Our little one

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Playing - in her new overalls 

I have been wanting to write a bit about Frida. She’s 16 months now, and still our little one, but then again, she’s not all that little anymore. Her personality develops with every day that passes, and it is a joy to see! She really does light up a room and most of the time she’s just a bundle of joy! She has a will that surpasses several of those in the otherwise strong-willed people in this family, and she can definitely be a handful! Above you see her wearing the Puuheppa overalls – did I mention I love them?!

She walks now as her preferred choice of transport, but she didn’t give up crawling easily – still turns to that, when she finds it useful. Teaching her how to eat on her own is coming along slowly. It took our little handball player a while to stop throwing forks, plates, and cups (and anything else for that matter) through the air, whenever one was within reach. It’s almost under control now, and she does drink and eat on her own – when the food permits and it suits her…

Afternoon biscuit

And talking of playing handball – she is pretty good at throwing a ball, and sometimes she nearly even catches it when it’s thrown to her. We have been joking with her throwing everything, but it seems to be working, ’cause she’s rather good, and Ronja loves to play ball with her! Earlier it was sometimes hard to entertain her, but at the moment, she has become quite good at playing by herself for a while, concentrating on a toy or a book.

Looking out  More modeled pants

Getting older for Frida also means closing in on the palate surgery. As I have mentioned before, she has a cleft palate which is going to be closed in surgery when she’s approximately 18 months old. We don’t know the excact date, because they’re unable to give us a specific date earlier than about 3-5 weeks prior to the surgery. So during the coming two months, we need to get her off the night-bottle – she still has a small bottle of warm milk before she goes to sleep. And what’s worse, we have to wean her off the dummy! Good thing she’s so fond of her security blankets – that’s going to help us in the process.

Afternoon sky 

Meanwhile, she still sleeps like a baby during the night – and I know a lot of people to whom that would mean sleepless nights, crying, days of an unimaginable tiredness that only parents understand, etc. Not here though, in this house the term ‘sleeping like a baby’ covers sleep from 6.30 p.m. to 6.30 a.m.

Altogether, she’s just one lovely little girl!

Big girl

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 1 year

On this day last year, Frida was born. She was 1 month early, and just so tiny and fragile. She was born with a cleft palate which meant that I was unable to breastfeed her, and basically, she gave us a few surprises when she made her entrance.

Today we celebrated her one year birthday, and I’m telling you, many words come to mind when you see her, but tiny and fragile are not among them.

So happy 

She’s the happiest little girl, with a contagious smile and a wonderful curiosity, and honestly, she doesn’t give us much trouble. She has been sleeping through the night since she was about 2-3 months old, she eats well, and she rarely complains about anything. When she’s a year and a half, she will have to undergo surgery to have her cleft palate closed, but until then we’re glad that it’s not bothering her.

This afternoon, we have had family visiting, and we have had such a nice day. Happy children, good company, birthday cake, wonderful presents, and beautiful weather! What more can you ask for?

So Frida -

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY!!!

 

Sewing – and why it’s not happening at the moment

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For two weeks I haven’t been able to get any sewing done. The reason is simple: My otherwise wonderful baby has decided that sleeping during the day is not worth wasting time on. This is a new thing – and I have to be fair, because she sleeps all through the night. Since December, I believe we experienced one night of her waking up once. I know we can’t complain – that is just amazing!

Sleeping 

However, I cannot sew during the nights – that would be against my 1st rule of sewing: Don’t sew or prepare fabric when you’re tired! (This is a rule that I break frequently enough – proving the rule each time!) At the moment I feel like I spend all of my waking hours feeding her, changing diapers, doing laundry – mostly hers, or playing with her. Which is fine, I guess, that is what I’m here for – my sewing will just have to wait (and this is the frustrating bit) until she’s a bit more self entertaining. Or until she decides that a nap now and then during the day would be beneficial..  ;)

Yesterday, our application for prolonged leave due to Frida’s cleft palate was finally approved. This means that we will be able to take care of her at home until after the surgery (to close the opening in the roof of the mouth) that takes place when she is approximately one and a half years old. We were so happy, because this is what the doctors recommend that we do, and it means that her risk of getting infections will be much smaller than would be the case if she started in a nursery. Getting the approval has taken a while and involved an initial rejection, so this was a true relief to us.

Today, Frida and I are going to get the materials for the plastering of the house. It’s a lot, so I’m taking the trailer, and I’m just crossing my fingers that I won’t be needing to back the car with the trailer… :)

The girls and I will be gone for a few days – I’m taking them to visit my mother in Århus, in order to get us three out of the way while Mads is spending full days working on the house. That’ll be a good move, I think!

Frida – so now there’s 4 of us!

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Two weeks ago, Ronja, Mads, and I had been to Ronja’s swimming lesson. On the way home we had something to eat, and well at home, I read Ronja a bedtime story, while Mads made tea and prepared Ronja’s lunch box for the next day. I had only just kissed Ronja goodnight when the water broke - well over a month early. Thus surprised, we alerted the grandmothers and packed a bag for the hospital. 11:15 p.m. Mads’ mother arrived, and at midnight Mads and I were at the hospital. After several examinations, Mads and I had a few hours sleep in the hospital, waiting for the labour to start. About 10 hours later, our beautiful little Frida saw the light of day at 11.48 a.m. September 28th after a good birth without complications – though rather well attended because of her being a bit early.

We spent a week in the hospital – the first two days in the neonatal intensive care unit, partly due to her early birth, partly due to the fact that she has a cleft palate. Anyhow, they wanted to make sure, that she would be able to eat and breathe as she should. After two days we were moved out of neonatal, but they still wanted to keep her in the hospital to make sure she gained weight. Finally she had to have light therapy for two days as a treatment for jaundice – at this point I really wanted to go home, because even though Mads and Ronja came to visit for a few hours every day, the days in the hospital seemed terribly long, and a little bit lonely, with hours of just looking at the tiny baby in the light box next to me.

Last Thursday we were let loose and it was SO good to finally be home. Ronja was understandably rather confused while Frida and I were in hospital, and from the moment we were home she was much more balanced. She is definitely a very proud big sister!

Because of Frida’s early arrival, we were far from ready for the baby at home when we left for the hospital. My maternity leave had not yet started when the water broke, and all the preparations that I had planned for the remaining month had not yet been made. So while I was in hospital, Mads had been busy, preparing as much as he could, finishing the work in Frida’s room, finding the necessary baby gear etc. I was really happy to find that the house was ready for the baby when we got home. We would have liked to have the living room repainted (and a bit more than that) before the new family member’s arrival, but that’s something we’re going to have to do some other time. Pictures of Frida (and the rest of us) are found here.

Speaking of the house, I should mention that what needs to be done upstairs now, are final touches. The bathroom and Ronja’s room are finished, and only a few things need to be done in Frida’s room. The hallway is finished, so except for the staircase everything is pretty much done! You can see the updated gallery here – pictures from Frida’s room will be there when it is finished.

Now we’re slowly getting used to being a family of 4. When Ronja was born, Mads planted a tree in the garden – what we call the Ronja-tree. Last weekend, Ronja and Mads bought a tree for Frida, which they planted when they got home, so that she too can have her own tree.

At the moment Frida is sleeping here next to me – we should probably follow suit soon.