Quiet day.

So today is a quiet day for Caesar and I. :)
Fredrik has a meeting today, starting at 13.00 for 5 hours! It is an administrative meeting in Uddevalla. They will go over some things like bonus stuff, vacation time, his pappa-leave, etc. And hopefully today he'll figure out if it is okay to be gone for so long during winter. And then there is a work dinner afterwards, so we're not sure when he will be getting home this evening.

They have finally decided on a work car, though. And it is bought. Now they just have to figure out how to transport it here. :)

One of my best friends from high school, Carie, has a guess about the sex of the baby. She looked at our ultrasound pictures and has a guess at what it is going to be. :) Everyone in the States is very interested in knowing if we have found out the sex of the baby or if we are going to wait. At our last ultrasound, it wasn't an option to find out the sex. It said at the bottom of our ultrasound information paper (about what they would be doing and looking for during the appointment) that "sex is not determined" during the session. :)

We're all for guesses from friends. :)

We're heading off to the summerhouse tomorrow.
After Fredrik gets home from work, we'll clean out the pellet burner (supposed to be done once a week), and then we'll pack up the cat and the car and get on our way. It is supposed to be sunny on Saturday, so we're hoping for some decent weather. We're only about 1 hour from the house now, so, it is a much nicer drive. :)

We need to get Caesar used to his cat box.. so we are going to start making him stay inside of the box for these trips. Once the baby comes, we can't have the cat walking around all over the car however he wants, so ... he needs to learn now.

My American friend, Sandy, in Ed, is having a BBQ party in the middle of July. So, we are trying to figure out if we can make it to that. It is a weekend event that she has had for a few years now. Lots of Americans show up from all over Sweden and she fixes boarding at the high school in Ed for everyone. So, it would be nice to meet some "new" people that I've had Internet contact with over the past 9 years. And I haven't seen Sandy and her daughter for a few years now, so we really might try to make it. :)

I've put myself on "mamma-leave" starting this week. ;)
I've been a little lazy and thanks to my parents, watching Season 1 & 2 of Six Feet Under (unarguably the best TV series ever made). The weather has been so boring, cold, and rainy, that it has been impossible to sit outside or even venture out to garden a little. Fredrik and I are extremely anxious for summer.

I'm sleeping an easy 10-11 hours a night. :) So, I am resting plenty and hopefully eating well. I've gained maybe 2 pounds I think! (~1 kilo) Which has to be the baby and all the "yummy" stuff surrounding him/her. :)

Lately it has been very quiet and boring around here. :) Not too much happening.

The very nice woman called from the baby store in town and we talked about the changing table we had ordered. She said the shipping cost from Denmark for the one piece of furniture was going to be around 1500 SEK (~200$)! Which is a little excessive. Especially considering she took about 700 sek off the original price of the changing table when we picked out which one we wanted, which puts the shipping cost not too much under the cost she is going to charge us for the table itself. So, we decided that it is very okay to wait until the end of summer for her to order anything, or until she gets more orders to make (if she orders for 9000 sek, then shipping is free (~1300$)).
It was a little confusing on the telephone, though ... she wanted to try to speak to me in English, but I was speaking to her in Swedish, and we both just kept getting very confused. :/ :)

Now I am going to try to munch on a little something. :)

Some good news.

We called our realtor last night, to see if she had gotten the contracts that we signed. (We've been having problems with our mail getting where it is supposed to be.) And she told us that the people moving in want to move in asap! So, that is good news! And it is super good news because that is one month less of avgift we have to pay! (Avgift = "rent." That is the closest word to translate it to - it is the monthly fee you have to pay when you live in a "rental." The cost covers property taxes and water in our case.) But we are very happy and excited that that is almost all taken care of!

We called the realtor because our "landlord" e-mailed us yesterday and asked if we had sold the place yet because several people had been coming around asking if it was still for sale and they were very interested. So, nice of him to keep us informed. :)

I also started checking flights for December. Looks like we are looking at dates anytime around or between December 10th-January 10th (we're trying to not fly around the holidays - cheaper that way). The flight is going to be a bit less than we were expecting, so that is some good news, too. Fredrik is going to check with his boss today to make sure that it won't be a problem to be gone for so long. It will be during the holidays, so things will be a little slower, and then he'll take his pappa-leave for the rest of the time. I'm only required to take 60 days of the allotted time for the both of us for work-leave (each parent has to take 60 days - the rest of the time can be divided as wanted), so he can take all the rest.

