Just wonderful

It’s something about babies, you know. They’re just so… tiny, and gorgeous and cute and adorable and every little face they make, even the scrunched up weird ones make me laugh and smile. Even their cries and whinges and screams seem to make my heart dance and sing.

I mean, the act of growing a baby and making a baby is pretty awesome, but raising a child, being a parent – man, that is pretty spectacular. Being the first one to hold them in the morning and the one they look around for once they hear your voice – it’s priceless.

And then you look at them, and remember that this little child, only days, weeks and months old – is going to be an actual person one day. Sure, they technically are a person since they were born, but while they are so tiny it’s hard to imagine them being teachers or waiters or doctors or bus drivers or whatever they end up doing in their lives. It’s impossible to know what they’ll look like, what interests they are going to have, what their favourite food will be. Will they like books? Tractors? Fairies? Robots? Are they musically inclined? Do they love numbers? Are they athletic? Do they look at the stars at night and imagine themselves amongst them?

Are they going to change the world with their words? Are they going to change the world with their actions? Are they going to be the world for someone else? Are they going to bring joy and happiness to a world of people? Or maybe just to one particular special one?

Or maybe they are not…?

Funny little creatures aren’t they. Those miniature persons who has no choice but to trust the people around them. Trust that they will be fed, clothed, loved and looked after. It is so scary and a privilege to know that we have been chosen to do this job, to be the very few they trust, to be the providers of good. We can’t mess up. We won’t mess up. It is too important.

Funny little people. Babies, with all the potential in the world to be very bit as unique and special as the next person, with so many options and opportunities. It’s scary. With so many privileges, how can they fail? What if they fail? What if they fail, and because they fail, with all their options and opportunities and success stories and everything in the world, what if their failure breaks them?

It’s scary raising children in this environment. I just want them to be little and innocent and know that they can do whatever they want. And it doesn’t have to be grand. Or extraordinary. Or fantastical. But it does need to be enjoyable. And fun. And them. It does need to be worthwhile. And inspiring. And them.

I need them to know that failing is okay. Right now, I look at them, and the excitement of conquering and mastering is massive, but their struggle to get there is he most important. I need to keep reminding them how fun and educational and inspiring failing can be. I need to fail in front of them and show them how to successfully fail.

Funny little creatures aren’t they. Sleeping, one in here, one in there, two over there. Best friends forever, enemies throughout life. But they will be there for each other, as will I. They will conquer fears and succeed in challenges and one day, if they decide to settle, they will start the cycle again.

It’s scary raising children. But it is thrilling and exciting and messed up all the same.

And while they are this tiny, just shy of three months, they are just wonderful.

Xxx,

Line

Eleven Weeks

If you follow my Instagram you might realise it’s mostly pictures of baby Aria the last few months. Understandably, since I take most photos of her, and since she changes more quickly. I will obviously include the others, but she’s just so squishy and snugly and awesome I can’t keep myself from posting!

Today marks eleven weeks since she was born, and it’s crazy, it seems like so much more! But I’m glad it’s not more, I’m glad she is still tiny and adorable – the calm before the storm:)

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Xxx,Line

Wednesday Words

I just recently started reading some poetry blogs. And it has made me write so much more, so much more about all the things I am invested in in life. But it all makes

Me emotional and I cry. And so often I’m not even sure why. So I wrote this. If I end up writing actual good stuff I’ll post it on Wednesdays. If I remember:)

Xxx,

Line

One week down!

School holidays are always either very exciting or very boring, depending on what we end up doing. I always try to plan every day, but in the recent holidays I’ve packed too much in and ended up either stressing too much or get nothing done because it is all too much.

This time I’ve decided to take a different approach. Only a few things were definite plans and quite a lot have been changeable, which has so far proved handy! Other times I have felt like the kids have ‘missed out’ if plans fall apart or change, and that does no good for my own mental health!

