Vincent around town

This week Vincent is 6 weeks old and we are starting to get out on the streets of Milan every day now. He loves the noise of the city and it puts him right to sleep. It must remind him of the days when I was pregnant walking around town. He's also starting to stay awake more during the day which is fun. We play with his monkey toy, and he is starting to get better at tummy time. He lifts both legs off the floor when he's on his tummy- it's like he's practicing pilates! He can almost hold his head up by himself now, and he's starting to talk more and even gives me a smile every now and then :) His baby acne is also clearing up too.

Playing with his favorite toy- his Monkey from
cousin Abby.

Last week he had his one month check up and he is one healthy, growing boy! At his two week appointment he weighted 3.6 kg (7 lbs 15 oz), and at five weeks he weighed in at 5.05 kg (11 lbs 2 oz)! He also grew from 51 cm (20.75 in) to 59 cm (23.25 in). So, apparently mama's milk is doing him good :) So good that he is now wearing 3 month clothes and we've put away his newborn outfits already.




Napping with Grandpa- I love how they are
laying the same way

My dad and his wife Deb arrived last weekend to visit the little man, and he has been bonding with them. It's nice to have my dad around. He moved to Iowa for a job four years ago (more or less) and since then I haven't been able to see him very often. We've been enjoying Milan and they've toured around a bit seeing the sights. We were even able to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and spend the day in the Parco Sempione two days ago. This morning they took off for Rome and will be exploring on their own for a few days before returning to Milan. Hopefully they do ok!

Shopping, Deb bought an awesome Furla bag. I'm a little jeaous!

While we were out and about, I was able to get some fun pictures of Vincent. Enjoy!



At the Duomo

At Parco Sempione, looking at the Arco della Pace

In the Castello Sforzesco

The many faces of Vincent (one month old)

Vincent is now one month old and he's starting to give us more faces. He's pretty adorable! It just doesn't get old looking at this little guy. He's so sweet!

Tomorrow we have his one month check up, so I'm sure we'll have more news at that point. But, as you can see, he's starting to fill out and pack on the pounds. He's a good eater! He's also becoming a good sleeper. He goes to bed between 12-1AM, and sleeps until about 5 or 5:30, then sleeps again until 9 or 10 depending on the day. It's nice because I can finally get some decent sleep! He's started moving his head to follow someone when they walk by, and he's been doing well with tummy time. His neck and back are getting stronger! Vincent also enjoys watching football with dad- he lays on Josh's belly facing the tv and loves it.

In the past week we've had to organize a few things- registering for his pediatrician with the healthcare system, picking up birth certificates at the city hall, and going to the US Embassy to apply for his social security number and passport. It was so easy going to the embassy to apply for everything!! I forget how efficient things are in the states compared to Italy! It was actually a nice change :) We get to pick up his passport in only a few weeks!

Josh had fun on Sunday taking one month old pictures of Vincent, and here are his many faces... Enjoy!

Poop face...

The Thinker

Elvis Face

So serious...

Where are you going?

The start of a smile



Should I cry or not??

Food?



Confused... amused... not sure.

Sweet face

Pirate face

Someone just farted and it wasn't me!



Go Vikes! #1!!

Usually his face when watching football with dad

More firsts...

It's hard to believe that Vincent will be four weeks old on Tuesday! The last two weeks just flew by and are a little of a blur... My mom and her husband Jim arrived from MN and stayed with us during that time and we had a lot of firsts during their stay.

Our first family photo, 2.5 weeks old and ready for the Vikes game!

Of course, it was the first time that Vincent met his grandma and grandpa! We also had his two week appointment and found out that he not only gained back his birth weight, but he also put on another 200 grams! He weighed 3.66 kg at that appointment and had gained almost a pound since his one week appointment. The boy eats like a champ! We also had our first metro ride, his first road trip to the Piedmont region and first over night in Venice. He also met his "aunt and uncle" Sissel and Ragnar, and saw downtown Milan for the first time. Man, we packed in a lot in two weeks!

Meeting grandma and grandpa, also a little smirk- the beginning
of a smile :)

Let me say to all new moms, take it easy! I've been over doing it the past week and my body is not happy with me. Going to Venice was great, but it was way too much walking for 3 weeks post partum and I'm looking forward to resting in the next week. Not to mention the stress that comes with traveling with a new born and the unexpected issues.... Because he wasn't on his normal schedule he wasn't eating every three hours like he had been. The day before he was building up my milk supply, so unfortunately I had some issues with a wet shirt all day in Venice! He wasn't eating much and I was producing a ton of milk. Luckily I had a scarf to cover up the lactation damage! Also, I was constantly worried about if he needed a diaper change, would we be able to find a bathroom with a changing table, or when he was going to be hungry again... As it turns out, it wasn't so bad, but we did have to get creative with his diaper changing situation. We ended up changing him on the floor of a restaurant... in the trunk of the car... on the front seat... even on a bench in St Marks square. LOL. I guess you have to get creative to take care of the little guy!



his first designer hat thanks to Marcella

Playing with grandpa

It was bitter sweet to see my mom and Jim leave this morning. It's nice to have the house back to normal, but I'm going to really miss them. It was great to have my moms insight on the little man, and have her and Jim's experience with babies. It was just a little stressful for me though because I wanted to play hostess to them on their first trip to Italy and have them see the sights, but really they wanted me to relax and rest. It was tough because I wasn't up for doing much and that made me feel bad because I wasn't going with them to see the Duomo or other parts of the city. But they were a huge help and I will definitely miss having them around!

Thankfully I had the scarf that day in Venice!

Vincent loves taking walks and I foresee that becomming a daily afternoon routine for us. When he doesn't get out to move around I've noticed that he becomes an afternoon snacker... He'll eat for five minutes, then sleep for half an hour, then repeat. This can last all afternoon!! So walks will definitely be a good thing to prevent that. He's now been sleep for a couple of hours from our walk today :) That's why I have time to write this blog.

First time sitting through an entire meal at a restaurant in Venice
(not just pizza at Pizzeria Spontini)

Meeting Sissel and Ragnar

We are so in love with our little man and have seen some huge changes already. He's starting to fill out and his cheeks are getting chubby. He's also developing some baby acne, hopefully we can clear that up. He's also making more faces and starting to smile a bit- usually when he's feeding or sleeping. But he'll give a grin when he's awake every now and then.

First time downtown Milan- at the Galleria, 3.5 weeks