So, things are finally winding down and getting settled and planned. And finally Fredrik will have his first week (this week) of uninterrupted work, with no classes or baby-appointments. :)

Baby shopping!

Fredrik and I wanted to buy some things from the US that we really wanted to have for the Baby. So, this is what we ordered. :)


A set of 5 different types of thermometers, including a pacifier and ear thermometer. A toy that is probably in every American household, a little toy piano, with only 4 keys. And probably the softest blanket that I've ever touched.


We ordered a changing pad, which is double the length of Swedish changing pads. So, this was a must-have! And a soft, green changing pad cover, to change and wash for those very messy occasions. :) And a baby healthcare-kit. For clipping finger nails, and giving medicine, etc.

This outfit set was just too adorable.












A little baby robe. :D And a matching hooded towel.








A large diaper sack. For carrying around all those essentials: bottles, diapers, and extra clothes.



We couldn't find a Swedish bathtub that we liked, so we ordered this one. It collapses, so that it becomes much smaller, for easier storage. And it has a support, and a soft sponge to rest the baby on, and a cup for pouring water and a wash cloth.


A set of three bibs that are almost too cute and nice to use and become dirty. And a set of 6 wash cloths for bath time.

21st Week of Pregnancy

How big is your baby?
Your baby has grown to 8 ½ inches long and weighs 12 ounces.

What is happening with your baby?
Your baby’s eyelids have finished forming this week, and he/she is very busy moving around and swallowing amniotic fluid. You most likely have felt your baby move by this time and have realized that he/she is not necessarily on the same schedule that you are. As your baby swallows amniotic fluid, his/her digestive tract is continuing to mature. Your baby is also receiving some of the caloric intake from the amniotic fluid. If your baby is a little girl, then her vagina has fully formed but will continue to develop until her birth.

Beautiful Day!

What a beautiful day yesterday. The sun was shining (the first time since the weekend we moved in!). We grilled and had a very yummy dinner. Made me very anxious for next summer. :) A little one starting to walk, crawling around in the yard. My parents here for 2 months, enjoying the weather and the BBQ. :) I'm sad that it is so far away, but I have a feeling the next year will go by extremely quickly.

We bought some shelves yesterday for the basement, and we assembled them today. It looks great, and it is really helping us to straighten up in the basement. The floor is so uneven, that it is has been difficult to situate them, but we worked it out, I believe. :)










And Caesar enjoyed today by chasing a neighbor kitten around our yard. They had a staring contest for a very long time, and then they decided to get closer to each other, and the kitten started hissing and making awful noises, and Caesar just sat there, looking around, as if nothing. And finally Caesar got tired of the noises, we are guessing, and he started running at the kitten, and the small cat jumped and ran. The kitten keeps staring at him and following him around our yard. Which is strange, because he doesn't seem like he wants to make friends, but Caesar is willing, of course, and behaves rather friendly.

A few pictures of Caesar enjoying the nice weather earlier today (he's laying behind the deck, on the ledge that is the small "cliff" down the hill):





























We are over the half-way hump. :) The first 3 months dragged, but these last 2 seemed to go by rather quickly. I wouldn't really mind if the next 4 go by quickly, too. :)

I am officially done with school for this term! Very happy to be done.
My medicine teacher sent me a very sweet e-mail today and wished me lots of luck for the future and gave me my grade: VG. :)

Now the Quiche is done! Time for dinner. :P

Galloping horses.

We can hear the baby. :)

We used the listening monitor thing, and it was pretty neat. :)

There isn't too many other noises, but the heartbeat sounded just like it said in the manual, like galloping horses. :) (With a heart rate of 120-180 beats per minute - I suppose it should sound like that.) :)

Now we can listen to the baby and check on him/her whenever we want to. :)

Presents from Mormor & Morfar.

We received some baby presents in the mail from my parents.. And I think they are going baby shopping again today with some friends. :)


Two adorable bibs, a frog-prince rattle (that I love!), and a swaddle blanket. The swaddle blankets are really big in the States now. The blanket wraps the baby up nice and snug. :)


This is a baby heart monitor! :) It listens to the sounds in the womb, like heartbeat, hiccups, etc. It is most effective during the 3rd trimester, but we are going to get a battery for it and try it as soon as we can. :) You can listen to the sounds and record them.



