Happy Birthday, Grandpa Ace!!

Dear Elzora,
Today is my Grandpa's birthday. I believe that he turns 92 years young today. I might be wrong so I will have to double check with Grandma Mary Jo.
This is the only picture I have of him, but I just love it (he is the one on the right). I miss him.
I hope that you can meet him someday soon. He is a very talented and kind man.
Happy Birthday, Grandpa Ace!
Go for it!!
Love,
Mommy

Mommy and her Big Grrrrrl!

Dear Elzora,
Here is one of the two of us together. It was taken on April 9, 2009. Aren't we adorable?
I think this is the day you were supposed to be the Easter witch at school, but we didn't get up in time to do the make-up and you didn't feel like wearing the head scarf. Oh, well. We'll do it up big time for next year.

Linda Love

Dear Elzora,
I was just uploading some pictures and I found this one of you and Linda from earlier this month. You love her so much. One of the first words you could say clearly was "Liiin-daah!"
Love,
Mommy

Pee Pee Power!

Dear Elzora,
This picture is actually from November of 2008, but I just love it so much, and it is an appropriate image for this blog entry.

I just have to let you know that last Friday when I picked you up from The Ladybug Ethel informed me that you had asked for the potty chair earlier that day and that you went pee pee for the first time like a big girl. So cool! The funny thing is that since you are only 1.5 years old, we haven't even really thought about potty training, but you are obviously learning a lot from the children and adults you spend 15 hours a week with at school.

As you can imagine I was feeling a little bit sad that I had missed such a big moment, but then on Sunday you were at home with me and papa and Starla and you gasped and looked at me and pointed to your baby booty. I grabbed your hand and we took off your diaper and put you on the potta (Swedish name for potty chair) and you made one little poop!

It hasn't happened again that we've made it to the potta in time for you to do your business, but I think it is just super fantastic that you are thinking about such things. I am so proud.

Ethel says you are a really nice girl at school and that you talk all the time and you are always singing. I am glad that you are so satisfied and that you enjoy life so much. You are currently obsessed with going to the playground or lekplats to "gung-gung" on the swings. You also can't wait to get to the sandbox to "kaka" or make a dirt pie.

We definitely still have some rough times at home when you get tired or hungry and you just want mommy to hold you, but I have to take care of Starla and you. But, we are getting there and it gets better every day. On some days I wish you could just get mad at me and tell me that you are angry that you have to share me, but I am sure the words will come soon enough and until then we just both have to be patient and love one another with all our hearts.

I love you soooooooooooo much.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Elzora,
I know that this is not an easy time for you. It is not easy to share mommy when you are used to having her all to yourself. But just know that I love you more and more every day. Thank you for trying to be patient when mommy is feeding the baby. I love that you want to hold her and be close to her and kiss her and tickle her. I don't love that sometimes you want to hit Starla or hit mommy or daddy, but I know that this only happens when you are over-tired or very hungry. It must be really hard for you to understand what is happening. Just know that things will calm down soon and summer will be here and we can play outside and go to the park and be together and be happy.

I still can't believe how much you love to draw and color and paint. You are so focused. I love spending time with you and watching you play and grow.

Please try to be a little kinder to daddy when he is putting you to bed. He is so patient with you and loves you very much.

I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Welcome Starla Grace Halo Karlsson!!

Dear Elzora,

Your beautiful baby sister arrived on March 23rd.
It was an amazingly wonderful experience. Thinking of you during the labor and delivery gave me such strength, knowing that I might be lucky enough to have another little baby like you.

I am the happiest person on earth today because I have you, Papa Andreas and Starla.
I love you so much.

Starla Grace Halo Karlsson
March 23, 2009
10:51 am
Borås, Sweden
3610 g (7.9 pounds)
51 cm (20 inches)


Love,

Mommy

Helping Mommy!!

Dear Elzora,
Thank you for helping mommy pack her hospital bag. You had a wonderful morning at preschool where you kissed a little boy, sat on a toilet for the first time, played with play-doh, did some artwork, made a snowman and ate a lot of soup. You are CRAZY about soup.

Your hair looks kind of wild because you just had a bath. I wanted to dry it with the hair dryer, but you wouldn't let me even get near you with the dryer. I understand.

Look how good you are at stacking!!

Tonight mommy and daddy are going to Jenny's Thai, the new restaurant that opened yesterday in Ulricehamn. Then we are going to see Changeling with Angelina Jolie. You are going to Timmele to stay with farmor and farfar.

Love you,
Mommy

A Day in the Life of Elzora Karlsson, 17 months!!

Dear Elzora,
Things are going very well. You had a PERFECT day at preschool yesterday and you are there again this morning. I can't wait to pick you up!! It's a little bit cold and snowy but I always look forward to the walk to go pick up my little baby girl.

