She's growing...

Things are starting to calm down. It's nice. E was so overwhelmed with first her birthday and then Christmas the next day. Now all I have to do is figure out where to put all her new toys... It was a lot of fun, though, watching E open up all of her gifts. For the first time she was more interested in what was under the wrapping paper than the paper itself. There was a lot of "bows" and "ooohs". (The bows have actually turned into wows lately.)

E had her 2 year well visit today. She weighs 31 lbs /14 kg (90th percentile) and she is 32½" / 82½ cm long (75th - 80th percentile).

Ok, so right now there's a commercial for freecreditreport.com on TV. Am I the only one who find their song very catchy? My feet keep moving every time I hear it.

Birthday

Happy Birthday E!

Winter Wonderland

E and I went out to play in the snow yesterday. It took forever to get her ready. She was so patient though. Once we got out and she saw all the snow she said the same thing she says everytime we turn the Christmas tree lights on: Bow! Which is her way of saying wow. I put her down in the, for her, thigh deep snow. She didn't move an inch. I had to make a path for her to follow. But when my path turned and she saw the steps to the pool deck in front of her she just kept pushing through that snow all by herself. It got deeper and deeper too. You could barely see her little legs. She was so happy when she reached the steps. We ended up having a great time playing in the snow.

Birthday

Grattis på födelsedagen lillebror!

Starting now going backwards...

12/19
I love my husband. I just put E to bed and I'm sitting here by the window and I can see him shoveling snow outside. He's working so hard. There's a lot of snow out there, and it just keeps falling... It's so pretty. I love the beginning of winter, before you get tired of the cold, dark days and the snow that just won't stop falling. That usually happens to me mid January. But right now it's just pretty and beautiful. I hope to take E out in the backyard tomorrow to play.

12/17
Can't get into it here to much, but I can say this: If you want to "borrow" things from us you better call us first and ask us. Not just take it. Especially since we're not buddies. Our relationship is more of a business type.

12/16
I woke up to the sound of flatware falling on the floor. I knew C was already on his way to work and so I was wondering how they could just fall all by themselves. They can't! I opened the bedroom door and saw a big, fat, gray squirrel under the kitchen table. I quickly closed the door and called C. He kept asking how it got in. Like I cared right then and there... I just wanted to know how to get it out. He told me to open the back door. As I walked to the door the squirrel jumped the other way right into the room with all the boxes we still haven't unpacked since we moved. It snuck all the way to the back corner and I could not get it out. I opened up a window and built a nice set of stairs for it with some of the boxes. I guess he got offended by that. Like he couldn't just jump that high if he really wanted to. So he stayed in his corner. I called the local police and they gave me the number to Animal Control Center and as they, 10 minutes later, moved the boxes around to get to him he jumped out the window. Not sure if he used my stairs or not. I spent the rest of the day cleaning and disinfecting, but still felt like I had squirrel germs everywhere. (I think the stuff I vacuumed up from the corner was squirrel droppings, but I'm not sure since I don't come across that very often.)

12/12
Woke up with no power after an ice storm. It was beautiful outside and quickly getting pretty cold inside. E and I spent the day with R and her boys while C and J installed a generator at our house. They worked so hard. I love my husband who does so much for us and I'm very thankful for our friends for taking us in and feeding us and keeping us warm and helping us out. C and the guys spent the next day chopping up some trees that fell in our and our neighbor's back yard. Thanks guys! Later that day the power came back. Nice! (Not that I can complain too much when we have a generator to give us heat and some light, and our stove and water runs on gas. But still... nice!)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

E and her girl friends

E had a playdate today at Tiny Tots with L and K. All girls, that doesn't happen very often. They had so much fun. It's great to see them interact, starting slowly to play with each other and not just next to each other. E and L were playing in the castle, E was inside looking out through a window at L and they both just started fake laughing at each other, back and forth. So funny! Then there was this boy dressed up as a fire fighter that came to rescue E from the burning castle. He would go in, take her hand and lead her out. She followed along nicely (not so sure I like her just following strange guys like that, hmm...), but when he let go of her she went back into the castle again. The boy kept rescuing E for awhile, explaining to her "I'm just rescuing you". She played along nicely for awhile, sat on the back of his fire truck and all, and then walked back into the castle again.
When it was time to eat she happily shoved spoonfulls of mac & cheese and peas into her mouth, finished the bowls in record time and hurried back to play.
The girls also spent some time in the playdough room. That was E's first time with playdough. She wasn't very impressed. And she didn't like the flavor. You should have seen her face! =/

Update

I updated E's last blog entry from Nov. 30th by adding a photo of her blogging. I'm also working on linking you to some of the recipes on my dinner list.

Bye bye

I figured I would sneak over to the computer and write about yesterday's joy while E is watching Steve Songs.

Yesterday was Sunday and when I normally drop E off in the nursery she screams her head off, but then she calms down a few seconds after I leave and plays fine until I come back for her after service. Yesterday, however, this didn't happen. We walked downstairs and while I was signing her in she tried to peak in to the nursery to see what her friends were doing and when I handed her over she just stood there on the floor, waving and saying "bye bye". I gave her a big kiss and said bye back to her. And walked away with a big smile!

ice ice baby

The refrigerator repair man came this morning and he fixed our ice dispenser. E was so excited (once he left, when he was here she was shy). She loves ice! So I filled up a small cup of crushed ice for her. (Oooh, choking hazard - I can here you say it.) Yes, it's a choking hazard, but I'm watching her (and I removed the larger pieces), I promise. And it is a great way to get more water into her.

Ice is pretty good! Do you know where they have the best ice? In the ice machine in the cafeteria at a local hospital - A.M.
If you can't get some of that I recommend the ice made by our friends A & Z's dad's company.
Well, I guess that was some pretty random ice info right there.

What's for dinner?

After "talking" to a few of my friends on FB I realized that we all pretty much are always looking for something new to throw into the mix when we plan our menus. So here's my menu for the next few days (not in order):

• Kielbasa Pot (I add carrots too. Leftovers are great to fry up for another meal)
• Shepherd's Pie
  
• Paste E Fagioli (I lost my really great recipe for this, I have an ok one, so if you have a good one please let me know)
  
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Tuna Noodle Casserole
• Buffalo Chicken Strips w/ Pirogies
• Hamburgers and roasted potato wedges
• Pizza
• Chili Chicken & Veggie Soup (add your favorite beans to the leftovers and serve with rice for a new meal)
• Mini Cannelloni Bake (still debating if I should use ground beef or turkey)
• Chicken Tortilla Stew (makes a lot so I freeze and eat again another night)
• Tomato Soup with grilled cheese
• Pasta with homemade almond/parsley pesto (since the other 2 people in my family are allergic to tree nuts)

If veggies aren't a big part of the meal already I serve it with a salad or some other veggies.
I added some links so you can check out the recipes if you want to. I do tweak them a bit, though, to suit our family.

E's turn again

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8

1. We got a new fridge, but the ice crusher stopped working so it needs to be fixed. But it's still nice to have a new refrigerator.
   
