Well, this week went by extremely fast (don't they all?). Thomas was back at school after a one-week vacation. It was our first week with Sammy fully off the antibiotics, and he is a completely different baby. For the first time since his birth, we've actually had something close to full nights of sleep. Frankly, we couldn't be happier.
Making it an even better week, we had a fantastic excursion this weekend. We were toying with the idea of going to the Egyptian Museum in Torino. However, we decided that it would be a little easier to skip the city traffic and go to La Venaria Reale. This was the extensive hunting lodge, country residence, and showplace of the Savoy family for hundreds of years. It recently re-ope
ned after a restoration project, and has been getting a lot of press. It was our best trip of the year. The collections are amazing, and the museum is fantastic. We spent all day in the complex, waking through the gardens and soaking up the history. The other visitors made a big deal over Sam, and Thomas loved the suits of armor and 'treasure' of the Dukes/Kings. The gallery was simply spectacular. It was a very enjoyable day.
Saturday we took a trip down to Piacenza, which is the first time we've been to the Emilia-Romagna region. Piacenza is a small and industrial city, and we chose it for this weeks trip because it has an incredible history and a terrific set of museums. This city is surrounded by fortifications and walls, many of which still stand today. Unfortunately, it was much colder than the weather forecast predicted, so we didn't spend as much time outside as we would have liked. However, we had a great tour of the 
museums in the Palazzo Farnese. The guide spoke very little English, but nevertheless was very enthusiastic to explain the history, art, and culture of the area. Luckily, our comprehension of Italian is really improving. Of course, we also visited the other notable sites in the city. Ann and Thomas had another critter sighting. We hadn't see the big wolf spiders in several months, but one made an appearance in the middle of our dining room floor. Ann grabbed a coin and took a picture, just to illustrate the size (she sorted to the bottom of the coin jar to get a US quarter, since our friends at home may not recognize the size of a Euro). The spiders are harmless but creepy. 
In other news, Thomas had the week off from school (sort of a mid-winter break), but caught a fever that's been going around. So, he spent much of his vacation in bed. Also, as something of note, it seems like everyone we know wants to talk about the American Election. We're suprised by how closely American presidential politics are followed by Europeans.
Friday was a great day! We got a call from the kidney specialist, who finished reviewing all of the tests that had been done on Sam's kidney, bladder, and related plumbing. He had fantastic news! Although one kidney is clearly more developed than the other, both are functioning properly, and there is no sign of reflux, which was the big concern. So, Sam can come off the antibiotics immediately. This is especially welcome news, since he'd been on antiboitics since birth, and they caused him a lot of problems with gas and digestion. We need to do a follow up in about 3 months, just as a precaution, 
but the doctor pronounced that Sammy's kidney's are completely healthy!
Saturday was a beautiful and sunny day, although with a brisk midwinter atmosphere. This week we took our travels a bit further - going to Vigevano, a marvelous city a bit south and west of Milan. Vigevano is the home of a stunningly picturesque piazza, as well as its own Castello Sforzesco (not the one in Milan), large and historic castle that's located right in the middle of the city. We had our first real meal out since Sammy was born (other than pizza or sandwiches) at a great restaurant near the piazza, and walked around the city's sites. Thomas particularly liked eating out again - he was seriously craving what he calls "restaurant gnocci". All in all, it was a wonderful day out. 
In the kidney update department, we took Sam to the hospital for his radio isotope test on Friday. As expected, it showed that one kidney is functioning better than the other. Now we need to wait for the specialist to interpret all of the results and make a recommendation on next steps. We should have a consultation with him early next week.
Also, this week was the Carneval celebration of Thomas' school. All of the children wore costumes to class for a big party. Thomas wanted to be a martial arts warrior. All of the kids dress up for Carneval around here. In fact, this weekend we saw a lot of little ones walking around dressed as princeses and superheroes. Also, each town has a small Carneval celebration, which usually includes a parade.
There were a couple of nice days this week: Sunny, somewhat warm, and simply pleasant. Birds started singing, and it didn't quite feel like winter. It's only the very beginning of February, but we're starting to long for a nice spring day.
Saturday wasn't the warmest day we've had, but it was sunny and relatively dry. So, we took a stroll in the Giardini Estensi of Varese. These are beautiful gardens in the city of Varese, named after the powerful Este family in the seventeenth century. The gardens spread across a hill that overlooks the old villa, which today is used for the comune offices. The gardens are located right in the center of Varese, a thriving city with a rich history.
Of course, the gardens would have looked much more beautiful on a true spring day, so we'll have to return.
As mentioned in our previous post, Samuel needed an appointment with a kidney specialist. An appointment was made for this past Friday with a wonderful Italian doctor who speaks impeccible English. Our normal pediatrician typically speaks to us in Italian, so an English-speaking doctor is both refreshing and comforting. So, on Friday Ann took Samuel to the appointment, and the doctor studied the scans. He wants to see how Samuel's kidney is functioning, so he's arranged for a test next Friday. A radioisotope dye will be administered that will show how fluid travels through Sam's kidneys and bladder. The results of this test should determine if he can come off antibiotics or if he'll need a minor procedure. We'll keep you posted on the results. Also, on a different topic, Sammy is now officially registered with the US Government. We went to the US Consulate in Milan this week to apply for his passport and US documents.
Well, this week went by extremely fast (don't they all?). Thomas was back at school after a one-week vacation. It was our first week with Sammy fully off the antibiotics, and he is a completely different baby. For the first time since his birth, we've actually had something close to full nights of sleep. Frankly, we couldn't be happier.
ned after a restoration project, and has been getting a lot of press. It was our best trip of the year. The collections are amazing, and the museum is fantastic. We spent all day in the complex, waking through the gardens and soaking up the history. The other visitors made a big deal over Sam, and Thomas loved the suits of armor and 'treasure' of the Dukes/Kings. The gallery was simply spectacular. It was a very enjoyable day. 
