Saturday, March 30, 2013

Happy Easter!

We're spending a couple of days at my parents over Easter. We had planned to go yesterday but Isolde had a fever so we postponed until today just to be on the safe side - today she was fine. Tomorrow we're having dinner with Maria and Daniel but otherwise we're just hanging out here, letting Harald bond with his grandparents.

Herring, salmon and eggs were on the menu for lunch today, and lamb for dinner. For dessert I made a fruity cake with a pineapple mousse (pineapple, cream cheese, custard powder and icing sugar) and peach and kiwi filling and whipped cream and strawberries, kiwi, peach and pineapple topping. I bet it will taste even better tomorrow!

Glad påsk!






Thursday, March 28, 2013

Update

Harald turned 6 weeks on Tuesday (I know, time flies!). He's growing quickly - his latest weigh-in (which was yesterday, together with an early two-month doctor's appointment) was 4,670 gr. He has now just about caught up with Isolde at the same age. Here's how they compare:

Birth weight: 2,805 (Isolde 3,365)
6 days old: 2,640 (Isolde 3,498)
1 week, 2 days: 2,700 (Isolde 3,470)
1 week, 6 days: 2,950
2 weeks, 6 days: 3,390 (Isolde 3,680 at 2 weeks, 1 day)
5 weeks: 4,340 (Isolde 4,470)
6 weeks, 1 day: 4,670 (Isolde 4,690)

As you can see, Harald gained almost 1 kilo in two weeks, from 3,390 to 4,340, at the previous check-up last week. In terms of length, he's now 55 cm and Isolde was 54 at this age (although their length is always difficult to get correct, compared to their weight).

The days go so quickly! The first month of Harald's life Isolde kept her regular hours at preschool (9:00-16:00) and Peter dropped her off and picked her up. Since 12 March Peter drops her off at 9am and I pick her up by 3pm and some days it feels like I haven't done much by the time I have to go and get her. Especially on the days when I've been up early with both kids (Isolde often wakes up at 5 at the moment... hope it changes to at least 6 now when we change the clocks this weekend) and then gone back to bed at 9 and slept for a couple of hours. After that it's lunch and perhaps an errand or a walk, and suddenly it's 3pm. But don't take me wrong, I'm very grateful Isolde is able to attend preschool even though I'm on parental leave (this wasn't the case before the late 1990s) and the 30-hour entitlement in Stockholm is a luxury. She really loves it there so I'm happy she doesn't have to stay home with boring mum and brother. Though on days that I have plans, e.g. hanging with one of my friends who are also on maternity leave and who have kids the same age as Isolde, she'll have a day off. And she's already been home with me on several occasions due to illness (pink eye and a cold).

On those days, when I've had both children, I feel that I'm neglecting both, albeit at different times. Luckily Harald wants to sleep a lot now in the beginning, because on those days he has had to spend most of the day in his cot while Isolde has got most of my attention. However, often it seems he's desperate to be fed at the very minute I have to make lunch for Isolde or we're having the most fun playing. And then I feel bad for her. She's also been jealous of him, of course, and I don't want to have to say no to her too much. But it's a bit difficult to have her on my lap while I'm breast-feeding... Luckily she's usually content (or has to be content) with sitting close to me and watching TV or reading a book while I feed him. I know I shouldn't feel bad, as she will (eventually) get love and attention also from a devoted little brother, and life is all about learning how to share, but it's difficult to fight off that bad consciousness anyway. I know she's doing fine and that I'm doing my best but it's easy to still feel a bit iadequate. Luckily she has a great dad who devotes most of his evenings to her. Although I wish we could switch kid more in the evening so-to-speak, but the evenings are still one of the main feeding times for Harald (though I plan to start expressing milk so that Peter can feed him too).

I think that is the main "lesson" so far after six weeks as parents of two children; i.e. that life becomes somewhat "divided", at least now in the beginning. Peter takes care of Isolde and I take care of Harald. It's not really like with Isolde when we "discovered" our child together. When Peter was back at work after his two weeks off he reflected over the fact that he had hardly held Harald since he started working again. Lately it's been a bit better though because we're making a conscious effort to make sure I also put Isolde to sleep at night when Harald is content or sleeping anyway (although Isolde is daddy's girl so sometimes she only wants him) and Peter spends some time with Harald when he's not eating (but as you can see from his weight gain above most of his awaken time has been feeding time ha ha :) And once Isolde is down for the night, usually around 8pm, it's the three of us; Harald, Peter and me.

