Alexander - 11 Months

Another fun month is in the books. I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this whole parenting thing and with Alexander's first birthday rapidly approaching I am painfully aware that my baby is rapidly turning into a toddler. This is NOT OK!

  
This month you learned how to say "dada". The feeling of hearing you call for me was something I really wanted your dad to experience. So we have been working on "dada" for a while. And now a small part of me wishes I had left well alone because now that is ALL YOU TALK ABOUT! I mean...your dada is pretty freaking amazing but even I don't gush about him every 5 minutes. It's the first thing you say when you wake up in the morning. You yell it out to him when he walks out of the room. You even murmured "dada" in your sleep a few nights ago. Now I only hear "mama" when you're hurt or upset. But it's true, you have a pretty great dada so I can't blame you for being crazy about him! I am too :)

You are getting more talkative in general. I would say you now use 5 words consistently..."dada", "mama", "wawa" (water, you also do the sign for water), "ba" (means hungry), and "more". And I'm the proud speech pathologist who will take all the credit for your words. But in truth, you're a very social kid and highly motivated to communicate so it makes it both fun and easy to teach you words. You're also imitating sounds and oral movements so there seems to be an increased awareness of the mechanics of language. Maybe this is babble to anyone but an SLP but it is fascinating to me! We're working on "up", "eat", "out" and "go" for next month. A little ambitious but shoot for the stars right?

I thought for sure you would be an early walker but you're still in the standing, cruising, and balancing phase. You love the walker we borrowed from the Stingerie's and are FINALLY learning how to turn it around yourself instead of yelling at me to turn it for you every 30 seconds when you bump into a wall. I'd really like you to be walking before our trip to Texas in June. You get really cranky when you're in the stroller or have to sit anywhere for too long. So when we are out we end up having to find a relatively clean and empty floor for you to crawl around on. But the idea of you crawling around an airplane floor gives me hives! Adding that to the list of things to work on for next month.

You have now taken 17 flights and visited 5 countries in your short 11 months. Your favorite part of traveling seems to be getting attention from new people. You attract attention everywhere you go because you refuse to accept anyone ignoring you. You will smile and coo until they give into your charms...I mean, really, how can anyone resist!?

There were a couple of rough weeks this month as your 7th tooth was on its way. You have been sleeping through the night since January but you started waking up 1-2x each night crying inconsolably. It would take almost an hour and some baby Tylenol to get you calmed back down. Your tooth finally came in and all is back to being well with the world...that is until tooth #8.

You are now only taking one nap a day, despite my efforts otherwise! While it is nice to have more predictability in our schedule I really miss having two breaks during the day. But you're a great napper...you go to sleep easily between 11-12 and sleep for 2-3 hours.

My favorite new "thing" this month is you giving kisses. I'm not exactly sure how you learned it but one night as Arthur was reading you "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" you started to kiss all the animals. The next morning I asked you for a kiss and you crawled across the bed, grabbed my face, and gave me a long, slobbery, open-mouthed kiss on the cheek. Now, if you're in the mood, you'll give us kisses when we ask, and sometime when we don't. And from someone who never liked PDA I'm proud to say I absolutely love it.

Alexander- we are entering your last month before you turn a year old. Each day I am surprised to find that you have learned a new skill without it ever explicitly being taught. Each day we discover new things about your personality...you are independent and get upset if we try to do things for you. It can be frustrating but I love it at the same time. You still won't cuddle for more than a few seconds so we appreciate it when we get it. I'm looking forward to and dreading your birthday at the same time. Happy 11 months to my favorite little stinker!

Mother's Day 2015

It's not every year that you get to add a new holiday to your list! But I've now joined the ranks and earned the right to celebrate Mother's Day as both a child and a mother. To be completely honest I was worried that Arthur and Xander wouldn't be as excited about celebrating me as I was (that's not self-centered...right?) But my boys did NOT disappoint. In fact, as usual Arthur exceed my expectations!

We started the day with my favorite breakfast...American style pancakes with peanut butter. My son takes after his momma because it also happens to be his favorite breakfast! I think he ate 4 large pancakes!

My first gift was perfect...a gift and a memory. We made a planter box with Xander's hand-prints on it. I loved that Arthur got it all set up and planned out so we could make it together. That little planter box now sits in the kitchen window with fresh basil and mint growing inside and I absolutely love it!

Xander was too excited about spending time with me to take a nap (ahhh!!! seriously kid!!!) so after an hour and a half of trying we gave up and went for a Sunday drive. Another surprise from Arthur, we ended up at one of my favorite places in Norway, the Solastranden Hotel for CAKES!!! I mean brunch. The CAKE, I mean meal, was delicious and Xander was so good, despite his unnappingness, that I even got to enjoy a glass of wine.

After eating we went for a stroll on the beach then headed home. Xander was so exhausted he was asleep almost as soon as we put him in the car. While we drove we talked about how it was almost exactly a year ago to the date that we had gone to Solastranden Hotel to celebrate me almost/sorta being a mom. I was about 30 weeks pregnant and feeling extremely uncomfortable to say the least. This year we woke up much earlier, were much busier, and our day was much noisier...but it was perfect. 

I'm the girl who never yearned to be a mother. Honestly, babies have always seemed a little weird to me. Like only half-cooked humans. But then this little guy came into my life and opened up a part of me I didn't know was there. He has taught me how to love so much it hurts. He has taught me that I can give and give until I have nothing left unless he needs more, and then somehow I find even more to give him.

Motherhood has been the most challenging, beautiful, heart-wrenching, backbreaking, and earth-shakingly transformative experience of my life and I'm so grateful to be trusted to raise this incredible little guy. 

