Thursday, February 17, 2011
Child care in Glenelg
Jakob and I went to visit his old childcare centre one day. He fell asleep on the way there and I had to wake him so he was a bit sleepy and shy when we got there. A couple of his old carers were still there and I think he recognised them and also the baby room where he used to spend lots of time. After sitting in my lap for the first 10 minutes he wanted to get up and started to play a bit and I am sure he would have spent the rest of the day playing there if he was allowed to.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Update
Finally I am slowly starting to get back to updating the blog again. This is the start but there is more to come...
Brothers
As long as Isak doesn't take Jakob's favourite cars or destroy a game he is playing the two brothers have quite a lot of fun together.
My second home...
I managed to squeeze in a quick visit to Ikea, my second home when we lived in Australia.Jakob and I
Jakob and I spent one afternoon together at an indoor playground and cafe. Even though it was nothing like Leos he really loved it. And the best of all, he got his first ever tattoo!
Jakob and Oscar
Jakob and Oscar playing together one day in Gawler. I wonder if they remeber each other. They spent a lot of time together when we lived in Adelaide so I am sure they do.
Dinner with friends.
Adam and I had dinner with Ben and Julie one night. It was the night after my 4am experience so the empty drink bottles do not belong to me.
Yoga girls
After a bit of planning we managed to find a night where I got to see my beautiful yoga mums again. We have stayed in touch via email but it is not the same as seeing each other face to face. 2 girls could not make it but the rest of us had a great night. Kristy and I stayed over at Mel's place and went to bed at 4 am in the morning!! that's right, 4am!! 4am is also when we stopped drinking so I guess I don't need to say that I felt shit the next day.
Girls night
One night I got together with two of my old work friends Verity and Pamela for dinner and drinks.Christmas presents
Instead of giving each other Christmas presents Adam and I decided to stay in a hotel in the city for a couple of nights just the two of us. We had a really great time and spent the first day in Glenelg and the second day in the city.
I stopped breast feeding Isak on Christmas Day so after nearly two years off alcohol I treated myself with some nice red wine.Glenelg
My plan was to take Jakob to the beach at least a few times when in Australia but it only happened once. We went to our old neighbour hood Glenelg and had a Strawberry Squeeze at Boost Juice (I love it!) and spent an hour by the beach.
Ten pin bowling
Adam, John, Jakob and I went ten pin bowling one day. Thanks to a ramp and side walls Jakob could play as well and he beat me both times. I am extremly bad at bowling but still really like playing it.
Friends...
Our friends Nathan and Tamara spent Christmas in Adelaide (they live in Sydney) and they came up to Gawler with their children Zack and Zoe to spend the day with us. Jakob and Zack had really fun together and Jakob spoke really great English the whole day.
Isak trying to get to know Zoe...Christmas in Adelaide
Isak and I arrived in Australia on Christmas Eve, just in time for celebrating Australian Christmas on Christmas Day. The kids were up early in the morning to open presents...
Isak with his cousin Hugo!Thursday, January 20, 2011
Nearly the end
Only 3 days left of our 3 months holiday in Thailand and Australia. It has been an amazing trip for many reasons and also very emotional and sad since my dad died from cancer in the beginning of December. The day after we get back to Sweden, next Wednesday, is the funeral and I am sure it will be a day to remember.
The last few weeks have been busy seeing friends and spending time with the family here in Adelaide.
I have visited my old workplace and it was great to meet some of my old work friends and to just see the differences in the factory. I worked there for about 4 years and I really enjoyed it.
The other day I took Jakob to his old child care centre. A couple of his old carers have left but a few were still there and it was nice to come back and show Jakob were he used to spend lots of time when he was younger. He was a bit shy to start with but started relaxing after a while.
Adam and I took Jakob to my favourite wildlife park up in the hills where we all got to feed kangaroos, hold a koala, pat snakes, watch monkeys etc. One of those things you just have to do when in Australia.
Adam and I have spend two nights in a hotel in the city without the children. Do I need to say that we had an amazing time?
A dinner and drinks with my yoga mothers at one of the girls houses was great fun and for the first time in at least 15 years I went to bed a 4 am in the morning!!
Last weekend I visited John and Chris on John's farm. I met them only a week after I arrived in Australia the first time many years ago when visiting a horse show in Glenelg. They asked me if I wanted to come back the next day and have a ride on one of their horses. I was in heaven! after that I have become good friends with these wonderful and generous people. I even rode one of John's horses in a horse show a few years ago.
