B-Cool with B-Fuel!!

Dear Elzora,
As I said in my last post, the three have us have been at home together for the last 2 weeks. It has been so nice to just relax and enjoy our little family. We didn't really do much, because we are saving up for our trip to Michigan on August 17th.

Today daddy went back to work. He has two weeks left at his current job and then he starts at H&M after our trip to the US. Mommy has been carefully studying the new H&M catalog so that I'm ready to shop when we get our H&M Club card!

We actually spent much of the last 2 weeks at the Volvo dealership here in Ulricehamn trying to make a decision on which new car to purchase. We need a bigger car and we want something environmentally friendly since daddy may be driving to Borås a few days every week starting in September.

We decided on black Volvo v70 b-fuel ride. We're so in love with it, and we aren't even getting it until August 12th. I am really happy that we went for the biogas vehicle. We were considering an ethanol vehicle, but after doing my own research, I feel that biogas is the better choice for our family. When we took the car for a test drive your daddy said "I just feel so good in my heart!"
I knew at that moment this was the car for our family.

Here is some information on b-fuel (biogas) and ethanol use here in Sweden.

Svensk Biogas
The Swedish Biogas Success Story
FordonsGas
Sustainable Ethanol Deal for Sweden and Brazil

Love,

Mommy

Hairlarious

Dear Elzora,
I promised myself that I would not become one of those mothers who puts the little pony tail on top of her baby's head when the poor child has like 10 hairs. Well, yesterday I broke that promise.

Tomorrow papa goes back to work. He's been home for 2 weeks on vacation. It has been extremely warm and the 3 of us have just been taking it easy and enjoying the lovely Swedish summer weather.

Your super powers are starting to reveal themselves. Did I tell you I was electrocuted while I was pregnant? I'll write more about it tomorrow when daddy goes back to work.

I love you, Elzora.

Love,
Mommy

Get Up, Stand Up!

Dear Elzora,
Just a short update to let you know that on the afternoon of July 19th, 2008 you stood up on your own for the very first time. You were in the caravan in Varberg and you were leaning over on papa and you stood up to clap your hands. I almost can't believe that it really happened. Everyday with you is more and more exciting and interesting. You are the coolest, chica!
Love,
Mommy

Elzora Longstocking

Dear Elzora,
Maybe it's something in the water? I don't know, but you are definitely starting to identify with the Swedish culture.

Actually when this picture was taken you were tired as hell, had food all over you and were completely uninterested in having a wig on your head. But, as always, you were a good sport about the whole thing.

Not much is happening on this quiet Monday morning. Dad is at work, you are asleep and I'm having a hard time waking up. Our new neighbors moved in, Susanne and Erika, and they are so nice. They are expecting a baby on September 19th, so soon you will have a new little friend. Mommy is very excited.

You were due to be born on September 23rd of last year (I'm sure that I've already mentioned this in a previous entry), but you weren't born until October 9th. Hopefully the little one next door won't wait so long to make her/his appearance.

You just woke up!!

Love,
Mommy

E.L.C.K.

Dear Elzora Liisa Corazón Karlsson,
When we decided on your name we didn't even realize that your initials kind of spell the word "ELK." This is funny considering mommy's nickname was Moose when she was little. My grandmother, Norma Mac Killop, even had a customized book order for me titled "Moose Mac Killop's Adventure in Mother Goose Land." Maybe we will find it at your grandma's house, my mom, when we go to Michigan in August.
A guy named Bill Hale, gave me the name because my head was so big compared to the rest of my body.

One time Auntie Liisa told McKenna that she looked like a baby moose and McKenna started crying and didn't like Liisa for many years until she brought Uncle Jeremy over to the Channing house. Well, at least that's how the story goes.

Daddy has been talking about getting some new tattoos. I told him that it would be really cool to get a tattoo of your initials across his back with large protruding antlers coming out from the "E" and the "K." Today when I was looking up "corazón" images on Google, I found the image I have attached to this blog entry. It's titled "corazon y alce." I love that it incorporates both the corazón and the deer imagery. It's perfect.

I looked up "alce", because I didn't know what it meant. One source, THEOI Greek Mythology's Encylopedia of Greek Gods, Spirits and Monsters, says it means "The female personification of strength." Isn't that like the coolest?

