Little H the mermaid

Our little H is not only a cheeky monkey, a fruit monster, a ‘snuggle bum’, but now also a little mermaid.

On Sunday the sun was shining, the temperature above 20 Celcius and we had the whole day ahead of us for some family fun. We decided to go to a lake nearby to dip our toes in the, probably, freezing water. But first: Little H needed her nap, we needed our lunch, we had to make smoothies to bring, we needed to localize the sun cream and to pack a bag with all other necessities, change and dress Little H, apply this sun cream and get her highness into her seat in the car .


The list was almost endless of ‘to dos’ and ‘need to bring’ and when we finally sat in the car, it was not only us who were heading for the lake, but also some very dark, very big clouds, bursting with raindrops. Great.


Little H has had a rather ambivalent relationship with water. She loves being in her little blue bathtub. She used to hate the shower, these days she cannot get enough of running water and has a tantrum every morning if she is not allowed to join either me or Pappa Kas in the shower.


She liked her baby swimming classes. Sometimes so much that she squealed in delight and scared the other babies. Other times she got silent, clingy and very cold, looking at me with blue lips and sad eyes to tell me that this is neither fun nor comfortable ( I could not agree more).


So how would she react to the real thing?

We were optimistic. Swimming diapers were on, we had brought a bucket and a spade for playing in the sand, and only the rain could stop us from having a jolly good time.


I have to admit that I swim like an old lady (breast strokes, no water in my hair- thank you very much), and do not go swimming in lakes or in the sea unless it is +22 C and no other people around. Would Little H take after her mother, as she does with her appetite for strawberries, a belly a Buddha would be proud of, and blue-grey eyes? Or would she take after her father, and swim like a dolphin, fight the waves and not to care about her hair whether in salt water or water with chlorine.

Here I am glad that the Spanish genes came through. While I was sitting on our picnic blanket, sipping smoothie and supervising from a distance, the two Castro’s were jumping from small rocks and into the water, splashing around, walking out to water high enough to reach the belly (Little H ones that is), in water that to me “looked” like 12 degrees warm.


Oh, have I told you that the in-laws are here? Watch this space…

Happy Birthday to H, part 2 of 2

First of all: my apologies for not updating the blog for more than a week, ehrmmm close to two. I am ashamed and sad to have disappointed my fans ;-) and most of all you.

Not sure who's got most butterflies

Well here we go:

Little H’s birthday weekend disappeared in a flash. After Friday’s extravaganza we still had cupcakes left, but the marzipan cake was put in a tupperware and given it to my dad, the cake monster, the ice-cream monster, who can eat tons of desserts and chocolate in one go. The only person whom I know to be able to match his dessert stomach is Pappa Kas dad, Aitxitxe Sebas. And I am not far behind myself.

We made it!

On Monday we had invited the Skinheads, Sergio’s (Pappa Kas) Senoritas and other dear friends to come so that I could show off my baking skills and Little H her 7 teeth (some say it's only six, but the bitemarks on my arms says differently). Being a public holiday we were aiming for few guests (sorry), so that they day could pass in peace and quiet. Never happened, almost everyone came and the ones who did not, had all valid excuses.
The weather was fantastic and we had such a great time. Little H was on fire, but Pappa Kas had her all under control while I chatted with the mummies to get the latest updates. How many teeth’s does Julie have? Can Oscar say mamma yet? When will they start to eat peas? And other “must know” information.

For the big day, I had of course cheated a bit on the catering side. I did not want to make a lot of sugary cakes and snacks, but made buns with whole meal flour and blueberries inside, had lots of different fruit chopped up and had made cupcakes, both chocolate ones and pink ones (OMG! What kind of mummy -monster have I turned into? PINK cupcakes!


As you know I do love baking, but it can be a bit much sometimes so I cheated and bought cupcake mix, who Jespers mum, Marita, told me was just like the real thing. I made the pink cupcakes as it said on the pack, but improvised a bit with the frosting. Sadly no photos were taken, but they looked exactly like the ones from Magnolia bakery. That was to be my downfall…


When all the guests were gathered and inspecting the table of temptations, the very same mum who recommended the ready mix said out loud “Oh, I can see that you used the readymade cup cake mix, not to worry, they do taste really good”.


