Roman Holiday

Nearly a year ago Pig brought up his big idea: me and him, Rome, at least two overnights. He was that specific. Why Rome, why "without Papi and Ponchi", I don't know. I laughed it off at first, then realized I'd better grab my chance before he starts school and figures out it's uncool to travel anywhere with mom. We got special dispensation from the Eco-Pope to fly within Europe and promised each other we would be on our best behavior.

We ate way more than we should have, way less than I would have if I could (chalk it up to old age, I remember tucking way more away in '97). We hardly exhausted the list of recommended "to-dos" from everyone...but in the end if you can stomach the crowds (ie everyone else but yourself for intruding on this amazing city) you can't go very wrong in Rome.

Melissa's father inviting Felix to come back in 2023 to take her out to dinner (at least this is what the charming guy at Ai Tre Tartufi said)

We hit many of the highlights. St. Peters, Spanish Steps, the eternal Pantheon - where the lighting is always amazing.

Piazza del Popolo at sunset. When Niki and I arrived this was my first view of Rome after emerging from the metro. Still amazing.
We made deposits for our return...

Here we are at the Circus Maximus celebrating Rome's birthday. On this trip I had to explain Romulus and Remus (and she-wolf), Romans, the Goths, and yes, Christianity. I've been putting this one off for a while and have been feeling incredibly guilty for introducing religion after Star Wars to my kid. It was one eye-opening story after the other. The question that finally came after hours and hours of explaining was: what would God do in a black hole??

What She Said

I feel bad. Not only about neglecting this blog but also because Ponchi has definitely the short end of the document-your-offspring deal. My mom complains about how there aren't as many pictures of her, and updates on her progress from baby to toddler has been nonexistent. The explanation for all this, of course, is because secretly Ponchi blows Jochen and I away every day. By her complicated sentence structures before age 2, her bilingual fluency, and her ease to "sai-nai" her way to anything (Taiwanese speakers what is the translation for this term?). Before I forget this moment in her life too I'll try to set down a few examples:

Ponchi scrapes her knee and starts to howl in pain. I try to comfort her and she says, "Mommy, if I only had a cupcake!" I laugh out loud in delight at the thought and at the conditional tense and get a scowl and tears in return. "Mommy DON'T laugh at me." I finally calm her down and as the tantrum fades she looks at me, "Mommy, you're my cupcake."

Felix lectures Ponchi in the restaurant. "Ponchi, these are my french fries, you can't have any because you have to wait until you're six before you should eat french fries." "Yes," Ponchi agrees serenely. Pig turns his head to look at something in another direction and at that moment his sister reaches for a fry and eats it undetected.

Ponchi: "Oma, you're a sad sack." "Mommy, you have NO idea."

I fit Ponchi's arms with these floatation thingamas for the first time and convince her to let go in the pool. She tentatively releases me and in the next moment yells joyously "I'M FLYING! I"M FLYING!!"

This past winter during the Christmas Market Ponchi got on the carousel and rode unassisted for the first time. The whole ride she yelled with such high spirits "Hey ya! Hey ya!" that she got laughs all around.

During Carneval this year she ran around and shouted repeatedly, "Kölle Alaaf! I have a vagina!!" throughout the supermarket. She got titters on this one.

After falling down our granite stairs and scaring the wits out of her father the first thing she says after she stops crying "Papi I'm hungry."

At bedtime one night she says "The ice cream lady is now going to bed."