Elias and dave playing in the playhouse while i work in the garden.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A bit poorly
At the moment Elias has a bit of a cold. He is still in a good mood, but he doesn't sleep very well in the night. The last two nights we have had him in our bed. I don't sleep that well since he keeps kicking me in his sleep, but it is still better than having to get up loads of times during the night to comfort him.
He has also gotten his 8th tooth recently so that might be causing him to be a bit off coulour as well. He is still in good spirit during the day though, running around and playing.
This is what our new desk looks like by the way.
I have added more pictures in a new album.
He has also gotten his 8th tooth recently so that might be causing him to be a bit off coulour as well. He is still in good spirit during the day though, running around and playing.
This is what our new desk looks like by the way.
I have added more pictures in a new album.
Monday, October 06, 2008
More teeth
On the weekend Dave discovered a new tooth so now Elias has 7 teeth! We are guessing now that the bad mood he had a few weeks ago is connected to the new tooth erupting..
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Dagis
Elias has had three days at nursery accompanied by me (dave) and tomorrow I am going to try and leave him on his own.
On the whole I think he has enjoyed it. He gets a bit grumpy when he's tired or hungry but who doesn't? I have sneaked off and left him for ten minutes a couple of times (to repark car) and he hardly noticed I was gone.
He was a bit afraid of the other in-mates at first, but luckily they are all really sweet kids. There are 2 sets of twins in his "class". One have been off sick (kids are off sick all the time!), the other set Hassan and Housain (2 years old) are very sweet to him. Oliver (also 2) is a big bruiser but has a heart of gold. If Elias can keep on good terms with him then no one will pick on him. Then there is Sama who is the same age as Elias but a little more independent probably because she's been at the nursery a while already. Amelia and Mamadu are a mere 1 year old and much smaller than Elias so shouldn't cause him any problems. It's amazing the difference between a 1 year old and a 16 month old like Elias.
When it is time to sleep, the kids are put in a quiet dim room with little foam mattresses and towels for blankets and expected to go to sleep. Amazingly they do pretty quickly and without fuss. I hope Elias will quickly get used to that.
On the whole I think he has enjoyed it. He gets a bit grumpy when he's tired or hungry but who doesn't? I have sneaked off and left him for ten minutes a couple of times (to repark car) and he hardly noticed I was gone.
He was a bit afraid of the other in-mates at first, but luckily they are all really sweet kids. There are 2 sets of twins in his "class". One have been off sick (kids are off sick all the time!), the other set Hassan and Housain (2 years old) are very sweet to him. Oliver (also 2) is a big bruiser but has a heart of gold. If Elias can keep on good terms with him then no one will pick on him. Then there is Sama who is the same age as Elias but a little more independent probably because she's been at the nursery a while already. Amelia and Mamadu are a mere 1 year old and much smaller than Elias so shouldn't cause him any problems. It's amazing the difference between a 1 year old and a 16 month old like Elias.
When it is time to sleep, the kids are put in a quiet dim room with little foam mattresses and towels for blankets and expected to go to sleep. Amazingly they do pretty quickly and without fuss. I hope Elias will quickly get used to that.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
The bike is back!!!
Yippiee! Yesterday Dave went to the open nursery and while he was waiting for the bus he thought he could take a little walk around the area to see if he would find my bike. Sounded like a real long shot but it actually worked!!
A block away from the bike parking lot, he found it leaned against a wall, still locked. He managed to drag it back to the station and I picked it up on my way home from work. It has quite a few dents and scratches but it is still much better than having to buy a new bike! The seat has been lowered quite a lot so it seems like someone was definitely planning to use it (or maybe they managed to pick the lock and have already used it..).
Also, I forgot to tell you about one of Elias' new skills. He has learned to blow his nose and he is really keen to do it. Unfortunatelly he prefers to do it into bunny's ear or just into thin air, not so keen to do it when we are holding a tissue in front of him...
A block away from the bike parking lot, he found it leaned against a wall, still locked. He managed to drag it back to the station and I picked it up on my way home from work. It has quite a few dents and scratches but it is still much better than having to buy a new bike! The seat has been lowered quite a lot so it seems like someone was definitely planning to use it (or maybe they managed to pick the lock and have already used it..).
Also, I forgot to tell you about one of Elias' new skills. He has learned to blow his nose and he is really keen to do it. Unfortunatelly he prefers to do it into bunny's ear or just into thin air, not so keen to do it when we are holding a tissue in front of him...
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Some great stuff and some not so great stuff
Last weekend was great! I just have to say it. The weather was very nice and autumnal, Elias' mood was better than earlier in the week, we got started on a few of the projects we have planned for a while and, well it was just great!
At one point I was standing in the garden fiddling with some earth while planting a few new bushes. Dave was doing something in the playhouse and all of a sudden Elias took off with one of the mini-pushchairs that were in the playhouse and everything just felt right. I looked around and did actually think to myself "this is perfect, this is what it is all about". Of course it only took a minute or so before Elias was upset about something but anyway. At least we had that perfect family moment and I realised it at the time as well!
As I said we got quite a lot done during the weekend. We bought and planted a black currant bush, 4 rose bushes (to go behind the playhouse so Elias and other children won't run out onto the road), and a few smaller things I put down in pots. We also bought a big piece of mdf board that we are going to make a desk from. It is already cut into the right size and Dave has made a nice hole for cables and wires to go through. Now we "just" need to paint it and put it up. We will make sure to document it properly!
