family Molin

The New Blog.

2009-11-03T09:32:00.001+01:00

http://hillarymolin.wordpress.com

Uncertainty.

2009-11-02T09:40:00.004+01:00

Well, since I haven't posted in awhile, I suppose it is obvious about the uncertainty of the future of this blog. :( There are just not enough hours in the day. At least not right now.

There are just so many options when it comes to blogging right now. Since I redid the layout of this blog, I never had a chance to finish and put back everything that belonged (all the links, etc..).. Then the decision on what to blog about.. Life in Sweden, life with a baby, life with a baby in Sweden.. Just a photo blog..? Too many options right now. And keeping up with everything can be very time consuming and stressful.

I really, really want to keep one going, I just don't know if I can right now.
I have thought about laying this one down and starting over. Also because I have completely run out of storage space for photos and videos. So I have considered starting again, with a different domain and seeing if that would be easier for me. Only use the collages, etc.. And just write about highlights in our lives.

I hate not having pictures of birthdays and things about Leia here and there. But I hate, yet once again, to change blogs.

So I am still thinking about it. :/
If I start a new blog, I'll start where I left off, and try to post birthday pictures and more pictures from our trip to the US, etc..

What we've been up to the last month:

Leia: Had her first school pictures, and they are gorgeous! Talking like crazy and she has now learned American sign language! (Just from her Baby Einstein DVDs.)

Fredrik: Still working 50% until December. Starting December he'll work 80% until the start of the new year. His company, Metria, is probably going to go private, rather than government run and operated. Meaning a lot of (good) changes within the company. His new regional office is going to be in Jämtland, which is far North of us. Which is just silly, but anywho..... :P

Hillary: Still studying. Almost fully completed her English class. Will be done with it in a couple of weeks. Teachers have quickly and easily found out that I have a degree in English Lit, and they think it is cool. They see me as a great asset to the class. I really like the people in my class and my teachers (2 of them). Getting all MVGs (highest grade) on my Swedish work. I have a huge test this week, but I don't think I am taking it now. National Test will last all of December. Working on my second Swedish novel for class, reading a Beck novel and I like it!

We've reconstructed an area in the backyard with pretty cement blocks for our compost area. We've painted the living room and bought some new furniture. All we need now are new couches.

That is all for now I think.
I'll give a head's up if I start something new. :)

Beautiful Leia.

2009-10-06T12:53:00.002+02:00

After our return from Kentucky this summer, Leia decided to have a little posing session and I was able to take lots of pictures of our beautiful baby girl.

We had a nice day to Karlstad yesterday! We bought a few things, especially presents for Leia's birthday. The days are going by quickly and lots needs to be done! I have lots of baking to do and I'm still trying to catch up with my work.

Grattis, Pappa!

2009-10-04T22:48:00.004+02:00

Leia can't say much, but she did say "happy" today. :)) The "birthday" didn't sound so good. :)) But I think Fredrik liked it anyways. :) He turned 31 today. :) I don't think he really minds being in the 30's. :) We had yummy food today, his favorites, and he received some nice presents. :) I hope he enjoyed his day!

Today I bought us a new TV stand that we needed.

Tomorrow, we are heading to Karlstad to look around, especially to the toy store and to IKEA. It's always fun to look around in IKEA (not sure Fredrik agrees, though). :))

But now Law & Order is over and it is bed time!

I am.. ugh.. not doing so well with my school work. Very difficult to keep up with it. :( I have 2 literature courses, which means lots of reading and lots and lots of writing. I'm not too behind with the English, but the Swedish I'm no where caught up with the work. I think it is also that I am sooooo tired of studying Swedish. I've studied so much repetitive stuff that I can't take it anymore. I have only taken 2 classes here in Åmål, and I've had 3 different Swedish teachers. Total, I've taken 4 Swedish classes and I've had 8 different teachers. :/ And each teacher teaches the same stuff. I don't know how many of the same papers that I've written over and over again. Especially moving from town to town. Luckily, that also enables me to reuse papers that I've already written.. :D

ha..

Now it is bed!

Better than we ever could have thought!

2009-10-02T20:06:00.004+02:00

So we were able to do our painting today in the dining room! And it turned out so well. :) We are very pleased with how it looks. We did such a good job that we only had to put on one coat of paint. We anxious to now paint the living room, which will be the same color.

It seems like a completely different room, so much bigger and more depth. It will be a much warmer room. We LOVE the color!

Tomorrow we hope to make a trip to the summer house. It has been awhile since my parents have been there, and they love looking around there. :) And we are gonna fill the car up with firewood to bring back to the house. After that, we don't really have any set plans.

Sample.

2009-09-28T22:54:00.003+02:00

So here is the color we chose for the rooms:

And my horrible attempt at trying to get an idea of what it will look like on the walls:

We're a little afraid it is too dark, but we really like it. :)

Mormor and Morfar should be over the Atlantic now. :) They have a very, very long flight ahead of them, with two layovers, their trip will come to about 24 hours.. :/ So hopefully they can nap in the car on the drive to our house.

*yawn* A bit tired. :P
Should probably get to bed!

Getting ready.

2009-09-27T21:32:00.024+02:00

We're getting ready for lots of things.

Tomorrow I go early in the morning to the hospital in Säffle to give blood. Something that I encourage everyone to do, no matter where you live.
If you would like more information on donating blood in Sweden, HERE is a link to get you started.

And while I'm at it, I want to encourage everyone to become an organ donor.
The Swedish link is HERE.

I registered myself as an organ donor my 2nd day in Sweden. :P Fredrik refused to let me register him... *sigh* But as soon as we received Leia's social identity number, I registered her AND Fredrik. :P So.. go do it! :))
I am very proud to have all 3 of us registered.

Even though we dust and vacuum the dining room (where the fireplace is located) at least twice a day and each morning when we come into the room, there is a new layer everywhere.... The stuff just won't go away.. :(( So today we did lots more cleaning, like we have all weekend. Leia of course did her part, too. She loves to use the duster, so she gets that job.

We also need to find someone to make a... ehhh.. thing to go infront of the fireplace, on the floor.. :P So we made the shape of that on the floor, of how we hope to have it look, and then we will go talk to someone about it tomorrow.

Tomorrow a bit more cleaning up for Mormor and Morfar to arrive. Empty up their room some more, etc..

And tomorrow we are going to go try to pick out a color of paint for the living room and dining room. Going to be the same color for both rooms. Well, I think it should be the same color, Fredrik wants different colors. But I think it would look strange to have different colors, seeing how the rooms are connected with such a large doorframe and it seems more like one larger room than two separate rooms. But we will try to pick something out and get a sample of it, and then bring it home and try it on the wall before we actually make the purchase.

So we've been trying to clean up the room to make it ready for painting. I oiled the oak dining furniture today (took about an hour to do the long cabinet, dining table and 6 chairs). < sarcasm > Lots of fun! < /sarcasm > And I started putting around the blue tape for painting purposes. Leia loved helping with that today, too. :))

I haven't done much school work this weekend, and I am a bit behind again. But I don't care. :P It isn't worth getting stressed out with it when it is just silly high-school level classes. Especially when I am over-qualified to even teach the English class that I'm taking.

We're planning a trip to Nordens Ark soon after my parents arrive. We want to make sure we get a trip there before it gets too cold and we won't get to see any of the animals! :) We've been to the gates of the zoo, but we haven't been in. We go past it on our way to Smögen. But we decided that last summer Leia was a little too young to make the cost worth it. But the zoo is open every day of the year! How cool is that? So maybe we can make a couple of trips there while they are here.

We are planning a little "birthday party" for Leia the weekend before her birthday, on the 10th. We'll have Mormor and Morfar here, and hopefully Farmor and Farfar, and then we invited our neighbors and their grandchildren, if they happen to be here. Otherwise, it will just be all of us old folks and Leia. :)

Leia has her birthday day off from daycare, but that day is when the photographer will be there, so we'll end up there that day anyways. And I'm guessing on Wednesday will be the day they celebrate Leia's birthday. Since there are so few children there, they celebrate each birthday individually, unlike larger daycares that have one party a month for the children that have that month as a birthday. The parents are expected to bring a treat for the children. And then they sing "Happy Birthday" in Swedish, of course, and then they give the child a little gift. They decorate with balloons and all of that, so it is really nice!

Most parents take ice cream, it is cheapest and easiest, and possibly easiest for the daycare workers too. But I wanna do something different and give a little American influence, so I am making some American cupcakes. :) With very little frosting, so to not make the children hyperactive for the rest of the day. :D And I might take some homemade cookies, too.. for those children that of course won't like their first taste of American deliciousness. ;)

But now I should maybe try to read a little before bed. I need to read a novel in Swedish and write a paper about it. I am almost done with the novel.

More soon!

Kentucky.

2009-09-27T12:52:00.002+02:00

Not long after our trip to Pennsylvania, we took a short trip to Kentucky to visit with friends and family. This trip was mainly for Fredrik, so he could see the area where my parents are from.

We were able to see some family members and we had a fantastic dinner with my parent's best friends.

The weather.. ugh.. was hot and humid and miserable! Horribly hot weather in the mountains, but Fredrik finally got to see the beautiful scenery. :)

Another beautiful day!

2009-09-26T22:06:00.001+02:00

Cousins.

2009-09-26T09:53:00.004+02:00

The last pictures that I put on we were on our way from Ohio to Pennsylvania. There Leia got to meet her aunt and cousins for the first time! Leia got to meet her Aunt Beverly, and her boyfriend Ryan, and her cousins, Heather, Kayla and Kyle.

We drove and met them in Hershey, PA, where they have the chocolate factory. So we took a tour of the place (even though all of us have been there dozens of times, Fredrik included). :)

Leia took up with her cousins SO well! Especially Kayla. :)

Leia won't remember the event, but her cousins will! And we have pictures to show her of course. She won't be able to meet with her cousins very much in her life, so this was an important event. :)

Fall is upon us.

2009-09-25T18:45:00.005+02:00

Even though Fall has been here for awhile, we had a pleasantly warm day today! Not hot or anything.. :) ..but it was sunny and very nice out!

Leia is saying a lot more now. But it is all in Swedish. :( We think that she is getting frustrated with me sometimes because I speak a different language than everyone else. So I think Mormor and Morfar being here for the next 5 weeks will help a lot in Leia's language development. It will be good for her to hear more English speakers.

Right now, her favorite words to say are:

- akta! (be careful / watch out)
- titta (look)
- bye bye
- Elvis (yes, Elvis)

And of course numbers in general and the alphabet. She tries to say most everything she hears in English and Swedish, but she remembers the Swedish more of course because she hears it more often.

Leia didn't even try to sleep at all today, but she stayed pretty happy and not too cranky. Fredrik took her on a long 2 hour walk then, so that I could get through some school stuff and so he could get some exercise.

Leia loves being outside. Whenever they leave the grounds at daycare, either for their weekly Thursday forest trips, or when they take out their recycling, etc.. Leia refuses to go in the stroller! She wants to walk with the older children. :) So they let her and she does very well! :) ("Very well" meaning that she doesn't run away.) :)) She listens and stays with them, so they let her walk. :)

And on Leia's birthday, they are finally getting a photographer to come and take a group picture! :) They have all 15 spots filled now at the daycare, 14 girls and 1 boy... :D And then I think you can have individual pictures done, too - so we are going to see if she will sit still for that. :)

Now it is close to 19.00 and välling time!

And the total comes to..

2009-09-25T12:50:00.002+02:00

31 000sek
4500$

EHh.. :/ :D A lot of money, but worth it! (For the fireplace.) We're hoping that it will cut down the cost of heating during the Winter so that we don't have to buy so many pellets (our heating source).

