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.

Summer in the City

Summer in the city - june to august 07

Hot town summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirt and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city
All around people looking half dead
Walking on the sidewalk hotter than a match head

So Joe Cocker sings... Well, I have to admit that summers are not THAT hot in Reykjavík, but this time it has been the warmest with most sunny days since weather measurings began (so they say in the news).
Take a look at the new album to see what we did at home after we cancelled our flight to Germany. (And there are a few older photos in the beginning I wanted to share with you as well.)

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...

4 1/2 months...

... and time again for weighting and measuring our little lady.
On monday 20th we went to the clinic and had a little check. For statistics, here are the newest numbers:

weight: 7,110 kg
length: 66,5 cm

She's a strong, heavy and tall girl!

Yesterday, school started again for Jóhanna, and Verónika is already attending kindergarden since monday. Now I have a bit peace during the day (until I have to fetch the girls from school), and will hopefully be able to create a "summer's ending" post soon with new pictures about what we did during the holidays.

2nd tooth approaching!

Yesterday Júlíana's second tooth broke through. And therefor she's chewing on everything she can reach. For better luck the homeopath's remedies (chamomilla) worked well, so that she slept nicely the last nights and seems cheerful again today. Picture coming soon.

Breakthrough!

The latest news about Júlíana:
Now we know why she is whining a lot and the last night was a nightmare. Today she's accurately 4 months and one week old - it's unbelievable but true: her first tooth is appearing! We can't see it yet but one can feel those little edges, that bored through the gum. Time of teethless smiles soon over...

another book

During the last two weeks I had a lot of time reading while hugging Júlíana on my shoulders and walking up and down our nursery room.
I'd really like to recommend you another book I've been finishing yesterday night:
Tom Egeland, original title "Sirkelens ende" (IS: Við enda hringsins, DE: Frevel, not available in english up to now).
An archaeologist, Björn Beltö is at an excavation site as an observer from Oslo university, when the team discovers a golden shrine in an old monastery in Norway. The professor leading the excavation tries to take the shrine out of the country, but Björn manages to steal it back and hide it. He is courious what the shrine contains, and tries to find some answers, while a bunch of people are after him. Very funny dialogues an an exciting hide and seek game.
The book is said to be a nordic version of the "Da Vinci Code" (Dan Brown), but was published a few years earlier.

Special day ...

Yesterday Júlíana reacht a new step in her development: She is able to move herself around by using her feet and arms!
Now the stressless times are over when I could go around, fetching water and nappies and leave her unsupervised in our bed... She is so strong, it's unbelievable. That's my girl!

Verónika made a new friend the other day: A neighbor's boy at her age is living down the street. After I met his mom, talking to her for a while, Garpur (the boy's name) wanted to show me his toys and dragged me through all their flat.
When I came home and announced to Verónika, that there's living a boy down the street with a lot of Lego toys, she directly went to them and stayed for playing with him.
She is so easy going, she just goes and asks kids, plays with them and easily makes friends!
Jóhanna was jealous about her playing with someone else, so she told Garpur's mom Verónika could only stay to five (that were 15 mins.), and told us that Garpur's mom said she had to leave at five! Later when Garpur came to us I talked to his mom and we found out that Jóhanna lied to us all.
I told her that Verónika needs to makes friends of her own and doesn't always like to stay at home and play with Jóhanna!

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.

Housewife vs. Family Manager

As we are five now and cloth diapering, there's always a lot of laundry to do. By working on these kind of brainless tasks one has the possibility to let one's thoughts wander.
Today it occured to me in the wash-room, that the job of a housewife is completely underestimated. During the last weeks of staying at home with the kids (Siggi and the older girls are on holidays from school), I tried to take my housewife chores seriously; not only cooking, washing, shopping and organizing as usual, but also cleaning (I hate most).
Somehow women have that multitasking-ability men don't, that's why we can listen to the radio, hug the baby on one arm, cook with the other hand and remember to book a doctor's appointment for another kid at the same time. Jóhanna has to take in medicine now; Siggi doesn't even remember to give her a pill at dinner-time!
It seems to me, that as a dedicated mother, you function as a collection of several more or less well-paid professions in one person: You are teacher, nurse, psychologist, cook, chauffeur, secretary, cleaning lady, (home-)designer, tailor and entertainer! And I bet, you are the only person in your household who knows exactly, who has to be where at which time for how long...
And that without any payment!
That's why I thought about calling my current profession "family manager", sounds better, includes dignity and describes this demanding and stressful job much better than that humiliating title "housewife". (Sounds as if you never leave your home and are completely clueless about anything else except housework!)
And I claim a decent salary: I suggest 200.000 ISK* per month - after tax!


*appr. 2400 € / 3300 US$

Júlíana 0 - 3 months

Take a look at some portraits in this new album:

Júlíana 0-3 months

Video testing

I hope this works... Would be fun to send video-clips!

Well, it did not work and I removed the foto. Sorry, have to find out sth else.
Go to sleep now.

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...!)