On Monday and Tuesday Dave was at work and I was at home again. It was so nice! On Monday I met up with a friend for a few hours in the morning and then Went grocery shopping in the afternoon. Elias mood was pretty good most of the day and one of the nicest things is that he is quite keen to go out and play. He actually went up to the front door and banged on it and then brought me one of his shoes. Point taken! ;-)
Yesterday one of the girls in our parent group came for a visit with her son. The weather was great (not far from the weather on the same date 2 years ago!) and we had a fab time. We went for a walk and then had coffee out on the terrace and went up to the park and... To make a long story short, it was great fun!
And now to the bad stuff. It seems like my bike may have been stolen. Dave borrowed it to ride to the station and yesterday when he came back he couldn't find his keys. He went up to the bike to make sure he hadn't forgotten them there but he hadn't, they are gone. Today I was supposed to pick up my bike on the way home but Dave went there again today and now the bike is gone! Aaaarghhh!!!! Why can't people keep their hands off other peoples stuff?? It is so annoying.
I will still go there today and have a look around but it is probably gone. So now both Dave's keys are gone and my bike. Sigh... Will be a fun evening looking for receipts for the bike and calling the insurance company.. Hopefully we'll get something back anyway..
At one point I was standing in the garden fiddling with some earth while planting a few new bushes. Dave was doing something in the playhouse and all of a sudden Elias took off with one of the mini-pushchairs that were in the playhouse and everything just felt right. I looked around and did actually think to myself "this is perfect, this is what it is all about". Of course it only took a minute or so before Elias was upset about something but anyway. At least we had that perfect family moment and I realised it at the time as well!
As I said we got quite a lot done during the weekend. We bought and planted a black currant bush, 4 rose bushes (to go behind the playhouse so Elias and other children won't run out onto the road), and a few smaller things I put down in pots. We also bought a big piece of mdf board that we are going to make a desk from. It is already cut into the right size and Dave has made a nice hole for cables and wires to go through. Now we "just" need to paint it and put it up. We will make sure to document it properly!
On Monday and Tuesday Dave was at work and I was at home again. It was so nice! On Monday I met up with a friend for a few hours in the morning and then Went grocery shopping in the afternoon. Elias mood was pretty good most of the day and one of the nicest things is that he is quite keen to go out and play. He actually went up to the front door and banged on it and then brought me one of his shoes. Point taken! ;-)
Yesterday one of the girls in our parent group came for a visit with her son. The weather was great (not far from the weather on the same date 2 years ago!) and we had a fab time. We went for a walk and then had coffee out on the terrace and went up to the park and... To make a long story short, it was great fun!
And now to the bad stuff. It seems like my bike may have been stolen. Dave borrowed it to ride to the station and yesterday when he came back he couldn't find his keys. He went up to the bike to make sure he hadn't forgotten them there but he hadn't, they are gone. Today I was supposed to pick up my bike on the way home but Dave went there again today and now the bike is gone! Aaaarghhh!!!! Why can't people keep their hands off other peoples stuff?? It is so annoying.
I will still go there today and have a look around but it is probably gone. So now both Dave's keys are gone and my bike. Sigh... Will be a fun evening looking for receipts for the bike and calling the insurance company.. Hopefully we'll get something back anyway..
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Slow day
I am having a bit of a slow day at work so I thought I should take the opportunity to write a few lines about what's going on..
Since David and Elias came back from England Elias has been a bit poorly and I think Dave has had a few rough days. When they came back Elias had a bit of a temperature and now he has got a cold. He has slept a bit bad a few nights, it is like he can't get comfortable, but the last two nights have been ok.
The last few days Elias has been very grumpy and clingy and has had a very short fuse. Anything can sett off a major tantrum. Poor David has been pretty low the last few days. He did go to the open nursery a few days ago but even that didn't help Elias' mood. Since a girl bit him there earlier in the summer he is apparently not very happy at the open nursery and almost a bit scared of the other children (stupid girl! why did she have to do that??)
On Monday and Tuesday Dave will have a bit of a break though because we will switch roles then. I will be home with Elias and Dave will participate in a kick-off with work. Should make a nice change for him (and me!).
Also, it is getting close to nursery start now. Only a week and a half until we start the "training", I sure hope it will be ok. Hopefully Elias has left this super-sensitive phase by then and is up for getting to know new friends!
Since David and Elias came back from England Elias has been a bit poorly and I think Dave has had a few rough days. When they came back Elias had a bit of a temperature and now he has got a cold. He has slept a bit bad a few nights, it is like he can't get comfortable, but the last two nights have been ok.
The last few days Elias has been very grumpy and clingy and has had a very short fuse. Anything can sett off a major tantrum. Poor David has been pretty low the last few days. He did go to the open nursery a few days ago but even that didn't help Elias' mood. Since a girl bit him there earlier in the summer he is apparently not very happy at the open nursery and almost a bit scared of the other children (stupid girl! why did she have to do that??)
On Monday and Tuesday Dave will have a bit of a break though because we will switch roles then. I will be home with Elias and Dave will participate in a kick-off with work. Should make a nice change for him (and me!).
Also, it is getting close to nursery start now. Only a week and a half until we start the "training", I sure hope it will be ok. Hopefully Elias has left this super-sensitive phase by then and is up for getting to know new friends!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Happy toddler
I think we have failed to properly say this before but Elias is now a toddler! He walks loads and really likes it. He isn't too keen on walking outdoors yet though. I don't know if it is because of the shoes or if it is because we need to mow the lawn...