An extremely soft outfit! It says "Baby's 1st Christmas" under the penguin. :)















A cute Easter outfit! I love the little eggs on the butt. :)






And my parents sent this beautiful figure! I love it. :) Very simple but very beautiful.

I found him!

I found Caesar's hiding spot! I was trying to go through some of the baby's stuff in the baby's room and ... I heard something move, and the cat was laying on the bed in there, under and btwn lots of stuff. No surprise really that he would be in there, so many places to hid with all the baby stuff.

It is almost annoying actually, we don't even have the child yet and there is already baby stuff scattered all over the house. :/ :)))




























My studievägledare (ehhh.. such a horrible word to translate into English, we don't really have a word for it.. "education student counsellor" is the best that I can do.. :/) called me at 8 this morning. For some reason, they (the adminstration at the school) didn't think I had continued my classes and one of my teachers (of the 3 I had left) told someone that i quit and moved ... and so there were some problems. But she called me this morning (after a few other phone calls back and forth), and it seems like she is actually getting it straightened out. She wanted to make sure that I get the right money from the government for going to school, even though it is so very little money. I told her that I didn't really care about that, but more about receiving grades for the classes! Especially since I've worked so hard on them (especially the medicine class).

I've finished my computer stuff. I just need to mail something to her that needed to be printed out. Was going to do that yesterday, but we couldn't find not even one envelope, so I'll put that out sometime this afternoon. And I have only 1 assignment left to turn in now for the medicine class. I've been working on that nonstop. Not having the Internet for 3 weeks really put a damper on trying to look up valuable information on the Net. But I'm getting close to the end with everything. (I really wanna finish it by today!)

I've been thinking about school after summer. I don't think I will be trying to study after summer. It will only be a month or two before the baby comes, and then to stop in the middle of a class feels a little pointless. But I've been thinking about going back in January. Talk to the.. education counsellor here and take whatever they offer as distance classes, so that I don't have to worry about going and sitting in class during the day, which I wouldn't be able to do with the little one at home. ;) But I think it would be good for me to have a little something to do. :) It will be winter and we'll be inside a lot.. And I do things better if I have plenty to do. If I have more of a schedule and obligations to keep. Not sure how many classes they offer here as distance classes, so we'll have to see.

Blah, blah, blah.. :)

In the evening yesterday before I headed off to bed, I asked Fredrik if he still thought it was going to be a little girl, and he squinted his eyes and turned his head, and I said that I was having second thoughts now, too. :/ :) So, now we are sorta up in the air about it. We were both determined it was a girl, but now we don't really know. :) Not sure if we are thinking it will be a boy, but it is definately more around a 50-50 thinking. :)
140 more days until we find out........ :/ :))

Ultrasound Pictures.

Click for larger view!

No worries. :)

We just got home about 30 minutes ago.

The drive to the hospital is sooo far.. :/ It took a good hour and 15 minutes.. :/ Not going to be fun to drive that during labor. :/ Not like it is a highway - it is a small two-lane road.. :/

But we got there okay and it was easy to find where we needed to go. And it was very, very crowded.

We met the ultrasound person and she was really nice. She started looking at the baby and said right away that the head looked great. And Fredrik asked if all the parts were there.. :))

I had him ask about the toxoplasmosis and she asked how long we've had the cat and he said about 5 years almost, and she said that it isn't a problem, nothing to worry about and said that I can hug him and she went on as if it was nothing, ooohing and ahhing about how much the baby was moving. :) So, that was sorta a nice relaxing breath after that. :)

So, even if we had worries, there is no reason to worry. :)

We received 5 pictures! :) We'll try to get those on here. :)
The baby looked great, though! :) Everything was clearly visible. Could see all the arms and legs and the spine and ribs, and the heartbeat. :)

And she measured the head and the femur, and the stomache. And the dating was btwn 19 weeks and 2 days to 19 weeks and 5 days. So, her guess was that the baby should be due around October 16th. (19 weeks and 5 days would still put us exactly at October 13th.) So, we'll see when the Little One decides to make an appearance. :)

After our long drive back, we stopped at the ONE baby store "in town." It is a bit outside of town (to the north), btwn Åmål and Säffle. It is a very, very privately owned little store in someone's garage. :)) But they were super excited to have some customers there (we're figuring ppl mostly just order off the Internet from them). And we bought a crib! :) We finally saw one that we really liked, so we got that. :) It was difficult getting it up the stairs, but it is nice having it already. :) And then we went ahead and ordered a changing table that matches. And we're thinking about ordering the closet that also goes with it, but we're waiting on that one. :)

Here is what we bought/ordered:

A small picture of the changing table, I know, but it was the best I could do. She will order it tomorrow, and it will show up in a week or so. They are from Denmark. We are extremely pleased with them. :)

And it was fun to see the baby. :) To actually see all the moving and not just feel it. :/ :)

Fredrik is out mowing now, trying to mow before it rains again. (Difficult to keep the yard mowed btwn the rain, it is raining all the time.) And I need to spend this evening trying to finish up my school work.

