Holiday Cheer

Last week was St. Lucia, which brings with it girls with wreaths and candles in their hair. Both Matthew and Lucas took part in St. Lucia concerts at their school. Here's a video from Lucas's. If you look closely, you can see him walk by in a Santa suit. (Sorry about the darkness... no lights to make the candles more evident... and about the sideways video. I forget to turn my camera the right way!!! Mommy brain!)

Over the weekend, Nicholas turned two months old. Isn't he a cutie??? He took the chance to tell his big brothers that it was about time for them to decorate our Christmas tree.

Lucas thought decorating himself would be more fun. Still, Nicholas seemed to approve -- almost.

Missed meetings

Over the weekend, Nicholas discovered his hands. He spends a good deal of time watching them waver overhead. I wonder if he's going to be a biker the way he holds them outstretched in front?

I've forgotten to show Nicholas's first meeting with his Bedstemor and his Aunt Susanne and Uncle Jesper!!!! Mommy brain strikes again!

Flying in time

OK, here is my first attempt at downloading a video here. Let's see how it goes.

Congratulations to Marcela and Pancho on the arrival of their little boy!!! We can't wait to meet him!

I am continually shocked now by the passage of time and I often find myself marking it by events, growth rates and holidays rather than days. Nicholas is now seven weeks old, and in the short span of time that has passed since his birth, he has learned so much. I had forgotten what it is like to watch a newborn explore the world. This little being resonates innocence and beauty.

He definitely has his own personality, and he knows what he likes and what he doesn’t. He hates riding in the car, for example. The minute we lay him in his car seat and prepare to strap him in, he screams. At times, he puts so much effort into his screaming that he forgets to take a breath, and ends up gulping for air and then choking on the gulps. However, I’ve also learned that he likes classical Christmas music. So I plop him in the car, hop in myself, and as soon as we’re rolling I turn on the only CD I have of classical Christmas music and usually he’ll calm down.

He loves being part of Matthew and Lucas’s “getting ready for school” routine, which takes place without fail from 6 to 7 ever weekday morning. This is the best time of day for Nicholas. He laughs at the boys’ antics, which encourages them even more. He’s content and relaxed, smiling and laughing, so I love that hour of the morning too.

His rash is apparently caused by the various foods I eat. After the first visit, the nurse told me to keep from eating any and all milk products. Have you ever tried to do this? It’s nearly impossible – there’s milk or milk powder in almost everything we eat! Yesterday we were at the doctor for his two-month check-up, and now she’s removed all almonds, chocolate (which I wasn’t eating anyway because it contains MILK) and gingerbread cookies from my diet! Three weeks before Christmas!!!! Ho ho ho!!!

Matthew and Lucas are enjoying the Christmas preparations. We’ve put up all of our Christmas things except for the tree, and our house has (in keeping with tradition) been invaded by our own “tricky elf”. Every night while the boys are asleep, this little elf plays a “trick” on them. This morning he put gingerbread cookies in their boots, yesterday he rolled out a roll of toilet paper all over the kitchen floor. Quite an entertaining little man from the North!

Favorite Things

In true Dave Letterman style, here's today's top-ten list.

Nicholas's Favorite Activities

10. Smiling with a toothless, mouth-wide-open grin (sometimes this is accompanied by a sharp intake of air that sounds like a laugh -- and maybe it is!)

9. Laying on the floor

8. Staring at lights

7. Crying

6. Creaking (he makes a lot of sounds, the most interesting being his ability to sound like an old, unoiled door being opened, i.e. creaking -- a noise he makes whenever he's doing activity #1 or pooping)

5. Sleeping

4. Watching his mobile endlessly turn round and round over his head

3. Peeing all over mom or dad (this often leads to big smiles... see #10)

2. Sitting with one of his big brothers

1. Eating

A mother's concern

Nicholas has some kind of very red, very itchy rash covering his face, chest and back. I am quite concerned. Steen and I think it might be an allergic reaction -- the question is "to what?". We'll see the nurse about it tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving (one day early) to all of our friends and family in the US and to those who are celebrating it elsewhere. I think we'll be holding our turkey-fete on Sunday if anyone would like to join us, so hop on a plane and head on over!

Focus

Ulla teaches Nicholas how to use a pacifier (a heatfelt "whoopeee" is appropriate here!)