I have added some more pictures in the August & September album by the way. There you can see some of the progress David and dad has made on the shed roof. It was almost completed yesterday evening!
I have added some more pictures in the August & September album by the way. There you can see some of the progress David and dad has made on the shed roof. It was almost completed yesterday evening!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Back in business
Last Saturday we came back from two lovely and hot weeks in Mallorca. We were too busy enjoying ourselves to take many photos but here are a few anyway.. We had a great time but now it is back to reality again. I started my new job on Monday and so far it feels really good. Dave is at home with Elias and every day when I have come home from work Dave has cooked a really nice dinner.. I could definitely get used to this!
Elias was originally to start nursery on August 25 but we have now delayed it to October 1st. We did it so that Dave would get a bit more alone time with Elias but also so that Elias would be a bit bigger and hopefully walk by the time he starts.
About the walking.. Almost all summer he has been trying to learn and this last week he has made huge progress. He still prefers to crawl but he is really keen to practise and quite often walk pretty long stretches.
Elias was originally to start nursery on August 25 but we have now delayed it to October 1st. We did it so that Dave would get a bit more alone time with Elias but also so that Elias would be a bit bigger and hopefully walk by the time he starts.
About the walking.. Almost all summer he has been trying to learn and this last week he has made huge progress. He still prefers to crawl but he is really keen to practise and quite often walk pretty long stretches.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Travelling like the locals
Today we are being adventurous travelling with local busses to port de polenca. So far it has worked well. The standard me the busses are very good. Looking forward to finally reaching our base camp!
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Ready for take off
Been up since 2 am, the boy since 3 am. At the airport now having breakfast, waiting for take off. So far so good!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Stung
Today elias was stung by a wasp, poor thing. He does not seem to suffer from it much though and is happily playing.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Bobby car
Bought a bobby car for elias today. He doesn't quite get it yet but we are sure he will love it eventually...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
More new skills
Apart from almost walking Elias has also learnt how to climb stairs. While we were up at my parents he practised it quite a lot and now he can get up most stairs.
Two new teeth erupted while we were up north now making the tooth-count an impressive 5!
Two new teeth erupted while we were up north now making the tooth-count an impressive 5!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Almost walking
Yes, we think it is very close now.. When my sister was here he first started to take a few steps but then it was more like a game. It seemed like he really liked to throw himself on us and we catch him.
The last few days he started to take a few more steps but was still very unstable and unbalanced. Today it seems like he has taken quite a big leap forward though. He both walks to and from us and is more willing to let go and tries to keep his balance.. It will probably still be a while before he is completely confident but he is sure getting there!
The last few days he started to take a few more steps but was still very unstable and unbalanced. Today it seems like he has taken quite a big leap forward though. He both walks to and from us and is more willing to let go and tries to keep his balance.. It will probably still be a while before he is completely confident but he is sure getting there!
A word of warning...
Do not, I repeat NOT put this toy: 
on your forhead.
Or the result might be this:
on your forhead.Or the result might be this:
Thursday, June 26, 2008
More recap
Thought I should continue the recap so no one feels left out! :-)
After mum and dad were here they went down to my sister in Lund and visited her for a few days. Meanwhile we oiled the terrace. It is looking so nice now!
Wednesday a week ago Alison and Russell came and it was so great to see them.
We visited Skansen again and managed to see a few more animals this time, including a moose baby. So cute! 
On Friday Sweden celebrated Midsummer and as always the weather was a bit crappy. In the morning we had some ok weather though and went down to the lake for a picknick. In the evening we had a semi-traditional midsummer meal and some snaps (and songs of course!).
Russell also helped Dave mount our TV on the wall. We think it will stay up.... So now we have re-arranged the room a bit and we think it is for the better. Now we just need to win the lottery so we can afford some new furniture and then it will look spectacular!
Yesterday my sister and the dogs came. She is working today and we are dogsitting. We haven't told her yet, but we are planning to make sure to get the favour returned and go to the cinema or something one night. Moahahaaa. ;-)
After mum and dad were here they went down to my sister in Lund and visited her for a few days. Meanwhile we oiled the terrace. It is looking so nice now!
Wednesday a week ago Alison and Russell came and it was so great to see them.
We visited Skansen again and managed to see a few more animals this time, including a moose baby. So cute! 
On Friday Sweden celebrated Midsummer and as always the weather was a bit crappy. In the morning we had some ok weather though and went down to the lake for a picknick. In the evening we had a semi-traditional midsummer meal and some snaps (and songs of course!).Russell also helped Dave mount our TV on the wall. We think it will stay up.... So now we have re-arranged the room a bit and we think it is for the better. Now we just need to win the lottery so we can afford some new furniture and then it will look spectacular!
Yesterday my sister and the dogs came. She is working today and we are dogsitting. We haven't told her yet, but we are planning to make sure to get the favour returned and go to the cinema or something one night. Moahahaaa. ;-)
Sunday, June 22, 2008
A short recap of a long time
So sorry about the lack of blog updates.. Here comes a little recap of all the stuff we have been doing lately.
The Hills visit
Between May 26-30 the Hills family came to visit us. We had a great time and the weather was super. We spent one day at Skansen, one day at the lake, and made a trip to Kaknästornet. We had a great time and we think they liked it too. The previous owners of the house left a big trampoline which was a big hit with the boys (and the adults too).
