First Party

Isolde came along to Sabina's birthday drinks earlier tonight. I took the opportunity to go out for dinner with another friend first while Peter ate at home and went ahead to the bar with Isolde. After about an hour or so after I arrived she and I went home while Peter stayed with the birthday crowd.

Isolde was properly equipped for the event. At first she was wondering what we were doing to her but she quickly got used to her new headgear.










Via Anna's iPhone

Royal Moment

Serious and nervous moment if their faces are anything to go by.

Isolde soon lost interest however and wanted to be fed instead.





Via Anna's iPhone

Shorty

Yesterday Isolde weighed in at 5,960 gr - so not over 6 kg just yet - and was 58.5 cm tall. Or short rather. While she's on track weight wise she's slightly below "her" length. But nothing to worry about. She's not even 4 months after all. It's just her mum who likes seeing perfect diagrams and graphs ;)

Here she is pondering life on our recent trip to France.

Final Countdown

Marianne started counting down weeks or even months before the big occasion; I make do with the one-day countdown*! So...tomorrow we will get the keys to our new home!



* Time has just flown by since buying and selling, the Christening, our Nice-trip, Easter...that I haven't had time to think about it. Luckily we're not moving in right away so there's time to plan that and think about interior decorating.

Only in America...

Those of you living in the States have probably already heard about the J. Crew ad where a boy has painted toe nails - in neon pink - and the debate about gender this has caused. It's unbelievable what it has turned into. You'd think it was a joke or April Fools. Crazy. I'm speechless. As always, there's the Daily Show to set people (as in Fox* watching Americans) straight.

The Daily Show - Toemageddon 2011 - This Little Piggy Went to Hell
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

* Though this time also ABC, NBC and CNN seem to have jumped on the loony bandwagon.

Pregnant Memories

My friend Malin's family photo shoot reminded me that I haven't shown you the results of my "modelling" when I was pregnant with Isolde. I thought it was a fun thing to do at the time and I'm sure I will be happy to have these photos in the future, but when I look at them now I feel a bit silly... But at least they don't look like THESE! Anyway, here are my favourites. I was in week 36+1 when they were taken.




The photos were taken by Lina & Linda.

Soft Easter Monday

After meeting Jenny for brunch (while Isolde was home with dad), Isolde and I had a look at the Japanese cherry trees in Kungsträdgården and now we're chilling in Tessinparken while Peter plays basketball.







Via Anna's iPhone

Flicka

Another blog baby has been born! Anne and Martin in Oregon are now parents to a baby girl!

Congratulations!

Happy Easter!

Peter, Isolde and I went out to the summer house to chill yesterday. It's just us here as his parents are spending Easter in Nice but Peter's sister and her husband are coming out tonight. Tomorrow we'll change our Easter location to my parents.




So far we haven't done any typical Easter stuff except for eating sweets and drinking must but I expect (I hope) lots of eggs and herring at my parents. Peter and I usually don't give each other any Easter presents and I don't decorate for Easter either (except for some tulips and tussilago) but I suspect this will change as Isolde gets older. Then she will want to do little Easter crafts in the shape of chickens and dress up as an Easter witch, but most importantly, get her egg with candy and/or some other treat (we want to wait as long as possible with giving her sweets so it will be a toy or similar the first couple of years I suspect).




Via Anna's iPhone

Small Friends

My friend Maria and I went to visit another friend, Malin, today. Malin has a 1 1/2 year-old daughter, Elvina, and is expecting a little boy in September; 22 months apart. Today Malin got to practice juggling two little ones and experience what sibling jealousy might look like :)




What's great with Elvina getting a little brother is that she's passing on all her girly stuff to Isolde (in addition to all the other stuff we've received or borrowed). Today we got two big bags of clothing (lucky us that Elvina is a shopoholic, or is it her mother..?) and I also borrowed a baby food processor that steams and purees in one go. In the picture are also hand-me-downs from Maria's friend Marie. At this rate Isolde is going to need one of the walk-in closets in our new flat all to herself!



Via Anna's iPhone

Bookchange

I'm going to participate in a book exchange for the first time (thanks Västmanländskan for the inspiration). Very exciting! Especially since I have been a "bad" reader lately but want to change that. I'm looking forward to finding out who will be my recipient, choosing the book and buying the "extras" to include with the package, and of course, to receiving something myself too!

I'd love this bookshelf but unfortunately it's an art installation and not a piece of furniture (at least not yet...) (from Tolisinredning.blogspot.com)

Royal Wedding à la T-Mobile

Pleasing to the Eye

We did buy a few things in Nice; a dress and a onesie for Isolde, a birthday present for a friend and an Easter gift to my parents (can't reveal what here of course). We also bought some olive oil that both has delicious taste and comes in a beautiful can.



