To mommy's cowboy - Al cowboy della mamma

William enjoying mommy's Christmas present, i.e his expensive cowboy boots which turned out to be a pain. Each time mommy tries to put the marketed 0-12 months socks on William's feet, they allegedly fly away leaving William's one or half foot bare. Just what a mom would want to happen on a cold winter day in Boston.

William che si sta godendo il suo regalo di Natale, i.e i suoi nuovi stivali da cowboy... che si sono rivelati un disastro. Ogni volta che la mamma cerca di mettere queste belle calzine pubblicizzate per neonati dai 0 ai 12 mesi, sui piedini di William, inevitabilmente, volano via, lasciando uno o mezzo piedino di William nudo. Proprio quello che una mamma vorrebbe che accadesse in una gelida giornata invernale di Boston.

William happy with his new mat - William felice con il suo nuovo tappeto

How boring the old Ikea mat. As soon as William saw the animals hanging down from the new mat, a smile shined on his face and the 2 minutes of mat time went back to 10. Urra'!

William doing tommy time - William mentre fa il tommy time

Tommy time, the horror proposition for William. The first time it was ever mentioned, mommy and daddy were thinking that it was yet another hipsters moms Boston thing. Then the Isis Maternity people started going on about it as if it was a must do in every baby's day. Then the conversation with other moms. Then the weekly email from the baby sites. I felt everybody around me was talking about tommy time. Tommy time toys were populating the shelves of baby stores. And finally the orthopedic specialist was proposing ways to get William to spend time on his tommy. But William each time mommy and daddy were trying to get him on his tommy was allegedly screaming! So... here it is, the fish mirror with flashing lights and with water sounds, yet another tommy time secret weapon to try to distract the baby while he is doing his tommy time! How long will this keep him without screaming?

William's first Christmas at home - Il primo Natale di William a casa

This year John and I have managed to make the tree during the weekend before December 8th, the day of the Immacolata Vergine Concezione, so that William could get started on this Italian tradition. Mommy was so excited when she saw baby William looking at the tree with surprise on his face. Even more, when she saw his little hand grab a ball from the tree and then the American candy! How could she ever imagine that something like that could one day make her so emotional?

William does NOT like rice cereal - A William non piace la crema di cereali

When starting him on solids? Good question. One says between 4 and 6 months, others say absolutely at 4 months, others say start cereal absolutely at 5 months, others say start giving him a taste of different food at 5 months, our pediatrician said start solids at 6 months, and nothing before. Another pediatrician in the same practice said that breastfeeding mothers should move to solids at 6 months, not before. He then told me to start giving William green veggies for three days, followed by yellow veggies for three days followed by fruit for another three days to test for food allergies. It was not at all clear what we had to do. So we started giving him a taste of rice cereal. No matter how yummy mommy and dad presented it to him, he just did not want to take it. We tried three times. Twice by itself and a third time mixed with an Italian brodino and zucchini mousse. No luck! Conclusion: William hates rice cereal.

Quando passare ai solidi? Una bella domanda!! Uno dice tra i 4 e i 6 mesi, altri dicono di farlo assolutamente ai 4 mesi, altri dicono di iniziare i cereali ai 5 mesi, altri ancora dicono di dargli un assaggio di cibi diversi a 5 mesi, il suo pediatra ci ha detto di iniziare i solidi a sei mesi e non prima. Un altro pediatra nella stessa clinica ci ha detto che... le mamme allattanti non devono iniziare i solidi prima dei sei mesi e che il latte del seno materno e' sufficiente fino ai sei mesi. Dopo di cio', per una qualche strana ragione, ci ha detto di iniziare a dare a William legumi verdi per tre giorni, seguiti da legumi gialli per latri tre giorni, seguiti da frutta per latri tre giorni. Non e' chiaro qual'e' la cosa migliore da fare... Cosi' abbiamo iniziato a dargli il rice cereal. Nonostante le facce godute di mamma e papa' che facevano finta di gustare la deliziosa pappina, William proprio non ne voleva sapere. Abbiamo provato due volte. La prima volta da solo, la seconda mischiato con un brodino vegetale ed un omogeneizzato di zucchini. Niente! A William la crema di cereali proprio non piace.

William prepares for 2010 - William si prepara per il 2010

William and Beatrice at work! - William e Beatrice al lavoro!

William and Beatrice have worked together entertaining American moms wishing to learn Italian with their babies. Enrica Dente will run these classes again with William in the new year.