It's hard to believe that the new baby is due to arrive in just 11 days. As I may have said before you will stay with Farfar and Farmor while we are in Borås at the hospital. I was thinking it might be nice to write down your schedule for them and I decided that some day you might enjoy reading about your daily schedule when you were just 17 months old.

Elzora's Schedule on Non-Ladybug Days

6am- 8am: Depending on when you fell asleep you wake up between these times. We eat some breakfast together and start our day. You love yogurt, toast, eggs, cereal, fruit, berries and red bell peppers. Sometimes you have some water but on the weekends I give you a little OJ and you are very good at saying the word JUICE! You love juice and the red milk, but the nurse says it is always best with water, and we know it's good for you.

10am: Unless we are leaving the house, I give you your välling as a mellanmål (between meal food or snack) around this time. I like to hold you on my lap but sometimes you like to be on your own and just kick back and watch some Sesame Street or another children's show.

10:30 Get dressed!! Unless we have an appointment or an outing planned we don't get dressed right away, and once in a while we have our pajama days where we get dressed about 5 minutes before pappa comes home from work. Mommy loves these days.

11:30 Fruit Snack

12:00 Nap!! You used to sleep for just an hour, but you've been sleeping for about 2 hours in the afternoon since starting at daycare. Quite often you sleep outside in your stroller. You have been doing this since your were little and it is what the other Scandinavian people do. It is supposed to help with your immunity. You never get sick, so it must be a good thing.

2:00 Lunch!! We always have fun at lunch. You love pasta, avocado, turkish yogurt, paj with olives, feta and tomato, salmon, broccoli, peas and soup. Since mamma is a vegetarian you don't eat a lot of meat at lunch when you are with me but you eat all kinds of other things at school, with daddy at dinner and with Farmor and Farfar.

4:00 Fika! You usually have a little cracker or a cookie and I have a cup of coffee. It's also when we watch reruns of America's Next Top Model. I know you love it because you try to turn off the TV about a million times during the program. Sorry!!

5:30-8pm: During this time we have dinner with pappa and just enjoy being together as a family. You and pappa have a dance party in your room and you start acting pretty goofy as you get tired... we all do! Sometimes you are not in a very good mood in the evening and it is a little tough because mamma and pappa are a little tired, but you are so kind and you just want to play.

8-9pm: Vitamins, Välling, Teeth Brushing, Pajamas and Sleep. We start our evening ritual at this time and I think we all look forward to it. We get our cozy clothes on and watch some TV. You generally fall asleep on daddy and then you go into your bed and sleep all night. I would love to read to you every night, but you prefer to read books on your own right now so that you can turn the pages as fast as you want. I am definitely looking forward to being able to read you all of the beautiful books in your growing Swedish-English library.

9-? Mamma and pappa stay up too late but we enjoy our time together and usually talk about you.

Elzora's Schedule on Ladybug Days: Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday

5:50 Mamma gets up and prepares välling, clothes and packs Elzora a piece of fruit.

6-7am: Eat välling, watch Dora and Wonder Pets and get dressed for school.

7am: Pappa takes Elzora to preschool on the way to work.

11:45 Mamma picks up Elzora after she has eaten lunch.

11:45-2pm: Elzora sleeps.

2:30 Snack time

3:00 Bathtime!! Your very favorite thing in the world is to take a bath. After you are finished playing I take you out and give you a nice massage. You really like this part of the day. You also love wearing your little pink robe. Sometimes you won't take it off and I have to put it on over your clothes.

The rest of the day is the same as the non-ladybug days. Sometimes on Friday and Monday we go to the open preschool at the Family Center. We will go a little bit more often when mommy has the baby, so that you can play with the other kids.

I love our schedule Elzora and I love you.
See you in 1 hour.

Love,
Mommy

PS Sometimes we don't follow the schedule on the weekends, but we I think we all enjoy having a routine. Especially when we can all take a nap together!!

PSS The picture is of the drawing you did the other day on the wall of your bedroom while mamma was in the kitchen!

Big Girl Days at Dagis!

Dear Elzora,
What a week! It is not easy being a big girl and getting up at 6am so that daddy can drop you off at preschool on his way to work. I just want you to know that I understand that you must be a little confused and frustrated and tired. Just know that mommy and daddy are sending you to the preschool for 15 hours a week, so that you can have fun playing, singing and eating with the other kids at The Ladybug. And from the pictures Ethel has been taking of you in action, you are having a blast. I know you cry sometimes, and that is okay. Just know that mommy or daddy or farmor or farfar will ALWAYS come and get you. We love you and we miss you just as much as you miss us, if not more!!

Your first big girl day at the school was on Tuesday. When I woke you up at 6:15 you were not really ready to drink välling, so I just got you dressed and you and pappa left around 6:50am.