OK, so the store only this type of pacifier in pink, much to Steen's chagrin

... At least it's staying in his mouth!

Lucas and Nicholas hanging out

Meeting Ingelise and Nicoline for the first time

Nicoline and Matthew share a bit of play time

Not much time to write, but wanted to say that our little boy is doing well. I cannot believe that four weeks have already flown by. We saw the nurse yesterday, and he now weighs over 5 kg and is 57 cm long -- in other words, healthy and growing as expected.

He's now able to focus on our faces, and when he focuses on my eyes and really looks at me, it makes my heart skip a beat. He's also been awake in the evenings the past few days, which is great -- gives us some more time to get to know him. He's a sweetie... although I'm a bit biased about all of my boys!

You know you're a mother when...

Yesterday I turned 36. To celebrate the day, my kind, loving, caring husband sweetly informed me of the following as soon as I opened my eyes in the morning:

"Honey, now you're closer to 40 than to 30!"

I failed to come up with a smart rebuttal fast enough and promptly closed my eyes again. I should have pointed out that we're only the same age for five weeks... at the end of which, his age-o-meter will click up another notch.

A few minutes later, while eating at a very festive birthday breakfast table, Matthew looked at me and said:

"Hey, mom! Now you've been 9 years old four times!"

He then proceeded to also inform me that I've been 18 twice, and 6 six times. At least my birthday was good for some multiplication and division practice!

Regardless, I had a great day, hanging out with all of my boys and walking through the frosty forest nearby. Did I mention we had our first snow on Friday night?

Back to the headline. Here's the situation setup: your baby decides to take a middle-of-the-night poo while you're changing his already dirty diaper. The poo happens to come while the diaper is off and shoots out of him like a rocket. You know you're a mother when, in order to save the wall and the curtains from a mustard-yellow poo stain, you reach out to stop the flying poo with your hand! ICK!!!

Experiences

Tomorrow Nicholas will be two weeks old. Unbelievable. Our days have been busy and we are adjusting to the new addition to our family. Mom and dad were here for a week, which was terrific. I don't know how we would have gotten by without all of their help around the house. Plus, I think it was great timing -- they arrived the day we left the hospital, and got to spend a good deal of time with their three grandsons on the Pedersen side.

I've been thinking about all of the things Nicholas has experienced for the first time during his first days on earth. The list is endless -- is it any wonder he's so tired all of the time??? Imagine, his first...

meal

glimpses of the world

breath

dirty diaper

clothes change

meeting with his brothers

meeting with his maternal grandparents

meeting with his parents

walk in his buggy

pee all over mommy

nap

bath

hiccups

etc etc etc.

Anyway, here are some photos... Have a GREAT day!!!!

Nicholas with grandma

Nicholas with grandpa

and with Matthew

Lucas in his Halloween costume

Matthew in his Halloween costume

Me with Nicholas

(no, that's not a Halloween costume!)

The "Yoda" look

Nicholas with Steen's cousin Rasmus

Sleeping on my lap as I write this

I may be a bit biased, but this boy is gorgeous!

Joining the world

As promised, here is Nicholas's birth story. Although I have tried to limit the amount of gooey or overly vivid details, I apologize in advance if I happen to offend anyone.

First off, my thanks to my wonderful husband, who took detailed notes throughout the birth on our progress, rubbed my back, stayed calm when I started to freak, and reassured me more than once that "No, honey, you're not going to die!"... more about that last one in a bit.

We arrived at the hospital at 12:45, which was the time assigned for our induction. The department we were sent to is actually a gynecological department and we were informed that we would not be moved to Labor & Delivery until they felt the amniotic sac needed to be broken (is it called "break the waters" in English, too?). I took a urine test and then spent the next 30 minutes hooked up to a machine to measure the baby's heartrate and uterine activity. Everything looked fine on the readout. At 13:45, an IV was inserted in my arm for later use and we then proceeded to wait quite a long time for a doctor to arrive, which we spent inspecting the pay-by-the-hour TV that was in the room and reading a Glamour magazine someone else had left behind. I think we were both a bit amazed by the thought that in a few hours we would be holding our little one.

