Italy 2009

We're back!
I have no fewer than a million photos to sort through and each one seems to be more special than the last. I have a few photos to share right now and the rest will come slowly over the next few days. I will sort them into three categories: Paris, Tuscany, and Rome. So keep checking back and scroll through those three posts.

We had a wonderful vacation. We started with 3 days in Paris, then a week in Tuscany and ended with 3 days in Rome. This year's trip was SO much more relaxing than 2008. Part of this was having a few extra hands, but mostly, Sofia's independence helped a great deal. She slept at night and took one-hour naps during the day. She also gave me a break from time to time and would walk as opposed to me carrying her everywhere. I found if I explained to her that I was tired she was much more amenable to walking. Sofia was in LOVE with Max’s friend Chase, so if all else failed, “Chease” would come to the rescue and occupy her for a bit of time. In fact, Sofia was so fond of Chase that by mid-trip she started calling Max by the name Chase (…if only to annoy him). We decided that Chase was really playing with Sofia, whereas Max would play a little and then stop, so this was Sofia’s way of making a point. When we dropped Chase off at his home last night Sofia cried and today she said his name no fewer than four times.

Sofia did well on the flights; I don’t think she cried once on the way over. The last two hours on the way home were difficult because everyone was fast asleep, except for Sofia (I know this from my many trips up and down the aisle). Little wide-eyed Sofia managed to eek out only two small fits of restlessness, which given the non-stop attention I was providing, seemed like a success.

I have had a few people ask me what we do on the long flights to keep Sofia busy. The flight out has always seemed easier to me than the flight back because the toys and books on the flight home are old news. SO, my new big tip is to actually take a few toys or books, which you won’t give your child (under any painstaking circumstance) until the flight home. I always pack a few things for the flight home, and I always break down and give them to Sofia before the trip has finished. Don’t do this! The single best occupier of Sofia’s time on this trip was a close tie between my iphone and its plethora of toddler apps, and a book of 1000 stickers, which subsequently have been left like a trail of breadcrumbs from France to Pacific Palisades. Seriously, I have found stickers EVERYWHERE.

Food was my most difficult challenge. I hadn’t realized how hard it would be to try and balance Sofia’s meals. Milk wasn’t easy to come by at the hotels, and do you think they have any vegetables in Paris other than haricot vert? A girl can only eat so many green beans. Basically Sofia ate a lot of bread and gelato, why else go to France and Italy?

As much fun as this trip was, I am glad to be home. I missed our routine and our friends. And, right now I am missing my bed.

Good night.