires insurance coverage, guarantee letters, and verification of all parts of the itinerary - never mind that you don't really want to book all of your accommodations if you don't know if you're going to get the visa or not!
My other dilemma with the travels is which airport to fly into - I am not sure if we should pay more to fly directly into Florence (and suck up a layover in Zurich along the way), which would give us an under 1 hour drive to the villa, or if we should pay a little bit less (but still a lot) to fly direct into Rome but then do a 3 or 4 hour drive up the coast. I also want to explore northern Tuscany more (Florence, Siena, Lucca, Arezzo) and so it seems being based farther north for the entire two weeks would be better. Hmmm, decisions. About the only thing I am certain is that I want to go!
Other than trip planning, I have been taking Lola to some trial playgroup classes to acquaint her with other babies and kids and to get some story time, messy play, and music exposure. She continues to go to the playgroup in our building as well.
She has been making leaps and bounds in her development this month - her sitting skills have improved steadily and just yesterday, she managed to crawl! She's not fully up on her knees yet, but she is managing very well on her tummy (and it's not just an army crawl as she is using her legs and not just dragging them behind her).
At the advice of her pediatrician, we have tried a couple of times to give her pieces of food that she can eat by herself, but it usually turns into her licking the bowl or spoon, or getting the food anywhere but in her mouth...
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