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.)

Happy Easter!

Glad påsk!

(No sweets in Isolde's Easter egg yet though.)

Look What the Easter Bunny* Brought Me!

* aka grandpa morfar

Isolde Elise Julie

Today it's one year since Isolde's christening and I realised I never posted the photos here (only on Facebook). So here they are, better late than never!



Getting dressed in farmor's old Christening gown and a 19th century bonnet that's also from Peter's family.




Gustaf Adolfskyrkan




Guests just before the start of the ceremony




Wera spent most of the service in the play area




Peter was growing a beard then, but this is probably the longest it ever was.




Our daughter's three names




Parents and Godparents




Godmother H sang a beautiful version of Melanie Gardot's If the Stars Were Mine




Reading by Godfather Thomas



Mini Godmother Filippa poured the water




There was a little misunderstanding so Isolde was christened with her bonnet on, but luckily it still counts :)




Back to dad





Thomas lit Isolde's candle





Poem reading by Godmother Maria




Isolde fell asleep in Filippa's arms as soon as the commotion was over.





In farfar's arms




Family picture




The happy and proud parents




Guests at the drinks reception




More guests




With mormor




Three generations of women




Wera likes Peter




Peter likes Wera




Presents




Thank you!



Potty

Isolde peed on the potty for the first time today!  We only got it a few days ago and have just encouraged her to sit on it a few times and today when Peter put her on it she did it!  It was probably just a one-off but we're proud anyway!

We're not going actively potty-train her yet since she's not even 15 months old yet but they say you can start training them at least to be aware from age 10 months so we thought we'd give it a shot.  So treating it more as playtime for now - carrying it around is fun - and letting her getting used to this new gadget in the bathroom.  The step from being able to pee on the potty and actually holding when out and about is of course big. 

This is the model we have got, the Hoppop Donut.  It's supposed to be good and I liked the design.  Yes, that's important too! :)

Lately...

...I've been a very busy bee (more on that later and separately) and Isolde has been looking at sheep. She was both fascinated and a bit scared.

IT Girl

I promised Marie and Anki I'd post these photos ! :)

Stop taking photos and help me!

Are you going to help me or what?!

It's not funny anymore!

Pekaboo Farm happy again!

Isolde at 14 Months

• Has started eating porridge with a spoon in the morning.  Otherwise she mostly wants to eat with her hands but we figured porridge was a good dish to practice with since it's not too runny and sticks to the spoon and it's at a time she's usually very hungry.
• Likes books with longer texts now so we have put away most of the picture books. She also likes when we sing to her and often picks a song book over a story.  She tries to do the gestures to Itzy Bitzy Spider.
• Understands instructions such as "go and get a book" and "bring mummy that toy" and understands every day things like "let's go to the kitchen and make välling" and "do you want to take a bath?".
• Stopped the-waking-up-at-7:30-8:00-routine and started "wide awake at 5:30 or 6:00" instead, at her parents' detriment.  At least she usually sleeps in her bed all night, except for when she's sick when she comes to our bed any time between midnight and 5 am.
• Is still very "daddy daddy daddy" and I get a little heart ache when I can't comfort her.  This is more prevalent when she's sick (two weeks ago and then this week when she's had a cold) or is upset for some reason; then she only wants daddy.  But I'm still convinced sharing the parental leave is he right decision and that it is good for all three of us in the long run.  It's also only very normal he's no 1 right now since she spends so much time with him. 
• Says "babba" more and more, which we assume is "pappa" (daddy), and once in a while "mama" (more and more over the last few days).  She used to say "ma ma" several months ago but then stopped.  She otherwise babbles with more melody in the language but nothing that anyone else can understand :) Never says "där" (there) anymore, which she did all the time when she was 11-12 months old.  (Although I think I heard her say it today.)
• Gets frustrated when we don't understand what she wants.  It's usually a doll or a teddy bear that she wants us to do something with but apparently even though we try different things we are doing it wrong!
• Likes olives!  And still eats raspberries and also blueberries like there's no tomorrow.
• Has been properly sick for the first time - two days with fever (first proper fever as well) and then a light case of the stomach flu - the week after we came home from London.
• Is not shy at all and especially with other children and even older and bigger children.  It's good to see that she stands up for herself.  Although she's sucking her thumb a lot in new situations - guess that's her comfort.
• Loves walking outside now when the snow is gone and spring is in the air. 
• It's always difficult to measure and weigh at home but we think she's almost 72 cm and 8.5 kg now. 
• Has figured out how to wind up one of those stuffed animal that plays a lullaby.
• Likes putting stuff, such as her bottle or sippy cup, on coasters.  The bottle can't be next to the coaster, it has to be on it!
• Still only has two teeth!  Is that normal??!!  But a third one is coming soon but it hasn't broken through yet.
• One of her signature moves is stretching her arms over her head and saying "heya" when she enters a room, like "here I am".
• Another cute thing she does is walking with her hands behind her back like she contemplating her next mischief.
• Seems to be moving to only one nap a day instead of two, despite the fact that she waking up earlier than before.

