A Fig in Sweden Portland

messy hands, cute feet and lots of white drool

I am completely unfocused in this blog post, which reflects how I have been feeling lately. A bit scattered. The only thing these pictures have in common is that they were all taken today.

What you may not realize on first glance is that there *are* some exciting things captured here: First, Sophie eating real food – big chunks, lumps and all – with gusto. Today it was risotto. Later, I ran and grabbed the camera after she managed to run away from daddy in the middle of her diaper change (her walking confidence is improving since her fall). Then, we snapped the last picture after her first sip of whole milk. It didn't go over very well. A waterfall of white over her chin.

And I guess that last picture is also a big deal for me, because I stopped breastfeeding a few days ago. I had hoped to make it to 6 months, and I ended up going all the way to 13. Quite pleased about that.

The next big thing to happen in Sophie's world will be shoe shopping on Friday (!!!). The next big thing to happen in our world? Not sure, but perhaps an Easter trip somewhere fun (and warm). We're itching for a getaway.

welcome home

I just have to start this post by showing you the typical greeting I get when I come home. Sophie comes running to the back door with a big smile on her face, and we make faces at each other through the glass. It's one of my favorite moments of the day.

She's back to her goofy self now. The arm drama continued for a few days this week. On Wednesday, we took her to the doctor here in Älmhult after I suspected she had Nursemaid's Elbow (based on the symptoms I found on the web and in my baby books). I didn't reveal my Google-based diagnosis to the doctor, but he pretty much made me feel like a fool anyway. He told us that it looked like she was healing and to be patient. (Hard when you see your child's arm just hanging limp most of the time.) Turns out the trip to the clinic worked some kind of magic, because she started using the arm left and right soon after we got back home. (Hmph...)

In other news, we've decided to pull her out of daycare and delay it for another month. We're hoping by then she will be walking a bit better and won't require so much individual attention from the teachers. It's not because of her fall, per se, because we know she'll have lots more. But the fall did feel a little like a sign that this was the right decision.

Meanwhile, Sophie and Tilly are getting closer by the day. It's adorable to see how good Tilly is with her. The two of them were playing in the snow earlier today, and Sophie was in non-stop hysterics.

toddler tumble #1 landed us in the ER

Sophie had her first bad tumble today as she was cruising around the coffee table. And we spent last night in the ER as a result.

She's OK. At least that's what the doctors tell us. We suspected a problem when we noticed that she wasn't using her left arm. It was just hanging there. Then we tried to move it and she cried. I called the Swedish medical hotline, and they told us to go to Växjö hospital. They examined her and took some x-rays and couldn't find anything wrong. It's possible she sprained it and is scared to use it, they said. I'm happy they couldn't find a break but concerned because she doesn't seem any better today.

God, this sucks! Having an unhappy or hurt child is the worst feeling in the world. I don't know how I'm going to be able to concentrate on work today.

my eyes, my eyes

What's this? Sunshine? (Yahoo!) Our eyes were going crazy yesterday... like we've been in a cave for a few months. And I suppose it has been a little like that. I'm tempted to look up the sunshine stats for our part of Sweden. Wouldn't be surprised if the monthly totals were only a few minutes for December and January. It's sunny again this morning, and we're on our way out the door to enjoy it...

swede the plow

When the Swedes want to plow the highway, they do it in one fell swoop. On our way to a meeting in Klippan, Sweden, a coworker and I were stuck behind this two-lane plow on the E4. Have you ever seen anything like this?! The big arm hanging off of it cleared the right lane while it also plowed the left. There was no getting around it for about 20-30 minutes. I thought for sure the dude would pull over to let the long line of cars pass. Not a chance. We all just had to sit tight and go 40 km/h in a 120 km/h zone. Needless to say, I was late for the meeting.

fancy footwork

If the video of Sophie's first steps does not automatically appear, you can click here.

"the germs jump on them when they're new"

This is what Sophie's teacher said when I called on Friday to say that she woke up with a cold and would not be coming in. Par for the course with daycare, I guess.

I had hoped to be posting about how our first day leaving her alone had gone. Yep, Friday was supposed to be the big day. She did great Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and did not cry once. Lewis and I alternated days and were instructed to stay on the sofa while Sophie interacted with the teachers and kids. She only glanced over a couple of times. At one point I could hear her screaming with excitement while they danced in another room. The teachers said she was a completely different baby than the one they saw on Monday. They said she seemed like a very happy baby and were not worried about her making the adjustment at all.

I can't tell you what a relief that is. On Monday I was so upset about it that I felt sort of numb all day. But we also realized that we are in complete control of the situation. If we are really worried about Sophie, we could delay it another month. Lewis is working on a project from home and has a lot of flexibility. The thing we're most concerned about is how dependent she is on others. She needs more individual attention since she is not completely walking yet, and she needs food mashed up or cut into small pieces. I explained this to one of the teachers, and she said from Tuesday through Thursday it should not be a problem because they are fully staffed on those days. So we decided that Lewis will take Mondays off, and I'll be home on Fridays.

Right now, though, I'll be spending my Sunday on the couch with a box of tissues. Sophie's cold, which was her worst one yet, is now making the rounds.

i want to become an old swedish woman

Mature Swedish women have a look. They are typically thin, short-haired, well-groomed and very stylish. Simple, sophisticated stylish. They are natural beauties, requiring little or no makeup, and they have a grace and wisdom about them that reminds me of Audrey Hepburn.

I had a meeting with one yesterday, which made me reflect on my own... errr... ripening.

Wherever I'm living when I'm over 50, I hope I seem even a little bit Swedish.

not the bust we were hoping for

I mentioned that we thought Sophie would go gangbusters at daycare, which started today. Well, she cried gangbusters. But that's about the only thing she did with gusto.

So, yep, it was basically a total bust.

We were completely shocked. Any time she's been around other kids her age she's been so curious and excited. But, like a dog being taken to the kennel or vet, I guess Sophie just knew that this was different.

Fortunately, Sweden has a very gradual introduction to daycare. We went for just one hour today (and the same tomorrow), and we were by her side the whole time. Then, based on how she does, they recommend a plan over the next three weeks, building up her time until she's there without us for a full day.

I have not heard of a similar phase-in back in the states. So, American moms, how on *earth* did you manage to do it? I would have been a complete wreck and unable to function at work.

I'm really bummed about today but trying to stay positive for tomorrow... and the next day.