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.

Hytte Weekend: Egersund

Arthur, Xander and I enjoyed another quiet hytte weekend in Egersund a few weeks ago. Our hytte was massive (as seen below) and could have easily fit a family of 10! We were right on the ocean and the views were incredible!

We we treated to a view of the sunset each night.

Xander discovered his love of unloading the dishwasher while we try to load it.

Enjoying a beer in the quiet while Xander napped.

Fun story...early one morning Arthur went out to fish from the dock below the hytte. A local saw him and told him it was really the wrong season to catch anything from the docks but that he was welcome to join him on his boat. So they drove out deeper into the ocean to check some pots he had set the night before. When they returned they grilled up the fish right on the dock for us to enjoy.

Xander loved the fish too but his favorite part was the spoon.

Another restful weekend in the books in Egersund!

Alexander - 10 months

Its been a rough month for you (and us) healthwise. You started the month with a nasty tummy bug. I will never forget the feeling of holding your tiny little body in the middle of the night while you dry-heaved and cried...so terrible! It took you about 5 days to shake that bug and then you were healthy and happy again for a few weeks. Unfortunately, you now have a triple-whammy...eye infection, upper respiratory infection, and ear infection! Even when you're sick you're still such a sweet kid which makes it even harder to see you feeling so terrible!

You are babbling a lot now and every few days I hear new sounds or patterns. Of course this makes me incredibly excited as your mom and as a speech-pathologist! Watching language develop is just SO COOL! We've been working with you to sign "more" when you're eating or playing and you'll now use the sign and sometimes say "mo" at the same time. You even used the sign while playing with your dad. He was giving you kisses and you signed "more" to ask for more kisses!

You are a baby on the move! You are cruising furniture and have started to scare us by letting go and balancing. You probably now spend as much time standing up as you do crawling or sitting. You're not walking yet but I don't think it will be long. You are also starting to climb things. Just this morning I turned around and you had crawled inside the dishwasher! Ugh!

You are really playful and love playing games and giggling. You have so much fun with peek-a-boo and will giggle when you cover up your face or yell at us to say "Where's Xander" if we're taking too long. You're not so great at covering up your entire face which is pretty funny. You really love to play in windows. Anyone on the other side is usually treated to lots of giggles and a view of your face smearing across the glass. You also have started this hilarious head bobbing from side to side which always makes us laugh which in turn makes you bob even more.

You took your first real vacation this month to France! Our trip will get it's own post but it's worth saying that you did great. You have now taken a total of 16 flights in your short life and are becoming a great traveler. You were well behaved on the plane and slept the entire time or fished for smiles from the other passengers. You also slept through the night the entire trip even though you were in new places. I still can't believe what a great sleeper you are...most of the time!

Xander...your personality continues to shine through this month. A lady on the plane commented that you are the happiest and friendliest baby she's ever met and of course I agreed and beamed with pride. You are really a joy and I love hanging out with you and being silly!

Hytte Weekend: Bømlo

A few weeks ago we spent a quiet, restful weekend at a company cabin, also called a "hytte". As most things, a Norwegian hytte has it's own culture. Most hyttes are simple shelters located in idyllic locations...in the snowy mountains, on a majestic fjord, a quiet lake, or by the scenic ocean. Many are stripped down with only the most basic necessities (running water, heat, small kitchen, etc) so as to allow the guest to enjoy the serenity of nature.

While "basic" sounds great...with a kid in tow we were looking for a hytte with a little more to offer. So maybe our weekend at the modern hytte in Bømlo was not the typical hytte experience...I sure did enjoy the fireplace, dishwasher, floor heaters, washer and dryers, and super nice modern decor!

Our hytte was literally about 20 feet from the water's edge near the mouth of the Straumfjorden. And while the weather was temperamental, alternating between gorgeous sunshine, rain, snow, and then back to sunshine, we enjoyed watching it all roll by from the two-story wall of windows.

Arthur was able to fish for cod while I spent most of the weekend inside snuggling by the fire and drinking copious amounts of hot tea. Xander was great all weekend...he slept like a champ and had fun watching his Dad fish from the third floor of the hytte. 

Alexander - 9 months

Helloooo! I know I've been terribly lacking in posts lately but Xander is on the MOVE and his naps are hard to come by so I just haven't had much time!

Alexander is 9 months old TODAY! He's now been out as long as he was in - that's a weird thought. I can definitely say that I'm much happier on this side of those 9 months!I took this picture about 14 hours before starting labor. I was leaving the midwife's office the day before my due date and I was certain that he wouldn't be coming anytime soon. Boy was I wrong!

Your personality continues to blossom this month. Surprisingly, you're a bit of a social butterfly...that definitely did NOT come from me. You LOVE interacting with other people! It's interesting to see you next to other kids your age...you are smaller than most but always busy!

You've been saying "momma" since about 6 months but the speech-pathologist in me wouldn't accept it as a real word until I could see that you know the meaning. Well this month I think I can officially say you've said your first word...and it's momma! Good job kid! Many mornings you'll wake up in your crib and say "momma momma momma" over and over until your Dad comes to get you and brings you downstairs to me. It complely melts my heart! You'll also say it as you crawl to me when you notice me across the room. I don't hate it!

After MONTHS of being concerned about your weight you've finally started to pork up! Could it be because you now eat as much as an adult in addition to still nursing?! Breakfast is typically 2-3 eggs and a shared piece of fruit. Lunch is lighter because we're always on the go. Dinner is whatever we're having but almost the same sized portion. Tuna and chicken are your favorite meats. You also enjoy scarfing down beans and any type of fruit. It is so fun to see you explore new foods and textures and although we're starting to see hints of preferences (you now REFUSE broccoli...who are you!?) you generally eat anything we put in front of you.

Spring is FINALLY coming to Norway. The tulips in our front yard are blooming and we are all ready to get out of the house. My back is still making steady progress and although running is still off the table I'm able to bike ride. We took you for your first ride in the bike trailer around the neighborhood this month and you really enjoyed it. You have always enjoyed being outside and I think we're going to have so much fun this Spring and Summer enjoying (hopefully) some beautiful weather here.

 

Did I mention you are on the move!? If I thought you were fast last month then this month you're like baby lightening. You can seriously crawl almost as fast as I can run across the room. This is an equation that you've become great at calculating...Can I make it to the dog's water bowl faster than Mom. The answer is always yes. You still enjoy crawling in the dog's bed and you will chase Bailey in the mornings while I get your breakfast ready. The dogs are really good with you even when you smack them in the face or head butt them!

 You've been sleeping through the night now for almost 2 months. This is an amazing gift but it also has a downside - your naps are pretty unpredictable, sometimes non-existent. If I had to choose, I'd pick a good nighttime sleeper every time, but you still get fussy around nap times even when you don't end up going to sleep. Interestingly enough, I'm not much of a nap taker either so I can't really fault you for genetics. You've had a few rough nights and days and we swear up and down that you're teething but can't see anything to validate that yet. So for now it's still the 6 teeth.

Alexander- life with you is busy and noisy! You're always dirty and (almost) always happy. You love to laugh and you make life just that more joyful. We're proud of you kiddo...of your determination, your independence, and your fun-loving spirit. But unfortunately you're not allowed to grow any older...your first birthday is just around the corner and I just can not.

We love you buddy!