2. Our tree is up and the battle of "no, leave that on the tree, be careful etc" has begun.
   
3. I got a new background here. How do you like it?
4. We celebrated Thanksgiving with the C's. Very nice.
   
5. T & D came over for a game night yesterday. We played Sequence and I must admit that C & T beat me and D 4 to 1.
6. C is watching some animated star wars thing. Ridiculous! (Yeah, I'm not a fan of space movies or animations. Put them together and you definitely lost my attention.)
7. Confession time: I have not been working out in awhile due to neck problems. Hopefully I can start again soon.
8. I had "fika" with a friend from home the other day. It was fun to catch up. More friends from home should stop by so I can catch up more often. Although I don't think a trip over the big pond could be considered "stopping by".
   

not so Brrrrr

Our fridge broke. C is out looking for a new one. I guess that will be our Christmas gift to each other this year. Hopefully C can find a good deal though since it is Black Friday.

Kids-talk II

The last time I blogged about this was in June. I just found another one to share. Once again, the names are fictional... =)

Alan asks Miss Bianca...
Alan: So is your husband's name Mr Bianca?

Charles: Where is Danielle?
Emily: Her name is up there, on the board.
Charles: No, the real Danielle with the bones.

Alan is sitting on a mat. Danielle sits down on a mat next to him. Felicity comes up to me, looking very sad.
Miss Swamerican: What's wrong?
Felicity: (Points to Alan) I just love him!
(She wanted to sit next to him.)

During movie time Gilbert walks over to the the Hermit crabs, then he walks over to Holly.
Gilbert: Holly, one of the hermit crabs is moving.
Miss Swamerican: Gilbert, leave her alone, please. She's watching the movie.
Isaac: (Thiking I was talking about the hermit crabs) They can't watch movies!

Alan: Miss Swamerican, I love your heart necklace. I'm going to buy you heart earrings. And flower earrings. And a Winnie the Pooh hair tie. Won't you love that?

We had oranges for snack. Jane had mandarin oranges from home. Alan was comparing the different kinds.
Alan: What kind of oranges are these?
Miss Swamerican: Fresh oranges.
Alan: I love fresh oranges. I love the word fresh with anything we eat.

Alan is eating a snack. All of a sudden he turns to me.
Alan: Miss Swamerican, why are you so young?
(Yes, my eyes teared up.)

I got a phone call from the office. After I hung up Isaac asks...
Isaac: What did they say?
Kelvin: It's none of your business!
Isaac: Yes, it is!
Kelvin: No, it's not!
Isaac: Yes, it is!
Alan: Kids don't have businesses!!!

I was telling Gilbert that I was going to cook fish for dinner that night. Gilbert told me he did not like fish. I told him he might like mine since I cook it the way we do in Sweden.
Gilbert: No, I don't like sea creatures... or ocean creatures... or lake creatures. (pause) I don't like anything that lives in water.

The children are talking about numbers. Somebody mentions infinity and another friend says that infinity is not a number.
Isaac: Yes it is! It is one, one, one, two, two, two, three, three and three.

During circle time...
Miss Lydia: Why can't the flag touch the ground?
Matt: You would hurt America. (so cute!!!)
Danielle: No, because it will hurt you.

Nate shows me a picture he made at school of him and his girlfriend getting married.
Miss Swamerican: Are you going to buy her a diamond some day?
Nate: Yes, ha ha!
Miss Swamerican: Some day when you're working and have enough money, ha?
Nate: I almost have enough right now.
Miss Swamerican: How much money do you have?
Nate: About $45!
(Hopefully he will buy her a magnifying glass at the same time.)

I brought in a yogurt.
Alan: That makes you burn fat and lose weight! I heard that on TV.

In Loving Memory of...

I haven't blogged in a few days. There is one thing I wanted to write about but I didn't know how to write about it. I still don't think I know. But I'll try.

My farfar (paternal grandfather) passed away this past week. He fell on a chair, broke a couple of ribs and punctured a lung. The air spread throughout his body and he suffocated. This happened on his anniversary, the day before his birthday.

It feels weird writing this down. To see it in print. Yes, this is the last thing that happened to my farfar, but that's all it is... the ending of his life here on earth.

Before the ending there was so much more. Here are a few random things I remember...

• His laughter.
• He called me "snäckan" sometimes. (I'm pretty sure he said that to all of his granddaughters and others too.)
• The summer cabin. We had some fun summers and Christmases there. (I could write a whole book about that. So many fun childhood memories.)
  
• His wavy hair.
• He cried at my wedding.
• He was always so happy to see me.
• He traveled a lot when I was younger.
• His voice.
  

I miss him! I loved him so much. I still do.

I was looking through my scrapbooks and found this picture of him. I think it's from 1991.
Farfar... Jag älskar dig och saknar dig!
Kram!
~L

Today...

• ... I got my allergy shots again. I forgot my reactions from last week so they had to keep me on the same dose. I like getting my shots. Well, not the needle part as much as having to sit it the waiting room afterwards for 20 min... E plays and I read magazines.
• ...we went to Target and got E some Christmas PJ's, us some new flannel sheets (I don't really like them - that's how much I love you, C!) and I saw some bedding that I really liked, but I didn't by it b/c it was $99.
  
• ...I gave in to the too early Christmas spirit at the stores and bought a box of Ginger bread cookies. E loved them. (Yes, I bought the ones with the Swedish flag on the box.)
• ... I called IRS to get some transcripts that I need for my student loan payment. After waiting on the phone for almost 10 minutes I adjusted the phone and accidentally hung up. Urgh! The lady I got to talk to was very nice, though. Now I just have to get up early tomorrow to call CSN back home before their calling hours are over.
• ...I uploaded pix to FB.
• ... I poured laundry detergent where the fabric softener goes... hmm.
• ...I finally finished Ezekiel.
  
• ... C will be home late.
  

a lot of random...

• I tried pouring hot water over my rolled oats to make oatmeal after a friend told me that's how she does it. I thought it sounded like a good idea, but it takes forever so I went back to my old way - rolled oats and water in a pot on the stove, much quicker. I need quick since E climbs up into her chair, expecting food as soon as I start cooking.
• C stayed home with E last night while I went shopping with a friend. I needed a kid free night. It was so nice. I have to do it more often. Tonight I'm home and C is at the movies with some friends.
• We went to Chuck E Cheese's tonight. Very busy place on a Saturday night. E loved it though and we got to hang out with some good friends we don't see very often since we kind of switched continents with them. Well, I did anyways.
  
• I'm watching CSI NY right now. (Told ya it's random facts tonight.)
• I'm trying to get through Ezekiel but I actually find it kind of boring. Come to think of it I never really liked this book. But I'll keep reading it. Some day it might speak to me.
  
• I bought a notebook today. And I'm talking about the old fashion kind with lots of paper in it. Like I've said before... writing helps me sort through thoughts (which is why I like to blog) but I need a place to write down thoughts I don't want on the world wide web. E picked it out so it's bright with lots of flowers.
  
• Our sump pump kicked on by itself today - yay!
• E and I went for a pretty long walk today, even though it rained. Like they say at home... There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. (It rhymes in Swedish so it sounds better.)
  