During the summer months, from May - September, we use 1 pallet of pellets. But during Sept - April, we use about 1 pallet a month.. :/ Each pallet is 2500sek (350-400 $). So we hope we won't have to buy as many pallets, and then it will be a good investment in the long run. Also when we want to sell the house in the future, it might not add any value onto the house, but it should help it making it easier to sell.

Day 9.

2009-09-25T09:03:00.006+02:00

So he finished up the fireplace yesterday, there wasn't very much left for him to do. Then he cleaned up the floor very well. Last night, I cleaned off the walls, and Fredrik did some more vacuuming. But the walls are now a nice brown shade. (Since there isn't a finished coat of paint on the walls, nothing wipes off at all.) So we HAVE to paint now. Which is probably for the better. So we're going to leave the room like it is, with all the plastic covering. And get to painting soon after Mormor and Morfar get here!

The guy will be back in a few weeks to put the outer sand/clay on the fireplace. It will go on over the tiles and inbetween. He said it will give it a much nicer shine and make it a white color inbetween the tiles. He said we should be able to use it around Christmas, or right after. :)

A weekend away.

2009-09-24T18:03:00.003+02:00

We had a fantastic weekend last weekend. :) Since the house was very messy and Fredrik had so many days off, we decided to go to the summer house. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time!

I've decided that since I have sooooo many pictures to share, that I might just start making collages instead! Very fun and simple to do, and that way I can share even more pictures, and save storage space on my Blogger account. That way I might actually finally get around to putting on pictures from our trip to the US! :/ :(

But last weekend I got plenty of school work done, including writing my own fairy tale for my Swedish class! Fredrik loves it and thinks I should write a longer version.. we'll see if that happens.. :/ :)

Fredrik is definitely enjoying his time off from work, and Leia is doing well with her extended hours at daycare. She is there now until 17.00. And I absolutely hate it! :( I miss her so much. :( But I know I won't be able to get anything done otherwise.

Soon my parents will be here! :)

The fireplace is now finished! And the room is a horrible, nasty, awful mess. :( So we have lots of cleaning to do. So we hope to get all that done, and then maybe try to paint in there before moving all the furniture back! :) I hope we can do that, but it depends on how much the paint will cost.. :/ Since Fredrik's paychecks have been cut back a bit we might not be able to, but it is a good opportunity to do it since we have 2 more helpers and all the furniture is out of the room. So we'll see.

We really hate having the rooms be white.. :/ Feels institutional.

We might be having some buyers for Leia's crib and changing table, so we might be getting rid of some of her baby stuff. :) It makes me very, very sad to get rid of her things. :( Ugh.. don't wanna get into that now..! :))

Fredrik has started cleaning and I wanna go help!
I'll try to write more later!

Day 8.

2009-09-24T10:55:00.001+02:00

Day 7.

2009-09-22T21:04:00.007+02:00

What a mess!!!

Day 6.

2009-09-22T10:25:00.002+02:00

It is getting a bit difficult to take pictures now, because of the height.

The Good Doctor.

2009-09-21T21:41:00.005+02:00

Today Leia had an appointment with a "good doctor." As opposed to a "bad doctor" that has needles and gives icky medicine. :) Leia had her appointment today with the child psychologist. And we think that it went really well!

We sat in a room and Leia behaved well while we talked to the doctor. Leia was very timid but opened up better near the end. :) The doctor assessed her mentally and physically. Most importantly for us, we had answered one of the questions that we had about Leia. Which was about autism.

The doctor said that while she has autistic characteristics and tendencies, she is too active to be fully autistic. She said that since she is not autistic, her determination, stubbornness and desire to do everything herself will be very healthy for her in the end.

It has been Leia's lack of affection and the way she holds herself away from others that has been bothering us. The doctor wasn't a bit surprised when we confirmed how alert she has been her entire life, even the same day she was born - eyes wide open, and I said, "She hasn't closed them since." :D

She said that however she reacts to our affection, to not stop what we are doing and hopefully she'll get a bit better. :)

Finally, for the last 2 weeks, Leia's sleep has been better. And it goes back to the autism question of Leia having to decide for herself what and when things happen. So from June until September, we've fought with her sleeping, and now we are hoping that we've figured out what to do. We say goodnight and leave her alone upstairs. And she goes and gets in bed herself and falls asleep alone and by herself. Sounds a bit morbid, I think. :P But she has to have that reassurance that she is making the decision to go to bed. It has worked very, very well for the last 2 weeks and she is even sleeping in longer in the mornings.

So it was nice to have someone else, especially a professional, not tell us that we were silly to think autism might be an issue. Unlike other children, Leia doesn't come and sit in our laps, she doesn't come and sit beside us, she doesn't offer us hugs or put her arms around us when we actually get a hug. Her hugs, the few times we get them, are her laying her head on our shoulder for a few seconds.

The doctor said that Leia is sorta living vicariously through her cat. :) That if we want a hug, to hug the cat first, if we want to cut her nails, cut the cat's nails first, etc.. Which makes sense. Leia doesn't hug us, but she comes up to me often and places the cat against my neck and has me hug the cat like she, herself, hugs the cat.

She gave us some good tips and it was really nice to talk to someone. :)
And since we have no one in the area, friends or family, to give us a helping hand or a break, even a meal out by ourselves some time - the doctor suggested we put an ad in the paper for an adopted grandma. :) She said that it is common, and easy to find very willing, older women that are lonely and would love to help out with a child. For me, that was a very tempting offer. So we'll see if we do that.

But soon Leia's real grandparents will be here! We're anxious, that's for sure! It will be interesting to see how Leia reacts to new people living in her home. :) She's been great with the fireplace-guy. She is very friendly with him.

So yay! for a good day! :)
Now back to school work! :P

Day 5.

2009-09-21T10:02:00.000+02:00

Blueberry muffins.

2009-09-21T00:04:00.002+02:00

Last Saturday.

2009-09-19T12:34:00.007+02:00

Yeah.. I'm putting pictures on from last Saturday.. :/ I'm so behind with pictures it is crazy.. :P I did drop my Samhällskunskap class - there was no way I could catch up or have time for it. Oh well. :P

But last Saturday we went to the summer house to have a nice day, and we did have a nice day! Here are some pictures:

15 bikers, aged 35-70, super-sweet and so nice to Leia!

blackberries

Day 4.

2009-09-17T17:48:00.005+02:00

March pictures.

2009-09-17T16:20:00.002+02:00

Pictures from the month of March!

Day 3.

2009-09-17T13:46:00.008+02:00

I'm sorry that I didn't post any pictures yesterday. I stayed up until 02.50 on Wednesday morning reading my school work, and got 3 hours of sleep before Leia woke us up. Then I read and wrote like crazy yesterday all day before going to my first English class. (Which was unbelievably confounding.) So then I ended up passing out on the couch last night about 22.00. :/ :D

So here are the pictures from yesterday!

Day 2.

2009-09-15T22:53:00.006+02:00

Day 1.

2009-09-14T22:12:00.001+02:00

Happy anniversary..

2009-09-13T19:40:00.015+02:00

..to me. :P

7 years ago today I arrived in Sweden.
My life hasn't been the same since. :/ :))
For better and for worse.

In moving here, I gave up my life in the US. I gave up any career that I would have had, and friends and family, never knowing if I would see any of them again. I gave it all up to move to a small Socialist country that has a gray sky for at least a good 7 months of the year. To live in a place where I would have to learn a new language from scratch, start over my education, impossible for me to find work, and very difficult to connect with the people and make friends.

But I gained a wonderful Swedish husband that provides for me and is a fantatic father. :)

I've followed him all over the country, and back again. We've moved so many times for his needs of schooling and work. Once, in the beginning, we considered a move to Falun, for me to get my Masters degree in English, but that was short lived. We have finally "settled down" somewhere, even if we've only been here for 2 years and 4 months - it is the longest we've lived anywhere in a single town. Sometimes I get a bit jealous of him, that we've always moved around for his needs and never having to worry about mine. Also that he's gotten every job he's ever applied for, even rejecting some along the way, even rejecting offers that he never even applied for. While I send out masses of applications for anything I might think I could have a chance at, and no one even batting an eyelash in my direction. It can be a bit frustrating at times, and a bit disheartening.

I never even considered visiting Europe, especially Sweden, much less live here now for almost a forth of my life. :) Now I call Sweden home. Everynow and then it feels like I am on a prolonged vacation, and some days it feels like I have always lived here.

I face daily frustrations of not understanding people, or not being understood. Not sure of where my future will be (where we will end up) or if I will ever find work. I'm waiting for the day when Leia's level of Swedish will surpass mine. :)

Sometimes I think people on both sides of "the pond," as us expats call it, forget what it entails to move to another country. With the intent to live there forever. To leave everything behind, and everyone you know, to try to start a life in a new country, knowing only 1 person there. The type of stress and depression that can come along with it. The loneliness that can come along with it. Moving to another country can cause a person to lose their identity, to forget who they are, because they can not continue to normally be themselves. Personally I have become quieter and more reserved, not nearly the outgoing person that I was in the US.

Of course it isn't like that all the time! But it can be very trying at times. :)

I love my life here and I've experienced so many things that I never would have otherwise. I love when my parents can visit us and I can share with them so many things and places they never would have otherwise enjoyed.

I do sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if I had never met Fredrik and we wouldn't have stayed together during a very long distance 4 year relationship, and if I never would have moved to Sweden. But I don't like to think about it for too long, because I hate to imagine life without him.

Goodbye, Erik.

2009-09-12T22:13:00.012+02:00

A few weeks ago, Fredrik's farfar passed away, his paternal grandfather, and Leia's great-grandfather. Yesterday was his funeral service.

The three of us drove 2 hours East to Örebro and attended his beautiful service. Of course it was an emotional day, but it was also very peaceful at the same time. Fredrik's grandfather, Erik, passed away peacefully in his sleep, in his own bed. I only hope to leave this life so simply.

How does the saying go.. "There is nothing like a funeral to bring about a family reunion.." ?
We were able to see some family that we haven't seen in many years and it was very nice to see them.

Leia behaved very well. We were pleased with her behavior, knowing that she could have been difficult to deal with. But she behaved and was a good girl. This was her 2nd funeral now, before even turning 2. (I was Leia's age, just having turned 2 years old, when I lost both of my grandfathers.)

As Swedish tradition, everyone pays their respects during the funeral service while walking past the casket and laying a flower, typically a rose on the coffin. Soon after entering the church, Leia's great-grandmother, Ulla, gave Leia a tiny bouquet of picked flowers, for her to lay as well. I was a little afraid that Leia would be uncooperative and decide to keep the flowers for herself.. But she did well and laid her flowers down. She made a flinch to snatch them back, as she desperately loves flowers, but she retracted her hand and left them for her great-grandfather.

Erik was a fun man to talk to, and he loved speaking with me in the English that he knew. :) Every time we would meet, he would tell me the same stories over and over again, and I loved listening to them. And no matter how many times Fredrik would tell him that I understood Swedish, he would persist in speaking with me in English. :)

We'll keep our fond memories and share them with Leia when she gets older.

Growing up so fast.

2009-09-09T20:45:00.002+02:00

A picture of Leia before heading off to daycare.

And a picture of Mr. Kitties before heading off to daycare...... :/ :)

We're certain that she is going to be carrying around this cat until she's 35.

Overwhelmed.

2009-09-08T20:59:00.003+02:00

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by my classes.

Only my Swedish teacher is a aware of how a distance class works. Which helps. But she has us doing so much work, that I can't keep up with it. I have to read a Swedish novel and write a paper about it by next week. And that is just a tiny side-part of the daily work.

Then my English teacher, very sweet, but has no clue about how the Internet works (very old), or even what a distance class is, I think. She seems to be confused by most everything.

My Social studies teacher is completely crazy and is in her own little World. She has three different schedules of work to do, one of them is completely blank. The other two make no sense whatsoever. She seems to be completely ignorant to the fact that distance classes exist and that she is teaching one. She teaches at 3 different schools in three different towns nowhere near each other. I often wonder if she knows where she is and what class she is teaching.

