Finally Breaking the Ice

New year, new challenges!

The Teuffer-family welcomes you back on mom's blog after a far too long computer absence after the christmas holidays. Our newest family picture was taken jan. 12th at granny's little hut in Svarfaðardalur, North Iceland.

That was a not intended visit, but a trip to a very sad occasion:
Siggi's father died jan. 6th at Akureyri after only 12 hours at the hospital. He had stomac cancer and nothing could be done after he vomited blood.
The whole family went north to attend the funeral. Siggi drove with the big girls through snow and ice and was eight hours on the way, while I had the easier part and took a flight with Júlíana, which took only 45 minutes. We stayed at Siggi's sister Jóhanna's house in Akureyri.
After we discussed dieing and being dead intensely, we took the girls to the chapel, where we could see granddad the last time. I asked what's different with granddad now. Jóhanna: "He's cold." Verónika: "His glasses are missing." Kids always practical thinking. *lol*
We took them with us to the church and the graveyard; Jóhanna helped Siggi to lower the coffin into earth, Verónika payed attention to the caterpillar, filling the hole with earth again.
I think it helped them to be with us in the whole process; no bad dreams or thinking that granddad comes back as a ghost... or what else kids might imagine.

Here is Siggi's mother with her four children. From left to right:
Jóhanna (eldest), Siggi, grandma Elínborg, Gunnar, Anna Sólveig (youngest)


It came as a sudden shock to us, when we were informed about my father-in-law's being at the hospital. We knew he had a stomac operation three years ago, but as we only travel north once a year, we are not exactly up-to-date about his well being.
Now, when I learned he had cancer, I suddenly dicovered, how many persons I know between 40 and 60 years old are fighting against their unwelcomed pet. Far too much cancer around me these days. It depresses me somehow, but one gets a different view on life and realizes, how fragile it is. One can in fact loose the people one loves almost in seconds.

I was so busy during the rest of january, I wanted to spend more time with my girls than in front of my laptop. I intended to write a kind of report what's up and what's going to happen the next months, but could never force myself to sit down and think about something witty.
As you perhaps have already seen, I published two new albums. One about Verónika's birthday and the other with pictures about christmas. You find them on the right link-bar.

As you also might have noticed, Júlíana turned 10 months in the end of january. We had again a check at the clinic (no shots this time), newest figures: 75,5 cm and 9140 g.
She has already 6 teeth, no. 5 approaching jan. 2nd, no. 6 arrived jan. 13th. Now she is really quick standing up and walking alongside furniture, supporting herself with only one hand. The newest goal is to keep balance, when standing unsupported, and she already takes one step alone! I'm always trying to capture this on a photo, but she is so quick turning away (still the flash problem), that I mostly receive moving pictures or odd faces not worth publishing.
Here she's learning to use a straw, but splashing around with the water in my elephant cup is more interesting!

Showing the how to's.

Yes, straw belongs into the water...


Now it works.






But splashing is most interesting!

Verónika is all in a sudden grown up, I feel. Yesterday she went to a friend for a sleep-over, just waved good-bye and went playing. My little motherheart was almost sad, leaving my little girl behind. I told her it were ok if she felt homesick and wanted to sleep at home, we would fetch her. Now it's next morning, no-one called, only I checked my cell phone once or twice to see weather the girl's mother sent a SMS... Mom's nervous. *g* But I'm so proud of my independend girl!





And, very important, she missed her first baby teeth! In January, she told everyone, she's a shark, because her new grown up teeth came up in a second row:


But on jan. 9th her teeth finally fell out and she was of course very proud showing her gap!

Jóhanna is doing well and getting better with her medication. She is more relaxed waiting outside on the pavement, walking alone up and down the street, taking part in school activities and visiting friends. It´s really something new that she stays upstairs, while I'm downstairs putting Júlíana to sleep and doing the laundry (as yesterday). She used to check on me every 5 minutes, wich was really nervewrecking, but yesterday she stayed in the livingroom, entertaining herself.
Next week a training group for anxiety kids and their parents starts at the children and youth psychiatric ward (BUGL). There kids and parents learn separated in groups to handle the anxiety and to train appropriate behaviour. As Siggi is teaching at that time, he can't attend with me.

Here a few scenes from family life:

Big girls having fun together

January gave us a lot of snow, and I mean A LOT! Júlíana on her first ride in our baby sleight.

Siggi's ladies in good mood

Playing cards with granny, when she visited after the funeral.


This spring semester, Siggi has a very bad timetable and is teaching until 18.00 each day!
As he is leaving almost every day at 7:30, we barely see each other until in the evenings. I've been very annoyed about this fact lately, but well, we can't change his teaching schedule, and it's only this semester, it'll be so busy, I hope.

Usually I hate Valentine's day with all it's kitschy gifts... But this year Siggi was very tasteful, in the basic meaning of the word, and gave me strawberries (flown in from Ethiopia, is that environmentally ingenious?) and a chocolate bar. Yummie!

However, I've always been organizing family life, sparked myself through the health care system to find treatment for Jóhanna last year; now I'm in (evening-)school again, trying to take three courses for my nurse's aid diploma, need to hand in assignments in time, babyfood cooking, breastfeeding, driving to school 3x a week during the day, grocery shopping, fetch Jóhanna from school, I should be translating the 6th book of my crime series ... -- it's been more stressful than ever, I feel exhausted, and I find barely time for myself. Lately I've been thinking weather I should cancel the school again, I have a lot of energy, but not endless... We'll see.




At least, our lovely Au Pair Julia stayes with us until the end of june and is a great help. She walks the girls to school and kindergarden, drives with Jóhanna to Art School, feeds, plays, changes and takes very well care of Júlíana while I'm in school. Here she is with our little punk after bath.

But funny enough I've found some spare time and started sewing and knitting again. I like designing, playing with colors, try out patterns - that's my way of recreation. Take a look at my latest productions here (german and icelandic text only):

Handarbeiten

I've even got an offer from a baby equipment store to start "mass producing" and they'll sell my woollen soakers, longies and fitted diapers for me. Might be a good idea stocking up on towels and yarn to start a business! At least I'm a member of the handknitting association now, fair enough I get 20% off at their store. Very nice! I love that shop and could stand endlessly in front of the shelves and enjoy the colors...

Well, this writing extended by far the short note I intended to post, but now you are all up to date what's going on for all of us. And I promise, I'll be writing more often again!