I'll try to get pictures on soon!

Ultrasound & Toxoplasmosis

So, we have our ultrasound appointment today! Nervous and excited about that! :)

Fredrik called the Midwife today to change our appointment, new appointment is June 11th. And he told her some worries about the toxoplasmosis.

The Midwife then called me a little later and she said she called the doctor and they decided they would do a test on me. (Probably if anything, to ease some worries.) If the test is negative, then it means I haven't had it, nor do I have the antibodies for it. If the test is positive, then that tells absolutely nothing. If it is positive, then it means I could have contracted it within the last 5 months, or 3 years ago ... only that I have the antibodies for it.

But she had told Fredrik that we can talk to the ultrasound technician today, and they could maybe give us more information than any blood test can do. Which makes me a little more nervous for the appointment today. :/ :))

I'm not really worried that I have had it within the last 5 months ... I think more annoyed that a test can't show anything. I'm figuring with Caesar's bad hygiene (his long hair that gets poop stuck in it all the time that we've always had to keep clean) would have made me immune a long time ago.

But it still isn't fun thinking or wondering that something could be wrong..
If I contracted it during the beginning of the pregnancy there is only a 15% chance the baby would have gotten it, but a higher chance for birth defects. And as the pregnancy goes on, it is a higher chance the baby will get it, but a lower chance for birth defects. (But of course the time when I am worried about is the first couple of weeks of pregnancy - I had some swollen lymph nodes under my left ear, and then a very red rash showed up on my neck right afterwards, which can be a symptom of toxoplasmosis. But the swollen lymph nodes could have been because I had re-pierced my left ear on my own, and it really hadn't healed, because the swelling went away right after I took the earing out and left it out. Which doesn't leave an explaination for the red rash - but I get rashes all the time with my sensitive skin anyways.)

But there is still only a 1 in 10,000 chance that toxoplasmosis can cause a serious birth defect.

Ehhh.. :)

Presents from Farmor & Farfar.

Some hats during winter to keep the Munchkin's head nice and warm. :)



And an adorable Winnie the Pooh, long-sleeved outfit and a matching blanket. So sweet!

20th Week of Pregnancy

How big is your baby?
Up until this point your baby’s length was measured from the crown of their head to the bottom of their rear end. Now your baby’s length is measured from crown to heel. Your baby is about 8 inches long (20 cm) and weighs 9 ounces (~250 g).

What is happening with your baby?
Your baby is covered in a white substance called vernix caseosa. This substance helps protect your baby’s skin from becoming irritated while submersed in amniotic fluid, and it also aids the baby's passage through the birth canal during labor.
Your baby is beginning to produce meconium, a dark green or black sticky substance that constitutes a baby’s first messy diaper. A few babies pass meconium while in the uterus or during labor. Meconium consists of cell loss, amniotic fluid that has been swallowed, and digestive secretions.

Final Name Decision.

I think we have come to a final name decision. :)
(Or we did a little while ago, but I'm finally getting around to putting it on here.)

Sebastian Fredrik
-or-
Freja Magdalena


So, what do you think?

A few more pictures.

The moving guys were great! Very friendly and very, very talkative. :) And they were both in-love with our car. :))





Farmor getting rid of some weeds.







Farfar checking out where we could install an antenna.







A closer view. :)








Fredrik raking after Farfar mowed the lawn.

Caesar's first peek around the house.







This is his favorite place to sit. He sits in the stairs and watches the front lawn. It is really sweet to see his little face in the window when coming home. :)



Playing on the rocks in the yard .. we kept wondering why he kept trying to dig between the rocks - and there are bird's nests in there ... so.. :) That is why.



His first time in the bathtub (with the water on).







He was content until we stopped the drain, and then he got out as quickly as he could. :)

Extremely nosy cat.. :/

It is no question as to who got into the tomato juice....

