Two for the price of one.

When I was approaching my 30th birthday, I was 9 months pregnant.  

A few weeks before my birthday I should have given birth, but this child stubbornly held on until my exact birthday to come out. (Those three weeks late seemed to go on forever!)

So every year I enjoy having the youthful fun of sharing a birthday with Markus.  This year it was Nerf pistol and Star Wars theme.  

He turns 9, and I will forever be able to remember my age based on his 30 + Markus. 

Happy Birthday to us!

Lydias birthday...one more time!

Are you tired of looking at photos of our kids?  

If you answered yes, go read the weather instead!

Otherwise, here is the final glimpse of Lydias birthday...

Sweden has a sweet tradition of breakfast in bed.  But her little bunkbed would've been a bit tight, so we had breakfast on the floor next to her bed, and she looooved it!

 If you ask Lydia today what the best part of her birthday was, or what was the best present, she will say without a doubt, "I got to eat a pink donut!!"  (Ok, don't go telling me we deprive our kids, but this is the first donut she has maybe ever eaten).

 

What was a hit in terms of presents?  Puzzles have been great stimulators, little toy cars are well used, and a few American learning DVD's that are finally age appropriate were really enjoyed. 

We love you Lydia!

7Months, Markus!

The little milestones for my kids is really a great joy for me to keep up with. 

And our happy baby Markus has just passed 7 months!

Among his list of abilities, he has now added: 

Crawling in reverse, which often ends up in him getting stuck in a corner or something...(Lydia keeps laying down in front of him and saying, "come on, crawl to me," at which point he crawls in reverse directly AWAY from her....ha. 

On a side note, Lydia and Markus are pretty good at amusing one another, which is fun.

Making the typical baby sounds, babababa, gagaga, bububub, and a fun "hey" kind of sound as well as "oh yeah"....I know I am just imagining he is saying that, but it is funny.

Rolling over, sitting up decently, into a relatively babywise schedule including around 9 hours of sleep a night,  and having a personality that is so happy and fun.  I gotta say, second babies seem to be much more content than firstborns...

And already having 5 teeth! (2 bottom teeth arrived more than a month ago, and three top teeth are popping up as we speak).

Weighs almost 9,5 kilos / 21 pounds. (That is a big difference from Lydia at that age...lets just say Markus is a ravenous eater!)

We love you Markus!

Happy Birthday, Lydia!

This blog is gonna be a bit overfull of photos, 

but what better way for you to enjoy Lydia's birthday party with us, right? 

We had a treasure hunt with Daniel's family!  

Fortunately his siblings are good at playing along and having fun...

Stops along the treasure hunt included: 

1. Blowing a milk carton boat across the kiddie pool to get the next clue....

2.  Decorating a little cake and then letting Lydia judge which one was "best"

3. Paint up each other with face paint! 

(although some people got a bit bombarded by more than one "decorator")

And some were just really cute like Lydia's cousin here...

There was also an optional hat/mask addition...

Since then, Lydia has asked me several times to go play face painting. :) 

4. See who can make the silliest team picture...

A few more stops on the treasure hunt included digging in the sandbox for buried treasure, finding balloons in the apple tree to blow up and decorate the house, paper airplane flying competition, and pushing each other around in a little go-kart contraption...

All of that was followed by a sweet party and dinner! Farmor did a sweet train cake, Markus slept through half of the party, and we had a fun time....Happy Birthday Lydia!

(This little doctors kit was one of Lydia's favorite gifts...thanks Auntie Linda!)

Happy TWO months, Markus!

This is one of the new "things" that Markus is doing these days....smiling and cooing.  

We have a big wedding photo over our bed, and sometimes Markus will start smiling when he sees that because he thinks it is US in real life looking down on him. Sweet kid. 

 This is what Markus spends a lot of his time doing, going around in the stroller all tucked into his Swedish sleeping bag to keep out the cold/rain/snow.  Soon it will be too warm in there for him though!

 And this, is just a sweet picture of our boy. he's got a "widows peak" hairline, manly features, and oh so serious.

