Getting the munchies

This has been a big week for Nicholas.

On Thursday, his very first Valentine's Day, he rolled over for the first time -- from his back to his tummy. Unfortunately, I was in the bathroom and Lucas, who was playing with him on the floor at the time, was the only witness. Typical that I miss a big moment like that! He did it again today, this time for Matthew's entertainment. I was washing dishes. Geez, for 90% of the time that Nicholas is awake, I am with him, but he only rolls over when I'm not!

On Valentine's Day, Lucas made waffles for himself and Matthew. They made for a fun celebration.


Yesterday Nicholas turned four months old. We celebrated by serving him his first "real" food -- a luscious, yummy bowl of rice cereal. We had this great plan. I would show Nicholas how eating works by first pretending to serve Steen a spoonful while Nicholas watched, but that proved unnecessary. As soon as the spoon came near Nicholas's mouth, he opened wide. In went the spoon and down went the food. He finished the two tablespoon's worth of cereal in about three minutes.


He has also begun adding consonants to his ooing and aahing. We've heard B, T and C.

Well, here's the photo of the day.

A conversation with a tweenie

Matthew is definitely on his way to becoming a teenager. Sadly, I am already unable to understand much of what goes on in his little head and, in his mind, I am quickly becoming the quintessential mom who is a pain. I also keep sticking my nose into his business -- where he thinks it doesn't belong.

Case in point...

Two days ago Matthew got ready for school own his own -- as usual. He ate breakfast, made his bed, got dressed and came out of his room wearing a bright blue shirt, blue jogging pants and dark brown socks with bright yellow stripes (bumblebee style). The ensuing conversation went like this:

Me (I start off nice and calm): Matthew, please go back in your room and change your socks. They don't match the rest of your clothes. (In school, the kids only wear socks while they're inside. No shoes. So the socks are visible...)

Matthew: These socks match. They're fine.

Me: Matthew, please go change your socks.

Matthew: Mom, look, I'm wearing grey pants! Brown matches grey! (In my mind, it is highly debatable whether dark brown and bright yellow match grey.)

Me: Your pants are blue!

Matthew: No, they're not. They're grey! Aren't they dad?

Steen: They're blue!

Matthew (starting to yell): They're grey!!!! And who cares? No one is going to criticize me for my socks at school. What's the big deal? Who cares!?!

Me (I am no longer so blissfully calm. I should have just dropped it at this point, but sometimes I still don't know when to let him make his own choices): Matthew, go change your socks.

Matthew stomps off to his room complaining all the way about his pain in the rear-end mom, rips the sock drawer open, pulls out a pair of blue socks and puts them on. He then stomps out to the laundry room, getting louder and louder with his complaints. He proceeds to complain while putting on his coat and boots.

And I realize that I should have just let him stick with the silly socks.

But I am a mom!!!!

A quick update

Lucas and Matthew were off school yesterday due to a teacher planning day. We spent the day making Valentines cards. It takes forever to make 48 of them by hand!!!!


Nicholas is working on learning to roll over. He's not quite there, but he's getting used to being on his belly.

Here's little video of Matthew and Nicholas having a chat. Nicholas is crazy about his big brothers.

And here's the photo of the day!!! Have a great one!

Sing-a-song

Nicholas is using his voice more and more. He "talks" a lot. Lately he finds a sound he likes and repeats it over and over, getting louder and louder. Usually he does this when he wakes up and is lying in his bed in the morning, but today I caught him doing it for his Eeyore. I think he's warming up his vocal cords -- soon he can join Paul Potts on stage.

Yesterday was a TeaPosy day. What is a TeaPosy day? Well, it's a day where you realize that you are running yourself ragged and that you are in need of a much deserved moment to stop, reflect and relax for a bit. That, my friends, is a TeaPosy day!

Mom and dad gave me a TeaPosy when I was in Chicago over the summer. It's a tea pot for one, a matching cup, and magical tea! It's magical because when you take the tea out of the package, it looks like a tiny dog turd. Seriously! But then you place it gently in your TeaPosy pot and pour boiling water over it. Then you wait and watch and relax for the next ten minutes as your TeaPosy grows into the most beautiful flower -- right there in your tea pot! Sort of like a Chia Pet, but this is beautiful. It's drinkable. It's delicious. And it is by far one of the best ways to force yourself to take a break.

And take a break I did. Right here at my kitchen table. Me and my TeaPosy.

Matthew and Lucas have decided they want to be cooks. Their first creation was "Mouse ran over the clock pizza". It was yummmmmy.

And here's today's photo of Nicholas.

My little boy reaches a milestone

Just back from four days in Åre -- a terrific ski resort here in Sweden. We took the trip in honor of Matthew, who turned ten last week. Absolutely unbelievable that my "little" boy can already be ten. I remember the day he was born -- lying in the hospital with him in my arms, watching the snow falling outside my window. At that point I had no idea what joy and happiness he would bring. I am so proud of the young man he is becoming.

