Christmas in Norway 2015

This was the first Christmas in my life that I haven't gone "home". Although, now that I'm an adult with a family of my own, the concept of "home" has gotten a little confusing. Where is home really? Home is where I'm from, where I was born, grew up, and where all my family and closest friends are. Home is also where Arthur is from and where his family is. Home used to be our cozy little place in Denton. Well, now home for us is in Norway. And although we missed family terribly and the hustle and bustle of an American holiday, it was nice to have a quiet, peaceful holiday without any jet-lag!

I was so impressed that Xander's class had a Christmas tree with lights and ornaments that the kids helped hang. Keep in mind these kids are aged 1.5 to 3 years old. They said the kids were all good and didn't mess with the tree at all! Xander is in the grey shirt...the one messing with the tree :)

His class also had the equivalent of a Christmas party, called a Julebord.The kids were allowed to pick out what they wanted, family style, and serve themselves. As usual Xander had seconds and thirds. I never worry about this kid going hungry. I only worry how we will afford his teenage years!

 

Xander had so much fun decorating the tree with us. He's at this incredible stage where he loves to help. So if we can figure out a task that he can do independently (like taking ornaments from me to Arthur) he is a happy boy.

Only one ornament was broken in during tree decorating and it was Arthur who broke it! Can't believe my little guy was barely crawling last Christmas and this Christmas he picked out ornaments and hung them all by himself! He can say "tree" and of course is not happy when we forget to turn the lights on. He cracks me up because he will count down to the lights turning on "two two TWO" and then cover his eyes when we switch them on as if they are incredibly bright. Always a bit of drama with this one!

 Another great thing about this age is that we took Xander to the toy store with us when we went Christmas shopping for him. He had no clue that the cool dump truck and bouncy balls he picked out were some of his Christmas presents. He was so good in the store and Arthur had so much fun figuring out the perfect dump truck for his little boy!

Christmas morning takes on a completely different meaning when you've got an excited toddler. I have to say, I was so excited to have Christmas with Xander this year that I was the one waking up at 5 AM! Although he is still too young to really understand what Christmas is, it didn't take him long to realize that there was a lot of cool new stuff from him under that bright Christmas tree. We were SO blessed by friends and family who really surprised us by showering our little family with love and thoughtful gifts! Thank you all for your kindness!

One of the gifts we were most excited about was Xander's play kitchen. He can now cook in the kitchen while his dad cooks! He can say "stir", "whisk", "mix" and knows the proper tools for chopping and baking. He even puts dishes into his pretend oven and will bend down to check if they are ready by peeking in the little window. His imagination and creativity is so much fun to watch! I sometimes wonder if we are raising a little chef!

  The tradition in our family is the youngest passes out the gifts to everyone. Xander's new play shopping cart was extremely helpful in this task!

 

 

 Each time Xander opened a gift he wanted to play with it. In fact, he loved everything he got so much that it took him 3 days to get through all his gifts. I can honestly say that he was grateful and excited about everything he got this year. Even if he had no idea what it was he would say "WHOA!!!" and hold it up for us. My brother, Uncle Mason, got him one of the coolest gifts. A bag of toy cars. This little video shows just how excited he was :)

And you certainty can't have a Christmas without a fabulous Christmas spread. Arthur and my mom, our extraordinary chefs. made us a wonderful meal...fried turkey and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing and apple crumble a la mode for dessert!

 If the saying is true, that "home is where the heart is", then home is with these lovely folks!

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you got to spend it with those that make your heart feel joyful and loved! 

Nana & Papa in Norway - Dec 2015

With holidays approaching we began to realize that yet again my body was not doing well handling pregnancy. Travel is hard on anyone, but at 28 weeks pregnant and barely able to walk a few steps, a travel back home to the US for Christmas was really not even an option. So we were incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have my parents come here! 

The best part of having them here was watching Xander enjoying their attention! He was ALL about Nana and Papa and the feeling was mutual! He loved to read books with Papa.

