a new dress

I am sure many of you are wondering what part of the world I am in, well I am still in Italy. I sent my hubby off this morning for NYC. He has a busy week ahead of him working at the UN (for the general assembly) as well as some side events that he has planned for EXPO- this is exciting! Pres. Bush will give his last speech and possibly attend the event Gio organized, along with the Pres. of Italy and many other heads of state and government! If any of you want to get in touch with him while he is in the states you can try his Utah cell #.
I will be traveling to Verona Tuesday and will most likely stay until Sunday (when Gio gets back). Today I made this little dress for my friend Esther's 2 yr old, sorry you can't see it so well my camera is still in the shop, so my cell phone camera will have to do for now. I am Very happy with how it turned out! I found the pattern online and plan on making all different sizes! I just wish there was more fabric selction here, this is from IKEA.
I don't know if you will get another update this week, I dont think I will really have access to the internet.

Attempt at being Domestic

After my post last week I bet you all thought that I really was going to do some serious canning! Well, did I have most of you fooled! I did not realize that in the past when I have done canning all the needed "tools" if you will were at moms house or at grandmas. It took me a few days to get everything together and figure out the recipes! I am proud to report that now I have some canned tomato sauce and salsa for those mexican food cravings as well as some homeade pesto!! (I have added the links for the latter 2 mentioned) Now that some of my food storage is done I can move on to other things... like trying to figure out where to go next week! Giovanni has to go to NYC for work and I have been debating all week if I should buy a ticket or not. If I stay in Italy I will go spend the week in Verona! Both great options I just dont know what to do.
On another note, Yesterday I was going through some unread emails from the past few weeks, I am signed up to recieve Paul Cardall's newsletter. Some of you may have heard of him. He is a local (from Utah) pianist and very talented! I first met him when I was a teenager. I was with mom and maybe Bex at some media store buying Richard Paul Evans (another local guy, writer) The Christmas Box. The two had teamed up and Paul was playing and selling his cds while Richard P.E. was signing and selling his books. We bought Paul's cd and loved it instantly. About a year later while attending EFY at BYU (a youth camp held at a local University) I met him again, this time he was a counsler and I felt so honored to see him (in my mind he was famous) and we took a picture together. Through the years my family has supported him by buying most of his cds and I see him perform when possible. As I mentioned yetsterday I was reading one of his newsletters which led me to his website and blog. As I read about his medical condition (he has a heart condition) and his faith holding strong while he waits for a new heart I was very touched. In order for him to receive a new heart to live a healthy life someone else must exit this life. I admire his courage and faith in continuing the fight he must try to win. If you have a minute link to his website and go to his blog!
I am very greateful for the blessings that are mine to enjoy! i am thankful that I have a sweet husband who loves me and that we together are preparing to welcome a little spirit into our family. Although there is much ahead that I cannot know about from where we are now I know that we have a loving Father in Heaven that does know. He loves us and wants for us to be happy! I am blessed with great friends and family! Thank you all that support us from close by and abroad! We love you!

23rd week! 6 months!

Yesterday marked the beginning of the the 6th month! It is really hard to believe we are on the downward slide of becoming parents! Saturday we had an ultrasound to check out all the body parts and make sure all is growing properly... She looked great. The tech was nice enough, but the experience was not very personal and left me feeling a little detatched, oh the emotions of a pregnant woman! Yesterday we had an appointment with the midwife I am seeing here and all looked good, she measured the growth and we heard the heart beat... I love that sweet little heart beat! Next on the agenda is to get some blood work done next week and tour some of the hosptials! I nearly forgot!!!! Last week (I think it was the same day of the last post) I started to feel her moving inside! It was crazy! Once I realized it was her I think I have been feeling her for a while now. It is fun to watch Giovanni feel her or listen with his ear. I like it when he talks to her and sometimes when I am alone I share my IPOD with her so she can hear the music! Funny what you do while preggy!
In the last post I mentioned Gio's work contract. Well, we are STILL waiting! Yup, there have been articles written in the papers and news stories talking about when all will be resloved with the government! Basicially as I understand it Mayor Moratti (Milan Mayor and Pres. of EXPO) named Paulo G. as the CEO of EXPO, but this does not sit well with Pres. Berlusconi. He thinks P G is from the left side and does not want to give him the power due to that fact, but M. Moratti believes that he is the best one for the job. I don't know if PG is from left or right... He is a really nice guy (I have meet him many times) but I don't understand why can't we all just get along??? In the meantime if it is not all worked out by the 15th (Monday) I think the EXPO offices close, as they have used all the alloted time to figure it out (5 months)! Gio still has his current contract with the Mayors Office... but we are still waiting for something more!
Speaking of Giovanni's work: he made it offical in the office! Yesterday he finally told those he works with including PG that he will become a Daddy in January! They were all so excited! Some even started crying!!!! PG said it is the first EXPO baby! Funny how they all feel apart of it!
I am still waiting on my camera. I took it in last week and am waiting to hear back about the cost on fixing it, sorry no pictures yet! I think I might just have to test out our web cam, even if the quality is not the best!
Today I am going to be really domestic and do some canning! Yea! Fresh tomato salsa and sauce for the next little while!
I hope this post was not too boring, but I had to get it updated this week!
Love to all!
AMY: I remembered it was Friday and you needed something to read! BTW I gave myself a home pedicure and thought and missed you too! It is just not the same when you do it yourself! I am really glad you went camping even if you were just 2!
These pictures were taken last Thursday and Sunday, so you can see my growing belly!

