The Blueberry Battle

A few days ago, Júlíana had blueberry porridge in the evening. Siggi enjoys feeding her - finally there's something he can do as well concerning food -and makes brave efforts to maneuvre the spoon with contents accidentlessly into her mouth. She is so eager to eat, that she holds one's arm as long as she's interested in food.



But Little Missy likes her spoons (and that what's on them), tries to grab them and stuff her meal into her mouth on her own. That's why we now need three spoons to feed her - two for herself and one for us. That prevents usually her grabbing, but when she's really excited, even that doesn't help.
Here, things are getting messy - take a close look at Siggi's arm-, and even her eyebrows have purple spots:



In the end, blueberries are everywhere: almost all of her face, her bib, hands, table in font of her, the spoons on the floor are covered with mash. But as much as she likes eating, she dislikes the face washing cloth afterwards!



Julia, grown up on a pig farm, commented driely: "Looks as if she had slaughtered a pig and splashed around the blood!"

"Birthday girl" - 6 months!

Yesterday Júlíana was 6 months old.
We tried to celebrate this remarkable event last weekend.

First of all, Verónika was very released to get rid of her tripp trapp chair (ajustable chair which fits all sizes from baby to adult), and announced, that she is a big girl now and can sit on a normal chair. She happily cleaned her old highchair with a wet sponge and lots of lather, and afterwards we ajusted the seat together for Júlíana. Verónika was so proud of fixing the screws and cushions with me. And she was allowed to decide where Júlíana should be placed at mealtimes; of course at her side!
On the picture we were beginning to eat dinner. Everything on the table has to be out of Júlíana's reach, because the old classic game "throw down - pick up" is extremely popular.

In the afternoon I planned to bake a cake, but unfortunately Júlíana didn't sleep very well during the last night and was fighting against falling asleep again, that I just had no other choice than walking with her in the pram. When she finally was sound asleep, I decided to pick berries and cook marmelade instead of baking. I was rummaging through the bushes in the neighborhood, picking the last edible blackcurrants (yes, they are growing in Iceland!) and mashed a nice yummi jam. 60% fruit, 40% agave syrup, agar agar - nothing else. Simply delicious!
After that, there was still laundy to do, baking granola musli, preparing dinner... No more celebrations that day.

In the evenings, she loves to exercise on our big bed. Now, she's already very wiggly and squirming over the matress:


starting on her back, then rolling on her tummy...



...bottom up and resting for a while, before starting over again.

Yesterday, we had our 6 months-check at the clinic and and a shot again. Jóhanna went with me and was a big help: while she was distracting Júlíana with "peek-a-boo", the doctor injected the vaccine. When everything was over, Júlíana first realized that something hurt her, and was only whimpering a little.

The new numbers, for those interested:
length: 69,5 cm
weight: 7,795 kg

She really is tall, heavy, strong and very active. No wonder, because she is claiming food! When I had my breakfast this morning, she grabbed (again) into my bowl and still wasn't satisfied when I gave her a pearbite to munch on. When I gave her porridge, she was shrieking and giggling contentously - but the table and her shirt were a whole mess afterwards. Well, that's part of the fun!
She has already four teeth, and eats
- vegetables: potatoes, fennel, carrots, celeryroot, yellow and red peppers, cucumber
- fruits: pear, apple, banana, grapes, plums, blueberries
- grains: rice, barley, oat

In the end, a nice picture of all of my girls, cuddling in Júlíana's cot in birthday evening.

Fun in the bathtub

Now I found out how to post videoclips. Here is the first try; watch Júlíana bathing in her little tub! Usually she splashes even more, so that I'm completely soaked and the bathroom is more or less under water, but she is still sceptical about the camera and doesn't act normal when she sees it approaching. But things get better! This video was made sept. 28th, Júlíana almost 6 months old. Enjoy!

5 1/2 months

Today I went with Júlíana to the clinic again, for her next baby check and her shots.

