A Fig in Sweden Portland

keep on rockin, sophie

Sweet, Sweet Sophie,

I loved seeing how happy you were when each of your 11 little friends showed up today at your 4th birthday party. I loved seeing how gracious you were when they each handed you their gift. And I really loved seeing how excited you were to give your friends their "goody bag" presents when it was over — even handing them the prizes you had picked out for yourself.

Just like you're always being kind to Mathis. 

We're so proud of you, peanut.

_____

4th birthday party held at Sound Roots School of Modern Music in Portland, Oregon; performed by the very awesome Mo Phillips. I think he must be related to Jack Black. 

 

S.I.F.C.U. 01/19/12

Sh*t I find cleaning up. Ariel's bikini top as pig goggles.

overall awesome

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while know that I am head over heels in love with Swedish children's clothes. And one of my very favorites is Polarn O. Pyret. Luckily, they have recently arrived in the U.S. And, even luckier, they sent me some sample gear to "put to the test" just as they do with preschools in Sweden. 

Polarn O. Pyret is all about outdoor play. Mathis is a little young to "play" outside, but he still needs to stay warm and dry while we're out and about. Plus, I'm a big believer in a daily dose of fresh air for everyone.

With the cold rainy season in full swing here, I have been reaching more and more for his waterproof PO.P overall. I love that it's just a shell, so I can use it with light clothing on wet spring days, too. Plus, he doesn't get overheated when we pop in and out of stores. Great for when I'm carrying him in the Ergo.

While I got drenched during today's outing (see the HUGE puddles in the background?), he stayed totally dry. So, did Sophie in her PO.P jacket. PO.P clothes do cost a bit more, but I love the clever ways they design their clothes so that they sort of grow with your child a bit. Honestly, I'm sure this rainsuit will fit him next fall when he jumps in his first puddle!

You'll hear (and see!) more about PO.P here on the blog. In the meantime, buy ahead for next year because loads of fall and winter items are up to 60% off!

 

laughing my head off

Background: Sophie got a set of small plastic princess dolls for Christmas that she *adores.* As with most toys made in China, they are not built to last. On the way home from the science museum last week, Ariel's head came off. Sophie was upset but I assured her that I could pop that little sucker back on. It was tough, but I managed to do it. I told her to be careful with Ariel's head, and it just became common knowledge that Ariel had a fragile neck. But daddy didn't get the memo and knocked Ariel's head off this weekend. I was called back into surgery, but there was just one problem: we couldn't find Ariel's head (and still can't).

Today: Sophie starts humming Ariel's song from the Little Mermaid. Then she looks at me and says, "I hear Ariel's head!"

 

our little dude is doing a lot

At 5.5 months, he's rolling over; eating bananas, pears and rice cereal (so far) from a spoon; jumping in his bouncy swing; sleeping 7 hours straight at night; still waking up every 2 hours other nights; teething; trying to talk; grabbing toys; getting lots of attention from his sister; smiling all the time; making all of us smile. 

The other day, I wedged Mathis into the corner of the couch. Sophie (aka Pink Power Ranger) took it upon herself to scoot up next to him and "read" him a story (this is her gibberish reading language). I grabbed the video camera. These clips crack me up. First Sophie is freaked out when Mathis grabs her shirt. Then Mathis' expression and "non-neckness" make me giggle in the second one.

 

 

dear family diary, 1/14/12

Tonight we let Sophie stay up late. The Planet Earth marathon was on, and we were all captivated by it. I didn't have to say anything to Lewis ... he was right there with me on the whole screw-bedtime plan that was unfolding. It was educational and cozy and just a special everyday moment.

Until an Arctic fox killed a snow gosling.

Sophie erupted in utter sadness before Lewis and I even realized what was happening. Then when I did realize what was happening I just held her as tight as I could, both of us trying to convince her that the geese babies were OK. "See them swimming with their mommy?"

I'm so sorry, sweet pea. After all this talk about growing up, we inadvertently let you grow up a little too fast tonight.

the magical age of besties

Ever since Christmas break at preschool, I've noticed something different when I drop Sophie off at school. A little girl named Ella comes running up to Sophie as soon as we walk in the door. The two show off whatever cool dress or toy they have that day to the other and then run off to play (sometimes leaving mommy in the dust.)

It's OK, because I walk back to the car beaming. 

Ella appears to be Sophie's very first little girl bestie (after having lots of little boy besties beginning with French Mathis in Sweden). My friend Amy articulated what I am feeling in a recent post on her blog: "She is one of the first people to discover my daughter, out in the world, with no familial obligation to think she’s the best. She could have chosen any number of the kids at dagis to like above all others, but she chose mine."