BTW, your Auntie Christine came up with the name Corazón, because mommy's heart was beating so hard when I was pregnant with you. And mommy wanted to honor Christine, because she was so supportive during my pregnancy and even more supportive of my move to Sweden to be with daddy. The same is true for Auntie Liisa and that's why you have the name "Liisa."

As for the Elzora part of your name, my mother's mother's mother was named "Ione Elsora." I wanted you to have the same name, but I like the letter "Z" better than the letter "S" so I changed it. The name is Basque in origin and very, very beautiful to say.

Obviously you got the last name "Karlsson" from your papa, and I think that's a very beautiful name, too.

I love you.

Love,

Mommy

PS I've lived in Sweden for 1 year and 7 months and I have never seen a moose.

Two Days After a Funeral

Dear Elzora,
I know, not a happy title for a blog entry. But it's been 2 days since mommy and daddy attended Donald's funeral and I don't really know what to say other than it was really sad. The hardest part of the day was not saying goodbye to Donald, I barely knew him. The hardest part was seeing the people I love consumed by grief and an overwhelming sense of loss.

I read this poem again the other day for the first time and it just fit. So I'm including it in this letter to you. It's a translation of the poem 'Lyudi' that was written by Yevgeny Yevtushenko, the Russian poet in 1961. The translation was done by Peter Levi, S.J. and Robin Milner-Gulland and it was published by Penguin Books for the first time in 1962.


People

No people are uninteresting.
Their fate is like the chronicle of planets.

Nothing in them is not particular,
and planet is dissimilar from planet.

And if a man lived in obscurity
making his friends in that obscurity
obscurity is not uninteresting.

To each his world is private,
and in that world one excellent minute.

And in that world one tragic minute.
These are private.

In any man who dies there dies with him
his first snow and kiss and fight.
It goes with him.

They are left books and bridges
and painted canvas and machinery.

Whose fate is to survive.
But what has gone is also not nothing:

by the rule of the game something has gone.
Not people die but worlds die in them.

Whom we knew as faulty, the earth's creatures.
Of whom, essentially, what did we know?

Brother of a brother? Friend of friends?
Lover of lover?

We who knew our fathers
in everything, in nothing.

They perish. They cannot be brought back.
The secret words are not regenerated.

And every time again and again
I make my lament against destruction.

-- Yevgeny Yevtushenko (1961)

I purchased this collection of Yevtushenko poetry in a place called "The Bookwork" in Roscommon, Michigan for 63 cents. To me it's invaluable.

I love you Elzora!!
BTW, you are 9 months old today.

Love,

Mommy

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag!

Dear Elzora,
That's right. Papa does have a brand new bag! And hopefully mama will have some new bags too, because daddy just got a job at H&M in Borås as a testing leader. Not only will it give daddy new challenges and more money, but it will also give us 25% off at all H&M boutiques worldwide.

Papa will start his new job on September 2nd, just two days after we get back from Michigan. We are very excited.

Congratulations, Papa Andreas!!
Your girls are so very proud of you.

Love,
Mommy

Spider Monkey

Dear Elzora,
You started crawling for the first time today.
We are so proud of you. You are our little spider monkey!
Love,
Mommy

First Friends

Dear Elzora,
These are pictures of your very first friends here in Sweden. Rebecca (Becca) and Wilgot are next to you in the picture where you and Wilgot appear to be dancing. Ludwig and Jesper are the little boys pictured separately.

Becca Baby, as we like to call her, is the daughter of our very close friends Jessica and Kribban. Her other nickname is "Baby Jesus" because she was due to born at Christmastime last year.

Wilgot is the son of Anneli and Ulrik. They live on farmor and farfar's street in Timmele. Anneli teaches English and has been very kind to mommy by helping her with her Swedish lessons and by being a very good friend. Wilgot decided to be born earlier than anticipated, but he is growing up just as big and strong as the other members of your little baby posse.

We met Jesper and Ludwig at baby swim. Their moms, Anita and Anna-Karin, are friends of mommy's. Anna-Karin was a dive instructor in Cyprus and her English is fantastic. Anita has 3 other children, so she is the expert when it comes to raising kids.

