Grateful for another year

Today has physically and mentally been a long day. Even though it didn’t turn out the way I imagined, I’m so grateful for another year. You see, today is my birthday. 25 years ago my life started and I’m so grateful to have turned 25. Even though the number always scares me a little bit every year. But the thing is – I don’t feel 25. I guess it’s because I had this imagine of how 25 would feel and look like from a young age. And now that it has arrived, I don’t feel a day over 20, maybe 21. It’s like time stopped 5 years ago, even though it didn’t. 

My plans today were having a huge breakfast, taking my son to daycare and then continuing the day with my daughter. I planned to meet my mum and we would have coffee and cake. I would take her home to my house and cut her hair, pick up my son and start dinner. I wanted my brother to come visit us and we would all have cake together, and maybe I would open some presents. All of this never happened because it couldn’t. And even though we plan, God plans as well and He is the Best of Planners. 

Today didn’t happen has I imagined but I’m still so grateful for the family I’ve got, for my two healthy children who even at hard times bring a smile to my face, and for another year. God willing, I will have many more to come with my family by my side. 

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Elizabeth

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Another chapter is closing

Leaving you behind will be one of the hardest things I’ll have to do. You are growing up and I wish I could go back and experience it all again. Even the long, sleepless nights. The laughter and heartbreak. It’s going too fast and soon it’s gone. I can’t even remember the little things. Your first smile or the first time you laughed. This time last year I had you so close, our hearts beating next to each other. Can we go back together, just you and I? Let’s live it again, even the hard times. I wouldn’t want it any other way because it was you. It was always you.
Momma loves you.

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Elizabeth

2019 THROWBACK

Week by week this is what I did last year.

1. Finding out the gender of our 2nd child.
2. Punctured a tire on the car.
3. Went to the movies w/ my mum & saw ‘Second Act’.
4. Visited my friend at her new apartment & brought her salt & bread.
5. First night our son slept in his own room.
6. 50% on sick leave from work.
7. Spent the afternoon w/ my mum.
8. Drove to Sweden with the family to buy food.
9. Met my friend after not seeing each other for one year.
10. My son and I spent a whole afternoon w/ my dad in Oslo.
11. Flew to Paris w/ my mum (& my daughter).
12. Renovated our new kitchen table from the thrift store.
13. Celebrated my mum’s birthday w/ my brother.
14. Met my best friends.
15. Visited my old school w/ my friend and my son.
16. Easter holiday – worked all week.
17. Drove to IKEA & went to a fabric store in Oslo alone.
18. Food shopping in Sweden w/ the family.
19. Start of Ramadan. Watched ‘The Hustle’ at the cinema w/ my mum.
20. Started maternity leave.
21. 38 week control.
22. First Kindergarten visit & visit from my mum. Our daughter was born.
23. Eid celebration w/ my husband’s family.
24. Visit from my friend & went shopping.
25. Food- and kids market w/ my children, mum and brother.
26. Met my best friends & celebrated my friend’s birthday together.
27. Breakfast at my dad’s.
28. 1st motorcycle ride w/ my dad. Met my friend & went to a cafe & the beach.
29. Met my friend at her house w/ my kids & her nephew.
30. Beach day w/ the family.
31. First day in kindergarten for my son & met my niece for the 1st time.
32. Shopping day w/ the family. Akvarium visit w/ my mum and the kids.
33. Norway’s biggest amusement park w/ my husband’s family.
34. Visited an open farm w/ my children.
35. Celebrated my 24th birthday w/ my mum, dad, brother, husband and kids. Also bought a new car.
36. 1st day back at work.
37. Goodbye dinner for a dear colleague.
38. 1st time our daughter tried baby food (mashed potatoes).
39. Last MC ride of the year.
40. Sweden w/ the family – food shopping.
41. Gokart w/ my brother & husband.
42. Our daughter rolls over for the first time.
43. Sunday breakfast at my dad’s.
44. Visited a huge soft play area w/ my husbands family and kids.
45. Sweden w/ my mum and daughter.
46. My son had to go to the doctor’s.
47. Met my friend.
48. Picked up my mum from the airport. Witnessed a motorcycle crash.
49. Brunch at my dad’s.
50. Sweden w/ my mum and daughter.
51. Cinema w/ my mum – we watched Jumanji: The next level.
52. First roadtrip w/ the family to Gothenburg.

