11-11 make a wish

A few snow flurries swept through Älmhult on Friday night and we woke up to a freezing house this morning (53 degrees!). It's minus 3C outside. There's ice on the steps, which poor Tilly slipped on after her morning pee. And even Tito is ready for winter with a new slightly used snowsuit (my best find on Tradera so far – only 51kr when it normally sells for 500kr at Polarn O Pyret!).

Every time Lewis sees the snowsuit hanging it strikes him that we'll have a little person in our house who fits into it. The reality is starting to set in. After 12.5 years together as a couple, we will now have a third person around all the time. It IS a bit weird when I think of it that way. Just two months until my maternity leave starts (and that includes about 2 weeks off at Christmas.) So I feel like it's really getting close.

Not sure if I have explained how the Swedish system works when it comes to maternity leave. I just filed all the paperwork with the government. Basically, I get 80% of my salary for a year + 1000kr per month to help with expenses (roughly $175). Most Swedes put the 1000kr aside for the baby in his or her own savings account. We're thinking we'll do the same thing. Of course, we may need to dip into it if things get tight! Sorry kid!

I need to be off for a year because the Swedish daycare system does not accept babies until they are a year old. If Lewis had a job, he could take parental leave at 80% pay to watch the baby if I wanted to go back to work before 1 year. Technically we get 480 days total of paid leave, which we can split between the two of us. 60 of those days stay with dad, but Lewis can give me the rest of his days. Yes, it's a bit complicated. Imagine us having to navigate through all of this in Swedish!

I've been really struggling with the fact that I will be off for a whole year. I really love my job and it's hard to leave. BUT, I know that this is an opportunity that I wouldn't have in the U.S., so I plan to really take advantage of it and enjoy it. And then when Lewis finishes school in September, I'll still have 3.5 months of maternity leave left, so we can spend that time together as a family as he looks for a job. Really cool.

And all this because one night I was looking for chairs on the IKEA website. It was two years ago today that I boarded a plane for our new life in Sweden. I felt like my heart was being ripped out when I stood inside DIA and looked at the Rocky Mountains for the last time. Leaving all of our friends and our home. Leaving a life where we were really, really happy. And we will be happy to come back whenever that is.

But this is home for now. And we love it actually. I love that there is virtually zero stress in our lives. I love that Lewis is able to get a degree in a field he is passionate about. I love that our marriage is even stronger. I love that we are starting a family here.

I hope we will continue to be so lucky... 

Comments

[aimee]

Just stumbled across your blog and wanted to say good luck with the baby and adjusting to life with a little, demanding person. It can take some getting used to.

[Johanna]

Hi!

found your blog thru an expat site. I'm glad that you feel so satisified with your decision of leaving your home country for Sweden. We are in the same situation but opposite. We are moving to Ireland, Dublin. My husband is leaving soon, but me and our children leavs in the spring -08. Excitiing and scary at the same time!

take care! and I wish you the best with you little "peanut"
:-)