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!

Holiday Highlights 2008

Dear Elzora,
Here are some of the pictures from 2008's Christmas holiday season. What a celebration! I'm sorry that we didn't get a tree this year, but we spent most of the time with farmor and farfar & Linda, Morgan and Siri and they had trees. You found the beauty of the Christmas tree both fascinating and alluring. You did a pretty good job keeping your tiny hands off of the ornaments, but I could tell that you were often tempted to just reach out and pluck one from the shiny green branches. I am very proud of you and I can't tell you how much joy it brought to all of us to hear you say "Oooooooh!" or "Wooooow!" everytime you entered a room that had a decorated tree. I promise, next year we will have our very own Christmas tree.

Above is the e-card your pappa made to send out via email. He was pretty good about sending it out to all of his friends, but I had about 15 minutes on December 23rd to email my cards out, and I didn't do a very good job. Poor, mamma!







Our First holiday engagement was Jul Frukost (Christmas Breakfast) at Bryggan down by the lake with Molly and her moms, Harry and his family and Susanne's cousins from Skåne. What a feast!! Unfortunately for Bryggan, but fortunately for us, there were very few people who came to enjoy the wonderful breakfast buffet. We basically had the place to ourselves and everyone had a fabulous time. We have to do it again next year if they decide to host the breakfast again.

We had to get up kind of early to go to the breakfast and you weren't really that happpy about it.
But, you pulled it together and made the perfect little gingerbread girl.

It was also Lucia Day in Sweden, but I didn't get the Lucia outfit together in time, so that is something for next year... if you are into it. I am perfectly happy having you be a gingerbread girl again.



After the Lucia breakfast, we went home and rested a while and then around 5pm we went to Jessica, Christian and Becca's house for a Christmas dinner and party. We had the Christmas porridge and played the Christmas game and mommy ate a bunch of the homemade candies that Anneli brought over for Jessica. They were so gooooooooood!!

I am not sure exactly why, but we didn't get very many pictures. I think we got a lot of video footage. But I did manage to get a picture of you playing with Wilgot, Becca and Jessica. For some reason you kept putting this plastic bowl on your head. I don't know why.




On December 23rd we went over to farmor and farfar's house to prepare some of the Christmas food. We decided to go for a walk in the woods and who did we find warming himself by a fire and taking a break? Santa!! And he had a gift for you and for Siri. You both got little ceramic Santa bowls filled with raisins! You were quite happy. I am sorry to report that you actually broke your bowl a few days later trying to eat raisins and do something else at the same time. I am sorry. At least you have a picture of your sweet little santa bowl. And actually Siri had some candy in her bowl, but Santa knows that you are not old enough to have candy, yet. That Santa is a pretty smart guy!







On Christmas Eve Santa visited us once again at Linda, Morgan and Siri's hourse. So many presents and lots of good food. It was a fantastic night that culminated in a dance around the Christmas tree at about 11pm. You were exhausted and at one point just laid down and kissed the floor. We kept you up too late. Next year, we will have to ask Santa to come a little earlier in the evening.





On Christmas day we went to the Karlsson Christmas party. You spent most of your time in the play area with Ella. Notice that you are wearing your tennis shoes. You were running around like crazy and you kept falling down and tripping on your slippers, so I just put your shoes on in the house to try to cut down on tears and bruises.





And finally, here is a picture from NYE at Molly's. I am so sorry we didn't take more pics, but mommy was not feeling well and you and I had to leave the party early. Read Molly's blog for all of the fabulous details. It was a fun party complete with fireworks, champagne and cigars.

We also went to Linda an Morgan's for a glögg on December 20th. I will try to get a picture or two from Auntie Linda.

It was a wonderful Christmas season, Elzora.
I look forward to sharing the holidays with you and your new little brother or sister next year.

You are the best present in the world.

Love,
Mommy

PS I am super happy that we don't have to watch Elmo's Christmas Countdown for a whole year!
PSS Thank you to farmor, farfar, Linda, Morgan, Siri, Liisa and Jeremy, Becca, Wilgot and Ella for all of the wonderful and precious Christmas gifts.