Thanks a lot…

Happy birthday to H - part 1 of 2

On the 10th of June Little H turned one! Can you believe it? It is one year ago since the little bundle of joy stepped (well, was pushed) into our lives, giving us sleepless nights, spit up on our sweaters and pee on our trousers. Not to mention her darling smile, her chubby little tummy, her few strands of hair and the way she laughs. It’s impossible not to love her.

In spite of thinking that it is naff to celebrate babies’ birthdays, I decided that I cannot be a worse mummy than the others, so let’s throw a party, no let’s throw two - to make sure we celebrate in style!

So this is Friday: The Family Party.

As you might know Little H has been feeling under the weather since returning from our holiday in Denmark. It’s been on and off and we were certain that the nastiness must have passed. Nevertheless a party had to be held, Little H feeling a bit low could be down to nerves before her big day.

The guests were due to arrive at 5 pm. At 4.15 pm Little H almost passed out in Pappa Kas arms. It was time for a nap. The snot was running, her eyes blank and her forehead could be used for frying eggs. The wee lassie did not consider that I had been up until late the night before baking cream cake AND cheese cake, had been running from shop to shop in pouring rain to get materials to make a princess crown, and that I had spent all my pocket money on a new cute (but cool) denim dress for the birthday girl.


Since Pappa Kas’ part of the family is located on the “Continent" (to be exact, Elorrio, Bizkaia, Spain). Amama Socco and Aitxite Sebas were not able to make it on time. I believe that their flight arrives sometime Thursday afternoon, so no panic – yet.




Ouch Gran don't ruin my hair!



No hats at the table, please!

The by invitation only guest-list consisted of: Granny B and Granddad G, Auntie Janne and Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother, so the Nyhus clan was heavily represented. 100% to be exact. The troops arrived just as we heard baby H cry of boredom, so as the good host that I am I welcomed the guests while Pappa Kas changed and dressed Little H.


The guests brought a mountain of presents and we certainly do not need to buy Little H any summer clothes any time soon. Funky cotton and denim trousers, t-shirts, sandals – the works. Her Auntie had of course bought a noisy toy, but she was forgiven when she also handed over two small picture books of the type Little H loves (she is a smart one reading books already). Her Great Grandparents had also gotten her clothes and a super nice but practical purple nursery backpack with butterflies on it. I wish they had had one for me as well. When we tried it on her, she cried and was clearly uncomfortable- so she’s not ready for the nursery yet (neither are her parents).


We gorged on cakes, chocolate, fruit salad and more before Little H started rubbing her eyes and telling us that the party was over by waving furiously from her throne. Well, when her royal highness says that the party is over, the party is over.


We said goodbye to our lovely and generous guests, thanked them for the very nice and extravagant presents and went to fetch the winebottle….

End of part 1





An amateurs mistake

The sun has been shining over Lier the last couple of days, so we have removed Hannas wollen clothes from her drawer, bought a small inflatable pool and stocked the fridge with ice-cream. Of course it’s pouring down outside today. It seems like the summer is over.

Nevertheless this is a “sunshine story”:

After our holiday in Denmark, Little H has suffered from diarrhea from time to time (if this is too much information, don’t read the rest, it gets a lot worse…) the poor little thing. Luckily I have been to work when it’s been at its worst, so Pappa Kas has suffered the consequences of a little daughter with a lot of runny poo - the hard way. Well, that is what you get on paternity leave; it is not all fun and games.

Since the weather has been so nice and little H’s bum so sore, I decided to give her sore parts some “air”. After a change, where I put on a super cute pink and green cotton dress with girls and umbrellas on it (sadly it is in the washing machine, so no photo) but left out the rest of clothing - and the diaper. Big mistake.

We went out on the veranda to watch Pappa Kas cut the grass. He is the best gardener even when it brings out his allergy he cuts and fixes the garden relentlessly. He’s the best! To see over the veranda railing I held little H on my arm and while we were standing there waiving to the super gardener I felt something warm running down my arm, and heard a splat on the veranda floor. I bet you can guess the rest.

The tummy trouble had returned and while little H waved to Pappa Kas brown yellowish stuff was running down my arm onto my trouser and on the veranda. What could I do? It would be stupid to run into the house, down the stairs and to the bathroom and put her in the shower. The whole house would be full of shit (literary). So I stood there until her face turned from bright red back into her normal Spanish glowing complexion.

I then ran downstairs to the bathroom and into the shower with our clothes on. Both little H and I was crying. After two rounds in the shower, the second one without clothes, we were ready to face the world again (read- clean the veranda- ugh), this time Little H with a diaper.

