Day 298: the little guy meets Santa 

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As we arrived late last night and got very little sleep, today we wanted to stay busy so we could adjust to the 7-hour time difference.  What better way to do this than to go to the Mall of America, and to have the little guy meet Santa?!

The Santa at Mall of America is a real pro.  He looks the part, and plays a little bit wacky but approachable by kids.  With someone as young as the little guy, at 13 months, they like to have him sit on a chair and play, and then have Santa come in behind them and put the kid on his lap and talk to them.  So how did it go?

The little guy had a great time at first, and was smiling and taking some great photos.  Then he was ok when Santa picked him up, because he was focused on whoever was taking his pictures, and the camera in general.  But when Santa asked, “do you like toys?”, the little guy freaked out and tried to run away, literally.  But he forgot he doesn’t really know how to walk yet 🙂

These things like this meeting of Santa are so special.  I never thought I would care about them as a parent, but I really do – it is just something that is fun to do and see, and to me it is really something I look forward to as the little guy grows older – doing those cheesy things with your kids that you never thought you’d do.  Why not do them all and enjoy the specialness of the moment, right?

Day 297: eating a “red delicious” apple: a true sacrifice for your child

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Today we are on our long journey to the USA, which involves packing every possible thing the little guy might need, both for the ride to the airport, but also for the flight.

On the car ride, we thought we should give him a snack.  He likes good, crisp apples, like Royal Gala, Fuji, and so on.  So you can imagine my (and his) dismay when the only apple we had in the cabin of the car was a Red Delicious.

The Red Delicious is one of the worst pieces of fruit on earth, ranking just behind durian, and in front of papaya and seeded grapes.  These are the apples that when I was a kid got thrown in every lunch bag, were handed out as “healthy snacks”, and which probably turned us all into candy-eating maniacs.  The Red Delicious Apple might be delicious somehow on some level – like maybe if you juice it.  But if you have to eat it, with its hard skin and mealy consistency, it just isn’t a pleasant experience.

So after my son rejected this apple on multiple attempts, we had 9% of a horrible apple left.  What do you do with it?  You can’t throw it away, wasting food isn’t cool.  So I bit the bullet and sacrificed for my son and ate as much of the apple as I could.  Now the mystery is: how did we get this apple to begin with?  

they might look pretty, but they are the worst
  
the best i could do
 

Day 296: off to America 

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Tomorrow we make the long journey to the USA, which marks my son’s first visit to the country he is also a citizen of (in addition to Sweden).

We will be in America for 11 days, so we will be there to celebrate Christmas with my family, and also New Years with my friends.  It should be a great visit once we make it there, and if he (and we) stay healthy.

One thing I am a bit nervous about is the trip there, which is only 9 hours – but then we have a 4-hour layover followed by a 1-hour flight.  As the takeoff and landing is generally my least favorite part of flying with the little guy, and he is also at an age where he wants to move around a lot, I am more than a little apprehensive about the journey there.  Wish us luck!

Day 295: Christmas in Sweden 

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Christmas in Sweden is a special time.  For me, it’s special because I’m an immigrant so seeing all the traditions is unique and interesting.   This is my adopted home – it’s where I have left everything to move and start my new life four years ago.  This year we are spending Christmas with my family in the USA, so we had a small family Christmas at our house with my wife’s family.

    
 
Our “fritidshuset” (free time house) is a little small, but it feels cozy to have everyone over during the holidays.  We had the traditional “julbord” (literally “Christmas table”), it’s the food that is served at Christmas, Easter, and midsummer.  This consists of pickled herring, meatballs, potatoes, hard bread, and a few other great things – Christmas only things would be glögg and julskinka (Christmas ham, which is seasoned with mustard).  I love this food and find it instantly in the “comfort food” category in my heart.

If you combine this with the beautiful day (although unseasonably warm), and the wonderful family we had to celebrate with us, you have a really amazing Christmas celebration that I will remember for a long time.  First Christmas at this house, first Christmas with the little guy running around, and so on.  How can you not burn this into your memory?

Day 294: forced into a low-salt diet 

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Lately I have realized that because of the little guy, I have been forced into a low-salt diet.  And the crazy thing is, I haven’t really noticed.

I used to be (and still am) a huge salt fan.  I’m the guy who salts his food automatically, who loves salty snacks, and who could basically eat a salt lollipop if they made them.  All those gourmet salts are a dream to me.  But then I had a child, and that child turned into a toddler.

Now I share my meals with him.  He is supposed to be just fine eating whatever (within reason), so when we are out or even at home, we share food; meaning we both eat the same thing.  And when we are at home, we still give him un-salted or low-salt meals.  We just figure that if salt is sooooo bad for them before they are 1 year old, then how can it magically be ok for him at the first birthday?  So, at home when we cook, it’s lower salt than it used to be before him.

The crazy thing is, I haven’t really noticed a difference.  I think this has possibly been a really good way to break me of a bad habit of over-salting.  It can only be a good thing to have a lower salt diet, so as long as we are sharing food, it will be that way.  Or at least as long as he is also eating the same food as us – all bets are off if/when we start making chicken nuggets and french fries.

Day 293: Bucket List

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I have never really been one for a “bucket list.”  To me, as a person who lives my life for the experiences, has been around the world, and so on, it has seemed a little bit funny to make one of these lists. I mean, why make a list when you can just make a plan to go do something, and go do it?  I only have a few things left that I would really like to experience one day.