Rebbeca and Wilgot are a few months younger than you and Jesper and Ludwig are a month older. When you are with the little ones, we have to be careful because you just love them and want to touch them and crawl on them and play with them.
Jesper and Ludwig love playing with you. With those two you are just one of the guys!

I'm so looking forward to having your friends over for movie nights, parties and play dates.
I hope that our home is a place where your friends will feel comfortable. I think we are going to have a lot of fun. And we already have Wii and PlayStation!!

You are pulling at my shirt, so I better get off of the computer and pay attention to you.

Love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday, Siri!

Dear Elzora,
Yesterday we went to a birthday party for our dear little Siri Luhao Wallin. Your extra special cousin is turning 3 years old on July 2nd and her mom and dad gave her a super fun birthday party to celebrate her special day.

Siri got all kinds of cool gifts. She loves horses so we got her some sweet little horses to play with and also a a charm bracelet with a July birthstone charm. She liked her gifts very much and was very excited. She also got a toy vacuum as a gift that I think was definitely one of her favorites, and the fake vacuum noise could be heard throughout the entire party. She is definitely a girl that likes to stay busy.

Siri is your extra special cousin because she came to us all the way from China. We love her very much. Siri is also mommy and daddy's god daughter. We are very proud of her. She is a strong little girl who loves life and brings a lot of happiness into our hearts.
I know you two will be very close.

This weekend was actually a very busy one. In addition to attending Siri's party on Sunday, on Friday night mommy and daddy and Auntie Linda and Uncle Morgan went to a pre-party for Rosemarie's 40th birthday next year. It was really fun and mommy and daddy had a chance to dance together for the first time. You and Siri stayed with farmor and farfar. I think that you had a lot of fun. Mommy and daddy had too much fun, but it was definitely worth it.

On Saturday the entire Karlsson clan attended Johanna's confirmation. It felt like a coming of age celebration more than a religious rite of passage and that's pretty cool. Obviously it is a tradition in the family. If you choose to be confirmed we will have a party for you, and if you don't, we will still have a party!!

You have learned to shake your head back and forth, but you can't nod your head. So you are currently saying no to everything. I think that you are about to clearly say your first word. I wonder what it will be. The strange thing is that sometimes you will hear a word and it sounds like you repeat the word, but you only say it once and then you make some other crazy baby sound. It's almost like you are teasing us. I love it!

Spain won the UEFA European Football Championship. Congratulations Spain!

And Happy Happy Birthday, Siri!

Love,

Mommy

PS In this picture Siri is wearing all of Mommy's necklaces.

Dear Elzora,
I have a confession to make. I love clothes and fashion. I love perfume and make-up and beauty products and purses. I also love jewelry, especially gold and diamonds (real or fake).

Every day at 4pm you and I sit together and watch re-runs of Project Runway. Today my favorite designer is Vivienne Westwood but it could change tomorrow. As Heidi Klum says "In the fashion world one day you're in and the next day you're out."
Last week VW had a show in Milan and used and very unique model.
I LOVE IT!

Don't worry, we may not have enough money to buy couture, but we will always be in style!

Love you,

Mommy

Trevlig Midsommar!

Dear Elzora,
We just returned from a fantastic Midsummer celebration with daddy, farmor and farfar at the sea. You enjoyed the celebration very much and tasted your first Swedish strawberries and even sampled some sill. Farmor Bojan and farfar Bengt made you a midsommarkrans to wear and amazingly you kept it on your head for quite a while. You were a little too small to dance around the midsommarstång but farfar held you and you loved watching the other children sing and dance.

Of course we were all thinking of Donald, but we turned our our thoughts of sadness to thoughts of celebration and raised our glasses to Donald. On the drive to Varberg, daddy played songs that reminded him of his uncle and we had a nice ride to the caravan. The weather was rainy but we had our little sunshine girl, Elzora!

During the trip mom was able to finish the first book of fiction she has read since you were born, Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. It was a gift from Auntie Liisa. She bought it for mommy when we visited Monterey, California. It will be in the library and you can read it when you are older. I fell in love with the characters and I'm sure that you will, too. It was wonderful to take the time to indulge in reading such a wonderfully written book.

Over the weekend you started making a clicking sound with your tongue.
You are very proud of yourself and I'm proud of you, too.

We got our tickets for Michigan. We are going to be in town for Ruby Stirling's first birthday.
Mommy is counting the days.