The doctor showed up at 15:05 and checked to see whether I was dialated. This was one moment I had been fearing, as I knew it would be a long birth if I hadn't dialated at all, so I was absolutely elated when she said I was at 2 cm. She and the attending midwife made the decision to transfer me to L&D, and my request to go to the L&D center that is part of the (previously described) birthing project was accepted.

After arrival at L&D, the amniotic sac was broken by our midwife at 15:45 and a heartrate monitor was attached to Nicholas's head. There was a bit of merconium in the water, but this had also happened with our two older boys, so we weren't particularly worried. After the water was broke, contractions started and I could feel a good deal of pressure.

By 17:30, I had dialated to 3.5 cm and at that point an oxytocin drip was started to help increase the intensity of the contractions. The baby's heartrate remained stable between 120 and 138.

At 18:30, the dose of oxytocin was increased, and it was increased twice more after that. However, after several hours of what I felt was relatively hard labor, I was dissapointed and on the verge of tears to learn at 20:10 that the dialation was only at 4.5 cm. Neither I nor the midwife had any idea of the massive changes that would occur after that 20:10 check.

At 20:20, I was in incredible pain, mostly radiating from my lower abdomen. The midwife suggested trying saltwater deposits on the front of my belly, which are given with a tiny needle and syringe. She said they would hurt like bee stings... When they were putting them in (4 in all) and I was sure that someone was stabbing me, I heard the nurse mention to Steen "actually, it feels more like being burned with a cigarette". Thank you very much!!! But I have to say that as soon as they were done, the pain in my abdomen was suddenly managable. At the same time, the pressure on my cervix became enormous, as if the entirety of the pain shifted lower.

At 20:30, the midwife asked me to try to stand up and go for a walk around the room. I managed to move myself to the edge of the bed, breathing through the contractions (and telling Steen I was going to die), and my feet were actually on their way to the floor when I said to Steen "I need to push! Why do I need to push???" I was extremely frightened, having already given birth to two children and knowing full well that I needed to be dialated 10 cm in order to push. 20 minutes earlier I still had nearly 6 cm to go (a process that normally takes around 6 hours).

The midwife, nurse and Steen managed to swing my legs back onto the table and the midwife said "Let me see if someone wants to come out". I thought through the haze of everything that she must be kidding... but she could see the head crowning.

After two contractions (and the associated pushing), Nicholas came screaming into the world, was laid on my belly and wiped down. A beautiful, perfect little boy -- ten little toes, two dark blue eyes, a button nose, tiny ears and tons of black hair.

I was in shock, tears pouring down my face -- tears of joy, of relief, of disbelief. Steen was crying too. The birth went much faster than either of us would have ever guessed even 30 minutes before. Suddenly, we were parents again. Our miracle had become a tangible reality.

I think that Nicholas was shocked by the speed of his birth too. He spent the next three hours screaming -- I'm quite sure he must have been in a lot of pain. But together we worked through it -- he through his pain and me through my feeling of surprise. This birthing experience was so different from anything I have ever experienced, but just as beautiful, unforgettable and rewarding as the birth of Matthew and Lucas.

Our little miracle

We are (finally!!!!) proud to announce the arrival of our son

Nicholas Erik

He came into this world on October 16 at 8:41 p.m. weighing 4,280 (9 lbs, 7 oz) grams and stretching a full 53 cm (21 inches).

Nicholas, his mom, dad and brothers are all doing fine.

Full birth story and an update to follow... Thank you for all of your prayers, thoughts and support throughout the pregnancy!!!

Wives of old...

Well, today is I-day. The induction is scheduled for this afternoon, so watch this space for updates.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share my view of all of the old wives tales of ways to induce labor. Over the past three weeks, I have tried just about every one, and here are my highly scientific results.

Long walks -- good for your health, good for making you feel like your basketball-size abdomen weighs about 50 pounds more than usual. End result: not contraction-inducing

Climbing stairs -- again, good for your health, bad because you cannot see your feet. End result: not contraction-inducing

An "early night with the hubby" -- good for your self-esteem and your marriage. End result: not contraction-inducing

Washing windows -- come on! This was only good for Steen, as he didn't have to wash them. I realized that I detest washing windows. End result: not contraction-inducing

Eating a hot curry dish -- tastes great, even when the hottest curry you can get in Sweden is only mildly spicy. Still, I wonder if I ate the right kind of curry... should it be Indian curry, Thai curry, Chinese curry??? End result: not contraction-inducing

Drinking citrus juices -- I love pineapple juice, so I definitely didn't mind. But end-result: not contraction-inducing

Meditation and visualisation -- I suspect these are more useful during labor, but I have tried them anyway. End result: not contraction-inducing

Note, therefore, that while my scientific experiment has been enlightening, it was not successful. I have had contractions on and off (about three an hour) for the past 10 days or so, but they get nowhere near the "3 contractions every ten minutes" required by the hospital to be classified as being in "active labor".

