A good week for Princesses

Isabella had her latest MRI on Wednesday. On Thursday we received the good news that the tumors are still all stable and so we move forward another three months. The next MRI will be at the end of July.

We have been enjoying the Easter holidays - basketball camp, several visits to the cinema, dinner out, some very variable weather, a lovely Easter week-end enjoying the spring time gardens, eating far too much and making up for 40 days without wine! (well almost).

This morning the English daughters joined their patriotic mother from the early hours to watch the Royal Wedding live from London. Isabella and I stumbled around in the dark trying to get the internet to work, eventually we just turned on the TV and the Italian grandmother, jet-lagged as she had only arrived yesterday, stumbled into the wedding sofa party at 4:30 am. Matilde gave the dress a big thumbs up and gave us all a running commentary about which of the carriages she had seen and been photographed in front of last summer as the Royal Procession moved down the Mall back to the Palace. At 8:30 am we were finally satisfied that the wedding was official, Kate and William had kissed not once but twice and we could go and have breakfast.

At lunchtime we joined a fun Royal Wedding street party at the British School - Principessa Isabella dressed as a relation to Queen Victoria, while Contessa Matilde from a few decades later strode confidently into the street scene with Lady Lottie and were captured on the local TV news. Their day was made. Matilde signed the poster that will be sent to the Royal couple - her phonetic spellings are still adorable.

We conclude the school holidays with the Race for Hope on Sunday. We have quite a team who will be running and walking with us. Tune in next week for some photos. It's not too late to donate. Many thanks to all those who have already done so.

Lots of love,
Emma & Gregorio. xxx

Red, White and Green

It has been several weeks since I last wrote....we have been busy, so what's new?

We were skiing in Vail, Colorado during the half term week. Fantastic snow and great weather. I highly recommend a ski trip there, though our legs are not as young as they used to be, the pistes just kept going on and on. Over on the Blue Sky bowl, one nips in and out of the trees, even an intermediate skier like myself, I felt like I was in the opening scene of a James Bond movie. Magic. I will also add this family certainly employs a great travel planner. The apartment could not have been better placed. Lift downstairs, pick up the skis, drop off the kids at ski school at 9 am and hop on the chair lift and off Gregorio and I went for the day. Kids were entertained and exercised till 3:30 pm. Meanwhile we were enjoying ourselves on cloud nine, poppyfields and espresso (who invents the names of these pistes?) The highlight for the girls was that their ski instructor had taught Michelle Obama and daughters the day before!

All this after they had met royalty. Prince Michael of Kent visited their school the week before half term. Isabella and the choir performed for him and Matilde's class chatted with him. Matilde (the oh-so-English daughter) told the prince she was from Italy. I'm not offended really. This week over supper the girls have decided that they are going to marry an Italian. Of course, I would agree with their wise choice but I am not really sure why they think he has to be Italian...perhaps they are just missing papa' who is currently at 3, 500 metres in La Paz, Bolivia (the week in Vail, same altitude, was good training).

And talking of things Italian. As many of you know, this year is the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification. The Italian Embassy has launched a competition for children to design a t-shirt celebrating this anniversary....and there is a monetary prize (apparently) for the winning design. Isabella has decided she is going to submit four entries, win all four and then she will be able to buy papa' his Ferrari. Yep, we are still missing papa'. What I love is the no-nonsense approach to financing one's dreams that all children seem to have. At least, she has realised that the lemonade stand is probably not going to generate enough for a Ferrari. Matilde, as assistant to the dream project, is motivated as she knows that papa' will buy her a bunny if they buy him a Ferrari....right, dream on.....

So back to reality. Isabella graduated to a green belt in Tae Kwon Do this week. She is still very focused on this sport, which is great and calculating when she might get to a black belt. Watch out! Matilde is getting ready for her spring ballet performance. Though she continues to say "I hate ballet" Certainly regular classes are not nearly as interesting as being a bumble bee in the Nutcracker. Spring has returned to DC and we are out on our bikes again and starting tennis once more this week-end. It is all go with homework, playdates and slumber parties fitted in-between.

We are already beginning to plan our summer holiday. Another Canadian extravaganza is in the pipeline.  I am turning a significant age this year and will not grow old gracefully. We have decided to do something different and are heading to the Calgary Stampede "where ordinary people become cowboys" at the largest gathering of cowboys in the world - rodeos, chuckwagon racing eat your heart out! And of course, buying a pair of cowboy boots will be de rigeur.

Isabella's next MRI will be at the end of April so we will update you in early May if not before on what we are up to. The Race for Hope in DC takes place on May 1st - let me know if you wish to join the team - walkers or runners accepted and sponsors for this great cause to end brain cancer are greatly appreciated.

I am continuing to pursue several leads to get Isabella's book published and more widely distributed to the brain cancer community and beyond, but it is a slow process. Meanwhile, I am making great headway in creating photo books for the girls from when they were born. Yes we have rather a lot of photos, I've made it to the end of 2009.

