Isolde at 16 Months

She's already 16 months and three weeks actually but I haven't got around to posting this until now.  

• Starts dancing to any music the second she hears some.  She's always done it but now it's more conscious and she has a number of signature moves.
• Not much of a talker (as in proper words, she babbles a lot, so she's not quiet) yet. She takes after her father who didn't really speak until he was 3 (but is very talkative now).
• Very cuddly and wants to hug and kiss her little friends who are not always as keen as she.  She is very careful (most of the time) with other little babies, and it's so cute when she's kissing her little cousin Olivia (four months old).
• Also cuddles with her stuffed toys and dolls and she imitates stuff we do to/with her such as wipe their mouths, feed them välling and carries (or tries to at least) them on her shoulders. 
• Can sit on a regular chair if we prop it up with pillows or similar so she can reach the table.
• Got into a period of falling asleep on her own in the evenings but with a fever the week before we went on holiday, she got out of that routine.  Luckily it changed as soon as we got back from holiday, however she seems to dream a lot at night at the moment and the nightmares (?) often wake her.  She sleeps pretty well in general but comes to our bed at some point during by morning (by 5 at the latest usually) and lately she's had a period of waking up around midnight (because of the dreams?) and not being able to go back to sleep in her own (well, probably she would if we spent half an hour or so but we don't always feel like it in the middle of the night). Perhaps one of those developmental leaps?
• Now has six teeth - four bottom ones (one has recently come up) and two in her upper gum - and has a seventh on the way and possibly an eight.  I just read that teeth also matter for their speech development so maybe the fact she just recently started getting teeth is one reason why she doesn't say that many clear words?
• Has more will and shows more frustration, especially lately when she's wanted to be more carried and not had as much patience when things don't go her way.  That developmental leap again?
• Likes her toy pram (wooden Mikki one from when I was growing up) and puts all sorts of stuff in it. She also likes rocking on the rocking train/stuffed animal and driving around on her wheely bee.
• Is slowly learning how to get up and down stairs.  Well, up is fine but down is trickier since she has to do it backwards.  But if we tell her "sit down first, do it like when you go down from the sofa or the bed", it's like she's thinking and then she remembers.  She has friends who are much taller who are starting to learn how to walk up and down stairs on their own but our girl is too short for that.  It's also good that she's becoming more and more aware about dangerous things like stairs so she stops at the top now and waits.
• Likes wearing shoes and hats and is trying to dress herself and she's usually helping when we're dressing her - except when she's being naughty and is trying to run away from us instead :)
• Really likes baths (and showers, but baths are better) and has a lot of fun with her toys in the tub.  She mostly pours water on herself and blows bubbles and she likes playing with the water from the tap (not as fun anymore when the tub is filled and we turn it off).  She usually sits in a tub chair but lately she's becoming much better at sitting reasonably still without the chair, though a couple of times she's slipped and fallen under and swallowed water, but luckily it hasn't made her become afraid of water or baths.
• No progress on the potty front - she tends to pee when we put her there half of the times but she doesn't give us advance warning - but we haven't made a concerted push yet; will try during the summer when she can run around naked outside.
• Likes playing with keys and tries to unlock any doors or keyhole she can find.
• Can pull out the kitchen drawers, even the really big (1,2 m wide) and quite heavy ones and it looks funny when she uses her whole body as pulling weight. She likes playing with the contents while we are cooking but mostly she wants to be carried and look at what we're doing in the kitchen.

Blogmeet (and Work) in Lund

This evening you find me in a hotel room at Lilla Hotellet in Lund due to a little work trip (onto Malmö tomorrow).  I took the train southwards mid-day today and when arrived and settled in the hotel, I met up with Västmanländskan and accompanied her home to her family for dinner and a chat.  It was the first time we met and it's always so exciting to meet a fellow blogger IRL!  Thank you for a lovely evening!

I walked back to the hotel through beautiful Lund scenery on a warm evening. Summer is really here now! Here are some pictures from my walk.