Bums will not feel the summer breeze for the foreseeable future.

Little H on holiday

We spoke about it for very a long time before we made any decisions, contemplating where to go, what to do, the budget, the timing, how many diapers to bring, mode of transport and countless other variables before we reached the decision, that yes, we are going on holiday!
For a while we dreamt about going south, somewhere warm, and we did indeed go south, but not that far away. We just got in the car (after having packed for two full days), drove for six hours and in a snap! we were in ..... Denmark!

We rented a house close to the small town of Hornbæk (yes, where the wellington boots are from), and did nothing else than go for walks, play on the grass, on the beach or inside with Little H, watch the rain, walk in the rain, and sleep long afternoon naps.

During the day, which started with Little H waking at 6 am or before, we did next to nothing. We were just being, being together, being a close family, being ourselves, relaxing, playing, reading and going for long walks. It was just what the three of us needed.
Now back to work and a very hectic week, I have almost forgotten how nice the week was. But just now I started looking at the photos and instantly my breathing slowed down, my shoulders sank, my emerging forehead wrinkles softened and I felt myself smile.



Little H on the beach



Lucky H

Yesterday Little H vent for a check-up at the local Health Centre. I suspect it being more an appointment to check her parents than her royal highness herself, so I tried to send Pappa Kas alone, fat chance.
The nurse told us that little H is a happy, active, talkative little girl with talent for clapping things together in order to make noise. Yes, that is correct, but live with “it” for 24/7 and the noise gets to you.
This is the way she is manipulating strangers so that when we moan over how difficult she can be no one believes us. Her grandparents just shake their heads and say: “I have no idea what you are talking about; she is an angel whenever we spend time with her”. Yeah right, I think that she has already found out who to suck up to for great presents. You go girl!

Things Little H can do which I cannot:

• Crawl at the speed of Herbie
• Smile and laugh when farting
• Make coughing noises to be noticed
• Lift her hands over her head to show how tall she is when she has lost interest in her food
• Eat small stones (almost unnoticed)
• Pee when naked, often on her parents clothing
• Drink directly from the wine bottle (don’t ask)
• Throw any unwanted food on the floor and then stretch out her hand to demand something else
  
  

But who can resist such a little charmer?

Dressed to kill… sheeps

Going back to work provides many new challenges. For example you cannot dress on autopilot in the mornings any more. Neither can you make noise when picking out your outfit and sneaking out of the bedroom and past Little H’s room. Everything needs to be prepared in advance. And when it isn’t – too bad.
Not long ago this happened:

I had a lunch meeting outside the office and when I prepared to leave work by putting on my jacket and boots, I realized that instead of a young professional office working lady I looked more like a horse manure mucking English lady of the countryside.

I left the office around noon wearing a black hooded parka, jeans and black wellington boots. This had not been so bad if the skies had been filled with rain-bearing clouds, and that I could see others in similar outfits out there. But the sun was shining; smart well-dressed ladies were putting on their designer sunglasses and smugly unbuttoning their fitted suit-jackets to reveal crisp and delicate shirts in this season’s bright colors, whereas if I took of my parka I would reveal a faded H&M brown-blackish tunic. The shame!

I had gone to work wearing a mummy outfit!

Another Family Visit

Last week, during some of the Easter break we had visitors from far far away. Pappa Kas’ cousine Naiara and her husband Alex came all the way from Northern Spain to experience the snow, the cold, the polar bears in the streets and all the other features which adds up to the Norwegian Experience.

Sadly for them it has been between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius and sunny for the past fortnight. Not exactly what they expected, but they just have to come back another year and make sure that it is in cold and dark January. I cannot guarantee a polar bear, but cold and snow they’ll more than probably get. And Pappa Kas will be happy to get some help with shoveling snow from our driveway and delighted by the audience when jumping off the veranda into the soft hills of snow just shoveled.

It is nice having family staying, and especially nice when they bring my special friends Rioja, Serrano and Chorizo along. During my maternity leave I almost emptied the wine-racks, but with these recent visits we are re-stocking and I hope the bottles will last until the next visit from Elorrio (in June). Otherwise I have to visit the “Wine monopoly”, where I have not needed to set my feet in several years.

And it is of course nice for Little H to see family and to get the extra attention she craves. It is much better having four grown-ups applauding her tricks around the breakfast table and to have four people to exhaust when she wants to practice running, but are unable to do so unaided.

