Happy Halloween... from the Goonies!

Mouth, Sloth, Chunk and Andy

From Camping to Glamping

A little over three years ago, Martin and I camped on our property at Timber Cove. We enjoyed the sunrises and sunsets from the bluff that would soon hold our family cottage. This past weekend we returned for my first night in said cottage. And while it is a fully completed structure, I would say the experience was more glamping than enjoying a weekend home. True, I slept on a bed with sheets and we had a working toilet, but that is where things ended... as Martin likes to point out, we still have a ways to go.

With no interior doors, we had to use shower curtains for privacy in the toilet and bedroom. And with no shower door in the bathroom (and the shower curtains being used elsewhere), we forwent showers all together. Our electricity and solar system has been installed however we must have blown a fuse since none of the outlets worked (and none of the light fixtures have been installed).

The goal of the weekend was to install a kitchen (which we did not fully achieve), so meals were prepared outside on our propane stove and eaten on our temporary picnic table on the deck. Dishes were done outside in a large bowl using water from the one spigot under the deck. We also used this water source to wash our hands and brush our teeth since the shower head sprayed water everywhere (due to the lack of the shower doors or curtain).

While Martin worked on the kitchen I entertained the two kids and tried to assist where possible (e.g. putting together the IKEA cabinets). Oskar got to see a few whales as they migrated south for the winter and had a fright when he was greeted by a deer on the grass. And true to camping / glamping form, Oskar had fun playing in the dirt and bathing in a bucket.

 Putting together the kitchen...

When we camped here three years ago, we enjoyed the sunset with a glass of champagne on the bluff in camping chairs. This time around, we enjoyed the sunset with a warmish beer on our deck in camping chairs. I hope next time I enjoy the sunset at Timber Cove it is on our deck of our house that has a fully functioning kitchen and bathroom... at that point I will break out the champagne again.

12 Week Recap - Round Two

It is amazing how much you forget after having a baby. I couldn’t remember anything from the first few weeks or months of Oskar’s life and am so thankful I captured some of the milestones and memories in a blog post over two years ago. The milestones definitely helped keep me sane these past few weeks and prevented me from expecting too much from Alva. So along those same lines, here is a recap of Alva’s first 12 weeks, not because I think I will need it for baby #3 but just so I can remember some of this crazy time. 

Week 1 - I rewatched the Oprah episode with Priscilla Dunstan and reacquainted myself with the five different types of baby cries. With Oskar, every time he cried I was convinced he was hungry and Martin swore he had gas or needed a diaper change... with Alva I was now adamant most cries were due gas; Martin was positive she was hungry.

Week 2 - The grunting returned and the googling began (mostly about sleep including: when does the witching hour begin? Around three weeks. What is a normal sleep schedule for a newborn? Awake for 45 to 90 minutes but no more than 2 hours at a time (in Alva’s case more like awake for only an hour at a time). As little as 10 minutes counts as a nap. Newborns won’t know day from night until two weeks and don’t try or expect a schedule until at least six weeks)

Week 3 - I started to lay down the foundation of a routine (unfortunately not a bedtime routine for Alva like we started with Oskar). No this was a routine for me which involved morning drop offs for Oskar at school with Martin and then Alva and I heading to Victoria Pastry Company or "VPC" for a latte and a croissant (my second breakfast of the day). I also started overbooking my calendar again with coffee dates and lunches and researching how to lose the baby weight.

Week 4 or 5 - I officially fit back into normal clothes... however given that I still have a large belly and a lot of extra loving, I am not sure what that says about my pre-pregnancy self... not sure that morning croissant is helping my cause either.

Week 6 - We got our first smile!

Week 6.5 - All hell broke loose.  Martin went up to Timber Cove for the day to work on the place and I had both kids alone for the first time.  We ate Cheerios for breakfast and snack and possibly lunch; all rules went out the window and by the end of the day the house was trashed. I seriously don’t know how stay at home moms or single parents do this! It didn’t help that Alva refused to sleep the night before and the whole morning. Thankfully Oskar was incredibly patient and helpful. He helped burp Alva and we turned me rocking Alva to sleep into a dance party.