I have 3 classes, and I have received only 1 of my 4 text books, and we are now 3 weeks into the term......
Things aren't going so well so far and I'm not really looking forward to the rest of the term.

Uncanny..

2009-09-06T21:24:00.001+02:00

Fun in the park.

2009-09-06T12:27:00.002+02:00

Thursday was windy, but beautiful! So Leia and I took a longer than normal walk home and stopped in the park to play.

Didn't feel like Friday.

2009-09-05T12:51:00.010+02:00

Yesterday did NOT feel like Friday, and today doesn't feel like Saturday.

I had a migraine on Thurday and Friday and Leia didn't sleep at all on Thursday night. We decided that since we never give her her sleeping medicine (feel guilty about it); we decided to give it to her last night. She really needed a good nights sleep, as she we couldn't remember the last time that she slept more than a couple of hours in a row. And I really needed to sleep too, and get rid of my migraine.

She slept well last night, and it was needed for all of us. She got up at 5 and came and got in our bed and slept maybe at least another hour. I fell asleep last night on the couch at 21.30 and I really needed that, too. Fredrik let me lay there and sleep for awhile and then we went up to bed.

I've only gotten one of my books. :( Still waiting for the rest to arrive in the mail. So I've been trying to look at my Swedish work. I have to order another book, though for my Swedish class. I have to pick 2 novels to read, too. I'm starting to regret taking 75% study credits.. :/ Going to be tough I think to get through all the work. Although I always forget that Swedish studies go muuuuuuuuuch slower than they do in the US. The pace is just not the same. So I'm sure I'll get through it okay in the end.

This morning we went out and about in town, looking around and ended up getting some groceries. Fun to get out though. The weather is definitely Autumn. The weather stays around 13-14 degC (55 degF). And it is getting darker every day. The days are getting shorter and shorter. Almost every other day I have to change the time on the light timers, so that they come on when it gets dark.

Hmm...
Fredrik has gone down to 50% work time! He is taking pappa-leave.
So 50% of his work time he will get his full salary.
Then the other 50% time (the time he is off from work) he will get 80% salary from the government and then his job gives him another 10%. So for his 50% time off, he will still receive 90% of his salary. (The employer is allowed to pay 0-20% of the remaining salary, based on their own company policies.)
But it will still be a cut in pay, but worth it he thinks. :)

He can get some things done around the house and Leia can stay home and we can take some trips to the summer house.

His boss was very pleased and supportive. It will give the new guy, Axel, a chance to work in the area. He has been having to go down and work in Gothenburg because of the lack of work here.

He'll be starting next Friday and it will continue until the end of December. :) But if something happens that he has to go back to work more, then he can do that.

So he will work 3 days one week and then the next work only 2 days and then it will go back and forth like that until Christmas. So some weekends will be 4 days and some will be 5 days.
Pretty awesome, though, huh?

----------------------------------------------------------------

So I've been writing on this a little bit at a time all day.. :P It is now 16.47 and Fredrik and Leia are out running around in the rain. :) She always walks down to the lake and walks out on the dock and they look at the boats and the water. She loves it! We'll be in the house and Fredrik will ask her if she wants to take a trip to the lake after dinner and she points out the window in the right direction and says "Där water!" (There water!)

:)

Lots of laundry today and trying to constantly teach Leia to put her toys away after she has played with something.

Lots of cleaning and straightening and throwing stuff away. We are constantly trying to get rid of things we don't use or aren't planning on using.

My parents will be here in about 24 days or so! :) We are looking forward to it. Fredrik and I are already planning to go away for a night or two by ourselves. :) They will be here from Sept 28th until Nov 5th. :) They will be here for all of our birthdays and Halloween!!! :)

We might also be lucky enough to have some company at the end of October! Our friends, Dian + Shawn, and their 3 children are hoping to maybe finally get to make a visit and see us! They hope to come spend the last week of October with us. :) So we have our fingers crossed that they will get to come and see us. My parents are the only US visiters that we've had. No one else has been able to make the long trip, so Fredrik and I are really looking forward to this.

My boss at Medborgarskolan has printed up some really nice fliers for me to put up around town here. We're still really pushing about having the courses. My Swedish teacher said she had seen the children's course, but her daughter is 5, and the course is for 7-9 year olds. I think she was a little disappointed. :/ :) But she was super proud when she looked at it and realized that it was her student that was teaching. :)

I met my Swedish teacher last week, btw!
I love her!!
She is so sweet and adorable. Very nice and easy going. It was so easy to talk with her, we got along really well!
She started out speaking veeeery slow and very easy words in Swedish.. :D And then I told her that I've been living here 7 years.. ;) Makes me a little curious as to how bad the Swedish is of the other students in her Swedish A and B courses.. :/ :))

Now I want to fold some more clothes and put them away.
Then a bunch of other stuff, too.. :P
More soon!

Mitt drömhus.

2009-09-03T11:11:00.013+02:00

Okay, yes - so I've found my dream house.

Fredrik is extremely interested in it as well, as I found out that he drove passed it 2 weeks before I even found it. (Funny that he didn't tell me about the house, huh?) ;)

Even though he would also love to have the house, he is a little more reality based than I am. Not saying that I'm not realistic, maybe just more determined. :)

But here is my house, which Fredrik is certain will be sold to two Norwegian families, for about 3x more than the asking price:

You can see the house HERE for as long as the house is for sale. (The link will disappear once the house has been taken off the market.)

To see the larger version of the house pictures, click on "Alla bilder" under the constant changing house pictures.

I Love this house.
Actually, I think I am in-love with it.

Some house facts, since it is all written (of course) in Swedish:

Built in: 1875. The house is a converted school house. It was used until 2001 for this purpose until it was bought and renovation started. The windows have been replaced and renovation has begun on some of the house.
Rooms: 9 (not including kitchen, bathroom, or cellar)
Living space: 2110 sq. feet
Non-living space: 1400 sq. feet
Yard: 1.6 acres

Cost: 125,000$
(based on an exchange rate of 7sek to the dollar)

It is about a 15 minute drive for Fredrik to work. Smack-dab in the middle of his two other male workmate's houses.

I am so in-love with this house that I have inlisted the help of many, many friends to try to help me convince him that we should really consider a move. His main concern is heating, as the house is huge. But there are fireplaces and rooms could be shut off. There is a lot of renovation that still needs to be done, like the kitchen and probably the bathroom. The parts that have been updated are beautiful and there is no BAD renovation to work from. So what you'd have to work with is a good base, no bad taste or bad, puffy wallpaper that we seem to be blessed with in all of our homes so far.

Of course we won't get it, but I would give almost anything to have this house.
I have school, and some good job possibilities in the future, and we love Leia's daycare. I'm not sure we want to uproot (yet, again). But this is definitely the house we want. It is huge, which is what we need. We need the room. A house like this would finally allow me to ship over my belongings from the US.

I think I might have talked him into calling the realitor, though - so that we can go and take a look at it at least. If anything, I'd love to walk around inside and just admire it!

We'd have so much room for our belongings. We'd have tons of room when Mormor and Morfar come and stay with us. And my best friend, Carie, and her husband are both trying to get military transfers to Germany for them and their 3 children. How awesome for them to be able to travel and stay with us.

I love the yard. A nice fence. And then I was thinking of making a nice, smaller, white picket-fence inside the yard, a smaller area for Leia, where we wouldn't have to worry about any streets (which we still do where we live now). And who knows, the option of getting a dog finally arises.. ;) A nice beagle or bassett hound in the yard would be lots of fun. Beautiful trees where we can finally have a swing for Leia.

Ahh.. dreams..
Although, I wouldn't object to more taunting towards Fredrik.. ;)

Trötthet.

2009-08-30T22:37:00.010+02:00

trötthet [²tr'öt:he:t] noun
fatigue

I've been so tired lately. :P I've been falling asleep on the couch for the last few evenings and then Fredrik has to drag me up to bed when he realizes that I've fallen asleep.

Leia wasn't feeling too well today we don't think. She laid in the couch today for awhile off and on.. head on a pillow, pacifier and kitty, and even under the cover. She was very tired. She has never done that before. That is the first time that she has ever taken a break on her own without us putting her to sleep. So we think something is bothering her, maybe her tummy (constipated) or her teeth are pushing through more.

She's a non-stop child. :) Only one time has she ever fallen asleep because of fatigue. That was after her 3 straight weeks of not sleeping after we got back from the US. She was sitting on the couch and playing with her blocks and she just fell asleep - hand still in the toy box. :) So that is good to know.. it takes 3 weeks of no sleep for her to fall sleep on her own.. :P

We're all doing well.. :P Rain, rain, rain and more rain.. :( Very little outside house work this past week. Fredrik did as much scraping as he could, but it rained too much for him to get on the roof and paint. And I've been painting the deck here and there during the few dry spells. So we spent some time trying to throw things away and stuff like that.

Fredrik goes back to work tomorrow. :( Going to miss him. :(
He is going to take more pappa-leave though. He has decided to take 2 days off a week. :) So he will only work 3 days a week then. He'll start in a couple of weeks. He did get plenty of work calls though this week (so he is never *really* on vacation).. :P But lots more work is coming in, so that is good. He might not have to go up to Norrland after all.

I've met with 2 of my teachers and I'll meet the 3rd one on Wednesday.

My English teacher was old but very sweet. :)
The class is late afternoon, so there is no way that I can go to it and she was a little sad about that. She thinks that I would be a good asset to the class, for the other students that is, with having a native English speaker in the class. I am still a little surprised that they let me get away with taking the class.. but anywho.. We'll be reading tidbits of novels that I analized to death at University.. ;) So I don't think the class will be much of a challange. :) But fun! I told her that it has been awhile since I've written anything in English with some substance, so I am really looking forward to it!

I made it to my first Samhällskunskap class (social studies).. and oooooh my gooodness....... I have NEVER had such a boring teacher in all of my life. After 26 years of schooling in two different countries, and possibly hundreds of teachers -- I have finally met the most boring teacher in existance.

The woman is.. kind.. but emotionless. She is very knowledgable and projects that knowledge well ....... but she is expressionless in her jestures and in her face and.... We sat there.. for like a good 80 minutes and just looked at each other. Each time she explained something (like how to turn the pages in a text book) she would go around the room and ask each person if they understood what was going on. It was so incredibly painful.

The class is at a local "high school" but pretty far from the house, so it isn't possible for me to get there, and definitely not possible for me to get to Leia in time afterwards. And thank goodness I have an excuse, because there is NO way that I can sit in her class. There are also others, thank goodness, that can't make it very regularly (others that work and/or have children).

Luckily I was sitting next to some very nice Swedes that kept me awake during the class. One also has a daughter, 1½ years old and she is married. The other is 24 years old. Both of them retaking the class to be able to continue to University studies. Both very sweet, I really enjoyed talking to them!

At our first chance, one of them turned to me and said, "So you are from the US?" (As I explained when we had to introduce ourselves to the classroom.) And she asked, "WHY are you in Åmål?!?!?!" :D They were curious as to where I was from and how I ended up in this horrible, little town. We talked a bit about Swedish university stuff. I was surprised by how open and nice they were, and how talkative. Maybe because they were younger than the other people that Fredrik and I have encountered here in town. Even if I never get a chance to talk with them again - I so enjoyed the chatting we had!

I will meet my Swedish teacher on Wednesday.

Thanks to my good friend Yamini in Nyköping, I saved 300sek (40$) on my school books! She gave me a tip about a sale that a certain website was having and I got a really good deal. The 3 books that I ordered would have cost me 900sek (140$), so instead I only paid 600sek (100$). Cool!

