Apr 22, 2008
Apr 21, 2008
diapers
We went shopping this weekend for an infant car seat and came home with diapers and wipes, as well! We bought some chlorine-free, eco-friendly disposables, which makes me feel a little better, considering we bought a two week supply totaling 160! That's a lot of dirty diapers to change—12 a day; or every other hour!
I'd like to try the gDiapers, but it looks like we won't be able to keep up with 'em in Norway. So we opted for the best disposable option, to use for the first couple months before we move.
Now I just have to figure out how to change a dirty diaper. Soon enough, I suppose. In less than two months!
I'd like to try the gDiapers, but it looks like we won't be able to keep up with 'em in Norway. So we opted for the best disposable option, to use for the first couple months before we move.
Now I just have to figure out how to change a dirty diaper. Soon enough, I suppose. In less than two months!
Apr 17, 2008
around the house
Lots is going on around here, packing things away and preparing for the move to Norway. We really got started after I heard from the Nansen Fund last week, that I've been awarded the John Dana Archbold Fellowship. The thing is, I have to leave for Oslo on June 19 to attend the University of Oslo International Summer School (required of the Fellowship recipient). That would give us very little time (the birth date can be as late as 42 weeks, that is June 18) to file the appropriate paperwork to obtain for the baby 1) a birth certificate, and 2) a passport (both of which are required for an infant to travel) after the baby is born. Meaning: Anne and the baby will in all likelihood have to leave after me, arriving in Oslo as late as July 30. This, of course, won't do; I don't want to miss out on the summer with Anne and our new baby. So I've put in a plea to the Nansen Fund, asking if I could possibly attend the summer school next summer, given the circumstance. (I've not heard back; so keep your fingers crossed.) But I've accepted the fellowship and will do what's necessary to keep it. So that's why we're getting busy around the house, assuming that I will have to leave in what is now two months.
Now we feel like there is too much to do, too little time. So Anne started clearing the closets and shelves, and organizing her office and paperwork. I've a few house chores to do, and I want to do some yard work before we move. Plus I have to apply for a resident permit, so I can live in Norway. We also need to rent the house; and we want to find a tenant before the baby is born (especially if I have to leave in June) because we don't want that to be an issue, causing any stress at the birth and afterwards. So lots is going on around here, like I said.
The house is shaping up, and I think this is all a good nesting exercise for Anne and me. Since we're moving to Norway, there's no nursery or baby area to put together. And the apartment in Norway won't exactly be homey. So this is our chance to nest. It's fun to look at the piles of baby clothes, ascending in sizes from age newborn to nine plus months; the playpen is up and the stroller is assembled. So it certainly looks like we are proud, expecting parents. We like to take inventory to remind ourselves what we have to look forward to. We are also spending quality time together, the three of us: every night before bed I rub Shea butter on Anne's belly, when we can interact with the baby. Last night the baby was responding to "Peanut Butter" but not "Jelly." (We amuse ourselves.) Actually, there's hardly a moment when we don't interact with (touch and talk), or at least think of (nearly incessantly), our little baby; the house and the packing and the preparing are all just distractions from what really matters most to us...
Now we feel like there is too much to do, too little time. So Anne started clearing the closets and shelves, and organizing her office and paperwork. I've a few house chores to do, and I want to do some yard work before we move. Plus I have to apply for a resident permit, so I can live in Norway. We also need to rent the house; and we want to find a tenant before the baby is born (especially if I have to leave in June) because we don't want that to be an issue, causing any stress at the birth and afterwards. So lots is going on around here, like I said.
The house is shaping up, and I think this is all a good nesting exercise for Anne and me. Since we're moving to Norway, there's no nursery or baby area to put together. And the apartment in Norway won't exactly be homey. So this is our chance to nest. It's fun to look at the piles of baby clothes, ascending in sizes from age newborn to nine plus months; the playpen is up and the stroller is assembled. So it certainly looks like we are proud, expecting parents. We like to take inventory to remind ourselves what we have to look forward to. We are also spending quality time together, the three of us: every night before bed I rub Shea butter on Anne's belly, when we can interact with the baby. Last night the baby was responding to "Peanut Butter" but not "Jelly." (We amuse ourselves.) Actually, there's hardly a moment when we don't interact with (touch and talk), or at least think of (nearly incessantly), our little baby; the house and the packing and the preparing are all just distractions from what really matters most to us...
Apr 6, 2008
our caribbean vacation
It's been over a week since we came back home from St. Martin, but we are still very much living off of our Caribbean vacation. We had such a wonderful time; it was very much like the honeymoon we were dreaming of, yet it was also a special time for us to focus on the baby. We were not two, but three, the baby always a part of our thoughts and often our conversation, feeling it and talking to it.
