Upset tummy.

Okay.. :/ I have an upset tummy now.

Leia started screaming as soon as I opened the gate to the daycare.. :( She sat on my lap inside and cried, and she screamed when I left.

There is definitely something bothering her. :/ She isn't eating much of anything at home. We've switched her to lactose-free milk to see if that helps her tummy and helps her poop better.

We don't know if it is her tummy, or new separation anxiety, or if she is starting to figure things out and it is scaring her a little (all the new information). But I just want her to feel better and be happier. :(

I don't care to leave her, but I don't like leaving her when she is so unhappy. :/

EHhh...

Daycare update.

I dropped Leia off at 09.30 on Friday (they called the afternoon before and asked me to bring her at 09.30 instead of 09.00, because that is when the other kids show up. Which isn't true, because they only have 2 on Fridays (the inskolning kids), and he would also show up at 9, but anywho.....)..

I dropped Leia off at 09.30 and they told me good luck for my interview. I had to tell them about it (even though we told no one else, for as to not jinx the whole thing) so they would know I couldn't come and pick her up early. I was meeting with her at 13.00.

So Fredrik called the daycare around 10.00, just to ask them how things are going - if everything is okay, especially since they kept calling me to pick her up. He called me afterwards and he said that it sounded that they kept calling for me to come pick her up because they felt sorry for her. They said that she is doing well, and that things should be fine for her to start her normal schedule.

I was upstairs when the house phone rang at 12.30. We have the phone turned off upstairs so that it won't wake Leia up or disturb us when she is going to bed. I couldn't get to the one downstairs in time, but my cell phone rang right afterwards. It was the daycare...... I didn't call back.

They knew I had the interview at 13.00.
I called Fredrik to call them and see what the problem is.

I leave the house at 13.35 to go pick up Leia. I get there and they are SUPER nice. I mean, they have always been nice.. but now they were going overboard.. :P I have a feeling they realized my annoyance when Fredrik called them back instead of me.. :P

I talk to Fredrik after we get back home, and they just told him that Leia had slept for an hour. One of them had layed with her to help her sleep longer. But she was still super unhappy afterwards and didn't want to do anything.

Right when I got there to pick Leia up, they had said that Leia just wanted to sit on their lap all day. And I said, "That is what she does at home. She sits on my lap all day." And her jaw dropped and she said, "Oh." We are guessing that they think her behavior there is different than at home, but it seems like she is being the same there as at home. I had warned them that she has a bad temper, that she is angry, and that she screams a lot. :P I guess they didn't listen.

We still love the place.
If they call for me to pick up Leia anymore, since she has started her regular schedule now that we will be paying for, we've decided that I'll write down when they had me pick her up, have one of them sign it to confirm it, and then keep doing that, and at the end of the month, we'll send it to the kommun, and ask for our money back for the hours they requested she go home.
There isn't much more we can do besides that. :P

Leia had a bad weekend, though.. :/
She fought with her daddy some.. :/ She is.. starting temper tantrums.. or.. her tantrums are getting worse. :P Daddy moved the coffee table in the way of the floor lamp so that she couldn't shake it violently, and that made her VERY, VERY angry. And she screamed.. for an hour.. :/

So she has started to show more.. defiance. *JOY*

She slept very poorly last night, too. And we were all up for hours trying to also get her to stop screaming and help her go back to sleep. So none of us got very much sleep last night.

We think we understand her.. anger and frustration, and we know there isn't much we can do to help her, and most of the time she doesn't want any help or comfort. We just hope that it passes quickly so that we can all have things a little nicer around here. :/ :)

She was much better today. She was more herself than she was during the weekend. She played better. And when I told her "No" she listened and I ignored her (short) tantrums, and she even wanted to "make-up" afterwards by sitting on my lap.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with the unemployment office. I had gone a couple of weeks ago just to start with the whole process. And then my meeting with them is at 11.00 tomorrow. It will be fun to tell her that I've found a little job. :)) But we'll see if there is anything that she can do to help me find something more full-time. She will have to look through all my grades, etc.. and confirm it in the system. And talk about hopes and dreams and goals and all that silly stuff. :)

And sometime last week, the blood bank in Säffle called me.

I had forgotten that awhile ago I had signed up to be a blood donor. There isn't a clinic here in Åmål, and the closest one is in Säffle, so they called. They asked if I could come and give blood on Tuesday, and of course I agreed. I just hope my iron is good enough. :P I was an avid blood giver in the US. Something that I take very seriously, along with organ donation.

Fredrik hates it, but he doesn't mind since it is in Säffle, that means he gets to have McDonald's for dinner.

Okay, now it is bedtime.
A break from school work tonight for CSI and then a few minutes of the movie Youngblood.

Some pictures from the weekend.

First lunchbox.

