A bit of inspiration

I just read a quote I really like on my Aunt's facebook page (by M. Scott Peck): ‎"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."

My Aunt is an inspiration to me because she has faced many difficult trials in her life but still manages not only to stay positive and enthusiastic, but also to keep laughing and smiling and constantly being a light to everyone around her. I hope that I can also take the (very few) difficulties I encounter and learn from them to be positive and keep laughing no matter what.

Time bomb

I wonder what the baby countdown will say when wednesday is over? I keep getting the feeling it will say...3...2...1...BLASTOFF!! Sometimes I do feel a bit like a bomb about to explode, a rocket about to take off, etc. It is nice to know that the time to meet the baby is so close but it's weird not to have control over the day and time that it will take place, and not to really know what it will be like.

My mom got here last week and it's wonderful to have her here! Showing her around Copenhagen for the first time has been a nice distraction from the "time bomb" feeling.

Pictures, as requested...

This is the stroller - it's from Emmanjunga, it's called "Nitro City" and the color is "grey dream" though I think that color is discontinued now. We bought it at Ønskebørn.

Here are the dresses I made....not the prettiest or the most professional ever (notice the ugly seams) but it was fun to make them. I used the same pattern for both, so I have no idea how the pink ended up so much bigger. They are meant to be worn with little onesies (how on earth do you spell that?) and tights. Next project, a boppy pillow!

I didn't make this next one, but it's just cute. So here's a picture.

Projects

I'm currently borrowing my mother in law's sewing machine in order to make some baby dresses. It's a little bit daunting since I have only finished a sewing project maybe 2-4 times in my life. But I have so much time right now and I know that is about to change, so I'd better use it while I can! The dresses are just very simple in a jumper style, and I am using the same pattern to make several dresses, so hopefully I can master it before I try something else. It's fun trying to read a pattern in danish...but let's just say that sewing tutorials on youtube have been my friend!

I've also been playing piano a bit. Don't get me wrong...I am not a pianist. But we inherited a nice-ish keyboard from Morten's parents, and since I can't practice guitar right now (belly gets in the way), I figured I would try to learn a few hymns so I can (eventually) make myself useful at church. It's fun because when I do, the music is right next to my belly and baby girl always kicks emphatically when I play. Maybe she wants to be a dancer when she grows up.

We picked up the stroller yesterday, finally. It was interesting trying to decide on one, because Danes have a very different idea than Americans (or just the rest of the world) about what a stroller/pram is for. Most families get them extra large, complete with a mattress, duvet, rain cover, and heavy duty wheels that don't swivel. Basically they are like little houses on wheels. This is because many families in Denmark believe in letting their children take their naps outside, usually in the backyard, in order for them to grow strong lungs from the fresh air or something like that. Actually I've never really gotten a straight answer as to the reasoning behind it.

We had a lot of discussions about what we expect out of a stroller, which thankfully does not involve the idea of using it as a second crib, so we decided against the traditional pram in favor of a more american style folding/swivel wheeling stroller, but it can lay flat and comes with a "lift" (I believe they are called moses baskets in the states) that fits inside to accommodate a newborn. The style I wanted was purple and frilly, but Morten was concerned that pushing a purple stroller around might undermine his manliness, so we settled for gray instead. Can't wait to start taking her out for walks in it!

Bitty Baby Glamor

I've been making little headbands. I should probably wait to post pictures until I can actually put them on her tiny head, but here is a preview...

Two Years

First off, I should mention that last Sunday marked 2 years since I married this handsome fellow. It has been absolutely wonderful being married to Morten, and I look forward to the rest of eternity with him by my side.

On to other news...

Wednesday was my first day of maternity leave. I didn't have any particular plans for the day except just enjoying it and getting at least one nap in. However, when in the kitchen casually doing some dishes, my eyes wandered and I saw a speck of dirt. Something started happening inside me....I had to start scrubbing that dirt right away. Suddenly I discovered that I had spent hours frantically scrubbing and organizing the entire kitchen, and now had a killer backache and had to lie down. The craziest part was after I finally finished, I still didn't want to lie down. I wanted to move on and do exactly the same in the rest of the apartment.

I guess that's what they call the nesting instinct. I should probably take advantage of it before the baby arrives, when nobody will have time for things like organizing pots and pans.

Tuesday night was my baby shower! Baby showers are not really a tradition in Denmark, but in the church they are. The group in my ward have very specific baby shower traditions. For instance it has to be a surprise for the expectant mother, usually planned by her friends or family. Before opening the gifts, the giver has to give a "wish" for the mother and/or baby, and someone writes these down so that the mother can keep them. These are things like "I wish for your baby to sleep through the night" etc. The ribbon off the presents is collected by someone else, the ends tied together, and wrapped around a book. At the end of the gift opening, the expectant mother takes ahold of the end of the ribbon, then it is unraveled and passed around to all the ladies in the circle until the ribbon runs out. The person to get the end of the ribbon is supposedly the "next one" to have a baby, and she gets to keep all the ribbons.

It was at my friend Anne-Dorthe's place and it was really nice - lots of my friends from church were there and all the ladies in Morten's family too. The gifts were great and it was just nice to feel supported and loved.

Now it's the home stretch I guess. Just frantically cleaning everything in sight, enjoying the nice weather, and waiting for the baby.

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.