Otherwise, he has settled into a 3 hr schedule, with some great long nighttime sleeps 

(alltime record was 8 hours one night). 

Almost 6 kg, super laid back, loves his big sister, learning to hit the toys on his bouncer with his hands, and almost too big for his basinet.  

We love you Markus!

(on a personal note...doing the bicycle with his legs is the best gas expeller and pain reliever!)

Happy One Month, Markus!

Milestones are a great thing to look back upon...

So here is the Markus update:

He has started smiling, cooing, sleeping up to 5 hours at night.

He is getting into the babywise 3 hour pattern pretty well, which makes life a lot more predictable.

Loves to take baths in the sink (with an enthusiastic Lydia helping),

Just hit the 5 kg mark (11 pounds),

has the typical hormonal facial pimples, had a stopped tear duct, and loves to get lint stuck between his toes and fingers.

He does the same as Lydia, getting red in the face and flaring his nose when he is ready to let one rip, and Lydia loves to yell BAAAAAJS! (poo!) whenever he does anything.

Sweet kid, and so laid back.

We love you Markus!

Markus is 3 weeks old!

Some thoughts regarding the first three weeks with our newborn...

1. Pacifiers in moderation are great things!

2. I was surprised how much of an emotional roller coaster Lydia has had with the introduction of a sibling...climbing up on the changing table to pour out baby lotions and toothepaste, going on naked strikes when she should actually be napping, having total crying breakdowns...poor girl!

3. It is amazing how much toe (and finger) jam little hands and feet can accumulate, especially considering that Markus doesnt wear shoes! And it smells fuuuuunky.

4. According to the nurse in his checkup today, if you let a baby go without burping them, it will indeed come out the other end as a fart. We got a serious farter on our hands here, and hopefully that can be corrected by burping him better. Otherwise, we better be praying for his future wife!

5. It seems like all my kids get these teenager looking pimples all over their faces after a week or two...so much for making sweet newborn photos!

6. Yesterday at Bible study the baby slept for almost 4 hours straight....that is a lot easier to take care of then a wiggly toddler!

7. Carpal tunnel syndrome, snoring, back pain, extreme tiredness, annoyance at everyone wondering why i chose to go almost three weeks overdue before having the baby, I am glad that pregnancy days are over!

Welcome to our family, Markus!

On this day two years ago you were working your way out of my WOMB! What a difference two years has made!

We thought a little interview was in order, although it is in Swedish. Here is the translation:

What's your name? Lyyyydia

How old are you? Twoooo

Where do you live? Booooorg (that is her shortening of Gothenborg)

Good!

Now our only problem is to get Lydia to stop talking. :)

Favorite foods include: meatballs, canned mackerel, liverpaste, peanut butter, ketchup, tomatoes, bananas, pringles chips, chocolate (anytime!)....

Now you can...run, jump, dance, clap, shake hands, blow kisses, help with cleaning, draw and color, tell us when you need to pee/poo and usually make it to the toilet in time, sing songs like "hallelujah, praise ye the Lord," "its peanut butter jelly time," "Abiyoyo," and "happy birthday."

Usually naps one super nap a day, sometimes up to 3 hours! And on top of that you usually get a good 10-11 hours of sleep a night! Woohoo!

Weight 10 kilos / 22 pounds.

Happy Birthday Lydia, we love you!

Två år sen du var på väg utifrån mitt mage! Vilket skillnad två år har gjort i ditt liv!

Vi gjorde en liten intervju, hoppas det är roligt. Lydia säga borg istället för Göteborg, men annars gör hon bra. Nu problemet är att får henne att sluta prata!

Hennes favorit mat inkludera - köttbullar, makrill i burk, leverpastej, jordnötsmur, ketchup, tomater, bananar, pringles chips, choklad, och absolut farmors bullar.

Nu kan hon spring, hoppa, dansa, klappa, skaka händer, blåsa ett puss, hjälpa med städning, målar, säga när hon är kissnödig och för den mesta komma hon i tid till pottan!, hon gillar att sjunga, speciellt, "praise ye the Lord, halelujah", "its peanut butter jelly time" "Abiyoyo" och "Happy birthday."