Sad

Thinking of good friends who are having a very difficult time right now. 

You're in our thoughts and prayers!

Feedback

Last week I donated blood and yesterday I got an sms*: "Thank you! The blood you gave has now been used by a patient."

What a great way to make me feel like I've made a difference and make sure I come back!

I know not all of you are able to give blood for different reasons, but if you can, do!

* They also text to alert when the blood bus is in my preferred location.

First Birthday

I can't believe it's already been two months since Isolde turned one!  About time I show you some pictures from the birthday festivities then!

Goodies



Happy birthday to you!

Cake!  First she was a bit sceptic but then it went down quite easily.

Presents!



Little friends

Update

I have wanted to blog but at the same time, haven't really felt like it, even though there's plenty to blog about and lots of photos I'd like to post. But the last week in short:

• Isolde's fever was gone Wednesday morning but instead both Peter and I started having stomach ache and feeling nauseous mid-Wednesday and Wednesday evening it was clear Isolde had it too. I left work a bit early and ended up staying home Thursday as well. Luckily we only had a light case of the stomach flu - Isolde and I both threw up once, but that was it, and Peter avoided it completely. Friday we were all well again except for Isolde's tummy which took a few days to completely recover but she's been fine otherwise. Our appetite was back already Thursday evening but she's still a bit picky with her food today Sunday. But who knows, it could also be a phase.
• Friday was my grandfather's funeral. Difficult times but again, happy to know he lived a full and long life (almost 91), and the service was beautiful and also uplifting in many ways. He hadn't expressed any specific wishes more than that he left it to my mum and my aunt, so they modelled it very much on my grandmother's funeral 20 years ago, which my grandfather was very much involved in of course. It was also nice (despite the sad circumstances) to see my cousins who I don't see that often and we're going to try to see each other more often (Oslo and Varberg/Uddevalla are too far away really).
• This weekend we couldn't not take advantage of the lovely, sunny weather.  Saturday we walked to Staland furniture shop in Södermalm and made a spontaneous call to some friends who live in those parts of town, which resulted in brunch (or a very late buffet lunch at 3pm rather) with them and some friends of theirs.  Today we also took a long walk but otherwise hung out at home before finishing the day with supper at Peter's parents.

I should also tell you about the rest of our London/Oxford trip but I'll do that separately and with pictures.

Commenting

The latest update to the comments form on Blogger seems to mean that one no longer can subscribe to comments or is it just me who doesn't get it?!  I get an email every time someone comments on my blog but when I comment on someone else's I want to be able to know if that person has replied without having to go back and look for replies.  There used to be a little box to click to subscribe to comments, which meant they sent an email to you every time someone else commented on the same post, but I can't find it anymore.  Doesn't anybody know how to get it back??!!  Argh, so annoying!