There are a few suggestions that I wasn't able to try, including raspberry leaf tea (which I could not find here), downing a serving of castor oil, and rowing in a row boat (are you crazy???).

So now we'll go with the induction. I'm nervous, excited, pensive, and full of thousands of thoughts. See you!

The latest...

Midwife visit: October 11, 2007 (due date +10)
Baby’s heart rate at 125
Head remains down and fixed
Appointment made (for October 12) for ultrasound to check baby's weight and make sure all is well

**************
Ultrasound: October 12, 2007 (due date +11)
Estimated baby weight: 4138 grams (7.9% above average)
Amount of amniotic fluid was normal, which indicates that the placenta is functioning well
We saw a beautiful beating heart, a foot, a hand, a leg, the spine, head, tummy, bladder
And the technician confirmed that it is a boy

**************
Labor scheduled to be induced on Tuesday

Waiting

Midwife visit: October 1, 2007 (due date)
Baby is now officially full-term (i.e. has reached 40weeks) and ready
Baby’s heart rate at 136

Head remains down and fixed

Midwife quote of the day "Well, he's done! He's just waiting to come out!"

**************

Why is it that when that magical due date comes and goes, we're not able to just sit back and enjoy the time that we have between this very second and the arrival of the baby? I find myself counting time not just in the number of days between now and "potential delivery", but marking time in other ways. How many more rolls of toilet paper will we use before then? How many more Braxton Hicks contractions between now and then? How many books will I finish? How many more times will I pick up the boys as a pregnant woman?

The boys are sorely disappointed every time I pick them up now. "Mommy, why are you coming this afternoon? You should be at the hospital!!!" Waiting is a tough game.

Still, I know that there are now a maximum of 14 days until we hold our little miracle in our arms.... until we can kiss his tiny toes and breathe in that new baby smell. 14 days -- max. I can handle that.

We have finished the nursery, as you can see below.

Finally, I'd like to dedicate this post to Donald Redmond, an amazing man who touched my life -- and the lives of thousands of others -- in so many ways. He left this world on Saturday, leaving us who remain with memories of his generosity, laughter, smile, and his open arms. He shared his spirit with his family, friends, and thousands of Rotarians and Rotary exchange students alike. He is already sorely missed. God bless.

I've got that tingling feeling

The "nursery" post-painting, pre-border... and yes, dad, we took a risk and went with baby blue...

Guess what?? Still pregnant! No signs of any real contractions, despite my encouraging words to baby that it's about time to come on out and greet the world.

However, pregnant life has been spiced up a bit with the introduction about a week ago of carpal tunnel syndrome! Woo hoo!!! Nothing better than the constant tingling feeling in both of my hands, which is (thankfully!) topped off by a stinging, stabbing sensation in at least one hand all night long. Allows me to fall into a deep, restful sleep for about all of ten minutes, and gives me plenty of time to sit upright in bed during the night to ponder the many wonders of the world.

The midwife assures me that carpal tunnel syndrome is quite common in pregnant women, and that it will probably go away a few weeks after baby arrives. In the meantime, I'm probably going to see a therapist who will build some wrist splints for my sleeping pleasure.

OK, enough of my petty complaining. This morning I had the pleasure of buying my first cup of tea at the "Kids Coffee House". I can highly recommend the coffee house to anyone looking for a cheap, excellent cup of coffee or tea. It is run by a group of highly talented first-graders (including one I just happen to know), and is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from the first bell until 9:00. The class is saving up to buy a fish tank (and accompanying fish, I assume. Would be kind of strange otherwise... or would it?). I think this is a very innovative, impressive way of raising the money, especially the considering the chaos that I generally envision when thinking of a first-grade classroom. So come one, come all!!!

The boys and I took some photos of ourselves last night -- here they are. Enjoy your day!