Hon brukar sova en lång stund på dagarna, opp till 3 timmar, och vanligtvis 10-11 timmar på kvällen!

Hon vägar 10 kg - 22 lbs.

Grattis på födelsedagen Lydia, vi älskar dig!

First birthdays are a big deal....for the baby's parents! Lydia doesn't have any idea really who strawberry shortcake is (our theme), although she was attracted to the colorful poster and balloons. She was a bit surprised that we kept singing this happy birthday song to her all day, and got a bit overtired by her own party. But all in all it was a sweet day. She even got an early wedding dress ...I think its a bit over the top, but still cute. I guess when she anyway has a cute dress on, she might as well act like a ballerina and stand on her own... Then came the whole cake part. I had to help inspire her a little bit by getting her started... and she finished the job pretty well...and enjoyed her cupcake while we enjoyed a "homeade" cake. (No, it is not just a blob, it says Lydia and has a big strawberry on it...and so don't even ask about the lengths i went to to FIND food coloring here or how strange food coloring comes here) Lydia's little friends had fun...drawing pictures, looking at the turtles we have on loan, and playing "pin the strawberry on the strawberry shortcake." I think my mom is the inspiration for me to try to make fun birthday parties. Happy Birthday Lydia! Den första födelsedag är en stör grej...till barnens föräldrar! Lydia har väl ingen aning om vem strawberry shortcake är, (våran tema), men hon gillade alla teckningar och ballonger. Hon var lite fundersam varför vi sjung till henne hela dagen och på slutet blev för trött och gråt på hennes egen fest. Men överallt var det en söt dag. Hon även fick en tidigt bröllops klänning...kanske för mycket, men söt. Nästa kom hennes tårta. Jag hjälpte henne börja och hon absolut tänkte om det! Vi hade en lilla tårta till henne och en till gäster som jag gjörde själv. Ser, det står Lydia på det med en bild av en jordgubbar. Har var det rätt så svårt att hitta färg till tårtan. Lydia's lilla kompisar had en roligt tid, målat på papper, kollade på sköldpaddar som vi ta hand om just nu, och även en lek då man ska binda för ögonen och fästna en jördgubbar till strawberry shortcakes mun. Jag trö min Mamma är en bra inspiration för mig att göra roliga fester! Grattis på födelsedagen, Lydia!

Birthday girl!

One year old! Congratulations Lydia, you just get better and better with time! Seriously, did you really look like this a year ago? Among her list of abilities now, she has added: Walking if we hold on to ONE of her hands (soon walking alone?) Saying a mixture of words, including some swedish: "Titta" (Look!) "Nej" (No!) and some international words: Mamma Papa mmmmmmm (food time) Clapping her hands, waving goodbye, dancing/wiggling to music Reading books...hmm, maybe she IS watching and copying us! Eating everything we eat mostly with her own hands (even hard things like steak and weird things like pomegranates) Sleeping on average a 12 hour night (Hallelujah!), 9:30 pm to 9:30 am, and still talking to her stuffed animals in bed before she falls asleep. Not to mention her two daily naps on top of that- Here's a sneak preview of her enjoying her birthday cake.... Weight (as of a month ago) : 8,2 kilos / 18 pounds. Length (a month ago): 72 cm / 2 feet 4 inches We love you Lydia! Ett år redan? Grattis Lydia, du blir roligare och roligare över tiden... Kolla, var det verkligen dig ett år sedan? (ser bild) Nu, du kan... Gå, om vi ta en av hennes händer, Säga Nej, Titta, Mamma, Pappa, och mmmmm (när maten kommer) klappa händerna, vinka hej då, dansa till musiken, Läsa hennes bokar (har hon lärt det från oss?!) Äta allt som vi äta (även om det är seg som steak eller konstigt som granatapplen) Hon sova nu 12 timma i nätt, och prata med hennes gössedjur innan hon sova, och sen sover hon två tupplor på dagen. Har kan du ser hennes födelsedagstårta...snart kommer mer bilder om hennes födelsedagsfest. Vi älskar dig, Lydia!

the big 8

Eight months! Welcome to lifewith a toddler, and a lot of other changes...