• I got a job offer today, something I can do from home while E is napping. I think I will give it a try even though I'm a little bit nervous. I definitely need to pray about it.
  

You don't have to climb

Please, please, please stop seeing tiny bumps as mountains.

Next time we call for delivery, from a different place

Me: Should I cook tonight or should we go out for dinner? (hoping he would say "go out" b/c I didn't feel like cooking)
C: Lets go out. (pause) We haven't had pizza in forever. I'm feeling pizza deprived.
Me: Can we go to a pizza place where we can sit down? (I was looking for a pizzeria with tables, not a regular restaurant that serves pizza too.)
C: We don't have that many of them around here. Wait, there is ... (I don't know if I'm allowed to slam their name here)

So we went there...

Me: Are they even open? It looks dark. Their sign isn't lit.
C: Drive closer so I can see if they're open.

I did. I had to park right outside their door to realize that, yes, they were open. We went inside and sat down. C got the chair and I got the bench seat. It was broken. I had to balance on the frame part or almost fall through the seat. C offered to have us moved to a different table, but I said I was ok. We looked at our menus and debated if we should order from the salad bar.

C: It's too much. $3.99 per person. (that's what it said in his menu)
Me: No, it's $2.99 or $1.49 if we order it with a combo. (that's what my menu said)
C: Let's order from your menu.

Before we ordered I went to look at the salad bar to see what they offered. Some of the colors seemed a bit off so I decided no salad bar.

Waitress: What would you like?
Me: We'll have the combo #1 with meatballs. (Medium pizza, one topping, 5 breadsticks)
C: Can we get stuffed crust?
W: That's only available on a large pizza.
Me: Ok, we'll take the #2 combo instead. (large, one topping 10 breadsticks)

We waited for forever. Got plates. Waited for a lot longer. Got breadsticks. Ate half of them. E loves to dip anything.

W: I'm sorry. The meatballs were frozen so they made if with beef instead. Would you like that pizza or should I have them defrost the meatballs and make another one? If you take the beef pizza I can get you 20% off.

Since we had already waited for so long and was out with a toddler we decided to try the beef pizza. The discount was nice too. But first we asked what she meant by beef.

W: It's not ground beef. It's kind of like little mini meatballs. (aren't meatballs made of ground meat?)

We got the pizza and C tasted it first.
C: It's not that good.
I tasted it. And spit it out. It was gross!!! C asked them to make us a pepperoni one instead. I asked them to put it in a box to go. (hey, we had already spent way to much time there. If you have a toddler you know what I mean) We ate the rest of the breadsticks. C payed the bill and after awhile we got the pizzas. That's right, pizzaS.

W: They made another mistake. First they made a medium (here she lifts the top to take a look) half pepperoni, half cheese. So then they made a large half pepperoni, half meatballs.

Conclusion: We waited a lot. They messed up. The waitress was nice, but worked with some incompetent people. We ate breadsticks. We got to bring home way more pizza than we ordered and payed for. We still got our 20% discount.

We went home and I cooked some mixed veggies for E. White, salty bread with sauce isn't my idea of a great dinner for her.

holding an angel

Tonight made me think of when E was little, very little, and her reflux was really bad. She had to sleep in her carseat to be elevated. She slept OK in there, but she could not fall asleep there at night (in the car she would, but not in the bedroom). I guess I would have a problem falling asleep too if I was basically sitting up and not being able to move. Anyways... because of this I used to sit with her and sing to her until she fell asleep in my arms. A sleeping baby in your arms is one of the best feelings in the world! But I must say that I'm glad that the reflux is under control and that she loves her crib. As soon as we walk in to her room at night she leans towards the crib and I put her down, we pray and she goes to sleep. It's nice that she falls asleep on her own. But every once in a while we have a rough night. Usually because she's not feeling well. That was the case tonight. As soon as we walked out of her room she would cry. She would not stop and it would sound like she had trouble breathing. So I sat down with her on the couch like old times. And after awhile she fell asleep in my arms. I would not want this to be an every night thing, but I sure do enjoy having my little angel sleeping in my arms every now and then.

beyond recognition

C shaved off his goatee Tuesday night after E went to sleep. Yesterday (Wednesday) we met up with him after work and it was the first time she saw him without it. She was so scared of him, she would not even look at him. She buried her face in my shoulder.

My thoughts about him shaving..? Well, if that's what he wants... But I think he looks better with his goatee. But then again maybe it's just b/c that's what I'm used to.

cup

E has always been drinking very well from both sippy cups and straw cups, but lately it seems like she thinks the straw is more fun. And I like the cups that she has, well I liked the cups until the valve function broke and they started acting like fountains when we flipped up the straw. So I went searching for new cups. I found one that you can put your own picture in. I only bought one though b/c it was a little pricey. But it will be good to put her name and picture and allergy info in when we go places, like church for example. I also bought a 2-pack of another brand. A brand I usually try to stay away from. But they had 3D pictures on the cups. When you turn the cups the pictures seem to move. I figured if E likes the cup she will drink more. And I was hoping that maybe not everything from this brand was so bad after all. BIG MISTAKE! I filled a cup with water this morning and turned it up side down and the water just poured out from the air hole. Hopefully I can return them.

So I need some help. I don't want to go around searching for the perfect cup. Usually I read a lot of reviews, but I figured I would ask anyone who reads this... If you know of a great straw cup, let me know. THANKS!

workout update

Halloween is definitely a setback when it comes to my muffin top removal plan. So after eating way too much candy yesterday and today I did my ab workout. (I wanted to do the cardio too, but I didn't have enough time b/c I just spent a ton of time on FB, uploading pix and checking out pix from my friends.) Good news... C found my weight bar so I added weights, felt good! I still have problems with the plank part, man that kills me, but I wish the crunches part was longer. I tried to do a few on my own, but that's just boring. Maybe I should try my husband's navy seal ab video... haha! Not sure I'm ready for "the beautiful pain" yet though.

MAN, I MISS MY BODY PUMP CLASS FROM HOME!!!

trick or treat

We had a great day yesterday, celebrating C's birthday and taking E trick or treating. My plan is to put up some pix on FB today, but here is one for now...

Happy Birthday, babe! I love you!!!!!!!!!!

so sad

WARNING!!! If you're sensitive you should not keep reading.

We had just had a wonderful dinner at a popular steakhouse and was sitting in the car in the driveway trying to take a left when we heard a "thunk", as C describes it. I look up and there in the middle of the busy road lies a dog. C and I get out of the van and he walks over to the dog and calls 911. I'm standing in the middle of the road waving to the cars to stop. (E is watching the Wiggles in the van.) The cops show up really fast, and C tells them what happened, about the truck that just hit the dog and took off. The dog tries to stand up but tips right over. It's in pain and shivering from the cold. It tries again and as it turns its side to me I see the wounds... big, round, red flesh wounds. The dog walks over to the curb side and dad tries to block it from walking back out on the street again. Then the adrenalin kicks in and it takes off towards the parking lot. That's the last that we saw of it. Lots of policemen were showing up and they were watching the dog, waiting for animal control to show up.