Hope the green shoots (financial and botanical) are springing up with you. From a crisp but beautifully sunny day in DC - somewhat similar to 11 years ago today in London. Happy anniversary, Gregorio!

Lots of love,
Emma xxx

All Stable

We received an email this evening: all remains stable with Isabella's tumour. We were getting increasingly anxious as the days went by so much relief in the Impavido household this evening. Waiting for medical results doesn't get any easier. We will see the doctors on Thursday morning for full details and learn when the next MRI will be.

Otherwise all is well. We are keeping busy with work and school. Isabella is getting close to testing for the next belt in Tae Kwon Do. And when she is not playing the piano or singing in the choir her newfound favourite past times are knitting (her grandmother taught her over Christmas and papa's scarf is coming along very nicely) and cross stitch. She is up early at the week-ends and retreats downstairs to sit in perfect tranquility knitting or sewing. Meanwhile Matilde is still doing lots of ballet, but the regular classes are nothing like as exciting as The Nutcracker. She is currently rehearsing a singing and dancing routine with her friend for the upcoming school talent show.

We have been skiing a few times locally this season but we are really looking forward to a trip to Vail Colorado.

May 1st is the date we plan to run 5k again in the Washington DC Race for Hope, more news on that in due course.

Lots of love,
Emma & Gregorio. xxx

Yes Isabella had an MRI last Friday. All went smoothly. We are still waiting to hear the results. No news is good news, right? We have appointments at Children's Hospital on February 10th, so we'll update you when we hear.

A Bumblebee, a Grandfather and a car

Not all three were together at once but they all featured in our busy week-end last week.


Matilde was on stage at the Warner Theater in Washington Ballet's Nutcracker as a bumblebee last Saturday. Despite her very brief appearance on stage, there have been several months of week-end rehearsals run with military precision. The professional ballerinas and the flamboyant artistic director  created hours of fun and entertainment for the aspiring little girls. There are some 90 kids from the ballet school in each show (and there are five different casts). Parents have lived in fear of getting a rehearsal time wrong, let alone being late or forgetting one. Meanwhile Matilde is in awe of the big boss in charge of the Nutcracker running up to him and hugging him - to which he replies "ciao bumblebee Matilde!"


Matilde is at the beginning of the second act, as the sugar plum fairies are finishing their dance and there is a slight change in the music, on skip these four little blue and yellow bumblebees, to much laughter from the audience. They then proceed to wiggle their bottom (their stingers!). Hilarious. In my unbiased opinion I would have to agree with the Washington Post's review:

The students from the Washington School of Ballet are delightful, and there is no end to their cuteness. 


We had seen a preview performance at a small theater in South East Washington during the Thanksgiving week-end but last Saturday the theater was packed, the full set was up and the excitement backstage was palpable. I volunteered to help keep the younger ones entertained while they waited for their turn to get dressed and made up - an ulterior motive to get a photo. And here are some.

bumblebee make-up

the bumblebee dressing room.

Meanwhile out front was Grandfather Peter, loving every minute. Grandfather-of-the-year award truly goes to Peter. Despite the snow in England he had flown in the night before to see his granddaughter on stage (and returned to London on Monday). More impressive still, he had only got arrived back in London from a trip to India the day before that. Between them, Peter and Janie have seven children and ten grandchildren who reside in Scotland, England, Frankfurt, Australia and Washington DC. Between last week-end and the end of January they will have visited them all, in all of those places - some of us are lucky enough to receive a royal visit twice! 

patiently waiting backstage for their moment!

There are about four more shows in which Matilde stars. The Italian grandparents will have the pleasure of watching our prima bumblebee at Christmas.


And the car? Well in short, my mommy-van is no more, it was sandwiched between an SUV and a Fedex truck from behind on Saturday morning. The girls and I were very shocked but we are now totally fine. All those times I have sounded like a broken record "have you got your seat belts on?" were worthwhile. And as a result, I may never have to say it again, they are now very quick at fastening their belts.


As we approach the Christmas period we are grateful for many things. 2010 has been a good year. Isabella's health remains stable, she is full of energy. Her hair is growing, thick strong and very blonde. Both girls are doing well at school and are very happy. We have had some wonderful adventures this past year: skiing, Disney World and our European extravaganza. I am sure that 2011 will bring new adventures and surprises. Until then we are happy to celebrate the season with friends and family here in DC. The next MRI will be the end of January. We will update you then, if not before!


With very best wishes to you all.
Buon natale,


Emma & Gregorio. xxx

Rock Stable!