Jakob and Isak are doing great. Jakob and I have done quite a few things together just the two of us and he is so fun to be with! I much rather go out with him than play with cars on the floor... Isak is Isak and he eats, sleeps and crawls. He is standing up more and more often but I think walking is still a few months away. I am starting to worry a little bit about the trip home. He is not so keen on sitting on our lap anymore. He want's to get down to the floor ALL the time. Will be an interesting trip home...
When I get back to Sweden I will add some photos to the blog and tell you all more about our trip.
Only a few days left and I will make the most of these last days!
The last few weeks have been busy seeing friends and spending time with the family here in Adelaide.
I have visited my old workplace and it was great to meet some of my old work friends and to just see the differences in the factory. I worked there for about 4 years and I really enjoyed it.
The other day I took Jakob to his old child care centre. A couple of his old carers have left but a few were still there and it was nice to come back and show Jakob were he used to spend lots of time when he was younger. He was a bit shy to start with but started relaxing after a while.
Adam and I took Jakob to my favourite wildlife park up in the hills where we all got to feed kangaroos, hold a koala, pat snakes, watch monkeys etc. One of those things you just have to do when in Australia.
Adam and I have spend two nights in a hotel in the city without the children. Do I need to say that we had an amazing time?
A dinner and drinks with my yoga mothers at one of the girls houses was great fun and for the first time in at least 15 years I went to bed a 4 am in the morning!!
Last weekend I visited John and Chris on John's farm. I met them only a week after I arrived in Australia the first time many years ago when visiting a horse show in Glenelg. They asked me if I wanted to come back the next day and have a ride on one of their horses. I was in heaven! after that I have become good friends with these wonderful and generous people. I even rode one of John's horses in a horse show a few years ago.
Jakob and Isak are doing great. Jakob and I have done quite a few things together just the two of us and he is so fun to be with! I much rather go out with him than play with cars on the floor... Isak is Isak and he eats, sleeps and crawls. He is standing up more and more often but I think walking is still a few months away. I am starting to worry a little bit about the trip home. He is not so keen on sitting on our lap anymore. He want's to get down to the floor ALL the time. Will be an interesting trip home...
When I get back to Sweden I will add some photos to the blog and tell you all more about our trip.
Only a few days left and I will make the most of these last days!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Short update!
Sorry for being so slack with the blog. I have nobody or nothing to blame, just myself.
The stay in Sweden was short and intense. Before I left we had a surprise birthday dinner for my brother who turned 40 the day before Christmas and we also celebrated mum who turned 65 on 21 Dec, the day before Isak and I left.
The fligt to Adelaide was long but went really well without any delays. The flight path was Lulea-Stockholm-Copenhagen-Bangkok-Melbourne-Adelaide and took about 46 hours including all the stops. Isak was amazing and I don't think he cried once in those hours but hey, it's tough travelling that far with a baby even if the baby is an angel like Isak. Don't think I would have coped if he had been sad or upset.
Seeing Jakob and Adam again was wonderful, especially Jakob who doesn't really understand what's going on and why I was away for nearly 3 weeks. After being in Adelaide just over a week he spoke nearly fluent English and it's getting even better every day. I can't get enough of listening to him, it sounds so clever and cute at the same time. He speaks very proper English and says things like: I will not have another drink etc.
Isak slept really badly at night for the first two weeks here in Australia. I even took him to the doctor because he has always been such a good sleeper and I was worried that he was in pain. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with him so my conclusion to his sleeping problems are that he struggled with all the changes like: travelling between Thailand-Sweden-Australia within a few weeks, staying in different places with new people, me giving up breast feeding, new food and water etc etc. He also had a quite bad cold for a few days. Anyway, it is all good now and he is back sleeping from 7pm to 6-7am.
Isak is a very fast crawler now and he looooves climbing up on things. He can stand up if he holds on to something but he doesn't do it very often. He wants to feed himself now and it is impossible to put a spoon in his mouth. Or that's not quite true, it works find with porridge and fruit pure but nothing else.
So, what have we been up to since we got here? first of all we had to get through Christmas and the 3 days after were booked up with different friends which was great. New Years Eve Adam and I had dinner just the two of us at a Chinese restaurant in Gawler. It was really nice and exactly what I felt like, I wasn't up for a big party at all.