The blush gives him away

What can make a self-reliant, confident nine-year old turn suddenly all mushy? Furthermore, what can make his ears and cheeks turn a bright pink?

A girl, of course... one of his classmates. We passed her on the street after school yesterday and one look at my "little" boy told me that he is crazy for this girl. I looked at him and said "Matthew, what's wrong?" "Oh mom, she makes me so nervous when she's near me!" The beauty of first love.

As I was waiting for Matthew yesterday at the school, a young girl came up to me and said "Are you going to have a baby?". This happens to me often when I'm dropping off or picking up Lucas -- his classmates seem fascinated by my continually growing tummy. They're probably wondering when the balloon is going to pop and whether it will make a huge noise when it does. (For my part, I'm just glad they don't think the growing belly is the result of overeating!) This little girl I hadn't met before though.

"Yes, I am. In about a week or so."

"Does it kick?"

"Yes, but I think he's sleeping now".

"Can I feel your tummy?", she says, and I let her. Then I ask her if she has any little brothers or sisters, and I get the heartbreaking reply:

"No brothers, no sisters, and no mommy either. She died when I was five."

I bent over to give this beautiful creature a hug, tell her that I think she is very brave and beautiful despite such a sad event in her life, and we spend the next five minutes chatting about her playmates outside. Food for thought for this pregnant woman...

My wonderful husband spent most of his weekend painting the "nursery". I'm so excited! We never had a nursery before. I'll have to post some photos as things progress.

The voting continues (see link on the left)! T-minus 6 days until due-date and a maximum of 20 days until the baby must arrive!!!!

The news of the day

Woohoo!!!!

The washing machine is fixed, after a 10-day wait for a technician.

The culprit? A baby sock stuck in the filter.

The end of innocence

VOTE NOW!

What date and time do you think the baby will arrive?

Email your guess or post it in a comment here in the blog.

Check the votes using the "Votes to date" link to the left.

**************

Midwife visit: September 17, 2007 (14 days until due date)

Baby is now officially full-term (i.e. has reached 38 weeks) and ready

Baby’s heart rate at 153, and he insisted on kicking the midwife repeatedly whenever she tried to check his positioning or keep him still to monitor his heart rate

Head is down and fixed

***************

Well, the midwife visit was uneventful, although positive. After I learned on Monday that the head was fixed, I was sure I would deliver in the next day or two... Here's what it says in What to Expect about the "engagement" of the head: "This milestone is rarely reached in second or later births until labor is about to commence." Ha! Guess the baby forgot to read the book!

Anyway, the kids have been behaving so sweetly the past two weeks, getting up easily in the morning, being (relatively) nice to each other, and even listening to their parents once in a while. Quite a pleasant change from the first two weeks back at school, when they were contrary and, at times, downright rude. They have also been coming up with creative names for the baby, which they are taking freely from Pokemon, Digimon, etc. Names such as Tarcheck and Gromon.

Matthew is going to have a very interesting week. He has been asked to audition for a new educational TV show for children, which is being produced by the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Authority. The audition is Thursday, so keep your fingers crossed. He's very excited and he really hopes he gets the job.

About ten days ago, Lucas's class met for the first time this year with their "mentors" from grade 4 (Matthew's class). Lucas has been assigned to a girl from that class, as his mentor from last year has unfortunately changed schools.

This girl and Lucas had not previously spoken to each other, and their first interaction was not a happy one. Although he told me about the meeting on the day it took place, I didn't realize how much it had affected him until he sat crying on my lap for half an hour last Wednesday.

This sweet fourth grader sat down with Lucas and, in her wise worldliness -- and I am quite sure without malice or the intent to hurt him in any way -- proceeded to tell him that the tooth fairy is no one other than one's parents. I know this might not seem like a big deal to most of us adults and to most children in fourth grade, but for Lucas this was a crushing blow to his vision of the world and to his fantasy. I know also that he would have learned the truth soon enough, but I would have preferred he learn it from someone he knew well and on his own time. Lucas is now scared of what else she'll tell him and what other beliefs she might accidentally wipe out.

I think the mentoring program is a great idea. At the same time, though, it gives the fourth graders an awful lot of responsibility towards the first graders. They have a lot of power over those younger minds and something so simple really affects some children (like Lucas).

And you call that thing a hot dog??