These were the words that Dr P told us in the corridor this morning. "Don't worry, the MRI looks great. Sit down, I'll be in to talk to you and see Isabella in a minute" Complete relief, breathe, whip out the iphone to update everyone, but sadly I forgot to charge it last night, hence the delay in the update!  The tumor is totally stable, her neurological tests and her eye tests were all completely normal. They reconfirmed our opinion "Isabella looks great!" So we are off for another three months when we return for the next check up. And another piece of good news: Isabella's weight gain has slowed down and she has grown in height. Our hard work on this front has paid off.

We were sorry to discover today that one of the lovely nurse practitioners is going through a similar experience with a newborn baby girl. The short exchange of words was very empathetic and Isabella gave her an enormous hug. Being in the clinic it is hard to see some of the other  children who are worse off than Isabella. We are lucky and are thankful that Isabella reacted so well to treatment and we have enjoyed 2010 without further treatment or great worry. With each MRI we wonder when this will all change.

We have said it before, but the staff at Children's are amazing, they truly know how to manage us all. It was a routine check-up but needless to say, we were very anxious to hear the results. Gregorio only got back late last night and despite all your questions of concern I could not bring myself to contact the hospital for the results without Gregorio around. So we were grateful to immediately hear that all was OK.

It was good to see everyone in the clinic but as we told them all "life has been great, given that we haven't seen you for four months!" They understand. Even Dr Baldy the clown came by and specifically went to find his fellow baldy friend, Gregorio. A quiet smile and "it is really good to see you!" was very touching.

Back to carpe diem in the Impavido household and we are truly busy having lots of fun.  We are gearing up to Nutcracker performances, end of term performances at school and so much more.

I might not write until the next MRI at the end of January ...but you never know....so in the meantime Happy Holidays to all our friends near and far.

Love,
Emma, Gregorio, Isabella and Matilde. xxx

MRI and Halloween!

A blog has been brewing in me for several weeks and now as I sit at Children's Hospital waiting for Isabella to emerge from her latest MRI there's time to think and reflect once more. I find reading difficult on these days.

Isabella was obviously agitated (though I am not sure why) last night and fell asleep in my bed, but this morning she was pleased to receive words of encouragement from Papà (who is currently on mission in Peru) and a hug from Mati when she woke up (yes she also joined the bed during the night!) At the hospital this morning there was quite the welcome from the MRI team.

...interruption. It is a little surreal here in the hospital atrium cafe, the nurses are all dressed up as witches, pumpkins, cowboys, Michael Jackson, you name it and Ghostbusters is blaring out!! Ten years on the Halloween phenomenon is still overwhelming at times...

Back to radiology. They were so happy to see Bella and wanted to know all about her holiday this summer and showing her around the newly expanded MRI wing with a great view down to the Capitol. Bella was singing and dancing songs from the upcoming school pantomime of Puss in Boots. As she was given laughing gas she was telling riddles. At the last minute she shouted out the answer before she fell asleep. The nurses were in fits of laughter. She should be out soon and we will get the results next Thursday. That day we'll be seeing the oncologist, neurologist, endocrinologist and opthalmologist. Get the gist? After a four month break from hospital visits we are pleased to get all appointments done on one day. 

Proudly showing off
her homemade sushi

Meanwhile there's always plenty to keep us busy. The girls have been enjoying their half term break. Emma D has been here to entertain, she is always very welcome! What they haven't done with paper, glue and paint, I don't know. Not to mention the cooking: flapjacks and lemon curd and even sushi for supper one night. Our camp creativity director even insures an English education - tea parties complete with cucumber sandwiches AND history lessons. Yesterday, Emma notices a bag that I had picked up at some travel fair, with Henry VIII on it and asks the girls if they know who he is. They proceed to learn about all his queens, divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Emma was then turned into King Henry with beard and they were each a queen. Mati was, needless-to-say, the one who divorced and survived!

Some of the prize winning pumpkins

At this time of year we've also had much preparation for Halloween, including the annual visit to  Cox's Farm. When I picked up a coffee earlier, I was pleased to see the Brain Tumor Institute had won the pumpkin carving contest here at Children's. We still need to carve ours.  We have various parties and trick-or-treating lined up this week-end. The girls are going to be vampires. I said I'd be a legal alien, my fully-fledged American daughters don't understand the joke!

A fun time is always had by all at
Cox's Farm, including me!

Other exciting news: Matilde is starring in the Washington Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. She is absolutely thrilled and prances off to all the rehearsals every Saturday and Sunday with a big smile across her face. Of course she has a major role as a prima bumblebee.

Nutella is part of the Cox's Farm
annual picnic outing!

This past month we have also been learning to ride bikes (for obvious reasons this went on hold for a couple of years). Those of you who've been there will know what a sense of achievement it is learning to ride on two wheels, and not just for the kids!

We'll let you know when we have news of the MRI, probably not till we visit the clinic on November 4th. Finger's crossed for the all stable. 

Happy Halloween!

Emma, Isabella, Matilde and Gregorio from Peru. xxx

PS I have almost finished uploading all our summer photos, for those that are interested!