The End Of An Era...

2012 is drawing to a close-

Always a tragic time of year for me; a sort of "postchristmas depression" if you will! I know, there are other things to look forward to, but it is always a bit hard.

So many things have happened-a terribly tragic event on the 14th which, although had nothing to do with me,  was another of many echoes throughout time reminding me of the fragility of life-as if I needed a reminder! What a precious life this is. Between this and the commotion of people believing that the world would end at the turning of the Mayan calendar (what!) on the 21st-I've felt somehow that I needed to get back in touch with things that I had lost sight of. My patience hasn't been as great as it could have been, these days-and it's something I've decided to work on. Including jumping into puddles. All kinds of puddles. With my shoes and socks and favourite trousers on-because that's what my son loves-and even though it's so gross, these moments are so beautiful; his smile is so beautiful, and if I remember the way the mud feels squidging into my toes it will be worth it for the prevalent memory of my laughing son. Our connection has deepened even more than ever, I think; because I feel like I'm understanding things a little bit differently.

O, our autumn/winter has been so beautiful-crunchy leaves and frothy breath before us-December bringing into the most exciting festivities; of course! I've made it so Osrid Olov can get to the counter with me now-and help me bake and things-which is so sweet and special and fun for us both. He is so excited to do this and I am too. What a valuable skill, especially for a boy with food allergies! We've made such nice treats-like cookies and sweet mincemeat pie.

I've also done so much sewing-I made a star for our tree, ornaments, presents for O.O. and more...and acquiring more presents, making spice blends and listening to the sweet music. I just love love love the holiday season! Such a shame it has to end, phuu. I adore these winter days; and am so glad though that we have a couple of months left of truly COLD weather. I want to live where it is winter all of the time, and we can do Christmassy things all of the time!

O.O. has learned a ton of words lately-I knew his vocabulary would begin to develop-but of course, no-one else understands him but me; it would seem. His voice is so incredibly deep-poigniant, deep and beautiful. I have never heard a voice like it. I am just thrilled as could be to understand more and more of what he is telling me. It makes everything so much easier.

My dear son teaches me so much about life-nothing that we feel is too small, or silly or stupid; it is all important-and no matter what anyone says, the things we do together confirm what I've been fighting for all along: love is the only rational act.

Halloween Fun & The Bittersweet End Of One

 

Oh, I haven't posted in ages!

It's nearly the end of October-perhaps my favourite month of the year, for the weather, the ambience, the festivities.

We've been creating a few of our own lovely little family traditions this year, now that we're settled in to our home. We carved a design that O.O. drew into a Jack-O-Lantern, I've made homemade caramels and miniature pumpkin pies, and now I'm working on our Hallowe'en costumes which I'm very excited about. I've no idea what we will end up doing-I suppose it will all depend on O.O.'s mood and the weather. If either of those aren't agreeing with Trick-Or-Treating, we'll stay in and see if any ghoulies come to our door-and hand out some juice boxes! I'll trade any candy O.O. gets for raw chocolate or my home made sweeties due to his food intolerances, of course. On Monday or Tuesday I'll be having a go at homemade candy corn. Everyone at Paul's work will be dressing up so it will be fun to take the little guy there too! Fun stuff!

The one thing that's not so fun for little O.O. is the weather change, as in frost and rains, obscuring the playpark. It gives us an excuse to walk up to visit Daddy at work more, though, and bring on those rain puddles! Woohoo! 

O.O. has designated 2 chairs in the kitchen for story time-and, my heart beams, he wants at least one book every day. He chatters and babbles along with the stories, and sometimes borrows the books too. He's also developing an incredible imagination and likes us to drive "vroom vrooms" with him and wave bye bye as he sets off in his boat (a plastic bin, if you must be so dull ;)).He still has few words but is incredibly creative at communicating nonverbally alongside what he can say. Perhaps he is a kinaesthetic learner. 

 O.O.'s birthday is creeping around the corner. He will only be 1 for 11 more days (I think that's right...) How incredible and beautiful it has been to watch my baby transform into a little boy. Such a young boy still, I know, and I've many years, but it brings a bittersweet feeling to have a reminder of that much time sailed by so quickly. The ways in which O.O. has transformed are incredible-but I have a feeling we've learned just as much in having this incredible guy in our lives.

YumYUMYUMYUMYUM! Bye bye!

I realised suddenly; it's been ages since I've posted here!

-and yet, so many things have been happening.

O.O. has taken a trip to Newquay with us and his grandparents, has had his very first barefoot walk in the sand, has met some new friends (Home-Ed Mel and family ROCK!) and has been communicating in new and exciting ways.