Overall, the girls really enjoy playing with each other, the ‘Close in age will pay off after a while!’ mantra we’ve heard and spoken a thousand times is really ringing true. Being able to just tell them to go and entertain themselves and they’ll actually do it is fantastic.

I usually spend a day or so cooking, baking and preparing food for the next term of school, so once we’re back the mornings become less hectic. The truth is that lunch bag packing, however easy I make it for myself, is not nearly the worst offender in the mornings, but knowing I have more than just sandwiches and apples ready for them makes me feel better (and helps me out when I forget/am too lazy to do the shopping!). I am meant to have this day tomorrow, but because I have kept all options open, I have already done a fair bit of preparations and have stacked the freezer with smoothies, quesadillas, ham and cheese scrolls, pre-made filled rolls, polarbrød (a scandi type of flat bread) and paniske roll ups. We are continuing on with cloud jellies, mini quiches, cinnamon scrolls and popcorn balls – which are all planned for tomorrow. We will see how it all goes:) We bought a new secondhand freezer for $25 the other day and I promised Simon I’d fill it up quickly – so far so good!

The girls have had a few playdates, today we had someone ask us to come along to Inflatable world, this massive indoor bouncy castle place with all sorts of inflatable things for the kids to go crazy on. I forgot to take pictures of them though, but they were pretty exhausted! Yesterday they went to see a new fountain nearby, which soaked them, we went home to change, then to a playground that has a water feature as well, so they were soaked yet again. They loved it though, and with the hot weather they wouldn’t have it any other way!

Simon always finds jobs for them to do, and they absolutely do not mind at all, like Saturday when he decided to paint the trailer, here we are, three days later and two showers later, there’s silver paint in their hair and ears still but they had a blast!

One more week to go before school returns! We have zoo plans and beach plans and city plans – fingers crossed they all happen!:)

Xxx,

Line

STILL HERE

Okay so it has been WAY too long since I wrote something here, and I’ve been kinda itching to get something written down. So here comes a big one. I mean, this will be a long one, so hold on tight.

First things first – Aria!

I think I posted stuff about her just after she was born, and then it’s been silent. But no more!

She is a gorgeous little baby girl – and very much just like her older sisters. She treats us well, sleeps all night long and just eats and naps during the day. She has the most gorgeous smile and her cooing melts our hearts more every time we hear her. The girls are loving her more and more, but now, after nearly ten weeks, they’ve calmed down slightly. I can now trust them to actually let her sleep at times, although there are still some fights about who gets to cuddle and hold and feed and all sorts.

For those wondering, I am not breastfeeding still. When she was discharged from the hospital she was slightly jaundice and was close to needing treatment. We think that, because of this, she was not eating well and she was very tired and lethargic for the first week, and with my milk production never having been very high, she had to use so much effort to actually feed that she’d fall asleep before she got a proper feed. She continued to lose weight rather than gain it, and after having discussed it with the nurse that came to our house, I sent Simon straight to the shop to get formula. She is now happy, and growing, and such a content little baby girl. Aria has come with me to several things, workshops in musical theatre singing, concerts and make-up parties – and all her extra aunties over here adore her, which makes bringing her even easier!:) We love her and feel so blessed to have her with us, doting over her like crazy😊 More updates will come – preferably more frequently!

Sophia:
If there was ever any doubt as to what kind of person Sophia is, it has become even more evident in the last few months. After Aria came along, she has been so extra caring towards her, but struggled a bit with adjusting in the first few weeks. She really let us know through her behaviour that she was not getting as much attention, but it has settled now, and now she is being her normal ratbag self😊