You cried when pappa left you, but Ethel was there to help you and she said you stopped crying just after he left. She said that you cried on and off during the morning but that you enjoyed seeing the other kids and still had fun. You didn't eat any breakfast or fruit but you were really happy when it was time to go and play outside. Ethel called mamma at 10:30 and asked if I could come and get you at 11 instead of 11:45. She said that you were really tired and she was worried that maybe you were hungry, too. When I picked you up, you were outside and I will never, ever forget the look on your face when you saw me. You just kind of fell apart. I know how that feels when you just can't hold it together anymore. You are such a strong little girl.

Mamma barely got you in the stroller before you fell to sleep. You stayed asleep for 3 hours. When you woke up I fed you some yummy lunch, gave you a warm bath and then gave you a massage with your favorite lotion that daddy bought for you. Then I held you and fed you your välling. I just want you to feel how much mommy and daddy love you and want you to feel secure.

On Wednesday you went back to the preschool. We had a wonderful start to the day. Mommy got up a bit earlier and you enjoyed half a bottle of välling and you were very happy to leave with pappa. Ethel called mamma around 10 and said you were just delightful!! You loved the singing and actually went and played and left Ethel's side. You ate nearly an entire apple and you ate lunch with the other kids! You loved being outside and had a great time. When I picked you up at 11:30 you still cried when you saw me, but it was different. It was more like "Mom, I did it!"

And I am so proud of you. We will go again tomorrow, Friday, and this time we will bring some fruit for you and an extra välling just in case you need it.

And then it is the weekend and we will be home with pappa. Siri will come to our house on Saturday and we will go to Susanne, Erica and Molly's to celebrate Susanne finishing her book. We will also be celebrating her birthday which happened on March 2nd, Happy Birthday, Susanne!

I love you Elzora.

Love,
Mommy

PS I want to say a special thank you to Ethel and the other grown-ups for taking such good care of Elzora and all the other little ones. I also want to say thank you to little Tuva for being such a good friend to Elzora. You are a sweet little girl. Your parents must be so proud of you.

PSS Välling is a formula-type vitamin and mineral drink that we give to our children in Scandinavia after they stop with breastfeeding or baby formula. Elzora loves it.

Moose Relaxing

Dear Elzora,
Just an update regarding the moose. They must have decided that they like us!! There is one right outside your bedroom window relaxing as the evening approaches. I wish that they would stay forever. They are so beautiful. You had a good day today and daddy will be home from work soon. Thank you for calling me mamma a couple of times today. I like it so much more than when you call me Jenna.
I love you.
Love,
Mommy

Holy Moose!!!

Dear Elzora,
I can not believe it!!! Finally after 2 years of living in Sweden and driving around on numerous moose safaris, a mama and baby moose appeared in our very own backyard this morning at 10am. I am still shaking. You loved it and just kept yelling "Papa! Papa! Papa!." I hope I don't go into labor. The coolest part was that Erica and Molly were here with us and we were all so excited. I wish Papa Andreas could have been here with us!!
Love,
Mommy

Pajama Day!!

Dear Elzora,
Today is Monday and we are not going to get out of our pajamas all day!! It feels wonderful to just take it easy and relax and be together. This week you will go to The Ladybug on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9-11. It is going very, very well and you are going to be very happy there. Last week you did your first 2 paintings at school, and I am, of course, completely impressed by your artistic ability. You have been coloring with crayons and pens for some time now and you've also done some experimenting with clay. Ethel said that when you saw one of the other children painting she asked if you would like to try and you said clearly "Ja!" You amaze me every day and I fall more and more in love with you by the minute.

You have 6 teeth coming in right now, and you are handling it SO well. A couple of nights you've woken up crying, but you went right back to sleep after realizing that I was there with you and everything was okay. It must be so painful for you. I'm sorry. You like it when I massage your gums, but sometimes you try to bite me and then you laugh really hard. Very funny, Elzora!!

Yesterday was February 22nd and the new baby is due to arrive March 22nd. Last week I had to have an extra ultrasound to make sure the baby was head down. It seems that your little brother or sister is in position. You don't like it when mommy has to go to the midwife and I try to schedule things so that you can be with Farmor, but this week we have to go on Thursday at 3pm and Farmor Bojan will be working. I am sorry that it scares you so much. Just know that mommy is fine and that it will soon be over and you will be a big sister. I know it's going to be a big change for you, but I only have positive thoughts about the baby coming.

I would like to write more but you are super stinky and I need to go down and change your diaper!!

I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Åke Pulka!!!

Dear Elzora,

Today after your morning välling I took you out for a little cruise on the little girl sled you got for Christmas from Linda, Morgan and Siri. You LOVED it and you didn't even seem to mind that you fell off twice. I think you actually enjoyed having the cold snow on your cute little face. We won't tell anyone that you were wearing your pajamas under your snowsuit. Sorry, I can be a lazy mommy sometimes.

