Travelling with Gio

Yesterday Gio completed his 94th airplane ride.  With a trip to the US in three weeks (which involves 4 flights there and back), that means he will soon be closing in on 100 flights.  Quite a lot for a boy just over 3 years old.  In all honesty, I would not wish this sort of travel schedule on any child, let alone parent, but I will say his life has certainly been an adventure.  Not that he will remember much of it so far!
As for traveling with a 3-year-old?  It has certainly gotten easier than our days of screaming, walking the aisles and trying to change a 30-pounder on those tiny changing tables over the airplane toilet.  Ugh.  Now he handles the bus transfers, bumpy rides, 10 hour flights, panicked runs through the labyrinth that is the Frankfurt Airport and long layovers with ease.  He even now insists on going to the bathroom "myself!" while I stand outside and listen to him sing in there.  The only tricky time is security when he either refuses to remove his coat or melts down when he has to put "Big Tom" through the machine.  Well, there has to be at least one breakdown per trip, right?
For those of you looking for tips on how to travel with a toddler/preschooler....

WHAT TO BRING ON PLANE!

Big Tom.  Of course.

For passing time in the terminals.  Ping pong ball, small soft dog toy ball, balloons.  Gets us through long lines and endless waits.  Sometimes we even get fellow passengers to play too.

Snacks.  Do NOT assume the airline's "child" meal will appeal...at all. 

Earphones for Ipad.  

Toilet seat cover.  I am not at all into hyper-sanitized (I credit Gio's time in India for his germ-resistance), but I do draw the line at airplane toilet seats after 9 hours of constant use.

Change of clothes for Gio AND me. 

Bag of "presents".  These are small silly things I pick up in grocery stores, etc.  If I have time I wrap them up and give them out hourly or when desperate.  

Sticker books (a MUST for take off and landing when no electronics are allowed!) and favorite stories. This last flight I ended up reading "The Sleep Book" 5 times.  No sleeping happened.

For the wait between flights.

Fashion is a must.  Here we are in Bologna airport after a 3 am wakeup and two hour drive.  Hence the pjs.  Notice there is no picture of me.  Ha!

An example of airplane food being rejected.  Papa usually gets to have two doses of it.  Luckily I had some yogurt along....

Gazing at nearly naked ladies in the Kiev Post.  Not recommended except in dire emergencies.

And when does Gio actually sleep?  Not usually until the car ride home.  Must work on this aspect of flying.  

A Week In Italy

We left Kiev last Saturday to spend a week in Italy.  As Gio's school had the full week off from school, it should not have been a surprise that a good portion of our flight to Munich was filled with fellow PSI families.  Gio loved racing through the airport hallways with the gang of big kids, though he was quite disappointed when they all disappeared to head off to German and Austrian ski resorts while we continued on to our next flight.
Once in Italy we settled quickly into our new home and awoke on Monday to a surprise snow storm.  24 hours later we had at least 18 inches on the ground and a huge drive way to sled down (since our car was certainly not going to make it up!).  Here are some images from our fun in the snow...

Gio's first night in his new "big boy" bed!

On book #4.  Gio is always very persuasive and gets as many books in as he can possibly beg for!

We woke up to a huge snowstorm!

Our driveway- no way are we getting our car up this!

Gio's favorite sense is taste...and he declared snow as "yummy!" 

Paolo did some solo sledding...

And then Gio joined the fun!

Shots from my day....

Today is our last full day in Kiev before we leave (at the crack of 4AM) for Italy tomorrow.  Here are some shots from my outings today....

Hmmmm.... Saw this one on the drive to school this morning.  Since I cannot read a word my imagination had some fun imagining what message this could possibly be conveying.  

okay, it is true, I did not take this one today.  But it snuck into my upload process and I just could not stand to delete it.  My 3 boys on their favorite couch. 

Icicles.  They are everywhere and rather scary.  I am thinking of wearing Gio's scooter helmet from now on.  

This is Gio's window!

Always something vaguely outdated coming to Kiev from the West.  