I am so tired.. :P I am using all my will-power and strength to not fall asleep right now.. :P

Leia's most favoritest thing to do right now is to color. ALL day long she has to "color." "Coloring" involves Mommy and/or Daddy writing the alphabet so she can say the letters. :) Or going through numbers. She is much more confident with her numbers. When she goes through her letters, she will look at me before she says it and then say it once we have eye contact. She does great with it.

Hmm..

Fireplace guy is coming September 14th! He figures 2 weeks to complete everything.

Ehh.. I think that that is it for tonight.. :P

Painting.

2009-08-25T22:03:00.006+02:00

Leia has thoroughly been enjoying daycare this week. :) And I've been enjoying having Fredrik home. Like he said on Monday, it feels like he is playing hooky from work! :)) Cause it doesn't feel like he should be home, especially with Leia gone.

We are getting some things done though, around the house. We've been scraping the drainage pipes and gutters and today we finally started on some painting. Some bad news though, it is suppose to rain the rest of the week.. :( So we hope that it will stay away so that we can paint more. I also scrubbed the back stairs to the cellar, and they look brand new! I also did some finishing painting from last year on the deck. The metal stands for the deck railing was never painted when we moved in and Fredrik did a couple of coats on it last summer, so that it would just be painted. Today I put another coat on and they look fantastic. It looks so good that my project tomorrow, if it doesn't rain, is going to be to repaint the entire deck. :P

Fredrik will paint the last horizontal gutter and then also try to start scraping the vertical gutters. They are difficult to get to. If we get all that done this week, with time to spare, then we are going to do the last few coats of paint needed on one side of the house. Part of the wall has a few coats of paint, and half of the wall has maybe one coat of paint, and then it isn't painted at all near the gutters.. *sigh* .. The outside of the house is a uniform stucco, but it needs special paint and all that.. So surprisingly it is a much bigger job than scraping and painting the gutters.

Tomorrow I will meet with at least one of my teachers, hopefully all 3 of them. Then I will order my books and officially start my classes.

Leia's still not sleeping right. She didn't sleep at daycare today either, and this is what I found when I walked into the hallway, when tired babies don't sleep:

hehe.. :)

But no.. she isn't sleeping. She is pretending. :) That is her scrunched-pretend-sleeping-face. :))) But she did lay in the floor for a veeery long time in the hallway and I did think she was going to fall asleep.

Hmmm... *think*

I made some homemade rhubarb juice the other day! Turned out very well. It was just a little too thick after I bottled it, so we just add a little more water to it and it is very nice to drink!

So Wednesday and Thursday = cleaning and painting
Friday = funeral
Saturday = Going to the summer house to hunt blueberries with Leia. Also to start bringing back firewood.
Sunday = Not sure yet. :P

Never drive in Karlstad without a tour guide.

2009-08-22T22:22:00.021+02:00

This is Mr. Kitties doing the movements to "The Wheels on the Bus." :) Leia and I were bored in the car while waiting for Pappa to turn in his expensive measuring instrument, so we sang plenty of songs.

The drive to Karlstad was uneventful, but then Fredrik and I got us lost. It is a very confusing town to drive in! We found the industrial area that we needed to be in, but we were still in the very wrong area. We found the bridge we needed, but it was being rebuilt.. *sigh* so we wasted LOTS of time trying to find the right place to be! :)) But we finally got to the right place!

Then we tried to find our way BACK into the city center, and that was another headache. We were going to look at a few shops to look at baby clothes (for fun - not because we really needed to buy anything). But the driving is just ridiculous (and the traffic) - and Leia fell asleep, so we decided to go to a toy store instead. I went in and did some shopping, picking up a few things we were interested in and Fredrik waited in the car with Leia.

Then we decided to try to let her sleep a little more, so we stopped at a little mall, and I went tight-hunting for Leia at H&M, Lindex and Kapp-Ahl. (Or however it is spelled.) Fredrik again stayed in the car with Leia. :) I didn't find any tights, only leg-warmers.. *sigh* leg-warmers for 2 year old ?!?! Anywho.. But I did get her some pants. Four pairs of thick winter pants. Great for the upcoming (soon coming) Fall weather. :) I got them pretty large, so hopefully they will fit her through the entire Winter/Spring season.

Then Leia was awake and we made our way (finally) to IKEA! :)

Leia in IKEA.

After I took Leia's pictures, she said "Kaaaatt!!!" and held up Mr. Kitties to the camera. He needed his picture taken too. :))

We had a nice walk through IKEA and a nice, yummy (and cheap) lunch/dinner in their store restaurant. Leia behaved very well the entire time and we bought her some nice things! We found a bed for her. Not one of the adjustable beds like we wanted, but an inbetween sized bed. It is a good size, she'll be able to use it for a long time, and it is cheap (700 sek / 100$). And it is cute (which is most important, right??) We were going to get it, but the boxes wouldn't fit in the car. (Well it would if we took the carseat out and laid the seats down in the back....) :)) So we'll have to have that delivered some time in the near future!

After we got home yesterday, we started putting together Leia's new items. :))

Leia loves her new table and chairs!

But I think she likes rearranging furniture even more!

A new storage container for her toys, etc.. This and the table will eventually go up in her bedroom. When we clean out more of the "baby" furniture and stuff when she gets a bit older, and when she is more able to spend more time upstairs = when she can go up and down the stairs better by herself.

We had a very nice day together. :)

Today we had dinner in Säffle and we would have done a little looking in some stores, but everything closes so early on Saturdays in Sweden.. *sigh* So we ate and then went to a slightly larger than average grocery store and just looked around a little. :)

No specific plans for tomorrow, probably some cleaning and tidying around the house. And collecting plums from our plum trees!

Poltergeists??

2009-08-21T18:38:00.002+02:00

No.. just Leia..

Don't you just love her new table and chairs that we got today?? :)

Shopping day.

2009-08-21T08:29:00.004+02:00

Today we are going to Karlstad!

Fredrik needs to turn in his measuring instrument for a regular service, which is in Karlstad. So we are driving it there instead of him mailing it and then we get to go shopping too! So we are looking forward to that. :) Going to IKEA and probably getting Leia some early birthday presents. (A table and possibly a new bed.) Maybe some baby/toy stores to look around which is always fun. (Which I think is more for Fredrik to look at all the LEGO collections.) :))

So wish us safe driving and hopefully I'll have pictures when we come home! :)

Waiting...

2009-08-19T12:31:00.009+02:00

After we come downstairs in the mornings, Leia takes her kitty/kitties and sets them down next to her pacifier. They sit there and patiently wait for her while she eats breakfast. She is so precise and pays great attention to make sure they are sitting the exact way she wants them. If this stool isn't there, then she sets them up on the kitchen countertop. :)

Things are going okay I suppose. Fredrik has decided to take this Friday off from work, since work is going veeeerrry slow right now. He would rather give any work to the new guy and take the time off himself. :) And then he will have vacation next week.

The guy(s) fixing the fireplace will be showing up on Monday to come and start taking it down and look at it. They will check out what they need to do and then what they will need to bring back with them to start working on it. Hopefully it won't take too long then before they can start working on it. With any luck, we hope to be able to start using it by the beginning of December. Which means that we need to start hauling firewood here from the summer house!

I start school on Monday, I still need to order my books.. blah.. gonna cost lots of money.. :/ :)) I hate buying school books. Not nearly as bad as buying university text books in the US, but still.. you never know how useful the book is going to be or how much you are going to use it and it feels like a waste of money because you'll probably never open it again after the few months that you have class.

Leia was able to play with Nils for a couple of days and his parents came to pick him up yesterday and Leia was able to play with Alice a little yesterday too..

Leia saying goodbye.

Then Leia made her way down the street to another house and she jumped in their trampoline:

She screamed quite a lot when we made her get out.. :/ :))

Hmm... and when was it.. maybe Monday I think.. They neighbor's daughter beside us, Emma, came and played with Leia and Nils. Leia was a little left out because Emma is 5 and Nils is 4, so she really couldn't do that much with them.. but she ran around with them anyways. :) Nils played mostly with Emma, but every so often he would go to Leia and give her a hug and a kiss. :))) Emma was really good with Leia too, she went home to get a sweater and brought back one of her favorite stuffed animals for Leia to play with. :)) How sweet!

Fredrik talked with his boss though, and obviously the amount of work to do is going to be getting less and less as the year comes to an end. Fredrik might also have to go up to Norrland to work up there, which isn't the end of the World. Better that he do something to earn his salary I suppose.. :P :) I think it would be fun for him though!

Rainy day inside.

2009-08-18T13:44:00.007+02:00

Saturday we made another trip to the summer house, so Leia could spend some time with her Farmor and Farfar. It rained pretty bad all day, so we were forced to stay inside. We had a great time anyway and Leia spent the day eating, coloring, and doing puzzles!

Mommy & Leia.

2009-08-15T21:13:00.002+02:00

Never too early..

2009-08-13T10:27:00.003+02:00

..to start caring about the environment!

You can also see her scratched upper lip. She had a nasty fall in the road yesterday.. she was running too fast and tripped and hit her mouth on the cement. :(

Yes, I know she is dressed for October weather, but that is what we have here now! It is cold and rainy and a bit nasty outside.. :/

6 years.

2009-08-12T16:08:00.012+02:00

A cute picture of Leia in her trendy little outfit. :P All is well here I suppose. :P I know it has been awhile. Sometimes there just isn't time and other times it is actually nice to get a little break. :)

On Saturday, we drove to the summer house and spent the day there. We had the pleasure of meeting a family friend and it was lots of fun chatting with her through the day! :)

We had a bit of a scare while we were there, to say the least!
She decided to go down the porch steps, which are very steep, by herself while I was getting her shoes. She didn't fair too well and she fell off the porch pretty violently and wedged herself in between an enormous flower pot and the porch and hit the stones in the ground pretty hard. She screamed and screamed and I managed to get her out. She was very angry. :/ :) Not hurt, maybe sore, but more just scared I think about the horrible fall. Afterwards she mumbled things to the effect of "dumma blomma" (stupid flower). :D

She sat in my lap, but that didn't make her feel better and with all the screaming Fredrik had started walking up to the house. She jumped out of my lap as soon as Fredrik reached the front of the house. She started running as soon as she got down and managed to wedge herself through the small space between the fence and the hedge. The same second as she passed through the gate, we heard a car coming. Cars speed up and down this road soooo fast. She took a few steps into the road and stood there and Fredrik was already on his way to get her. I froze, as well as Farmor and our guest. Fredrik grabbed her at the same moment the car swerved.

I was still shaking an hour after the incident.

Her little life literally passed before my eyes.
Probably scared the poopies out of the driver of the car too. If anything hopefully it will make someone drive a little slower on that road from now on (but I doubt it).

Here are some pictures from our day there!

Then on Sunday, Fredrik and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary! :) It honestly feels like it should be longer than that, but I think that is just because we have been together for so long. We didn't do anything to celebrate, but we did watch a movie that Mormor and Morfar sent for us after Leia went to bed. :) They have promised to babysit Leia so that we can go out and have a belated anniversary dinner. :)

Otherwise things are going well. Leia is enjoying daycare and Fredrik has very little to do at work. Which also means he has very little to give the new guy to work with. I told Fredrik he can start sending him out on our shopping errands. :D

The weather has been decent. Very hot for a couple of days and then it has cooled down a lot, a little more like Fall on some days. We get a little rain still most every day.

I'll try to make it not so long before the next post!

I love my baby girl.

2009-08-07T11:58:00.003+02:00

Sometimes words just aren't enough.

Photo mishap... #5??

2009-08-06T23:22:00.000+02:00

Distraction.

2009-08-05T10:12:00.003+02:00

After giving Leia the distraction of letting her play with my wallet, I was able to get something in her hair!

Emotions.