Sweden, with all of its idiosincracies and trends, will never cease to amaze me. By far, one of the most interesting things about Sweden is its food. Don't get me wrong, I love my Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam as much as the next person. But I recently noticed that one of the most popular things Swedes buy at the hot dog stand is the following concoction:

2 hot dogs with mashed potatoes and shrimp salad (complete with mayo!), all rolled up in a kind of bread wrap called "tunnbröd".

I tried to find a photo on the net, but without luck. Yum yum. Doesn't that sound lovely??? Want one for dinner?

I'll stick to my Chicago-style hot dogs, thank you very much.

Anyway, just back from a lecture at the hospital on a new project they're running. The objective is to help women give birth within 12 hours of their arriving at the hospital, assuming that the woman is in active labor. To some, 12 hours may seem like an awful long time... but to my ears, after having gone through 33 hours of labor with Matthew and 18 with Lucas, 12 hours sounds like a blessing. So I'm going to try to get myself into the project when labor starts... We'll see how it goes.

20 days until the due date.

And here's a little moment of silence in remembrance of today's events six years ago.

The ups and downs

Midwife visit: September 3, 2007
Sugar, iron, blood pressure all normal
She said if the baby is born now it would weigh about 2.5 kg, which would probably be fine.
Baby’s heart rate at 142, although it went up to 150 when she put the monitor on… I don’t think he likes the invasion of his space.
I have gained 10 kg in total.

*************

I have found myself on an emotional roller coaster. Sure, I know it’s probably due to the pregnancy hormones that are raging through my body… and yes, I also know that I tend to be an emotional person, pregnancy or no pregnancy. But still one moment I find myself filled with joyful anticipation about the coming of the baby, and at others I wonder about who this little person is – will he be healthy, will he be an “easy” baby, will I get enough sleep, will Matthew and Lucas cope well with the addition of another child to the family, do I have the stamina and patience to handle another little one????

And my thoughts wander to the news we have received in the past week or two. Steen’s uncle, who was diagnosed with lung cancer several months ago, has been told that the treatments have failed and that the cancer has spread. My heart sinks and another series of questions fills my mind… most of them starting with Why???? Steen’s grandmother has been hospitalized for several weeks now and is receiving regular blood transfusions, but the doctors don’t seem to know what is affecting her so. And again, why???? So our thoughts are often elsewhere than just within these walls. And I feel so bad that Steen can’t leave right now to visit his family, to be by their side when they need him the most.

I read on CNN this morning that Pavarotti has died. Granted, I am far from a major opera fan. In fact, I have never in all my life been to the opera, although every year I swear I’m going to buy a subscription for a season. But I do have some of the “Three Tenors” CD’s and I always found his voice – and his personality – enthralling. The world has lost an amazing voice.

So, to cheer myself up, and you as well now that I have dragged you down the hill of my emotional rollercoaster, I’ll post some photos below. Also, I am proud to announce that yesterday Lucas’s class won the “Golden Shoe” at the annual Haga Day running race (his class had to run 2 km). And Matthew was the second in his class to complete his Haga Day race (his class had to run 4 km). They are both very, very proud of themselves. When I pick them up today, I will get to see the Golden Shoe!!!

By the way, I have started a gift registry (at the request of some of you) at babiesrus. If you happen to order something, you’ll notice that we ask that everything be delivered to mom and dad’s. That’s because we have to pay import tax on just about anything shipped directly to Sweden. Mom and Dad will be coming here in mid-October. However, please remember that we need nothing more than your love and prayers.

Matthew hanging out in Stockholm

Emma and Michelle

The Pedersens on a Stockholm boat trip

Lucas and Emma

Matthew on his first day of fourth grade

Lucas all set for first grade

Frost???

Frost? In August? Come on!!! The weather forecaster informed us that frost was expected in southern Sweden (south of us) last night. Frost!!!! Come on, guys. It's only August 29! And this morning I saw that snow is expected in some parts of Norway today. SNOW!!!

The Swedish winter is one thing that can paralyze me with fear -- a fear that is far greater than any apprehensions I may have about giving birth to this lovely child I carry inside of me. Already the change in the amount of daylight since the summer solstice is evident. During the early summer, the sun sets at about midnight and rises again at 3 a.m., and it is never really darker than twilight in Chicago in between. Last night the sun set around 8 p.m. and rose this morning at 5. At midwinter, we have only about 4 hours of daylight, and that's assuming there aren't any clouds in the sky. Otherwise, it seems dark all day. The darkness is depressing -- I am a sun-loving Midwesterner, who can handle a serious snowstorm once in a while, but the darkness is another story.