checking in

Being back in Milan is nice in many ways and difficult in others, but all in all this is where we call home and getting settled back in after being away for such a long time is good.
Last weekend Giovanni went sailing on a Yacht with his boss (the current Italian Ambassador to Monaco) along with some of his colleges. It think it was to build unity and a sense of connection between them all before getting back in to WORK! As many of you know we have been waiting for his new contract with EXPO 2015. He currently is still working under his contract for the City of Milan and the new contract has been VERY anticipated by us! We really hope to have it this week as the government has to pass the appropriate laws to create the organizing committee (something like a company, I dont really understand all of Italian politics... who does?) hopefully not much more waiting to do!
Giovanni's Aunt Maria is here staying with us for a few days while her husband Nicola is having some medical tests done. Yesterday we also got together with a friend traveling through from New York, Milana! It was great to see her again!
As for me and the baby we are great! Still not any definte kicks, but today I have felt some new sensations... dont really know what that means yet! Saturday we will go to have an ultrasound done! I am looking forward to seeing her again! I hope they have 3D... I think the babies look so cool like that, I know it freaks some of you out!
My tummy is growing and our camera is not working! Maybe this week I can get it fixed so you can all see just how big I am getting!
Random add on: Last night Giovanni was on the computer and called me in to see a "little butt" (I thought that is what he said) when I entered the room there was a little BAT flying around like crazy! Gio continued to explain that they have radar so it would never run into me, true or not it still freaked me out! However I realize that JR (my bro) could have used one of his only Italian vocab words for this moment! Pipistrello (Bat).

ci vediamo Sicilia!

We are at the end of our summer holiday in Sicily. This afternoon Gio and I will head to Catania do some sight seeing and head EARLY in the morning to the airport (our flight is at 7am). It has been nice to relax by the sea side and see how the Italians all leave their cities as ghost towns and flock to the sea side to bask in the sun light as well as eat fresh fish and gelato to their hearts content! Yesterday we spent the evening at the farm house (an old villa where Gio's dad was born) celebrating Nonna Lina (Gio's paternal grandma) 93rd birthday. Really her birthday was in July, but Gio and his siblings were not around to celebrate. We hid a video camera and got her on tape talking about different memories she has from her life.... priceless! Of course no party would be complete with out gifts and a cake.... we had ordered a special "sicilian cheesecake" YUMMY! Nonna Lina was very surpsized! It was great!
As for an update on me: my belly is a growing! I dont think I have felt our little one move yet and I am really looking forward to it! It seems like last week there was not much there and now she is really starting to grow! I know you all want to see a picture, hopefully soon I can get one posted (camera issues). I feel fine, HOT and really tired at night, but other then that I am good! We hope you all are too!

still on the road (or in the air)

The space between posts seem to be getting longer... maybe once we get back to Milan I can play a little catch up and get more posted about all the things that we have done this summer! With that said let's move on to where we are now... Sicily! Giovanni and I left on separate flights last weekend from Utah (that was due to avaliablity not our choice) and returned to Italy. It was pretty bitter sweet for me! Not only is it hard for me to leave home but knowing that next time I will be back our lives will be so very different and it will be the first time I do the long haul flight with a little one in tow (that will be an experience I am sure!).

Once in Milan we did not stay long, just enough to unpack, repack and squeeze in a visit to Natalie and baby Giada (see her blog Nat and Joe) for pictures, to head south where the beaches are crowded and speedos are a PLENTY! Sicily has been really hot and from what I hear unusally humid for this time of year! I am just grateful not to be too preggy during all the sticky heat!

Gio and I headed down to the beach house to hang out with his siblings and experience some of the life by the sea side. The night of August 14th it is tradition for lots of peps to camp out on the beach... they say that the 15th is the last day of summer so in a way it is the "last celebration" before heading into a new school/ work year. Giovanni, Massimo, Amalia and I headed down to the beach to check it out and try a gelato (which I tried in a new way... instead of a cone I got my gelato inside a sweet bun, it was pretty tasty!). There is a little video I hope will post of the craziness on the beach at 11:30pm!

On the 15th there was a procession of Maria. I have spent much time in Italy and have never seen a Catholic procession... Maria is the Saint of Marina di Ragusa so what they do is take her statue and parade it around the town down to the dock where it is loaded up in a crane and put on a boat. Paraded around again by boat to another dock where they unload her with a crane and parade her through the town to the church where they might do some ceramony. We got there in time to watch them unload from the boat and parade back through the town. Hopefully you Can see it in the video, if not checkout the pix, if you notice Mary is holding an ancor that is pulling some salior out of the water. Lots of culture here!

The other pix are from a family dinner we had for Laura's birthday last night. There will be more adventures so stay tuned....

the verdict is in

I know so many of you are just anxious to know what we are having! Thanks to all of you who voted! Yesterday morning Giovanni and I went to have a gender check done and were really excited to see the little baby feet, hands, face (well profile), and as my sister in law Jennine says the privates! It took the tech a little bit of time to get our little one to cooperate... The first glimpse between the legs was with a little hand covering the identifying parts! How modest! With some nudging and pushing the hand moved and the tech pointed out the little GIRL parts! YES SHE is a GIRL!!!! We are very thrilled! I am also including a picture of myself taken Sunday! My belly is growing!