2009-08-04T22:42:00.011+02:00

Lots of emotions started for me last night, knowing that Fredrik was going back to work. I sorta had that pit-of-the-gut feeling that you get the night before you go back to school after Summer break. I want to have him home with me all the time, and I get so "ehh" when he has to go back. :( Just don't want that time to end, that we get to spend together.

Leia also returned to daycare today. The drop-off went really, really well! She gave me lots of hugs and kisses and easily went to her teacher and didn't cry after me or anything, which makes leaving her a lot easier. So I had an empty house today for the first time in a loong time. :) I was a little lonely, but it was also nice to have some quiet time.

Leia will keep her present daycare schedule until the last week of August, and then she will start going 24 hours a week. I registered for classes on Monday, and I'll be going 75% time, 300 points, and it will be 3 classes. I'll be taking: Svenska som andra språk B (Swedish as a Second Language B - 11th grade Swedish), Engelska C (12th grade English), and Samhällskunskap A (10th grade Social Studies). We'll be paying the same amount for Leia as we pay now with her 15 hours a week. Since I'm going to school, she's allowed to have up to 25 hours under the same amount we are paying now. So she'll go Monday-Thursday 9-15.00. I totally feel like I am just throwing her to the side and I hate it. It is bad enough with 15 hours a week.

Ehhh.....

For the most part Fredrik is still alone at work, most everyone will come back next week. Things are going to slow down a lot, especially after summer, so he is thinking of taking more pappa-leave time, and I doubt that neither Leia or I will complain about that. :)

Leia is still talking up a storm. It is SO much fun! She will try to say most everything. One of her most favorite words is "komma" (infinitive form "to come"). She doesn't conjugate the verb, but just says "komma" if she wants you to follow her somewhere. :) The de-pacifiering is going pretty well actually! Whenever she thinks about her pacifier, she shakes her head no, and mumbles something to the extent of "Leia behöver ingen 'bapp'." (Leia doesn't need a pacifier.) :))) Every now and then she will shake her head yes and say something to the extend that she needs a "bapp." :)

One of my most favorite things to watch her do is when she takes a DVD out of the player and wipes it on her shirt and then puts it back in the player. :))) She takes it out to clean it, as she has seen Pappa do so many times. :) She looks so serious and "old" when she is in the act.

First boyfriend.

2009-08-03T13:08:00.009+02:00

I think we have definitely decided that Nils is Leia's first boyfriend. :))

Here are a few pictures over the last few days of them ::

And some pictures of Leia stealing cherries off the cherry tree. She is really good with spitting out the pit! When she can't spit it out, then she'll spit out the whole cherry. We trust her with it and she does well! She'll eat all cherries - doesn't matter how ripe or sour they are! And the neighbors call her the "hallontjuv" (raspberry thief). :D Every chance she gets she runs into the neighbor's yard and eats off of his many, many, many, many raspberry bushes. :)))

The 1st of August came in with a nice warm day. It was fantastic to have a break from all the murky, rainy weather. :) Leia and Nils spent the entire day together, mostly in our yard, playing in the sandbox, going down the slide, coloring with chalk and crayons, and having a snacks here and there.

"Tut tut!"

Rain, rain go away!

2009-08-03T13:00:00.004+02:00

With all the rain that we had in July, we couldn't not let Leia go out and run around anyways. So here are some pictures from July 25th: just one of Leia running around in the rain, and then plenty of pictures of Leia coloring. Fredrik brought home some discarded printed maps that he didn't need, so Leia got to color on them. What fun!

February pictures!

2009-08-02T12:20:00.000+02:00

Finally, pictures from the month of February!

Alice, too.

2009-08-02T10:01:00.005+02:00

Pictures from a few weeks ago. I am almost caught-up with pictures! I have tried to take very few lately so that I can try to get these finished. :)) I still have to finish putting on the pictures from our trip to the US !! Argh! I'll eventually get through it all.

The weather was beautiful all day yesterday and didn't rain at all. So we were able to work plenty in the yard and Leia got to play with Nils. :) We were finally able to grill for once!

Like I said, here are pictures from a few weeks ago, more towards the beginning of June. Nils' sister, Alice, was here for a visit and she got to join in on the fun!

The wheels...

2009-07-30T23:25:00.003+02:00

If you're happy...

2009-07-30T23:18:00.003+02:00

The ants go marching..

2009-07-30T11:47:00.007+02:00

Sun and yardwork.

2009-07-29T23:01:00.017+02:00

Yesterday we finally had a very warm, sunny day. It has been raining so much, that it was so nice to have a sunny day. It rains at least a little bit every day. Today it was mostly cloudy and windy, but only rained a few minutes in the afternoon. The neighbor complained yesterday about all the rain - about how unusually much it was this year.

We've been thoroughly enjoying Fredrik's time off from work. He's been working a little here and there in the evenings on his maps. He isn't going to take pay for those hours, instead he can write up the hours and take those hours some other time then. Having extra hours to take off from work here and there is necessary when you have a little one at home!

I'm going to be so sad when he returns back to work on Tuesday. It is already making me a little gloomy. It is so nice to have him home and for all 3 of us to get to spend so much time together. It makes me wish that we could be like this all the time. :)) I am thankful though that he has the opportunity to take so much time from work and that he gets so much vacation. We do get a lot more than some others, so we definitely do not take for granted the time that we have.

This week we have been working LOTS in the yard. Leia wants to be out all the time, so it is a perfect chance to try to get a few things done. Weeds and pruning and trying to figure out and plan what we wanna do with things. Today Fredrik and I dug up the slate pathway in our "garden." (Garden in the sense that it only has strawberries and raspberries.) :)) We want to redo the entire area and make a proper garden. So we lifted stones that probably haven't been moved in 50+ years and killed lots and lots of red ants. :)

Yesterday, we spent a good lot of the day talking with the neighbor. :) Nils hasn't returned yet. :( But hopefully tomorrow. :) But it was a lot of fun talking with the neighbor, Ulla's husband -- I'm not sure what his name is!! I'm sure Fredrik knows though..

But through all our talking, we found something in common - music! He plays the organ and he thinks that a sax and an organ sound fantastic together! So he is determined that we get together and play music. :))) But I don't have my sax in Sweden!! :( So we talked lots about music and his days playing in restaurants and dance clubs. Awesome! :) We talked lots about having children and that you just don't have time to do anything. He said his daughter and her husband bought their house years ago and it needed lots of work inside and out, and they haven't had a chance to do anything with it. He said that you just have to wait. :)) He loves the pictures that I gave them and he thinks I'm a great photographer. I showed him our photo printer and he really liked it, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets one now. We talked about his retirement and the job where he used to work. We found out that he grew up in the house across the street and his best friend grew up in our house. :)) And we talked about school for me and he thinks my Swedish is super-awesome! He said that it is easy to understand me and that I can say what I want to say. I said that I just wish I wasn't so shy still with speaking. I appreciated his compliment. :)) Blah blah blah blah blah blah!! :D

While we chatted, Leia was playing in their yard. *sigh* If their garage happens to be open, it doesn't take long before Leia is in there getting out all of Nils' toys! :D They don't seem to mind, for the most part at least. :))) They are so good with her and you can tell how much they like her. :)

It was lots of fun chatting with him!!!

Some pictures!

Fredrik using his work instrument to make a hole in the ground.

The inaugural dig.

2009-07-29T10:22:00.013+02:00

At first Leia didn't even notice her sandbox. :)) She went to play on her slide and then we had to show her that she had a new "toy." :)

She was still a bit confused and sceptical when she saw the sandbox:

But she quickly got over it and dug right in. :))

Cool church.

2009-07-28T23:01:00.006+02:00

Fredrik took a longer than normal route to Töcksfors yesterday. He wanted to take me to a neat place that he had looked at while out working one day. One of his ex-workmates had mentioned the place to him and said that it was definitely worth taking a look. It is just a normal, plain church, nothing special - except that it is built in the middle of a lake. :) We took a small road out to the church and walked around a little. :)

We had a very, very nice day yesterday out shopping! :) We got some awesome deals at Indiska. And we bought a few things here and there, but nothing special really. :) We wanted to take one of Fredrik's days off and enjoy a little day out. And it is definitely our favorite place to shop! Leia took a short nap, but woke up just in time to enjoy some ice cream. :) And Fredrik received only 2 work-related phone calls. :))

A little genius.

2009-07-26T23:23:00.013+02:00

At least we think so. :P But all parents do, right? All parents think that their baby/child is the smartest, cutest, funniest, etc.. etc.. So I suppose that Fredrik and I should be no exception. :)

Leia's progress goes back and forth (with her sleeping). Just when we think she is getting better, things backtrack A LOT. We are almost going on 2 months now. The BVC is taking this very seriously and Leia's BVC nurse keeps in constant contact with us. She calls us regularly to see how Leia is doing and to see how Fredrik and I are coping as well.

Leia never reaches a -0- ground. She constantly has issues, the severity is based on how well we can all get past those issues each night. Like tonight, when she did one of her common behaviors of continuously sticking her finger in her eye when she is about to go into deep sleep.. Tonight, she didn't scream or complain when I pulled her finger away and she let me hold her hand instead. We rate Leia's progress with how she'll let us help her with her issues. And yes, when she is about to fall asleep, she will poke her eye with one of her fingers. No idea why.. :/ :) But she does it.

But like my post a long time ago - I don't want to get too much into things here, because then I will be continuously updating about an ongoing thing, and that is just tiring and stressful. BUT. The reason why I wrote all this was to mention her appointment. She has an appointment the 1st of September with a specialist pediatrician. She only rotates to Åmål once every 7 weeks, so that is why the appointment is so far away. The BVC nurse wanted Leia to see the specialist instead of Leia's normal pediatrician. So let's hope that either they can figure out what is going on with Leia or just tell us that it will take time for whatever is going on to pass.

Besides all of the nightly problems, Leia has been extremely happy. :) She is a normal almost 2 year old. She eats like crazy.. oh my goodness.. can the child eat. :D Her personality shines through more and more every day.

Her most favorite activity is to sing. :) As you can see from the videos. (I have some more to share.) Fredrik is determined that she is going to play soccer. She LOVES to have some kind of ball with her at all times. She loves to throw and kick. And she is really, really good too! She runs and kicks with the ball. She's been throwing overhand since she started handling a ball. I don't think she's ever thrown underhanded once.

She knows her numbers 1-10!
When we were in the US, she would start counting 1-10 on her own. :) (In Swedish.) She can even point out the numbers when she sees them. Eight is by far her favorite number. :) She knows the sequence of the numbers. After she sees a 7 and says 7, she will say 8, etc.. etc.. When walking around outside, she points out the numbers on license plates!

She also says the alphabet! In English.
She brought me a book one day, one that we had never looked at before. She sat on my lap and I went through each letter, pointing at them and saying them. Right after me, she would say the letter - perfectly. All the way from A to Z and even added on the Swedish å ä ö.

B - C - D - G - J :: she most usually says these in Swedish

M - N :: these are a little difficult, you have to prompt her a couple of times

U - V - W :: these are very difficult

Y :: possibly her favorite letter :))

When I say "K" she says "katt" (cat).
When I say "T" she says "tack" (thank you).
She really, really loves letters and numbers. She has already started now pointing out letters on things she sees. She will point at a letter and try to figure out which one it is. She will look at me to see if she said the right one. She very much wants to get it right.

When she sees a B, sometimes she will say "åtta" (8). :)) The same with S, she will say "två" (2). And sometimes with 3 she will say "C." So she is trying sooo very hard to figure all this out. :) Before the age of 2.

Her vocabulary doubles almost every day. Today she threw out the word "åka" for the first time (ride). She now says "ouch." She has also started normal sentences instead of just "Leia eat." She now says "Där är katt." (there is cat). With many variations: Där är mamma/pappa, etc..

