Home Again, Home Again

My family and I would take may trips during the summers and whenever we returned home, someone would say "home again, home again, jiggity, jig."  I have no idea where it originated but I think that in my head now whenever I come home from a trip.  Annika and I returned to Tacoma on Feb. 7th, a little over two weeks ago.  She is one little trooper and did great again on the 3 flights home.  I was able to have a bassinet for her to sleep in.  I wasn't sure if she would sleep much, as we were traveling during the day but she did take a few naps.  I enjoyed the plane's cocktail hour (yes it's true) and watched a movie during one of her naps :)   Love the bassinet!

My mom picked us up from the airport and we began our adjustment to life back here.  I'm not sure how we would have done it without my mom's help.  I'm glad she loves being with us because I sure needed her here! 

We needed to get food in the house, do laundry, sleep, do errands, make phone calls, and figure out what clothes fit Annika.  She grew so much over the last couple of months!  We needed to wash the new clothes and store away the stuff that's too small.  Mom brought Annika a new monkey and I think she loves it, or just thinks it's tasty :)

We enjoyed skyping with Kyle a few days after we got home.  We miss him all the time and are counting down the days until we're all back together. 

Final Days in Norway

Annika and I have been back in the states for a little less than two weeks now and I often look back at pictures from our time there.  There are a lot that I haven't posted here but there are a few left that I want to share.  The weekend before we left, we took a day trip to Osøyro where a former coworker of Kyle's lives.  We took the bus and strapped Annika into the child safety seat.  She looked so big!

Kyle met Hilde when he was teaching Norwegian at a charter school in Anchorage.  She is now a teacher in a small out outside of Os.  We had a wonderful time visiting her and Annika took to her right away.

We took a family walk around the lake but it was a little too windy and cold to be out there with Annika.  She was not a happy girl for a good portion of the walk.  We took a break inside to warm up before heading back to our building.  Annika is wearing a wool hat that was knit for her by a friend of Kyle's advisor, who we had dinner with that weekend. I'll have to show in another post the other gifts that she received.

Our baby girl was getting pretty big for her drawer.  She was starting to try and roll right out!  Annika loved sitting with her daddy.

On our last full day in Norway we walked up to campus to see the library where Kyle spends a lot of his time.

We stopped for a picture by the blue rock in the center of a popular shopping area in downtown Bergen.

Kyle is pointing to an Ibsen statue that is in front of the National Theater in Bergen.  We had such an amazing time in Norway.  It was very hard to leave and come back to Tacoma.  We could easily have stayed another month or two and been very happy.  We would have had to find another bed for Annika, though. :)  I can't wait for our next trip to Norway, whenever that may be!

Walking around Bergen

 When Kyle went in to work on campus, Annika and I did a lot of walking.  Often we stayed in the area around our building but sometimes we took bybanen into the city and walked from there.  I went online to find recommendations for walking tours and found one posted on the Frommer's website.  The walk that we did was a modified very of the one the recommend because I wanted to go all the way to the point where the aquarium is located. 

From Frommer's Guide: This gate was originally built in 1550 as a checkpoint in a once-continuous wall that surrounded Bergen. Today it stands isolated amid the newer buildings and broad avenues that surround it on all sides. There's a cheap-clothing outlet on its ground floor and an obscure, rarely visited museum (the Buekorps Museum) upstairs.

The area of the present Bryggen constitutes the oldest part of the city. Around 1360 a Kontor of the Hanseatic League was established there, and as the town developed into an important trading centre, the wharfs were improved. The buildings of Bryggen were gradually taken over by the Hanseatic merchants. The warehouses were filled with goods, particularly fish from northern Norway, and cereal from Europe.

We walked out to the point of land by the aquarium.

There's a totem pole that signifies that Bergen is a sister city of Seattle but I couldn't find the totem pole on this visit.  I did love the view!

I saw this statue at the top of a hill and I think the emotion comes through so well.  I don't think I've ever really felt some connection with a statue but the way the parent is holding the baby seems so realistic.

Paris part 4: Can't forget the food!

 I know I'm still playing catch-up and I should have finished the Paris posts by now, but it's been a busy few weeks.  There are many great, fancy French dishes but the foods that I had while there were the basics.  I loved 'em anyway!  I've always been a fan of bread and cheese and I was not disappointed with what Paris had to offer.  Panini! Pain au chocolat! Kafe! Baguettes! Camembert! Wine! Onion Soup! Crepes!  As part of the conference, Kyle's meals were provided and that included going to dinner each night.  We had to pay for my meal, so we only joined the group 2 of 3 evenings.  The first place we went to was called Le Precope and is considered to be the first place that served coffee in Paris.  It was once frequented by the likes of Benjamin Franklin.  That evening we were served several different meats, which included a few that I didn't recognize and veal for the main course.  The last night of the conference we went to a restaurant across the street from Notre Dame.  It was a bit surreal to have a view of the cathedral from our dinner table.  That evening I chose a steak with bleu cheese sauce and Kyle had duck.  For dessert we had a chocolate ganache or creme brulee.  It was during my time alone while Kyle was at the conference or in the days we had when the conference ended that we sample other French foods.  I took pictures of a few favorites:

 We had panini sandwiches our first lunch in Paris.  Hot and wonderful!

 I loved all of the bakeries and a pain au chocolat found it's way into my bag every day :)  I also enjoyed finding a cafe everyday to have kafe and enjoy my pastry.  The only difficulty I found was that many didn't have room for the stroller.  The picture is of my favorite cafe on my favorite street, which I returned to a several times.