Dave also appreciated the help he got from Oliver with strengthening the roof of the shed. A few other things got taken care of as well with Oli in the house.
Joyce's visit
Joyce came to visit us between June 2-8 so she was lucky enough to be around for Elias' first birthday! Apart from celebrating Elias we also made a daytrip to Gustavsberg where we looked in a few nice shops selling porcelain and had a nice lunch.
We also saw the smoke from a nearby fire...
We had a day at the lake as well where Elias got to try a bit of David's soft ice cream which turned out to be a bit of a mistake. Elias thought it tasted very nice and when there was no more ice cream left he screamed like crazy. We got a few weird looks from people around us..
The Bloms
On Saturday the 7th my mum and dad came, just in time for the birthday party held on Sunday. Dad helped David with the shed roof a bit and sanded the terrace. After they left we oiled it and the terrace now looks better than ever.
On mum and dad's last day here they were very nice and babysat for us while we went to Bwin's summer party.
The Hills visit
Between May 26-30 the Hills family came to visit us. We had a great time and the weather was super. We spent one day at Skansen, one day at the lake, and made a trip to Kaknästornet. We had a great time and we think they liked it too. The previous owners of the house left a big trampoline which was a big hit with the boys (and the adults too).
Dave also appreciated the help he got from Oliver with strengthening the roof of the shed. A few other things got taken care of as well with Oli in the house.
Joyce's visit
Joyce came to visit us between June 2-8 so she was lucky enough to be around for Elias' first birthday! Apart from celebrating Elias we also made a daytrip to Gustavsberg where we looked in a few nice shops selling porcelain and had a nice lunch.
We also saw the smoke from a nearby fire...
We had a day at the lake as well where Elias got to try a bit of David's soft ice cream which turned out to be a bit of a mistake. Elias thought it tasted very nice and when there was no more ice cream left he screamed like crazy. We got a few weird looks from people around us..
The Bloms
On Saturday the 7th my mum and dad came, just in time for the birthday party held on Sunday. Dad helped David with the shed roof a bit and sanded the terrace. After they left we oiled it and the terrace now looks better than ever.
On mum and dad's last day here they were very nice and babysat for us while we went to Bwin's summer party.
Monday, June 09, 2008
More pictures
Sorry about the poor rate of updates lately. We have had so much fun with all of our visitors that we haven't had time to update the blog.
I have posted some of the pictures we took while the Hills were here. They can be found in the April&May album. It was a great week with great weather.. Will write more about that and Joyce's visit, and the birthday party, and my parents visit on a boring rainy day in the future.. ;-)
I have posted some of the pictures we took while the Hills were here. They can be found in the April&May album. It was a great week with great weather.. Will write more about that and Joyce's visit, and the birthday party, and my parents visit on a boring rainy day in the future.. ;-)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Happy wheezer
Elias has had a cough for a bit more than a week and on the weekend he was quite snotty. Nothing to worry about though. The night between Monday and Tuesday he slept pretty bad but seemed pretty ok in the morning. Then Dave called me around 2 in the afternoon and said that maybe we should have someone look at him because his breathing was quite heavy. He had called an information service before and she had adviced him to go to the hospital, mainly for our peace of mind.
When I got home I was pretty chocked at how heavy his breathing was. He sounded short of breath and was making a wheezing noice. Elias was quite grumpy and we were worried and stressed but after a bit of confusion we had gotten our stuff together and went to the hospital. When we got there we didn't quite know where to go and ended up parking at the wrong end of the site and had to walk pretty far (we had forgotten the push chair of course). When we signed Elias in the nurse immediately could hear that his breathing didn't sound very good and we were sent in to the childrens unit. There they checked his oxygen saturation level to see if he was getting enough air. Then a doctor came and listened to his chest. She said he was what they call a "happy wheezer", that is a baby that has problems breathing but isn't really affected by it. He had been playing and eating as normal all day. She wanted to give him some medicine to improve his breathing and we were sent to another room for that. He had to breathe in the medicine for 30 seconds through a mask and he really hated it. It was quite heartbreaking but at least we knew it would make him better. This was repeated again after 15 minutes and then after maybe 30 minutes the doctor came back to listen to him again. She thought he sounded better but wanted to give him another round of medicine so the whole procedure was repeated again. Breathe in the medicine for 30 seconds, wait 15 minutes and repeat.
While we were waiting for the doctor to come and listen to him again a clown came and visited us. Elias was really mesmerised by her. She sang a bit to him and it was really nice. Then the doctor came back and she thought he sounded good enough for us to go home. The next day a nurse would call and if Elias was worse again she would come to our house and have a look at him. Dave thought he was a lot better yesterday so she didn't come but they agreed that she would call again today and see how Elias is getting on.
When I got home I was pretty chocked at how heavy his breathing was. He sounded short of breath and was making a wheezing noice. Elias was quite grumpy and we were worried and stressed but after a bit of confusion we had gotten our stuff together and went to the hospital. When we got there we didn't quite know where to go and ended up parking at the wrong end of the site and had to walk pretty far (we had forgotten the push chair of course). When we signed Elias in the nurse immediately could hear that his breathing didn't sound very good and we were sent in to the childrens unit. There they checked his oxygen saturation level to see if he was getting enough air. Then a doctor came and listened to his chest. She said he was what they call a "happy wheezer", that is a baby that has problems breathing but isn't really affected by it. He had been playing and eating as normal all day. She wanted to give him some medicine to improve his breathing and we were sent to another room for that. He had to breathe in the medicine for 30 seconds through a mask and he really hated it. It was quite heartbreaking but at least we knew it would make him better. This was repeated again after 15 minutes and then after maybe 30 minutes the doctor came back to listen to him again. She thought he sounded better but wanted to give him another round of medicine so the whole procedure was repeated again. Breathe in the medicine for 30 seconds, wait 15 minutes and repeat.