I decided it was time for Leia to have her first lunchbox. :) It isn't exactly my first choice, but there wasn't much to choose from. There was Spiderman and Princesses.. :) We're going to have to have Mormor find all my old ones (if she still has them) and send them for Leia. :))

A job!

Yes! :) I got a job!! :)

On Wednesday I found an ad for a "kursledare" (course leader / teacher) in English in Säffle with "Medborgarskolan," the town next to us. On Thursday I sent an interest-e-mail and told her that I would be sending my CV and then call her to talk about the job. She ended up calling me a couple of hours after I sent the e-mail, and pretty much hired me then and there. She asked if she could come to the house for an interview today.

So she came over and we chatted. :)
"Medborgarskolan" is literally translated "Citizen school" which is a private school that offers courses for self-improvement, hobbies, etc...

I'll have an adult conversation class in Säffle. And then she wanted to start an adult class in Åmål, too. :) And then I suggested a children's class. :) Which she was very happy about, she thought that was a great idea. So we'll see if anyone signs up for the classes in Åmål. :)

So I'll have 1-3 classes starting in February. :)
It doesn't pay much, well.. the pay is good, but it isn't many hours. But they will pay for my travels to Säffle, and I get to go to other courses for free (if I'm interested).

Yay! :)

A few issues.

Okay, so Fredrik and I are having a few issues with Leia's daycare.. :/

They called me again yesterday, to come pick her up early. Their reasoning: She wouldn't eat and they knew I was home to come get her.

I asked if she had eaten anything during the day, they said, "No." And I asked "Not even her banana?" (Which she will ALWAYS eat.) And she said, "No." I get home, and open her bag from lunch, and there was her banana..... They didn't even try to give it to her. And her juice was also in there, obviously unopened. So she went all day without food, AND without anything to drink. If she doesn't want to eat, then she doesn't want to eat, but knowing they didn't offer her her juice makes us *VERY* angry.

So.. Fredrik is calling.. right about now, actually.. to ask "what's up?" See how everything is going and if there are any problems, since they've been sending her home early.

Honestly, we just think they are lazy.
So, we'll see what kind of conversation they have. :P And of course I will give a report.

September pictures.

Pictures from the month of September.

Hoping!

So I'm hoping for a better day today for Leia!

She didn't sleep at all yesterday during the day, but she of course fell asleep easily last night, and didn't get up until 7 this morning, and she is in a much better mood. Her tooth came through a lot more last night, so I'm hoping that it is feeling better.

They are going on a walk today in the forest, and they will take a sack lunch, which I just prepared. She is taking a sandwich with turkey and cheese, a banana (her favorite) and some snacks that Aunt Carie sent. And a juice box. I think she will enjoy herself. :) She will be outside and with other children. And she will be in a double stroller with another baby that is 17 months old that isn't walking yet..... The older children will walk. But sitting next to another baby should keep her occupied.. :) Give her someone to pinch, poke and punch. :))

I finished my paper last night and sent it to my teacher. That was my last Swedish assignment. So now I am done with my class. I will meet with him again, and probably write a little something for him in person, so that he knows that I'm not cheating on all my assignments.. ;)

Fredrik has a district meeting this afternoon in Uddevalla, so he won't be home today until late.

Today I'm hoping to update my resume (CV) and get going with my SPCS class that I've been neglecting.

More later.

Not a good day.

Took Leia to pre-school this morning and she started crying when I gave her to her teacher. They called me around 11.45 and asked me to come pick her up. She obviously slept 45 minutes for them, but woke up screaming and wouldn't stop and she wouldn't eat lunch. I can't get her to sleep. I have gotten absolutely nothing done today, which I would have if she just was home with me like normal. I am trying to keep positive and tell myself that it will get easier for her, but I know Leia better than anyone... And I know this is how she is going to be with them, which is how she is with Fredrik and I. Now we just have to see if the teachers are willing to put up with it or not, or if they will call me to come pick her up early every day. Taking her there is supposed to start making things better.. not make them worse.

First kiss.

Leia had her first kiss today. :)) She had dropped her pacifier in the middle of the floor at pre-school. A bit later, the little boy, Theodor, found it and picked it up and said, "Where's Leia?" The teacher pointed to the other side of the room and he went over to her. He put her pacifier in her mouth and reached in and gave her a kiss.. :D It was SO cute. :))

I was there for lunch.. and wow.. I want to go back every day for lunch.. :D
The food is catered by a restaurant and it was delicious! We had breaded fish, boiled potatoes, dill sauce, peas, carrots, coleslaw and potato salad. :P Leia ate very well and then we came home and she went to bed without any warm milk! And she slept for about 2½ hours.

Fredrik is going to Lilla Edet tomorrow, Leia will be at daycare almost all day, I am *almost* done with my last paper, we've ordered our DIF ice hockey tickets for December, and we have our Thanksgiving dinner with friends all planned out.

Things are coming together!