Length: 68,5 cm
Weight: 7,810 kg



Since roughly 3 weeks we have now our new au-pair girl Julia from Germany. She is simply brilliant, she fits phantastically into the family and is a great help! The girls loved and respected her directly.



She took directly part in our family's every-day-schedule, babysits Júlíana, takes Jóhanna and Verónika to their respective schools, and is a real kitchen fairy! (me and my tiny, messy turn-on-the-spot kitchen! now it's shiny!)



And: me and Julia finally managed to capture Júlíana laughing on a picture! Take a close look and you'll be able to make out both the two upper and lower front teeth.

Tooth no. 3 ...

broke through today! Drooling, nagging, biting little miss!
Unbelievable, she looks so grown up sometimes...

We tried a lot to catch a moment, when she´s laughing to take a picture of the two teeth in the lower jaw. Not ONE possibility, because she always looks quite puzzled when somebody appears with the camera (what strange thing is that where Mom is hiding?!) and takes pictures with flash...

3 Months Baby Check-Up

Today was Júlíana's three months check-up at the local policlinic. In fact she is 3 months and two weeks old...
A nurse is weighting and lenght measuring her and transfers the numbers into a growing chart. Júlíana also got her first shots!

Here she lies on the scale (6,440 kg)...


...and on the lenght-measuring table (65 cm - tall girl!).


Hat-size is is 41,5 cm now.

Júlíana 0 - 3 months

Take a look at some portraits in this new album:

Júlíana 0-3 months

Creative air-squeezing techniques

Oh boy, what a night! Júlíana was tossing and turning through all our bed tonight, and me likewise because of her loose sleeping.
Poor thing has such troubles getting rid of her air, both upwards and on her rear end. Sometimes it takes up to 45 minutes of crying, screaming and sparking after nursing until she´s burping...

My friend Birna gave me her baby-book (an over 680 pages how-to manual about baby maintenance) from Sears& Sears, after she decided, her second child would definitely being her last one. Dr. Bill writes in this recommendable baby-bible: "Gassy food makes gassy babies." Yeah, right, but - I really have no idea what could cause her troubles, as I already skip everything known (and yummie, like kidney beans and garlic).
So far we rubbed her stomach, patting her back, giving her tummy-massage and holding her in various positions. Now I found out, that jumping helps, while I hold her closely to me, and finally she fell asleep again. *pheu-wiping sweat from forehead*
Other creative ideas wanted!

Little miss is drooling and nagging her hands suspiciously often the last two weeks or so, and I assume the first tooth is not far away. (Which is not unlikely, because both sisters had their first tooth by four months.) Yesterday she almost completely soaked the front of her shirt! Now we're dressing her in bibs, which looks quite funny...

But despite of her gassy intenstines, she is a bright and cheerful girl, mostly interested in -except of mom's breast of course!- watching her elder sisters play and exercising! She is really strong, rolled herself over 2 months + and is now strengthening her back and arms. Sometimes she tries to lift her bottom up! I recone with her crawling soon - and with that the time, when we need to vaccume clean three times daily...
Look how strong she is!

I'm struggeling again and again with breast inflammation, or better said, with a beginning one. It occurs especially after nights, when I'm far too tired to remember to wrap my milkbar properly again after night nursing. But for better luck I've been blessed with a strong sucker and could avoid up to now the need to take in antibiotics.

Sometimes I feel I'm doing nothing else but breastfeeding, changing, hugging, and especially Verónika is really annoyed about the little attraction she's receiving.
But on the other hand --- I found a nice hugging sentence in the baby-bible mentioned above:

"[sometimes] you may think " I don´t get anything done." But you are getting something done. You are doing the most important job in the world - mothering a human being."

Aaahhh... hugs for my soul...

Photos from Júlíana´s Christening

Wow, I managed to create an online-photoalbum with recent pictures from Júlíana´s christening on pentecost! Still can´t believe it.
We had a very nice service and gathering with friends and Siggi´s family. Take a look at the pictures here:

Júlíana's Christening on Pentecost, 27.05.07

(Now I hope it works...!)