Love,

Mommy

We Will Miss You, Donald!

Dear Elzora,

Today is a sad day. Your farmor's brother, Donald, passed away at 12:15am this morning. He was 48 and the father of Max and Anton, daddy's cousins. Daddy is also Anton's god father, so I guess that kind of makes him your god brother, but you'll have to ask daddy because mommy doesn't know too much about these things.

He will be missed very, very much. I don't know much about Donald's life but maybe one day you can ask Anton and Max about their father. I do know that he used to take daddy fishing a lot and he is the reason why we have a Supertramp CD in our collection.

We need to be extra kind to daddy and farmor today. They are very, very sad. I hope when you read this yourself you will take a moment to say a little prayer for Donald. It will not be easy for Max and Anton. We are all thinking of them so much today.

It is important for you to know that you do have a history of cancer in your family. Please do as much as you can to educate yourself about cancer prevention and take care of your body, your heart and your mind. Daddy and I will do the best we can to help you. This is a reminded to daddy and mommy that we need to take really good care of ourselves to be the best parents we can be for our growing girl.

On the lighter side, we are leaving today to go to the caravan in Varberg. Tomorrow is Midsummer's Eve and one of the biggest days of celebration in Sweden. This will be your first chance to dance around the midsommarstång. I'm sure that daddy is already looking forward to it and we will definitely bring the video camera.

Our hearts are with Donald's family today and we will be remembering him and celebrating him during this holiday.

Love,

Mommy

PS We lost to Russia last night 2-0, but it doesn't seem to feel that bad. We will be cheering for Holland, now.

Pirates and Princesses

Dear Elzora,
This is a picture of your Auntie Liisa haivng a confrontation with an evil pirate (Aunt Debbie).
It's from Tookie Loo's princess and pirate party that she had when she turned 6 years old.

I'm thinking of Auntie Liisa a lot today, and I bet she's thinking of me, too.

I can't wait to have some super cool birthday parties for you. We are gonna have so much fun!

Love,

Mommy

Sweden vs. Spain & The Karlssons

Dear Elzora,
Last Saturday Sweden played Spain in their second match of the UEFA 2008 showdown.We also had the Karlsson family reunion. Here are a couple of pics from the event. You had a great time and enjoyed meeting all of the relatives. At this year's gathering you were the littlest Karlsson. We had a lot of fun even though Sweden lost to Spain by one goal that was scored by Spain in the final minute of the match. Sweden's next match is tomorrow against Russia. If we win, we are going to the semi-finals. Go, Sverige!

BTW, you are totally obsessed with your hair today. You keep rubbing your hands through it like you are feeling it for the first time. I think you have also discovered that your hair is actually attached to your head. I know, the human body is amazing!

Love,

Mommy

Lulubelle

Dear Elzora,
Just a quick post to tell you that your Auntie Sarah in Oakland, California just adopted a new little pup. Her name is Lulubelle and she has her own blog.
Hopefully we will get to meet Lulubelle one day!!

Congratulations to Auntie Sarah on her new baby girl!

Love,

Mommy

And then there were... 5!

Dear Elzora,
We have been up since 4am waiting for the fifth tooth to break through on the top, your first maxillary lateral incisor!
This is a picture of Tookie Loo wearing a grill mommy got from Gold Teeth Master in Oakland, California as a present for my birthday one year. I know Tookie looks a bit coo-coo pants in this picture, but that's kind of how mommy feels after last night.

I hope you feel better soon.
Even in pain, you are a sweet little tiny one.

Love you,

Mommy

8 Months!!

Dear Elzora,
This is the picture of you and your daddy that I keep in the changing room. I just love it, and so do you. Of course it seems like only yesterday that we were at the hospital, but as of today you have been an earthling for 8 whole months. It's amazing how much our lives have changed since you came. We are so happy together.

Mommy hasn't been very good about blogging. Okay, I'm a blogging slacker, I admit it! But I know that there is always room for improvement so I'll just keep at it and hopefully someone will actually start reading my blog and I will feel compelled to post more often.