It is so exciting watching him figure out how to do new things. He has been tidying up his toys, wiping up spills and picking up clothes to put in the washing machine-all without me so much as asking! It's a dream come true! He's also becoming more and more responsive as he develops verbal communication, which has been a very late/slow process for him, but I can see notable improvement. He is getting better at responding when I ask that he do or not do things, and as ever loves to chatter. He loves to say double-words right now, in particularly "yum yum" and "bye bye". It is so cute watching him eat his favourite foods, saying "yumyumyumyumyumyumyummmm!!" the whole time. He really loves the things he loves-I think he is very passionate and so a boy of my own heart! He waves as he says "bye bye", as we leave the store(where Daddy works). It is, strangely, one of his favourite parts of the day. The other day he, appropriately, said "Bye bye Daddy Daddy!" and then, "Bye Bye Mummy Mummy"---but I don't know why he was saying bye to me, I wasn't leaving! Such a funny guy.

He's also sitting on his potty on his own accord-which isn't to say that's where he's going all of the time, but it is fantastic that he's trying and going without help sometimes. He's getting more nappy free time as a result. Still some accidents on the floor, but at least he is more than happy to help wipe them up! Bless him!

Oh, I SO wish the weather would stay warm all year round. It's starting to get cold at nights and I dread it so!
Love my little man! I can't believe how close he's getting to the big 2!
Anyone have any awesome ideas for celebrating his birthday(other than a humongous chocolate zucchini cake)?

Sleepy Bus

It's July already and I'm terrible at keeping up my blog.

I've been keeping busy, having had much to do with an application involving my immigration that has taken up a lot more time than I had expected. It's caused a lot of stress but I'm trying to breathe. Paul has had great news, he's been promoted already to the Customer Service desk which is a contracted permanent position, and in the Union to boot. No payraise yet, unfortunately, but it does imply some degree of stability which we've been looking for a long time. I am so proud of him!

We've been on more adventures lately-the little one had grown a lot and was in desperate need for new shoes, so we headed to Bodmin to meet his Nana who helped him with that-he also got a new outfit from the charity shops because he'd gotten soaked with rain. We also headed to the pond to see the ducks, and O.O. had a laugh running in circles in the health food shoppe. 

This week saw us travelling to Newquay-no good reason other than to get a break in scenery for Paul's day off. The cliffs and beaches are so beautiful that I was ashamed that my camera had ran out of battery. I didn't feel very well as my fibromyalgia decided to flare randomly, and Ozzy slept through both bus rides, but it was still beautiful and we've got some good ideas for future outings. 

We've had such a lovely break in the weather the past couple of days with some sunshine-I have been enjoying it as much as I can, taking Ozzy to the park and playing ball in our teeny backyard. O.O. has such a wonderfully silly sense of humour and giggles when the ball hits his head. 

Little spiders have made cobwebs all over the laundry that I hung up, what, two months ago? I love them and their little webs so much that I've not dared to take the washing in. They can borrow my linens, for now!

Rain-Puddle June

It's nearly the end of June and summer should be in full-bloom...but the rain has hardly let up since the month began!

I've been changing our diets in an attempt to be healthier, after discovering I most likely suffer from coeliac's disease, an auto-immune condition made worse with gluten consumption. In addition, I suspected an intolerance of my son's as well-sugar-to be on the safe side, all the grains are gone and I've implemented a primal type regime some weeks ago, with plenty of gut-friendly bacteria. O.O. is completely different in his behaviour! He seems much happier; and while these changes aren't easy, that alone is worth staying the course. Suddenly, my picky eater is gobbling down loads of foods: (grain free) zucchini, carrot muffins, coconut, turkey, blueberries, a type of yoghurt which he seems to do ok with, and even a bit of seaweed too. I figured he'd be nursing less when more foods came into his diet, but he must be going through a growth spurt because he seems to need everything he can get in him! He is so strong now, he lifted the watermelon we bought off the floor the other day!

We've been spending lots of time outside, trying to enjoy what very little sunshine we ever have, but the rain too-someone loves splashing in every puddle!

It's been a heck of an adjustment since Paul returned to work, but I'm so glad Ozzie has been handling it in stride. With that said, he brings me his clothes and shoes every morning so that we can go and visit Daddy at  work (and get fresh vegetables)! He absolutely loves the grocery store, he is so calm and happy there for whatever reason-anything that makes him happy!

The latest interest in the world of this fab little scientist is expanding his collections: now not only is he collecting, hoarding and hiding spoons (we've found as many as 15 of our 'missing' spoons hidden under the bed once!), but doing it with small rocks outside too. He loves making piles on the lawn of his favourite ones! I can only imagine what he's discovering about his world as he organises his piles...my lovely little boy, what a joy!

