Baby News

We went to another ultrasound a few days ago (the last one!) and everything is stil fine - it seemed like her growth was slowing down a bit but that was a good thing since she was so big the last time. At this point I'm trying not to count on a big or a small baby since there's really no way to tell what size she will be by the time she arrives. She gets the hiccups every day now, and also reacts very nicely to things like Morten talking to her in danish (planning mischievous ways to tease mommy together). She also reacts to music. Seems like her favorite music so far, or at least the music that gets a reaction out of her, always has a steady beat and a lively tune. She also has a strange reaction to the sound of running water - for a couple of months now I've noticed that she wiggles when I'm doing the dishes, washing my hands etc. At first I couldn't tell what part of her was wiggling, but now I can tell it's either her fingers or toes because it's very tiny and sort of tickles. Not really sure what that is about! It will be fun to see if she has the same reactions when she is out.

I confess I've been a bit baby obsessed lately. Sometimes I google potential baby names just to look at all the cute baby girl pictures. The fact is I just can't wait to see her and hold her in my ARMS, not my tummy. I'm also a bit anxious to get my body back - to turn over in the middle of the night without shooting pains everywhere, to bend forward without squishing my daugher, my stomach, or any other important things. But all in all I think I have had a pretty easy pregnancy. And I have heard from others that after giving birth they miss the kicking, punching, tiny toe wiggling, etc, and I'm sure I will too since that is definitely the best part right now. And like in any good story, I'm sure the suspense and anticipation will make the happy ending that much more enjoyable once tiny toes finally comes to join our family.

Babymoon in Vienna

It's time for the much procrastinated post about our trip to Vienna...

We flew out to Vienna on a thursday night and took various trains/trams to get to our hotel. The hotel was amazing, because it wasn't really a hotel but a small apartment in a restored victorian era building, complete with a little kitchen for all my midnight munching needs. Very cosy, pretty, grand, and very Vienna.

We spent the next several days running around like a bunch of tourists, takings pictures of everything, acting crazy, and having a blast. Below are some highlights.

Schonbrunn Palace and the surrounding gardens. We spent a whole day just exploring this huge area.

Karlskirche - we saw an awesome concert here later in the week.

LDS Church. We found an english speaking ward to attend.

Beethoven's grave, and a lot of other composers not in the picture. It was fun to explore a posh Austrian graveyard.

Mozart's grave, or at least the spot where he is most likely to have been buried. This graveyard was less touristy and more creepy.

The library. We did a lot of our walking around in the evening since it was cooler.

The museum of natural history

The library from the front.

City Hall

Morten loves animals, so we had to check out the zoo. I noticed that at the Austrian zoos/aquariums, they don't really believe in putting barriers between the guests and the animals, which was especially true in the case of this sloth. It was really friendly and at several points Morten had to back away to keep the sloth from climbing onto his shoulders. He wasn't even zooming in this picture.

On Wednesday we took a day trip to Bratislava (the capital of Slovakia - only an hour by train from Vienna). It was really fun to see such a big difference between the two cities when they are so close together. We got a bit of culture shock at the train station in Bratislava because it was quite a shady area but when we walked on into the "old town" we found it endlessly charming. I've definitely acquired a taste for eastern Europe and would love to also visit Prague, Budapest, etc.

We discovered later on that we didn't get any really good pictures in Bratislava because that was the day it started getting REALLY hot, and we were more concerned about staying out of direct sunlight than getting good pictures. Below is a church we found in the old town, which was basically crumbling in disrepair (unlike most of the old churches in Vienna). I loved the way it looked.

Bratislava castle, on top of a massive hill. The climb was tough but worth it in order to explore the castle and see the view over the Danube from the top.

Back in Vienna the next day, we lost a bit of our "must see and do everything NOW" tourist stamina and spent our time on some more relaxing activities (especially if they involved air conditioned buildings).

This is the view from the roof of the aquarium.

Wandering down pedestrian streets, into touristy shops in order to make fun of the souvenirs and try on silly hats...

The natural history museum.

Thursday night was my favorite part of the whole trip. During the entire week, people on corners dressed as Mozart had been trying to sell us overpriced, touristy concert tickets. While I was determined to see a classical concert at some point during our stay in Vienna, I didn't want it to be one of those commercial ones. We were lucky to find out about a less advertised concert series in Karlskirche cathedral, where we saw Mozart's requiem thursday night. It was an unforgettable performace by a very gifted local group, with a surprisingly small audience and personal feel to it.

Some things I noticed about Vienna:

-The buildings almost ALWAYS have statues and some manner of "curly q's" all over them.

-People are extremely courteous to the elderly, women with children or pregnant, and handicapped. In fact, politeness in general seems to be very highly valued.