This is an extra big deal since several months ago, Sophie's teachers talked to me about her language development and how many of the other kids didn't understand her. It seems that speaking Swedish fluently during the day at school up until she was 2 1/2 sort of got in the way of her English. We've been trying to work on her English, and I think we are starting to get somewhere.

Today, Sophie spent the morning on a playdate with another little school friend. Joey, short for Josephine, told her mom that she wanted to have Sophie over this week. So, for the very first time, I dropped Sophie off at a friend's house and drove away. It felt very strange going grocery shopping as a family of three. Lewis turned to me and said," It's going to be really weird when the kids grow up and move out." Needless to say, we are getting a little ahead of ourselves. But it definitely feels like she has made an enormous leap since Mathis was born.

I thought it only seemed like she suddenly aged a few years when Mathis was born. Turns out she really has been growing up right before our eyes.

And, on that note, I am going to head back to my sewing machine. My not-so-little girl wants a unicorn dress for her 4th birthday.

 

silly me

2011 feels like a blur to me. I actually had to go back and read my first post of the year to remember what was going on. With me and with life. And, wow, things started off awesome!

I'm surprised because, in many ways, I felt like a deer in headlights most of the year. At least the first half. I was in a constant state of "freaking out." How would I handle two kids, how would I find a good mommy/freelance balance, and how would I love another child as much as I love Sophie?

On July 24, I realized that I was a complete buffoon for wasting so much energy worrying about any of this.

Life with two is better/easier/happier than I thought it would be (and boy is this kid loved).

That's the first big aha from this year. The big phew.

So why have I felt so stressed out?

2011 was our first full year back in the U.S., and Lewis and I have recently been talking a lot about our stress level here. Despite the fact that we live in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Portland, where we can walk everywhere and have an awesome park at the end of the block, both of us feel pretty stressed out. 

We miss our life in Älmhult in many ways. The simplicity of life was kind of the best thing and the worst thing about living there. At least, it became the worst thing after 5 years. A town of just pizza and hairdressers did start to become old, and we were excited to dial life up a bit. But I miss our weekend walks in the forest, and how satisfied we felt afterwards. 

I remember Lewis once remarked that I never yelled while we were living there (when Sophie was around 2). My reply to him was, "Why would I yell? What would I have to yell about?"

Now, here, I find myself at the end of my rope more than I would like. I'm short with Sophie sometimes, and it kills me. 

The other night, just as I was hanging on to that rope by its last thread, instead of letting my frustration get the best of me, I started singing my response to Sophie ... and dancing ... and laughing. And then Sophie started laughing.

And so I guess my resolution for this year is to laugh more. To goof off more. So Sophie and Mathis know me as "silly mommy" instead of stressed-out mommy. (This seems like a real duh, but it was like an epiphany to me.)

I also want to try to not feel like we have to have huge plans for a day to be well-spent. Walking around the block while Sophie rides her bike, like we did today, is OK too.  

And, if neither of those work out, there's always the third thing on my list of "resolutions" for 2012: A Hawaiian vacation. 

 

sweet. like molasses.

As I wait for something profound to say about the year that has passed, let me catch you up on the holiday happenings in our little bungalow. 

- I thought I was going to hyperventilate many times because I was so stressed out as the holidays approached.

- I went out to my first bar in Portland (remember, I got pregnant like as soon as the jet touched down when we moved to Portland) and had a great conversation with the mother of one of Sophie's classmates who said she also felt like she was going to hyperventilate. And then I didn't feel like hyperventilating anymore. (And I'd really like to grab a drink with her again.)

- Sophie and I made a game of shouting "oooooooh" (at a very high decibel ... poor Mathis) at all the houses with christmas lights on the way home from school.

- We did not make time to hit the Zoo Lights like we did last year, and I feel intense regret about that right now. (How could I not seize any and all holiday happenings for the sake of my 3-year-old?!)

- We DID visit with Santa (and he was a little odd).

- Sophie DID have a ginormous meltdown on Christmas Eve, nearly putting Christmas giftdom in jeopardy.

- Santa DID deliver big-time on all the unicorn requests.

- And Sophie and I had a good time making gingerbread cookies from scratch for the first time ... stars and gingerbread men, and unicorns and dinosaurs. I think it might have been my holiday highlight.

So, as you can see, the holidays were not all super sugary sweet. We missed our families and friends. I felt pretty stressed out. My Christmas Eve dinner of lobster tails and mussels was a huge fail. And my spontaneous idea to go to catholic mass up the street wasn't really the uplifting experience I had hoped for (see ginormous meltdown reference above).

But it was nice to start our own traditions for Christmas (lox, eggs and onion breakfast!) and spend it in our own home. And soak up Sophie's excitement about the day.

And lest you think that I am neglecting our 5-month-old bubbachunk because he has not really been mentioned in this post ... that little happiness factory made the holidays a lot merrier for all of us.