On the 4th day after christmas..... my true love said to me.....

.... have your waters broken?? Not yet.... 10 days to go.

We had Kåre, Dagrun and Kristoffer here for christmas. There wasn´t enough room around the tree for all the presents of course..... in fact, there wasn´t enough room in the house. Milly´s new kitchen was down in the shed, and our new lamp (courtesy of K & D) was out in the car. This almost fully functioning kitchen took 3 days to build..... but Milly thinks it was worth it!!

Opening presents was a long and arduous process.... particularly as we opened some lego first which was really interesting to play with....

Altogether around the tree on christmas eve..... and further below, Milly mistakes me for a tree and starts decorating me....

Today was "Nisse-fest" at kindergarten. Milly was well prepared this morning.... dress, hat and rosy red cheeks!! It was also Grampy´s birthday.... so we all web-cammed together tonight. Still a bit more preapration to do for christmas... but we´re getting there.

Oh Christmas tree....

We decided beforehand that this year the tree would be discreet.... and once again that went out of the window when we actually completed the purchase. Still, you only have a tree in the house once a year.... and now I´ve done my bit.... it is standing up and the lights are on.... over to you wifey.....

Facebook....

For blog followers.... this is the only place you will get full details of forthcoming events. We will try and indicate when updates take place on FB, but in our house the blog rules.

Marit and the "Wriggler" have been for a check up today.... the 2 of them will stop work on Friday..... and that's it for Mamma work-wise until next December!! That is of course if you don't count looking after a new born and the demands of Milly the elf as work :-)

The Christmas spirit begins to build

Father Christmas has employed a new elf....

Sunday was pepperkaker (gingerbread biscuit) making day. We all had a bit of a go and as usual they tasted fantastic....

Milly was her usual helpful self.... generally eating the dough and singing christmas songs.

Time to reinvigorate the blog. Christmas is a coming..... and there are only 35 days (ish) until the "Lille Baby" is due to arrive.

So here we go......

.... we left the story in June. We celebrated the wedding of Mats and Rita later in the month in Oslo which was a really nice day.

In July we took our holidays in Spain, followed by England and Wales. The holiday was overshadowed by the events taking place in Oslo whilst we were away.

We came back to the grim summer weather. In August we went for an ultra sound and discovered that we'll be having another daughter.

In September the weather finally perked up a little bit and work finally began on the garden. It continued into October..... and we're very happy with the progress. Maybe next summer we'll be able to enjoy the garden rather than work in it.

In November we took the pre-christmas trip to England.

.... and here we are at the beginning of December!!

Arctanderbyen anniversary

On 18th June we had a celebration for the 100 years anniversary of Acrtanderbyen.... the little area in which we live. The 2 streets, consiting of 56 houses, is the first hageby (the english translation would probably be "town houses with gardens") in Oslo. There was a parade, with a horse and cart, followed by speeches, kids games, and then alfresco food. Fortunately the weather held for the day and it was a very nice street party..... got to meet a few people we hadn´t spoken to before.

Milly's birthday

2 years..... where has it gone. Doesn't seem possible that the little bundle that only weighed 3.8 kilos now makes your arm ache if you carry her for 5 minutes. We had a pre birthday celebration on the 13th..... with Kim and Kristin.... and Rune, Linda and Cornelia. Was a very nice afternoon..... Milly scoffed a large piece of carrot cake and generally made the most of a relaxing on the "sweets" embargo.

On her actual birthday she received a very warm welcome from everyone.... particularly Ollie, Herman and Jenny. She had a nice crown..... and mamma had provided so lovely cup cakes.
Bestefar and Bestemor came to visit in the afternoon, together with Turid and Lars. More cake!!
Birthday presents:
3 wheel bike, Inflatable bouncy cow, Digger, Push chair and other accessories for baby, hand made cup, plate and dish, bird sound book, Pop-up princess book, trouser suit, fishing game, crayons and colouring book, turtle money box (smashed after about 20 minutes), little suit case, and a top.

Party....

At the end of May we had a significant birthday in the family..... I will say no more than that. The party at Vålerenga bydelshus went really well. The Hubys, the McVickers and 1 of the Mansers made it over from England, together with the Tomlins from Stavanger and plenty of others from closer to home. Milly missed out, but Charlotte got well into the party spirit. The day after the party the girls did get together for a play.....

17th May

Bestemor made sure that the next generation was properly dressed on Norway´s national day....

The Big Apple

More from the NY trip.... Stayed in a super place on 27th Street. We had a big family room to cope with The "Besters" and the 3 of us.

Apart from 1 day we had great weather. Milly particularly liked: the subway, the buses, the play park..... and wearing skinny jeans and converse boots.

Kåre and Dagrun went to the Statue of Liberty, a Broadway Show, the Empire State Building, the Guggenheim.... and got a real taste of the US for the first time.

Marit and I did our normal wandering about in Soho, Greenwich etc..... New York is always a great place to visit, and already looking forward to the next time.

9 months in a nutshell (part 4)

As requested a long time ago, here is an update on the house. By the end of 2010 we had a new facade, new windows, a new front door, a new terrace.... but the same half finished garden!! (as you might notice in the picture, the fence faired badly during the winter..... losing an argument with a snow plough!!). So far this year we have got a little bit further but not far enough! Milly loves being outside so the pressure is on to get finished in the next couple of months.

Anyone looking for a spot of "gardening therapy" this summer.... please get in touch, we can certainly provide whatever you need.

9 months in a nutshell (Part 3)

Babysitters......

Bestemor and Bestefar come top of the league tables when it comes to babysitting time. Milly has been for a couple of trips to Hamar on her own..... and reports are that she always behaves herself :-) Next winter, Bestefar has the unenviable task of getting Milly on to skis for the first time. She really seemed to like being out in the snow this winter.

Kristoffer.... or "Okko".... as he is known in our house, usually together with Navdeep have been regulars..... with Kim and Kristin, and Turid, also chipping in. Thanks to all those that have helped out.

9 months is a nutshell (Part 2)

Travel......... Milly has always (he says touching wood feverishly) been a good traveller. She is slightly more challenging at airports that she used to be, mainly because of her tendancy to want to explore. Quite tiring if you're the one chasing after her.

Trips since autumn:

England in October 2010.........

Pre Christmas trip to England.... December 2010. Grampy had a new knee and was temporarily up on his feet. Unfortunately, bad luck struck again at the end of December..... but Grampy is now hopefully over all the bad luck and on the way back to full fitness.

Marit / Andrew's weekend in London..... Milly's weekend in Bedford. After a false start in February we had a trip to England in March 2011. Milly stayed with the Mansers whilst Mamma and Daddy had a break in London. Everyone had a great time...... so that's something we'll definitely be doing again.

New York, May 2011........
Milly's first long haul flight...... went really well. She loved the Big Apple...... the noise, the play parks, the shopping (!!). Different experience for us, but pleasantly surprised by the way "kid friendli-ness of America..... everyone was so helpful and happy.

9 months in a nutshell (part 1)

As it's been so long since the last entry in the blog, this is going to be a very quick, pictorial update of the last 9 months or so..........




Milly is now a walking, talking little girl. She likes: being outside, Timmy Time, eating strawberries, flying, shoes, being tickled, having a bath, going to kindergarten..... She dislikes: eating anything green, going to bed, having a shower, listening to her dad.