In July Ilaria had her first plane ride for a trip to Maryland and she was a real trooper. All-in-all I think she did great. We had such a wonderful time visiting family and friends. While there we were able to spend a few days at the beach with Ilaria's Great Grandma Anna, Great Auntie Katie, and first cousin once removed, Reilly. She had her first fireworks experience, but she was more interested in people watching (she takes after her mom) than the fireworks. Her first pool experience also came while at the beach. She warmed up to the idea when mommy took her the second time.
Having Ilaria meet all of her cousins was so much fun and all her Aunties and Uncles too! In addition, she got to meet Great Grandma Kurtyka, Great Grandma Lange (four generations pictured below), Great Grandpa Jack, and Grandma Michelle for the first time (pictured in order below). We also got to see Mimi and Pop Pop again (we are pretty sure that is what she will call Krissy's parents - Karen and Dave's kids picked these names out and we like the names so why change).
Some memories that remain fresh in our minds...Mackenzie's sweet nature and desire to hold/play with Ilaria. This picture reminds me of one where my sister Karen is holding me.
Mackenzie was pretty funny trying to figure out Uncle Gabe's magic tricks too. Trenton's sweet little voice as he spoke ever so softly to Ilaria. Luke's interest in Ilaria really put a smile on my face. This was a fun picture of Auntie Jeanine and cousin Luke from Ilaria's baptism.
We are so thankful for Ilaria's Godparents - Krissy's brother Brian and his wife Karen. They have been and continue to be great role models for us and a special treasure in our lives.
We had a wonderful visit with my sister Mary and her kids/crew! Ilaria wasn't the only one experiencing 'firsts' on this trip. We met up at Gabe's mom's farm and the kids took their first horseback rides. There are so many great pics from this day that it was hard to choose just one. However, this picture really captured some sisterly love and kindness between Laveisha and Sharique that captured the spirit of the day. Everyone helped brush the horses, took turns riding around the property, fed the horses, and shared some great memories.
When we returned from MD we took Ilaria to her first 'swim lessons' with our friends Rian and Scott and their daughter Olivia (pictured with us below), Okay so it was more like a splash class, but we sure did have fun! By the end of the two weeks, she was developing a trust with me in the water, kicking her legs, and really enjoying herself.
Ilaria now has her first two teeth on the bottom, but that has not been so easy to capture a picture of. She is really enjoying more and more foods and doing great at feeding herself. Discovering that she can make new sounds is really a delight to hear.
I am sure that I am missing some other firsts. For example, her first time crawling. She sure can motor using the army crawl. She is rocking back and forth on her hands and knees and really loves to stand. Her sitting has improved over the past couple weeks as well, despite hitting her head due to some tumbling over.
Our dear friend John David put together this cute little video montage of Ilaria recently and I wanted to share the link. http://gallery.me.com/elpadre#100035
Great times with many more 'firsts' to come! As we wait with joyful anticipation for this fall, we hope that your summer is winding down nicely.