On a walk today, those things came to my mind for some reason, mixed in with all the other memories of experiences I have had.  I have been awed by the Great Wall of China, I have seen the Last Supper by Leonardo DaVinci.  I have been to Rome, spent the night in the desert in Morocco, eaten food cooked on a boat in Thailand.  I’ve been to the southernmost city in the world, seen the city lights in Tokyo, and been to almost all corners of the USA.  All of those things and many more, and everything in-between.

But there are some things I really want to do/see.  I’d like to go on a photo safari in Africa, I’d love to see the pyramids in Egypt, and I’d really really love to go to Pompeii (that one bothers me to still have un-done; I have spent a lot of time in Italy).  And the final one is to see and experience the northern lights.  This one is of course funny because I live in Sweden, but I have never seen them.

I am sure I have more that I’d love to do, but those 4 things are on the top of my mind.  But the thing is, I am in no rush, there are so many other wonderful thing to experience that are not remarkable enough to be written about.  And if I experience the world with my son and wife, it can all be interesting and wonderful in a completely different way than my pre-family life.  Better, richer, more interesting.  That’s maybe the 5th thing: do as much of my favorite things, with my family, share them with my loved ones.

Day 292: A Nostalgic Morning

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This morning the little guy and I had a really special time together.  We were up dancing and listening to Elvis Presley Christmas music, with the candles going while it was dark outside (it didn’t get light until after 8).  

I caught myself while we were eating breakfast and having so much fun and realized: this is one of those moments I will look back at when I am older and the little guy is big, and remember the “good old days.”  So this morning was kind of nostalgic even while it was happening, in a funny kind of way.  Here’s to more of those moments. 🙂 

candles, music, and old furniture

Day 291: please stay healthy

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Today we went to the doctor for a check-up for the little guy.  Everything is fine, he seems to be ahead on a few things and normal on others.  Basically, what you want to hear when you bring a little one in for a check-up.

Then it was time for the final “booster shots” – a combination of two shots given 3 times in the first year.  He’s 13 months so we now got the last shot which is normally given around 12 months.

The thing is, he is just now again getting healthy after being sick and dealing with the teething pains in Hong Kong.  When he is healthy he is really fun to be around.  He plays, laughs, learns things, and so on.  But when he is sick, he is really not much fun.  He’s really whiny, wants to be close all the time, and everything you would expect from a sick toddler.

So when the midwife/nurse told us he had to get some shots, I was not super pumped, because that means he will be feeling a little off for a few days.  A few more days of induced sickness basically, just when he is finally feeling better.  So now I say, “please little guy, stay healthy now these shots.”  We have a lot of travel in the next few weeks, a lot going on with the holidays – let’s hope he (and we) can make it thru it with our health.

Day 290: A Huge Appetite

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The little guy is clearly burning a lot of energy in his efforts to walk, and/or he is going thru a growth spurt.  This I say because he is eating a TON of food!

Yesterday, he ate a good breakfast including 2 eggs, and then lunch (salmon and potatoes), then an early dinner (moose, potatoes, cucumber, and apples), and then before bed he ate a whole avocado.  Today, he followed a similar huge eating display, including eating 2 chicken legs and thighs in his dinner meal.

It is so great seeing him eat so much, but it is crazy to me just how much he is eating.  If you had asked me a year ago how much food a 13 month-old would eat, I would assume it would be 1/4 of what I eat every meal.  Yeah right!  There are times when he just keeps going that I am shocked (like tonight with the chicken).

The disadvantage of all of this eating is that his diapers are a lot less fun to change (for a lot of reasons).  And the advantage is that he slept through the night last night without waking up (from 19:30-7:30).  I am optimistic about tonight, too, given his eating today.

I can see where the energy is going.  He is walking around (or trying to) so much more now, it is like a new toy he has, this ability to walk.  So, he is using it and I guess that increases his appetite.  Pretty interesting to see, and amazing that this is all the normal process for basically everyone.

Day 289: The Little Guy Takes His First Steps

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Wow, what an awesome thing to see.  The little guy took his first steps this evening.  Super cool!

I’ve said this before: life is not like a movie, where the special moments come at just the right moment, with the right lighting, the right music, and so on.  But tonight it was pretty close.  Here’s what happened.

We are back in Sweden in our house, and it is an old house, so it gets a little cold in the little guy’s room.  I purchased a heater for the room, and I opened the box in the living room and walked into his bedroom to put the heater in it.

I could hear him crawling after me, “talking” while doing so.  His bedroom is off the kitchen, which has a wood stove in it, surrounded by a gate to keep him safe.

When I was walking back out of his room, there he was, walking to me from the corner of the gate.  He had his hands in the air, like a chimpanzee does when they walk, and in one of his little hands he was holding the instructions for the heater I purchased; he was bringing them to me.

I stopped for a moment and realized wow, these are his first steps – he is walking to me, wanting to bring me something.  I got down on my knees and let him finish walking to me, and his little walk finished in my arms, while I hugged him and congratulated him on some nice walking.

The funny thing was, we have all noticed that he has been doing a lot of steps between things the last few days, but I decided it would not be considered “first steps” until he consciously decided to take steps instead of crawl, or instead of it being more convenient to take a step or two between two things that are holding him in the standing position.  In other words, the first steps needed to actually be steps – and then tonight it happened.

When he took those steps, I did not know what to do.  Do I call my wife, do I try to take a picture, what do I do?  So instead I just smiled, took it all in so I can replay it back in my mind a million more times later in life.  Me in his room, him walking to me with a big smile on his face, and what I think might have been a sense of accomplishment coming from him when he reached me.  In my head, this one was just like a movie 🙂