It's very green now.  I love the yellowy green of early summer!

Lund University Library, Lund's most beautiful building according to Västmanländskan (if I remember correctly).

I liked this student house.

I love all the brick buildings in Lund.  I think this is the the University's Department of Philosophy.

There's an exhibition about climate change outside the Cathedral.

One of many streets with cute little houses in Lund.

What Difference A Year Makes

Isolde in almost the same spot on the sofa (sporting new covers) in the Nice flat in April 2011 and in May this year. She was just three months last year and back then we felt she was getting big but looking at the photo now she seems so tiny of course!

Dresses

When on holiday and when in France, the home of fashion, little girls have to wear dresses, naturellement.

Isolde actually wore the blue dress on Midsummer last year but it was a bit big then... Both are size 6-9 months. Sometimes I wonder about the measurements of some children's clothing. Isolde is on the small side but not that small.

Un Peu de Shopping

Bikini top (white and blue; not black and white as it looks like in the photo), three pair of shoes (two budget and one pair of the more pricey sort, see close-up) and some gifts (not pictured naturally).

Little Dancer

Nice in Nice

We've arrived in Nice for a well-needed break (though don't know why we opted for the 6am flight..?) and today is just about settling in and chilling (except for over an hour of shopping at Carrefour, which Isolde wasn't happy about). Before the shopping trip we had lunch in Garibaldi square, followed by nap/rest in the flat, and now we're soaking afternoon sun on the balcony. It's like a really nice Swedish summer day.


 Leisure eating style



Place Garibaldi

Evening hung-out

Bubbles

It's amazing how quick learners children are!  I showed Isolde how to blow bubbles in the water - and I didn't even show her in the water - and she caught on right away!

Ball Girl

For some reason this photo makes me think of football. I think it's the socks and the slippers (and less so the dress, as it's in tennis women still wear skirts, right?). Maybe Isolde will grow up to play football like me (and not quit at 16 like me)?

Cherry Too

I just had to venture down to Kungsträdgården to see the cherry blossom before it's too late (for this year). It doesn't come out too well in the photo but the ground was covered in pink petals that have fallen off the trees. I think that is almost as beautiful as the blossoming trees themselves.

Smooching

Isolde took a real liking to little friend Adrian who came to visit today. Unfortunately I was too slow with the camera for the kisses but here's some hugging :)

Little Gardener

We're at the country house over the long weekend (Valborg, the celebration of spring's arrival, followed by May Day), our first time time since autumn. I'm so happy we could go because a few days we thought chicken pox was in the house and that we'd have to stay home. But looks like it was just a reaction to the MMR vaccination a week ago and today she's fever free (and we've learnt how alert children can be despite 40.3 temperature). Today was a sunny albeit a bit chilly day and Peter helped his parents with the spring cleaning of the garden while I took care of the little helper (?) and read in the sunshine while Isolde was sleeping.

Where to Put All that Shopping

Hey, I need some help!  I've been looking at wardrobes for Isolde's room for ages but haven't been able to take a decision.  I have ruled out my favourite due to cost, as well as the copy due to mainly size (too small) but also cost, and am now choosing between some Ikea options.  I think I like the big Hemnes best but I'm not sure!  What do you think?!

Hemnes - Is this my new favourite? 

Birkeland - Not too sure about the glass and the fact that the clothes will be visible...

Stuva - The more modern look.  This comes in all-white, which would be my choice, or other colours too.



Smaller Hemnes wardrobe that I think would be too small for our needs.

First Vocabulary

• mamma, but usually mimmi or memmy or memme (mum)
• pappa or bappa or babba (dad)
• där (there)
• än or jen = igen (again) (when we read a story or do something else she wants to repeat)
• noo noo = I want; at least we think so, and usually related to food, so could mean eat or food too
• ju ju or jo jo = I want; related to other things she wants, e.g. the iPhone (every morning when she wakes up, if she's in our bed, she sits up in an instant and then points to the bedside table and says "jo jo"
• ätt = god natt (good night)
• ja, a or ä = ja (yes)
• ej or nej (no)
• ej or hej (hi)
  
• e de? = vad är det? (what is it/that?
  