Yesterday we said good bye to Adam's brother Jason, his wife Karen and their son Hugo who moved to New Zeeland for a couple of years. It really brought back memories from when we left 2 years ago. After saying good bye at the airport we went for a drive past our old house. We asked Jakob to see if he could remember which house we lived in (he was about 21 months when we left) and we went past about 4 houses and asked is it this one... When we got to the right one he said yes straight away. Pretty amazing even though I know chidren remember more than I think.
In the next few weeks we will be quite busy which suits me well. I like having lots of activities planned in :-) Adam and I will also try to have a couple of nights away just us without children for a couple of nights. Lots of fun and lots to look forward to.
Hopefully I can download some photos in the next few days but if not I will do it when I get back to Sweden.
I will be back soon!
The stay in Sweden was short and intense. Before I left we had a surprise birthday dinner for my brother who turned 40 the day before Christmas and we also celebrated mum who turned 65 on 21 Dec, the day before Isak and I left.
The fligt to Adelaide was long but went really well without any delays. The flight path was Lulea-Stockholm-Copenhagen-Bangkok-Melbourne-Adelaide and took about 46 hours including all the stops. Isak was amazing and I don't think he cried once in those hours but hey, it's tough travelling that far with a baby even if the baby is an angel like Isak. Don't think I would have coped if he had been sad or upset.
Seeing Jakob and Adam again was wonderful, especially Jakob who doesn't really understand what's going on and why I was away for nearly 3 weeks. After being in Adelaide just over a week he spoke nearly fluent English and it's getting even better every day. I can't get enough of listening to him, it sounds so clever and cute at the same time. He speaks very proper English and says things like: I will not have another drink etc.
Isak slept really badly at night for the first two weeks here in Australia. I even took him to the doctor because he has always been such a good sleeper and I was worried that he was in pain. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with him so my conclusion to his sleeping problems are that he struggled with all the changes like: travelling between Thailand-Sweden-Australia within a few weeks, staying in different places with new people, me giving up breast feeding, new food and water etc etc. He also had a quite bad cold for a few days. Anyway, it is all good now and he is back sleeping from 7pm to 6-7am.
Isak is a very fast crawler now and he looooves climbing up on things. He can stand up if he holds on to something but he doesn't do it very often. He wants to feed himself now and it is impossible to put a spoon in his mouth. Or that's not quite true, it works find with porridge and fruit pure but nothing else.
So, what have we been up to since we got here? first of all we had to get through Christmas and the 3 days after were booked up with different friends which was great. New Years Eve Adam and I had dinner just the two of us at a Chinese restaurant in Gawler. It was really nice and exactly what I felt like, I wasn't up for a big party at all.
Yesterday we said good bye to Adam's brother Jason, his wife Karen and their son Hugo who moved to New Zeeland for a couple of years. It really brought back memories from when we left 2 years ago. After saying good bye at the airport we went for a drive past our old house. We asked Jakob to see if he could remember which house we lived in (he was about 21 months when we left) and we went past about 4 houses and asked is it this one... When we got to the right one he said yes straight away. Pretty amazing even though I know chidren remember more than I think.
In the next few weeks we will be quite busy which suits me well. I like having lots of activities planned in :-) Adam and I will also try to have a couple of nights away just us without children for a couple of nights. Lots of fun and lots to look forward to.
Hopefully I can download some photos in the next few days but if not I will do it when I get back to Sweden.
I will be back soon!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sweden
Isak and I have now been in Sweden for almost two weeks. Life in Thailand seems so far away! The weather here has been a complete opposite to Thailand with some days with -20 degrees and some days with snow storm. It is really beautiful here now with all the snow and when the sun is shining (for an hour a day at the best) it looks so pretty.We have had a busy couple of weeks. The first week back was filled with fixing the add for the paper, planning the funeral, get rid of all the equipment that dad had (a bed, two wheelchairs, a lift, a chair for the shower, all the left over drugs) etc etc. Me, mum and dad's cousin also went to see dad one day. I have only seen one dead person before, my grandfather more than 20 years ago. Dad looked very peaceful and it really looked like his soul was somewhere else, hopefully in a much better place.
Isak and I are staying with mum which is nice.
