May Day Pictures in Eiganes

Første Mai (May 1st) is a national holiday in Norway. We were blessed with amazing weather for a lovely morning photo-shoot with the talented Theresa Pauls (check her out here...Theresa Pauls Photography)

30 Weeks!

How many weeks: 30

What size is baby: head of cabbage, 15.7 inches and 3 lbs

Movement: If he had a theme song right now it would be "I Like to Move It Move It!" When I am still, even for a second, he starts wiggling around. He's discovered this fun place called my ribs and enjoys kicking the crap out of them without notice. Every once in a while, he goes really nuts and you can see the outline of body parts pushing out of my stomach. Son, I love you but that's pretty weird!

New symptoms: I'm having A LOT of hip, back, and pelvic pain. I figured it was from over-exerting myself during the move but I've gotten to the point where some days I can hardly walk. My new midwife here said that it's very common in Norwegian women to experience hip/pelvic pain in pregnancy and referred me to a chiropractor. My chiropractor (Hilde) discovered that my right knee is 2 inches higher than my left and I have a significantly reduced range of motion in my neck and hip due to how "out of alignment" my hips and spine are...then she scolded me for about 10 minutes for waiting so long to come in. I am now going twice a week to get "re-aligned". I'm still not able to walk more than about 10 minutes at a time but I'm seeing an improvement for sure.

On a side note...everything is so scenic and well...Scandinavian looking. Even the chiropractor's clinic is pretty!

Cravings: I wouldn't call it a craving...but I definitely developed a taste for tart and sour sweets. Luckily, every grocery store we've gone to here has a self-serve, bulk, candy section that looks similar to this one...

from www.an.no

There are tons of chewy and sour candies. I just have to make sure not to grab any licorice. It's a Norwegian favorite but ICK!

Sleep: Much improved from the previous 7 months. Now that I'm over jet-lag and getting used to the noises of this house and the city, I can sleep about 7-8 hours per night. I do have to flip from side to side as my hips start to ache but I usually fall back asleep quickly. Would it be TMI if I mentioned that my bladder seems to be holding it like a champ...no waking up to pee!

Rings on/off: on

Best memory of the week: Arthur and I have been very indecisive about a name. His middle name has been set since we found out he was a boy, but finding the perfect first name has been tricky. We want something traditional but unique, easy to spell and pronounce, with a touch of Norway and a dash of Texas. So we're going with Sven-Davy-Crockett!!! No? OK...then we've decided to commit to a name that has been at the top of our list for months. Our plan is to use this name for a while and see if it feels right. No, we're not ready to share yet...mostly because we're still so wishy-washy about it that any comment for/against would probably sway us :) I'm just excited to call him something!

(Just for the record, Tortilla Jackson was a close second...5 points if you can name that movie without asking The Google.)

Looking forward to: so much! All this moving around has got us speculating on his personality. I have a feeling he might be a little feisty like his momma. I just hope he has a sweet side too, like his dad :)

A Move Like No Other - Part 2

Friday morning we finally FINALLY got word that our tickets had been approved! It was well worth the wait too because, due to the fact that I'm carrying this big ole baby in my belly, we both got to fly first class.

It was a beautiful cool, clear, morning and I took a picture out the window feeling a little nostalgic that this would be our last morning in Texas for a while. The hotel is so close to our house you could probably zoom in and see the top of our roof!

One of the biggest lessons we have learned about international travel is to never fly hungry. It's hard in all the rushing around and preparations to continue eating regular meals but experiencing "hangry" (angry hunger) in a foreign airport is the WORST experience ever (not to mention it probably was the cause of us missing our flight in February from Frankfurt to DFW...but I digress.)

So to keep the "hangry" at bay we headed down to the Denton square for one last hurrah and some brunch at the Chestnut Tree Teahouse. If you're ever in Little D I highly recommend it!

I'm gonna miss this funky little town!

Then, it was off to the airport to get the boys checked it. To say that we were stressed about them flying was a massive understatement. We hired an international pet re-locator help us with moving them (worth every penny) and she met us at the Lufthansa gate to help us check them in.

Blitz seemed anxious but was surprisingly calm.

Bailey calm?! Yeah...that wasn't going to happen!

They went through doggy security and then to a special pet holding area until it was time to load them onto the plane.

We went through security and then to a special people holding area called the Lufthansa First Class Lounge until it was time for us to board the plane. Arthur took advantage of the free booze.

I took advantage of the free ginger ale and cranberry juice and grumbled about not being able to take advantage of the free booze.

