Italy - day 4!

Today was a day of absolutely no sightseeing, and it was just what the doctor ordered. Greta has been having a lot of trouble settling down at bedtime, bouncing between her bed and ours, and for the last two nights, she hasn't fallen asleep until close to midnight. Then once she falls asleep, I'm wide awake for another hour or two, and we both sleep in until 9:30 or 10 AM. Meanwhile, Cece has adjusted beautifully and sleeps usually from 8:30 PM to 8:30 AM -- except this morning, when she woke up at 7 and so I brought her into bed with the rest of us. She was up and down, playing with toys, looking at books, and periodically bouncing on my stomach while I tried to sleep a little longer. Finally we all got up (Greta took a lot of coaxing) and had breakfast. 

Our main items on the itinerary today were to find the so-called Chinese store (similar to a dollar store) to pick up more pantry staples, including condiments for the wurst I brought yesterday (I know, I know, wrong country); and to visit the Colosseum. First, Nick headed off to practice.   The girls kept busy with various art projects, books, and more toys left for us. The Fisher Price train set was such a hit that I had to threaten to confiscate it multiple times if they couldn't share. Cece only slept for 45 minutes of her usual 2 hour morning nap and the girls lounged on the couch for a while, watching cartoons in Italian (PJ Masks aired in English, and Greta exclaimed, "Mommy, it's regular!"). Meanwhile, I finished up the laundry, cleaned the bathroom, and made lunch. 

Mary Victrix

After lunch, the girls were still somewhat ornery and they both had time-outs for hitting each other. I knew this day was coming, when all the big feelings about the transition would come out. Greta still insists that she likes it here, but it's obviously an adjustment, and to top it all off, her sleep schedule has been so disrupted. During one time-out I actually laid down on her bed with her and we just snuggled for a bit. She's been entranced recently with the image of Mary stepping on the serpent's head, which is portrayed by several statues we've seen here. She knows that the serpent is a manifestation of the devil and we've talked about how Mary is strong and can conquer the devil through God's power (the concept of power is quite alluring to this child). So this afternoon she asked me to tell her about Mary and the serpent again, and we had a long conversation about Satan, and sin, and Jesus, and grace. We talked about how nothing bad or imperfect can be in heaven with God, and with wide eyes, she solemnly said, "But Mommy, I'm very bad. I'm like Satan." 

I almost fell out of bed, but at the same time, I knew this was a crucial moment. "Yes, we all choose to do bad things sometimes. That's why we couldn't get to heaven on our own. We need someone to make things right with God for us." And we talked for another twenty minutes about redemption, and God's plan, and the sacrifice of the lambs and the sacrifice of Jesus, and the parts of the Mass that tell us this story again and again. And most of all, the fact that God's power will always be stronger than Satan's power. And she had a few rascally moments later in the day, but several times, I would catch her pausing to stomp her foot on the ground, crushing that serpent's head, as she visibly chose to do the right thing. We may need to acquire a painting of this image. This is feminine power at its most forceful.

We then did a little craft from a Kumon workbook I brought for her, and Cecilia proceeded to color on the marble floor while I was looking the other way. After my initial heart attack, I discovered that a damp microfiber cloth cleaned it right up. Going from the spiritual heights to the very tangible floor, I needed a little gustatory reinforcement, and decided to try my hand at the Moka pot. This is a clever little stove-top espresso maker invented by the Italians, and oh... my... goodness, does it ever make good coffee. You're supposed to use espresso grind, of course, but all I had was the tin of Maxwell House medium roast in the cupboard. I filled up the bottom of the pot with hot water, loosely scooped some ground coffee into the filter, screwed on the top, and placed the whole contraption on the burner over medium heat. In about four minutes, it began to chortle and gurgle, and I immediately took it off the heat and poured a steaming cup. I can assure you, this is the best that Maxwell House has ever tasted, and I know a thing or two about coffee. I sipped it black and velvety, and immediately felt better about everything. 

By the time Nick got back to the apartment, it was about 4:30 PM. The girls were both still tired and Cece was rubbing her eyes, but I figured she could nap in the Ergo. We got the stroller loaded up (I took the necessities out of the diaper bag backpack and put them in the bottom of the stroller, as "large backpacks" are prohibited in the Colosseum and I'm pretty sure Old Faithful falls into that category). Cece wasn't too thrilled about getting into the Ergo, and Greta flat-out refused to move from the front steps as she said it was "just too hot". This was not an auspicious beginning to a 2 mile walk, so we decided to cut our losses and see the Colosseum another day. 

However, it would be a very sad supper of plain sausages on plain buns if we didn't make it to the Chinese store, so I sent Nick out with my list while the girls and I stayed in. I chopped up some carrot sticks and cooked the wurst, finishing it up with the grill function on the microwave (?! It has an actual grill coil inside the top). Nick arrived back with lots of household goodies in tow, including salt, garlic cloves, lemon juice, eggs, and little wheels of cheese (the closest substitute for my requested "string cheese"). We had a lovely dinner and the girls both had baths. While Cecilia was playing in the bath, I happened to check my phone and caught Kelli's live updates from the sprint triathlon that Dad and Kira raced in today!! Truly incredible. They crossed the finish line together, in under two hours, and I'm so amazed and proud of them! 

With Cece tucked in bed, Greta had her turn in the bath and then drank a mug of peppermint tea while I read her a bedtime story. I decided not to even try putting her in the same room with Cece tonight, so we snuggled in our bed for about fifteen minutes. "Tell me again about Satan and how God's power is so, so bigger!" she said. And so I did. 

She was sound asleep by 9:15, with not one single hijink to speak of. I ironed Nick's clothes for tomorrow with the new Bosch iron, which worked like a dream even without an ironing board (I laid down a clean bath mat on top of the dryer ... got the job done, but the pants were a little tricky). And now, I'm sitting outside on the terrace at 11:30 PM, with a chilled glass of Castelli Romano Bianco, under the stars (which you can actually see, I might add). 

Tomorrow morning, we will go to St. Peter's Basilica for the Latin Novus Ordo mass. To worship at the altar of the Chair of St. Peter in the universal language of the Church is an experience I know I will never forget.