The second lesson is the shared attention aspect I described above. And the time and effort involved in taking care of two children on your own (eloge to single parents!), especially now in the beginning when it's a new situation and Harald doesn't have any "routines". Peter has yet to experience this ha ha! I desperately need a haircut so I plan to leave him with both rascals in the near future so I can look presentable again.

In other and related news, Isolde has entered the terrible twos big time (well, it's probably nothing compared to how it can get and maybe will get as time goes on this year). It started around Christmas and has increased with her turning two and with Harald arriving. She throws tantrums (sometimes with highpitch screaming which we're trying to make her stop doing) when she doesn't get what she wants or when she doesn't want to do what we want her to do, such as get dressed, brush her teeth, eat what's being served, not mess with Harald, and so on. But we're learning how to deal with it and what makes things easier for us - or rather for her and thus for us. Key words are time, preparation and patience. At least if she is to get dressed in the morning without a fight and tears. She wants to do things when she wants to do it and at her pace. So the trick is to let her do that, or rather, have her think that's how it is (or is she still the one manipulating us, who knows? ;) Letting her make the choices - those that a two-year-old can make, e.g. choosing between two outfits, also make getting dressed so much easier. Sometimes she doesn't know what she wants though, and since her language skills leave much to ask for still, it doesn't help her or us. That said, she's very good at getting what she wants by pointing and gestures (just like her dad when he was little apparently). E.g. she can't say "thirsty" or "drink" so she's started doing a pretend cough when she's thirsty. Cute and creative! :)

Besides the occasional scratch (one resulting in a few drops of blood), Isolde has treated Harald well. At first she was a bit bewildered, asking several times a day "what/who is that?", and not that interested in him, and very gentle when touching him. But after a week or two, having become used to his presence, she started looking for and after him, and wanted to pat and cuddle him. She's often be a bit rough because she doesn't understand that she's heavier than him and can't lay on top of him, and she gets carried away. There was one week, around his forth and fifth week, that she was a bit more consciously rough, but that phase soon passed and now she's nice to him most of the time. That said, she still can't be left alone with him and we have to keep constant watch, mainly because she wants to cuddle or she wants to tease and tickle him and she isn't careful enough. We have a very high bed which Isolde hasn't been able to climb up by herself but now she's learnt how to do it - probably encouraged her curiosity and desire to be with him - so now the only safe place for Harald is his cot.

It's really sweet to see them together. Isolde is already looking after him - running to see him as soon as he make a sound and anxious that he wears his socks - and Harald is already watching what his sister is up to. I'm sure he'll be worshipping the ground she walks on in no time! And she will be his protector and boss at the same time ;)

For those who are interested and waiting for it, I promise I will write about the birth soon!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Friday Gallery

I missed last week so two-in-one this week.  It's Erika who calls the shots this month and she has chosen from another angle/viewpoint and abstract for last week and this.
I brought Harald along to a course in EU lobbying and negotiating at work this week.  EU countries approach policy issues from different angles...

Maybe not abstract enough but Isolde perhaps created a modern work of art in her room the other day...
Erika has also found a widget for us Friday Gallery bloggers to link our posts.  See below.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Harald!

He has a name!  Finally!  The more time passed it got more and more difficult.  "What if we pick something that doesn't fit and we regret it later?"  And we got used to calling him lillebror or lilla gubben and other nicknames.

One of my favourite names for a boy has been Leopold and I've also really liked Theodor.  Another name on my list was Julius, one of Peter's second names, but he doesn't like it, or at least not as a first name.  Peter was instead quite keen on Vilhelm.  He didn't mind Leopold or Theodor but we both didn't like that fact that both those names are very easily shortened to Leo and Theo.  Leo and Theo are VERY common names for children in Sweden at the moment (for the last decade) with Leo given to 666 boys last year (while only 16 for Leopold) making it the 11th most popular name, and Theo/Teo to 567 boys, landing it at place 19.  The longer (or real name in my view) Teodor/Theodor/Theodor is very popular with 371 boys last year (no 39 of 100).   In addition to not wanting a name on the top list we also prefer names that do not have a given nickname.  And, needless to say, we wanted the name to go well with Isolde (and our surname too of course), and I quite like to have a 'd' or even both 'l' and 'd' in the name.