So Fredrik and I are very, very excited for her. She is now finally able to start communicating better with us. She still gets incredibly frustrated, which is understandable.

She now says "pee pee" and "poo poo" (including pointing them out on her person) so we are hoping that helps with potty training. She also said "bajs" (poo) for the first time yesterday. She also said "tjej" (girl) today, and her two new favorite words are "tja" and "tjena" (both meaning 'hi').

Today when I changed her poopy diaper, she tried to pull her diaper down and at the same time she said "bajs." So she is getting there. :) It is taking her a little longer than others her age, but she'll catch up eventually. :)

Today Leia played a little with My, the daycare neighbor baby. :)) My's mom also complained about the daycare completely shutting down! And that we have to pay even though they are closed. So that made us happy. Good to know that others think that the system isn't exactly right.

Nils (the neighbor's grandson) was gone this weekend. :( But he'll be back on Tuesday! He had a birthday party to go to, which I don't think he really wanted to go to. :) He wanted to stay at Mormor's so that he could play with Leia. Ulla told me once that he begs his mom all the time to go stay with Mormor so that he can play with Leia. :))) So sweet.

I gave Ulla some printed out pictures of Nils, Leia and Nils' sister, Alice. Ulla loved them! She was a little worried at first that I didn't give her any pictures of Leia (only Nils and Alice). :)) But I had pictures of all 3 of them. She was SO happy to get them. :)

Some shopping tomorrow in Tocksförs!

Oooh..! And she jumps! With both feet off the ground at the same time. :))

The Wheels on the Bus Go...

2009-07-25T22:13:00.002+02:00

An early morning swim...

2009-07-25T14:16:00.003+02:00

...fully clothed. :/ :)

You can't take your eyes off of her for a second! I turned around and she was in the rain-water filled pool. So I stripped her clothes off her and let her play. :/ :)

July 4th weekend

2009-07-25T13:17:00.002+02:00

Yes.. I'm backtracking all the way to July 4th weekend. It was a Saturday, and we went shopping that day to buy more yard-toys for Leia. With the hopes of keeping her in our yard more than the neighbor's yards. :)) That day was the last day of our heat-wave and vacations hadn't started yet. So lots of kids out running around and Leia spent a good 3-4 days out running around with the neighbor children. :)

I don't have pictures from all of that, but I do have a few pictures of Leia and Nils playing in the yard together with her brand new toys. :)

Construction of the Sand Box - Part 2

2009-07-24T20:30:00.006+02:00

Proof that Fredrik and I take our sandbox building seriously. ;)
We wanted to make sure we had proper cloth underneath, to make sure that nothing started to grow up through the sandbox, and then to keep as many bugs and worms out as possible. And then a bit of material around the side to help keep from losing as much sand as possible. We ended up with more than enough sand. :)

The quality of sand is unbelievably good, I couldn't get over it. It is beach-quality sand. Perfect for castles. ;)

It ended up raining ALL day on Friday, so we had to finish everything up today. So the sand was a bit wet today, but perfect for packing into buckets! :))

Leia and her slide.

2009-07-24T12:29:00.009+02:00

I should have been a photographer. I have a camera in my hand 25 hours a day. (Yes, 25.) So, here is a little bit of catch-up from all my picture taking. :)

Leia and her slide:

Notice how her cat has to sit on the bench and watch her. He can't lay on the bench, she fixes him until he is sitting the way she wants and then he has to stay there while she goes on the slide. :)))

Almost Friday!

2009-07-23T10:11:00.009+02:00

It is almost Friday!!!
Fredrik starts his 2nd vacation tomorrow (7 days off from work). :P Then he'll have his 3rd vacation (5 days off??) the last week of August. (And then his 3 weeks off that he had the beginning of June. Gotta love the Socialist attitude towards work.) ;)

The last 2 weeks at work, Fredrik has been completely alone! Since everyone else takes their vacation at this time.. he's been completely alone in the office, which he doesn't mind at all. He knows that it is going to be quiet and that no one can come bother him, so he gets LOTS of work done.

He has been working pretty much non-stop these 2 weeks with the sanitation project, which still isn't done. :/ It is pretty much almost done though, and these weeks, Fredrik has had to work on putting together finalized maps of the area. The project only lasted 12+ months longer than it was supposed to.. :D But Fredrik is a little sad to see his workmates leave. :/ He's been working with them for over 2 years and he has gotten close to them. He really likes the Belgian guy that he works with. Fredrik's schedule is going to be much more empty now that that project is finally coming to an end. They have been rotating guys and sending them up to work in Norrland (FAR North in Sweden) (in Kiruna maybe?? where they are relocating an entire town. They mine under the town, and whoooa.. big surprise, the entire town is sinking! So they are having to move the town). But they are sending guys with no families and not really sending anyone with children, so that no one has to be away from their families. So Fredrik probably won't be sent, BUT that means that Fredrik is going to have to travel more here where we live and cover all the jobs that need to be done since others are going up North. Wooohh.. that was a mouthful to explain. :)))

During Fredriks vacation we want him to spend more time with Leia, obviously. :) And we hope to get some painting done on the outside of the house. A few odd things like that here and there. One of us watch Leia while the other one can get things done. :) During his vacation in August, Leia will be at daycare, so we hope to get LOTS done then.

Yesterday, I was out working on weeds and Leia was running around like a crazy baby. :)) Then Nils came outside with Ulla. Leia instantly ran into their yard and started playing. :) Ulla said that she had it covered and that she would watch Leia. :) That was sooooo nice. :)) So I was able to continue working in the yard and have a little break. :) Very nice indeed. Ulla really, really likes Leia and tries to hug her and hold her every chance she gets. :) Nils does the same. He tries to rub noses with Leia and steal kisses here and there. :)) Fredrik and I were trying to decide when Leia and Nils will end up having their summer "romance." :)))

Some pictures from yesterday, Leia playing with Nils and Ulla:

Construction of the Sand Box - Part 1

2009-07-22T22:16:00.008+02:00

We bought the sandbox a long time ago, but we never bought the sand because the bags were just so small, and we thought it was silly to have to buy so many bags. So Fredrik got some really, really good quality sand from his workmates. :) (A big thank-you to the Belgians.) So he piled his truck full of sand today after work and brought it home.

With the help of Leia and Nils (the neighbor's grandson), we dug down into the ground, to get rid of gravel and weeds, to have a good foundation. Fredrik had emptied his truck to bring home the sand, and in doing that - he didn't have his staple gun.. :( So we will have to wait until tomorrow to finish the project, so we can put some lining inside the box, to make sure the sand doesn't completely come out the slots between the wood pieces.

Pictures from today's progress:

Rain, rain, rain.

2009-07-19T15:48:00.016+02:00

We've had almost nonstop rain the last 2 weeks, so when we have a chance, we try to get out and let Leia run off some energy. On Friday, the weather was very nice in the afternoon, so Leia and I went out and spent plenty of time while waiting for Fredrik to get home from work. So here are some pictures from Friday:

Leia and I ate plenty of cherries from our cherry tree.

I'm trying to figure out what to do with the cherries. Fredrik won't eat them or eat anything made with them. So I don't know what to do.

Leia's slide that we bought July 4th weekend. After that day, it has been raining so much that she has barely had a chance to use it..... We also bought a sandbox that we haven't been able to fill with sand yet because of all the rain.

The neighbor across the street, Karl, has a hammock that he lets all the neighbor children use. :) He only puts it up for the children (he doesn't use it). He is also the brother of our next door neighbor. He is really good with Leia and he likes her a lot. :) He doesn't mind if she comes and plays in his yard, she likes to run down the little slopes and go up and down the little stairs next to his house. He gets on all 4s and pretends to be an animal and she loves it. :) We've been lucky to have older neighbors that are so great with kids!

"smultron" - wild strawberries. We have them in our garden, but since they were planted they don't taste very much at all but Leia really likes them.

And our normal-sized strawberries that taste absolutely delicious! They turn out so great every year.

Grävmaskin.

2009-07-16T10:03:00.006+02:00

grävmaskin :: excavator

On Monday, I heard lots of noise outside and walked out to see a very small excavator digging in our side property. This is the second time that they have dug it up, and probably not the last. It was a telephone company, refixing lines that were laid improperly to begin with, so someone said. I sent an SMS to Fredrik after checking out what they were doing and Fredrik was a bit annoyed, because they are supposed to inform you first and tell you what they are going to be doing.

I went back out to take some pictures and see more what they were doing, and probably someone saw of course, and it wasn't a few seconds later that someone rang the doorbell, going on about that they were digging and what they were doing. I told him in Swedish that maybe he should talk to my husband since my Swedish wasn't so good.. ;) And I gave him Fredrik's business card. (I think I've handed it out more than Fredrik has.) :D He looked at it a few seconds, happiness or annoyance that he had to speak with someone in the business?? And he stood and talked with Fredrik and then he asked me if he could keep the business card.

Fredrik called me right after and told me that he told the guy just to make sure that they put the property marker back in the right place. They completely killed our plum trees with the excavator.. ugh.. but they needed to be trimmed anyway.. :/ :)

So we'll see if and when they will be back again. More interesting for them though, I think. When they know they have someone who isn't on the project that is going to be making sure they do everything properly.

Digging.

Trying to find the cables.

A big trench.

A bigger truck showed up to fill in the trench.

Flatter than it was the first time they filled it in.

No skin, please.

2009-07-14T21:39:00.000+02:00

Daycare pictures: June (May)

2009-07-14T14:41:00.006+02:00

These were in the June folder, but Leia wasn't at daycare in June. And these pictures aren't from the weeks after we returned from the US, so they are from May. So I guess they put some picturse of May in the June folder so she would have pictures in the June folder..??

More pictures from May:

Leia coloring with teacher Anna.

Leia loves carrots - but only at daycare! She won't eat them at home.

And she eats a lot of carrots at daycare.

Aha.. I forgot to turn it, but I think you can figure it out.

The most adorable baby EVER.

2009-07-12T21:55:00.002+02:00

"On top of spaghetti."

2009-07-12T20:01:00.002+02:00

Leia eat.

2009-07-12T09:52:00.021+02:00

Leia's new favorite phrase is "Leia eat." :) So now we aren't sure if she wants to eat or if she just likes saying her new phrase. :))

And I lost my voice yesterday because I have been coughing so much, so I am having a horrible time telling Leia what to do -- or what not to do. It must be a cold. The strangest and longest cold that I've ever had.... I can't speak very well, so I am having a horrible time directing Leia, so I've been doing lots of clapping to get her attention and lots of pointing.

Yesterday was lots of cookie baking and today I will try to make lots of quiche. Fredrik had Leia-duty last night, since it was the weekend. So now he is sleeping and I am trying to get some things done. :/ I was able to do some laundry yesterday. But we've been having so much rain we haven't been able to do all the yard work that we need to do.

Starting this past Friday, Leia's daycare is on vacation for the next 3 weeks...... We still have to pay. Everyone has to pay the minimum 15 hours. Which is a law and all that, it doesn't just apply to her daycare, but it just doesn't seem right. Not all daycares shut down completly, so I don't think it is right that we still have to pay if they decide to go on vacation. They can split up their vacation times just like everyone else. Anywho..

So just Leia and I.. :/ Going to be tough I think! We get bored easily, especially if I remain sick and can't run around after her outside. Surprisingly, I can't give her the stimulation that 12 other toddlers can give her....... ;)
I'm hoping the neighbor's grandson will show up and Leia can play with him. Or Leia's daycare friend down the street will come and play with Leia.

Fredrik is taking a week off for Pappa-leave during Leia's last daycare-free week. To give me a helping hand. By the third week, of sleeping troubles and no daycare, I think I will be pulling out my hair.. ;) So he'll be home for I think it is 11 days straight. He is taking the Friday before and the Monday after. So he'll get to spend plenty of time with Leia and I get some help. And maybe we can get some things done around the house. Like yard work and painting the outside of the house. Maybe we can even try to take a trip to the summer house if Leia seems to be getting any better.