I'm not very sensitive when it comes to someone telling me about things like this. I feel bad for the animal, but it doesn't haunt me or anything. Seeing it though was totally different. I think at one point I squealed as the dog fell over and landed on his wounds and it was hard holding back the tears as we drove home.

Letting go

Around 11:30 pm is when it starts every night. I'm talking about E's night terror attacks. I just took care of one, not as bad tonight though. Probably b/c we started the "special stop the night terror" night routines tonight. After she calmed down I went back to bed but I'm wide awake now. And I got this image in my head that I can't seem to shake. So that brings me here... to write it down so I can get it out of my head. That's how I work. I have to write things down. It helps me understand, learn, hear things better... Anyways... here's my little image (or whatever I should call it):
I was walking around, carrying my burdens on an old yoke. It had all the things in it that I just couldn't stop worrying about or that I was so concerned about. And Psalm 55:22 says “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you...” So I walked up to the Lord. I didn't really see Him, but I was on a beach with lots of oval, smooth rocks. (I can explain that one but I'm not going to chase that rabbit right now.) I put down my yoke in front of Him thinking "Oh this is nice. Now I don't have to worry about this anymore". And as I was about to walk away I picked up the yoke again. It's not easy to let go of concerns. So I went back and tried again. It still didn't work. So I started thinking... "I have to put them in His arms. He is strong and will not let me walk away with them". Ha! I walked away and was still carrying my old yoke. I just couldn't let it go. And I remember thinking... "But this wasn't suppose to happen. God is stronger than me". But if I'm still pulling on one end He's not going to pull on the other like it's some tug of war. I have to let go, cast my burdens. I can't ask Him to take care of it and then keep worrying. That's lack of trust. Why is it so hard to let go and let God? I guess b/c I think I'm in control. Hmmm.
OK. I wrote it down. Back to bed...

October 26th

Grattis på födelsedagen, lillebror!

Good Morning

I'm the only one up and it's so nice and quiet. Well, except for the high heels (?) upstairs. Last night wasn't so quiet though... K's TV was loud again. She said I could call her if it happened again, but I don't really feel like talking at 1am. So I texted her. I'm not so sure she texts.
E wasn't sleeping very well either. She hasn't for a few nights now. And there seem to be a few reasons...

• She's got this awful rash going on that we got a creme for so that should be gone soon.
  
• Her reflux seemed to be getting better so we started to cut down on the medicine. It was working great up until a few days ago when it came back full force, waking her up all the time. So we upped her dose again. (When we took her to the UC yesterday the doctor on call didn't listen to this at all. When the reflux is bad and she's sleeping it makes her gag and choke and that makes her cough. I guess all she heard was cough and called it a virus and hurried to her next patient. Well, at least we got a creme for that rash.)
• She might be getting her 2 year molars. She is chewing on everything and seems to be in pain. (or maybe the doctor was right and she has a cold sore or something. But she looked in her mouth - for 1 sec - and didn't say anything.)
  
• I think her night terrors are back. Not fun! She just screams and not even the paci helps. She refuses to take it. I think it time to start the "prevent night terror - night routine" again. (Once again the dr said she's probably just scared from choking... She doesn't choke all the time she wakes up screaming! If you listened to me you would get more info. I hate it when doctors don't listen to all the info, when they don't even let you tell them everything b/c they have already made up their minds and really just wants to get on with the next patient. Good thing that I listen to myself and came up with all these other diagnoses instead =) Well, not much else to do when you can't fall alseep.)

Well, since E might have a virus (maybe she does, but I'm not so sure, don't want to chance it though) I'm not bringing her to church. C will stay home with her. I'm so excited! I actually am going to get to sit down for a whole service. No nursery will call b/c E is crying. Yay! And I decided to go to late service b/c it's baby dedication today.

OK, breakfast time...

time to vent

I'm so annoyed at myself right now for forgetting to turn the volume off on my phone during E's naptime. It was on "medium-high" right outside her room when the phone rang causing her to wake up 45 minutes early. Am I allowed to say CRAP! ?

small victory

As I'm driving home from the mall I'm actually excited about coming home, putting E down for a nap and working out. I finally have enough space to use my equipment from that infomercial (yeah, haha) so it's fun to work out. I guess being excited about it is a victory in itself, but that's not what I'm talking about here. I actually ended up with a pounding headache so jumping around in my livingroom was out of the question. And then I realized that even though I can't do my cardio I can still do my ab workout. So I did. I had a bad headache and I still worked out. I did not use it as an excuse, but adjusted my routine. That's my small victory.

Confession time... I ate 2 pb/chocolate cookies. The last two. That's my weakness: if I have it I eat it. (note to self, buy a veggie platter - w/o dip - next time I go shopping.)

Want to hear something funny? I actually only ate one cookie, but there's one left and I'm going to eat it now...

3 for today

1. I just finished my cardio and my ab workout. The accountability here really helps motivate me. I still haven't found my weights, but I have a feeling I won't need them for a little while. The cardio workout went a little bit better this time. I kind of got the first half of the steps down. The other half still frustrates me. But I have hope...
2. I got my allergy shots again. E plays so well there. I got to read a magazine. And I found a couple of neat things. The first one was about teaching your children to eat right using the "helpful hand method". Make a fist... this is the amount of carbohydrates you should eat. Spread your fingers out. This span shows you how much fruit and veggies you should eat. (You are allowed to eat more.) Look at your palm. This is your protein portion. Finally make an OK sign with your thumb and pointer finger. This is your fat limit. Pretty cool!
3. The other thing I read was a funny thing to do with your phone number... First step is to multiply the first 3 numbers (not your area code) with 80. Add 1. Multiply with 250. Add the last 4 digits of your number (as a four digit number). Add them again. Take away 250. Divide by 2. What do you get? Also pretty cool. At least if you enjoy math as much as I do.

That was my 3 for today.

the best video ever

You just have to check out my FB profile. I posted the cutest video ever. E is dancing along to the Wiggles.

updates from earlier today

E: Even though she slept so much this morning she still took a looong nap... 3 hours. She woke up at 5:30 pm.

Workout: I worked out. I did a cardio workout and an ab workout. I could not find any of my weights, and even though it felt weird doing some of the exercises without them it was probably for the best since I haven't worked out in so long. I must admit I was really annoyed for a while during the cardio b/c there were so many moves and they were so fast. I guess I have to keep doing it often to learn... for accountability reasons again... I'll keep you updated.

crazy calm morning

I woke up around 8:30, I think. I stayed in bed for a few minutes and when I checked the time it was 8:39. I was wondering what was going on with E so I checked on her. She was playing quietly in her crib, which she usually does for about half an hour after she wakes up every morning. I prepared her meds and sat down with the computer. But E never called on me to let me know she was ready to wake up. At 9:20 I checked on her again, she was sitting up, but laid down. I went to get myself ready. Ten minutes later I was done and E had gone back to sleep! She slept until 10:20. This totally threw me off. I didn't know what to expect for the rest of the day. Would she even want a nap? By 1:45 she brought me her bedtime book (the one we read every night before she goes to bed). I asked if she wanted a nap and she ran to her room. I didn't want to put her down just then, thinking she would only take a very short nap. I gave her some milk and she was up until 2:30. It's 3 o'clock right now and she's sleeping peacefully in her crib. I love it when I get a break like this.

