Heat Wave Continued

It's a "wicked scorchaahh", as Mom would say with her Boston accent. I spend every waking moment submerged in acqua just trying to cool off.

Trying to Keep Cool

Over the weekend, the temperature got as high as 108°. If we weren't at the pool on base, I was cooling off in the tub or the sink.

Water Filled Weekend

I started swim lessons over the weekend. Class is held every Saturday and Sunday morning, so there is no sleeping in on the weekends for us. After class, we hung out at the pool playing, splashing, sliding and practicing what I learned at swim class.

The First Rule of Fight Club Is...

You Do Not Talk About Fight Club!

Il Mio Primo Taglio di Capelli

Today Bina gave me my first haircut. I’ve been sporting a mini mullet for months but my parents have put off getting my haircut until after my first birthday. Italians believe that cutting a child’s hair before his first birthday is bad luck. As a matter a fact, cutting the hair of an infant will cut his life short. Although my parents are not superstitious at all, they still weren't going to risk my life over a haircut?!

Father's Day

For Father's Day, we let Dad sleep in and then we went to the pool on base to cool off (temp is already soaring in the high 90's). In the evening, we went to Capomulini-Acireale to walk along the water and have dinner at Dad's favorite seafood restaurant. According to local legend, the three cone-shaped islands in the background are the very same stones thrown by the Cyclopes at Ulysses. The islands are called "isole dei ciclopi". My dad goes scuba diving there.

Il Porticciolo has the best seafood in Sicily, especially the fried calamaretti (baby calamari that melts in your mouth!), lobster linguine and mussel linguine.

It was a great day in honor of a great man, my Dad.

Play Time With Ella

There's a new play area at the gym on base. Ella and I play here after our stroll around the indoor track. We love it here!

A Taste Of Spring Cleaning

Mom and I were on our own all week while Dad attended a conference in Las Vegas. While Mom turned her back for a second to put dinner (Chicken Capers & Couscous Bake- my favorite!) in the oven, I found the bottle of Pine Sol she mistakenly left on the edge of the bathtub after she had washed the floors that afternoon. Mom found me in the hallway between the bathroom and kitchen with a soaked face and shirt and a surprised look on my face. As soon as she picked me up, my pine fresh smell gave it away and she instantly knew what I had done! PANIC TIME... Mom called Sigonella's emergency number and said, "MY SON DRANK PINE SOL!" The dispatcher asked if we wanted an ambulance to come to our house, but my Mom said she could drive to the hospital faster than explaining where we live out in town, so off we ran to the hospital. When we arrived at the emergency room, they were ready for us... "Ahhh, is this the little Pine Sol drinker?" The emergency team had already investigated Pine Sol ingestion while we were in route to the hospital and they were able to reassure my panicky-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown-mother that Pine Sol is one of the better household cleaners to consume, if you're in the business of consuming cleaning products that is! It's a lot better than let's say... bleach or ammonia! If my Mom had called Poison Control first (like she should have!) she would have been instructed to make me drink water and then see a physician. But Mom was scared and wasn't thinking clearly so we headed straight to the ER. As a matter of fact, we left the house in such a hurry that Mom forgot to bring the bottle of Pine Sol (the ER staff scolded her for that!... "If you had brought the bottle, we could better determine how much he actually consumed!") and a diaper bag (the hospital only had newborn diapers so I left the hospital in a diaper that looked like a G-string on me!). Thankfully, Mom did remember to turn off the oven before leaving the house so we had a home to come home to at the end of the eventful evening. After a urinalysis, a chest x-ray, a shower and three hours of observation, we were discharged from the ER. I was completely fine. My mom on the other hand, a guilt ridden wreck... "How could I have forgotten to put the Pine Sol away?... Why was the bathroom door even open to begin with?... I should have had him in the kitchen with me with the door closed!... I really screwed up!" It's been a week since the incident and Mom still doesn't think the jokes are funny... "Pine Sol removes tough grease and grime and leaves your baby smelling clean." "Currier's going to have super powers now- everything he touches will instantly become clean!" "Did you wash the floors today or did Currier burp?"... Okay, maybe a little funny!

Bina's Limoncello Cream

My babysitter, Bina, makes the most amazing Limoncello Cream. Limoncello is a lemon liqueur and is a typical Sicilian after dinner drink. Bina gave us her recipe and we made a giant batch of the stuff. If you happen to stop by our house, help yourself to a bottle in the freezer. If you can't make it for a visit, make your own Limoncello!

Ingredients:

1 liter (1 quart) of whole milk
½ liter (1/2 quart) of grain alcohol
18 lemons, preferably a little green
800 grams (1.75 pounds) of sugar
2-3 Vanilla beans

Recipe:
Using a peeler, trim the zest from the lemons, leaving the white part behind, and soak in the alcohol in a glass container for 8 days, shaking the jar daily. Bring the milk to a boil and add the sugar and vanilla. Bring to a boil 4-5 times, removing it from the burner each time it boils to prevent curdling. Once the milk has boiled for the last time, remove it from the heat and let it cool completely. Stir in the alcohol and filter through a mesh strainer to filter out lemon zest and any large curds. Bottle it, store it in the freezer and serve it with a smile. "Salute!"

The Almighty Dog

Lately, I’ve been desperately trying to say “DOG!”, but it keeps coming out as “GOD!" My parents are trying to nip that in the bud since Bruco and Paolo already have superiority complexes.

Tiny Tots Fitness Class

Every Thursday morning I go to Tiny Tots Fitness class to make friends and make my way through an obstacle course. This chic is crazy if she thinks she's getting past me!

I Love To Play In The Bidet

Mom tells me that this is a sink for really short people, but I think she's telling another one of her "stories".

Puddles of Joy

Mom couldn't wait for it to rain so she could dress me in my new raincoat and boots. I got totally soaked playing in the puddles out front of my house.

Facing Forward

Now that I’m a big boy, I get a whole new perspective facing forward in my car seat.