A few pictures!

Our trip to the US wasn't complete without a few 'I ♥ NY' shirts for Leia. :)

Leia's ant picture, made with thumbprints, and the frame she made.

Leia's ladybug rock.

Which reminds me that I need to look up some crafts for us to do these next few weeks. She is a bit tired of just coloring..... So we need to find some age approriate things to do that are easy and the materials are easy to come across.

We've been starting potty-training for Leia. Which isn't going too bad, but she still hasn't gone on the pot yet.. :( But one day I walked into the bathroom and this is what I found:

Evidently Mr. Kitty needs to be potty-trained too!

Upon our return to the US, the plan was to start potty training and take away the pacifier. Both have been pushed back a bit because of our troubles and lack of sleep. Since Leia now takes a bath without screaming the entire time, we are hoping to work more with everything else.

Big printers mean BIG sheets of paper, for all those maps that have to be printed. A big thank-you to one of Fredrik's workmates at Bengtsfors kommun, for giving Leia lots of paper to draw on. She went and got it for Fredrik after Fredrik told her that Leia colored on ALL the walls in one of our rooms. :D

Fredrik teaching Leia how to draw a crime scene body outline..... :D

But now it is 10.30, and I need to wake up Fredrik so that I can shower and start making quiche. And Leia just put in Harry Potter in the DVD player and sat down in her chair -- so we'll see if she actually watches any of it or not. :) I'm SO excited for the new movie !!!!!! (Ha- she watched it for about 5 seconds and then took it out.)

Cookies for Daddy.

2009-07-11T22:15:00.003+02:00

Leia and I had fun making Daddy's favorite cookies while he was at the store today. :)

Ugh.. I have so many pictures to share! It is difficult to keep up with everything. I still have daycare pictures and then of course the rest of the pictures from our trip. And then daily pictures..... And then I want to write down my thoughts as well, and with the 'daily grind' I just can't keep up with it all!

Tomorrow is quiche-baking-day, so maybe inbetween rolling dough and checking on the oven, I can write a little! :)

Oooh.. and a very happy 65th birthday to Morfar!! :)

Blombok.

2009-07-10T13:03:00.005+02:00

Here are some pictures of Leia's "Blombok" (flower book) that "she" made at daycare. She might not have made it - but at least she picked the flowers! :)

"hops"

"Midsummer flower"

"forget-me-not"

"butter flower"

The King.

2009-07-09T21:45:00.015+02:00

I had purposefully not written anything about Michael Jackson's death. It hit me pretty hard, as well as most of the Earth's population. The last part of his life was a bit troubling, and we might never know the truth about any allegations. And over the last decade, he might have gone a little "crazy.." :/ :)) Hehh.. but besides all that, I find it hard to believe if not everyone in the World doesn't love Michael Jackson at least just a little bit.

He wasn't just a musician.. but a dancer, a producer, a writer, a director and a performer. I am also a musician, and I am determined to make Leia one as well.. :) I am anxious to share my love of MJ with her. We all have our favorite MJ songs. Most love Thriller, Beat It and Smooth Criminal. I have to say my favorites are Billie Jean and Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough.

I saw an article today with a link, and I wanted to share the link, which is why I decided to write a little something. This video clip hit me pretty hard and made me realize how much Michael Jackson touched all of our lives. This short video made me cry. Not the first time, but the second time and every time since then. The first time I thought it was awesome and a fantastic tribute. The second time, I thought about how much I wish MJ could have seen it himself in person. How proud he would have been and how honored.

A Swedish dance group, Bounce, organized a flash mob in Stockholm. (Flash mob = an organized gathering of people, usually by the Internet, that poses as spectators and then participates.) The first is in the main center of Stockholm (Sergels Torget) and the second one is in Stockholm's Central Station.

(Please watch in full screen to get the full effect!)

How awesome is that??

I think.. at least twice a day everyone should break-out into dance while listening to a Michael Jackson song. The World would be a much happier and peaceful place then. A big thank you to Sweden from me. I don't think anyone could have given him a more appropriate farewell than this.

The King of Pop?
No.
Michael Jackson is the King of Music.

Retro.

2009-07-09T10:23:00.001+02:00

...and completely appropriate.

A blank canvas.......

2009-07-08T21:51:00.003+02:00

(At least it is the only room left in the house that needs to be completely renovated - so if she is going to color on the walls, she at least chose the right room!) And this is just a little segment, she has completely colored around the entire room........ Half the room is purple, the other half is orange.

Hard rocker.

2009-07-07T14:47:00.002+02:00

We are finally getting through our suitcases..... only one more left! :D I packed the suitcases sooo long ago, that going through them is like Christmas! I found a whole bunch of clothes that we bought and packed during the beginning of our trip. So it was a no-brainer of what Leia was going to wear to daycare this morning. :))

Daycare pictures: May

2009-07-05T23:09:00.008+02:00

One of the twins and Leia.

Teacher Ann with one of the twins, Linn, Thea, another twin, Theodor, Elwira in teacher Anna's lap, Nili, Sara, My, Leia and then Ellinor. In the middle is Elin. :)

Leia between the twins, taking her turn to smell the flowers.

Leia, Ellinor blowing bubbles, and teacher Ann blowing bubbles as well.

Thea, Leia, and Elwira picking up trash in the park.

Ellinor trying to get Leia's attention.

:))

Leia playing with Elwira, Linn in the back and Theodor playing with the derailed train.

Sara watching as Leia and Elwira dance to AC/DC. :D

Daycare pictures: April

2009-07-05T16:49:00.004+02:00

Leia and Ellinor.

Leia painting her ladybug rock. :) I'll try to get a picture of that! Elin is also painting her rock. Elin is the ONLY child at daycare that is younger than Leia!

Leia behind teacher Anna's head.

Center at the far right, teacher Anna, Anne-Louise, teacher Ann, Leia, Sara -- not sure about the rest because I can't see their faces. :)) Difficult when they are all girls and everyone has the same hair color!

Theodor next to teacher Anna, Anne-Louise, Elin in teacher Ann's lap and Leia.

Cookie dough.

2009-07-05T10:20:00.002+02:00

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T21:46:00.005+02:00

Happy 4th of July to everyone!!

A couple of pictures of our adorable angel. :)) A couple of pictures before she has dirt on her face and food all over her clothes.. :D

We didn't make any plans for today. We had some invitations to some parties with other Americans, but closer to Gothenburg. But we decided to not go anywhere, since Leia is still dealing with separation and all that. We're not sure how she will do away from home yet, and we don't want to try the experience while trying to be social. We really wanna make a trip to the summer house, but again we don't know how she will be and how she will do with sleeping, seeing how it is difficult enough at home.. :)) But that will definitely be the best and first place we will try her out when we think she is ready.

We thought about inviting some American friends to our home for a cook-out today, but we should have planned and asked them awhile ago. By the time we thought about it we decided it was too late to ask - so the 3 of us just celebrated here at home. :) Leia played with the neighbor's grandson, Nils (4 yo), and Fredrik and I hung around the house. The neighbor, Ulla, watched after Leia while she was outside, which was really nice. If Leia runs around lots or into the road, Ulla runs after her and all that, which gives Fredrik and I a nice break. :) And we watch Nils too, when he is around us or when Ulla disappears. :)

I grilled some delicious hamburgers and some hotdogs, made some potato salad and then we had a few other traditional American 4th of July food. I made some delicious, homemade chocolate chip cookies yesterday, with Leia's help of course.. :) and then today I made my cupcakes. I only make them once a year. :)

"Something wicked this way comes."

2009-07-03T22:35:00.002+02:00

Artwork.

2009-07-03T21:40:00.001+02:00

Here are a few of Leia's artwork pictures from daycare!

"Meow"
Although I still think it looks like a woolly mammoth. :P

Daycare pictures: March

2009-07-03T10:27:00.001+02:00

Nili, Leia and My. (Theodor in the background.)

Leia painting her flower pot.

Handprints with help from Anna-Karin.

My dumping out her dirt while Leia is eating hers. :)) Planting seeds for their flower pots. Leia's is now a full grown plant! With flowers and everything.

Leia making her tree picture.

A group photo. They are all collecting twigs, flowers, pine cones, etc.. to take back to the daycare. Front: Elwira next to her sister Elin. In the back: teacher Annette (who now has very, very short purple hair!), Leia, Nili, the little one is Ann-Louise and then Sara.

Daycare pictures: January + February

2009-07-02T12:44:00.019+02:00

On Tuesday I got some things of Leia's, including a CD with pictures and videos of Leia during the Spring months! (Jan-June) So I'll try to get those on here and share them. :)

Leia also had plenty of "drawings." :) Her new thing now is circles. Big circles. Little circles. Half circles. Circles within circles...

And there was also a hand-painting. I asked her if it was a cat or if it was Leia, and she replied, "Meow." So I am assuming it is a cat. :) (I'll try to get scans of those as well.) The painting looks more like a big, red blob ... if you squint your eyes a little it looks like a woolly mammoth.

Pictures from January:

Leia and her "bästis," Ellinor. :) Bästis = slang for best friend. Today was also Ellinor's 2nd birthday, so Leia and I made a birthday card for her. :) Leia's purple handprint on the front in paint, and then the inside was.. yes, of course lots and lots of colorful circles. And on the back a birthday greeting and a heart that I helped Leia draw and color. These 2 are always together and they really like each other a lot. :)

In the back you will see My, the little girl that lives a couple of houses down. She is 1 month older than Leia, and about ½ of Leia's size. My is rotten!! :)) "My" is pronounced more "Me" (for my English readers). My is the 3rd Musketeer in Leia's group. My is going to be the trouble-maker and then Ellinor is going to be the quiet one that keeps them out of trouble. But we haven't yet figured out Leia's role in the trio.

Leia having lots of fun.

A group picture: Elwira next to teacher Anna-Karin, Nili in the red hat, I'm not sure which the other two are, and then Leia with teacher Ann.

Another of Leia and Ellinor.

Leia down in the left-hand corner, with My next to her in the light pink hat, not sure who the other one is in the bottom. In the back is Elwira, Sara, teacher Ann and Nili.

Nili bending over next to Leia, then teacher Ann, Sara in the red hat, My and Elwira hidden behind Sara, and then I think that is Ann-Louise next to teacher Anna.

Pictures from February:

Leia making her Valentine heart that is hanging in our hallway.

One of the twins (Sanna or Julia) on the slide with teacher Ann, and then Leia of course.

Leia and Ellinor. Yes -- they have the same snowsuit. :D

Elwira and Leia.

In the back (l to r): Elin, Leia, Ellinor, Sara, Ann-Louise. In the front: Elwira and then Sanna / Julia.

Leia in the bottom corner.

Leia behind one of the twins.

New words.

2009-07-01T08:48:00.003+02:00

Ever since we were in the US, Leia has been saying many more English words, which is fantastic! It is lots of fun to hear her say words in English. :) Her English vocabulary has at least doubled since we were there.

New words:

- Mamaw
- Papaw
- shoes
- cookie
- bye / bye-bye
- eat
- water
- corn

And maybe a few others that I can't remember.. :P It is very practical now that she can say "eat" and "water" because now she can communicate when she is hungry and thirsty! So that really helps in figuring out what it is she wants. (If she takes the time to communicate any information before she starts to scream that is.) ;)

The weather is still nasty and warm.. :/ Fredrik has been going around and trying to find one of those nice, tall, slender, standing fans but he's not had any luck. He had to go to work early this morning because his new workmate hasn't received a gasoline credit card yet from work, and he needed to fill his truck up, so Fredrik had to meet him in Bengtsfors early this morning so he could pay for his gas with his card. :) Fredrik likes his new workmate. They both enjoy some of the same computer games, they both like soccer and fishing. So I am hoping that once things calm down with Leia, Fredrik can invite him fishing. The guy is single, though and no children. He's about 25-26 years old.

