You know you live in scandinavia when...

...when you go see a match of rugby under the water rather than on a field of green grass. "what?!" I hear you say? Yes, that's right, underwater rugby! Shortly after we arrived, Troels joined a team of underwater rugby in Copenhagen. Now I can hear you smile and laugh right now, and say "oh another goofy thing Troels is making up!"- especially Greg, my little TOULOUSAIN with rugby at heart! I didn't believe Troels either when he told me there was such a sport. But it's actually pretty cool, look at this short video here:

Troels loves it since it combine his love for water, and yes, tackling people still :) Plus it's much safer for his bad knee, so a win win! Now the sport is cool, but going to watch the game...that's a different story! Tinymus and I went to watch a game - but from the surface, you miss all the action. Going to the game was a bit similar to watching doplhins swimming around in a pool of water, going up to the surface and diving back down. I really hope that someday I can watch a game in a pool that has underwater windows....or wild, go on the sideline with my diving equipment and sit at the bottom of the pool! Tinymus, on her end, just enjoyed her first time at the pool like any girl would :) It was warm in there, with distant noises of water probably like in my belly....guess she couldn't have asked for more!

Kroellemus & Tinymus

Sorry, lots of pictures of our little Tinymus these days - but she's just so new to us, we can't get tired of it quite yet:) Many of you have been asking about pics of Olivia with her mamma - so far all I had was pics where I was breastfeeding her, quite strangely....story of my life these days :) So here you go!

Olivia's first splish splash

Oh lovely lovely water - she loved it! I was expecting a screaming child, uncontrolable, kicking her legs in the air for her first bath - maybe because Cal and Nico were never too fan of going into their baths? But no, she was a bit surprised by the feeling at first, but I think it reminded her of being back in my belly, she was so chill...that is, until we took her out of there - then she started screaming her lungs out hehe. Can't really blame her, I would have hated being taken out of a warm bath against my will too!

Plllllllleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaseeeeeee...

"Pleaaaaase mamma, not the scary kangaroo again!!!" :D Sorry Tinymus, we are terrible terrible parents, putting all of these scary monsters around you :)

Special Handling :)

Troels and I being both very clumsy, we left that little note from our last travel on the car seat...just a little reminder that what we are carrying is very special :)

Zoom Zooom Zoom, Brrrrr Brrrrr Brrr

I did it I did it I did it! The cold lasted long enough after I gave birth to Olivia, and we were able to go ice-skating on one of the little lakes by Troels' parents in Noedebo. I had been waiting for it for SUCH a long time- even in New York last year I couldn't go to the ice rink in Central Park because of my knee surgery.

AND I didn't even fall on by butt - Can you believe it people? Although close quite a few times....good thing they didn't make me drink Gammel Dansk during the brunch hehe ;)

Hurra hurra hurra for ice-skating outside!

Brunch at Hanne & Steffen's

Lovely food, lovely people...lovely Saturday morning :)


Olivia cuddling with Ditte.

Olivia says "ZzzzzZzzzzZzzzzz"

Nordic dreams

lots of Nordic dreams these days....and lots of falling flat on our butts - well at least for Troels, looks like Vikings can't quite stand on their feet after all :)

The move here has been better than I could have ever imagined. Things feel so good, so we are enjoying every minute, and every second of it. You would think that I would be tired of the snow and the cold by now, but far far from it. I can't help but smile and feel so at piece every time I look at the garden from the window. The patterns of the tree branches covered in snow, it amazes me every time - once I get my painting supplies from NY, I really want to try and capture that. A few pics from our first walk out with Olivia - sorry, you can't see her face on the pics, we had to keep this little girl warm under the blankets...that walk was probably such a well-spent half hour :)

Olivia

"Without warning
as a whirlwind
swoops on an oak
Love shakes my heart"
Sappho

Nous

That's our tiny family :)

First night

Nothing sweeter than a first night together. Cuddling was all we needed that night :)

Our little Viking Princess has arrived! Olivia's birth story

We were so anxious to see our little tinymus arrived so that we could hold her tight in our arms...and so that mamma would not fell like an elephant every time she had to get in and out of them....or up and down the stairs....or in an out the door for that matter! I just loved being pregnant, and I really was trying to enjoy these last few days as much as possible. But there is a point of no return for each pregnancy. A point where you say "Alright, this pregnancy thing was fun. Come now little one!". And here she is now :)

Olivia was born on Wednesday, January 13th at 9:37pm.

