Appetite 4 Life - Camilla's Blog

When I'm a big sister...

... there will be lots of changes in my life, and I sure hope Mamma and Pappa know what they're doing, as I'm really not sure about this whole thing. Yes, I don't mind Mamma having a baby in her belly, and there being cute baby clothes around the house, and besides I got a new doll from Mommo and Moffa, one that I can put a diaper on and dress up really pretty, so that's all good! But... how am I going to get used to a cry-baby in the house, taking up so much attention? Attention that I should be getting, really. 

So Mamma and Pappa asked a friend of theirs, Julia's Mommy Lisa. Julia (who's also 2) had a baby brother Jonathan this winter, so I guess they know what they're talking about. And here's some advice that Lisa sent for how to introduce (big word) the baby: 

* Julia visited me in the hospital on day 2 and I had a gift for her from me vs. from the baby. I heard that it would help Julia know that I was thinking of her.  (The gift was "I'm a big sister" t-shirt and something else). When she came to the hospital, we had a neutral 3rd party person there (my friend) who picked up Jonathan and showed her him vs. me or Paul holding him the first time. She quickly saw him and then went about her own thing (playing in my hosptial bed :-) 

* When we got home from the hospital, we brought Julia an Elmo balloon (she loves Elmo) and that occupied her attention while we got Jonathan settled in. We showed her him and said "baby", and that is how she now knows him and calls him.

*  The next day when we tended to Jonathan in front of her, we had her help (e.g. hand us a diaper, etc.).

A few months down the line, turns out that Baby Jonathan isn't so bad after all, and Julia is OK with having him around. But... he's not yet so much fun to play with (go figure), but Julia's Mommy had an idea that Julia really liked. I could see myself doing something like that, because I'm a really good Mamma's and Pappa's helper!

* Toddlers, as you know, have tons of energy. Moms (especially those of us with toddlers/infants in our 40s often don't :-). Babies at times want/need attention/interaction. So last week I was thinking, how can I channel Julia's energy into giving Jonathan positive attention so I could rest nearby? Well, Julia has an alphabet wooden puzzle that she likes to play with, so my thought was, how about I was teach Julia how to engage with Jonathan by modeling for her / pretending I was teaching Jonathan the A, B, Cs using her alphabet puzzle board. (Jonathan was sitting in his bouncy seat next to us). I would say "Baby, A....,Baby, B...., Baby, C...." and I would show him each letter as I said it and then put it in the puzzle. I then encouraged Julia to do the same, and she did that for several letters. Funny Part: The next morning I ran upstairs for something while Julia was playing in the living room. Julia's favorite toy is her stuffed animal, bear. She sleeps with him, hugs him, loves him. A few moments later I overheard Julia saying "Bear, A....Bear, B..., Bear, C...." and as I peaked down the stairwell, I saw her sitting on the floor with Bear right next to her as she was teaching him the alphabet. It was so cute. If I had my video camera at hand, I would have taped it. The win-win-win: Since then, Julia has engaged more with Jonathan wanting to teach him the alphabet, numbers, show him books, etc. So my ongoing strategy is to continue to encourage her doing that and model more positive / educational interactions like that.

All this is good stuff, but I'm still not 100% convinced, so if you have some more creative advice for Mamma and Pappa - send it their way, especially if it involves them spending more time with ME!

Happy Golden Wedding Anniversary!

May 19th, 1962

The 19th of May, 1962 was a very special day for this young couple. They had spent time planning the date, the bride had finished making her dress, had planned and picked out the flowers to go in the beautiful bouquet; orange-yellow roses and white scented freesias, so pretty that the groom still remembers them today. 

The day before the home of the bride had been a beehive of preparations for the party to be held there tonight, the bride had been putting the finishing touches on the wedding cake she had made, and friends and family had worked on the house and preparing the meal for the party. 

This morning it was time to go to the hairdresser's, get into the white dress and the black suit and head off to get photos taken. The bride's brother-in-law picked them up in a nice Mercedes and drove them to church. In order not to arrive too early, he stopped on the way, and with a twinkle in his eye said to the groom: "well, now is your last chance to get out and run into the woods". 

The broom, thankfully not heeding this jokey advice, stayed put and the couple arrived at Kronoby church at the right time. The church had just received a new front staircase, and our couple was the first bridal party to use it. 

