Grandma to the Rescue!

Back in January, when we got word that we would be moving to Italy, I was initially excited/shocked.  I was 6-7 weeks pregnant and feeling super yucky.  A few minutes after we found out I, I got super sad and told Jason, "We have to pay for Mom to come when the baby was born!"  He agreed right away that she would come and I was able to go back to being excited.  

She made her way to us about two weeks after Sullivan was born.  She had spent three weeks with Beth and baby Flynn, took a week to go home and be with Dad, and then flew across the world to help us.  We were all soooo happy to see her and show her our new surroundings.  We were even more happy to have her here to help me through my crazy for a couple weeks.  

We were able to take her to a few places so she could experience Italy a little bit.  The first place was Piazza Duomo (dome plaza) or, it's sometimes called, Elephant Square.  It's the city center of Catania.  

We, of course, stopped for some gelato.  I wanted Mom to try the Mandorla Granite.  She wasn't a fan.

This picture doesn't show it very well, but Graham was covered in his chocolate gelato.  This is classic of him and Ben.  They wipe their mouths all over their clothes and then we get to walk around the rest of the afternoon with dirty children.  

Not a great picture, but this is the fountain in the middle of the Piazza.  On top of the fountain is the stature of an elephant.  Hence the name, Elephant Square.  I think Mom was laughing at something Benny and Graham were saying.  

Grandma took good care of Baby Sullivan while she was here.  She did a lot of the night shifts and helped me try and figure out what he needed during his colicky moments.  It made my heart happy to watch her wrap him up tight, rock him, and sing softly to him to help him settle down.  

We had to have Halloween cookie night.  Mom spent the afternoon making the cookies for the kiddos to frost.  

Jason stayed home with the kids one night so that Mom and I could go out to eat.  We chose to go to Dona Fortunata up in Motta.  It was good!  We had fun trying to explain what we wanted to the waitresses.  We got there around 6:30 and we were the only ones there.  About the time we were leaving, 8:00, people were filtering in.  In Italy, dinner doesn't start until after 8.  Some of the restaurants cater to the Americans, though, and open earlier.  

We, of course, had to take Grandma to Taormina.  The boys earned a chance to pick out a little toy and they chose these funny little spiders.  You hold the leash and pump the little ball to make it jump forward.  They were entertained at the piazza for a long time and then at home for over an hour.

Benny got his rocking' Batman shirt from Grandma.  She always comes bearing gifts and remembers the things they like.

Sullivan thought Taormina was just okay.

Notice the cruise ship down in the ocean.  We always see a couple of them when we come.

  

Benny, Grandma, Sullivan, and I made our way to Caltigirone on her last day here.  We had a lot of walking on little streets and alleys, so whenever a car would come, Benny would smash himself against the wall to make room.  

Remember, Caltigirone is famous for all of it's ceramics and pottery.  Many of the shops were closed…probably riposo again, but we were able to get into quite a few still.  We were both on the lookout for new butter dishes to buy.  We went and got a little treat at the bar and then went into one last shop.  The lady there saw us searching for something and I was able to describe what we wanted and that we both wanted rosso (red).  She made a call and asked us to aspettare (wait).  A few minutes later, another woman showed up with three or four dishes in red.  Mom chose a beautiful piece along with a spoon that matched.  I decided to wait and make sure it's what I really wanted.  We were so pleased that we found it and that I was able to communicate a little bit in Italian.  

Benny always has a good time checking out the steps and posing for us.  

Mom was here for two whole weeks.  The night before she had to leave, we went out to eat at a little diner on base and then went to the store to get ice cream and candy to make shakes.  The kids were in heaven!  She let them choose whatever they wanted. 

On her last Sunday here, she made us cinnamon rolls.  We love, love, love her rolls and it was such a special treat.  Especially because we would be missing out at Christmas time. 

 At bedtime, the night before she left, I was so sad to be saying goodbye the next morning.  I had been looking forward to her coming since we arrived in Italy and now I know I won't see her until next summer.  That's a tough pill to swallow.  Sullivan is a sweet baby, but has trouble sleeping because of some tummy trouble.  I was so worried about how I would handle everything after she left.  She reassured me, as she always does, that I would be okay and to just enjoy holding my last baby and take it all in.  Those words have helped me on a daily basis since she left.  I'm so grateful that she got to come all this way to spend precious time with us.