Our apartment was very pleasant, bright, spacious, with a balcony overlooking the marina. We had breakfast on the balcony every morning, croissants or musli, juice and fresh fruit. Then we packed up some sandwiches, fruits, snacks, and water for the beach. Every day we explored a different beach; beautiful white silky sand and turquoise water. It felt so good to swim in the salty sea, being carried by the waves for a moment, the sun revitalizing us. We didn't bring any work; I brought a beautiful memoir and a journal, both gifts from Leighton for my birthday. I would read, write, look at the waves, soak in the sun, and rest.
And food tastes so good when you spend all day outside! We had fresh bread with cheese and tomatoes for lunch, and every day we'd go out for supper at a new restaurant. All the food was delicious. We had mahi mahi and tuna, duck and veal, monkfish and sirloin steak. My favorite was probably the monkfish in a mango vanilla sauce with basmati rice, sweet potato, and ratatouille. Leighton's was probably the sirloin steak. All meals came with savory sauces and tasteful sides of vegetables.
On my birthday we had lunch at the luxurious La Veranda before my appointment with Estelle at the equally luxurious spa; Leighton had made reservations for me to have a massage and a facial, a complete and most delightful surprise! He really does know how to make me happy. The massage was heavenly, I felt wonderfully spoiled and pampered, and my lunch--lightly sauteed scallops and shrimp on a bed of lettuce with tiny bits of lightly spiced and crunchy croutons, bits of pineapple, and cranberries in a creamy yet fresh, citrusy almost, dressing, all in a carved out pineapple--was simply exquisite. In the evening, we had dinner in Grand Case and here too Leighton arranged for a surprise; a chocolate dessert with sparklers brought out after our meal. Then the waitress gave us each a glass of champagne. It was a perfect birthday.
We had only one overcast day, and that day we went to Marigot, the French capital, walked around and browsed the market, picked up some fresh fruits, vegetables and local jam. Had we had another week on the island, we would also have liked to visit the Butterfly Farm, Paradise Peak, and Columbier Valley. Instead we visited most of the beaches on the French side and enjoyed the unhurried time together.
It was nice to come back to see most of the snow gone—until the snow storm during first day of work after break. Now the snow has melted again. We've enjoyed a mild weekend with lots of sunshine yesterday, spring rain washing around us today. Last night, I had a baby shower thrown for me, it was such a blast and I could barely sleep afterwards from all the excitement. I am so grateful to belong to such a great community of friends, and not just in town; I also received greetings and gifts from friends in Norway, Denmark, and even Korea! Thank you all for your tremendous support, kind words, and much appreciated contributions.
Our apartment was very pleasant, bright, spacious, with a balcony overlooking the marina. We had breakfast on the balcony every morning, croissants or musli, juice and fresh fruit. Then we packed up some sandwiches, fruits, snacks, and water for the beach. Every day we explored a different beach; beautiful white silky sand and turquoise water. It felt so good to swim in the salty sea, being carried by the waves for a moment, the sun revitalizing us. We didn't bring any work; I brought a beautiful memoir and a journal, both gifts from Leighton for my birthday. I would read, write, look at the waves, soak in the sun, and rest.
And food tastes so good when you spend all day outside! We had fresh bread with cheese and tomatoes for lunch, and every day we'd go out for supper at a new restaurant. All the food was delicious. We had mahi mahi and tuna, duck and veal, monkfish and sirloin steak. My favorite was probably the monkfish in a mango vanilla sauce with basmati rice, sweet potato, and ratatouille. Leighton's was probably the sirloin steak. All meals came with savory sauces and tasteful sides of vegetables.
On my birthday we had lunch at the luxurious La Veranda before my appointment with Estelle at the equally luxurious spa; Leighton had made reservations for me to have a massage and a facial, a complete and most delightful surprise! He really does know how to make me happy. The massage was heavenly, I felt wonderfully spoiled and pampered, and my lunch--lightly sauteed scallops and shrimp on a bed of lettuce with tiny bits of lightly spiced and crunchy croutons, bits of pineapple, and cranberries in a creamy yet fresh, citrusy almost, dressing, all in a carved out pineapple--was simply exquisite. In the evening, we had dinner in Grand Case and here too Leighton arranged for a surprise; a chocolate dessert with sparklers brought out after our meal. Then the waitress gave us each a glass of champagne. It was a perfect birthday.
We had only one overcast day, and that day we went to Marigot, the French capital, walked around and browsed the market, picked up some fresh fruits, vegetables and local jam. Had we had another week on the island, we would also have liked to visit the Butterfly Farm, Paradise Peak, and Columbier Valley. Instead we visited most of the beaches on the French side and enjoyed the unhurried time together.
It was nice to come back to see most of the snow gone—until the snow storm during first day of work after break. Now the snow has melted again. We've enjoyed a mild weekend with lots of sunshine yesterday, spring rain washing around us today. Last night, I had a baby shower thrown for me, it was such a blast and I could barely sleep afterwards from all the excitement. I am so grateful to belong to such a great community of friends, and not just in town; I also received greetings and gifts from friends in Norway, Denmark, and even Korea! Thank you all for your tremendous support, kind words, and much appreciated contributions.
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