As was customary at the time, the ceremony started around 5 pm, to give all the farmers with cattle or other animals a chance to feed and milk them before getting ready for the festivities. 

The groom, already back then a keen photographer, had gone out to buy his very first color film, only to be disappointed through the years on how poorly the colors held up, and wishing that they would have used more black and white, and that they would have more pictures from their special day. 

Today - an incredible 50 years later, this very special couple are celebrating a weekend on their own in beautiful Tuscany, perhaps reminiscing over old times, but hopefully also creating new memories for years to come.

Happy Golden Anniversary, Mamma & Pappa!!

 

"The nugget that got away" and other adventures by Sofia

Yesterday was an exciting day in the Pags household. And no, not the new baby making waves yet - but toddler Sofia in action -  taking centerstage!

Moffa was downstairs vacuuming the cars and Mommo was on the other side of the house with Sofia watering the plants in the garden, and Mamma (i.e. me) was inside the house getting a thing or two done. Did I tell you what a blessing it is to have such active "babysitters" when my belly is forcing me to just slow down and almost watch from the sidelines at times? I just wanted to get that in there, before you read the next paragraph...

All of a sudden Mommo comes inside to ask me if Sofia is with me. Oops. "Nope, I thought she was with you". Mommo was watering the (by now somewhat famous) albicocca tree and Sofia was up there with her potty. Mommo asked her to bring the potty back down, and a minute later she found the potty halfway down on the grass but no Sofia. 

Time to mobilize. Mommo trots up to the camper/husbilen/RV/mobile home, I call down to Moffa who has not seen her, but he starts walking around the house that way, our landlord Georgio is with the gas&water guy, and both of them head out with me towards the other logical places. 

Hens ready for some adventure

I go down towards the swing and the back of the property, and leave them to go into the chicken coop. Every afternoon Georgio opens the door and lets the hens out - happy hens, but not so happy me when I catch doing their business where I want to have easy walking access, but it's a small price to pay really for country living. So the gate is open, and within 30 seconds I hear Georgio shout that he's found her. I pass on the word to Dad, and via him to Mom and head in to find her happily standing in the middle of about half of the dozen hens that Georgio has, splashing away in their little birdbath, talking up a storm. 

Phew, to say the least. And the start of freedom in a bigger way for Sofia, one where she is enjoying starting to explore on her own, whereas previously she was always making sure someone familiar was close at hand. An excellent example is that just two minutes after I got her washed up and ready to go after her chicken adventure, she trotted up to husbilen with very determined steps - not even looking behind her to see if anyone was following, and refusing to acknowledge any of us calling her.

Should I put up the don't disturb sign?

A while later it's potty time, and there's nothing quite like a bit of fresh air to go with that. And some literature entertainment. So I'll let the picture speak for itself. But do note that her newfound friends from the coop are now wanting to get very friendly - and one boldly approaches the potty, until the inborn fear chases it away. Sofia is completely oblivious to the whole thing, and why not: she's engrossed in a good book by now. 

Fast forward to late at night and Jeff emptying the washing machine of the evening's load of various and sundry. He poked in a rag to collect the excess water in the rubber sealant of the door (frontloader, European style) when something very surprising caught his eye: a dark brown hard little nugget. Thinking exactly what you are thinking he smelled it. Nothing. Again. No smell whatsoever. A third time... ok, maybe a little whiff of what once must have been a normal #2 nugget, but now was the cleanest, shiniest and best disinfected little thing you could find. 

How was your day, by the way?

Gigi's special day: 100 years young!

Jeff, Gigi, Larry, Lois and Sofia

Sofia's paternal Great Grandma doesn't really like being called that - it makes her old, she says. And it's a handful for all the great-grandchildren of various ages to remember too, so the abbreviation "GG" or Gigi works well for her and everyone. 

Sofia and Gigi share their private joke

And today is a very special day for Gigi - one that most of us can only dream about: it is her 100th birthday! She manages on her own with cleaners and shoppers to help her out, and of course her daughters. And she knows more about vitamins and minerals than most people, and she's still sharp as a bullet.

Last November, we had the wonderful opportunity to visit her down in Florida for a few days, and it was lovely to see the relationship starting to blossom between Gigi and Sofia - despite the 98 year age difference!

