Parabens pra voce,
Nesta data querida,
Muitas felicidades,
Muitos anos de vida….

Paolo turned 2 years old today!

We did not experience much of the “terrible two’s” with either Lorenzo or Chloe. Paolo is certainly more active, and he does have his moments, but he really is a very happy and nice kid. And, at two now, he’s just beginning to blossom, show his personality, and really interact. It’s awesome!

He’s absolutely adorable, and he knows it too. I’m afraid it doesn’t take much for Dad to give in.

We celebrated his birthday this past Saturday with just the immediate family: his brother, sister, and cousins. He had a blast! He loved to be right “in the middle” of things and play with the “big kids”. Fun!!

We are so blessed to have him!

Feliz Aniversario, Paolo!!!!

I must say, it wasn’t easy for me to go ahead with the surgery. I knew they were simple, outpatient procedures; but they have also been, in many cases, over prescribed for this very reason. So, not feeling 100% at ease with our initial decision, I asked the ENT doctor to postpone it for a couple of weeks to give us time to re-evaluate all the options and make sure he *really* needed them.

After much reading and conferencing, I felt comfortable enough to go ahead with it. It all went very well! And I can now breathe a sigh of relief; and hopefully Paolo will breath a bit easier, sleep better, and have less frequent ear infections.

Time will tell.

Great expectations and plans for 2010…On top of the list is to bring the family down to the “deep south” for a much needed extended Brazilian vacation. No firmed itinerary yet, but I would love to bring the kids to Manus and visit the Amazon Forest; stop in Recife for a relaxing stay at Porto de Galinhas; and visit Ana & family & friends in Minas. I also would love to go to Fernando de Noronha, but I’m afraid we will run out of time (and certainly $$$ by then).

As for the new year resolution, in addition to the usual “lose weight” and “get more active”, I will put some real effort into “reactivating” some old friendships.

Cheers!!

We shared another wonderful Christmas Eve with Family & Friends last night. Very cozy and relaxing! Great food, a nice fire, and, of course, fantastic company.

You are all so caring and generous. Thank you for all the gifts, cards, and warmth. We are so lucky to have you in our lives.

Much Love, The Calabria’s

1. Lorenzo and Chloe Wall Climbing
2. Summer 2009:
   • St. Simons Island
   • Hammock Beach
   • St. Augustine
3. Atlanta Zoo

We started the day with a nice walk around the neighborhood; he had his bottle on a rocking chair by the front yard; and he played his first game of soccer, chasing the ball up and down the driveway on his walker. (I was thrilled!)

Soccer 101

The afternoon was not much different. He would not play with any of his toys, and he would only stop fussing once I brought him outside.  We played another round of soccer; we played “hide and seek” with a couple of small lizards; he had a great time crushing dry leaves; and he had another snack and bottle while rocking on the front yard’s rocking chair.

As you can imagine, Paolo always reach the perfect state of bliss after a good feeding.  We were just rocking and enjoying the sun and the bird songs, when all of a sudden a flock of 20-30 Tufted Titmouse landed in the American Holly right in front of us.  Paolo was fascinated by them.  What happened was that a Red-tailed Hawk was patrolling the area, and the flock of Titmouse landed on the Holly to get out of sight.  To our enjoyment, they were pinned down for quite a while. They were finally rescued after a group of crows harassed the hawk way.  Then, as fast as they landed, the whole flock flew away as a single bird.  It was quite special!

We ended the day with another walk around the neighborhood, followed by a nice bath, and lots of captial ZZZZZZZs.

Sunday was just as glorious, and we enjoyed a very similar routine — although we went to feed the ducks and geese at Memorial Park, instead of playing at the yard.  And did I mentioned we played another game of soccer in the afternoon? 

It was not as nice as being with Ashley and the kids at Disney, but Paolo and I  certainly can’t complain.

(More Flickr photos)

We had been trying to schedule his baptism for a couple of months now without being able to sync up everyone’s schedules. We were trying to get the family and friends together for a nice lunch. But, being true to Paolo’s “surprising nature,” we received a call from the Church just a couple of days ago asking if we would like to get it done today. We hesitated a bit, but being fully aware that school, work, piano, sports, etc, will start again tomorrow, we bit the bullet and got it done.

It actually turned out very nice and quite intimate; only Paolo and another little girl were baptized, and we had to share the ceremonies with only one other family. Best of all, Lorenzo and Chloe were able to be Paolo’s God-Parents. They had been “lobbying” for it since Paolo’s birth, and Ashley and I were more than glad to let them have the honor. They have been wonderful with Paolo, and we, of course, want them to be as involved as possible. They were thrilled!

The photos have been posted into  Flickr.

Much Love…TheCalabrias.

The Calabria family wishes you a brilliant 2009, filled with much love, health, and peace of mind; many travels; and quality time with family and friends.

Happy New Year!!!