Sweltering

93 degrees and 63% humidy.  She didn't stand a chance.  

Our new favorite tree/hideout.

Stroller Tiffs

Giulia and Julia have been battling it out when it comes to the stroller and doll.  Sometimes she wins, sometimes she loses, but the war is always punctuated by angry shrieks and grunts of satisfaction.

One of My Favorite Things

Periodically, she will stop what she is doing and come over for a quick snuggle.  

She will always do this, right?  Even when she is a teenager?  Sure she will.

Other Stuff we Have Been Doing

My little daredevil stood on a scooter with both feet.  I mean, it wasn't moving - but I prefer it that way anyway.  Antonio was a marvelous teacher.  Patient, instructive and encouraging.  Until...

Back on the Grid

We are finally back in commission after a super virus chewed up our computer and spit it out.  We have been keeping busy though.  The weather has been very hot, but that hasn't stopped us from going to the park and playing hard.  It simply means that our lunchtimes have been concluding in the following manner:

So, what have we been doing?  

We made a new friend:  Alice

But we're keeping the old.

We have been hanging out with Francesco and Rosa.  

We touched a dog for the first time.

Ok, "touched" may not be the right word.  We walked around nervously - trying to get up the courage to touch a dog.

We got our very own stroller to push about.  The doll, however, was stolen from someone else.

And we learned the fun of splashing around in a Roman fountain during 90 degree weather with a couple of pals.

Full disclosure:  Kisses represented above may or may not have been forced apologies for wrongs perpertrated against others.

Prancing About Hand in Hand

Julia and Giulia making a bunch of Italian women on a bench smile.

Francesco

Francesco has been a part of Julia's clique from the beginning.  Their mothers like to share the responsibility of shepherding them under shady trees to avoid scorched pale bald heads.  They play nice with each other and spend a lot of time comparing animal noises.  They agree to disagree about dog, however. Hers "woofs" while his "bow wows".  There are no hard feelings though.

 

Ball - La Palla

So far, the only word she says in Italian.  Alright, perhaps "says" is a bit generous.  The word is palla, but comes out sounding like pahpah.  Her father isn't the only one sharing his name.  She uses the word mamma to indicate me and bananas.

Butterfly

She will be happy to tell you if you ask.  There is a butterfly on her shirt.  The only problem is that "butterfly" from her mouth sounds a lot like "tur-tle".  Not a problem for us, we happily accept it.  I am thinking about writing to ol' Webster himself.  Let's get him to change it.

Tur-tles

She has gotten over her initial shyness and has cemented a friendship with the whole gang.

At the Beach with Antonio

Loose in the Toy Store

First trip to the toy store since she could walk.  Turns out that Pix at the toy store is not too different from Pix at the zoo.  While I was looking at toys, I was able to track her movements through the store by her high pitched shrieks and her father's repeated supplications for her to come back.  

Many many objects were kissed during our visit.

Julia e Rosa

They played with teacups in the sand and both got yelled at for drinking it.

Sharing a Giggle

It's a funny thing to eavesdrop on a pair of conversing toddlers.  I don't know how, but they really seem to get each other.

At the Park with Papà

Interrogation

She didn't get to show off her whole bag of tricks.  She clammed up when it dawned on her that she was in a room full of people with two recording devices in her face.  Regarding her word production - she leaves out a few consonants.  That's fine, they aren't important anyway.

One of her favorite Sunday afternoon activities: playing X-box with Davide.  She gets her own joypad too.  The boys have been forced to plug in a real one as she is no longer fooled by the old discarded one that didn't light up like theirs.

First Gelato

Suspicious and distrustful of the object placed in her hands, her fears were not put to rest when she tasted it.   When we eventually took away the gelato and gave her the empty cone, she was back to smiling.