Ok, so here's my workout update I promised. (I've been dreading this.)...
The early morning walks have not started yet. I need to go to bed earlier! I figured I could get up when C gets up, but I don't even hear his alarm. Maybe if I promise to keep you updated I will be too ashamed every time I have to write that I still haven't started that I eventually will get my act together. So... I'll keep you posted.

sleepless

I can't go to sleep. We've tried to make 10:30 our bedtime for awhile now and failed miserably every night. It's been 11:30 or later most nights. And so tonight we decided to go to bed early since C is not feeling so well. So we were in bed by 9:30ish. That's two hours earlier that I'm use to. Needless to say I'm awake. My thoughts are all over the place and when that happens I know it's better to just get up and do something. So here I am. Trying to sort my thoughts...

• I need to start working out. Just do something. Easier said than done when there are no grandmas around. So what works for our schedule? Well, since I never know when C is going to be home and how long he'll be working on the house when he gets back from work that leaves early mornings and E's naptime. Well, naptime is just not a very great time either since I don't want to wake her up with "the pain the pain the beautiful pain " (sorry for making fun of your navy seal workout video, honey). And I don't really want to cramp more stuff into the naptime. So, mornings... Not my favorite time. I have to be back by 6:30 at the latest. I did set my alarm for 5:15 tomorrow so i could go for a walk. You know, since I was suppose to go to sleep early. We'll see how things go tomorrow. I'll keep you posted. I'm pretty sure when 5:15 comes around I think I can fit everything into naptime. But hopefully I can still drag myself up and go for a walk and then come back and do some crunches, push ups and lounges or something. At least it fits our budget since it's free.
• Ok, enough about the workout. That was just one of the things I was thinking about. I also think I need to be in "What not to wear" since I don't really know how to dress in my new muffin top body. Yes, I lost all the weight from the pregnancy months ago, but my body is just different. You probably only understand this if you've been pregnant. But seriously, nothing fits. I need to learn what to wear. Shopping is just to frustrating otherwise. Which means that I don't do much of it. How many of you have husbands that complain about how you don't go shopping enough? I do! And he's right. I still wear clothes I bought before I moved here. I moved here over six years ago. They are so out of style.
• So, I guess the first two kind of went together. Work out so I can fit into better clothes so I can go shopping again. Something like that. Well, the next thing I started thinking about was, well I can't write about that, but after that i started thinking about this thing my mom was talking about a year ago. I can't even spell it. But it was some sort of lifestyle thing, whatever. Some thing from India I think. Or maybe I just thought it sounded like that. Anyways... They said that asthma, which we consider a chronic thing here, is the easiest thing to cure. I should look into that. So it's probably pretty far from western medicine, but since E has asthma, don't I owe her to at least check out what they're talking about?
• I'm homesick. I thought about that too. I want to hang out with friends and family back home. At home. No offense to you guys who live here. Love you too.

Ok, I just have to interrupt with this... my spell check stopped working and I'm writing far too much to even try to think about how to spell things.

• I know that C is working overtime on this house and things that needs to be done before winter, and the next thought is not meant to stress you out, honey... but I can't wait for the visable things to be done. Partly b/c I want them done and partly b/c since they're not super duper important I know that once we have time for them it also means that when they're done thing will start to slow down and we can just hang out.
• What to do about Saturday... movie, game night, nothing. Can't make the decision now. Need more info. It's bugging me. I want to figure it out.
• I miss E. Yes, she's sleeping in her room and no, I would not want her to wake up. But I love her so much I just feel like I miss her when she's sleeping. Like I just want to crawl down into her crib and just snuggle with her. Haha, I just pictured that in my head.

Ok, I think that was as far as I got before i decided to get out of bed. Can you see why I'm sleepless. Too many thoughts, too many weird thoughts. Well, at least I got these thought out of my head. Now I just have to keep them out. Maybe I'll read or watch little TV before I give that bed another try. Good night!

smokers aren't very bright

You really think Lysol will take away the smoke odor?

7lbs 5oz, 19½"

I'm an aunt again. I'm so excited and I wish I could be there. I did get to hear L over the phone. She's loud! I love her already! And I can't wait to see pictures.

Congratulations B & S!

October 13th

Grattis på födelsedagen, lillebror!

E's blog...

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(I just found this in my drafts)

what a waste, summer is back and I'm a babe

what a waste...
Our driveway and parking area was going to be redone today so C took the day off. It's now 1:52 pm and they still haven't showed up. Or called. We have left messages, but have not heard back from them. We had all of our tenants park on the street. When will they be here? What day will they show up? We can't ask our tenants to keep parking on the street. And C can't just take days off of work in case they will show up.

summer is back...
well, not really, but it is a beautiful fall day. I'm back in flip flops, short sleeves and capris (sp?) This is better than summer. No humidity. I love it!

I'm a babe...
;-)
I wrote before about how E calls C babe instead of daddy. Well, she calls me babe too. Yes, it's cute, but I prefer daddy and mamma.

new boots

I found another pair of boots for E for Halloween. They're not brown (my favorite color) like the ones I bought yesterday. They're beige, but they are still very cute, and they cost less than half of what I spent on the brown ones.

The dress is dark brown, but the thing that goes over it is beige so the new boots will be perfect.

..............................................................................
Grattis på födelsedagen mamma!

Babe

So C and I have been calling each other babe for as long as I can remember. Well, I guess I have to stop. E stopped calling C daddy and started calling him babe. It's kind of funny and cute when you first here it, but.....
.....seriously kid, you have to stop! =)

Almost perfect - what should I do?

I found them! The perfect boots for E's Halloween costume. Well, almost perfect. They are a little tight around her legs, but she didn't seem to mind. She was running around in the store with no problem. And the other ones we've tried can't even be zippered even though I tried a size 7, which is 1½ size too big and she can't walk in them. So I would say these fit pretty well. The other problem is I payed more for them than I would pay for a pair for me (I am cheap though, so don't think I spent a fortune).

Here are the reasons I bought them...

• They actually fit.
• I have 90 days to make up my mind. I can always return them if I change my mind, but at least I have them as a back up. ( I always wait with buying things so that I'm sure that I want them and when I go back to the store they're gone.)
  
• I love what she's going to be for Halloween. This might be my last year deciding. Next year she will be almost three and might want to pick out her own costume. And little girls tend to pick out the cute princess costumes. Not my style. I might as well splurge while I like the costume.
• She will be SOOOOO cute.
• They actually match some other outfits she has and can be worn before and after Halloween.
  

a new night time habit?