As it was Matthew's first "round" birthday, we told him he could pick where he wanted to go for a long weekend. He chose skiing, so off to Åre we went. It's reputed to offer Sweden's best skiing. As I stick to the red and blue hills, I can't exactly vouch for that. However, it's a terrific place for families with young children. In fact, twice I was able to hit the slopes with Matthew and Lucas while Steen took care of Nicholas. The boys are excellent skiiers. Lucas has no fear at all and just flies down the mountain (with style, of course). Matthew stays with me most of the way down.

The rest of the time Nicholas and I hung out at the various eateries, since he's not quite old enough to handle the black-diamond runs. I enjoyed lattés while he people-watched.

Last week also brought a big day for Steen and I -- our "copper" anniversary. The copper anniversary, which is the day a couple has been married for 12.5 years, is a very big day for Danes. Our house is therefore now filled with beautiful flowers from our Danish family. Steen and I decided long ago that we would rather take a trip than hold a party to celebrate the big day, so we'll be off to Dubai for a week in the near future.

The boys recently took part in their first judo match. Matthew came in third in his weight class and Lucas came in fourth. They were thrilled to come home with medals hanging around their necks. Here's Matthew in one of his fights...

and here's Lucas.

Last but not least is Nicholas's newest trick -- grabbing his pant legs and pulling them up. He's very proud of his new achievement.

Clara Barton I am not

For the past eight days, I have been running the Pedersen Sick House.

Last Tuesday night, Steen launched this year's first "round of illness" by announcing "I think I'm going to get sick soon". He then proceeded to make himself a cup of tea with rum, which he is certain is the perfect tool for stopping any oncoming cold. I don't know much about that (today, 9 days later, he's still coughing). Thursday he spent the day in bed, an unusual move for a man who hasn't taken a sick day for at least 7 years. I figured he must have really been feeling bad, since he never even made it to his favorite spot on the couch. I just stayed away from him as much as possible -- in an effort to keep Nicholas and myself from getting sick, I decided on a policy of self-protection rather than serving him chicken soup.

When I picked the boys up on Wednesday evening, Matthew announced that he had been coughing all day, and in the car on the way home I noticed that Lucas was coughing too. By Thursday morning, they both had fevers and were coughing up a storm. They spent last Thursday and Friday at home. Both went to school Monday, though, but on Tuesday I kept Matthew home because he was still coughing and sounding very much like a seal.

All along I figured as long as Nicholas didn't catch the local Pedersen virus, we'd be ok. After all, the other guys are all much bigger and, I assume, their bodies are better prepared to fight a virus. I also thought that the breastfeeding would protect Nicholas for the most part. However, the little guy came down with his first mild fever Wednesday night so that neither he nor I slept more than 10 consecutive minutes. Last night was better, though, and today he seems quite happy.

So it seems we're all doing better. Matthew and Steen's lingering coughs are the only remnant -- good thing, too, as I'm almost out of our precious, imported cough syrup!

A Sweet Hello and a Sad Farewell

I have just realized (totally embarassing to admit) that I have yet to congratulate Michelle and Carsten on the birth of their lovely little girl. We cannot wait to meet her. In fact, Nicholas and I are quite happy that we're going to meet her soon. In a few months, we'll join Gitte on a trip to Australia!

So hello Annabelle and welcome to the world!

I haven't written earlier this week because on Monday we learned that Steen's uncle had passed away. Such news is always sad and incredibly hard to accept. I remember Papse as a quiet, happy man who once really surprised me when he and Ole spontaneously grabbed the microphones and sang at a family party. He and I shared a strong interest in reading and he supplied me with hundreds of English-language books during my years in Denmark. I always enjoyed spending time with him and Fanny. His absence is on all of our minds, and our hearts go out to Fanny, Niels-Frank, Helen and the rest of the family.

Nicholas has begun trying to grab things, although actually catching them is a matter of pure coincidence. When he does, he immediately tries to shove them in his mouth and he gets very frustrated when the toy flies past his mouth and hits the floor or his nose. His favorite toys at the moment are a little soft bear he received from his Uncle Christian (see the video) and a piece of blue silk that he loves to have waved over his head.

Matthew, Lucas and Steen have been sick this week with fevers, coughing and headaches. I've just started coughing, but I hope it doesn't get worse. It's probably caused by the fact that it's done nothing but rain here for days and days... Isn't this the country where snow should be guaranteed????

Matthew and I have begun reading for Nicholas. He seems to enjoy the entertainment. I've also been spending some time each day trying to get Nicholas used to the baby carrier. He'll allow me to carry him in it for five or ten minutes, but that's the absolute limit. Strange -- the other boys loved it, but then again, Nicholas is definitely aware of what he wants and doesn't want, and those things don't necessarily have anything in common with Matthew and Lucas!