Oslo Trip

We are eager to travel back to Texas and introduce Alexander to his amazing family and our wonderful friends and in order to do that he obviously has to have a passport. Now, getting a passport in general is no easy feat. But getting a passport for an infant born to foreign national parents is very complicated!

For starters, we needed a birth certificate. In the states, at least as far as I understand, you fill out the birth certificate in the hospital immediately following birth. Arthur and I realized, however, that when we left the hospital not a single person asked for his name! So we wondered how we were going to get a birth certificate.

A week after he was born we received a letter in the mail titled "spørsmål om navneval". This letter required us to choose a name and then submit that name for approval to the Norwegian government...yes, you read that correctly. Long story short, we finally figured out a solution that the government could tolerate (he has two first names and no middle name...whatever...I can live with that) and a very plain birth certificate was mailed to us shortly thereafter.

Now that we had a birth certificate, we needed a passport photo...

Let's just get one thing straight...my son is MUCH cuter than this picture. However, the strict requirements for a passport picture don't leave a lot of room for personality!

We prepared all our other paperwork and headed to Oslo. We left on a Thursday afternoon and Alexander had his first taxi ride!

Alexander in the back seat of the taxi

And he was seriously the BEST baby on the airplane. I bet the mom with the screaming child at the back of the plane was jealous...I'm sure our time will come!

Family selfie on the plane

We all woke up refreshed and ready for our Friday morning appointment at the embassy.

No cameras were allowed in the embassy but this is our SUCCESS! selfie! It all went very smoothly, except for a last minute run back to the hotel for the most important piece of paperwork that SOMEBODY forgot to pack...but other than that...yes, very smoothly! That's the embassy in the background

Alexander enjoyed chilling in the big bed,

watching a movie with mom,

and snuggling and sightseeing with dad.

Thanks for a great weekend Oslo! Hope to see you again very soon!

A Shower for Alexander

A few weeks ago Alexander got to do something that most babies NEVER get to do...he attended his own baby shower!

The shower was hosted by Courtney, Darcy, and Liz...three lovely expat women that have been a reliable source of advice, friendship, and support since before we even arrived in Norway. It was a day that I was looking forward to since before Alexander was even born and I was incredibly touched that these women took the time to honor my son with this lovely party.

Courtney was an incredible hostess and her beautiful home was a perfect backdrop to this Pinterest worthy shower! Well done friend!!! (most of these pictures are hers by the way)

Thank you to all who attended. We are so lucky to already have such an amazing community of friends around us here in Norway!

Alexander - Two Months

Alexander is 2 months old today. I know I'm supposed to say, "Wow! 2 months already!? Where did the time go?"...but I'm not gonna say that! It's actually felt like 2 months but not in a bad way. This was our first month to just be the 3 of us, and although we all really miss my parents its been nice to start our new routines as a family...goodness knows I LOVE routines!

• You went on your first hike this month at Dalestemen with Nana and Papa. Arthur packed an amazing picnic dinner and my parents enjoyed geocaching. You slept in the Baby Bjorn almost the entire time.

• You're a really happy baby 90% of the time. And then sometimes you're not...

• You joined Nana and Papa on one of their favorite pastimes...visiting plant stores!

• I took ONE MILLION pictures of you for your baby passport...OK honestly, only 487. The requirements for an infant picture for a passport are ridiculous! (eyes open, mouth closed, chin and both ears visible, both eyes looking at the camera) We could have gone to a passport photo store but I knew the chances of us getting a good picture were better at home so I DIY'd it...then I didn't want to purge the 487 pictures off my phone because each one captured a little second of your life...mom problems!

• Speaking of passport photos...you took your first flight this month from Stavanger to Oslo. We visited the US Embassy to get both a passport and a social security number. You're now officially in the matrix kid...sorry!

• Tummy time is the new thing around here and you really seem to enjoy it. You have the best time when you're on your tummy on the changing table...we call it your "happy place." Even if you are really upset when we lay you down you're usually smiling and cooing pretty quickly. Too funny!

• Swaddling is totally your jam! Without being swaddled you only sleep a few hours at a time, but with it you usually sleep 5-7 hours at night. I even swaddle you during the day for your naps! Plus there is something totally adorable about burrito babies!

 

• We're going to the helsestasjon (where you do your well-baby checks) once a week to keep an eye on your weight. You're still gaining but slowly...makes me a little nervous so I'm glad we're watching it closely. You might just be blessed with a thin build and a fast metabolism...and in that case who are you and what did you do with my fat genes!? As usual, you conk out when we're there!

• We start baby swimming tomorrow and I'm super excited! Hopefully you'll love it as much as you love bath time!

"This is Quite a Storm"

Preparedness is a personal trait that I'm quite proud of. So it would follow suit that in the months leading up to two huge life changes (moving abroad and having a child) I did A LOT of preparing...lots of reading, research, list/schedule making, organizing, and getting advice from others. Those preparations, I believe, have helped our family make a smooth transition into what could have been a train wreck of life changes! Arthur gets some serious credit here too...he is my favorite travel buddy, a solid voice of reason, a constant source of encouragement, a savvy problem solver, and (of course) the best dang husband/daddy ever...sorry...I got distracted.

Anyway, the thing I did not prepare for was the chronic pain and loss of mobility that came with Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD). At 15 weeks the pain of my jeans pressing on my pubic bone left me in tears...I wasn't even showing yet. I began buying maternity pants two sizes too big but even those were painful. By 20 weeks I was wearing mostly leggings and dresses. At 24 weeks I begged a flight attendant to let me sleep on the floor of the plane during a 10hr flight because sitting for so long made my hips burn with pain and caused muscle spasms in my back. At 28 weeks I was in pain 24/7. I couldn't walk, sit, sleep, or stand without being in the worst pain of my life. Because I was pregnant I refused to take any pain medication.

