weekend update {NAC cookout, Bambino Gesu}

Sunday morning, we decided to go to mass right here at the NAC. as much as i enjoyed getting to go to mass with Nick last Sunday, there was a certain welcome familiarity to listening to him play while i worshiped and wrangled the girls (both actions are familiar, the second less welcome). the liturgy was absolutely beautiful, with clouds of the best-smelling incense. hearing the men sing gave me goosebumps. however, there was much more wrangling-of-the-girls than i expected. Nick came down from the organ loft to sit with us for the homily, which helped, but after he went back up, Greta in particular started acting out. at one point, she began squawking loudly at five-second intervals (which sounds funny as i type this, but it really wasn't at the time). i didn't want to reward her for bad behavior, but at the same time, i didn't want to disrupt the liturgy. when she said she had to use the bathroom, however, we quietly went out in search of a ladies' room. the chapel here is built into the main seminary building, so it took us a while to find the restroom. as we headed back, Greta had decided she was having none of it and took off running down the hall. now, the building is built like a huge rectangle around the perimeter of the garden and fountain, and the interior walls are all glass, so i could see her zipping along the hall across from me in the world's biggest game of catch-me-if-you-can. needless to say, i was not about to start sprinting after her (especially with Cece in tow), so when she came back into view, i started laying out the consequences.  no treats the rest of the day ... no TV or screen time the rest of the day ...  a time-out when we got home. annnnd honey badger didn't care, until i said she wouldn't be allowed to go to the college cookout for lunch as we had been planning to do. that got her attention and she finally settled down. we waited another ten minutes or so to let the adrenaline rush wear off, and as we approached the chapel again, the procession was coming out and we had missed the end of mass. so we gathered up our things, and went upstairs to see Nick in the organ loft. and then the girls proceeded to be absolutely adorable ... 

back at home, Greta served her time-out and both girls played on their own for an hour while Nick biked over to the flea market at Porta Portese. no big finds but he said it was impressive to see the size of it. then we bathed ourselves in sunscreen and headed over to the Campo Sportivo (the sports field) for lunch! the cookout and subsequent softball and soccer games were part of the NAC orientation activities, which they graciously invited our family to join. we had delicious grilled chicken, burgers with all the toppings including pineapple, and a spicy potato salad. the girls loved watching the softball game, and Cece in particular was a big hit with the seminarians as she kept walking up and down the line of spectators showing off her American flag sunglasses. 

the rest of the afternoon passed quietly at home. Greta didn't pull any further shenanigans. we decided to make a reward chart for her to sleep in her own bed ... which she hadn't done since the first few nights we arrived (which ended up with her in our bed anyway). after nearly two weeks of a squirmy, knobbly-kneed bedfellow, we needed to make the switch. so we made a 5 x 5 chart and discussed the rewards she would get after every 5 nights of sleeping in her own bed. she's been asking for this strange squishy pig toy the street vendors sell, and literally jumped up and down with excitement when i said that could be a prize (we've told her "no" every time she's seen it on the street, which is a lot, because all the vendors sell the same weird plastic junk). 

dinner that evening was an Italian specialty with a Roman flair -- pasta e ceci alla Romana (recipe here). it's a soup made with small pasta (traditionally ditalini) and chickpeas (ceci). the Roman variation is to add anchovies (filetti di alici). i was a bit skeptical of the ingredients, but Greta proclaimed that it tasted just like chicken noodle soup, and it was really delicious and filling! you drizzle a little olive oil over each bowl just before serving, which sounded strange to me, but somehow it ties all the flavors together.

that night, both girls took long baths, which helped the bedtime process. Greta didn't fuss about going to sleep in her room, and was quite conscientious about being quiet and not waking up Cecilia (who still goes to sleep about 30 minutes before Greta does). she did wake up around 3 AM and come get me, and i went back with her into her room and slept in the top bunk until morning. she was so proud to color in the first square on her chart and was positively giddy with delight over the idea of that strange little pig. 

we had planned to go to the play area in Trastevere Monday morning, but as Greta was helping me scramble eggs for her breakfast, she slipped off the chair she had been standing on, and hit the left side of her face and lip on the counter. she didn't black out and she cried immediately, and it didn't seem that she had hit that hard, so i wasn't too worried at first. she was bleeding a little bit from her lip, which scared her, so i got a dark pink washcloth with cold water for her to put in her mouth, as well as an ice pack. after a solid ten minutes of crying, she was only getting more agitated, and kept asking me what happened and why she fell. again, i thought this was just related to the shock from the fall. then she said, "Mommy, i can't see very well" and my stomach clenched. she said everything was blurry, and couldn't tell me how many fingers i was holding up. then she said, "i just don't feel like myself" and laid down on the couch. just based on the mechanism of injury and the fact that she was still alert, i doubted that she actually had anything more than a mild concussion, but it was still terrifying, and in that moment, how i wished we were back in the US where i knew the medical system and had people to call to watch Cece and offer practical support. but at least we knew exactly where to take her -- the children's hospital literally next door. i prayed as i packed up the backpack with our passports, insurance cards, and snacks and toys for the girls. i looked up the Italian translations for a few key facts about what happened, as i wasn't sure how much English the staff would speak. then i called Nick's office phone and left a voicemail, and sent him a message over facebook messenger (we can connect to wifi all over campus) which thankfully he saw right away. he came straight home, i put Cece in the Ergo, and Nick carried Greta to the hospital, Bambino Gesu (literally Baby Jesus). 

the emergency entrance to the hospital is on the right between the two lamp posts...
 the orange wall of the NAC is on the far right. we could not be closer.

when we walked in, i was relieved to see a large sign that said "Triage", and even more relieved when the triage nurse spoke English. we explained the situation. he asked for her passport to register her, and after a minute or so, a physician came into the triage area and "eye-balled" her -- had her walk and say her name, and then Nick heard him say "subito" to the triage nurse (meaning "quickly") and we were given number 40 and asked to sit until our number was called. less than ten minutes later, we were called into the first exam room where the same physician and a younger staff member (not sure if he was a nurse or just a younger doctor) did a thorough exam. they were so sweet with her. it was so different from what i've experienced in the US (especially my rotation at Children's ED). the physician was sitting in the room we went into, not the other way around, and stayed there the whole time until we were discharged. the door of the exam room was open (although there was a door between the exam rooms and the waiting room) and other medical staff came in and out at times, including the triage nurse, who pulled a hilarious sad face at Greta and finally got her to laugh. anyway, after their examination and taking into account the fact that Greta said she was already feeling better, they decided against a CT scan (or as they said, a "TC scan"). they said typically they would observe her there for 4 hours, but since we literally live a two-minute walk from the hospital, they recommended that we just take her home where she would be more comfortable, and closely monitor her for that 4 hour period. i was so relieved -- mostly that she was feeling better, but also that the care was so good, and also for the fact that i know exactly what to do for someone with a concussion, so i felt like the rational part of my brain could take over now. 

so we came back home and she rested on the couch for most of the afternoon. she did complain of nausea once, but never vomited, and her vision cleared up completely within a few hours. she got up to play a few times, and then would go back to the couch. by 5 pm, though, she seemed to be completely back to normal, and she told me "my head doesn't feel mixed up anymore." Nick and i continued to marvel at the efficiency and compassion of the doctors (from triage to discharge took 24 minutes) and the fact that there was no charge. now, i would be curious about the situation if a CT or other specialist involvement had been warranted, but just that consultation with the ED physician would have been costly in the US. 

we went to bed that night so grateful for God's mercy and provision. (and Greta slept in her own bed again -- although still with a 3 AM wakeup call for me -- we'll see how tonight goes!)