And lots of other sounds and babbling together with pointing :)

Bad Hair Day?

A Night at the Post Office

Time to tuck in at the new Clarion Post Hotel in Gothenburg. I'm here for work event which will consume most of my time tomorrow before I get on a train back to Stockholm in the evening. Tonight I went out for dinner with a friend and colleague and we ended up at Bishop's Arms where we had fish & chips and was convinced to participate in their weekly quiz night. The food was so-so - but I liked the traditional packaging - and we didn't fare too well in the quiz (let's blame it on those Gothenburg questions...) but the beer was good and the company lovely.

Isolde at 15 Months

Our busfia

• Tells us that she wants her välling in the evening by going to the kitchen and pointing and similarly in the morning when she wants her oatmeal.
• Pees on the potty several times every day and at least every morning and every evening but we have to put her on it, she doesn't warn us yet.  She has still only done a poo twice on it though.  When she's done no 2 (in her nappy) we'll ask her if she has and usually she says yes and starts walking to the changing table.  Lately she has started walking to the potty instead and we tell her it's too late for the potty.  So she's not really getting it yet (which is normal of course).
• Runs away and tries to hide in a corner - hasn't realised a corner is not a very smart and strategic location - when she doesn't want to get dressed.
• Likes being read to over and over again, sometimes the same book.  At the moment her favourites are "Lilla gumman" and "Kråkes förskola" and song books.  She has started to sit and flip through pages herself too, especially these little Pixie books from when I was little (at least that's where I think they come from)
• Knows the names and location of several parts of her body, including nose, ears, eyes, tongue, head, hands, feet and tummy.
• (Tries to) sing when she's playing and pottering about.  And also sometimes when she is trying to tell us that she wants us to sings.  For example I sing the Pippi song with a Pippi doll and a "Små grodorna" version about a hippo using a stuffed animal, and she'll bring those to me and make sounds like singing.  She also does some of the gestures to Itzy Bitzy Spider.
• Is playing more and more by herself, and it's more and more role play - cooking, taking care of soft toys/dolls and other games.
• Is pushing around my old toy pram (and has also started climbing into it, see picture).  The pram is pretty light and in the beginning she was always falling over with it but now she knows how to "work" it.

• Is not really a climber yet (and her parents are grateful) but she's beginning to get interested.  Last night at some friends' house for dinner she took a real liking to a children's armchair that she climbed in and out of and sat in reading.

• Still likes the swings at the playground but has discovered the slide and can slide down on her own without help.
• Has moved to only one nap a day (most days) and she also wakes up much earlier in the morning even though she goes to bed at the same time.  I guess she doesn't need as many hours of sleep anymore?!
• Is quite "naughty" at the moment.  She tries to do stuff she knows (?) she shouldn't and also scratches and pokes us, and just laughs when we tell her off.  Testing us already it seems! 
• Is not shy at all with other adults or children and can be quite tough with other children, which is good if they are older but not always with the ones who are the same age.  Hope she doesn't turn into a bully!  But it's mainly the really shy children who gets upset, not the ones who are more like her in personality. 
• Doesn't talk that much yet but says "mamma" (more like "mimmi") and "pappa" sort of and "ja" (yes) and something like "joo joo" (for "I want", "I'm excited" and "noo noo"(but it means "food" or "I want" and not "no") and this morning she imitated "bu" (boo) when Peter read to her.  "Joo joo" and "noo noo" really are her signature words at the moment!
• She might not talk much but she definitely understands a LOT and most instructions.  It's amazing how much little ones understand and how fast they learn!
• Has THREE teeth now!
• Weighs around 8.7 kg and is 74 cm tall (or short ha ha) I think - we'll find out when we see the nurse next week for her MMR vaccine ahead of our trip to France (usually at 18 months but it's recommended to take it earlier if visiting certain countries and France is one of them because of the prevalence of measles).  We looked at Peter's and my old records and it turns out she follows Peter's growth chart almost to the gram and centimetre! 
• Had a "daddy" phase for a while but lately there hasn't been much of a difference in who she wants to go to and be with, or maybe a little bit of a preference towards me.  So I guess it really varies from time to time.  I was a bit worried when she had that daddy period that it was going to be that way forever, since Peter is home with her for so long and has been since she got to a more "conscious" stage. 
• Throws food that she doesn't want on the floor or as her way of telling us she's full.  We try to tell her "just tell us you're done" but she's not listening yet :)
• Is not afraid of the hoover or other loud machinery anymore.
• Often plays talking on the phone but goes dead quiet if there's actually a person on the line.
• Is just being so cute and funny right now!  And she has a fantastic reportoire of facial expressions and little things she do.

