My Future Is So Bright...

I gotta wear shades!

Funny Faces

We are the Balents. The wacky wacky Balents!

Wine Tasting at Murgo

amo il vino!

Last night we had dinner and a wine tasting with some friends at the Murgo Winery.

Una Visita Con i Nostri Amici Italiani

Yesterday afternoon we went to our old neighborhood in Acireale to visit our good friends—Josie, Tony and Nora. They gave me this neat piano/telephone toy and taught me the Italian way to answer the telephone... "Pronto!".

Five Months Old Today... October 19, 2006

This month I've been rolling over more often so mom can no longer leave me on the couch or changing table unattended. My parents have established a 9 PM bedtime (my dad is in charge of this department!) and I try my best to fall asleep and let them think that they're in control- Ha! I'm getting bigger everyday. My mom's arms are sore (and hopefully getting toned) from holding me because I now weigh 16lbs 12oz.!

My New Toy—A Serious Piece of Equipment!

Learning to play the piano and sing!

Learning to walk!

I'm Teething!

My front teeth are for biting.
My bottom teeth are for munching.
My pointed teeth are for tearing.
My back teeth are for crunching.

Hooray for teeth!

I'll be on solid food in no time.

Burn Baby Burn Disco Inferno

No- It's not Halloween yet!

This is just some random Tuesday at my house.

Ahh Jeez—this is humiliating!

Somebody please rescue me from these lunatics!

The Splendors of Sicily

My daddy's contract with the Sigonella Naval Hospital ends on September 29, 2007. That's exactly one year away- And that means that you only have one year left to take advantage of a free place to stay in Europe. Go to your local travel agent or cheaptickets.com and price airfare to Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA). You might be surpised by some of the good deals you can find. Our guestroom isn't fancy, but the sheets are clean (aside from a little dog hair) and my mom will make you coffee (Dunkin Donuts coffee of course!) every morning and she'll plan fun things for you to do and cool things for you to see- And don't even get me started on the food and wine! Of course the best thing about coming to Sicily is meeting me!

Looking forward to your visit,
Currier Quinn Balent

Scuba Diving with Daddy

My first time in the ocean!

I don't like this mask on my face and my wet suit is a little baggy.

One day I'll be a scuba diver just like my daddy.

In the Ionian Sea off the coast of Acitrezza, Sicily.

Four Months Old Today... September 19, 2006

This month I've discovered my feet and hands

and I spend hours staring at them in amazement.

I also babble a lot more now and my mom swears

that I said the word "hair" when I grabbed a hold of

her ponytail--- But we all know she likes to tell stories!

My Pal Paolo

Paolo is a good cuddle buddy---

Aside from the snoring and slobbering!

Swigonella Beer Club Meeting

This is me and my buddy Rob at another beer tasting

that my mom hosted at our house over the weekend.

Check out the Swigonella Beer Club Blog.

Aloha!

I'm starting to wear big boy (6 month old) clothes now!

At my four month check up I weighed 15 lbs 12 oz and I'm 25 inches tall.

My First Flight

We flew to Copenhagen, Denmark where we met our

cruise ship for our Baltic Sea Cruise- My first vacation!

Bon Voyage!

The Costa Magica

Baltic Sea Cruise
August 27th- September 4th

Muster Drill

On the first day of our cruise we had to

wear our life vests for an emergency drill.

I made everyone laugh in our muster

station because I'm so ridiculously adorable!

1st Stop- Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn?- We hadn't heard of it either, but with its

Medieval charm it turned out to be one of our favorite stops.

Lunch in Estonia

We found this charming little outdoor restaurant

within the fortifying walls of the city center.

Mom had salmon and dad had the wild boar.

I had the breastmilk with a couple of ounces of formula for dessert.

2nd Stop- St. Petersburg, Russia

Inside the Hermitage in St. Petersburg

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round

On a bus tour of St. Petersburg that took

us to all the major sights of this fabulous city.

Happy Hour

Every hour is happy hour on a Baltic Sea Cruise!

3rd Stop- Helsinki, Finland

In all of our travels we have never encountered

such an immaculately clean city! Here we are

at the Helsinki Cathedral- As soon as we left, I'm

sure someone washed the ground where we stood!

Watching the Sunset with Mom

Wouldn't change a thing about this moment!

4th Stop- Stockholm, Sweden

Mom and Dad had cocktails from glasses made of ice

at the famous Absolut Ice Bar where it's -5 degrees celsius...

That's why we're wearing these warm Eskimo coats!

Viking on Deck in Sweden

Dad and I wanted to take a couple
of blonde Swedish nannies back to Sicily,
but mom said, "No!"- She's no fun!

At The Swimming Pool On The Cruise Ship

The topless Swedish Chics were all over me!

Mom took me swimming for the first time!

I loved it so much - I drooled!

5th & Final Stop- Copenhagen, Denmark

Here we are at the Nyhavn Canal, lined with

brightly colored houses and busy street cafes.

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue)

has become the emblem of Copenhagen

so mom and I had to get our picture taken with her.

Flying Home to Sicily

After traveling a total of 1944 nautical miles, it's good to be home!

So Excited!

I'm getting excited for my first vacation.

We leave this weekend for a Baltic Sea Cruise!

We'll be on board Costa Magica August 27th- September 4th.

During those dates, click here and scroll down

to see the real time postioning and route of our ship.

The Bumbo Seat

My cool new seat helps me sit up.

I bet Papa Currier (my great-grandfather) will say,

"What do you have to be so fancy for!?"

Krazy Eyes Killah

Don't cha know I'm loco?!

Three Months Old Today... August 19, 2006

Am I getting bigger or is Teddy getting smaller?

My First Babysitters

Gwyn & Rob babysat me for the whole day so that mom and dad could

go to the beach to celebrate their 9th wedding anniversary. I pooped

on Gwyn and wouldn't take a nap. By the end of the day I had gone through

3 outfits and 9 diapers... Gwyn & Rob were so ready to give me back!

My First Kegger

My mom started a beer tasting club and hosted the first meeting at our house over the weekend. Normal moms start book clubs or quilting clubs, but not my mom... She starts a beer club!

God bless the Irish!

Check out the Swigonella Beer Club Blog.

My First Movie

Tonight my mom and dad took me to see The Da Vinci Code. I made it through the whole movie without crying!
While I was in my mom's belly, we listened to the audio book

and we all agree that the book is much better than the movie,

but it was still fun to go to the theater.

Wine Tasting at Valle Galfina on Mt Etna

Yesterday we went up to Mt Etna with our friends Gwyn and Rob

and spent the night at Valle Galfina Winery & Agriturismo.

We sampled wine, ate good food and played with the doggies.

Splish Splash

I love the bathtub!