Love this guy.  I see him every morning walking around the park.  He dresses like no other man I have seen in Kiev, especially of the over 60 crowd.  I may not have captured it well, but the hat has a huge pom-pom on top.  

From my friend Linda- a "winter horror land".  If the ice on the streets does not kill you, the ice hanging above you will! Kiev really should be considered a "hardship post"!

Foxy Balls

I lured you in with this title, admit it!

Everywhere I go I see things that remind me ever so slightly of my homeland....yet with something a bit off.  Here, for instance, is a mobile coffee and doughnut truck that was parked near our apartment this morning:

Remind you of anything?  And, yes, in English.  Gives it a bit of "glamour" here, I suppose.

Here is a clip from Anthony Bourdain's show "No Reservations" filmed in Kiev.  The end sums up the Ukrainian's attitude about copyright/trademark laws perfectly.  And all but the first place he visits in this episode are within easy walking distance of our apartment.  Might have to get Gio some of those "Foxy Balls"!

Ukrainian "Style"

I am continually amazed, even after 15 months here, how women dress.  It was 7F/-14C when I took the picture below.  AND it was 8:30 in the morning.

The roads and sidewalks are a slipperly mess of solid ice, slush and potholes yet the vast majority of women are in heels, a large portion in mile-high stilettos.  Apparently the spike digs into the ice and helps to stay upright...or so the excuses go.  The end result for me?  My son now says, "You are dressed like a WOMAN" whenever I actually put on a skirt (even mine which average 3 feet more material than this one!). Hmmm.....

What Does -18F Look Like?

So our deep cold continues.  Today I took my camera along for the 7AM walk with Enzo.  My camera froze after about half an hour but here is what I captured before that happened.

Early morning at Shevchenko Park.  -18F (-28C).  Beautiful tiny ice crystals are floating through the air.

Once we arrive at the park, Enzo surveys the tundra to see if any of his friends are around.

Finding no one, he began his sniffing campaign, picking up messages from his gang.

These water fountains are used constantly.  Ukrainians believe this particular water is "alive" and trudge to the park even in the coldest weather to fill their bottles.

The university building awaiting early morning students (yes, even on Saturday).

At last a friend.  A teacher at Gio's school found Marley when she was a tiny puppy with two broken legs (probably had been hit by a car).  Now she is a lively, happy girl who loves to romp with Enzo.  

And then Enzo's best friend arrived.  This was indeed a great morning at the park!  Richard and Enzo are the same age and have a super time together running and wrestling.  Richard's owner is a former professional hockey player and gave us tickets to tonight's game (Ukraine vs. Italy!).  I am so excited to go!!

I was able to revive my camera by sticking it inside my coat for a while.  After over an hour in the bitter cold, Enzo is covered in thousands of  tiny icicles.  

Next week we head to Italy for 8 days, sadly without Enzo since we will be flying.  He will stay here with our nanny Laryssa and will undoubtedly be showered with love and treats by her family the entire time.  Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!

A Frigid Week

This past week has seen the coldest temperatures Kiev has had in decades.  The lows were -28C (-18F) and the highs never above -13C (8F).  The local schools here closed from Wed-Friday but good old PSI stayed open and Gio and I made the trek there each morning.  He did not have outdoor recess all week but they did let them loose in the gym each day.
Here are some images from our week.  It finally warmed up to -8C (7F) today and with a steady snow falling all day we enjoyed some outside time at the park.  As you can imagine, this entire week has been a dream come true for Enzo!

A yogurt date with best friend Grace.

This is about the warmest it got all week- a raging inferno of +4F at noon on Monday.

Gio's hook at school.

Saturday we hit the park in the midst of a snow storm.  

Enzo is always eager to strike up a friendship with any size dog he can find.

This is one of our favorite dogs at the park.  Benji is ALWAYS dressed in top fashion.  Here he is sporting a puffy coat and sheepskin boots.

As happy as a dog can be.  Enzo in his element....

....and his second happiest place to be- keeping Paolo company as he works. A World Bank economist's work is never done, but it does help to have a furry beast nearby.

Did someone say cake???