So here's to you - Gigi: have a wonderful birthday today, and keep it up! You are such an inspiration for all of us!

Albicocca tree - next stage

Apricots in abundance

 

All those beautiful flowers on our little apricot (albicocca in Italian) tree seem to have turned in to baby apricots! I am sure all the efforts by Sofia, slightly assisted by her parents and grandparents at watering the tree regularly are paying off. 

I blogged about the tree a few weeks ago when it was in bloom, but I really couldn't believe the transformation! I can only hope and pray that neither birds nor insects get wind of this beauty, as I will just be too excited to taste these babies once they ripen!

The joys of a fresh food and vegetable market around the corner

Once again, I am struck with joy at how much I enjoy shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables here in Italy. While we were still living in city center, we would often trot down to the outdoor market for today's bargains, but somehow the time does seem a bit more precious these days. 

So ogni tanto (every once in a while) one of us heads down to "Martini Ortofrutta" in the village to stock up on all things fresh and primarily local. It was our favorite place this winter to get the Sicilian Taroc blood oranges, and deliciously crisp apples. 

Yesterday I discovered to my joy that the slender asparagus had arrived, and finally the precious datterini tomatoes are as sweet as they come! That's just a small sample of treasures to be found, and for me - this is really such a bonus to living here. And of course, before I get in line at the cash register, I have to get some tasty olives, maybe a small schiacciata (focaccia the local way), and some freshly ground beef and tasty chicken. 

When I was pregnant with Sofia, I couldn't cook for the first few months - the smell of food and the thought of putting ingredients together were just too much for me. This time around, I have trouble exercising and doing physical chores, but standing up and cooking in the kitchen is just fine - so maybe that's is why I felt the need to wax lyrical about food tonight.

A great day for baking

 

Roll it out

Shape it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sofia had a wonderful experience baking with Mommo the other day.

It took her a while to get into it, as the rolling and patting is something that she is just getting the hang of, using play-dough. But as you can see she really got into it! But once we experimented with putting some raisins on them, we quickly discovered that they disappeared quicker than they brought out!

Needless to say - she loved the finished products too, as did all the families we had over on Sunday afternoon! Thanks Mommo.

Pat a cake...

 

This one's about me

Why does busyness always come in great big chunks? I guess it's a way to stretch us, and teach us to still maintain equilibrium and work from rest... oh, yes. I might have written that blog last month, but the concept still haunts me. In a positive way, I hasten to add. 

In a way I knew that having my parents here would add to the busyness, but I also greatly appreciate the value of two extra pairs of hands, and figured everything would balance out. What I didn't count on was a sudden explosion on the 'to-do' section of my calendar. Which now is on the wall, by the way. Crazy as it may sound to all my hyper-tech friends and former colleagues, trying to keep everyone's schedules visible to everyone in the family requires old-fashioned pen and paper.

Sometimes...

When did I have time to hold down a more-than full-time job? I mean really... come on. One sweet and lovely toddler can surely not outmaneuver the schedule I had before. But yes, I realize there are other things to consider too, and perhaps I was getting a little too used to having days with no entries on them. 

My official big work stint of this month came and went. The time to prep seemed more than the actual work. Last year I was asked to keep the entire week free for this project. But after numerous tries, I finally managed to find out that only two days of my time was required. My former efficient Finnish corporate me was a bit annoyed: what if I actually had cleared an entire week from a busy schedule for this? But then, I took one look at this swelling belly, and realized that as usual God knows best: maybe two days in week 33 of this pregnancy is really the best thing for me. So I changed my inner tune, and amazingly everything worked out for the absolute best, and now I actually have some time to breathe as I go through the rest of the week. 

Happy Easter 2012

Cousin Alva and Sofia get a visit by Easter Bunny!

Tea party in our living room

 

I want to help pappa!

Checking out the lay of the land

   

   Can I use this?

 

This has been our living room for the past two weeks, thanks to my creative husband. The tent came down yesterday to make space for the family visiting for Easter. But it was also time... as with most toys, the fun wears out after a short while, so while it was fun putting it up, having lovely tea parties with various dolls and stuffed toys, it was equally fun to take it down with pappa yesterday. 

 

Would you like cake with your tea, Mr Giraffe?