Word morphing.

Leia's "deh" has gone through several changes over the past few days. It went from "deh" to "deck" and now it is at "dack." :)) But sometimes it sounds like "duck." :)))

So we are anxious for the "t" to replace the "d." We are counting this as her 2nd word, after Mamma. It isn't bad for her to have her 2nd word now. Being bilingual, it can be a good 6 months inbetween her getting out her first and second words.. :/ So hopefully we can keep pushing her to get out more words.

Fredrik has been trying to get ahold of the fireplace guy, but it seems like no one wants us to get our fireplace fixed..... The number isn't working, and the website isn't either.. So, he'll keep trying, and hopefully we can get something started. We are extremely anxious to see how long the process is going to take. We don't think the fixing will take very long, but the drying of the cement or whatever they use might take awhile. And after it is all done, someone will have to come and test it.

It is -6 degC at 7 in the morning (21 degF). We are waiting for snow to show up.

Fredrik had a ½ day on Friday, because All Saint's Day (November 1st) is a holiday in Sweden. So he was home by 12.30, and that was very nice. And he took tomorrow off, to be with us on Leia's first day of daycare. We hope her.. inskolning (assimilation) goes quickly, so that I don't have to join her for weeks until she gets used to everything.. :/

We think she will really like it, but she is attached to us. :/

We ended up having 2 trick-or-treaters on Saturday! Even though Halloween had passed, it was still nice to have someone knock at the door. :) They were older, maybe 12, a boy and a girl.

I've started my final Swedish assignment. I've done about ½ of it, the easy half. I have to write two papers for two novels that I read in Swedish. And I have to write a poem.. ehh... I don't like writing poems in Swedish...... :/ You can't just translate. I have to think in Swedish then.. :P And it is easier to go back and forth then to only work in Swedish.

Hmm...
Leia's favorite toys right now.. water bottles and paper milk cartons.. :P She is very attached to them. I think we have about 10 water bottles under the couch that we can't reach.. :/ Get them out once a week when we vacuum.

I keep dreaming about our neighbor...... blue/gray house. I think it is because Fredrik and I talk about him all the time. We see him in his house by himself, and he looks so lonely (probably isn't). And we are so curious as if to if/when he is going to sell his house.

I dreamt we had connecting houses, with a thin wall inbetween, but also a door that connected the two houses (on the second floor). And Fredrik decided that he was going to invite him over for dinner and watch a movie with us...... And Fredrik kept calling him "broccoli"... NOT "broccoli-man" or something of the sort.. just "broccoli." It was... weird. :/

And I'm certain we'd never invite anyone to watch movies with us, not the God-awful B-rated movies we end up watching...... :/ :D We watched some horrible movies this weekend.. :))) But it is fun though. We watched "Labyrinth" with Leia today for the first time, and "The Goonies."

Hmmm...
That is enough for tonight.. :P
I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty, I always do.

Happy Halloween!!

No trick-or-treaters for us tonight. :( Maybe some tomorrow........

But here are some pictures of Leia in her Halloween costume. :)))

Fantastic week!

Ever since Saturday, Leia has been super-fun to be with. :) She has been behaving so well and she's been back to her normal self. She's been playing better, and she has her enormous appetite back. :)

No teeth though. :/ Her bottom, left gums have entirely been swollen for the last 4 weeks, even now, but no sign of any teeth. :/ But she is more content now at least. :)

We've had lots of fun the last week. She enjoys her walks again. The construction hasn't been going on for the last 3 weeks or so, but the last couple of days, they have finished the last little bit of sidewalk paving, and she really loves watching the machines. Especially the big roller to press down the black-top.

It is unbelievably cold, though. :/ It is around -3 degC (26 degF) at 22.00, and around freezing in the mornings around 7. It doesn't get above 4 degC (39 degF) during the day. Caesar is trying his hardest to fatten up for Winter. He is eating like crazy; he is going through a box (1 kg / 2 lbs) of dry cat food a week, including plenty of wet food, and table scraps, or raw meat trimmings. He begs for peas and corn from the dinner table.