So what's happening in Elzora's world? Well you now have 2 teeth on the bottom and two on the top. I think that there may be one more coming in on top, but you won't let me open your mouth long enough to get a good look. You can wave good-bye and clap your hands and sometimes you get excited and wave good-bye and then clap your hands. Maybe you are just really happy to say good-bye to some people? :)

You love listening to music and rock back and forth when you hear your favorite songs. I really need to get some new tunes for you. Mommy and daddy are starting to get a little sick of the current options. Daddy particularly likes one song from the Music Together collection called "Everybody Loves Saturday Night." He sings it all the time and sometimes it makes mommy a little crazy.

We just finished the baby massage course. I definitely enjoyed it more than you did. I have the oil and I figure that we will practice the massage techniques at home. The nurse said that it will come in especially handy when you are around 4 years old and your legs are growing really fast. I guess it can be pretty painful and the massage might give you some relief from the pain. She also said it could help you relax when you start school and when you start asking questions about death and the afterlife. It makes sense to me. I love getting massages. A massage is a great present to give for a gift on Mother's Day! I know, shameless.

In the news, Barack Obama just became the first African American presidential nominee of a major political party. Mommy and daddy are very happy and you should be proud to be 1/2 American. The next few months are going to be very exciting.

And, of course, the European Championship football tournament is happening right now. It's actually pretty exciting. Sweden plays their first match on Tuesday against Greece. I can't wait. I'm kind of nervous. I hope we win. Go Sverige!!

I can hear that you are starting to wake up. I promised you that we would go outside and blow some bubbles, so let's go!!

Love,

Mommy

PS You just got a postcard from Niagara Falls in the mail today from Liisa and Jeremy. I'll save it so you can read it for yourself one day.

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

Dear Elzora,

Yes, you definitely do because we just returned from a month long visit with our family and friends in Northern California, which included a good long visit with Auntie Liisa and Uncle Jer in San Jose.

The trip was wonderful. You have such a beautiful personality and you charmed just about everyone you came into contact with, even on the plane rides. You were just amazing. I think many of your aunties and uncles had a hard time saying goodbye to you. As your daddy said to you last night "you just make life better."

Daddy Andreas spent the first two weeks with us in Berkeley and San Jose. We spent a lot of time with the folks at The Channing House in Berkeley, strolled around 4th street, met Jamie for lunch, caught up with a few of mommy's old work colleagues and daddy took lots of food pictures. Everyone just loved meeting you, especially Tookie Loo. Daddy was very happy to meet Uncle Strephon and pick up some new November Fire apparel.

During the first part of the trip we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and met the trees at Big Basin Redwoods State Park. We also spent some time shopping in San Francisco and papa got a new iPhone, which made him extremely happy.

After papa flew home, it was just the two of us, mamma and baby girl, for 2 weeks. We spent a few days at the LS Monkey Studio (www.luckyspacemonkey.com), we had dinner with Annie and Eric in SF and visited Eric at 3 Fish Studios, the studio that he and Annie founded in January 2007.

If the mission of this trip to Berkeley was to surround you with creative, fun, intelligent and inspiring people, then mission accomplished!

BTW, you are 7 months old, now. You are exploring the world with curiosity, excitement and compassion. You are so kind, Elzora and I am so proud of you. I'm looking forward to starting our baby massage class this Thursday with Mervi at the BVC.

Love,

Mommy

PS A special thanks goes out to the Lorton-Howell's, The Channing House (Amanda & Conrad), Liisa & Jer, Jamie Marks, Strephon & Heather, Sarah Chase, Eric Rewitzer & Annie Galvin, Adam Days, Rachael, Grover, Hitesh and Family, Trix & CC and Victoria and Nord. Thanks for making this such an unbelievable trip for us. We miss you all very much and can't wait to see you in Sweden, Hawaii, Belize, Las Vegas, Monaco, Egypt, New Zealand, etc.

To the Teeth!

Dear Elzora,
On March 9th, 2007 you had your first tooth eruption. It sounds like a violent act, but actually you've just been a little bit more sleepy than usual and your nose is a little bit runny. The premiere tooth is on the bottom just as the books predicted. Your daddy says you are smiling differently but he has a pretty bad flu and a high fever, so we'll see what he says once he has recovered. Farmor and Farfar are coming home from Thailand tonight. I know that they can't wait to see you and Siri. We are going to lunch with your baby friends today, so I 'd better get you dressed.

Love,

Mom