Actually your Aunt Linda just called and asked if you wanted to go out with them again this afternoon to have some more snowy adventures. We will see how you are feeling after you wake up from your nap.

Love,
Mommy

Lovely Liisa

Dear Elzora,
Here is a picture of your Liisa 18 weeks pregnant and vacationing with Uncle Jer on the Big Island of Hawai'i. This picture was taken by Jer at Punalu'u Beach, also known as Black Sands Beach. Doesn't she look radiant?
We love Liisa and we can't wait for the littlest Duggan to make his appearance.
Below is a picture of the little guy from his 20 week ultrasound.
Mommy is very much in love with him already.

Love,
Mommy

PS I promise that one day we will all vacation together on the Big Island. Sushi burritos!!

First Week at The Lady Bug (Nyckelpigan)

Dear Elzora,

Just a quick not to let you know that this week we are spending one hour a day at your new preschool, Nyckelpigan. In Swedish this process is referred to as "inskolning" and this means that for 2 weeks you will only go one hour a day to the school. The idea is that I sit in the corner and observe you while you play and then eventually I will leave during that one hour. Right now you want me to play with you for some of the time and this is just fine, too.

The first day was a little strange for you with a new place and so many other small children, but you love to play and you have already made some new friends. You have a very special friend, Tuva. She is 2 years old and she can already say your name and today when we left she was helping you get ready and was telling you that you could go home and see your pappa. She is the sweetest little thing. So kind. You even said her name yesterday!! And when we left today you didn't want to get your outside clothes on. You just wanted to sit by the door. Then of course you fell asleep as soon as we began our short walk back home through the freshly fallen snow.

Mommy has to say a special thank you to Ethel for making this process so positive for us. I love going to the school everyday. And also to Erica and Molly for sitting with you last Friday when mamma and pappa had a meeting with Ethel about you and the school.

The plan is that you will attend Nyckelpigan Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 7 a.m. until around 12. Then you will come home and be with mommy. I miss you already.

You are as cute as a little lady bug.

Love,

Mommy

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Mac!!

Dear Elzora,
Today is your Grandpa Mac's birthday. I know he reads your blog and I am pretty sure that he will love this picture. I hope we can go to Michigan and visit when the new baby comes.
Today is Saturday but pappa has to go in to work for a few hours. We are just taking it easy. You are sleeping and I am going to take a little rest myself.
You are so cute.
Love,
Mommy
PS Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Happy Birthday, Farfar!!

Dear Elzora,
Today is farfar's 60th birthday. I know that if you could talk that you would say "Grattis, farfar!! Jag älskar dig med min hela hjärt!"
When daddy comes home we will go to Timmele and celebrate!
Love,
Mommy

Cousin Kayla Superstar!

Dear Elzora,
Here is your cousin Kayla's basketball picture from this year. Isn't she beautiful? Grandpa Mac says she is the team superstar!! I wish that we could go and see her in action. We are all looking forward to our next trip to Michigan. Go Kayla!! Go Bucks!!

Love,
Mommy

New Book!!

Dear Elzora,
Just one more thing. On Tuesday this week Anneli and Wilgot came over and brought you this book. I LOVE IT! WE had a super good time and I think we will go to baby swim with them on Tuesday.

Oh, I started Vatten Gymnastik för Gravida last night. It was so much fun and the new baby just loved it. After I got out of the water he-she was moving around like a crazy sea monkey!! Sorry that I didn't go to the class when you were in my belly, but I didn't even know about it.

Love,
Mommy

PS Thank you Anneli and Wilgot and Ulrik for the book and the tea!!

Max and Anton

Dear Elzora,
Last Friday (I can't believe it's been a week already) two of your favorite people in the world stayed the night at our house... Max & Anton!! It was so much fun. Anton brought his PS3 and we got to see the new game that Santa brought him for Christmas, Little Big Planet. It's so cool.
And we played Guitar Hero World Tour and Anton sang Hotel California on the mic and it was amazing. He is definitely going to be a star. We also watched a movie that Anton made for school... singer, guitar player, director, screenwriter, skateboarder!! Anton is a talented guy. And Max, at age 7, is right behind him. Mommy loves having them over because not only are they super fun and really nice boys, but they are both speaking English. We love Max and Anton and we hope they come over again very soon.

Last weekend we also celebrated the birthdays of Uncle Morgan and Elvy. It was a lot of family fun.

Also, you have started repeating words. Yesterday you said Google, Thank You and Teamwork!

Today we are going to Lysekil (I think) with our family and Mimi and Jerry's family.
I should be packing and not blogging.

Love you.

Love,
Mommy

UPDATE: We were in Bokenäs!