Week 7 – We got 7 hours of continuous sleep!

Week 8 - Holy crap it has been 8 weeks?!

Weeks 9 – We spent most of the week trying to adjust to the jet lag and it wrapped up with another solo day of just me and both kids (thanks to Columbus Day and no day care). We took the bus to the Marina, found a new playground, grabbed a coffee and snack and picked up a birthday present for Martin.

Week 10 – I gave into the fact that Alva won’t nap anywhere but in the ergo baby or stroller...we might need to fix this as this won’t work in the long run. But at the same time she is sleeping from 7pm to 3am each night and then going right back to sleep until 7 so I don’t want to complain too much.

Week 11 – We hit a rough patch, not for Alva but my sanity. Call it hormones or lack of sleep but I was definitely low on patience with Martin. And I am sure Oskar picked up on it as well given his few meltdowns. The good news is that in the meantime Alva has found her hands and likes her giraffe lovie which helps her soothe and calm down. The bad news is she still hates tummy time and howls after just three minutes.

Week 12 - Despite our lack of trying, Alva has put herself on a pretty solid routine... asleep at 7pm and awake around 7:15am.  Like most things parenting-related I can’t take any credit. Call it due to or a result of being a second child, Alva is figuring life out with or without our help. 

On a personal note, week 12 (and soon to be 3 month mark) marks the transition from newborn to baby (at least in my eyes).  And while Alva is perfect in every way, I am one big bag of mess. My hair is falling out in clumps (I think this ends around 6 months); my stretch mark cream, to no one’s surprise has done nothing for the claw marks on my stomach and I keep wondering when my belly button will look normal again, if ever (based on photos from post Oskar it didn’t look too horrific around the 10 month mark). I have also developed flu or menopausal like sweats and chills (sans fever) and a hopefully temporary case of insomnia. I know I know, it took my body nine months to create Alva I need to give it time to heal and restart. I am just afraid apathy will sink in and instead of getting back to normal I will resolve myself to larger clothes, one piece bathing suits and a hand held fan for the hot flashes.

My Love Affair Continues

A little over ten years ago I spent a weekend in Amsterdam with Erin. I don’t remember much including how I got there, (I am assuming I flew) or much of the city or trip... I actually had to reread my blog to jog my memory, and according to that, I took a canal tour, which I have no recollection of, and we stayed in a cute apartment. I do remember a cute boutique shop where I bought a coat hanger, a Mexican restaurant claiming to be the best in Europe and loving the city, vowing to return.

We spent two days in the city (okay more like two nights and one and a half days since we missed our first train) and while a completely different experience than the boondoggle with Erin (or so I assume) the time spent there only solidified my love for Amsterdam. I am ready to move here. Or at least spend a month getting to know the city. 

Amsterdam might be known for its red light district and coffee shops (or at least it is in my circle of friends), however it is also incredibly family friendly. With the chance of rain in the forecast (it ended up raining both days) I spent some time researching things to do with kids in bad weather (since drinking in a pub was not really an option) and I was amazed by all of the activities and places for kids to go.  And when the rain let up, there were playgrounds on every corner it seemed for Oskar…There was even one out front of our Airbnb apartment. And even better there was a cafe on the corner where, according to our host, parents sit outside with a glass of wine to watch their kids play. 

But what really sold me on the idea of moving to Amsterdam with kids was our experience on the bus... as soon as I boarded the bus holding Oskar in my arms, two people got up to offer me their seats. And another got up to offer Martin, with Alva strapped to his chest, a seat. No need to ask, no need to stare at someone awkwardly until they noticed. The people seemed genuinely happy to give up their seats for kids. I have never experienced this before and am officially ready move.

Below are a few photos of our final two days in Europe.

Loving my Oskar snuggles on the train  ride to Amsterdam

Bubbles at the NEMO Science Museum!

First floor of five and already impressed...

Building something cool...

Different perspectives...

Who is bigger?

Can't forget about Alva!

Loving the rain and puddles. 

Enjoying the view from our apartment