Osrid Olov, 1 1/2 Years Old

Is amazingly good at dancing to a beat (and prefers the wildest, noisiest songs to dance to)
Hums along to his favourite songs
Loves to run around outside in the sun
Spins fastly in circles-and falls over!
Turns his sounds into questions
Loves books (especially to point at the pictures!)
Enjoys nightwalks, especially when being worn or carried by Mummy
...but prefers Daddy to carry him if it's daytime!
Addicted to raw nut and date bars
...and ooba, of course ;)
Wild about pushing buttons, especially on the TV

Plays with, and makes a giant mess out of food
Picky eater
Has 9 teeth
Shakes his arms when sad
Hiding under the sheets is HILARIOUS
...and so is the sound of other children laughing!
LOVES water-splashing, drinking, spilling too!
"Boogie? Okay? Bookie? You go? ME?"
"I need a biggoo bwain!"
One long nap a day and sometimes a short one
Stamps his feet when excited
Puts his foot in his mouth (literally) and tries to do it with ours, too!
Chatters with hands on hips
Has a humongous smile
Every box or bin of appropriate size becomes a boat-of course!
Loves peek-a-boo
Gets into everything! What a little scientist!

Friends, foods and night walks!

We had some great luck in the past couple of weeks and managed to meet with our friends Lucy, David and their adorable son Isaac. Isaac is 10 months younger than O.O., but they still had a great time playing together. Osrid Olov loved showing Isaac his favourite toys, and was very happy when Lucy helped him drink a huge glass of water (and spill it all over the floor, too)! We all had a lot of fun, have plenty in common and can't wait to get the boys together again.

O.O. is in a very 'grabby' phase right now and wants to explore everything-which is making for lots of opportunities to talk about what we're seeing and doing! I am ever amazed by his learning progress.

I think I have discovered O.O.'s favourite food-raw nut and date bars! Wow, does he like them. He is such a picky eater, but I'm glad he likes this healthy treat, since it's one of my favourites too!

We've been going on lots of night walks lately, as Ozzie has going through a nocturnal phase again-throws me off a bit, but he sure is liking night walks. I try and take him out 6 days (or nights!) a week or so for some fresh air, for both of our sakes', as I'm trying to shift into a healthier lifestyle by being more active, drastically increasing my veggie intake and reducing grains and starches(in addition to having eliminated some allergens, like gluten). I am doing so much better for myself, and O.O. loves my increase in energy because it means more walks and play time for us both! I can only hope that things will keep getting better for me physically. I'm not well yet, but I'm moving better than I have been in a long time!

Powerhouse...

O.O. is so strong, I can barely believe it. Yesterday, I noticed him walking around the house carrying a 2kg bag of red lentils!

Banana Chips, Dancing

I haven't made any posts recently because I've been preoccupied by living, in ways both good and bad-bad in that we've had trouble and threats from negative people-I won't go into detail as this blog is a happy place ;)-and good in that I've altered my diet in a way that I truly believe will heal my body. No gluten, no soy (for the time being at least)-if I weren't a vegan I'm sure that wouldn't be so hard, but I know that I can rise to the challenge if it means feeling better. I am starting to lose the weight I put on so it must be good!

O.O. has finally started to actually eat the past few weeks-he loves cereal, smoothies and most of all banana chips (still loves his oobas though of course;)) - he walks around with them in his mouth and sucks them until they are soggy enough to chew and eat. Of course he won't eat any actual bananas! Ha, ha.

We've got the housing ass. coming out on the 27th to inspect the mould that won't disappear from our house, so we're trrryyyiiiinnngg to get most of our stuff organised and put away in case they want us to move, or move our things away from the walls, ect. when they apply anti-fungals. I wish very much that they would use this as an excuse to place us in a different home but I'm not getting my hopes up.

O.O. is talking up a storm-with TONS of humming and singing! I think that he is a very musical kid because he loves to channel his expressions with music. He has dances that he does for when he is happy, angry, and even when he needs to use the loo! What a funny boy to bless our lives-and he is so very, very loved.

YEAH.

Every time you think you get used to being a parent-you realise how you truly aren't! New things happen all of the time. It is wonderful.

Just a week or two ago, Osrid Olov decided it was time to learn to climb the stairs- and climb he did! All the way up, with no help (but very closely supervised of course) from us. Now it's one of his favourite pastimes and wants to climb them all the time. Up and down! Utterly exhausting but what isn't worth these sweet smiles. I'm getting a great leg workout, too.

