Holler Blocks

Where to begin...

The beginning of the year has been blustery and cold, and I like love it that way. I really don't want the weather to change. I'm dreading it! DREADING it! I love winter, so much. Summer, I could live without. It's just so STICKY!

...but anyway, it's not even spring yet, I should stop giving myself anxiety over silly stuff. (Which isn't going to happen as we know, but I try, in any case :)) we've been making a lot of cookies, my favourite little guy and I. Osrid Olov's tastebuds somehow seem to have gotten pickier, a bit of a setback, but he loves raw vegetable and seed breads which a mum can't really complain about. At least he makes good choices to be picky with, right? Right. He's like a little me, when I was a girl.

We've invented a new game, that I'll call "holler blocks". Which is exactly how it sounds, really: he has stacking blocks(sent to him from my very own wonderful godmother in fact!), and at some point he's discovered the echo of his voice -a very funny, amusing, exciting thing-as is the echo of mine-and so it became a game, and we have been letting out our excess emotion by hollering back and forth into these blocks, which muffles the sound, and in doing so sounds funny and makes Osrid Olov giggle. Hearing him giggle makes me giggle, and we both feel better, and he starts to stack them all in order...and then take them apart and holler blocks again.

Osrid Olov's great grandfather isn't doing too great, and we're very sad for him, and hoping that he is not in pain. It is so sad to know someone you care about is sick and in pain-sigh-no-one should ever have to lose anyone, I tell you. I just wish him peace.

We're mainly trying to pass the time right now, waiting for a decision on my residency (this is so nerve wracking!!) visa and for Paul's contract, and on a lighter note Osrid Olov's grandad (my Dada) is coming to visit us, for the first time, in March for my birthday! I am so excited, and antsy and nervous and really happy and it keeps bringing weird tears to my eyes because I miss him so much-it's been 4 really long years, REALLY long feeling years and he'll be meeting his grandson for the very first time. I hope they take to each other really well. I keep imagining our meeting in my head and it makes me so emotional. I want it to get here!! I know I am going to be so heartbroken when he leaves, and that makes me so sad, I'm insane thinking so much on this, but really I just wanna see him. :)

We had a really nice day today, too-OO and I walked to the library as we do from time to time to pick out new books to read together. We sat in there for hours, he was having such a fantastic time picking out books and having me read them and reading some to me. The best ones were the ones with cars, and sensory/touchy feely ones, of course, but I also found a really sweet story that I think I are gonna buy to keep at home too. We also had a bath (my tummy was a water drum!)-and so many cuddles and baked a loaf of bread and played a lot, you know, the usual kind of lovely things that I'm blessed with. I also got some great bits of mail... I am SO LUCKY to have this incredible boy in my life! Oh, the things he teaches me!

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.

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 :))