Okay, now a little nap for me, seeing as Leia woke up at an unGodly hour this morning.

Driving to PA.

2009-06-29T21:59:00.009+02:00

On June 5th, we packed ourselves in the car and left for Hershey, Pennsylvania. (Yes, the place where they make the chocolate.) We had decided to make the long drive so that we could meet my sister, Beverly, and her family. Even though it was a long drive, we really enjoyed ourselves! :)

Enjoying some books along the way.

Kisses for "Papoo."

Kisses for Mamaw.

Pre-dinner entertainment at Friendly's.

Leia LOVED her mac&cheese dinner (and corn, too of course).

Leia thoroughly enjoying her balloon!

AC.

2009-06-29T11:30:00.004+02:00

Ugh.. I want air conditioning!!!
It is waaaay toooo hot. :/

It is 30ºC (85ºF) in the shade during the day, and easily well over 32-33ºC (90ºF) in the sun. We use fans, but they can only do so much. And then none of our windows downstairs open. :( They are painted shut so it is like living in a sauna or a greenhouse. Very difficult to breath. We would love to get a couple of those portable air conditioners, but I can imagine the electricity to run them isn't very friendly, especially with electric costs in Sweden.. :/

Last summer, the government building that Fredrik works in installed AC. *jealous* So he gets to have it at work at least. And today he is working indoors at least all morning. His boss called him on Friday and asked him if he knew how to do something and Fredrik did actually know how to do it, and his boss was pretty excited and pleased. ;)

So we are hoping that it rains soon, and that the temperatures drop down back to normal!

Amherst Marching Comets

2009-06-28T22:09:00.002+02:00

While in the US, my mom found a couple of old pictures from my high school days. :) I loved seeing these, I hadn't seen them since they were taken! I love looking at them and seeing soooo many friends. :)
Can you find me??

1996-1997

1997-1998

Too much.

2009-06-28T00:02:00.009+02:00

I decided now tonight that it is just too much to write about. Fredrik and I are trying to deal with everything as best as we can. We have great support from Leia's BVC nurse and we are getting lots of help from her. It is just way too much to write about, I'm sorry. Things go up and down so quickly. And even things that should work end up not working as they should, like the sleeping medicine that we got from the doctor on Friday.

So, I'm just going to leave it at this, I'm sorry!
If you really want updates or are more curious about details, then please get in touch with me (or Fredrik) and we'll be happy to share!

I'll try to use this as a place to think about the positives during the days, instead of the negatives - to help keep a more positive outlook.

But do keep Leia and us in your thoughts. She is having a really rough time right now, and no one has been able to figure out what is going on. We've met with a doctor and we hope to meet with a child psychologist. So we hope that we can get some things resolved some time in the near future. If not, at least lessen the stress.

Thanks for being understanding and patient.

When I get the camera, I'll have lots of pictures to upload from our trip! I'm anxious to share them! :)

Quick update.

2009-06-26T12:23:00.002+02:00

Things have been pretty crazy since Wednesday night. I really need to do a longer update, but Leia is asleep in our bed and I wanna go sit outside for a few minutes and get some much needed sun since I haven't been outside in a week besides to and from the car.

We're all alive.. I think. But barely.
I'll give a better update later, I promise.

Ugh..

2009-06-25T01:38:00.004+02:00

On the dot.. 22.00 she woke up.
I decided that I didn't have the energy to keep her asleep like I did last night. So we've been in the living room, she's been "playing," watching her new favorite Sesame Street sing-along DVD and sitting in my lap and I've been trying to not passout, keeping "busy" and looking at stupid stuff on the Internet. Another sleepless night for me.

I have a horrible headache, my eyes are burning and stinging, sick to my stomach, I'm dizzy and I'm constantly thirsty. Not sure what thirst has to do with being tired. Ugh.. not fun to shower, though. My eyes burn and sting so much that I can't open them for a very long time afterwards. :/

9 nights of no sleep, and counting..

Toooo tired.

2009-06-24T20:59:00.002+02:00

Ugh.. I was going to write something tonight, but I am just too tired. I'll have to try to catch up tomorrow.

Leia woke up.. between 11 and 12 last night, and I was up with her all night, so I am completely dead. I didn't get to fall asleep before she woke up. Not sure the last time I had a full nights sleep. But I would say about a week ago.

So I am hoping that I am tired enough now to go to bed and fall asleep, and that jet lag won't win over and keep me awake until Leia wakes up. I am a walking zombie and am almost nonfunctional.

Good night.

Some good news, though. Farfar received the bags today from the taxi driver and will be sending them tomorrow. Yay!

Allergies??

2009-06-23T20:08:00.010+02:00

I had a cold for about 3-4 weeks before we left for the US. I wasn't sick at all while we were there, it just disappeared. Then after we had our nap at Farmor and Farfar's house, I woke up with a stuffed up nose and a sore throat! And now I am sick again! It has to be alleriges, no??

But Leia now has a runny nose and and is sneezing like crazy too.. so I'm not sure what is going on. It is really annoying though. :/

I am impatiently waiting to get my bag back. :/ And quickly go through it to make sure everything is there. :/ :) Of course it will be, but I just want my stuff back. Difficult to live without my wallet (IDs), cell phone and all that.... :/ Really stupid of us to have forgotten it in the taxi.

Leia slept all night on Sunday night! But Fredrik and I had trouble sleeping. :( But last night, Leia didn't sleep much at all. It was a really, really rought night. Fredrik and I weren't very happy with Leia, to say the least. :/ It is difficult to be patient when you are only getting 3-4 hours tops of sleep a night, and inconsecutively. So Fredrik and I are completely dead tired and moving around like zombies. :/

Leia screamed when I left her at daycare today, but when I picked her up, they said she did fine. So I was very pleased about that. :) Before I left her this morning, I told them that she isn't allowed to nap during the day.. I didn't have to explain why. :)

Her baths the last 2 nights were better than they were in the US, but she still screamed and fought it. Tonight, though, she didn't. She actually sat down in the water and played and laughed, but she did complain when she got water in her face, but the unhappiness easily passed.

She didn't let me put her in bed tonight, so I held her and rocked her. She passed out right away and didn't flinch when I layed her in bed. That was nice. (Last night it took 1½ hours to get her to fall asleep.)

We're trying our best to get things done around the house, while walking around like zombies and keeping Leia happy. :) Today I took a short nap while Leia was at daycare and ironed the living room curtains. This evening Fredrik moved lamps around inbetween rooms, since we have switched furniture around.

We were a little sceptical at first about our decision to switch furniture, after we moved the dining table, but now we really like it and we don't think we are going to move it back. Right now we are trying to decide and figure out what wall stuff to keep and move. I really want another wine holder from EM, though. :/ I doubt they sell them anymore, since they don't have them on their website (haven't had them in years I don't think). Fredrik got me one for my birthday about.. 3-4 years ago.. :/ :) I'd even take a used one if I could find one.

Fredrik was back at work today and he was with the new guy I suppose for most of the day. Not too bad I don't think, for him to be back, just tired. :)

Now I am going to water the outdoor plants and then move them back outdoors, since we moved them indoors before we left, so they wouldn't get toooo much sun, not knowning how well the neighbor was going to get to water them.

Let's hope that Leia sleeps well tonight, and then hope tha we can sleep well tonight too. Jet lag is not a fun thing, my friends!

Some success!

2009-06-21T23:32:00.006+02:00

Fredrik stayed up with Leia for about 4-5 hours last night, and then he got me up at 8, and I took over while Fredrik slept for 5 hours. Around 10.00, Leia crawled in my lap and ended up falling asleep and we both slept for about 3 hours or so. :) She was not happy when I woke her and made her stay awake. :/ But I had to.

We spent the rest of the day then mopping and moving furniture. The dining room is now the living room and the living room is now the dining room - for the most part at least. :) We are leaving everything on the walls for a week, to make sure we wanna keep everything this way - before we move wall fixtures and the ceiling lamps.

But Leia has eaten pretty well today. We didn't try anything we were unsure of. She ate lots of Cheerios, a little bit of pasta, some bread and some yoghurt. We were very pleased with how she ate today. And she pooped twice! So she has been going to the bathroom much better already, since we have been home. (Because I know everyone is SO interested in Leia's bowel movements.) ;)

I think we did pretty well today getting things done with how tired we are. :) We hope to get more done tomorrow.

Leia didn't want to get in her bed tonight, so I held her and she went to sleep in my arms without any troubles. She fell asleep and even started snoring.. :D So I easily put her in her bed (at her normal bedtime, 19.00) and she has been sleeping in there ever since - knock on wood. The first time in a long time that she has gone to bed at her right sleeping time.

So we are very pleased how things went tonight with putting her to bed and we see this as a good start. :) Hopefully things won't backtrack too much from here. :)

We definitely stayed up way too late tonight, but it was nice having Leia in bed, and having things a little more back to normal. Of course she will wake up 10 minutes after we get in bed, but that is life, eh? ;)

Anxiously awaiting to get my camera back so that I can share pictures!

There's no place like home.

2009-06-20T23:52:00.008+02:00

The flights went okay I think. Leia didn't sleep Thursday night, so we were all exceptionally tired for the entire trip. :( Leia ended up sleeping about 1½ hours in the Newark airport. Which gave Fredrik and I a chance to sit down and rest and relax for a bit. When she woke up though, she was very, very angry and screamed quite a lot. :/

On Wednesday.. or was it Thursday maybe.. we found out from Farmor that no one ever showed up to fix our fireplace.... So we are just a "little" angry about that. No call, no messages, no e-mail -- so we aren't very happy. I wanted Fredrik to call the guy tonight, but he is going to call on Monday I suppose.

Leia complained a little on the long flight. But it was a tired-crying. And even though it was probably only 5 minutes, to us and everyone else on the plane, it probably felt like it was 30 minutes. You know? But after that she slept 3½-4 hours, and the flight was only 7½ hours long. So she slept most of the flight. So she did pretty well I think on both trips, considering the length of the flight(s) and her age. This flight, the most fun toy was the seatbelt.

We had ordered a taxi so it was waiting for us after we got our luggage. But of course, we had so much stuff - I guess it was bound to happen - we forgot 2 small bags and Fredrik's jacket in the taxi. *sigh* One was Leia's red bag, with her books and a couple of toys. The other bag was my purse. *SIGH* With our 5 passports, my wallet, my cell phone, and camera..... So no pictures for awhile longer! He sent us a message when he found everything in the taxi, but we were all asleep (we slept for 5 hours before making our way home to Åmål). So Farfar is going to help us out and pick everything up at the company's taxi station and then we will hopefully get everything back soon enough.

Very annoying, but at least the taxi driver was good about getting in contact with us when he found everything. And at least we didn't lose them somewhere else (where we might not have gotten them returned).

Leia (and the rest of us) were very happy to get home. (After our very short 4½ hour drive home - much faster with no traffic!) Leia didn't want to go to bed tonight. Well, she fell asleep, but she didn't want to sleep in her bed. So we are in for a horrible time I think, getting her back to sleeping how she used to. She hasn't sleep well in almost 2 weeks. And we are afraid that our good, sleeping baby is completely gone.

Tomorrow we are going to mop the living room, since it is empty......
And then transplant the dining room furniture in the living room. Also need to mow and pick weeds. And of course unpack!

It will be a looong 2 days and many more long days to come as we get back to our routine -- also seeing as Leia now screams bloody murder now when she has a bath, something she has also been doing for the last 2 weeks.

We had a fantastic time with Mormor and Morfar, and we are thankful they let us come stay with them and we had so much fun visiting with everyone. But we are glad we are home.