February 26: Spring is here!

The heat has returned to Delhi seemingly overnight.  We  said goodbye to our space heaters and fleece jackets and quickly had to face getting our ceiling fans checked and summer clothes aired.  Spring is about a week long here and is lovely while it lasts with flowers and trees in vivid bloom.  By mid-March we will be back to sweltering conditions.  I will be especially sad to see these cool mornings and evenings disappear.  My walks with Giovanni in the parks will have to be replaced by strolls in the mall during the midday heat.  I will have to revive my mall-rat days spent at the Millcreek Mall in Erie, PA.  I wonder if there is an Orange Julius in Delhi?!

All is well with Giovanni the Giant.  (Our pediatrician has nicknamed him the "BFG" from the Roald Dahl book about a Big Friendly Giant.  He is quickly approaching his 3 month birthday and 20 pounds- not sure which he will reach first.  He still has a bulging belly, rippling thighs, a double chin and those adorable (to his mom at least!) cheeks.  In short, he is a handsome devil. He is drinking less these days (his choice) so maybe his rapid growth will begin to regulate.  His sleeping and smiling are the biggest changes we saw this past month- both welcome developments!  He sleeps quite regular night hours now- from 7 until about midnight and then another 5 or so hours.  We hope the midnight feeding will fade away in the next few months but it is a fairly easy one to manage since he falls immediately back to sleep once he is finished.

The smiling is wonderful and increasing in frequency and intensity each day.  He greets Paolo, Sebastian, Victoria and me now always with a big grin. Today was the first day I noticed him beaming at Topher.  After nearly 3 months of diligent face-licking and napping beside the crib, sweet Topher deserves this adoration!

We welcomed my parents a few weeks ago and had a whirlwind visit with late night feedings, tours around Delhi and a weekend trip to a tiger preserve.  Though we did not see any of the elusive cats, we saw plenty of deer, antelope, monkeys, peacocks, crocodiles (ick!) and other creatures.  Giovanni was well cuddled by his nonno and nonna who are already eagerly awaiting their next visit with their new grandson.  For now they are recovering back in Dallas from an exhausting trip.  Next to use our guest room will be our matchmaker (and one of Paolo's best "men"!) Judi Cochran who arrives in less than two weeks.

I had 8 friends with their babies over for coffee and Sebastian's cinnamon bread yesterday morning.  It was quite chaotic but fun.  Gio cried for part of it- overwhelmed a bit, especially when he saw his upstairs neighbor (an older gentleman at 6 months!) honing in on Gio's girlfriend Matilda.  I will have to coach him to bring out his innate Italian charm for next week.  This is a group that meets every Wednesday, and I have become quite close with many of them.  All are from the UK but me so I feel quite honored to be included.  

Paolo returns from Calcutta today after 4 days away.  We leave next week for a long weekend in Pondicherry (southern India).  Please send sleepy thoughts to Gio for the plane trips.  These are pratice rides in preparation for our trip to Italy next month!  Love to all, Clara