All the world is a playground for Chiara. I am constantly amazed at her determination–and her skill–at winning over total strangers with her charm. As one subway rider said to me when he met Chiara, “Someone famous has said, ‘A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet.’” Chiara clearly embraces this adage.

Last night we were out so late beyond Chiara’s bedtime that I was embarrassed to be seen in public at all. But what can you do? Sometimes you are just so eager to be out and haven’t planned in advance for a babysitter, so you bring the baby with you. And next thing you know, it’s 9:15 and you get ready to leave the party. But then the hostess says the birthday cake is about to come out so you wait. And then the candles are blown and you say your goodbyes and it’s 10!

But Chiara does make it much easier on us by being in a good mood regardless of how tired she might feel. When we entered the subway, it was crowded with the wide variety of people who would be out on a saturday night. Against the doors were two men dressed in what i would call urban attire–baggy jeans, earphones, serious expressions on their faces to go with their look. In other words, the Big Prey. Chiara didn’t even warm up with the grandma types on the train who smile and wave at her. She fixed her eyes on one of the guys at the door and waved at him. Then she smiled. Then she drew her hand close to her cheek, squinted her big brown eyes and waved again — the cheeky wave!

What could he do? She had him at “Hello.” He managed a wee little smile and gave a little wave around hip height so it wasn’t so obvious. He never broke from his slouching position leaning against the door, though. He wasn’t going to roll over on his back in total surrender! But he knew. She had him.