Contractions started that afternoon, and since I had been having a LOT of "fake" contractions the past few weeks (that's what cross-atlantic-moving-ikea-shopping-furniture-building will do to you I guess?), I didn't want to assume it was for real this time. I started Vicky Christina Barcelona.....mmm yeah. I still have to see the end of that movie now :D We headed to the hospital around 7pm, we could feel she would be coming pretty fast, our midwife agreeing with us on that. But little did we know! it was FAST people - even the midwife freaked out when she realized how fast little Olivia was coming. They started running around getting everything ready, without trying to show me that they were borderline panicking. This little girl was in a rush to come out it seems like. But quick labor is also synonym with intense labor - and oh was it intense. Troels and our midwife Kirsten kept telling me that it would be over soon, to which I replied every time "Damn it better be!". So yes a lot a lot of pain - but at least I didn't scream at Troels and call him all sorts of names during the labor....so could have been worse:D



And oh, they put her on my stomach.

And I looked at her. And looked at my belly below her. And looked at her again. And my belly.

10 seconds went on.

And BAM. It hit me.

Yes, my big stomach was gone. And yes, that baby on my stomach.....it was her who had been with me for the past 9 months, going everywhere I went, feeling everything I felt. Her. On my belly. Oh holding her for the first time. I was shaking. Maybe a lot of it was from the physical pain of labor. But I know a lot of that shivering was from holding my little girl for the very first time.

They brought some food and drinks from me on a tray....and along the food, on the tray, was the Danish flag. The beautiful Danish flag that is here used for celebration. The flag that is out on the table every time we celebrate a friend's birthday or a wedding, or an anniversary. Danish flag = MAJOR celebration. And oh did we have to celebrate. We had to celebrate this perfect little nose, and these perfect little toes, and every bit of perfection in between. I think that my love for the Danish flag (and all it means when it is out on a table) grew by at least the distance from the Earth to the moon and back that night.

Idag er det Olivia fødselsdag,
hurra hurra hurra
Hun sikkert sig en gave får,
om hun har ønsket sig i år
og dejlig chokolade med kager til.

Hvor smiler hun, hvor er hun glad,
hurra hurra hurra
Men denne dag er også rar,
for hjemme venter mor og far
med dejlig chokolade og kager til.

More wedding pics

They keep on coming! Going back in time with this post, I thought I'd share a few keepers, that Lisa just sent - thanks Lis!

Hearts on ice

As many of you already know, it's been COLD in Denmark. I don't think I've ever been around cold weather for so long before....which led to a very first for me - I walked on a frozen lake for the first time :) My heart went bom bom bom when I first stepped on, such an amazing feeling. Troels and I had brought some warm tea with us on the walk, so we had tea right in the middle of the lake, watching the sun set and enjoy drawing hearts on the lake like little kids. One of these moments that just feels too good to be true. Haaa now all I want to do is skip around like a little girl :)

Happy colours dancing in my head

I came accross this online store a few weeks ago, and again today. I am just in COMPLETE love with what they sell :) The store is called BoxDeLux, online but also in Aarhus (can't wait to go!). What do I like about it? It's altogether fun, quirky, with both a feeling of new and old...maybe sometimes a bit artsy-farsty as Troels would call it hehe, but it just brings such great feelings. I love how it tickles inside everytime I discover something I like there - just about every 1/2 second :) All smiles.

The website is in Danish unfortunately - but even if you can't speak a work of it, maybe you'll still want to go take a look and browse through?

Resting :)

It's been an extremely busy month with the move and the holidays, now we're just trying to relax before the storm hits adorable quiet baby arrives - oh and yes, it is indeed my infamous "unemployed" T-shirt that you can see on the picture, IT'S BACK! :D Hehe, don't worry babe, it won't be forever...but for now let me nag you while you are sitting in your home office :)

Tinymus at 37 weeks

Probably the last pictures of my rouund round belly! Only 3 small weeks to go....unless you decide to come to us sooner, Little Tinymus :) PS:Thanks ma Patatoes for helping with the pics!

BWAHAHAHAHAHA I WIN!

Belly competition between Soaz and I. Hahaha, such an easy victory, she had no chance :D Thanks for helping mommy, Tinymus! :D

Viking shower!

One last stop before Soazic left us - we all went to Oesbrohallen, a very cool swimming pool with all sorts of pools, jaccuzis, saunas, etc....and my favorite, the Viking Shower - which basically consists of pouring an ice-cold bucket of water on yourself before diving in the warm pool. Hehehe look at Soazic's face......priceless :D