O.O. has also been saying the word "yeah" ALL the time-he's been saying it for more than a year now but so much lately. An affirming time, perhaps?

Another new thing for O.O. is drinking water. He has had a sip here and there, but on Pauls' birthday(27 Mar), after nursing (in a sling on the bus, woo!) he decided he was very thirsty and grabbed our bottle of water and drank about half of it down! He's been drinking lots of water since, which means we've had to be extra vigilant, since as I'm sure you can imagine he goes toilet that much more! He has also tasted a couple of things, nothing more than a taste but he is surely getting there in his own time.

I was very proud yesterday, which was my 24th birthday. Due to being threatened by our neighbours (ick, right!) we spent a bulk of the day giving a statement to the police. That wasn't very fun, but the policewoman said that O.O. was the most well behaved kid she's ever seen. We really put no emphasis on him to be well behaved, and I wonder if that's why because we hear that quite a lot. It's just so nice when people can see that your baby is happy. :)

Climbing Up Stairs & Salty Sea Air

Catching a ride with Daddy (outside of the school he won't be going to :))
The month is March and the sun is shining ever so much lately-the weather seems to have changed so suddenly from never-ending rain to bright and breezy. Being allergic to the sun always makes this time of year hard for me, but I've got my trusty parasol so I can still take the munchkin on long walks. Like his Mama, he goes a bit crazy when he isn't taken outside to play! We've got to get that lovely fresh air, you see.

O.O. has made another astounding discovery-he can now climb up the stairs! A bit worrying to see one's child doing this for the first time, but of course I watch very closely with my arms open just in case! Now we've really got to do the stairs-they still haven't been carpeted and we've lived here nearly half a year already! Shame on us!

Today called for the three of us to take a leisurely long walk to town-very worth it to smell the fresh salty air. Not exactly sure why, but I sure do love the smell of the ocean and the way the air feels! Paul has found a fantastic shortcut, which really isn't very short at all, but the forest path is breathtaking. I'm sure worn out and I'll bet I'll be having a fibro flare tomorrow, but I'd rather make memories and wear myself ragged than not live!



Having a giggle with Mama

Spoon Feeding...Mummy?

I thought that some day, my dear son would start to imitate his father and I in his eating habits-we eat the majority of our meals from bowls, with spoons. Well, there I was; sitting on the bed eating a bowl of muesli when my son climbs onto the bed, stands up and walks to me, and grabs the spoon. Though, he was not out to feed himself-he scooped up some muesli and took it to MY mouth! I ate it, thanked him, and he proceeded to feed me 7 more tiny mouthfuls. This made a big mess, and there are still muesli flakes scattered about, but the act itsself was so incredible and sweet and loving that I don't mind the mess a bit. I am very impressed that he has learned to feed me!

O.O. has been getting into the act of opening and closing everything-he has done this for a while now, but he is really exploring it. He now eagerly awaits his evening walks so much that, after one of us has turned the knob, he will open the door from it being entirely closed. I am sure that, given his independent nature, he will learn all too early how to pull the knob and looking after his safety will become even more of a handful (don't get me wrong, it's the most wonderful handful I've ever had). He is, much to our neighbours' dismay, opening and too roughly closing the cabinet doors for half the nights these days (since he makes his own bedtime)-and showing him to explore *gently* sure is a challenge! Like all things he learns, though; I am sure he'll get the hang of it soon as long as we are patient.

Things we've done lately:
Evening walks, at least 4 days a week.
Grocery shopped

Spent time visiting with friends outside of Tesco's (loitering really!)
Regular free-play time upstairs in the play room
Visited the library to read a book and play in the park
Watched cartoons in Danish (TinTin anyone? :)), to expose O.O. to foreign language
Played with musical instruments
-and O.O. even got a lovely new cloud plush, kudos to my dear friend Heidi, which he loves. It came with a tiny story book, which we've read together. Lots of fun!

(Just the usual kind of stuff really, but I find it handy to re-cap and remind myself of all he's been doing and learning :))