Skyr

A great breakfast or snack for little ones (and big ones too of course) is Icelandic yoghurt skyr. Could have had more fat for Isolde's sake but contains lots of protein. I hadn't heard of skyr until I read about it over at Västmanländskan a few months ago but now most shops seem to stock it.

What's In a Name

When I posted the pictures from Isolde's christening I forgot to write about her three names.

Isolde, which I thought I had written about before but maybe not as I can't find the post (?), originates from the story about Tristan and Isolde (or Iseult), an old Celtic story, that I read for the first time in secondary school.  I didn't think much about the name then, more than it was pretty, but a couple of years later (I think I was still in school) I read that the actor-chef Per Morberg* had a daughter named Isolde and I realised it was a proper name, as opposed to some names from history or legend that are just plain strange, such as Zantippa or Cleopatra (apologies if I'm offending someone). 

And the name stuck with me - like no other names have done - and it's been very difficult for me to seriously consider other names for a girl.  There are lots of other girl names I like but they have always been for a second daughter.  When I searched for posts about Isolde's name here on the blog I found an old post from 2005 where I wrote: "When I have children one day, I'm going to have a girl called Isolde, otherwise it's not happening!"

That said, I seriously tried to think about alternative names since Peter, like most people, was sceptical when I first mentioned Isolde a few years ago.   He gradually got used to the idea and in the hospital he was the one who started calling her Isolde.  I didn't realise how strong opinions people have about names - and they don't hesitate to express them** - and towards the end of the pregnancy I had stopped telling people what names we were thinking of.  Our families were also sceptical (especially Peter's) so once Isolde had been born I wasn't sure what to do.  I hesitated about naming her Isolde but at the same time I couldn't imagine choosing another name.  So it probably took me the full three days at the hospital before it felt normal to call her Isolde, two days after Peter started using it.

Now we - and probably most of our family and friends - cannot imagine her as anything other than Isolde of course.  And most people we meet usually spontaneously say that it's beautiful and unique.

Elise comes from my mum's first name and my middle name Elisabet. I first wanted Edit, my mum's middle name, but Peter wasn't too keen on it (I didn'y like it at all when I was growing up and was glad my dad had vetoed it as my middle name, but now I think it's pretty). I've always liked Elise so we settled on that to represent my side of the family.

Julie is a name from Peter's side and from both his mother and father's sides. We pronounce it the French way, to continue family tradition. We both like Juliette but it rhymes with our surname so that sounded a bit silly and we prefer the French sounding Julie over Julia mainly for those family reasons.


* Though when I read about him now I can't find Isolde among his five daughters?  Maybe it's the one who now calls herself Liza instead??
** And I've been guilty of that too, though I usually don't say it outright but don't lie and say a name is beautiful if I don't like it either.

Isolde Went Shopping Again...

...and bought a dress, a skirt, a shirt, three trousers/tights and four (one not in the photo) hats/bonnets. Most of it from Mini Rodini and Modeerska huset. (Malin and Anne - This is the result of my visit to Oiidesign last week.)