Maria Luisa's First Week!

Maria Luisa Day Belli arrived one week ago today.  She was born at 8:41 AM (via c-section) on Wednesday, August 7th weighing in at 4.01 kg, which was EXACTLY Gio's birth weight!  I cannot say enough about the hospital or the wonderful staff that cared for me during the 4 nights I spent there.  The first two nights were a bit tough as I was in a room with two other mothers but I was then moved to a single where I was able to get at least a bit of sleep!  My recovery has been quick; the pain from the incision only lasted for 4 days, so I have been very lucky. Maria Luisa is a hungry little girl so this last week has been spent primarily feeding her day and night.  Gio has been amazing; full of love for "my little sister" and without a hint of jealousy.  Paolo has been very busy caring for us and taking on most of the duties around the house and with Gio.  Enzo is very curious and greets Maria Luisa each morning with a big lick on the head.  Figaro, in true cat fashion, is ignoring her.  Below are some photos (and a little video) from this last week or so....

August 6th- I entered the hospital that afternoon, but first got in a final swim with Gio!

Hard to believe we will meet her in less than 24 hours!

Figs has taken up residence in Maria Luisa's car seat.  Most cat naps occur here.

Entering the hospital as a family of 3.....

And the next morning!!!  This was my first minute with her once I returned from the OR. 

Yep, LOTS of hair.  Just like Gio!  One of my first memories after Gio was born in India was seeing his massive mop of black hair and saying to the doctor, "This is not my baby!" and the doctor replying, "But ma'am, you are the only white woman at this hospital.  Of course he is yours!"

Maria Luisa is named for 3 beloved women in our families:  my maternal grandmother Mary Louise Day, my maternal aunt Mary Louise (aka "Molly") Day and Paolo's maternal aunt (pictured above) Luisa Reggioni.  

I came home on Saturday to this wonderful sign and a party complete with cake and balloons.  Gio was so excited about his big secret!  He and Paolo had a great time getting this all ready for Maria Luisa and me!

When not nursing ML is asleep.  She loves especially to snooze on our chests.

This weekend we called the fire department to remove a giant wasp nest under our roof.  I am deathly allergic to bees and wasps so it seemed time to get rid of the hazard.  Gio was thrilled with the excitement of it all. 

After a relaxed weekend at home greeting vistors we headed off on Monday morning down the mountain to Reggio to apply for Maria Luisa's Italian passport.  This was her first big car ride and she took it all in stride, remaining fast asleep for the entire 4 hours it took to travel, register and return home.  And passport will be ready on Friday!  

Here we are at the passport office.

We quickly have resumed our daily swims at the town pool.  Well, I cannot swim myself yet due to my incision but it is nice to be able to sit under the umbrella with Maria Luisa and watch the boys frolic in the water!

Meanwhile, back at home, Figaro continues to dominate our sweet Enzo. Here he is getting first dibs on Enzo's dinner.  

And finally, some sleeping shots of Maria Luisa during her first few days at home....

A boy, his baby sister....and a snake!

The Final Week of Pregnancy.....

....has not been too terrible.  Heartburn, constant hip ache, feeling like I am being beaten up from the inside...all the usual stuff, but I would not trade these discomforts for anything.  We are overjoyed to be able to give Gio a sibling and after a long long road to get here (more on that in a future post), she will be here in 5 short days!

So, how are we spending our final days before BGB (Baby Girl Belli) arrives?  I have had my legs tightly crossed for the last week as Paolo had to return to Kyiv after an all-too-short weekend visit.  He will arrive here late tonight and then I can finally relax and rest up for the big day on Wednesday.  As many of you know I am having a planned c-section on the 7th so unless she decides to make a move early that will be her birthday.  So here are some images from our last two weeks....

It has been in the high 90s for the last two weeks (and predicted to be 102 this weekend) so Gio and I have spent the majority of our time here at our fabulous town pool.  Even when it is packed with kids I can still claim to have the loudest child on Earth.  Who knew he could shout with such gusto even in Italian?? 

I realized at some point this week that I have absolutely no idea when Gio last bathed.  Swimming is my excuse but when has soap last touched any part of his body other than his hands? Not a clue.  His hair will now stand in any direction I choose.  

Serious napping.  With hours at the pool each day this fellow still needs a 3 hour nap.  Luckily now he has a best buddy who is happy to join him.  

Dinner time.  Not sure what this look is all about.  This was a rare meal where Gio's ever-present buddy Mohammed did not join us.  He averages about 6 dinners/week at our house.  

The scene on Gio's bedroom floor one morning.
Someone was up in the night preparing for Armageddon, apparently. 

This is my dream car- an original Fiat 500.  I have this image in my head of me driving around Italy with Enzo's giant head poking out of the passenger window (and Paolo following behind in a minivan with the rest of the brood!).

We were feeling a bit blue when we dropped Paolo off at the airport earlier this week, so we treated ourselves to a naughty meal at McDs on the way home.  This was only Gio's second Happy Meal of his life.  Not sure what it was about my son that prompted the cashier to give him a Barbie one but he sure seemed to be pleased.  Good practice, I suppose, for a baby sister, though I might have passed my own anti-Barbie genes on to her!

Most likely the next blog will be a while from now and will feature the newest member of the family!  For now, happy early August to all!

xo.  Clara