While we were waiting for the doctor to come and listen to him again a clown came and visited us. Elias was really mesmerised by her. She sang a bit to him and it was really nice. Then the doctor came back and she thought he sounded good enough for us to go home. The next day a nurse would call and if Elias was worse again she would come to our house and have a look at him. Dave thought he was a lot better yesterday so she didn't come but they agreed that she would call again today and see how Elias is getting on.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Finally...
I have finally manged to take a picture of Elias walking with his little push cart. He loves it! Especially to walk around in the garden is fun..
It was actually pretty difficult to get a good picture, I guess because he is walking sooo fast..
One thing he does a lot now is to point at things and say "da". We think he is trying to say either "titta" (look) or "där/there".. Or maybe he is just saying da.
It was actually pretty difficult to get a good picture, I guess because he is walking sooo fast..
One thing he does a lot now is to point at things and say "da". We think he is trying to say either "titta" (look) or "där/there".. Or maybe he is just saying da.
Monday, May 19, 2008
In case you wonder...
If you have looked at our pictures and wondered what the heck this
is, I can tell you that it is a Japanese snack.
Last time Luke and Yoko visited us we got little bags of snacks. Most of them very tasty and nice, but the little fishes we aren't so sure about. We haven't actually dared to try one yet... Would you?
is, I can tell you that it is a Japanese snack.
Last time Luke and Yoko visited us we got little bags of snacks. Most of them very tasty and nice, but the little fishes we aren't so sure about. We haven't actually dared to try one yet... Would you?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Bored at work
I have now worked for a week and unfortunatelly I am quite bored. I don't have a project so I have to make up meaningful things to do to pass the time - not very easy. My guess is that they probably won't find a project for me before the summer so I just have to brace myself.
Anyway, Dave's first week at home with Elias seems to have been very nice. They went to the open nursery a few times, came in to Stockholm and had lunch with me one day and so on. The weather last week was great as well so they were out in the garden quite a bit.
We have had a very intensive weekend as well. On Saturday I was gone all day for a hen night. It was really fun and included a kidnapping of the bride, a near death experience 14 metres up in a tree, a few hours at a spa and a nice dinner. On Sunday it was yet another busy day. Around noon Elias and I went to meet up with some of my girl friends and their kids. The oldest is maybe 7 years and the youngest was 6 weeks. After a semi-relaxed picknick (it is hard to have time to sit down and talk with loads of kids running away to play ;-) ) we drove home to our house. The girls of course wanted to inspect our new house. The weather was amazing and we spent the whole afternoon on the patio. The play house was a big hit with the kids and the grown ups liked the big house too.. Dave did a grand job grilling hotdogs and chicken and we had a great time. The girls left around 6 ish and by then Elias was exhausted. He hadn't slept much during the day and when I put him to bed at 7 I think he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. I was almost as tired as him and went to bed at 9.30.
Anyway, Dave's first week at home with Elias seems to have been very nice. They went to the open nursery a few times, came in to Stockholm and had lunch with me one day and so on. The weather last week was great as well so they were out in the garden quite a bit.
We have had a very intensive weekend as well. On Saturday I was gone all day for a hen night. It was really fun and included a kidnapping of the bride, a near death experience 14 metres up in a tree, a few hours at a spa and a nice dinner. On Sunday it was yet another busy day. Around noon Elias and I went to meet up with some of my girl friends and their kids. The oldest is maybe 7 years and the youngest was 6 weeks. After a semi-relaxed picknick (it is hard to have time to sit down and talk with loads of kids running away to play ;-) ) we drove home to our house. The girls of course wanted to inspect our new house. The weather was amazing and we spent the whole afternoon on the patio. The play house was a big hit with the kids and the grown ups liked the big house too.. Dave did a grand job grilling hotdogs and chicken and we had a great time. The girls left around 6 ish and by then Elias was exhausted. He hadn't slept much during the day and when I put him to bed at 7 I think he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. I was almost as tired as him and went to bed at 9.30.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Back to work..
It is quite hard to believe, but tomorrow I am going back to work again. It is amazing how fast these 11 ½ months have passed since I started my maternity leave. Dave has been off work since Thursday becasue there has been a bank holiday and it has been so nice to have a bit of extra time together. In these 4 days we have
* managed to test the bbq for the first time
* showed off the house to my old daymum
* bought and tried a lawn mower (battery)
* been to Maya's 2nd birthday party
* made a trip into town and the modern museum of art. Elias first museum experience and he behaved very well.
Apart from those things we have also done some work in the garden. The lawn is unfortunatelly full of dandeloins, there must be thousands of them. Tonight we bought a special tool for removing them that works pretty well but leaves the lawn looking like a swiss cheese...
Ok, that's all from me for this time, better go and pack my bag for tomorrow!
* managed to test the bbq for the first time
* showed off the house to my old daymum
* bought and tried a lawn mower (battery)
* been to Maya's 2nd birthday party
* made a trip into town and the modern museum of art. Elias first museum experience and he behaved very well.