Osrid Olov, 1 1/4 Years Old

Osrid Olov, 1 1/4 (15 months) Old:
Takes 2 naps a day, most days
Loves to go outside and wants to walk, with no help, as far as he possibly can.
Thinks "peek-a-boo" is hilarious
Has no inhibitions expressing emotions-howls with laughter, says "HHHHMMMMMM!!!" when he is happy or thinking, cuddles and softly pets his parents hair and faces, stomps the ground when angry, cries when sad (thankfully, not often).
Throws his whole body into dancing
Likes how his hair feels, rubs his head often
Is shy and serious around strangers (and neither of these things at home)
Does yoga at random (downward dog)
Says "Daddy" as often as possible
Likes to point with his index finger
Most days, does a great job at going tinkle on the potty (and claps for himself!)
Is very calm and reserved outside the house!
Is a FANTASTIC drummer (and keyboardist, and xylophonist too but best on the drums!)
Favourite activities include: pulling wipes out, shredding toilet roll, "typing" (bashing) the keyboard, dancing, taking walks, chattering up a storm, humming songs, making funny faces, poking Mummy's nose, taking showers & baths, playing with cups and spoons.
Least favourite things include: Mummy going to the loo, closing doors and cabinets gently, getting dressed
Loves everything pink and everything green, including grass and plants
Is both wild and respectful
COLLECTS spoons o_O
Favourite food is Mama's milk!
Sensitive to other people when they're in pain
Loves cuddles and tickles and having fun!
---& Did I mention, he is VERY loved!

"Oww" and art!

My little boy drew his very first picture today!!! It's a lot of wavy scribbles but I can't help thinking it's beautiful. I'm a mother, c'mon!

He also said "Oww" for the first time today when he tripped over. It was ssssoooo sad and cute and resulted in him getting lots of kisses.

Counting to 8 and I Like You!

Osrid Olov has a natural love of books-which is incredible to me as I have never "sat him down" to read to him. We simply give him his own books to play with and look at, and he frequently says the word "book" and brings them to me-he will come and sit in my lap while I read a few of the pages (they are mostly one word or one sentence per page, mind you he is only 14 months old) to him. Usually he gets bored after a couple of pages are read and starts flipping through the pages and playing with the book...or sometimes he will walk away, which is fine with me as I know he will develop his own interests at his own page. It is such a delight though, that today he brought a number counting book to me, and sat with me for eight out of ten pages. It's a new record. He was as usual trying to mimic the sounds I was making as I spoke, was pointing out items on the pages. He managed to copy one of the words I read him: "tiger", after I explained there were 3 tigers on the page.

I also heard the lovely words again today "I like you"-directed to me, as he watched me from his Daddy's lap. How very sweet and funny and cute.

He has been doing so well with walking-it is as if he instinctively knows how to be safe, and will stay near by us even when he doesn't want to hold hands. He can now walk about 1/4 of a mile before he gets tired and needs to be picked up! Isn't that amazing(especially considering his parents can't walk too much further before needing to stop. Ha ha)! I am so proud of what my little one is learning. I am so blessed to have this little guy as my son, do I mention that enough? Xx

Walking, foods, sharks...the usual ;)

O.O. is learning a lot lately (but then, what else is new?)-he has been really into taking walks outside now that he has the confidence to do so and is learning about safety outside (not to touch garbage ect, holding hands near busy streets, looking both ways before crossing ect.) I love how happy it makes him. We try and buy our groceries in increments just to give us an excuse to get out most days, a nice little walk to the store, around the neighbourhood and back.

I've also been cooking new foods-I aim to try something new every few days or so, I think it keeps things interesting and helps me cultivate my culinary skills. Plus, Ozzie LOVES the kitchen. Today I made a red lentil mash.

Today we watched a very interesting documentary about the real life story behind Jaws, and how the movie has influenced our cultures' attitudes towards the ocean. It is very sad, as prior to the movie people had little to no fear about swimming in the ocean, and shark hunting only happened as a rarity-now it is done as a commonality and people take pride in killing them, humans have become what they fear of sharks. I had never really given this much thought but it makes me very sad for them!

Walking Outside!

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012 ---
So many things have happened over the past year, it's just incredible. Starting with Osrid Olov learning how to say his first words, sit up on his own and roll himself over, and thankfully relatching (after the horrible hospital experience); Paul's heart attack, making the lifestyle changeover to 100% veganism, getting our own place, Ozzie standing up and then taking his first steps and now walking! What a year; and we can only hope it will get better from here. Who knows what this next year will bring.

Our family has been walking outside a lot lately, and having a wonderful time! It really isn't the weather for it, seeing as it's just gone winter-misty and cold as hell outside-but if you bundle up you can sure have a lot of fun anyway!

Lille O.O. is such a fast learner! With his first pair of hard-soled shoes, he is finally feeling brave enough to walk outside. He is doing so well! He has walked all around the store with us, and walked briefly outside a couple of times. Today he walked all the way from our front door to the end of the drive. He didn't even want to hold hands until he was almost at the end as he was feeling so independent! What amazing progress; and I look so forward to watching as he learns to walk farther and faster. It just goes to show that when you take the pressure off of children and just enjoy learning with them, side by side, there is no limit to what they can do.