Lately

New saldals!

At 10:43 pm a couple of nights ago.

The sun is shining in Bergen, so you'll forgive me if I don't blog these days as much.  Anyways, not that we have had the chance to enjoy it so much because Olivia has the flu.  She is getting out of it now, luckily, but we've had some rough days and nights.

I blame it on the lack of boob!  (But that is just me being silly).  I have stopped nursing, it just stopped naturally.  It happened a bit after Olivia's first birthday.  I miss it a lot, but we are embracing this new stage in her life.  

She is almost walking, babbling a lot and imitating a lot as well.  

So life is good.  I am done with my semester and have a long summer vacation ahead.  We will be moving into our new home in only a couple of weeks and we are enjoying these amazing days of summer.  Afternoons in the balcony, drinking a beer with Jonas after a long day, endless light, priceless.  And, that is exactly where I am headed right now.  To the balcony, with my husband while he grills some burgers and we have a cold beer.  On a WEDNESDAY!

Trula

This blog,  Trula:kids : the best source of inspiration for kids home made clothes.  Everything is great, the patterns, the fabrics, the ideas, the solutions!  What a clever gal!  And not only the ideas are great, but the photography and small glimpses of her life in Barcelona are also a treat . Not to mention her two adorable and cool red-head daughters that give life to the whole thing.  Make sure and check it out ;)

Maxi Smok

 

 

1 hour skirt

 

 

a prince and a princess

Oslo

 

Olivia and I went on a trip to Oslo to visit Nicca, Iben and Olav.  It was so much fun to see the girls "play" together.  In a way they did, they had their own communication and interaction.  I think they will really enjoy each other as time passes.  They already do!  Even though Iben is mostly frustrated that she can't move as much as Olivia and Olivia is mostly frustrated that she can't grab Iben harder!  They smile to each other, make sweet noises and imitate each others moves.  It's very cool to see how two little girls, that are completely different, develop!  Every single child has his or her own needs and the tricks that work with one might not work with the other.  It is amazing to see how their personalities are so clear from the beginning and how they know sort of what they want from so young.  These two are truly amazing.  Easy going, sweet, smart, happy, funny little girls! 

How motherhood has changed me.

Sorry for the quality of the video but it was as spontaneous as it gets!

It's been quite a year, I don't get tired of saying it.  Everyday I realize how becoming a mother has changed me.  How I feel like a much stronger person.  How it isn't all about me anymore.  How nothing is more important than how happy Olivia makes me.

I have had a rough week.  I had a tough critique in my last exhibition.  Right after, I questioned everything I had done for the last part of my studies.  Then on Monday, I went and defended my work, and managed to change some peoples minds and also get some positive feedback.  It made me feel strong and confident, and made me punch myself on the arm and remember to trust my instincts.  For some reason, things that get me down, like a tough critique on my work, fade away quickly, become not as important and permit me to focus on making them better.  I think the reason is that I have become a more confident person, a stronger woman.  My daughter has made me a stronger woman.  I thank her for that. 

Sold!

Olivia's new favourite place to be.

 First of all, what is this??? I don't like the new look of blogger, I was very comfortable with the older version.  That I found it just today means that I haven't updated the blog in a very long time.  For that I'm sorry but I have been very busy these last couple of weeks.  In a nutshell, Jonas' paternity leave ended around six weeks ago and I became a full time student again.  We have no kindergarden yet so we have been juggling with time.  So that I could work at school, Jonas took two weeks vacation distributed in two days a week until the end of my semester and my mother in law took one afternoon a day so that I could go to school two and a half days a week, the rest, Olivia either comes with me or I just can't work.  But, it all worked out until the end.  Last week we had our exhibition, which marks the end of the school year.  We had to present a preview of what we would be working on for the rest of our MA, or at least what we had been working on the past year.  It was a lot of work, especially with Olivia along  since I can't really give 100% when she's there (she is great by the way, very patient and charming with everyone).  It made me respect EVEN MORE single parents (how do they manage!?!?!?!?).  Up and down, back and forth, up four floors of stairs with Olivia on my back.  A lot of fun, but, exhausting!

In the end, the exhibition was ready last Friday, we had our opening and a group critique on Monday and I can say: I MADE IT through the semester with Olivia along!  I'm pretty proud of myself but I am definately looking forward to having a kindergarden and being able to focus on my work.

On top of all that, we've been trying to sell our apartment, getting it ready, cleaning, painting, redesigning and packing away almost half of our things so that it would look good on pictures and on the catalog.  We finally had the "open house" on Wednesday. On Thursday we were waiting to hear if someone was interested.  It was nerve-wreking!  It almost seemed until very late at night that nobody wanted to give what we were asking for and that we might have to go through yet another open house.  But at 9:30 pm we got a call from our realter and he said that he managed to get us a good price and then, all of a sudden, our apartment was sold.  SOLD!   On June 9th, we will move to our new place, and in June 15th, this beautiful apartment in the best possible neighborhood in Bergen will belong to someone else.  But although it is sad to leave a place that we love so much and the place that I have called my home for the last five years, it is very exiting to think of our new house.  The house where Olivia will grow up and where we will make new stories and make it our own.  And of course, ALL THE SPACE that we will have!  I can't wait!

We welcome the summer with open arms and will enjoy the rest of the spring in this apartment that we love so, so dearly.  Lots of grilling, sitting on the balcony, enjoying the garden and going for walks around the neighborhood.   I can't complaint!