Apart from those things we have also done some work in the garden. The lawn is unfortunatelly full of dandeloins, there must be thousands of them. Tonight we bought a special tool for removing them that works pretty well but leaves the lawn looking like a swiss cheese...
Ok, that's all from me for this time, better go and pack my bag for tomorrow!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Insy winsy spider
On Friday Elias "walked" with his little push car for the first time. When I have put him in front of it before he has always gone down on his knees and tried to suck the handle. But now he does actually take a few steps with it! Very exciting.
Yesterday we had some great weather and we spent a lot of time in the garden weeding. Elias still is a bit suspicious of the "great outdoors" and when put on a blanket he just sits there. Quite nice for us though, we can actually get some work done and not chase him around the garden. ;-)
Elias likes the swing now by the way, and this is how cute he is sitting in it!
Yesterday we had a bit of drama here in the house. A towel had been hanging out on the terrace and we had brought it in. Elias was sitting next to it and all of a sudden Dave shouted "oh my god". On the towel was a huge spider, the biggest I have ever seen in Sweden. My hero Dave managed to kill it and we could all relax. I wonder if the climate change have anything to do with the size of that bugger... Bloody global warming!
I hope you have seen the new photo album - April & May..
Yesterday we had some great weather and we spent a lot of time in the garden weeding. Elias still is a bit suspicious of the "great outdoors" and when put on a blanket he just sits there. Quite nice for us though, we can actually get some work done and not chase him around the garden. ;-)
Elias likes the swing now by the way, and this is how cute he is sitting in it!
Yesterday we had a bit of drama here in the house. A towel had been hanging out on the terrace and we had brought it in. Elias was sitting next to it and all of a sudden Dave shouted "oh my god". On the towel was a huge spider, the biggest I have ever seen in Sweden. My hero Dave managed to kill it and we could all relax. I wonder if the climate change have anything to do with the size of that bugger... Bloody global warming!
I hope you have seen the new photo album - April & May..
Friday, April 25, 2008
Driving drama
Another week is coming to an end and it has been a really nice one. On Monday we went to the open nursery, on Tuesday we met up with Lisa and Theo and went for a walk in the sunshine. On Wednesday we went to Uppsala to meet the people form our parent group. We went for a walk around an outdoor zoo and had lunch together. It was great to see them all. 
Unfortunatelly we had a bit of bad luck on the way home. North of Stockholm the road got congested and after a while I realised we weren't moving at all. I phoned David to find out what was going on and after a while he had found out that there had been an accident and the road was actually closed off a bit ahead of us. Elias had been asleep up until now but after a while of standing still he woke up and quite soon he was getting very upset. The traffic was hardly moving at all but after maybe 40 minutes we had gotten to the next exit and I managed to get off the motorway. Dave agreed to quit work early, take the train to Solna (where we were stuck) and we would try to find another route home. Luckily I had a bit of extra food for Elias so he was ok. We did manage to get home in the end but what normally take 1 hour had taken us 4... I really hate bad traffic and with a baby in the car it's just a nightmare..
Unfortunatelly we had a bit of bad luck on the way home. North of Stockholm the road got congested and after a while I realised we weren't moving at all. I phoned David to find out what was going on and after a while he had found out that there had been an accident and the road was actually closed off a bit ahead of us. Elias had been asleep up until now but after a while of standing still he woke up and quite soon he was getting very upset. The traffic was hardly moving at all but after maybe 40 minutes we had gotten to the next exit and I managed to get off the motorway. Dave agreed to quit work early, take the train to Solna (where we were stuck) and we would try to find another route home. Luckily I had a bit of extra food for Elias so he was ok. We did manage to get home in the end but what normally take 1 hour had taken us 4... I really hate bad traffic and with a baby in the car it's just a nightmare..
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunshine and shopping
We have had a very nice weekend, on Saturday our friends Pelle and Sofia came around with their baby daughter Maja, 10 weeks. She was so small and cute. Elias behaved like a star and showed off his crawling and standing skills.
We had been told the weather would be nice this weekend but the Saturday was quite cloudy, but on Sunday we had great weather. I spent most of the day shopping though, a bit of bad timing but it had to be done! I managed to find quite a lot of the things I wanted and Dave and Elias had had a nice time together. Apparently Elias had actually liked to go on the swings in the park. When we have tried before he hasn't liked it which has been a bit of a shame. In the afternoon we also took him outside to play on the lawn. We were a bit worried about all the stuff he would probably try to eat, but it turned out that he was very sceptical about the grass. He didn't move at all and as soon as his fingers touched the grass he shivered with discomfort. I guess it was a bit new and strange to him. He will probably like it soon and start munching on the grass and dirt...
We had been told the weather would be nice this weekend but the Saturday was quite cloudy, but on Sunday we had great weather. I spent most of the day shopping though, a bit of bad timing but it had to be done! I managed to find quite a lot of the things I wanted and Dave and Elias had had a nice time together. Apparently Elias had actually liked to go on the swings in the park. When we have tried before he hasn't liked it which has been a bit of a shame. In the afternoon we also took him outside to play on the lawn. We were a bit worried about all the stuff he would probably try to eat, but it turned out that he was very sceptical about the grass. He didn't move at all and as soon as his fingers touched the grass he shivered with discomfort. I guess it was a bit new and strange to him. He will probably like it soon and start munching on the grass and dirt...
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Quick Note
I thought I would do a quick post, mainly to shock Vickan.