France Part 3: Aix en Provence and Saint-Jeannet

Our first "home base" was in Aix en Provence. It couldn't have been more perfect...the location was right in the middle of downtown but in a quiet little plaza with a fountain, a lovely cafe, and a view of the beautiful Aix architecture. We didn't bring toys for Xander but he made due...car keys and plastic kitchen items kept him busy.

He enjoyed watching the city from our second floor terrace.

And after he went to bed Arthur and I would sit on the third floor terrace and enjoy the flavors of Provence!

Since we don't have a bathtub at home I always try to book a place with one when we travel because Xander LOVES baths! And when baby is happy, EVERYONE is happy!

On our way to our second "homebase" in Gattieres (in the mountains north of Nice) we stopped at a restaurant on the beach. We were hoping for a warm breezy day...but it was a cool gale-force wind day! So we were thankful for the outdoor patio with a windbreak...luckily the views were still stunning!

Now here is where things start to get fuzzy...Arthur and I both caught some kind of stomach bug. His lasted an evening. Mine unfortunately lasted 4 days. I haven't been that sick in a LONG TIME. Not to be a whiny baby but we're talking fever, chills, aches...it was just not fun! While I tried to make the most of our last few days in France I was really feeling rotten. And, since I'm was the primary picture taker we didn't get as many pictures from here on out. At least Arthur and Xander got to do some Dad/Son bonding time while I was out of commission.

And if you're feeling a little jealous about our fabulous French holiday let me help you out a bit here. Let's get REALLY real. We arrived in Gattieres and, in theory, this place should have been awesome. We had a private villa with a view of the city and the ocean in the distance. There was a beautiful sparkling blue pool right outside our doorstep. The garden was full of flowers and fruit trees...we were told we could pick an orange right of the tree and eat it!

The reality was that it looked like someone had been living there about 30 mins prior to our arrival...specifically the owner's girlfriend (?) She was an artist with a particular affinity for painting nudes, which was obvious by the 25+ large nude paintings around the villa. There was also a rather enormous dog who, by her own admission, had been filthying up the sofa for a few years (she did her best to vacuum up the dog hair...) There was no central heating and I was waking up feverish every night shaking uncontrollably. And those oranges...UGH! Super bitter! Maybe it was the fact that I spent almost 4 full days in bed there but the villa in Gattieres will go down as the WORST place we've ever stayed while on holiday.

Our holiday ended on a really positive note though! Arthur and I agreed that our favorite stop on the entire trip was in Saint-Jeannet. We intentionally chose not to take pictures while we were there because they just wouldn't have done it justice. Saint-Jeannet is whats called a "village-perchés" meaning a "perched village". It was literally built into the rocks of a mountain, at the foothills of the French Alps. The streets were cobblestone lined, narrow, and obviously built in the days before cars. The medieval architecture and beautiful fountains around every corner made us feel like we were in a fairy tale!

While in Saint-Jeannet we had lunch...well, Arthur did. I stuck to bread unfortunately. According to Arthur and Xander it was the best meal we had while in France. After eating we wandered around the village, marveling that real people actually still lived there. Xander even picked up not one but TWO gorgeous little French girls. We told him he'd have to come back in about 17 years and look those little ladies up!

Despite everything, the Provence region in France was one of my favorite vacations to date. We came home with a great deal of wine, chocolates, cookies, spices, sausages, and great memories. Now if only I could have purchased some fine French art...maybe a nude? Dang it...how did I let that chance slip away!?

France Part 2: Luberon and Cassis

Our first full day in France we decided to check out the highly recommended market in Luberon. It did not disappoint. 

After some market shopping we stopped for an espresso break...because when in France...right? Y'all that was a LEGIT espresso!

We loved all the outdoor cafes!

 

The streets of Luberon

This beautiful winery estate was the backdrop to the market.

The next day we took another day trip to Cassis, a picturesque little town tucked into the Cote d'Azur. We stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants on the harbor. This picture makes me laugh because it looks so sweet and tender when really Xander was being a turd and neither of us were very happy with him. Unfortunately most of the restaurants we went to did not have high chairs and Xander did NOT want to be held while eating. 

The only family picture we got the entire trip...and the background is a wall...oh well.

 

Cassis harbor...simply gorgeous

We stopped in a little plaza to enjoy some waffles and gelatto (sounds too good to be true right?) I did NOT get a picture because it was just too yummy!

This is his "I'm too cool for this selfie" face

Xander was in a bit of a mood that day and did not want to be held or sit in the stroller so I found a little ledge he could walk along and let him stand and smile and yell at people passing by for a while.

He attracted quite a bit of attention in his little beret.

Xander FINALLY fell asleep in the stroller so we took the oppurtunity to take a selfie.

France Part 1: Nice

After a dark and rainy winter Arthur and I were ready to escape to some place warm and sunny! And since Norway completely shuts down for Easter we figured it was a great time to get away. One of the great advantages of living in Norway is that the rest of Europe is such a short flight away. We took a 1 hr flight to Amsterdam where we made a connection to take another 2 hour flight to Nice. 

Xander, as usual, was great on the plane.

We enjoyed breakfast in Amsterdam.

Then things got a little wild on the second flight until...

...he finally conked out and slept until we landed.

 We flew over the French Alps on our way into Nice. Incredible!

I was SO excited to see the blue waters and sunshine coast in Nice!

After getting our bags and rental car we headed down to the beach for lunch and some vino in the sunshine! 

 Xander was getting a little sleepy again which meant we got to enjoy some rare cuddles!

After our meal we loaded up and made the 2 hour drive to our first destination...Aix en Provence.