When I shared my pain with my midwife in the states she said, "Pregnancy is supposed to be uncomfortable." But when I broke down in front of my new midwife in Norway she knew this was not normal and immediately referred me to a chiropractor and physical therapist. I was told I had SPD (called "bekkenløsning" here) and that it would most likely go away immediately after labor.

The last two weeks of pregnancy are the worst for any women and I was no exception. I had begun to consider begging for an induction so I'm very thankful Alexander came on his due date! But I knew the very next day after labor that I had not made a spontaneous recovery. I continued to have all the same symptoms but now I had a baby to care for!

I was completely unprepared for the emotional toll that came with the pain and loss of mobility. As an athlete, I had learned to push my body to get results. Now I was being told every single movement I made contributed to the pain intensifying and that the best thing I could do was remain as immobile as possible...oh and absolutely no lifting. Ok...I can do that pregnant but tell me how I'm supposed to be on bed rest and not lift my beautiful newborn baby!?

I've been told by my orthopedist (one of the 6 medical professionals I've been referred to so far) that I shouldn't run for 6-12 months. Run!? As much as I want to run I'd settle for just a walk. To walk around the mall. To walk my son around the neighborhood. To explore this beautiful country. But I've found that usually, anything more than walking around the house takes me several days to recover. It's absolutely maddening. I've gone from someone who was active and independent to sedentary and dependent. I am desperate to just lace up my running shoes and run all my frustrations out but I can't.

There are positives in all this...Arthur takes incredible care of me, my son is happy and healthy, and other than these dysfunctional hips I am healthy too. I try to have faith that there is an end in sight and to take life day by day. I am so thankful for the prayers and concern. This sucks but I will get through it! I'm looking forward to training for a half marathon, maybe even a triathlon, once this is all behind me.

And (because I'm so good at preparing) I'm planning on getting some kind of snarky yet triumphant tattoo on these rotten hips of mine to celebrate overcoming all that they put me through!

Nana & Papa in Norway - Summer 2014

6 weeks ago we arrived home from the hospital, newly a family of 3. Arthur and I were both overjoyed and overwhelmed with our recent promotion to parenthood. That same day my parents arrived in Norway. Nana Liza and Papa Kent were jet-lagged but ecstatic to meet their new grandson.

I was cautiously excited about the idea of my parents living with us for most of the summer. While I was really looking forward to having extra help around the house with a newborn, I worried that we might have a little too much family togetherness time. To put it briefly, I was afraid we would get really tired of each other.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

The time my parents spent here has been nothing short of perfect. I am incredibly thankful for my mom doing all the laundry, cleaning, and most of the cooking. I appreciate my dad for working hours in the yard growing precious peppers and okra, and cleaning up our messy kitchen. I love them for never complaining about their miniature shower (no room for a sneeze!), or the high prices, or the fact that my hips are still so bad we didn’t get out of the house for much else than doctor’s appointments.

However, it was the support, and love, and encouragement that meant the most to me. My parents were constantly saying what a great job we were doing, how healthy and happy Xander is. And when I got worried about things, I had them there to tell me that everything was OK. I love them for giving us space when we needed it and always being in a good mood and seeing the bright side of things! Thanks to them, Arthur and I have had little else to worry about besides taking care of, and loving on our son. What an incredible gift that has been.

Seeing my son love on his grandparents has been wonderful to watch. He loves his Papa Kent’s deep voice and scratchy kisses. He adores dancing with his Nana Liza and falls into a deep sleep in her arms. In return, they have filled him up with so much love and tenderness! He is a lucky boy to have such incredible grandparents.

It’s true that you can’t fully appreciate your own parents until you have children of your own. I can’t help but think about my parents as I lay awake in the early morning hours, patting my son back to sleep. I am overcome with an enormous amount of gratitude for my parents in a way I could only truly experience by becoming a parent myself.

Dropping them off at the airport was heartbreaking. Perhaps Xander sensed our gloomy mood and cried the whole way (or maybe it was just because he hadn't pooped in 24 hrs!) Either way, quite a few tears were shed while saying goodbye. We will see them soon though when we take Xander to visit Texas for the first time. He will be reunited with his Nana and Papa and get to meet the rest of his amazing family that is SO EXCITED to meet him. Bring on October! I’m ready for you to be here!

Life Lately

Another life lately post...

A dear friend of mine sent a gift to Alexander all the way from the states! It is absolutely beautiful and the only personalized item we have for him so far. I'm not gonna lie...I may have shed a few tears when I opened it! Thank you Molly!

It's been unseasonably warm this summer, and especially the past few weeks, so I decided to take advantage of the weather and give Alexander some "naked baby" time on our deck. He seemed to enjoy the warm sun and we spent our time making sure we were out of the "splash zone."

We went to Gladmat, Scandinavia's largest food festival, in downtown Stavanger this weekend. As usual, Alexander was the perfect baby. He slept for several hours while we chowed down on Norsk strawberries, brisket tacos, gourmet burger bites, BBQ Thai chicken, and fiskeboller. Then he woke up just in time to watch us chow down some more...ice cream, churros, and some wine to wash it all down. I can't believe how chill he is when we are out. I'm so proud to be his mama :) (Sorry no food pics, we were too busy stuffing our faces!)

We went to a party this weekend with the couples we met at our birthing class. We all had boys within 2 weeks of each other and we all chose the name Alexander. However, it must be said that OUR Alexander was first born and hands down the cutest! It was an international mix of people (as most social events are here)...people from Australia, England, Scotland. Bulgaria, Portugal, and of course Norway and the US, My parents and Arthur enjoyed Ivar's (our host) home brewed "baby beer" for the occasion!