Not much to report except that I am getting nervous about my paternity leave. It is relentlessly drawing closer and closer like a steamroller. But believe it or not I am looking forward to it too. Elias is a lovely boy and fun to be with. He has a good sense of humour when he is not hungry. It is funny when he wants to play "chase". Somehow he manages to tell me he wants to play without words. He starts to crawl away, then turns back toward me grinning and silent. Then he creeps forward a little more and then looks back again. Then I start to crawl after him making growling sounds and he squeals and giggles and starts trying to get away.
Yesterday we had a deer in our back garden. I could not get the camera in time unfortunately. Vickan thinks the deer will steal all our apples later in the year.
The other day I saw a woodpecker pecking in the tree just a few metres from our back door. I failed to get to the camera in time then as well, so you'll just have to believe me!
Not much to report except that I am getting nervous about my paternity leave. It is relentlessly drawing closer and closer like a steamroller. But believe it or not I am looking forward to it too. Elias is a lovely boy and fun to be with. He has a good sense of humour when he is not hungry. It is funny when he wants to play "chase". Somehow he manages to tell me he wants to play without words. He starts to crawl away, then turns back toward me grinning and silent. Then he creeps forward a little more and then looks back again. Then I start to crawl after him making growling sounds and he squeals and giggles and starts trying to get away.
Yesterday we had a deer in our back garden. I could not get the camera in time unfortunately. Vickan thinks the deer will steal all our apples later in the year.
The other day I saw a woodpecker pecking in the tree just a few metres from our back door. I failed to get to the camera in time then as well, so you'll just have to believe me!
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
10-month checkup
Today we have been to the clinic for Elias' 10-month check-up. They measured and weighed him as usual but also had a doctor checking a few medical things and if he is developing like he should.
Everything was fine. Heart and lungs sounded fine, his belly was ok and hips and joints were good to. She checked if he masters the pincer grip (which he does) and if he bangs two blocks together. The banging took a while for him to show, he just wanted to throw the blocks on the floor ;-) He did show off banging blocks together before we left so she was pleased. I asked if we should worry about the fact that he still doesn't roll over when he is on his back but the doctor thought nothing of it since he both crawls and stands up against furniture and tries to walk alongside them.
Another thing he has started to do lately is to clap his hands and wave. Extremely cute of course! If we have the telly on and there is clapping he joins in!
Everything was fine. Heart and lungs sounded fine, his belly was ok and hips and joints were good to. She checked if he masters the pincer grip (which he does) and if he bangs two blocks together. The banging took a while for him to show, he just wanted to throw the blocks on the floor ;-) He did show off banging blocks together before we left so she was pleased. I asked if we should worry about the fact that he still doesn't roll over when he is on his back but the doctor thought nothing of it since he both crawls and stands up against furniture and tries to walk alongside them.
Another thing he has started to do lately is to clap his hands and wave. Extremely cute of course! If we have the telly on and there is clapping he joins in!
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Garden work
At Easter we got quite a lot of snow, enough for David to build a snow man (or a replica of one of the soldiers in the terracotta army?)We had almost a week of proper winter and a few days it was really cold, I think the coldest we had was -13 during the night. At the end of last week it started thawing and by the weekend all snow was gone and it was really warm and sunny. On Saturday Dave went grocesry shopping with Elias on his own (a practice run) and in the afternoon Anna and Jacob came round for a visit. It was so nice to see them. We do miss all our friends in Uppsala!
On Sunday I was tempted to go into town and have a fika with my cousin but the weather was so nice so I decided to take the opportunity to do some garden work. Therese actually came here and helped too! ;-) We pruned the apple tree - loads of fun!! Not that we really knew what we were doing, but I think we did a good job. I do think a few more brances need to be chopped off though.. We also raked quite a lot of leaves while Dave took care of Elias and served us lunch on the patio for the first time.. Unfortunatelly we didn't take a before and after picture of the tree, but here is a picture of Dave's melted snow soldier and in the background is the tree before the pruning. I will make sure to take an after picture soon (as I am sure you are all Very interested)
Since the last entry me and Elias have also met up with my friend Lisa and her 4 week old boy Theo. Lisa and I got to know each other -98 in Stuttgart when we were both exchange students and since then we have been in touch on and off. When I sent out our new address to my whole address book she replied and it turns out she lives about 1.5 km from here!! It is great to be in touch with here again, just a shame I am soon going back to work! It is amazing to see Theo and think that Elias was that small once.. Hard to believe..
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter!!
First of all we want to apologise for the delayed blog entry. Somehow the days just rush past and all of a sudden a week have went past without us reporting about our life in the new house..
As we said in the previous entry we have had a few over night guests already. The first one was of course my dad who was here to help with the move. THANK YOU!! We also almost went to a friends party and left Elias with a babysitter. The plan was that my cousin Therese and her boyfriend Michael were going to babysit so we invited them over a few days before the big day for a bit of a test run. Elias had been a bit poorly the night before but had seemed ok during the day so we thought it would be ok. When they were here he did a super violent puke though and the next day both David and Michael fell ill. So much for that night out. Dave was too ill to go to a party and we had given the babysitter a stomach bug.. Oh well. The next weekend Therese offered to babysit again (to our surprise!) so we went shopping for a few hours during the day. We did an IKEA run and bought quite a lot of stuff, we just about managed to fit it into the car. Among other things we bought a new sofa bed for the guest room and a few days later Luke and Yoko came for a quick visit and were the premiere guests in the guest room.
