La Dolce Vita: Settling in to our Italian Lifestyle, Max Experiences a Day of Firsts

Jerry Soverinsky/AOL Travel

In anticipation of Max beginning to crawl, Jana and I spent a considerable amount of effort babyproofing our Chicago apartment. This involved converting our 100% wood floor apartment into pockets of cushioned wriggle space using padded floor coverings, plush rugs, even thick leg warmers for Max to protect his knees, ensuring that his transition from sedentary to mobile would be a comfortable one.

It's only fitting that Max took his very first crawl steps yesterday on granite-hard terra cotta tiles at our Tuscan vacation home.