New Camera!!

Dear Elzora,
We just got a new camera and your Papa Andreas took this awesome picture of you. I love this picture because in it you can really see all of the gorgeous colors in your eyes. You are stunning!!

I have a lot to blog about, but I'm not doing very well at making it to the computer. I definitely want to post some holiday photos and post a picture of your new fish, Mr. Noodle and Dorothy. You love them!!

We went to the BVC today and met our nurse and friend, Kerstin. She measured and weighed you and checked in with mommy on how you are developing. You are 80cm long and you weigh 10.9 kilos. Mommy informed Kerstin that you can now say Mamma, Pappa, Ja, Nej, No, Tack Tack, Natt Natt, Hej då and cheese. We also got to see Pernilla and we sang some songs at the open preschool. Maybe we will go again on Friday with your cousin Siri?

More soon.

Love,
Mommy

Retro Mommy

Dear Elzora,
Pappa Andreas and I decided that we wanted to get you a little doll for Christmas. While we were out shopping we kept finding plastic dolls with plastic hair that just didn't look very sweet or very cuddly or very fun. Pappa didn't want anything that required batteries and he wanted to find a doll with "real" hair. I just wanted to find something super cute like my own little Elzora doll.

Just when we were kind of giving up on the idea of getting you a doll at all, mommy noticed a box up on the highest shelf in the the doll department. Pappa was able to reach the package and to my surprise... it was a Cabbage Patch Kid! I was shocked. I thought that they had stopped making these dolls years ago. I just couldn't believe it and I told daddy how much I LOVED my two CPKs when I was a little girl and how Grandma Mary Jo could only find one of these dolls the first year they were out in the US and my sister Jessie and I had to share one doll that Christmas. But we didn't care, we were just so happy to have one. Pascha also got one for a present that year from her parents. Her name was Olive Jean. For some reason I can't remember the names of my CPKs but I do remember that they were both girls and that one of them came from Spain and we bought it at the Sears catalog store in Grayling, Michigan.

I don't think pappa reallly had a choice when it came down to the decision of whether or not to buy the doll. I mean, I think I was walking on air for the rest of the day just remembering how happy I had been back in the day when I got to adopt my very own CPK. It felt so good to buy that same doll for my own daughter.

Thankfully, when you opened the box on Christmas Eve that contained your very own little baby girl, Charlotte Carmen, you were also filled with excitement and joy and you gave your new little adopted dolly a great big mommy Elzora hug.

It was a wonderful Chrismtas for all of us.

Love,

Mommy

27 Weeks

Dear Elzora,
This is what your baby brother or sister looks like inside my belly this week.
I hope you are enjoying a nap filled with sweet baby girl dreams.
Love,
Mommy

Holiday Card Guilt

Dear Elzora,
Yet another customized holiday card arrived in the mail today. I LOVE them, and I feel like a big lame-o for not making one of you and sending it out. The truth is that mommy and daddy have had the same holiday cards for 3 seasons now and we haven't sent any of them out except for one to Auntie Liisa. But daddy said we are going to make a Christmas email with a picture of the 3 of us... I have my doubts. Sorry, Daddy!

Here is a picture of you, Pappa Andreas and Siri from last year. Poor Siri has been sick for 2 weeks with a fever. We sure hope she gets well soon. I think she is going to have a lot of presents to open from Santa!! We love you Siri!

I have a lot more to write about, but I'm am kind of thinking that a might do a big holiday post after the holidays. I will definitely take pics of the adorable customized holiday cards we receive this year. So far we have one from Molly & her moms, Becca Baby Superstar and Lil' Wilgot.

Yesterday was Grandma Mary Jo's birthday. When I called she was out for dinner at Ponderosa with your Auntie Jessie and cousin Kayla. I've never been a big Ponderosa fan, being a vegetarian and all, but man I miss American food and could surely do some damage to a plate of mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese from the Ponderosa buffet. Maybe it's the pregnancy.

Love,
Mommy