We boarded the plane around 5pm and settled into our first class seats, pretending that it was no big deal that four-fifths of the plane had to walk past us to get to coach...HA! Yeah, we totally fly like this all the time. Why yes, you can take my coat. Why yes, we'd love a bottle of wine and a steaming hot towel that smells of lemongrass and lavender.

Then we took a selfie...something no self-respecting regular first-class flyer would ever do and our cover was blown for the rest of the flight!

But I didn't notice because I was too busy ordering off the 5 course menu...

...and enjoying my cushiony seat! That seat laid down completely flat folks...I think I heard angels singing as I drifted off to sleep.

The rest of the travel was a bit of a blur. In Frankfurt, we walked through the underground, fun-house tunnel of delirium to change terminals.

Pictures just do not do the weirdness of the tunnel justice. It's lit with miles of LED lights that fade from blue to purple, green, pink, and yellow.

Kinda makes you feel like you're losing your mind...if you haven't lost it due to jet-lag already.

Then hours, days, weeks, (who knows) later we finally landed in Stavanger. We watched them unload the boys off the plane.

We picked them up in baggage claim and (per usual in Stavanger) there was no one at customs to scowl at our one-way tickets or check our dog's meticulously prepared paperwork. So we hopped in a taxi and headed to our new home! Arthur picked up some salad and pizza while I showered.

The dogs settled in...

Then we all passed out for the next 15 hours :)

A Move Like No Other - Part 1

I've moved many times in my life.

In middle school, our family moved from Northwest Crossing to Braun Heights...just a few neighborhoods over. In college, I moved all up and down the I-35 corridor...Austin to San Marcos, San Marcos to San Antonio, and San Antonio to Schertz. Shortly after getting married, Arthur and I moved from Schertz to Denton...the furthest away from home either of us had ever moved. At the time, it seemed like moving 5.5 hours away was such a colossal effort.

But this time we made a LEGIT move!

Crazy how your perspective changes with experience, huh!?

Hey Arthur...remember that one time we said it would be so cool to move to Norway, and we were given the opportunity, and we jumped at it? Yeah, isn't it cute how naive we were!? We had no clue just how many details are involved in moving abroad (you'll just have to trust me on that one. I started to list them off and it was a loooooooong list...ain't nobody got time for that!)

After the garage sale, our house was relatively empty of big furniture items. My lovely parents drove up to Denton to pick up my car (which we sold to my Mom) and our bedroom set. Once they were gone, all that was left was what the movers had to pack. Arthur's sister, Charlotte, also came up for a few days to help. I don't know how we would have done it without her! So thankful for her giving spirit and "can do" attitude during such a stressful time!

This is how you take a break from packing in a house with no furniture.

We were warned to be prepared for the movers as much as possible. We tried to have our sea shipment and air shipment items separated. Charlotte did an excellent job packing all our "sneaky items" (medicines, liquids, and nail polish) so the movers wouldn't question them. Arthur bought breakfast tacos the morning of the movers arrival so they would be more likely to oblige any requests we had (see "sneaky items" above.)

Ohmagosh those tacos were good!

Ha! Nothing prepares you for the tornado that is international movers. They were literally grabbing anything and everything laying around and throwing it into a box. I fully expect to be unpacking boxes and find full trash bags, used paper towels, and dirty socks. Lucky for us, they were kind enough to write the contents on each box. For example, a box full of baby clothes was labeled "bags", a box with kitchen items was labeled "magazines, pot" (pot???), and another box of baby clothes was labeled "baby cards, paper bags". If it didn't fit in a box, no problem, just wrap a bunch of brown paper around it, slap some packing tape on the edges and call it a day.

To be fair, they were a nice bunch and it was wonderful not to have to do the packing ourselves. It took them two days to pack up the last of our earthly belongings and load them into a massive semi. I think our stuff barely filled a quarter of that truck.

We took what was left of our stuff and shoved it into 7 suitcases and moved into a hotel down the street. We tried but there wasn't enough room for the dogs in the suitcases...

...so we had to bring them with us to the hotel. This is how they roll...living the good life.

Then we waited for company approval to book our one-way tickets for Thursday to Stavanger!

Monday goes by...nothing.

Tuesday passes...not a word.

Wednesday...STILL waiting!!! What the heck!?

Thursday morning, still nothing, no approval, and it looks like we are NOT leaving Thursday as planned...

Update in Pictures

We're up to our eyeballs in preparations so for now I'll leave you with a post of mostly pictures.

Arthur and I made a Sam's run and did our best to look like a couple of doomsday preppers.

