A new chapter

I am done being a student.  I got my degree in June and I am glad that's over. However, being a job seeker in a foreign country with an unstable market has not been an easy ride.  I started applying only for relevant jobs and have made my way into all sorts of jobs including yacht sales and bakeries! Not that it wouldn't be fun to do those jobs, but I just know that I would enjoy working so much more if I had the right position.

Anyway, Nico is now a two-year-old.  He is proficient in zero languages but understands everything we say to him in Spanish, English or Norwegian.  He does have a few words that he says which is the main reason I am writing this post.

Me and your dad wanted to remember those first words you learned and tell you about them when you are older.  Why? Because they are the randomest set of words you could have learned! You don't say mom, mamma or mami.  But you do call me puppy. Which also is the word you use for bubbles.

Pappa is the word you like to use the most because your dad gets you at night if you wake up and cuddles you back to sleep. I don't do that because then you don't let me put you down and we end up waking up for the day at 4 in the morning.

When we go for walks you like to find rocks and stones and hold them in your hands. When you find a big one you call it "stor stein" and it becomes your treasure. You can't say the word for "tree" but you like to point them out and give them a "kos" if they are near.  You really enjoy looking at dogs and you cuddle your own puppy whenever you see one you like.

At home your favorite word is puppy again.  But this time it means Bubble Guppies, your favorite cartoon. Pappa and I like watching it with you and then you ask us to play with your "atis", or cars. You LOVE cars, all colors shapes and sizes.  Your favorite one is  a red monster truck that we got you at Target to keep you entertained one night that we went out for dinner in Minneapolis.

Some other words include: "abu" for you grandma in Ecuador, "abebe" for your grandpa, "aguagua" for water and "pati" for pacifier. Most of the time you signal what you want and make yourself clear somehow. We are so amazed at how you know all the animals and colors when we ask you to point them out in books!

The best thing about you being two is that we get to play lots of different games.  We actually managed to play hide and seek just the other night and had lots of fun.  The worst is that you want to communicate with us and it gets frustrating when you can't speak.  I know you'll be able to really soon!

I am sorry I haven't updated your blog since forever ago, but after graduating we did restore an apartment, had your grandparents over and went to Minneapolis. I do however have lots of pictures in your album and i'll add some here for your abu and abebe to see.

Valentine's Day photo shoot

After receiving comments from family and friends on how every picture of Nico shows him smiling and posing like a pro model, I decided to make this post to show the truth behind our mini photo sessions.  Taking a picture of an active 18 month old child is quite the challenge.  My phone is limited to blurry pictures of Nico.

I did manage to get this year's Valentine picture done and it turned out cute.  But now I want to share a little clip of how playful Nico was and you'll see that getting him to hold still for more than 3 seconds is pretty hard.


             


The final result:

Happy Valentine's Day 2015!

Holidays and long flights

Last year we managed to travel to Ecuador in one piece.  It was hard because Nico as so little that we couldn't keep him entertained with toys or anything. But he slept most of the time and he weighed half of what he does now.

This year we decided to go to Ecuador via New York and spend some days there to get to know the city a bit.  Me and Christian felt at home immediately when we landed in the U.S.  We both remembered when we lived in Minnesota and it makes us happy to go back.

Getting to know NY with a toddler is very different than if it had just been the two of us.  We didn't go to any Broadway shows or on long shopping sprees.  We got to enjoy the sun at Central Park and look at the animals in the zoo.  We played in the swings and followed squirrels through the gardens.

When we got to Quito we spent our time with family and friends.  It's always nice to be able to share Nico with my side of the family.  They mainly know him by pictures and emails.  This year Nico learned how to say "abu", which is what he called his ecuadorian grandparents.  

It ain't easy taking a picture of 5 children

Nico's favorite things about Ecuador were: mangos, jumping in the trampoline, swimming in the pool everyday and playing with his cousins (eventually)! We already miss Ecuador and we can't wait to go back next year. 

Fall and sickness

During these last few weeks we have been battling all sorts of sicknesses at home.  From a common cold to teething and a stomach bug, it seems that we can't catch a break! Nico has been feeling down and we are doing the best we can to keep him healthy, but being in touch with so many kids at daycare only increases the amount of viruses he is exposed to.

It hasn't helped that it got cold and dark really fast here in Norway.  The days are really short and we have been lucky to see the sun maybe three days this month.  Rain and clouds surround us and we are all longing for some sunshine again.

I have been at home with Nico more days than at school this month.  That means that i'm a bit behind on transcribing interviews and analyzing my data.  I am going to have to be extra efficient when Nico feels better.

Today me and Nico had a stay-at-home day.  Since he's been too sick to go to daycare, I postponed school and we spent the day reading books, watching cartoons and napping.  We took a walk to catch some fresh air and we were pleasantly surprised by some fall sunshine.  I had to take pictures of him since its been so long since we had nice weather.  So here they are!

For Halloween this year Nico was a Ninja Turtle.  We celebrated with a group of international mothers in Oslo and also with our neighbors.  I couldn't take a picture of Nico on the actual party because it was outdoors and completely dark.  So I took a picture of him in his second costume:

It has taken about an hour for me to write this post because this sick baby keeps waking up.  It really sucks to have a sick kid and not be able to offer much help.  He doesn't understand why he feels that way and there is nothing I can do now but cuddle him and help him back to sleep.  It's going to be another long night.

A few interesting things that happened this month:

-First hair cut
-Top teeth appeared, finally!
-Learned how to say "moo" like a cow
-Second visit to the emergency room
-We got tickets to Ecuador! We're coming all of January 2015 :)

A one year old

This past month we have been through lots of changes.  Nico started kindergarden, I started school again and a part-time job, the weather changed and we even got into a new schedule.  My little monkey boy is full of energy and only wants to walk, walk, walk.  We have already gone through one pair of shoes!

Life with a toddler is very different than life with a baby.  Strolls in the city have become rare.  Instead we take trips to the park or playground to let Nico run around and interact with other children and cuddle dogs.  We don't count on two naps a day to get things done anymore.  Nico sleeps once at kindergarden and that's it.  All house chores must get done while trying to prevent Nico from chewing the computer cords, eating potato skins or diving into the toilet.

Yet, life with a toddler is filled with laughs and love.  It is amazing how much it can mean to you that your baby runs into your arms when he sees you come home.  Or how wonderful those wet toddler kisses are.  It is unbelievable how much I have stopped caring of how I look in the mornings when I leave home because I spend all my hair and make-up time making puzzles with my bebe instead.

Since my parents seldom get to see Nico by Skype because of the time change and since it'll be a while until they see him in person, here are lots of pictures for them:

A d1nosaur party!

Nico turns 1 in 2 days! I am extremely proud of my little baby boy.  He has started kindergarden and loves it.  So far he only has 3 classmates that he plays with, so its a pretty small group.  They spend most of the day outdoors playing with sand and toys.  I pick him up early right after I am done with interviews, reading or whatever i've proposed to myself as a daily task.

This past weekend we had Nico's birthday party with friends and family.  We chose Dinosaurs as a theme because I love dinosaurs.  But also because we call Nico Nicosaurio or Babysaurio! So it was perfect. I spent a few days planning his first birthday, and here it is:

Hand made sign and onesie 

Marsipan dinos for the smash cake

Decorative dinos 

The cutest!

Muchos cakes! 

Nico wearing his onesie before it was destroyed

The next day we had fun playing with his gifts and trying on his clothes. After cleaning up the house and breaking a blender, we came back home and relaxed.  Everything was great and I can't wait to his second birthday party!