It's a ...

boy!!!!! Yesterday the three of us went down to Prima Porta just north of Rome to have the 22 week ultrasound, and the doctor showed us some pretty definitive evidence that the soon-to-be younger sibling of Eli is in fact a boy. His words were, " E maschio... E molto maschio." Loosely translated that means, "He's a boy... very much a boy." As he said this, on the ultrasound monitor was the undeniable presence of an appendage that we can only assume was the newest jewel of this family. Needless to say we are all very excited even if Eli is still a little iffy on the whole idea. (One of the nuns at the clinic asked Eli, "Vuoi un fratellino?" I translated for him, " Do you want a little brother?" His answer was a swift, "No." The nuns response to that was, " E chiaro," or ,"He's very clear." Then again, if she had asked whether or not he wanted a million dollars, the answer and conviction would most likely have been the same. Such is his contrary nature these days.)

The clinic we went to for the ultrasound is the same place we are planning to have the baby in January (January 31 is the due date). It is a private clinic run by Catholic nuns. They were very welcoming, at least more so than your average health care worker. The place gets good recs from a person we know here in Viterbo and our O.B.Gyn., a french woman who speaks English and works out of an office on the Aventine in Rome. I'd be lying if I said all of the international intrigue of this whole ordeal isn't an added bonus. It's sort of like "Ozzie and Harriet" meets James Bond...at least to me. Anyway, we are very glad the the baby and mother are healthy and happy, and we are also glad to have nailed down all of the necessary infrastructure to have this baby boy here in Italy.

Now the name game begins. We are in the very preliminary stages/negotiations. It's time to dredge up all of those ridiculous attachments to various names (My favorite is Caroline's connection of the name Virgil to the chimp in Mathew Broderick's acting tour de force, "Project X."). I have my own absurd name associations that shall remain, well, nameless at this point. Suffice it to say that we are happy to have 4 plus months to deal with this aspect of Mr. Little Man #2.

All else is well here in Viterbo. School was crazy last week with all sorts of drama, none of which I can detail here unfortunately. All is well now, and my classes seem to be on track. I am teaching an extra section this year which is making my days a bit busier, but I am enjoying each one of the classes. Eli is more or less settled into his asilo nido (or "nursery asylum", a.k.a preschool). He is having a good time with the bambini in his class, and Caroline reports that the days of tearful goodbyes are over. He eats lunch there with the other kids, usually a three course affair. I don't how he (and the rest of us) are going to get over the gastronomy of this place. Caroline is going to start an art class in Rome this next week, and she has taken on several conversation partners here in Viterbo. Our lives here have taken on more of a routine than they did last year, and for this we are all thankful. Next week we are off to Perugia and other points in Umbria for the school's orientation trip. We will not return to Viterbo with the group, however, because we are going to spend the weekend in Tuscany in search of zuppa di funghi porcini (which are in season now) and attending the semi-annual antique photography open-air market in Arezzo.

That's it for now. We'll post again soon. Drop a line or log on skype if you get the chance. Until soon,

Sam