It was pouring buckets when we finished shopping (yay for dry North Texas!) so Arthur had to literally throw our bounty into the car. I helped by taking pictures of course.

When it finally stopped raining we were treated to a DOUBLE RAINBOW! ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE SKY!

Our wonderful church, Denton Presbyterian, threw us a going away party at El Guapo's.

There are few things I love more than great conversation and Tex-Mex!

Oh...and I love cake too.

Thankfully we had two so I didn't have to skimp :)

I also spent the weekend saying good-bye to some wonderful friends. Martha drove all the way up to Denton from Arlington just to see us one last time. This sweet girl is getting married in less than three weeks and is so busy, but it was AMAZING to see her and catch up. I love her to pieces and wish her the most amazing blessings for her wedding.

Nadia drove up to see us too (these girls spoil me!) We've been through some crazy good and crazy bad times and I'm so thankful to have her in my life! My son is lucky to have her as his super hot Puerto Rica tia!

We had a garage sale to get rid of the last of our furniture and electronics. I am NOT a fan of garage sales and after this one I swear I will NEVER have another one as long as I live.

After all the busyness, I took a few minutes to put my preggo feet up and relax in my new chair. We have made the mistake in the past of allowing the dogs on the furniture and that habit is hard to break, so no dogs allowed on this chair. Blitz is NOT happy about it!

We're supposed to fly out in less than two days and there is SO much to be done still. It is so hard to say good-bye to our entire community but we know that we are being lifted up in prayer daily. Thank you all!

Time of Transition - Update

Just stopping in to write a quick update...

It seems like someone hit the fast-forward button on our lives. I still need to post on our AMAZING baby shower/going away party in San Antonio and my last day of work. But for now a few pictures of a day in the life of two crazy kids moving to Norway...

Boxes, boxes, everywhere!

We've been doing out part to keep Amazon (not to mention UPS, Fed-Ex, DHL, etc.) in business and putting our free month of Amazon Prime to good use.

Most of this stuff is baby items and cold weather gear (i.e. boots, coats.) You can't find a decent coat anywhere in Texas in March. Although, it's debatable if you can really find a Norway appropriate coat EVER in Texas.

One of the items I was most exited for was our stroller. Like a good engineer, Arthur did all the research on construction and durability and picked out the Mountain Buggy Terrain.

It's got huge tires for the cobblestone streets and sidewalks of Stavanger. And it's cute (which is why the engineer did the research and NOT me!) Here it is assembled with the bassinet. 

We also made a HUGE splurge purchase on a nursing chair. Initially, I wanted a white glider with an ottoman from Babies-R-Us. However, it does not have a washable cover and seems to get pretty grubby over time. Arthur and I went to several furniture stores and finally settled on this rocker/recliner from Lay-Z-Boy.

This sucker is all about comfort and functionality. Although I feel a little grandma sitting in it with my heating pad, it is seriously comfortable and anything that takes the pressure off my lower back at this point is golden. I predict many long hours spent in this chair with our small fry. I look forward to them actually :)

I may not be posting until after our arrival in Norway. We're set to leave the states on March 26th and there's SO much to do between now and then!

24 weeks

How many weeks: 24

What size is baby: ear of corn, 12 inches and 1.32 lbs

Movement: This kid has turned into a total night owl! As soon as I lay down at night he starts a dance party in my belly ALL.NIGHT.LONG! It seems like he really enjoys wedging his little fingers or toes at the very edge of my uterus and wiggling them. It is the strangest sensation!

New symptoms: My only symptom seems to be a lack of symptoms, thankfully. Aside from the fact that I tire a lot more easily than I used to I feel great most days. My appetite has settled down and I don't feel ravenous all the time anymore. In fact, there are some days that I can eat fairly light (and healthy of course) and feel good.

Cravings: My love of chocolate has returned. I crave a little piece of super dark chocolate in the evenings, but that was normal for me pre-pregnancy.

Sleep: The wiggling and flipping that happens every night makes it very hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. Although it's given Arthur some prime time to feel him move, it's also exhausting! I won't complain though. Last night I was very tired and he didn't move at all...I don't know if he was worn out too or what but it scared me so much that I couldn't sleep at all. When he finally started wiggling around during breakfast I realized that I'd MUCH rather have him keep me awake than be still. So wiggle on baby boy!

Rings on/off: on

Best memory of the week: Feeling him roll around...not just kick. It's slightly uncomfortable but I'm thankful that he is a growing, healthy, and active little boy. I hope I can keep up once he's out!

Looking forward to: decorating his nursery in Stavanger!