-The classical music background of the city is a very important cultural heritage.

-I guess I would notice this, being pregnant, but there are far fewer unpleasant smells than you would imagine, even in elevators at train stations, etc. Maybe I am just comparing with CPH where the train stations almost always smell bad.

The whole trip was a wonderful time for Morten and I to relax and enjoy spending time together before our lives get turned around (in a good way) when the little one arrives.

More baby news soon!

Now I'm the one who looks like an alien...

Ultrasound #5

Went for another ultrasound today! And got a lovely 3D picture of our adorable little one playing peekaboo.

It is a bit freaky looking I'll have to admit, but what a great chance to see her cute big cheeks and tiny ear. Technology is amazing.

We found out early on that there are 2 veins in the umbilical cord whereas normally there are 3, so the doctors have been paying extra attention and taking extra ultrasounds just to make sure that the baby is growing properly. It turns out she is growing more than properly, weighing around 2.5 pounds already, which is 10% more than average at 26 weeks. They predicted she would probably be almost 9 pounds at birth if she comes on time. But I never really expected that we would have a small baby anyway, since I was pretty enormous (10 pounds) and Morten wasn't small either. So, no surprise there.

We also found out that she is most definitely a girl. We knew that with about 90% certainty before, but this time they were 100% certain on that. Good thing we already bought lots of pink dresses!

Next week I've got to take some tests at the hospital, go to a consultation with the midwife, and then we will go on our babymoon to Vienna!! I'm so thrilled about that I can't even begin to say. It will be nice to forget everything for a while and just hang out in a cool city with my awesome husband, who by the way did the laundry, cleaned, and left me a really sweet note today "just because." What a guy!

Danish Creatures

Living more in the "countryside" now than before, I have been enjoying all sorts of new wildlife.

For example.

The other day, coming home late at night, I saw a porcupine meandering through the bushes outside our apartment. I immediately assumed it must be a very rare occurrence to see such a creature (I had never seen one outside the zoo before), so I excitedly called Morten over. He ho-hummed and told me they are as normal here as armadillos or possums in Texas. Ok then.

We also spotted a hare the other day. Not a rabbit, a hare. Running accross the road. Complete with extremely perky ears. It made me want to go read the Redwall books again and start saying "wot, wot!" at the end of every sentence.

Recently, I also had a not-so-pleasant encounter with an overgrown spider. We live on the second floor and I'll have to say we do manage to keep things pretty clean and uncluttered for the most part, but there it was, a giant spider in the bathroom. Any time I mention my distaste for spiders in company with danes, one of them is sure to point out that spiders in Denmark never bite, and most people pick them up and play with them as children. Though that is not very comforting, I guess spiders are still better than roaches. So, comparing Texan and Danish wildlife, I do most definitely prefer the Danish version.

"Serious scrappers"

Things are coming along, pregnancy-wise. I'm 25 weeks into it, and can hardly believe that means (roughly) 15 weeks left. Little "___" kicks me all day/night long, especially when we are hungry or I am making too much noise. We have thought about some names already but I won't jinx it by writing them here.

I have been discovering the many joys of pregnancy, both expected and unexpected. I can't wait to get to know her but at the same time there's still so much to get ready. I've been a bit overwhelmed lately with all there is to do - the usual work/chores/social/church/family obligations, as well as the growing responsibility of "taking care of myself." Most days I would rather just skip that one altogether but Morten is very good at helping me remember to take my many vitamins, get enough rest and exercise, tend to the bizarre ailments that come along with pregnancy, and stop stressing out.

The last one is something I could still stand to learn a lot from the Danes about. They are very serious about relaxation. They can work very hard but they are also very serious about family time, vacation, and their hobbies.

For example, last weekend I went to a scrapbooking festival with my mother and sister in law. It was the third time we have been to the bi-annual event together but again I was impressed by the people there and their dedication to their hobby. Most Danes have never heard of scrapbooking, but those who claim it as their own spend a great deal of time and effort on it. We showed up half an hour early for the 9:00 event, which I thought was a bit excessive, and it turns out that scores of ladies from all over Denmark and other countries, of all ages and walks of life, had already showed up before us with at least two heavy bags of "supplies" in tow, all lined up and ready to go in and start "scrapping."

It made me resolve, once again, to always give myself time to do the things I enjoy so that I will have much more mental energy to do the things I "have" to do all the rest of the time, and be better company for the people I care about.

I should end this post before I start babbling...or is it too late? Ok. The End.

Girl!!!!!

Haha sorry to keep you all waiting. We did find out several days ago but I have been procrastinating writing a blog about it. Hence this very short post. I'll just say we are VERY excited for a little girl and already buying cute baby dresses.