So if you want to come and visit we can offer free room and board in exchange for a good bottle of wine and a couple of hours of babysitting.

Hanna and her men 
(this time Pappa Kas and Tio Alex)

It’s a beautiful day…

Time flies when you are having fun. Well, time flies when you’re working, having visitors from abroad, taking care of a toddler, nurturing friendships, being a (house)wife and so on. In other words: Yes, time does fly when having fun!

Little H is still teething and it is a painful process, both for her and for her parents. Our sleep is interrupted by cries of pain and an inconsolable Little H which we can do nothing to comfort other than to cradle her in our arms, making soothing sounds and drug her with painkillers when it gets too much for us all… The paracetamol is a last resort, I promise.
After a few rough nights and little sleep for Pappa Kas (he is the best, takes the nightshift voluntarily, probably wanting to avoid a bitchy wife, which I am after less than 8 hours sleep), we decided that I was the one to comfort Little H when she needed it during the night, and that I was to get up with her in the morning.

I went to bed early, read a few pages in my book (“Night train to Lisbon” by Pascal Mercier – a real snooze) and fell asleep, only to wake up by Little H’ crying – eight and a half hour later! She had slept through the night. I took her into our bed for a snuggle and managed to get her to slumber for another 30 minutes before we got up. What a morning!
After the morning milk we did a quick hand-over and Pappa Kas was ready for the 2nd shift while was doing some work. At noon, a quarter past, to be exact, me and Little H were jogging in well-known late style down to meet the mummies of little O and cutie J.
It was so nice to see them, both mummies and young ones. It feels like the days of maternity leave were ages ago, and that I have been back in work for such a long time. I think it is six weeks.

It was good to be back amongst the mummies, and little H smiled and was delighted over company her own age. It lasted about 20 minutes before Little H’s behavior got back to “normal”, and we had a few tantrums. The play-date ended up with me having coffee stains on my shirt and scarf, Little H having lost a dummy (in a chain fastened to her jacket- how does she do it?), and Little O being scared to death by getting a very wet kiss from a certain little drooling lady.

Well, that’s just life for me and Little H isn’t it? She was singing (high pitched screaming) all the way back home where we woke up Pappa Kas who had been sleeping on the sofa.

What a great day!



Yum yum gimme some...




Blæææh




Life's great eh?



Spring has sprung

Spring has sprung and I have started running again, but this is not what today’s entry is about. I just wanted to show off by saying that I have been running again, it’s a big deal for me. I did it by my own free will, without new running shoes, a fancy new pair of tights; I did not even have a new playlist on my Ipod! So it was quite a hurdle…

Back to the spring. With the lovely weather our intentions were to spend last weekend outside, and on Saturday we went walking on the paths in the hills of Drammen together with Little J and his parents.

The excursion had been planned for days and the back-packs were full of goodies. We had chocolate bars, hot chocolate, waffles with jam and with cheese, watermelon, oranges, grapes, bananas and juice, water and ice coffee to drink. I am sure we had more edible stuff, but that was as far down in our bags as we got.

Inexperienced as I am (in all ways of being a mummy), Little H was dressed to sit in her pram and look cool. She wore brown funky trousers (Pappa Kas always sings MC Hammer when he sees them), and a white woolly cardigan. On her feet she had leather soled socks. Well, the hat was on and I had put sun cream in her face so all was not bad. Had forgotten her sunglasses though... Can't remember everything.

We walked along the snow-free paths and found a playground / outdoors nursery complete with a sand box and swings. Little J jumped into the sandbox dressed in his appropriate waterproof all-in-one suit and Gore-Tex boots. What could I do? Little H was whining in her pram desperately trying to free herself from the straps keeping her from the mud and sand.

I said “ehrmm well, Little H does not really have the appropriate clothes on does she?”, while I lifted MC H. Junior down and into the wet sandbox, trying to place her on a wollen blanket I had brought, hoping she would sit still for a little bit. Nope, she wanted to walk, to crawl, to steal Little J’s shovel, to eat sand and all other activities that her mother should have foreseen a little girl of ten months would want to do…

“ I guess I need to get Little H one of those suits if she is going to play outside now during spring” I said and little J’s mum replied: “I never put on him anything else, could not be outside playing without such a suit this time of year”.

I took Little H, with her before so “funky” outfit now full of sand and dirt, under my arm and went to eat waffles on the bench where no specific outfit was needed.

Who's having the most fun?