Last Wednesday my cousin Erika came for an over night visit and on Thursday Angelika and the dogs came to spend Easter with us. We have been quite busy as you can see... Easter has been really lovely. It has snowed a couple of days and on Friday we first had a bit of a snow storm but in the afternoon the sun came out. Yesterday and today the sun has been shining and it has been really beautiful with the snow, unfortunately it has been a bit windy so it hasn't been that nice to go for long walks but I guess you can't get everything...
Anki and the dogs have gone back home now and I am sure Elias miss his auntie and "cousins". She got to be around for the second tooth starting to sprout and also to see him drag himself up to standing against the coffee table. I have tried to catch his tooth in a picture and this is the closest I have gotten. Can you see tooth no 1?
He also does a bit of "walking" with the use of a basket turned upside down as support. It will be interesting to see when he starts walking around the coffee table and such. Apparently that is one of the things they check for in the 10-month checkup.
As we said in the previous entry we have had a few over night guests already. The first one was of course my dad who was here to help with the move. THANK YOU!! We also almost went to a friends party and left Elias with a babysitter. The plan was that my cousin Therese and her boyfriend Michael were going to babysit so we invited them over a few days before the big day for a bit of a test run. Elias had been a bit poorly the night before but had seemed ok during the day so we thought it would be ok. When they were here he did a super violent puke though and the next day both David and Michael fell ill. So much for that night out. Dave was too ill to go to a party and we had given the babysitter a stomach bug.. Oh well. The next weekend Therese offered to babysit again (to our surprise!) so we went shopping for a few hours during the day. We did an IKEA run and bought quite a lot of stuff, we just about managed to fit it into the car. Among other things we bought a new sofa bed for the guest room and a few days later Luke and Yoko came for a quick visit and were the premiere guests in the guest room.
Last Wednesday my cousin Erika came for an over night visit and on Thursday Angelika and the dogs came to spend Easter with us. We have been quite busy as you can see... Easter has been really lovely. It has snowed a couple of days and on Friday we first had a bit of a snow storm but in the afternoon the sun came out. Yesterday and today the sun has been shining and it has been really beautiful with the snow, unfortunately it has been a bit windy so it hasn't been that nice to go for long walks but I guess you can't get everything...
Anki and the dogs have gone back home now and I am sure Elias miss his auntie and "cousins". She got to be around for the second tooth starting to sprout and also to see him drag himself up to standing against the coffee table. I have tried to catch his tooth in a picture and this is the closest I have gotten. Can you see tooth no 1?
He also does a bit of "walking" with the use of a basket turned upside down as support. It will be interesting to see when he starts walking around the coffee table and such. Apparently that is one of the things they check for in the 10-month checkup.
Friday, March 14, 2008
We are online!!!!!
Yipeeeeeeee!
Tonight we have finally gotten our modem installed and we are back in cyberspace. I have spent the last hour going through my very full inbox. Oh how I have missed my emails!! ;-)
There are a few different reasons why it has taken us so long to get this working but one of the worst cock ups is that the company managed to send the modem to an address we lived on 4 years ago!! (Norrtäljegatan) Very strange/BAD.
I still have quite a few emails to go through but we will try to write a proper entry and post some pictures during the weekend. A quick recap of what has happened since the move comes here:
* Elias started crawling
* Elias got his first tooth
* Elias started "talking" (bababababa)
* Dave did a first "repair" on the house
* My cousin babysat for Elias
* We had our first over night guests
Tonight we have finally gotten our modem installed and we are back in cyberspace. I have spent the last hour going through my very full inbox. Oh how I have missed my emails!! ;-)
There are a few different reasons why it has taken us so long to get this working but one of the worst cock ups is that the company managed to send the modem to an address we lived on 4 years ago!! (Norrtäljegatan) Very strange/BAD.
I still have quite a few emails to go through but we will try to write a proper entry and post some pictures during the weekend. A quick recap of what has happened since the move comes here:
* Elias started crawling
* Elias got his first tooth
* Elias started "talking" (bababababa)
* Dave did a first "repair" on the house
* My cousin babysat for Elias
* We had our first over night guests
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The big move
We have done it we have moved. I say "we", but I ,Dave, actually went to work on the move day, a strange decision perhaps. Vickan and Stig handled everything, but we had hired a removal company who were excellent. They arrived at 7.45 am and were finished by lunchtime. It cost us about 6500 SEK but it was worth every öre.
When we first got to the house, the old owners had left us a bottle of bubbly wine and a note welcoming us. They also left a bunch of useful stuff behind, like gardening equipment, a trampoline(!), and nice wooden cupboard, a high pressure water cleaner among others. It is good to know we have such nice people as our predecessors.
We slept in our new home for the first time last night, and Elias slept in his own room for the first time, meaning that we could talk and move and read without worrying about waking him up. He slept pretty well in there we think.
Now come the weeks of living in a mess. But it will be fun to get everything how we like it in the home.
When we first got to the house, the old owners had left us a bottle of bubbly wine and a note welcoming us. They also left a bunch of useful stuff behind, like gardening equipment, a trampoline(!), and nice wooden cupboard, a high pressure water cleaner among others. It is good to know we have such nice people as our predecessors.
We slept in our new home for the first time last night, and Elias slept in his own room for the first time, meaning that we could talk and move and read without worrying about waking him up. He slept pretty well in there we think.
Now come the weeks of living in a mess. But it will be fun to get everything how we like it in the home.
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