During these weeks I have seen my friend Carina and her 3 weeks old baby Nelly a few times, I have been to our house a couple of times, I have done some birthday shopping, I have had Christmas dinner with work, dinner with Anders and his family a couple of times, Christmas party in Ale, lunch with Sigrid, fika with Jens, bookclub meeting one night, fika with Maria etc. Mum has helped a lot with Isak and as always he is really happy most of the time. Last night he slept extremly badly, he woke up crying at midnight, around 3am, 6am and then 7am. Not sure why, could be an ear infection?
This morning I visited work. I am really starting to look forward to going back. The company is doing well right now and there are lots of projects on the go so there will be lots to do! Stina and Martin came over to mum's this afternoon with some nice flowers and when they left mum, Isak and I went to celebrate my cousin Andreas on his birthday. Andreas and his fiance Karin bought a new house only about a month ago and finally we got to see it! It looks great!
So my time here is and has been very busy and I am trying to make the most of it. The fact that dad is not with us anymore is hard to understand and believe but it is very sad and I miss him a lot.
In only a few days Isak and I will go travelling again. A total of 5 flights will take us to Adelaide and the rest of the family. This will be the longest I have ever been away from Jakob :-( At least I know he is having an amazing time with grandma and poppa and of course daddy.
Thailand
I took hundreds of pictures in Thailand but have not had a good look at all of them. Picked out a few quickly to show you how amazing it was! 
Beautiful sunset on Klong Dao Beach
Adam and Isak having a swim. Isak loved it and only laughed when he got water in his face and eyes.
Soccer on the beach...
Me attending a Thai festival with the staff from the resort one evening in November. I found this information about it:
The most colour festival during the year is Loy Krathong held on the full moon of the 12th lunar month (usually in November). This is a festival to pay respects to the Mother of Water to ask for forgiveness for polluting the water in the past. Loy means to float and a krathong is a kind of bowl.
Jakob and I went elephant riding one day. He was a bit scared in the beginning but started relaxing after a while. Lots of fun to do something just the two of us.
Jakob and his friend Lucas relaxing after dinner at one of our favourite resturants on the beach.
Our beautiful and amazing boys Jakob and Isak!
The first snake that we saw at our resort. The second one I didn't get a photo of.
Jakob playing before dinner at Long Beach.
Isak 10 months
About to have breakfast the morning Isak and I were leaving.
Jakob posing for the camera.
Isak just before he learnt to crawl.
Beautiful sunset on Klong Dao Beach
Adam and Isak having a swim. Isak loved it and only laughed when he got water in his face and eyes.
Soccer on the beach...
Me attending a Thai festival with the staff from the resort one evening in November. I found this information about it:The most colour festival during the year is Loy Krathong held on the full moon of the 12th lunar month (usually in November). This is a festival to pay respects to the Mother of Water to ask for forgiveness for polluting the water in the past. Loy means to float and a krathong is a kind of bowl.
Jakob and I went elephant riding one day. He was a bit scared in the beginning but started relaxing after a while. Lots of fun to do something just the two of us.
Jakob and his friend Lucas relaxing after dinner at one of our favourite resturants on the beach.
Our beautiful and amazing boys Jakob and Isak!
The first snake that we saw at our resort. The second one I didn't get a photo of.
Jakob playing before dinner at Long Beach.
Isak 10 months 
About to have breakfast the morning Isak and I were leaving.
Jakob posing for the camera.
Isak just before he learnt to crawl. Monday, December 6, 2010
Rest in peace Dad!
Just after 2 am Sunday morning dad passed away. Mum, my brother and dad's sister were by his side. I didn't make it home from Thailand but I was very glad to know that he had mum, Anders and Maggi there.After his birthday earlier in the week he got really tired and on Thursday his condition got much worse. From Thursday night/Friday he slept more or less the whole time. He seemed to be in no pain and when he took his last breath he looked very peaceful from what I have been told. I think it happened just the way he wanted it to happen. He told me that he hoped that he would one day just go to sleep and not wake up again. And he wanted to die at home. He got what he wanted.
Isak and I left Thailand Sunday afternoon after 6 wonderful weeks at Lanta Sea House. It was very sad to leave but it feels good to be home and be with the rest of the family.
For those of you who don't know, dad was diagnosed with a tumor in his brain just over a year ago. A few months ago he had his last chemo treatment. Throughout this difficult time he has stayed very positive and always planned for the future. At the same time he has made the most out of each day and for example he started smoking again (he quit over 20 years ago).
I am glad that Isak got to meet his morfar even though I feel sad that they didn't get more time together.
Jakob and mofar have always had a very close and special relationship.
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