Elizabeth

100 days ago

A 100 days ago I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. 4920 grams and 50 cm of pure love wrapped into one tiny human being. 3 months later I can see her smiling back at me when I look at her and all of my worries fade away. The world stops for minute and it’s just us. Then the noise from the outside world start tumbling in again but that smile remains. And after 9 long months she is finally kicking her feet of joy and excitement. There is nothing more beautiful and precious than to see your children grow up right beside you. And losing either one of them would be my greatest fear.

Tomorrow will be my first day back at work since going out on maternity leave 3 weeks before my baby girl came. My head is totally ready for it but my heart is still yearning to be with my child. I’m overwhelmed with emotions and don’t really know what to focus on. But I know it will be good for me, and I’m ready to take the leap.

The first Saturday in September, 3 months after giving birth, I’m back at it, and I’m ready.

Elizabeth

A wonderful day

The last couple of weeks have turned into a blur. All merged into one. I don’t even remember when one stops and the next one starts. I fill my day with tasks & goals so that my time won’t be left meaningless. The one thing I wish I had more of – time. Whilst I know my time is ending, the time of my children are just beginning, God willing. But that makes days like these so much more valuable.

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I started my day off like I always do – enjoying a homemade breakfast with my son. Around noon I jumped in the car with my daughter to drive and pick up my friend from work. We enjoyed our afternoon outside, finding a cute cafe were we could sit and chat for a while. The day only got better when we decided to buy two baskets of strawberries and then swing by at home to get my son. Norwegian summer doesn’t last very long so when the weather is good you’ll find most people at the beach, where we also ended up. Even though it took a while to get used to the cold water, it was still nice. 

A day to remember. Now I’m hoping that my daughter will fall asleep soon so that I too can catch some Zzzz. Good night.

Elizabeth

My miracle

Both my babies are in bed now, even though it happened to get a bit earlier for my son. But since he missed his afternoon nap today he was eagerly asleep once we put him down. It’s been 11 days since our little girl arrived and the days are slowly flying by. My due date was just four days ago but I’m so glad she came early. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d go another minute of being pregnant. I’m enjoying every moment of being a mom of two, trying to find our new routine and having lots of family time. I know a labor & delivery story is still missing from this page and my YouTube, but they are in the works. In the mean time let me reminisces of the things I don’t really miss from my pregnancy. 

5 Things I don’t miss from being pregnancy

1. Itching all over my growing belly
2. Not having any clothes that fit properly
3. Seeing new stretch marks
4. Not being able to go an hour without using the bathroom
5. Having extreme back pain at the end of the day

With that being said, I’m never going to be ungrateful for the miracle I have in my life. After nine long and painful months, she is finally here and I’m so lucky and thankful.

Elizabeth

My hospital bag – What I needed & wish I had

What I actually needed:

• A change of clothes – A definite must! I packed a nursing top, a big jeans shirt and a black long sleeveless dress and also some comfy mom pants.
• Nursing top & bra – For some this isn’t necessary but for me it’s super practical and I basically lived in my nursing top. The last day I changed and used the bra with my shirt.
• Trousers & socks – Of course this is an essential. I had 2 pairs of underwear and 3 pairs of socks which was just the perfect amount.
• Toiletry – Everything I packed here I actually needed. Toothbrush and toothpaste. Hairbrush, extra hair tie, body wash and a facial cleanser. Nipple cream was very helpful the first days and also bra pads.
• Power bank – I could’ve just taken my charger with me but I thought a power bank would be smaller to take with and more easy to use whenever I would need it.