So for about a week now this has been our night time schedule:

• regular bed time routine
• put E down
• everything's ok for a couple of minutes
• E whines to let us know she has a wet diaper

This means we go through two night diapers every night. What do I do? Do I put her in a regular diaper first and chance her falling asleep and leaking through, or do I keep wasting an expensive night diaper?

thoughts

I just read something about how it can feel like God is distant from us when we go through trials, but that is not how I feel at all. One thing after another seems to go wrong with this house and everytime we're happy about a step forward we end up being pushed two steps back. But I still don't feel like God is distant. He is right here next to us, taking care of us. He is in complete control. But it's still frustrating because I know that He is letting us go through this when He could just make it stop and let us breath. I know He has his reasons and maybe one day He will let us understand, maybe not. That doesn't really matter. I just pray that we will learn quickly what we need to learn and that we can start moving forward. I can't wait for the day when we can look back at this and say "we're so glad that is behind us now".

Hmm, writing this just made me realize something. Wow!
I really need to talk to C about that. Things might start to make sense.

third day without C... so far

Well, the day isn't over yet, but I just have to vent.
Because of last nights TV incident I woke up very tired. As I was getting ready for MOPS I hear this drip, drip, drip sound. The upstairs shower is leaking. Not from the old spot, the putty is still holding up. From underneath their shower. My solution... move the bucket. I'm so grateful C will be home tomorrow, but I also feel so bad for him. This just adds to the stress.

Oh, I have to write this down, because this really bugs me... so the girl with the loud TV after midnight... she wants to sleep until 1:30 pm on Saturday so she asked if we could be considerate and not fix the leak right then. (I know she has her reasons for her weird sleeping schedule and the TV being loud. It just cracks me up that we should be considerate when we need to fix something, but she's just watching TV.)

So to MOPS... not so sure yet. I'll definitely give it another try, but I spent most time in the nursery taking care of my kid with separation anxiety. I don't really care if I get to do a craft or not, but I would really like to listen to the message. Maybe I should just sign up for nursery. I don't know.

We had lunch with my father-in-law after MOPS. E was being kinda cranky. She was so tired. I actually had to wake her up almost an hour early to get to church on time. She started sleeping until almost 9 in the morning. And I figured I'm not gonna fight that too much since daylight savings time will end soon and then she will wake up at 8 again. Great!

She did not want to go down for a nap today. She was standing up in her crib just crying. Until I gave her a pillow. She laid right down and fell asleep. Her little bottom sticking up in the air. She's so cute.

Well, that's my day so far. Hopefully the afternoon will be better. I should go get some rest. I'm not a nap person so maybe I'll put in a movie.

Mr Heckles

So freakin' annoyed right now. The TV upstairs was so loud I could hear the words. We've asked them before to turn it down. That wasn't just for that night. Keep it down! It's after midnight for crying out loud. I didn't feel like walking out and upstairs to knock on their door so I got the broom out and banged it on the ceiling. I had to do that several times before they turned it down. A little. I can still hear it. I just want to go to sleep.

I just had to vent. I'm going back to bed now. And hopefully I'll fall asleep this time.

Second day without C

I got my allergy shots today. The right arm itched. The same injection as the last time. I have to mention that to them next week. E played in the kids corner of the waiting room. She used to really enjoy it. Now she gets bored quickly. I guess that's to be expected though. We're there for 30 min once a week.

We played a lot this afternoon. Well, first we cleaned and organized the play area and then we played. She wasn't so cranky this afternoon. Yesterday, when I was trying to keep her occupied I found some brand new Curious George books in our book shelf that I think we actually got as part of a wedding gift. Yes, wedding gift. Anyways... I read one to her, we snuggled in great grandpa's old chair. And today she remembered. She came up to me to get my attention and then she walked over to the shelf and pointed up and at first I was thinking "there is nothing fun for her in our shelf" and then I realized that she was pointing to those books. I took one down, we snuggled in the same chair as I read about George and some puppies. And then she read it to me. So cute. I love her so much.

We got to talk to C before he went out to dinner. She got so excited again to see her daddy on the screen.

That was pretty much our day. We didn't do much, but it was a good day. Tomorrow we start going to MOPS. I'm going to have to wake her up to get there on time. Not looking forward to that. I am, however looking forward to...
...some kid free time (hopefully she does good in the nursery)
...C coming home in 2 days
...a good nights sleep - good night!

First day without C

I took E to the wooden park today. She had a great time climbing, swinging, going down the slides and picking up little rocks from the ground. She found a round, smooth one that she really liked.

After her nap she was a total brat. I need indoor activities. Desperately! Please leave a comment if you have any ideas.

I skipped her bath tonight. I think it's going to rain tomorrow so I'm saving it to have some fun splash time tomorrow. The only thing on the schedule for tomorrow are my allergy shots.

We talked to C on Skype today. She was so excited to see her daddy!

my day

• found out that the pipes are still leaking. putty and a bucket will hopefully work this week.
• E woke up at 8:40 am
• we went to a park with lots of our friends
• E watched praise baby in the car
  
• we met C at work then we went to an early dinner
• we said goodbye to daddy and will miss him A LOT (friday can't come soon enough)
• E took a nap in the car on the way home
• we came home and had fun with a spray bottle
• E wanted to go outside so we went for a long walk
• E cut a hole in her shirt. I'm thankful she didn't get hurt. (I also must admit I want to go back to the store to buy a new one b/c I really liked it.)
• Nightly routines and E is asleep
• took the garbage out to the curb
• watched one tree hill
• waiting for C's flight to land so I can talk to him
• and as usual I will most likely go to bed way to late since I have a hard time going to sleep without C
  

FWD

If you are one of my friends who like to email me forwards please read this...

• Do not put my email address in the regular address box. If you have to send it to me put it in the BCC box instead. I don't want my email spread all over the place. That's how you get all the spam. I've asked you before. Please respect my wish.
• Don't expect me to reply to chain mail.
• And last... what is up with the cell phone fwd's? Please stop them!

I don't mean to offend anybody. I'm just not big on forwards and definitely not on chain mail or spam.

explanations we laugh at

• Oh, it's whatever plant they had at the store.
• It was a mixed candle that my kids made. The wick was really long and caught on fire.

surprise (and not a good one)

We came home from an evening at the mall with the M's where we had a really good time. We stayed a little too long so E didn't get her bath like she was supposed to. Her hair will be somewhat stinky tomorrow at church, but so what. She got to have tons of fun tonight.

Here's our not so pleasant surprise: The upstairs shower and bathroom sink is leaking down into our apartment. We discovered that when we walked through our door when we got home and our shoe shelf was wet. C is working on it right now. I feel so bad. It's late and he could really use some rest. The problem won't be fixed tonight though. He will patch it up the best he can for right now. Then we just have to pray that it will be good enough for a week since he leaves for a business trip Monday. Please pray for us that nothing happens while he's away.

So when he comes back from an exhausting 12 hour a day week long business trip he's going to have to deal with this problem. Time consuming and expensive. Is it ever going to stop? Or at least calm down?

The Bible tells us in everything give thanks. Wow is that hard sometimes. But I am thankful. Thankful that the leak is dripping, not gushing. Thankful that I have a wonderful and handy husband. Thankful that E is too young to understand what's going on. Thankful that we have a place to call home, that our problems are, how do I describe them, western world problems. Thankful that I have a God who always takes care of us and carries us through the hard times.

