4 years ago today my new life started. I added another identity to the ones I had; those of Daughter, Sister, Wife, Friend. I became a Mother and nothing has been the same since. On this day 4 years ago learned that no love equals or even compares to the love you feel for your child. In an instant my own worries, problems, and aches became inconsequential and in their stead my life was filled with new worries.

How long ago it seems, those days when the Husband and I tried to figure things out. Things like how to give our baby a bath without dropping or drowning him, how to feed him when he was congested from the RS-virus and wouldn’t nurse, how to not break down at the sight of his tiny body in a hospital bed, how to survive on next to no sleep for 11 months.
Today we’re trying to figure out how to survive a constant barrage of questions. Why are there clouds? Why can’t he watch a movie? Why don’t we have ice cream? Why does it take so long to fly to Sweden? Why is Daddy going to work today? Why? Why? Why?

Today we celebrate the Bambino’s 4th birthday. 4 years of amazing experiences; of lots of laughter, a fair share of tears, some tantrums, countless hugs and “I love you’s”, and more Winnie the Pooh movies than I knew existed.
It is interesting to see how much he has stayed the same through the years. He is still sensitive, kind, thoughtful, shy, inquisitive, curious, careful, loving, playful, artistic. Just a little bit bigger, a little bit less shy and reserved, a little more adventurous as the years add on.
I can’t wait to see what the years ahead of us will bring!
Happy Birthday, my darling Bambino!
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Resting in the shade for a few moments, as the heat was getting quite oppressive,
And this is what the Bambino looked like for much of the day. Poor thing was terrified of the statues.














Acqua Paola, the aqueduct that makes up part of the park’s boundary.
View of the palazzo (actually it is called a casino, a lodge, although the word casino
Every family needs their own private church, right? I mean, RIGHT?
Another view of the casino (lodge) with its Giardino Segreto (secret garden). Since the Pamphili family sold most of this estate to the city of Rome and to the State (they couldn’t pay the taxes and had no choice but to sell. The story behind this is really intriguing, btw) this palace has since been used for state functions, like receptions for visiting foreign dignitaries and such . It is also open as a museum showcasing the Pamphili family’s extensive antiquities collection.
I rarely hand over my camera to someone else, but Roberto was kind enough to agree to take some photos of us. He neither sneered at me nor called me anally retentive for wanting to set the camera up for him and telling him exactly where to stand and how to hold the camera. Grazie Bello, you did a good job!
Father and son.
Another one by Roberto. The odds of this one ending up enlarged in a frame are quite high.
Yeah, I really don’t know how to comment this. I think he’s hot, okay?
Roberto brought presents with him from Geneva. How sweet is that?
I would call it love at first sight.
Love between a boy and his penguin. 