So we went back to the drawing board, or to the list of names given to at least ten boys a year between 1998 and 2012, and went through A LOT of names.  The aforementioned names made it into our favourites list again, but one newcomer stood out more and more, and after a week or so of trying it out, we decided it was the one.  With a few moments of second thought :)  I made up my mind earlier than Peter but he soon came around too.

So I'm proud to introduce...

Harald!!!
Taken today.  He's getting chubby!  (And yes, he has a scratch on his chin, courtesy of Isolde...)
A bonus with the name Harald is that it's a family name (though only a couple of generations back) on Peter's side.  It's was Peter's great grandfather's (gammelmorfar) name and it's also Peter's dad's second name (or third to be exact).  Harald isn't too common - 34 boys last year, which is not enough to make it into top 100 - and there's no "standard" nickname even though we don't mind Harry.

We're still deciding on his other names.  It will definitely be Harald Leopold...something... maybe Vilhelm (which is a Coyet family name many generations back).  Luckily we still have another two months to register his name with the authorities (not like 3 days in Belgium or 7 days in Spain).

A collage of Harald's various looks and poses.  Click on the photo to enlarge.


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

All Our Children

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Girl Effect and Save the Children's most recent Swedish campaign.  I meant then to also write about Fryshuset's project/campaign Jag brinner för dig (I burn for you).  You can read more about the project at Fryshuset's page, on the website of one of their social partners and on the initiator's blog

The aim of the campaign is to encourage all of us to think and care more about other people's children; all children: 

Your children are my children.  My children are your children.  Together all children are our children.  I promise to see you and act for you.  Through the simple [things] I will and can make a difference for you.

Those simple things can be:
  • I say Hi to children around me, and learn their names
  • I invite everyone to a meal when my child has friends at home
  • I give attention to and praise children around me
  • I provide an extra packed lunch when my child has a field day
  • I bring a football or a skipping rope outside and play with the children
  • I give away those things I don't need by putting up notices in the neighbourhood
  • I ask if I can help when I see a child looking sad or lost
  • I provide extra mittens, Lucia outfits or Halloween costumes for activities at preschool and school
  • I and my child share buckets, shovels and toys when we're outside playing
  • I pass on these actions
So pay it forward by doing these things and recommending others to do so too!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

One Month!

Yesterday was his due date but he's already been with us for a month today! Will write more about his first month later in the week when I have more time (had both kids at home today and it was a bit of a handful...). And no, still no name. We're down to just two or three options but it's just so difficult to decide!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Baby Humour

Funny text that did the rounds on Facebook the other day.

Birth order of Children:
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your doctor confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.
_____________________________________________________
 
Preparing for the Birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.
_____________________________________________________
 
Clothes:
1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?
_____________________________________________________
 
Worries:
1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.
_____________________________________________________
 
Dummy:
1st baby: If the dummy falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the dummy falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.
______________________________________________________
 
Nappies:
1st baby: You change your baby's nappy every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their nappy every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their nappy before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
_____________________________________________________
 
Activities:
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.
______________________________________________________
 
Going Out:
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.
_____________ ________________________________________
 
At Home:
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.
______________________________________________________
 
Swallowing Coins:
1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin, you deduct it from his pocket money.

Friday, March 08, 2013

Friday Gallery: Magic

Apologies for being repetitive but right now my life is pretty occupied by two little magic human beings :)

Isolde has an ear fetish ;)




Saturday, March 02, 2013

Friday Gallery on a Saturday

Erika is our hostess for March and her first theme is Friday Feeling. With a new baby in the house and for me especially, being on maternity leave, every day is like Friday now. Almost :) And the best moments are when we're all together, the four of us.



Friday, March 01, 2013

Push Present

Or push presents rather.  My husband has really spoiled me this time, especially since it was a relatively easy* delivery this time (although I felt rather spoiled  last time too).

A saltwater pearl necklace that will go very well with the bracelet Peter gave me for my birthday.  Now I just need an occasion to wear them! 

And one of the newest Kindles, Kindle Paperwhite, that comes with a very nice leather cover.  Perhaps now I will actually get some books read!  I welcome book recommendations!  Speaking of books, guess what book is no 1 on the top 100 books on Kindle?! "The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared" by Swede Jonas Jonasson, a book that has become very popular and has now been translated into English (and perhaps other languages?) and is also being filmed.


* Although it's never painfree or pleasant of course, except for the finale, or the end-product really :)