 He made peperkake cookies with Nana not once but TWICE!

They also made a gingerbread house that turned out REALLY cute. And to my surprise Xander did a really good job not eating too much of the candy during the house construction. Aren't they just the cutest?!

We went to the park one very cold morning to feed the ducks.

Xander made silly faces while I took one too many pictures :)

We treated my parents out to a fun dinner in Stavanger Sentrum to experience an authentic julebord. Xander was so good and sat on Papa's lap for at least half the meal watching the cars go by and the lights in the harbor.

It was another cold windy night in Stavanger

A rare quiet moment with Nana watching "Row Row Your Boat" for the millionth time most likely.

Fun trip to the Candle Factory to enjoy the beautiful drive and the good food and pancakes!

My mom and I even had a chance to sneak away to shop. We contemplated buying matching traditional Norwegian Marius sweaters until we realized they were almost $300 each. And who has use for a heavy wool sweater in Texas anyway!

One last book and cuddle with Papa before they hopped on the plane to head home.

It was hard to say good-bye but we will see them again in Norway again in March. We are so lucky that they're coming back to help when Baby Stautz #2 makes his arrival.

30 weeks - Small Fry #2

See my 30 week post with Alexander HERE

How many weeks: 30!!! (although this post is 2 weeks late...I'm actually 32 weeks now)

What size is baby: head of cabbage, 15.7 inches and 3 lbs. My doctor says he is measuring a little big, at least his torso measurement is very long. I'm OK with another long skinny baby though :)

Movement: Much like his older brother at this point, our little guy is quite the mover. However, since I feel like my ab muscles pretty much gave up the ghost before the pregnancy test dried, he seems to have a little more room to move around than Xander did at this point.

New symptoms: Since I found out I was pregnant I've been dreading these last few weeks. Although my entire first pregnancy was uncomfortable, the last ten weeks (and the months following) were pure torture. The kind of pain I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I've been very proactive this time and taking it VERY easy to avoid rupturing the discs in my back again. My doctors told me that the ligaments and discs that tore previously are weak spots and could basically give out at any point. I've had a ton of soreness and stiffness but so far I'm not as bad as I was last time. I still feel like I'm holding my breath, waiting for it to get really really bad...and it could. But I'm trusting that my body is being held together by God's grace and prayers. My little boys deserve to have me at my best and I'm praying that they'll get to have an active mommy!

Cravings: Sugar...especially sugar and peanut butter. A HUGE thanks to my sister-in-law Charlotte for the peanut butter cookies and peanut brittle. A pregnant woman's DREAM!

Sleep: I would LOVE to be getting 8-9 hours each night but my body wakes me up like clock-work at 7. So if I went to bed at 10 then I'm awake by 5 AM! And my hips ache so much that it's hard to lay in bed for long after I'm awake. Poor Arthur!

Rings on/off: on

Best memory of the week: So my mom and I were too busy playing with Xander to work on the baby room like I had planned. Sorry #2...you're already second in line haha. But she did get to feel him moving a few times while she was here.

Looking forward to: making it to 35 weeks. I feel like every 5 week chunk allows me to relax a bit, that I'm not getting as bad as I was. I'm ready to get this baby out and be on the road to recovery. In case you're wondering...we are 110% certain this is my last pregnancy! We are so thankful for this baby but we're ready to move on from all this!

Alexander - 18 months

Alexander had the BEST present for his 1.5 year birthday. My parents, better known now as Nana and Papa, arrived that morning to celebrate Christmas with us in Norway!

The last 3 months have been a nice departure from our usually busy, travel-filled lives. We've spent a lot of quality family time together playing with Xander and preparing for the holidays.

Xander still loves his barnahage. His teachers say that he is starting to both understand and use more Norwegian at school. He even has several friends that greet him by name when he arrives. Although he is always excited to see us when we pick him up in the afternoon, he isn't always excited to leave. Here he is playing outside at school. All suited up for the Norwegian weather

And his first school picture!