We're happy we had the winter tires put on the car already, it seems like Winter is coming early this year. I hope we have LOTS of snow though, for Leia's sake. :)

Fredrik has lots of things to finish with work before December. :/ Not meaning that the projects will be finished, but he has certain things that need to be done. His workmate will be gone after next week. :/ So he will be by himself again and have even more responsibilites. Fredrik isn't sure if they are going to try to find someone else. It is extremely difficult to keep these workers in the area. :/

When Fredrik had his annual raise meeting a couple of weeks ago, he made sure to mention to his boss that he plans on sticking around for awhile. He hopes it will make them more inclined to give him a bigger raise than his coworkers. Why give a raise to someone that is going to move away? Instead of someone that plans on putting more effort into their work and stick around for awhile.

At work, they released a paper for his... district (Västra Götaland), of wages for people with the same type of job as Fredrik. Fredrik is the 2nd highest paid in his field for Västra Götaland. The first highest was the guy that is leaving. :P Fredrik feels weird having a higher pay than people his age that have worked with this job for 10 years or so, and people that have more experience, etc. I told him that they must have really wanted him to work for them, and they really wanted him to stick around and not move away. But we're not complaining. ;)

School is okay! I've been putting off my accounting work and just working on Swedish. I have two assignments finished that I still need to turn in. And then I have one more assignment to do, and then I am done. I still need to meet him. :/ And then I don't know if I have to take a national test or not. :/ What he said, sounded like I could just continue onto the next level if I want. So I'll have to talk to him about it. Not saying I wouldn't mind not having to take a national test.... :))

I've decorated a bit for Halloween. I only carved one of the pumpkins, they go bad so quickly, I didn't want two stinky pumpkins in the house at the same time.. ;) I'll carve the other one tomorrow.

Don't get me started about Halloween in Sweden. Those that know me know how much I loath the Swedes "trying" to celebrate it. They seem to think that Halloween should be celebrated on November 1st, All Saint's Day...... And it just really annoys me. NO scary movies on TV tomorrow, but there are plenty on Saturday........

But we all know that I have my own fantastic horror movie collection; horror, thriller, slasher, cannibal, film noir.. you name it, I've got it. :P

Fredrik's been trying to call the fireplace guy, but no luck. I've not heard anything back about my US driver's license..... :/ A little scared that they won't renew it. They are cracking down on not letting non-residents renew. But I also wanted them to change to my married name on the license, so that might also be why it is taking so long. And it takes a week in the mail. So, hopefully it will show up soon, or they will at least let me know that they won't renew it or whatnot.

Leia goes to the BVC on Tuesday for her 3rd immunization shot. It will be her last time seeing the pediatrician with the BVC. From now on she will go to the "big people" clinic. We're anxious to get her length and weight.

I'm trying to plan a Thanksgiving dinner with my American friends. :) We invited B+R to our house, but now we know that L+K won't be leaving for the US until later, so they will be joining us from Norway.

There is always lots of stuff going on of course. Being a mom is a full time job, and then housekeeping and laundry and cooking and school.. and of course try to get a little time in for me and Fredrik.. and then with what few mintues I have, I do try to put a little something on the blog.

We are planning a trip to Stockholm, a 5 hour drive West.
Fredrik's friends would like us to come for a visit, so we decided it was due time for us to take a trip there. We haven't been there since we flew back from the US in January. We decided last Christmas that we really wanna be at home for this Christmas. We were so far away, and we want to have Christmas at home with Leia. Not sure yet if anyone will be visiting us or joining us, but I think we will have a very nice time here. :)

We are going to Stockholm the first weekend in December, when DIF (Djurgårdens IF - Fredrik's favorite Stockholm hockey league) has a home game. So we plan to go to a hockey game, check out Stockholm center and shop a little of course. We want a lunch at Pizza Hut, a dinner at Friday's, and we have a short list of people we definitely want to see while we are there. And maybe a late evening out for Fredrik and I.