Via Anna's iPhone

Last Day

Time to go home tomorrow. As always, mixed feelings, but in the end, home sweet home, or "borta bra men hemma bäst" (away is good but home is best), as we say in Sweden.

Today we took it very easy. Ventured out around noon, walked down to the port, past the war monument.












Before strolling a last time on the Promenade and through the old town we had moules (of course) at one of the restaurants in the harbour. Isolde was a bit cranky though but luckily we were seated outside where baby cries get muffled in all the other noise.




On our way home we stocked up on olive oil and tried the local specialty socca, a chickpea pancake.

And, today was Peter's birthday but in the midst of all the Christening preparations and other stuff over the last couple of weeks I forgot to buy him a gift! Despite us talking about his birthday several times! Maybe "pregnancy/nursing brain" does exist?! Lucky me he took it well!

Via Anna's iPhone

Maeght

Another two days have passed in Nice (and elsewhere of course :) Yesterday we took another car-free day. The plan was to go shopping, which we did but we didn't find anything. Nice doesn't really have any fun shops in my opinion, unless you can afford the Louis Vuitton streak or want to stock up on Provencian fabric (which I don't find that pretty) or herbs. But I don't mind just strolling the streets, looking at architecture or people. In the evening I took a bath with Isolde for the first time (we don't have a tub at home but in our new flat we will!), which we both enjoyed. After that the whole family chilled on the sofa where Isolde has occupied one corner.

Today we made a short journey to another pretty mountain village, St-Paul-de-Vence, where we also visited the modern art museum Fondation Maeght. It's considered one of the world's finest art museums but since I'm not too fond of modern art and it's a small museum, I thought it wasn't worth 14 euros. On the other hand it's a cool building and it's amazing that two art dealers collected so much to open a museum (or gallery). And it's famous artists of course; Chagall, Miró, Giacometti et al. It's a cool building as well. So it's nice to have seen it. To tick it on the check list.

For Isolde it was her first visit to an art museum. She found the milk bottle display of course (her parents did not stage the photo at all, no...).

Via Anna's iPhone

Gorges du Verdon

I was manouvred out of bed this morning (at 9:30 so a completely decent hour though) as you can see. Isolde's is supposed to sleep in the so-called snuggle nest in the middle... She did sleep in her other bed (the pram for this week) from 9pm to almost 5am so I'm not complaining though!
After all the morning chores we got on the road around 11:30 to go to Gorges du Verdon, France's Grand Canyon. On our way we saw many villages on hillsides and hilltops and looked out over the astonishing gorges (no pictures with the iPhone though) and the gorgeously blue Lac de Ste-Croix.

We had lunch at the entrance to the gorge, Castellane, and afternoon coffee at the other end, in Moustiers-Ste-Marie.
I highly recommend a visit to Gorges du Verdon if you're in the area! Such amazing landscape and views and beautiful villages built in/into the mountains. Not for the faint-hearted or those suffering from vertigo though! Via Anna's iPhone

Summer Days

We have taken advantage of the last two days of sunny and warm weather (it's not supposed to be as nice over the next few days) and spent yesterday in St Tropez and today in Nice. We slept in and took our time in the morning though, and so didn't venture out until lunch time. We took the scenic - and longer - route to St-Trop, but Isolde was either sleeping or happily looking at her toy.
She wasn't as happy at nine in the evening last night when we had to go to the supermarket (as we only bought the basics on Sunday - we had forgotten that hardly anything is open on Sundays) but after a good night's sleep she was her happy self again this morning. Today we walked along Promenade des Anglais and took the lift up to the Chateau.

Afterwards we relaxed at the rooftop café of Le Meridien (hotel) with coffee, cake and a magazine, and got a bit sunburnt, while Isolde was sleeping safely in the shade.
Via Anna's iPhone

Breakfast with a View

Via Anna's iPhone

Sunny Side Up

Chillin' in Nice.




Via Anna's iPhone

Sunny Girl

Ready to meet spring in France. Thanks grandma for the sun hats!




Via Anna's iPhone

Show & Tell: Bikes in the Spring

New month, new Show & Tell hostess. I missed last week so double whammy this week.

There aren't that many signs of spring yet except for warmer weather. And these:

• * grit removal machines sweeping the streets free of remnants of winter


• * the smell of wet asphalt after the rain


• * noise from motorcycles released from their winter lair


• * dog poo that dog owners thought would magically disappear in the snow


• * allergy medicine advertising


• * Easter promotions in the shop


• * dressing too warm one day and too cold the next


• * and this:

Luckily that's not my bike. Mine looks like this and I bought it last year. I haven't ridden it yet this year though as my main "accessory" these days is a pram.