I'm gonna break out

I love peanut butter. But ever time I eat it my face breaks out. So I try to stay away from it. And I have been doing really good, up until just a couple of minutes ago when I finished my third spoonful of PB. It was delicious!!! But I know I will regret it in a couple of days. Oh, well.

we're a real family now =)

The other day we went looking at minivans. When we first got married we agreed that we were not minivan people. But things change. If we get a minivan we would no longer have to rent one when we go to pick up family at the airport, go to IKEA, go on trips with another family...

We rented so many larger vehicles this summer that we could have payed 5 payments on one already. Our OLDer car is up for inspection soon and it needs a lot of work to pass. That's why we went looking the other day.

We found one we like and had to make up our minds by tonight. But it was just too expensive so we decided to put some money into our Lumina and deal with it for another few months. Then we would have to get something else.

The car dealership have been stalking C today and are now willing to do the "impossible" - going down to the price we said we could afford. So it looks like we will be picking up a minivan by the end of the day.

Never say never!

be light...

Yes! We have a light fixture in our front room and grandpa's old liqueur cabinet has been moved to it's place. All thanks to C and T who have been working hard. Thanks guys! And thanks D for letting T come over and help us - AGAIN!

E had fun with some of her friends today at LRF. We went on a trolley ride, played in the bunny town, petted a llama, and took some cute pictures. Once we get the other computer set up I will post them on FB and MS.

Ok, so here's my confession... I watch the new 90210. It's not as good as the old one, but me and my friends back in, what - 8th grade =), were all so obsessed with the old show that I can't stop watching the new one. It's not too bad.

my day and 2 updates

Today we went to a memorial service for Uncle G. E wanted to chat the entire time so I had to take her for a walk, which means I missed most of it. C told me though that when dad went up to say something he asked the priest if he could borrow his Bible and the priest said no. What's up with that?

After the service we went to Aunt L's house. E was great. Even though it was past her naptime she was happy, not shy, went to anybody who wanted to hold her even though she had never met some of them before.

Next we stopped to get ice-cream at ... since they close in 6 days. They alternate their special dips and today they had my favorite - toasted coconut, mmmmmmmm.

E fell asleep just before we reached our next destination, the car dealership. We looked at a minivan, but we haven't decided if we're going to get it. We have until Wednesday at 6 o'clock.


Well, that was my day. Now to the 2 updates...

• My mom went back to the hospital for a check up. She's doing well and was sent back home again. Great news!

• My friend... well the miracle we prayed for didn't happen. It says in the Bible that God works in mysterious ways and this is one of them. I don't understand how something that seemed to be so clearly His will had this outcome. Hmmm... I think this might end up on my list of things I want to ask Him about one day...
  

I need to vent

Before I start complaining I just want to say that I have a wonderful husband who worked hard all day on our heating system, the weather was great today, E and I got to take a nice walk and dinner was really good.

OK, time to vent...

• E woke up waaayyyy to early from her nap, just crying. She definitely needed more sleep, but that wasn't happening. So needless to say she was a pain all night long. (Wiggles helped though. And she is pretty cute when she's dancing along to the songs.)
• I was really looking forward to finishing the book of Jeremiah, but because of the short nap that didn't happen.
  
• I used our oven for the first time today. I cleaned out the top part first, but forgot the bottom part so I burned a spider and his web. That didn't smell to good.
• Continuing on the oven subject... Dinner was supposed to take 45 minutes to cook. It took twice as long! (Still turned out great though. And we have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.)
  
• E refused to lay still when I changed her very dirty diaper. She put her foot in it. Gross! Then she peed on the floor.
• E woke up a little while ago with major reflux problems. (She's elevated and asleep now.)
  

This is just part of what happened today. I know that most of it is no big deal. It's just one of those bad days that we all have from time to time. Well, I should go take a shower and go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Hopefully a great one!

babyfree night update

So we hired a babysitter last night for the first time. When we picked her up E would not even look at her. But by the time we got home she emptied out a whole drawer in the kitchen and handed all the items to her one at a time. (And then, being such a good girl she put it all back.)

She didn't cry at all when we left. The only time she cried was when she went to bed. She cried for 5-10 minutes and the she was fine. So she had a pretty good night I would say. Thank again, S! (She was clingier than usual this morning, but that's understandable.)

So how did I do? Did I call every 5 minutes to make sure she was ok? Well, I meant to call after her bedtime to see how things went, but I had so much fun that I forgot all about that. My first time and I didn't make a single phone call.

Miracle

I have a prayer request. I can't tell you what it's about b/c it's not for me, it's for a friend. But I need you to pray for a miracle!

For the very first time, well, kind of

The only one that has ever babysat E is my mom. (Well, my father-in-law has watched her a few times in various waiting rooms, but I'm in the same building so that doesn't really count.) But we actually hired a babysitter for tonight. I'm so excited. And a little nervous, I have to admit. I have total confidence in S, but E doesn't know her so I might have to leave my house hearing a crying toddler. I'm sure she will calm down shortly after we leave if that is the case. I guess I'm just nervous b/c this is as new to me as it is to E. I'll let you know how we both do.

Oh, I just got Clicky. It's at the bottom of this page. They told me to let you all know. So now you do.

You're not old enough

E gets into my makeup box EVERY day. She brushes her hair with my makeup brushes, tries to unscrew the lids on the eye shadow, "sponges" her face etc. All in front of a mirror that happens to stand on the floor. This morning, as I was trying to get ready, she climbed up on the toilet seat to get to the makeup again (I have to get a shelf for it soon) and I decided that I had enough. So I moved the box to the kitchen table. Like that would stop her! She climbs up on a chair and continues up on the table. So I move the box again, to our bed. And I walk back into the bathroom to brush my hair. But something isn't right. It is way to quiet. I run in to the bedroom and E is sitting on the bed with lipstick all over her face, the pj's, the comforter... you name it. (Pictures to come soon on FB and MS)

Chewing gum yesterday, makeup today... Girl, you have to wait until you're a little bit older.

Maui Melon Mint

I'm in the livingroom and E is in the kitchen. I hear her say "mmmmm" so I check out what's going on. She is standing on a kitchen chair. Her diaper bag is on the table so I figure she's got hold of her snack. And I sit back down. Big mistake. She wasn't eating cheerios or craisins. My purse was behind her diaper bag and she found the gum. By the time I realized that, I found three empty wrappers and only part of a piece of gum. She had some in her mouth that I got out. But it was only big enough to match the missing part of the gum I actually found. So where are the other two whole pieces of gum? Probably in her belly.

3 things on my mind

1. I want to start with commenting back. B commented on my last blog and I was going to send a comment back, but I might as well do it here since I have a few things on my mind. So here's my comment back... No, I'm not dieting! I don't have that kind of self control. I'm just trying to get away from the daily chips diet. As far as my shape, well, thanks, but I'm not in great shape. I can really feel how out of shape I am. I have not worked out (routinely) since... well, I can't even remember.
2. The next thing I want to do is sum up a conversation C and A had earlier today. It's funny how some (many) Hollywood celebrities tell us that we shouldn't vote for McCain b/c of the whole gun thing. If they are so against guns they shouldn't use them in their movies! I would definitely vote for McCain if I could vote. If you can vote you should!
3. Last but not least I have some prayer requests...

