Laveno Bucket Ride

We haven't done a blog post in a little while, so here's a little update on recent happenings.
John had to travel back to the U.S.A. for a little over a week to obtain his Work Visa. Ann and Thomas stayed in Italy and went about their daily routines. Thomas is really enjoying school, and Ann is meeting new friends through an English-speaking woman's social club. We're all back together again, and looking forward to more great adventures.
While John was gone, Ann and Thomas took a short boat ride on Lago Maggiore, and spent a nice afternoon in Verbania. They also took an exhilarating ride up an open gondola lift in Laveno, a fun little village on the lake. The cable carried them up to the top of Monte Sasso del Ferro, a steep mountain that rises over the lake. It's sort of like a bucket hanging from a wire. Many people hang glide from the mountaintop (not us). The views were amazing, but unfortunately the day was a bit hazy.

Oh Baby!!!

Here's a few 'portraits' of the baby-in-the-belly.

They're from the morphological exam that the doctor did today. One is of the baby's face, although we really can't identify more than the eyes, mouth, and chin. The other is of the baby's legs.

Of course, the doctor points to the ultrasound screen and says, "here's the baby's spleen, left heart ventricle, kidney"...and several unpronounceable Latin phrases (we assumed they're body parts). We just see white smudges on a computer screen.

Actually, we're very impressed with Ann's new Italian Doctor. After two visits, she seems to be the most thorough and thoughtful doctor that Ann's ever had. The exam was very impressive as well. The exam and measurements were far more sophisticated than they were in the US (when Thomas was born).

Both baby and mother passed this check-up with flying colors. The baby's due in early January, and so far all things are going great!!

Lago d'Orta

Today we had to stick close to home for our trip, since Ann had an appointment with the doctor. So, we took a short drive to Lago d'Orta, where we went to the little town of Orta San Guilio. The little town is quaint, and looks out to the picturesque island. There are some great little shops and restaurants in the town. We had a leisurely lunch (the service was intensely slow...) and strolled around. We also went to the Sacro Monte. The views are amazing. John had been here once before, several months ago. It's a very pleasant place to spend part of a day, and it was the first time that we were here as a family.

IT'S A BOY!!!

We've been waiting for today for weeks. We went to Ann's new Italian ob-gyn today for a check up. While there, Ann had a quick ultrasound. Before the appointment, we were nearly certain that the baby was a girl. In fact, we had already started referring to Ann's belly as 'she' and 'her'. But, when we were at the doctor's office, the doctor asked Thomas if he wanted a brother or a sister. For months, his response has steadfastly been "I want a baby sister." Surprisingly, today he said, "I want a brother." The doctor smiled and said that he's going to get his wish. She then pointed out the obvious on the ultrasound monitor.

We're thrilled to be having another boy, and so far everything's going well with the pregnancy. Ann has a more thorough check up, with a morphology ultrasound, in a week or two. We'll continue to post updates as the due date approaches.

Sorry...no pictures to post this time. Maybe after the next appointment.

Trip to Vercelli

For this week's travels, we took a short drive to Vercelli. It's a fascinating little city in the middle of the rice country. In this area, the fields around the city are completely flat, but to the north you can see the mountains rising in the distance. We had one of our best meals so far in this little city. We had a very long, multi-course lunch at a restaurant in the city, Paiolo. The specialties were all traditional local foods. One of the foods we had was Panissa, a flavorful dish that's similar to risotto. Thomas had ravioli stuffed with Burro meat. Yummy! (seriously...it was very good).

We also walked around, and saw the local sights. Two very beautiful churches and some medieval towers. The day was beautiful, and, since the weather has started to cool off, it was very pleasant to walk.

We hope that all our friends and family are doing well back in the 'states.

Ciao!

First Day of School

Today was Thomas' first day of school.

He's in an English-speaking class, although he'll also learn some Italian and French. The class is mostly composed of British boys and girls, and Thomas is one of the only Americans. He seemed to love his first day, and is looking forward to going back, although he was a little suprised when we talked about it at bedtime. He exclaimed: "I didn't know that I have to go to school every day!"

Cheese Gromit, Cheese!

We're livin' large this week, having two (count 'em) cheeses.

First, since we took the trip to Bergamo, we had to try the local cheese, Taleggio. John likes this fantastically smelly and flavorful soft cheese. It's great with all of the salty hams and sausages that you can find over here.

The other cheese is one that Ann wanted to try. Most of you have probably already heard of Fontina. It's actually produced in the Aosta valley (which is really not very far from us), and is nearly hard. It's similar to the ubiquitous Swiss cheese, but notably sweeter. Good stuff.

Bergamo's Città Alta

This was another long and busy week. The weekdays simply seem to fly by, for which we should probably be thankful. John had a brief business trip to Austria this week, and Ann got Thomas ready for his first week of school (only a few days away now!).

For our weekend trip, we took a drive to Bergamo, which was only about 1 1/2 hours away. We then rode the Funicular to Città Alta, a fortefied city on an impressive hill. The Funicular reminded us of the Inclines in Pittsburgh. Bergamo dates from ancient times, but really showcases Renaissance influence. We visited a few museums, had a great time at the old fortress, La Rocca, and were stunned by the beauty of the Cappella Colleoni. The food was fantastic as well, and the little shops were some of the best that we've seen in Italy so far.

Not much else to report right now. We're starting to feel quite a bit more comfortable and relaxed here. Thomas is making freinds, and we're picking up a real taste for the local Italian food (more cheese posts to come....).

Oh, and don't worry about the baby. Everything's fine, and we still don't know if we have a boy or a girl. We got the appointment date confused...it's next week, not this week.

Caio!