The number one advantage for us living here in Norway has been the amount of family time we get to spend together. Arthur's work is literally at the end of our street which allows him to work shorter hours (in exchange for working from home and frequently being on call.) This has allowed us time to eat breakfast together as a family every morning and Arthur and Xander regularly cook together. Xander loves to whip the eggs with Dada's help. He's also very good at sprinkling cheese on top of the eggs and bringing dishes and cups to the table. He loves to help. Just look at that smile!

The days here have now turned cold, dark, windy and rainy but we were still able to get out  and enjoy some crisp Fall weather before it changed to winter. There is a small playground across from our house that we usually visit at leave once a week. Xander loves to ride the rocking horses, play on the swing, and dig in the gravel and sand.

This is his favorite mode of transportation to get anywhere while we're outside...the tractor that his Dada bought for him. He sits on top and makes "vroom-vroom" noises the entire time...don't even try to stop moving! He will not be happy!

We've been so lucky that while many people were dealing with viruses and colds this fall, Xander has stayed relatively healthy. We think his 2 year molars might be on the way in but they don't seem to affect his mood for too long. For once in his life he's been healthy, sleeping well, and feeling great. He is SUCH a happy kid almost all of the time and I really enjoy hanging out with him! He's my little buddy!

I'm very excited for this latest development...our little anti-cuddles boy just might be turning over a new leaf. He now has a pillow, blanket, and a little cuddle puppy that he wants tucked under his arm just so before he goes to sleep at night. He will even give the puppy, and his other stuffed animals too, kisses and hugs. He also likes to greet the dogs with kisses in the morning. If you're lucky and he's in the mood, he'll lay his head on your shoulder while you're holding him if you ask for a cuddle. And he will usually give me a hug and a kiss before going upstairs to go to bed each night. It melts my heart...even if sometimes I get a little slobber in the mix :)

The best way I've found to get him to sit still for cuddles is to let him watch his favorite kids songs on TV. Although TV under 2 was something I said I wouldn't do before I was a parent, I'm totally OK with it now. It's one of the few things that will get him to sit still for more than a few minutes and lets me steal some snuggles.

His favorite song to watch is "Row Row Row Your Boat" which he asks for by name. He will say "Whoa Whoa??" and bring us the TV remote when he wants to watch. Here he is asking...

If its got wheels you can pretty much plan on him wanting to play with it. He's all boy and loves to go "vroom-vroom"! This school bus from his Aunt Charlotte continues to be one of his favorite toys. He loads it up with other cars and pushes it all over the house.

He has finally gone back to enjoying books again. For a few months he couldn't sit still to let us read more than a few pages. However, I moved our reading nook out of his playroom and into the living room and now we usually read at least 30-45 minutes each night. His favorite books are (no surprise here!) anything with cars, trucks, trains, boats, or planes. He also loves to take his books into the kitchen while we are preparing meals and point out things that he knows the names of.

Speaking of...his vocabulary has exploded in the last three months. He says go-go, up, down, hi, bye-bye, more, chair, row-row, mama, dada, nana, papa, yellow, food (and "mat" in Norwegian), yes, nei/no, plane, spoon, fork, plate, wa-wa (water), tea, ball, banana, kiwi, bread, cheese, shoes, eyes, head, ears, cheeks, nose, teeth, belly, baby, tree, color, book and a lot more that I'm sure I'm forgetting. He's also started using some two-word phrases (bye-bye Dada, Nei Mama, Dada go?) I don't know all the words he is using in Norwegian but I'm so happy to see his English seems to be thriving. He does spend an hour a day more in Norwegian than English so I've been very intentionally working on his English mornings, evenings, and weekends. It's so much fun to see his personality and preferences start to emerge verbally.