Well, congratulations Lydia! We like you, I think we'll keep you.

Grattis på åtta månader, Lydia! Nu krypa du och vi tycker mycket om dig!Among her list of abilities now, she has added:

crawling everywhere...which means that if i go to the bathroom she can actually follow me in there now (assuming the door is open, which you might think is a bit weird).

Possibly starting to wave to people, although that might just be a coincidence. Either way she loves to take things in her hand and shake them, you know, like a polaroid picture.

Responding to her name all the time!

Foods are staring to get more interesting, including (in addition to fruit, vegetables and oatmeal) cooked egg yolks, soft cheese, yoghurt, chicken, and breadsticks are an all time favorite.

Sitting up, trying to stand up whenever the furniture will give her a chance, and a couple of bangs on the head from being overambitious.

Flopping over and sitting up in bed to play with her stuffed animal when she doesn't think sleeping is too important. But generally sleeping from 9 pm - 6:30 am, which we LIKE.

Nu kan du...krypa overällt, vinka på folk, skaka allt som du har i handen, du vet när vi säger ditt namn, äta mer och mer intressant grejer, som kyckling och ägg gula och mjuk öst och bröd, sätta sig opp och försöks att står opp när hon får en chans, sätta sig opp i sängen och leka med nallebjörn när hon vill inte sova, så hon äta varje 4 timmer, och sova två gånger om dagen. Vi älskar dig, Lydia!

Usually 2 naps a day, and mealtimes every four hours.

Weight: 7,1 kilos / 15,6 pounds.
We love you Lydia!

7 months today!

What the heck! 7 months already?!

Well, congratulations Lydia! We like you, I think we'll keep you.

And my, oh, my! Is that two little teeth that i see working their way up??


Among her list of abilities now, she has added:

Doing the michael jackson moonwalk...or actually kind of crawling in reverse that always makes me laugh because i think of michael jackson when i see her doing that.

Accidentally saying such things as ghain and ain (the arabic letter that foreigners often find hard to pronounce), as well as the standards ba ga ma, and another favorite, when she gets grumpy it often sounds like she is saying "nej" (swedish for NO). ha.

responding to her name (sometimes).

Sitting in a high chair and violently throwing her toys to the floor...followed by her leaning over and looking longingly at the aforementioned toy, as if to say, "why did you leave? we were having such fun!"

Eating a wild variety of solid purees (all homemade)...including pumpkin, strawberries, bananas, squash, carrots, rice, and today she really enjoyed sucking on a lemon!

sitting up by herself for long stretches (with our protective hand on duty when she eventually does lean too far to grab a toy and falls over).

Rolling over front and back...

Weight: 6,4 kilos / 14,1 pounds.
We love you Lydia!

4 Months Old!

Congratulations Lydia, you just hit the 4 months mark!

Among her list of abilities now, she has added:

using her two hands to hold her favorite toy, her rubber ducky.

Rolling over! And starting to inch her way forward when she's on her stomach.

I'm not sure what she's aiming for, but Lydia is successfully making a bbbbbblllhhhhh sound, which usually is accompanied by a fountain of spit and bubbles.

Catching people's eyes as they go by, whether friends or strangers...and also finding people in a room. She's quick to find whoever just walked into the room.

learning how to sleep good and long at night...most of the time anyway.

She prefers to stand up instead of laying down....

Weight: 5.1 kilos / 11.3 pounds.
We love you Lydia!

40 days, free at last

Here (in the Arab world) they have a local custom: A woman and her baby shouldn't go out of the house until 40 days have passed since she gave birth. I guess you can just call me "Hannah the rebellious rule breaker"...because, man, we went out too many times to count before Lydia turned 40 days old! As you can see, she squeezed into this sling like a pea in a peapod. Now those peapod days are over, and she won't fit into this sling unless she sits up with her head and shoulders peeking out. How many old ladies chewed me out for going out with a too small baby? Maybe 10. Was it worth it to go out? Yes sirrrreee!