Updates on Giovanni and Rachael Criscione's life and travels!
Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. ~Benjamin Disraeli
So many people say that you can't understand what it is like to be a parent until you become one, I would have to agree! I am only 10 days into this and the thoughts, feelings, and experiences are so very rich! Amazing that such a little person can be the fount of so much LOVE! I knew that I loved her before I met her, but now that I know her my feelings have just multiplied!!! Giovanni is a Fantastic pappi and he really LOVES little Lottie! He loves placing her on his bare chest so she can cuddle next to him! It is really sweet to see them together! For now we are loving the beginning of this new adventure!
I am here to tell you all that being the mother of Piccola Charlotte is GREAT!
Here we are in the end of the 39th week rolling over (on Friday) to the 40th week of pregnancy! All is going well and the little Siciliana, she has dropped 2 cm- with her head down- but her back to my back, which could make for a long labor with more back pain. We have been "nesting" around here! I really do mean "we" Giovanni has been home from work with the holidays (a nice change) and has been helping me do so many things that I could not do before- or he forbid me from doing due to heaviness of things or protecting my from getting hurt (sweet guy). Tomorrow Mother Teresa (my mammalina) arrives and we are really looking forward to picking her up! Other then JR & Kristi no one else in my family has ever seen (yes virtually- but not in person) any place Gio and I have lived! It is really exciting for me that she is coming here! I get to show her fun things in the city and take her shopping to fun places (good time to do it too- since all the sales started last week)!!! Not only that- but we get to welcome home a new baby while she is here- YEA!!!! Along with cleaning and doing what we can to make space in our little apartment we have had some fun too!!! Pictures are from New Years with our friends Davide and Simona toasting at midnight with orange soda!!! Giovanni taking the tree back to Ikea (we got the amount back we spent on the tree and bought a tub for the baby), my belly cast that Gio made. As well as a picture of what we woke up to this morning!!! SNOW- and A LOT of it!!! I love it!!! Reminds me of being at home- Utah home!!! This is pretty unusual for Milan, I just hope that tomorrow mom does not have any problems landing! Enjoy these pictures and words for now- (the pics of me and belly as well as with Gio and belly were taken about 1 month ago).
Yesterday afternoon Giovanni had a Dr. apt on the northern outskirts of Milan- after leaving the apt. we decided to drive up to Como since we were not too far away. It was really nice drive with little snow flurries in the air and a little bit of snow on the ground- Beautiful!!!! Once we got to Como we decided to head up to Bellagio we did not get 5 min from Como when we slowed down to let a car pull out in front of us. You see they had been pulled over by the Carabinieri (one of the MANY police type of authorities here) and were now pulling out- we slowed to a stop so they could easily pull out and then the little uniformed man waving the white stick with a red target like circle flagged us to pull in!!! Gio and I were both confused- we had not done anything to merit the "pull over"!!! As one officer checked out Gio's license, registration-and the insurance stuff the other one did a little walk around the car with Giovanni *this is very different from USA they don’t care if you get out of the car* he was checking out the tires and telling Gio they needed to be changed- then he asked what we were transporting- nothing- Gio opened the back to show him the spare tire and empty water bottles rolling around back there. It was as if they were searching for something to nail us with! Then they asked for my documents. *Another difference, they usually ask for all the documents of passengers* we handed over the copy of my visa and my Utah drivers license- I could tell something was up when they started looking at it funny! Sure enough the visa- being only a copy was not valid- I have to carry around the real thing as well as my passport. Not only that but apparently my Utah license is not valid for them as a id- I know I need to get my Italian id card! I was thinking... "so what are they going to do? take me in b/c I don’t have my correct documents"?
Then came the best part!!!
Both officers came to my side of the car and asked me a few weird questions.....
Officer "how did you enter into Italy"?
Me: "On the airplane with my passport" Very perplexed
Officer: "okay, I understand that, but are you a monaca?"
Me: (not knowing what the heck a monaca was) "ummm I am a Mormon"
Officer: "I know the Mormons, I respect them, but for us the system shows that you entered Italy for religious reasons. When is the baby due?"
Me: "in less than 2 weeks, I entered in 2002 with that visa- in 2003 I went home and 2 years later I married him (pointing to Gio). I don’t understand why it shows that I am still under a religious visa- I have had 2 family visa's since then"
Officer: "My colleagues and I are curious, why is a monaca pregnant"?
Apparently he thought I was a Woman Monk- monaca, the word I did not know, and that b/c I was pregnant Gio was trying to take me to Switzerland to escape or something!!! How funny is that!!! We had to do a little explaining, but in the end we left (not going to Bellagio) without a ticket and lots to laugh about! Here are a few pictures from the drive back!