• Pray for E's friend M who has 2nd degree burn on his hand.
• Pray for E's friend A who lost a tooth after falling down some stairs (you can read more on her mom's blog - bootcampchallengebrook - see link to the right).
• Continue to pray for my mom's recovery. Thanks for all your prayers. I told her about all the people praying for her and she was moved and said she could feel it.
• My brother D is moving to Norway. Pray for him and for my mom b/c this is 2 of 3 kids that leave the country.
• We still have a lot to do at our house and winter is getting closer. We just need prayers about staying calm, not freaking out and continue to trust in God.
  

what did we use to say... the arrows of interest are flying... you probably have to be Swedish to get that =)

We went grocery shopping today so now we have food. Lots of fruit and veggies. And I didn't buy a lot of unhealthy snacks... if it's not here I can't eat it. (If you really know me you know that if I have it at home I will eat it!)

E is sleeping and hopefully it will be a good nap. It's the first day without the A/C on and she's used to the buzzing sound of it.

I'm listening to the sound of the washer shaking around in the basement while I'm trying to figure out what to eat for lunch. I think I'm in the mood for some yogurt and granola. Or maybe a sandwich. Hmmm...

Well, as you probably realized by now I have nothing interesting to write about, so I should stop and go downstairs and take care of the laundry and then go eat.

mother, brother, daughter

I talked to my mom today again. She sounded way more awake than the last time. She said that the doctor switched her to a new painkiller that doesn't knock her out. She's wearing an eye patch b/c she's got double vision, so my mom's a pirate!

My youngest brother is moving to Norway in a few days. I guess you can make more money there than you can at home.

E and I went to W. mall today. I bought her the cutest hat and mittens at H&M. I was looking for a winter coat too, but they only had two so far. I have to go back in a couple of weeks.

Just missed it

I was scrubbing the tub. When I was done I walked into the livingroom just as my phone beeped to let me know I had a new voicemail. It was from my mom. She's been transferred from the hospital in L to the one in V. That's great news! She gave me her new number, but she's not picking up. She sounded a lot more awake and aware on the voicemail than the last time I talked to her. I'm so excited!
E had her prick test yesterday. She's allergic to tree nuts. Yet another thing to put on the (stupid) list of things she got from us. Enough already. Give her a break!

update on my mom

I talked to A today and got an update on my mom's surgery and her condition. Like I wrote before they did go in through the groin area and all the way up to her head. But they also had to open up her head, so they shaved off part of her hair, above her left eye. When I was told all I could think of was that now she could get some real use out of all her scarves, and I almost started laughing. But I controlled myself. Not the best place to laugh... "they opened up her head too" - ha ha ha!
I was told that the aneurysm was located on a pulsating blood vessel, but it has been taken care of. She's still under observation at the hospital in L, but they might be able to transfer her back to V in about a week. She will probably have to stay there for at least two weeks. The blood that leaked out is still in her head, causing a bad headache and the doctors can't give an answer as to how long it takes for the body to filter it out.

She's out of the ICU and has her own phone now so I got to talk to her today. I don't know if it was a bad connection or if it was just her being groggy, but it was a little hard to have a conversation with her, but it was still great to hear her voice. I put her on speaker phone so E got to talk to her too.

Krya på dig mamma!

3 wonderful things

Today we celebrated our second 6 years anniversary. Not many people can say that, ha ha! I didn't have to cook at all today. After church we had lunch with the M's at Red Robin. I had a chicken tortilla soup with a matching salad. Yummy! For dinner dad took us to Outback where I had salmon and steamed veggies, and lots of bread! And ice-cream with toasted coconut and homemade chocolate sauce. Delicious! But I have one question... How come steamed veggies always come well buttered? It defeats the purpose.

This wasn't really what I was suppose to write about, although it was wonderful. I was giving E her bath when I thought of something worth sharing. If you know me you know that I have very sensitive skin and eczema. And if you know E you know that she gets all those things from us that we didn't want her to get (like eczema and asthma). So we've tried our fair share of skin products and here's my top 3... (not in any particular order and not including the prescribed ointment we need when things get really bad)

1. Eucerin - of course. I should get paid by them since I recommend them so much. I actually import some of their products that are not sold here (shampoo and shower oil). We use the "plus intensive repair"-lotion. It takes a little while to soak into the skin, but it works wonders. Their hand lotion is another great thing. Aquaphor has to be mentioned here too since it's a Eucerin product.
   
2. Mustela - sold at Babies R Us, a pretty pricey product, but it lasts a long time. Their newborn foam shampoo is great. E never had cradle cap! She now uses their regular baby shampoo - also great. Since we have eczema we use their Stelatopia line. It's for eczema-prone skin. Awesome! I actually use E's body wash and lotion for my face. Great stuff!
3. Tripple paste. E had the worst diaper rash when she was little. Nothing worked. I had to take her to the doctors twice. It was awful. But doctor G recommended tripple paste and it took care of it right away. Also a little pricey, but I'm willing to pay for products that actually works.

Well, that was it. My 3 wonderful products. Time to pay attention to the movie - 27 dresses. It's cute. And my wonderful hubby bought it for me. Love him!

garage sale

Today was the city wide garage sale here in M. It was a rainy day so I don't know if I would call the 5 or so places we found city wide. But we still managed to find a couple of things for E. One of them was a sit and spin for $2. I didn't know exactly how it worked and when I asked I got this question for an answer: "Don't you remember sitting and spinning on one of these when you grew up?" Hmmm... I didn't know that the sit and spin have been around for that long. I saw my first one about a year ago and thought, hm pretty cool, new toy. So I explained to the lady that I didn't grow up in this country. I guess my accent wasn't too obvious today. (Eller så var hon bara så typiskt amerikansk att hon tog för givet att resten av världen fungerar precis som den gör här - en ganska vanlig amerikansk föreställning, vanligare än du kan tänka dig.) Sorry, if you didn't understand that. I didn't want to offend you b/c I didn't mean anything bad, but the written word lacks a tone of voice that makes it very easy to misinterpret.

My husband worked around the house today and got alot accomplished. He did a great job, especially with the roman shades. They came out great! Now it's movie, pop corn and snuggle time...

UPDATE and autumn

They found the source of the bleeding in my mom's head yesterday and she had surgery this morning. And when she's stable she will be transported back to the hospital closer to home where she can recover. This is great news.

Jag hoppas du mår bättre snart, mamma!

I must say I am so excited that it is September. Summer is great, but the NY fall is the best. It's still hot and the A/C is on, but soon we will be picking apples, eating cider doughnuts, drinking apple cider, carving pumpkins, wearing hoodies and using the oven again (I can't wait to bake with E). The only thing I'm not really looking forward to is putting the flipflops away and putting on socks.