If you are a facebook friend you may have seen a while back that she ended up in hospital; here’s the full story.
I went to see a movie with a friend. We had wanted to see the movie for a few weeks, and we finally made time to see it. I think it may have been the first night of leaving Simon at home alone with all four girls at once? We sit down to watch it, when both of our phones go off. I didn’t notice mine, as it was on the next seat, but Jess did, and apparently it was me, trying to contact her and my friends. Turns out it was Simon, logged into my messenger, ringing out an SOS to whoever was with me at the movie to get in contact with me. Sophias hand got slammed in the door. Her finger was badly injured. We didn’t know how bad it was, but Jess and I both decided to leave the movies to help him, as he said ‘Going to the hospital now’. With all four kids in the car, we ended up at the hospital right at the same time as them, and barefoot and in odd clothes as they were all getting ready for bedtime when it happened, we all walked in to the Emergency room. I am very glad Jess decided to come with me, as we were able to just leave Ricky and Mel with her in the waiting room, as they ushered us through immediately. You know when you don’t have to wait that things are pretty bad.
Simon and I sat with Sophia while the doctors and nurses came around to see it, and once they took her little tissue off  it looked bad. I mean, in my eyes, the top part of the thumb looked as if it was coming off, but I am thick-skinned and can handle it – even so, it made me cringe. Simon has a worse time with these kind of things, and I felt really bad for him having to deal with this on his own on the one night I went somewhere by myself. Jess and I ended up taking the other girls home and put them to bed, and Simon arrived home with Sophia not too long after. He was to take her to the city to a different hospital in the morning to have surgery. Poor Sophia had to fast, and wasn’t happy in the morning, but they got up bright and early on the Saturday morning. Eagerly waiting for updates from Simon, I waited until the other girls woke up before we got dressed and headed off to meet them at the hospital. They waited and waited for her to be called in, and the poor girl was still fasting. Simon went home with the other kids, and I stayed. It wasn’t until just before midnight they finally took her in to have her operation, after she had been starving all day. The surgery went well, and after a few weeks of wearing a hammer on her hand, her bandage came off, and even though her nail has come off, the rest of it looks fine. It was about 45 percent cut off, but no bones broken or cracked, which was very lucky!
She has, since then, celebrated her fifth birthday, a Unicorn themed party with dress ups, rainbow cake and good old-fashioned Norwegian fishing game – the first time she got to invite her own friends to a party! She was given an abundance of Unicorn stuff, a pogo stick and loots of other amazing presents:D I think she had the best day in her life, and she’s already planning next years party.
Other than the interesting events, Sophia has continued to be her amazing self, and after having become one year older, she reckons she is MUCH better at everything now😊

Ricky:
My little baby is not so little anymore now! It’s amazing how much they grow up when they suddenly have all this extra responsibility – or maybe that just means that I can see it better? Ricky is an amazing helper with Aria, and has no problem fetching things for me when I need to change her or feed her or need someone to keep putting her dummy back in when she spits it out😊 We knew she would be, but she has proven herself to be quite the excellent big sister to Aria, and I think she will continue to thrive and grow in this role. Ricky is ready to start school next year she reckons, and she is so much looking forward to me making her lunches (because it is obviously the most important thing during the school day!:))

Right now she is finishing off  an ear infection which has made her almost deaf and it is so funny and frustrating but she genuinely can only hear if I scream loudly enough. It has lead to a few hilarious mix-ups and misunderstandings. She is getting better luckily, which is good!

Melodie:
Nothing much exciting has happened in Melodies life in the last few months, but for her that is not necessarily  a bad thing! She has really stepped up and been super helpful with the baby and everything else at home, which is great. We’ve decided to quit gymnastics for her after these school holidays, after nearly three years of going there she has virtually learnt nothing, and by now they haven’t even tried to make the effort of teaching her things such as cartwheels and handstands – she can forward roll and that’s it. So I have had enough. She never been very athletically inclined, but I have never seen them actually making the effort to try to teach her, so I’ve had enough. She decided to do more dancing next year instead, which she has loved doing this year, and I fully support that. They actually care about their dancers doing well and learning, so I’m sure this will be the right choice for her. (and just for the record, I don’t actually care about how good my children are at dancing or sports or these tings, I care about their enjoyment – BUT throwing money at people who don’t even care to try to teach her? Nah…)