What I wish I took with me:

• Slippers – Now I only had my sneakers with me when we came to the hospital and I totally forgot how difficult it would be to get in and out of these once given birth. I struggled multiple times to get into the shoes since it was difficult to bend over. That’s why a pair of slippers would have been perfect to roam around in.
• Baby wipes – I thought one small pack of wipes would be enough, but they hardly even lasted till the second day. As my memory failed to remind me that the hospital only had big, dry wipes that you could wet with a bit of water. Not always as optimal to use when changing a newborn.
• A magazine or book – I didn’t think my entertainment would be an issue, but when I found myself alone in the room, after flicking through the TV channels several times, I do wish I had something more to look at.
• A big hoodie – The hospital rooms were surprisingly cold and I could defiantly have used a big hoodie with a zipper in front.
• Another big button down shirt – I practically lived in the one shirt I brought with me because it was so cold and I didn’t have anything else at hand. A change of shirts would defiantly come in handy.
• More baby clothes – Since we get to borrow clothes at the hospital for the baby, I didn’t think it would be necessary to bring too much clothes for the little one. But after having an accident on the new PJ, hat and a pair of socks, I would recommend to take another hat, a body with long sleeves and a second PJ.

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Elizabeth

Troisième jour à Paris

13th of March 2019 – Shopping & flying home

Our last day had come upon us. After a small breakfast we finished packing and checked out at 11.30 am. We had the whole afternoon because our flight was scheduled to 8.30 pm. We found our way out of our hotel to the nearest street and started walking. There were shops after shops and I tried to visit as many as I could. I ended up buying a black scarf and a oversized denim jacket at a Parisian shop. We also stopped to get some macrons which taste delicious.

We stopped by Zara, H&M, Mango and other high street stores before we settled for lunch at 1 pm after it started to rain. We had our last proper meal in France with success. Time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to make our way back to our hotel to gather our suitcases and head to the airport.

This getaway felt surprisingly longer than only 3 days. I guess I also had someone to look forward to seeing at home which made the departure much easier.

Watch my recap of my Paris holiday here!

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Elizabeth

Deuxième jour à paris

12th of March 2019 – The Eiffel-tower, food & rain

After an almost sleepless night we finally woke up at around 7 am. I was hoping to be able to sleep in on this mini vacation but I guess my mind and body had other plans. We were well excited to finally have a great buffet breakfast awaiting us. But we were unfortunately very surprised when all we got was 1 coffee, a glas of juice, 1/2 a baguette and 3 sweet pastries with only jam and butter as toppings. Was this a normal french breakfast? Disappointed after spending a large amount of money at this hotel with a breakfast included, we had no choice but to settle with what we got.

It was only 10 am so we decided to take a morning walk around the block. The sun was shining yet again to our delight and we were thrilled to see spring arriving. We were both starving after an hour so we sat down at a little cafe for an early lunch.

Back at the hotel I rested my feet before we decided to take an adventure to the Eiffel-tower – 6 km away. A mission to accomplish, especially at 7 months pregnant. We took our map as help and walked alongside the Seine. Halfway there we had to take a break and warm up since the wind was especially strong today. A coffee later we made our last effort to the infamous landmark.

A sight to see for sure – such a beautiful landmark to visit. Even though the top floor was closed that day, we enjoyed the view from below. After some admiration we found a restaurant – ‘Cafe Gustave‘ – where we enjoyed a well earned dinner before we took a taxi back to our hotel.

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Elizabeth

I adore you when you finally arrive

Oh, sweet silence – how I’ve missed you. I adore you when you finally arrive, even though you might not stay as long as I wish.

Today started off early as per usual, though I did get to sleep in yesterday which was deeply needed. I did some last minute editing before I took my son out for a walk. Don’t underestimate the power of breathing in fresh air and changing your scenery once every day. It’s good to change wallpaper and see beyond the four walls of your own home. And I’m happy to announce that I finally think spring is coming. Right now the rain is washing away the remains of winter and giving fuel to threes and flowers arriving soon. I can’t wait to walk out in a summer dress and enjoy the sweet summer air.

Today on the other hand I have some errands to run. I’m the best at procrastinating because I don’t like to face my tasks head on. But when I finally do get the courage to deliver those CV’s personally, make that phone call, or drive to that auto mobile shop to get my car fixed, I feel great. I still have 14 CV’s left on my kitchen table who seek a new owner and hopefully a new job for me. But for today the mission is to go down to the postal office and send away a package. Call the auto shop and get a price for my car and hopefully also an appointment. On top of that I need to place an order for some hair products. Much to do, and no time to waste.

Hope you have a great start on your week! 

Elizabeth