Of Two Weeks

It's been a busy two weeks.

Luca got some cereal stuck on his head.





Last week we were supposed to go on a trip to the Twin Cities to visit Kyra's grammy. Luca, however, caught a cold during his first week in daycare with other children. Kyra was shadowing another teacher at the east side location, so Luca had his first experiences being taken care of by someone else and being around other children. He's not quite socialized yet - he would crawl up to children and pinch their faces or scream, so there's something yet to be desired. At any rate, Thursday night he came down with a fever, and his infection progressively spread to his parents. We were all quite miserable.

This week we closed on the condo on Friday. The closing went well, and Luca was a good sport during the event. So now we are happy homeowners! There's a lot to do, like painting, re-wiring the dryer, and installing ventilation for the bathroom. We may also install new windows, but that might wait until later, perhaps in the fall. Once these tasks are complete, we'll move in, probably at the end of the month. We'll be quite busy, so if we don't write for a while, that's why!

After the closing, since we missed our trip the week before, we went up to the Twin Cities to visits Kyra's grandmother, Grammy. The trip went surprisingly well. Luca wasn't too unhappy about the long drive. We had dinner with Grammy when we arrived, then Kyra's sister, Sabrina, and her daughter, Lilianna, arrived. We picked up baby-shower presents for Sabrina on the way up, to commemorate the birth of her daughter, Dalila.

By the way, Dalila is doing well. She's had a number of problems: her breathing stopped, they found a hole in her heart, she had surgery, and all sorts of things. In the latest event, the doctors found another hole and figured out that one of her vocal chords is not fully functioning to close of her airway when she eats. So she's on a feeding tube while her vocal chords heals. Otherwise, she's gained a few pounds, weighing in at 5 pounds, which is great news. We hope she continues to get better!

Here are some photos from our trip:

Trip to Grammy's


Here are some highlights:



Sabrina and Luca



Luca and Nana



Chris and Lilianna



Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren



All of us!

Finally, to commemorate our new home, I would like to share an edited poem by Robert Louis Stevenson:

Behold, our family here assembled.
We are thankful for this place in which we dwell;
for the love that unites us;
for the peace accorded us this day;
for the hope with which we greet the morrow;
and for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Let peace abound in our company.
Let peace abound in us all.