Simon:
Aah what can I say about Simon. You’d think a man so outnumbered by girls would struggle, but although life throws spanners in the works all the time – he has done nothing but shine and become even more adorable and loving with the new person in our life. He goes to work – does what he does, then comes home and cuddles them all as if that was all he was ever meant to do in his life. He has also tried out a new adventure in life which is quietly excited about, so I know he will be doing well😊 He has had bad luck fishing lately, but managed to catch a couple of feeds yesterday, so he’s been brought back to life a little 😀 We did celebrate fathers day, with cake and presents and big big breakfasts, which, according to the girls, was the best fathers day ever:D

 

 

Myself:
And me. As expected, my recovery after surgery was relatively quick and easy. It didn’t take long before I was able to be out and about and hang out with friends, and show off Aria and do things I enjoy doing. Some people might think it’s early for me to want to do those sort of things, but as long as I feel great and can bring my baby with me, I have no issues. The fear of missing out can be strong sometimes, and not  needing to is also good for my mental health as well😊 I’ve also just finished the second trimester of studying, doing another unit of German. I have, understandably, been a little busy, so I am hoping I managed to wing my way through the exam. I am loving spending my days with our little tiny one, and I think that, because I know she is our last one, I am soaking it all in even more now than before. I love her ❤

 

What have we done?

Life after having a newborn isn’t necessarily the most exciting, so we haven’t been doing too many things. We did have my sister coming to visit and see Aria – and while she was here we went to the Royal Adelaide Show (somewhat of a tradition now, third year in a row for us!). Aria got to go on her first carousel ride, and we had a great day out just like the previous years. We tried one of the roller coasters I thought was going to kill me, but otherwise it was all good😊 We’ve been playgrounding and playdating and Ikea’ing and beach’ing and now that the spring is well and truly here, we will be doing the latter a lot more! I’ve watched a couple of shows, In the last week I got to see Les Miserables (my favourite, and yes, I cried the whole way through) and a play called Men Behaving Badly which my friend is in:) One of the best things about living in Adelaide is that there is always so many things to see!

 

 

The future?
In a few weeks, we are having visitors from Norway arriving, and once they leave, I have another friend from Norway coming to see us, so we will be very busy in the coming months, but it is the kind of busy I am loving, so bring it on! Very, very  excited to see these people, and I will probably cry many happy tears<3
Christmas is coming soon, and I am hoping it will be a good one this year, I have started shopping and planning for it, and will continue probably until Christmas actually arrives! Our first Christmas as a ‘complete’ family is going to be Awesome:D Next year, if all plans come to fruition, Christmas shall be white!
Right now, we have school holidays for a few weeks, and we have many plans! I will try to write more often, so maybe some pictures from school holidays will pop up here too😊 Today we are going to Ikea (a standard thing in the holidays) and yesterday the girls had a playdate with some friends (One who is Sophias boyfriend:)). Hoping the weather holds up!

Lastly, I just really need to say something. The last few weeks/months have been sad for one reason. Australia has decided to survey the nation to see what their opinion on same-sex marriage really is. For someone who’s from a country where it has already been in place for so long, I can hardly fathom how it is even possible to NOT have it in a country like Australia. And it has made me so so sad for so many of my friends who this directly impacts. Having random strangers cast a vote on other peoples love and relationships is beyond me and it has brought out so much ugly in people. In my eyes, it is downright bullying and just horribly mean. I need to say that for all the people out there, friends of mine or not, I feel for you and I am horrified that you guys have to go through this at this time – and I hope you all know that there are literally millions of us standing with you, and soon, soon, this will all be history! Until then, I’m sending all the love out to all the LGBTQI people out there, and I can’t wait until we can all celebrate your love and shoot rainbow confetti bombs onto all the nay-sayers<3

Xxx,Line