Sofia's baptism

It was a beautiful day. By some minor miracle the rain finally let up and we had a day of full sunshine for the first time since we got to Rome. The basilica where Sofia was baptized is ancient and beautiful - so much so that we felt very lucky indeed to be able to celebrate this early rite of passage in such a place. The people, the location, the weather; everything and everyone seemed to have conspired to make this a beautiful and unforgettable experience.

That evening at Maria's

It was a wonderful day; a long day. Sofia by this point was saying basta. Fair enough.

After the baptism

A celebratory lunch. Auguri, best wishes.

Sofia in her baptism dress

Maria had just dressed Sofia for her baptism, and we were all very impressed by how adorable she was.

The Rain in Rome

It has been an extraordinarily wet month or so in Rome. It's rained everday day since we got here, so much in fact that the Tiber has been threatening to flood its banks - but fortunately hasn't yet. Some boats haven't been so fortunate; a few have broken free of their moorings and have lodged against some of the city's ancient bridges.

Christmastime in Rome

Via (dei) Condotti, the most famous pedestrian shopping street in Rome, is chaos. A highly caffeinated, disorderly mob pushes and bumps along in free-form disorder; at regular intervals police cars, fire trucks, taxis, or street cleaners - inexplicably - drive right through the middle of it. Below: At the beautiful Trevi Fountain Anita Ekberg was mysteriously absent.

Fatte a mano

Sofia? This baby's no yokel.

She communicates - though it's not vocal.

After three weeks in Rome,

this sweet little gnome

gesticulates just like a local.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

wait. . . what?

Il giorno tipico

Coffee, bizarre babyfood options, a cozy 3 a.m. meal for Sofia

Sofia's 3 Month Celebration Day

To celebrate Sofia's 3 months on the outside (which coincides with my mother's birthday - which is actually a pretty big coincidence if you think about it for a moment), we went to the Pantheon and finished up the day with birthday cake at Maria's place.

Sofia e Famiglia

It's a beautiful thing to see Sofia with her Italian family, in particular the four very similar generations all together. There is so much love and care all around. Here an improvised changing table set out with toys from Fede's infancy, there the receiving blanket from when Fede herself was a baby.

1 Month Pics

One of the great things about the Interwebs is that it's so easy to share this cuteness with all of you. Thank you Al Gore. This latest batch of digital adorableness is compliments of Coco, the renaissance woman who took Fede's maternity photos a few months back. Domo arigato, Coco-san! So kawaii! Bonus: see if you can spot the subtle travel motif in the pictures above and below.

1 Month Pics