Looking back on these past 3 months has made me realize how nice it has been to just stay put for awhile and do "the family thing". Xander is at such a fun age! It's hard to believe by his 21 month post he'll be a big brother. He has started to point at my tummy and say "baby" and he will point out babies in books and pictures. We still have some preparations we need to do to get him ready for a little one in the house. I sometimes worry it will be a hard transition for him. But I know that eventually having a brother so close in age is going to be a really cool thing for them both.

Alexander- what a wonderful 3 months it has been. I will always treasure these times we had with just you. Although our time will eventually be divided our love most certainly will not!

24 Weeks - Small Fry #2

Check out my 24 week post with Alexander here

Thanks Darcy for letting me
borrow your full-length mirror :)

How many weeks: 24

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

Movement: His favorite position is standing straight up and down with his head pressed into my ribs and his feet tap-dancing on my bladder. Let's just say I've got to be very careful if I feel a sneeze coming on.

New symptoms: The less than glamorous symptoms of the late 2nd trimester are setting in...hello heartburn my old friend. Also, with a rather large head in my ribcage I've found myself out of breath just laying in bed. I know the big question is "how are my back and hips"...Well, I'm definitely not mobile anymore. I now have a wheelchair for any outing longer than a few steps. But between my doctors, chiropractor, and massages I'm managing to stay out of the red zone of pain. It's frustrating basically being on bed-rest but it will hopefully be worth it to not have a year of recovering after our baby is born. Thank you all for your prayers and please keep it up!

Cravings: SUGAR! Get in my belly! Oh man...it's bad! I've had to rid the house of all sweets. But if you happen to walk in on me shoveling plain white sugar into my mouth by the handful please let's just pretend it never happened!

Sleep: Yeah...I'm a terrible sleeper. And so is this boy. We both toss and turn all night. I'm not sure who is keeping whom awake. Just preparation for the months ahead I guess.

Rings on/off: on

Best memory of the week: Sibling rivarly. I am now lucky enough to be kicked by both my boys, one on the inside and one on outside. I think Xander has felt this kid move more than anyone else because nothing gets him kicking like Xander's swift kicks from the outside. I feel like a human punching bag sometimes. Lord help me when these boys decide to wrestle me at the same time in a few years!

Looking forward to: decorating his nursery while my parents are here for Christmas :)

Morning at Tananger Kirke

It's been a hot minute since I've updated y'all! Sorry! I promise a pregnancy update very soon. In the meantime...

One of the mom's in Xander's class just happens to be the Children's Minister at the church connected to his barnehage. While chatting at drop-off she mentioned that they were going to be making Christmas cookies at church one Saturday morning. We're constantly looking for activities to get our wild child (who has recently discovered a love of climbing) our of the house...so we agreed to join in!

This is the third time Xander has joined in the much loved Norwegian tradition of making cookies. He's now a total pro at rolling out the dough, pushing in the cookie cutter, and then..........eating the extra dough!!!

After making our tray of cookies, and way more than his fare share of tasting the dough, we headed to the church basement to play in the ball pit. Talk about the ideal place for a bunch of sugar-loaded kids to work off some energy!

The little kids played with the balls while the bigger kids went after them with hockey sticks! I tried not to be that over-protective momma but it could had been a disastrous combo. Luckily, only one kid ended up sustaining minor injuries.

How perfect is this! A climbing wall! And Xander was eager to make good use of it. We're need one of these at home!

After all that climbing and ball-chasing Arthur and Xander enjoyed a couple of big, warm bowls of risgrøt. It's a traditional Norwegian meal made from rice and milk and topped with butter, sugar, and cinnamon...basically a rice pudding eaten for lunch. Not really my thing but Xander scarfed it up!

Just a little music making with a friend from his class before heading home.

Since we are not able to go back to Texas for Christmas it's been nice to get involved in Christmas traditions here. Everyone at the church was very warm and welcoming and most already knew Xander since he went to school there. It ended up being really nice morning for us all! And after all that fun it was time to head home and take a nap...oh and Xander was tired too :)