Point of view

Sleeping like a baby…

Felix’s new role models

To our family’s great joy, Joanna’s godparents Jordan (“JD”) and Tamara have accepted to expand their godfamily and also accept to take Felix under their wings.

Best friends for a long time despite long distances, it is warming to be able to think of them as family, and we couldn’t imagine better suited role models for our children.

Joanna with her and Felix's godparents JD and Tamara, at their wedding 2005

Birthday party weekend

Today it was time for Joanna’s fifth birthday party. Opening presents was great fun. Odd, the boy to the far right, had chosen to dress up in a pink shirt because he was going to a girl’s birthday party. All in all they were eight sweet kids and we were totally exhausted after two intense hours with them.

But it all started with preparations already Thursday evening. Baking the cakes, and most importantly, cleaning the bowls.

Friday evening we had relatives over as well as Joanna’s friend Mira and her family. The result of Thursday evenings’ preparations are visible on the table.

Grandma Ulla is here over the weekend for Joanna’s birthday. A combination of lovely company and invaluable extra support during several days of birthday parties.

Felix enjoys the extra company, too. Ulla just made him realize he can tickle his nose with his toes.

Rolling over

It just happened! Felix rolled over from back to belly and a milestone has been passed

After succeeding with the new trick, he cried.

Yesterday he tried to roll over several times without really knowing what he was doing. And when he was on the verge of falling over, he cried. I guess it’s really scary to suddenly balance on the side of the body, after lying on one’s back for three months. But hey, Felix, it’s the right way to go, and we’ve all been there!

Rrrr!

Joanna is a very well spoken little girl. She has a natural interest for words and their meanings, she started reading and writing for real over a year ago and she talks… well, a lot

But during all these years she hasn’t managed to say “r” with the tip of the tongue, the way most Swedes do it. She can roll the “r” like a French or an English person, but hasn’t been able to pronounce the Swedish version. She has consciously tried to find it by placing the tongue both here and there. No success.

This autumn one or two girls at daycare even teased her for not being able to say “r”. We we explained to her, of course, that they were the ones to feel sorry for.

Anyhow, a few weeks ago, while bouncing on the trampoolin in Gryttjom, she suddenly said it. “Rrrr”. “Mummy, I said r!” she said, with an expression that was both proud and shy at the same time.

Since then she has gradually replaced the “l:s” and “j:s” that have served as substitutes for “r:s” until now. She rrrolls the r:s against the roof of her mouth with great pleasure and it’s a pleasure to listen to, too.

It’s been a year

… since my dad passed away. We went to the grave in the afternoon. Dad’s wife Monica had lit a candle earlier during the day. We placed a rose and a drawing by Joanna there. Joanna sang. It was really sweet.

The book fair in Frankfurt

As I mentioned, I took Felix for a business trip last week. We went to see the huge book fair in Frankfurt, Germany and I had a lot of interesting meetings. My main goal was to try to sell book rights to foreign countries and markets.  But whatever the outcome might be (something you don’t really know until a few weeks have passed after the fair) it was a great learning experience.

The fair is enormous and purely business-oriented, not focused on selling books to end customers, like the fair in Gothenburg, Sweden. I liked the professional setting and enjoyed the meetings. Meanwhile, Felix did some research on the childrens’ book market.

That is, when he wasn’t enjoying time with his grandma Ulla, who kept us both company during the week.  We all had a great time together. Felix has grown a lot and it’s wonderful to see him laughing and communicating with people around him.

On the other hand, Felix doesn’t need much to stay happy, as long as two important things are there: one to the left and one to the right.

Together again

All four of us together again after four nights for Felix and me in Frankfurt at the big book fair, in great company with grandma Ulla, who joined us from Paris. A great adventure that I will tell you more about later. I am very happy with the trip, anyway, and even happier to be back with my three darlings again.

It seems Joanna has become so much bigger and more grown-up the last couple of months, but if anyone has grown it’s Felix, obviously. It’s been a while since this occasion:

Now it’s back to normal. Daddy’s the sleepy one while his son wonders: will the entertainment ever start?

More complicated for Joanna

I suddenly thought Felix looked bigger when he wore jeans for the first time yesterday. My god, real clothes! But to be honest, he is still very little. Most of the time he looks like this:

Meanwhile, Joanna does things that are more complicated, for example making a doll out of an emtpy toilet paper roll.

Life is a bit tough for her right now. It probably has a lot do to with becoming a big sister. She is fragile and it takes almost nothing for her to shout at us and cry and say that we are stupid or that something is unfair.

We try to be sweet and kind to her but it’s not always easy, though we love her like crazy. She can be so provocative. I wonder what she will be like in her teens

Ten years in the air and on the ground

The other day Sofie and I had a luxurious lunch to celebrate that it’s been ten years since we started competing together. Look at us, we were cute back then, weren’t we?

Those ten years have offered successes, challenges, adventures, professional experiences (Sofie is Miro Media’s art director), tons of laughter and most of all friendship that lasts. I hope it will continue for many more decades!