"Midsommar on a train"

I have just come home from having spent two days with my sister and brother-in-law in their lovely house..with a garden!! We went down there for 'midsommar-firande'. We have had gorgeous meals and desserts :) - just hanging out. Yesterday we went in to see some dancing and hear folk music and get the genuine feeling for the day. It was a great day, with just a tiny mishap (but I won't bore you with that).

We went by train. Being on a train with a 1-year-old is quite the experience. For one, you get to walk around a lot. Secondly, and most amazingly, you make all kinds of friends! I say it again, kids are better than dogs when it comes to talking to people you don't know, and might never have talked to , if it hadn't been for the child at you side.

Anyway, J gets smiles and laughs, radiant with love and acceptance, everywhere she goes. And today it struck me like lightning - what if every single human being on the whole planet got a smile like that every time they meet another human being? It probably would make the world a better place and at least one war less to fight.

I once heard a speaker, who happened to be a doctor, say that an infant is loved just for the simple fact that it's alive. Think about it - when you meet other people you make instant judgements about them based on how they talk, what they wear and what they do for a living and you do it in a split second. This might sometimes take you to the conclusion that you don't like somebody based on these shallow observations, without having exchanged a single word with this person. But with an infant it's different. Funny creatures, these homo sapiens....
When God speaks of us being just like a child, maybe this is it?! That we should also see others like God's children, loving them for that reason only.

Well this post is longer then intended. Have a good night and hope you all have had a good weekend.

Dofter

Well, her I am. I know I haven't posted anything for a while but I've been busy with...well life!
Being in a new place always takes a toll on you for the first period of adjustments. And here everything smells different and everything actually is scented it seems - even diapers, garbage bags and well, you name it! It's different from home.

But I'm having a great time, seeing family and new family members I haven't met before. Today I've been to this big mall, it was great. We had a great Mexican meal and could actually enjoy the meal because the timing was perfect - little J was sleeping for an hour during the meal!! At least sometimes you do something right. :)

clinging

J has never been this clingy before! I guess it's the big change in her life - new environment with unfamiliar smells and sounds etc. I can't even take two steps away from her. And today she has a bit of a fever and a cold. Hope she doesn't get an ear infection.

It's raining today and we're adjusting pretty well. We've been out on walks everyday to get some sunlight. The weather has been nice, except for today. But I guess the rain is also needed. The world around us will fell so much more alive and fresh after rain. The smells are so much more intense. I like it actually, so I should stop complaining.

D, you'll get you stuff monday afternoon :)

Hope you are all doing well.

Walking and bicycles

Well, all of a sudden J started walking a bit on her own! Yesterday she managed to take 12 steps by herself...and I was cheering her on. You can tell it makes her happy.

And today I bought myself a bicycle. Hurra!! Paying for it in full tomorrow - not as much fun :)

under water

Today, I went swimming with J and her grandma Y, in order to have under-water photos taken of J diving etc. Unfortunately, today she wasn't very keen on diving but they took some pictures of the two of us from under the surface. I hope they turn out.

2 step

Today J took her first couple of steps all by herself - no hands!!!!
Amazing to see the progress.....in a months time she has learned to first crawl and now she's almost walking. No wonder she's been a bit cranky! :)

animals

This is my family:

Anna the Aimable Albatross
Dewitt the Dopey Dingo
Tamie the Timid Tadpole
Julia the Jovial Jaguar
Bev the Beautiful Bumblebee
Jerry the Joyful Jiraffe
Karin the kantancerous Kangaroo
Anders the ambitious aligator
etc

Don't feel left out if you didn't make the list...my imagination ran dry :) Got the idea from a CD J got from D. Childrens songs with titles like "Rita the Cheetah", "Horace the Hysterical Hyena" and "Bongi the Boisterous Buffalo".

Anyway, it was just one of these silly things you do on a Saturday afternoon when entertaining an 11-month old girl (honestly, I probably had the most fun..)