Midweek Bumps and Such

It's midweek and it has already been hectic for the Bedell family.

First, we have some quick news about Sammy. We received the results from his follow up exam of last week. Unfortunately, his kidney situation is not yet corrected itself. This means that we'll be seeing a Kidney Specialist (Nephrologist?) within the next week. We don't yet know if they'll suggest continued observation or something else. Sammy himself seems to be quite happy. He's smiling and his sleep schedule is almost normal now.










Next in the family health department, Thomas learned all about the hazards of tile floors. He decided to skip a few steps on the stairs and ended up with a huge welt (see the photos, one of which has Thomas pointing out the scene of the 'incident'). He's fine, although he had a nasty bump and some bruising. We never had to worry about that in the 'States, with the carpeted steps.

Speaking of the 'States, we go to the US Consulate tomorrow to complete the process for Sam's Passport, Social Security Number, and other American paperwork.

Finally, John has a new obsession. We've found a variety of flavored yogurt in Italy. You name it, they have it. John, though, has settled on an all-out favorite: Barley Malt Flavored Yogurt! Yummy! Why don't they have that in Pennsylvania?

Outing: Sacro Monte di Varese

The weather on Saturday was fantastic again, for the second straight week. So, we decided to take another short trip, but to stay relatively close to home. This week we went to the famous Sacro Monte di Varese. This is the third of the Sacri Monti that we've visited, and the views were amazing. The chapels were charming, but not as interesting as some of the others that we'd seen. There was a pronounced temperature difference between the top of the mount, which still had several centimeters of snow, and the bottom, where it seemed like a genuine spring day. The paths and the park were busy, though, with hikers and many people taking afternoon strolls. We had a chance to really break-in Sammy's stroller, and we're very glad that we bought the one with the big, inflatable tires. Again, it feels great to get out.

We don't have very much other news to report. Considering the events of the week, it's been interesting to watch the Italian political news from up close. Little Sam had a follow-up visit to the hospital to check his kidney on Thursday, but we won't have the results until next week. Thomas seems to be catching a slight cold. Our entire family is finally starting to catch up on a little sleep, and we're looking forward to a good week.

Happy Sam

First Tooth Loss

Today, when Thomas got off of the school bus, he commented to Ann that his tooth was 'wriggly'. Then, several hours later, he was helping make dinner when something fell to the floor. "What was that?", Ann inquired. "That was just my tooth, Mommy" Thomas replied, as he picked it up. Since one of his classmates has already lost a tooth, this was a big deal for Thomas, who was proud to show off his new smile in a photo.

Also, we had to post a quick photo of Sam. He's getting big (4.8 kilos), and loves making eye contact, spitting up, and communicating in grunts and coos.

Luino Stroll

For much of this past week, the weather was simply terrible: non-stop rain, fog, heavy frosts, and deep chills. Luckily the end of the week, the skies had cleared, and we've been bathed in warm sunshine. It almost feels like spring. Where we live, we really don't seem to get much snow, although the mountains in the distance are covered in white.

It was very much a normal, routine week for us. Samuel had his first pediatrician check-up, and the doctor was very nice. She doesn't speak much English, which again underlined our need to become more fluent in Italian. We can get by with short straightforward conversations, but discussions of medical topics (or anything remotely complicated) really tests our language abilities. So, the Bedell's have resolved to really hit the books, to practice, and to improve our Italian over the next few months. We'll let you know how it's going.

On Saturday, our family drove up the eastern shore of Lago Maggiore to visit the little town of Luino. It's just south of the Swiss border, and has a beautiful water-front park. We had a fantastic time walking through the town, along the water, and checking out the town's sights. Samuel seems to travel very well so far, and we're really looking to taking some more challenging trips in the coming weeks.

Rain and Walk

John was back to work this week, and we're starting to settle into a routine with Samuel. The baby is now starting to sleep (thankfully) at 3 to 4 hour stretches through the night.

Thomas is back to school, although he caught a brief illness on Wednesday that sent him to the infirmary with a fever and then home for the next two days.

Other than that, we're all healthy and happy.

Saturday we were inundated with a soaking rain. Sunday, though, the skies cleared and we took Samuel for his first walk around the neighborhood.

Gromit, that's it! Cheese! We'll go somewhere where there's cheese!

John's still getting a kick out of exploring all of the cheeses at the local supermercato. Here are some of the latest cheese adventures:

Pecorino Primosale with Walnuts. Not at all like the hard, sharp pecorino cheeses, this sheeps' milk cheese was soft and savory, filled with sweet walnuts.

Tomino di Boscaiolo is a soft and young bloomy rind cheese. It's usually cooked (even grilled) into sweet gooeyness. It's one of our favorites.

Montasio is subtle and straightforward, a good accompanyment to food.

Testadura, a hard, goats milk cheese. It's got a strong sharp flavor and a moderately intense aroma that John and Thomas loved.

Finally, Tosanella is like a ricotta, with a wonderful flavor. We've been enjoying it with salads.

Healthy Baby

First of all, we solemnly promise that our blog will not turn into a device for posting an endless series of pictures of our kids. We just couldn't resist a couple of shots.

Anyway, our family is finally settled. Ann is SO glad to be home, Samuel is on the usual newborn schedule (waking up for feedings every two hours through the night), Thomas is adjusting to his brother, and John is off from work until next week.

Samuel (or Sammy, as we often call him) had a follow-up doctor visit to confirm that he's okay. He had a blood test and was given a clean bill of health.

It's been snowy here, and it feels good to just stay at home for a few days (even if we're getting little sleep). Once Samuel gets a few weeks under his belt, though, we hope to get out and do some more exploring.

Samuel and Ann Home for New Years

Buon Anno!!!!

Yesterday morning, Samuel had completed his second round of phototherapy for jaundice, but he and Ann had to stay in the hospital for another day to check on his blood levels. Based on what the doctor told us in the morning, we didn't expect that they'd be released until the middle of New Years Day. However, at 8 pm on December 31st, Ann the doctor on call looked at an interim blood test from Samuel. Everything was in the normal levels, so she immediately completed the release documents.

So, Ann and Samuel rejoined John and Thomas at home on New Years Eve. We all got home at about 10:30 PM. Samuel was happy to be fed in his own room and to be put to bed in his own crib. As Samuel slumbered contently, Ann, John, and Thomas got to see an amazing display of New Years Fireworks. They were being set off from all over the neighborhood, and we sat in our living room and watched from the windows.

What a fantastic and memorable New Year! Our Christmas Eve Baby became our New Years Baby!

More to follow soon.

Also, thanks again for all of the comments of congratulations and support that we've received over the past week!