Flutters.

So, the baby is moving around a lot lately. :) Some times (most of the time), everything is very calm, but then the baby wakes up and is all over the place. :/ :))

So, I walked to my appointment today and gave blood. Asked her about a toxoplasmosis test, and she said they don't do them, but that she would ask the rotating doctor (that stops by 2 times a month) if he thinks I should be tested. When I described how the cat is (bad hygien and clingy and that we've had him for awhile), she said she would think I would be immune already (which would make the baby immune). But there is always the chance of getting infected during pregnancy, and toxoplasmosis can cause birth defects ... so it is something I want to be careful with. So, we'll see how that goes.

And she informed me that I have to be tested for TB!! :/ :) She said all immigrants, regardless of where they are from, have to be tested. She said that it would be done after week 28.

We scheduled our next midwife meeting, and she definately wants Fredrik there, because she was going to go over some important stuff for us. But I think the date is bad, because he is going to be in Karlstad for something, so we will have to change the date.

And I still love her. :) She is so cheerful and laughs and isn't uptight at all (like my first midwife in Nyköping).

And we've received lots of presents from Mormor and Morfar. :) I'll try to get some pictures on here soon. Fredrik and I also bought lots of stuff for the baby that has finally shown up, too. And in the box from Mormor and Morfar, I finally have some mommypants that fit well. :) They are still a little big, but I am so happy to have them. :) (Strange that I would need a pants size 2 sizes smaller than before I got pregnant ?!?!?!)

I got home from the midwife, and I layed down on the couch and fell asleep, and didn't wake up until Fredrik called on his way home! So, I slept for about 5 hours.. ! I must have really needed the sleep. Which was a little bad, because I really need to finish up my school work. :/ And I just completely slept the day away.

Fredrik will be in Karlstad the next 2 days for classes, but luckily it is so close to home that he will be able to come home in the afternoon.

Caesar has been peeing in the bathtub.. ?
Not sure why he is doing it ... confused, angry, stressed, all of the above?
And he has found some amazing hiding spot in the house that we can not find him ...

Very amazing with the baby moving around. :) Some times it is little, short feelings and other times it is a longer feeling (maybe somersaults "kullerbyttor"). :))

Yesterday I started looking for all the forms we have to have to register the baby's birth with the U.S. Embassy. It will cost over 2500 SEK (~400 $) for everything! A little excessive I think. :/ We will have to go in person to the interview in Stockholm. We'll register the birth, apply for a Social Security Number (personnummer) and apply for an American Passport. There are about 50 forms to fill out and none of course can be signed before the official interview. And we'll have to go right after the baby is born.. :/ not sure how long it will take to process everything, since the baby is due in the middle of October, and we might be leaving around the beginning of December). And I have to take so many forms to prove that I am a US citizen and that we are the parents, etc ... This will be a little bit of a headache. :/ :)

We are hoping to stay 3-4 weeks when we go. We have lots of family to visit. :) (And we have to push my parents into their unsurity of moving to Florida.) ;) Fredrik will be very thin with work in the winter, and he can take plenty of pappaleave time. So, we are hoping to get our money's worth from the flight and stay as long as we can. (The flights from Stockholm to Cleveland cost on average 14 000 - 16 000 SEK (~2,000+ $.) I've already talked to people and found good procedures for packing up the stroller for the flight over. A babybjörn will do fine for the airports and on the plane. Most airlines offer a bassinet and sit you in the bulk-seating. So, we will try to fix that ahead of time. Very anxious and excited to go the States. :)

I'll try to add some more pictures tomorrow. And try to get to the end of my school work (now it is microorganisms - such fun!). ;)

More soon!

Week 20

The fetus measures about 5.6 to 6.4 inches (~15 cm) from crown to rump and weighs about 9 ounces (~250 g). Your baby can hear sounds by now -- your voice, heart and your stomach growling, as well as sounds outside your body. It will cover its ears with its hands if a loud sound is made near you, and it may even become startled and "jump." The baby is moving often, too -- twisting, turning, wiggling, punching and kicking.

A few pictures of our new home.

Entrance hallway towards the office and livingroom.











Entrance looking outside the house.











Downstairs bathroom.











Diningroom.











Livingroom fireplace.











Kitchen.









Kitchen.











Small diningroom.











Deck.









Upstairs looking down.








Front of the house.









Side of the house and the deck.








That is plenty for now. :P