 The lunch of champions:  fresh bread, a wedge of cheese and an apple.  This whole meal cost less than $5 and was enough for two lunches.  Amazing!

My first onion soup in France, enjoyed with red wine.  I think Kyle had a beef supper that had been stewed in wine.

 Waiting for my first crepe with nutella.

 So gooey delicious!

And here we are stopping for a second crepe a few minutes later :)

Annika at 3 months

 Annika is an active 3 month old and has really been improving her verbal and motor skills in the last few weeks.  She loves to babble with us and will have a back-and-forth conversation when we talk to her.  Annika likes to be sung to and is so interested in everything going on around her.  She seems try try to sing along with songs like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.  She has been doing great at tummy-time and has rolled from her stomach to her back several times.  Annika really likes being held in an upright seated position and resists laying down.  For the first time a few nights ago, Annika reached out quickly and grabbed the fork that was sitting next to my plate at dinner.  We're going to have to be much more alert for that now!  She likes to bat at toys hanging above her and has recently been very interested in a snowman rattle that she got in her stocking at Christmas. 

We haven't had her weight/height checked since our check-up at 8 weeks but she is definitely growing.  There are a few clothing items in size 0-3 months that still fit but she has mostly moved into the 3-6 month clothing.  I didn't bring anything of that size with us on the trip and was thankful to receive a package from my mom containing several outfits.  Most clothes that fit her length are very roomy around the middle.  We bought this Paris onesie thinking that she would wear it by the end of spring but it fits now!

Annika had a great sleep schedule during the month of January with a usual stretch of 6 hours, waking to eat, and then sleeping another 4 hours.  On Monday of this last week, I was reflecting on how much sleep we were all getting and how that would help with my pending return to work.  As luck would have it, every night since then has been difficult.  Guess she isn't going to let us get comfortable!  Annika is constantly sucking on her hands, has increased drool, and has been quite fussy.  We have been wondering if her gums are tender but it would be pretty early for teething.  

We love interacting with our bright-eyed baby girl and are constantly amazed at how quickly she gains new skills!

Paris part 3: Extreme NIP

I learned a new term recently, NIP, which stands for Nursing In Public.  As anyone who has spent some time with us in the last few months probably noticed, whenever/wherever Annika is hungry, I feed her.  I feel blessed to have had a smooth time with breastfeeding and am able to easily feed her as needed.  Being able to feed her on the go has meant that I can take her with me and get out of the house without feeling the need to only feed her in the home setting.  I know there is debate on how acceptable breastfeeding in public is and how it can make some people uncomfortable.  I have to admit that when I would see women breastfeeding out in a public setting, I wasn't sure how I felt about it.  Now, I understand how great it is to be able to do it.  Personally, I feel much more comfortable using a nursing cover when I'm feeding Annika and hopefully that makes the people around me more comfortable, too.  In Norway, NIP-ing is very acceptable and expected of mothers.  Lots of places (mall, airport, etc.) have special rooms with comfortable chairs and a microwave to enable mothers to feed their children comfortably.  At a recent dinner with Kyle's Norwegian colleagues, I was feeding Annika under the cover and they teased me good-naturedly about my modesty.

Our trip to France took my NIP-ing to a whole new level.  On our last day there, Annika was having an off-day and we couldn't figure out what was wrong.  As I heard once, when in doubt, whip it out :)  She could only be consoled with nursing, or at least that's all that we had available to us, as we were out in the city.  Here are some pictures of my adventures in NIP-ing. Don't worry, the pics are PG :)

 This is what a typical dinner with us looks like, whether we're at home or at a restaurant.

 I found that these front carriers are helpful in NIP-ing on the move.

 I just never thought I'd be nursing while climbing the stairs of the Eiffel tower!

 Actually it wasn't as hard as I thought it might be, and it helped Annika be content during our tower visit.

I'll be adding this to my list of best NIP-ing views :)

Paris part 2: Picture Post

With four full days in Paris, we were able to do a lot of exploring!  Thanks to the suggestions from friends, I was able to plan several days worth of walking and sight-seeing.  Kyle was attending his conference from Wed. evening to Friday evening but that still gave us time together to explore.  Annika and I also had a lot of time on our own, which we spent walking and walking.  Here are a few of the many sights that we enjoyed:

 Pantheon

 Inside the Pantheon by the Foucault pendulum.

 Out in front of Notre Dame.

It's so hard to capture the beautiful and magnificent interior of Notre Dame.

 Looking across the Seine river to the Eiffel Tower.

 Sorbonne University

 Sacre Couer, which sits close to the highest point in Paris at Montmartre.

 View of Paris when looking down from Sacre Couer.

 Annika and I enjoyed a our lunch with an amazing view of the city.

 Family picture in front of the Louvre.

 We couldn't figure out what these people were waiting in line to get into, so I asked someone.  Yes, it's the line to get into the Abercrobie & Fitch store.  Nothing special happening but it's the only one in France.  I still don't think it justifies this line.

 Arc de Triomphe from Champs Elyees Avenue

 Eiffel Tower

We had no idea that there would be a skating rink on the first level of the tower!

 I loved being in Paris and there is so much to do!  We didn't even scratch the surface but had a great time with what we were able to do.  I can't wait to get back there sometime and actually go into the Louvre, visit more cathedrals, see special exhibits at other museums, etc.  This is something we'll have to do when Annika is older or if Kyle and I are able to return on our own.