From our window, I can see the leaves changing to yellow... autumn is on its way. How many months until summer???

On the first day of school...

Today the boys headed back to school with butterflies in their tummies and a look of anticipation on their faces. Matthew, our firstborn, is starting fourth grade. Can you believe it??? And Lucas entered what he calls "real school", i.e. first grade. A big day for moms and dads alike.

Last week was a busy one for those of living in this tiny part of the world. Steen's family arrived to help us celebrate Lucas's birthday on Monday night, and we had some great days together. It was great to see Carsten, Michelle, and our niece Emma again. I can't believe how big Emma is already, but her wonderful sweetness is not a surprise given how terrific her parents are.

Lucas turned 7 (unbelievable!) on Tuesday, a day filled with presents in the morning, a traditional Danish breakfast, a trip to an indoor playground, and dinner at his restaurant of choice: Jensens Bøfhus (translation: Jensens House of Beef). The main attraction at that restaurant, for a 7-year old at least, is the all-you-can-eat ice cream bar.

He held a birthday party with his friends on Saturday here at the house. I think everyone had a good time and I'll try to post some photos tomorrow. During the party, I was the beneficiary of a great deal of insight into the thought processes of 7-year-olds. Here are some of the comments/questions I received on the presence of a baby inside my body:

"Where do you get shirts that have such a big belly built into them?"

"Don't worry if you're going to have the baby right now. I know exactly what to do. We will need some hot water, towels, some scissors, and something to sew with and I can take care of everything."

And last, but not least, was the comment from my own son:

"Mommy, you are beautiful. But you sure are fat!"

Yes, yes, they bring us tons of smiles and plenty to laugh about.

Yesterday we went on a mission to find a buggy/stroller for the baby and have picked out one from Emmaljunga. We ordered it but are now awaiting news on how long it will take to have it delivered. To our surprise, we found out that we are running way behind the typical Swedish family on this issue, as delivery of a buggy takes between 6 and 10 weeks!!!! Hm... and the baby is due in 5.

Here's a photo. When the baby is little, it will sleep in the flat one, and when he's bigger (yes, the ultrasound technician say it's a boy for those of you who don't know yet) he'll be in the seated one. They are interchangable.

Update

Saw the midwife this morning and all continues as planned. I'm now 34 weeks pregnant, which means there are supposedly six to go.... eight at the max. The baby is head-down. It's great that it's already in that position, especially as babies that come after number one don't usually move into that position until just before delivery. I have gained a total of 10 kg and no weight gain at all the past 14 days. I'm quite happy with that. She says the tingling I feel in my fingers and toes when I'm sleeping is quite normal and is caused by the water retention.

So now I have to come up with a birth plan and bring it with me for discussion next time. For some reason, the thought of giving birth to this little one doesn't make me very nervous. It's the thought of all that comes afterward in terms of being the mother of a newborn that leaves my mind reeling.

Therefore, I look for humor wherever I can. The latest such event happened the other day when I went to pick the boys up from their summer program. Lucas and one of his buddies were sitting at a table playing cards. There were a bunch of chips (hijacked from an Othello game) between them). "Whatcha playing?" I asked. "Poker!" was the answer. I burst out laughing. How can six-year olds be playing poker? But they did indeed know who had the higher pairs and they kept their rules quite simple. I found myself waiting around for one last hand while they both played "all in". Yes, that's today's educational system for you.

Pictures, pictures, pictures

Matthew and his first catch

Dad and Lucas take the wheel

Grandpa and I at the Museum of Science and Industry

Mom greets guests at the 60th birthday party (Aunt Alice, Uncle Joe and Jessie)

Dad and Mom and their cake (mmmm.... it was good!)

Phuong (a fellow '87-'88 exchange student to DK) and I at the Venetian

The '87-'88 DK exchangee reunion -- July 2007 (20 years)

Matt, Mom and Lucas at the zoo

Steen and Lucas at the zoo

Me, Lucas, Grandpa, Mom and Matt at the zoo