I'm pretty anxious to go. We get a couple of babysitters (Farmor + Farfar). :)) And some alone time for Fredrik and I. :)

The only time that I feel like I live in a different country is when we go to Stockholm. I think it is because it is more crowded and the buildings are so different. It is a bit more exciting to be in Stockholm.. a bit more fun than our town of Åmål.. ;)

But I suppose it is good that I don't feel like I live in a different country on a daily basis. I suppose that means that I.. feel like I belong. :P

Ehh.. that is enough for tonight. :P :)
It is almost 22.30 and I'm super, super tired.
I hope to try to complete as much of my last Swedish assignment as I can tomorrow, so wish me luck. Along with it, I have to write two reviews of two novels that I read in Swedish. :P

Go'natt! Sov gott!

[Go'natt :: God natt :: Good night]
[Sov gott :: sleep well]

If the World could vote.

Very interesting page! A chance for everyone in the World to vote for President of the United States.

If the World could vote.

Outside.

These were from yesterday. Today it was very cloudy and cold. Fredrik had snowflakes on his way to work. :/ We have the Winter tires on the Volvo and he had them put on his work truck, so we are now ready for Winter to arrive!

Now with the time change, it starts getting dark at 16.30, and it is almost pitch black by 17.00. I enjoy the darkness, though. I think it would be fun to visit Northern Sweden, during the complete month of darkness. No sunlight for one month.

Fredrik should be calling tomorrow to the fireplace-fixer-person, so hopefully he can come out and take a look at everything and give us an idea on price and time. It is so cold, we really want the fireplace fixed. :/

But now it is bedtime.. :/ We're all just drained of energy.

I LOVE that smile.. :)

Ready for school!

Leia went around all evening with this bag on her back. :) She absolutely loved it. :))

Time change and explosions.

Our time changed this morning. :/ It is usually fantastic in the Fall, but Leia didn't realize that we all get an extra hour of sleep.. ;) So she woke up at 06.10, which was now actually 05.10. We'll fix it so she is back at the right hours. I've read how parents start weeks ahead of a time-change to fix their baby's sleeping so it is right on the morning of change..... :/ :) Last time change (in the Spring), she fixed it all on her own back to normal.

The time doesn't change in the US for another week, so now we're 5 hours ahead of my parents instead of 6, so that gets really confusing.. :/

There was an explosion last night in Karlstad! At a harbor next to where Shell stores oil, in enormous oil tanks. When I got up this morning it was still going strong, but it seems like it is all under control now.

The neighbor's car was gone this morning, but he came home a few minutes ago. He is a volunteer firefighter, so I have a feeling he "spent the night" in Karlstad. :)










We had scones this morning and Leia fed herself some raspberry jam. :)








We had a bad storm last night on our side of the country. Very bad winds and lots of rain.


A few more pictures from yesterday:












Btw, the brick house in the picture is the house that is for sale!

Pumpkins.

We went grocery shopping this morning, got there at 09.30. I love going early, because it was E M P T Y. Even though pay was this past Friday (it is usually super crowded the Saturday following). (Everyone in the country gets paid on the same day of the month.)

And yes.. :) I got 2 pumpkins. They were 12,90 sek/kg or 1$ /pound. :) I wanted to get a REALLY big one.. :/ But I had a party-pooper with me that didn't think I needed a BIG pumpkin. :( And then of course when I said I wanted a BIG pumpkin, he said to get it and then I didn't want it anymore. :P
*hmph* Men.
;)
We'll try to carve them tomorrow. :)

Leia really needs a haircut, but I can't bring myself to trim her hair. :/ She so much looks like a little boy that we desperately want to let it grow out so she can look like a little girl. :/ :)

I'm fixing an early dinner now, we usually eat earlier on the weekends. :) Tomorrow morning I might have to fix some scones and use some of Farmor's homemade blackberry jam that she brought us. (It's super yummy!) So I should check on dinner. :P

Climbing the stairs.