I remember all my bikes. First it was the little blue one I learnt on (though I remember borrowing a friend's orange one before that), then a green one and after that a champagne- copper coloured one. All of them were second-hand, but in 6th or 7th grade I got my first brand-new bike, my first one with drop handlebars (bockstyre) and 12 (or perhaps more?) gears. It was white and lilac and I kept it until I moved to Uppsala to study at university. I took over my grandmother's old three-geared DBS bike, as I figured it was less likely to get stolen. I rode it until last year when I finally bought a new one, but it's still outside on the bike rack. It has a flat tire but otherwise it's fine! Good 80s quality!

3 Months

In two days Isolde will be three months! Time really flies! She's at such a fun age now - wish I could stop time for a while! Though people say each age has its enchantment so I'm sure we have loads of more fun ahead of us!

Isolde is now almost 58 cm tall, slighly below in the chart, and weighs 5,630 (last weigh-ins 4,920 and 5,220), which is right on her development curve. Today she had her first vaccination shot. She cried a little bit but soon forgot the pain when she saw the toy the nurse dangled in front of her. A few hours have passed now but I haven't noticed any crankiness or fever yet, we'll see how the evening goes.

What does she do then? What's she like?

* Sometimes when I'm trying to put her to sleep by singing to her, she laughs at me and tries to talk to me. The other day when I tried to hush her she found this very amusing.

* She really likes her baby gym - big change now compared to the first six weeks of her life. Same thing with the bouncy chair. She seems to understand that we're there even though we're not holding her or she can't see us (or maybe she's just too young to care, as long as she's happy and content). She can sit in the bouncy chair or play in her baby gym for quite some time now while I'm doing other stuff. Now at 12 weeks she can amuse herself for 15-30 minutes compared to 5 minutes at 6-8 weeks. I really like this new situation as it means she can sit in the bouncer in the bathroom while I shower and wash my hair.

* She likes the mobile over her changing table. We had a little stuffed tiger there before, a present from Elvina, but poor Tiger was forgotten when we hung up the mobile. But the socket for the washing machine is even more popular - see below!

* She's a happy, easy-going girl who "talks" and laughs a lot. Now it's an every day thing of course but I remember in the beginning that it was just so cute to look at her little mouth making shapes and noises. She has started making happy cries when she gets excited, especially when she wakes up in the morning (usually in a very happy mood unless she's super hungry).

* When I feed her she sometimes forgets to eat and instead wants to smile and talk. She takes a "sip" once in a while in between chit chatting. She's also a little teaser, whether consciously or not, but on the changing table she will smile, look away and then look at me again and smile more. Sometimes when she's on my lap but I'm surfing on the computer or reading a magazine she will try to get my attention by babbling and then when I look at her she gets excited.

* The bottle is still not popular, nor is the dummy. She sucks on her hands and fingers a lot but has only "succeeded" sucking her thumb three or four times. Peter sucked his index finger so maybe that's what she will go for eventually.

* She likes her cot and often lies there exploring the little flowers in the fabric. She's perhaps a future textile designer, as she seems to like touching our clothes and other fabric. Other professions that she's considering is electrician (or electro engineer as her father) and art dealer, since she's very interested in sockets and the TV antenna outlet as well as two paintings, the one in our kitchen and the one over our sofa (but this probably just reflects where we spend most of our time :)

* Once when she was only six weeks old she managed to turn around from tummy to back but hasn't done it again so it was probably just a fluke. She's trying hard but not succeeding. Lately she's started turning from her back to her side but not all the way around yet. She has started sleeping more on her side too.

* You can tell she really trusts us now. When we bathe her or give her saline nasal drops (her nose is often blocked after long sleeps) she maintains eye contact. If we look calm and happy, she's happy.

* We, or at least I (as I'm with her almost all the time), recognise and correctly interpret most of her behaviour and signs now even though there are new things every day too.

* She has begun to discover her hands but they are still more things to suck on than objects to explore. She's gripping things but not comfortably or that consciously yet. In the last month she has started rubbing her eyes or touching her ears when she's tired. It's interesting how all children do this it seems.

Maldivian Memories: Animals & Creatures

Petchie did a "What did I do one year ago" post recently, which inspired me to share some further images from our memorable* trip to the Maldives last year.

We arrived home on 6 April last year after eight days in paradise. In this post I have chosen to present some of the animal life we encountered. Unfortunately the underwater camera wasn't that water tight and started taking in water ahead of the longer snorkling trip Peter went on so we didn't get any really good photos of exotic fish.

Warning! Don't scroll down if you're afraid of spiders!

* Both for the gorgeous destination it is but also, and maybe most importantly, because it turned out to be our engagement trip!