Full Term... "the waiting game"

As of this week, Tumi is officially finished with school, I am officially finished with the UN University project I have been working on, Elsa is officially settled-in at her playschool, and I'm officially 38 weeks pregnant...full term.

Women are considered 'full term' at 37 weeks, which means that if the baby is born after this time it won't be considered 'pre-mature.' While the due date is still a couple of weeks away, this is the period in which medical professionals like to tease and torture most pregnant women by suggesting that the baby could come along 'any day now' and be perfectly healthy. We bloated, insomniac, hormonal, cranky, swollen souls hold onto hope that it really *could* happen any day now...maybe even today! Then we wouldn't have to be so pregnant anymore! Imagine, being able to reach your feet to put on your socks, to sleep on your stomach, to walk (not waddle) down the street without a bowling ball bumping up and down on your bladder! My leg-shaving, beer-drinking, forward-bending, innie-belly-buttoned days are so close!

I am trying to enjoy what I know is my last few weeks of pregnancy, possibly (probably) ever. I love feeling my son kick and wiggle and get the hiccups in my belly. I love watching the weird bubbly-alien-esque bump make its way across my stomach as a foot or elbow or knee moves from one side to another. I love the excuse to sleep whenever I want or eat whatever I feel like. I am also enjoying the fact that Elsa goes to sleep at 8 o'clock every night with very little support work from us and then wakes up 11.5-12 hours later. How nice to have such a reliable pattern! As I long for relief of later third trimester ailments, I savor the good things in my life that are about to change (albeit temporarily) when there is a brand new baby in the house. She was at least nine months old before I had eight hours of solid sleep...so those times are over for a while.

We are taking care of some small things around the house during the calm before the storm. Still settling in and deciding where things should go and sorting out lights and closets and storage and all that lovely moving-in stuff that will be so much harder to get around to when there is a new wiggly one.

Some videos:

Elsa exploring the new apartment

Elsa smelling basil

Some pictures from recent goings-on in Reykjavik:

Elsa had the flu for about a day after she started playschool. She spent about 24 hours in this position on her Pabbi's shoulder...

Elsa working on some pasta

Clapping for herself (since she did such a good job with her pasta/body paint)

Post-pasta, pre-bath

Ham for the cam face

This is what she did when I said, "Elsa, where did your tomato go?"

Attempted picture of BOTH the kiddos...

Ba-BOOM!

May 1st in Reykjavik this year...I kid you not. This was taken from our bedroom window. What a way to wake up in 'springtime'

This was the very next weekend (still in Reykjavik) when it was like 60 degrees and sunny all day. Go figure!

My favorite people~

It's all happening!

This spring has been full of big changes for our little family. To start with, Elsa María turned one. It was a fantastic party, complete with kids and cakes and a birthday girl who had no clue what it was all about. Our daredevil little one has made the transition into toddlerhood with a respectable number of big bumps and tumbles, the biggest of which was just last week when she fell down the basement stairs at her grandparents' house. It seems she is always collecting new and interesting bruises, and the two from the stairs fiasco are just now starting to fade (and are being replaced by one on her cheek from the coffee table...). We are all very thankful that despite all her nasty falls she is still in one (ever-gutsy) piece!

Elsa started playschool shortly after her birthday. She is going to one that is associated with the University of Iceland, and only has kids who are under two years old. There was an adjustment period, in which the parents come to the school with their child, and gradually leave them there for more and more time until they are staying there all day without their moms and dads. Elsa made it through this transition very gracefully. There were a few times she cried when we left her there, but the staff are amazingly adept at distracting and entertaining the little ones who are sad to see their parents leave. I'm grateful that she will be able to be there most of the time nowadays, since things are about to get even more crazy in about a month when her little brother arrives. It is comforting to see that she is thriving there...she seems to really like the new environment, new toys, and kids her size. She fits right in!

After that big change, there was an even bigger one when we moved to a wonderful new spacious apartment! There was much prep work (painting, packing, etc) so having Elsa well taken care of during the day was quite a blessing during that process. I discovered that 8 months into pregnancy is the perfect time to move...it felt like my role during the whole move was more of a supervisory position than the hands-on helping variety. I worked hard, but did the little things like packing and unpacking, and directing all the strong men who were lifting the boxes up and down the stairs where they should put things. We had a lot of help, so the moving day itself was a breeze. We are still working on making our new home comfortable and acquiring the things we need to settle in before the baby arrives, but it is wonderful to have so much more space, and a dishwasher, and a bathtub, and a room for each of our kids (born and un-).

This Easter finds us in a bit of a limbo...I feel like I've been using the word 'transition' a lot lately. Elsa made the transition to toddlerhood, the transition to playschool, we transitioned into a new home, and Tumi is transitioning from the role of student to one of journalist this summer. As for me, I am wrapping up the project I was working on this spring for the UN University, and transitioning into the 'new mom' thing once again. I am less apprehensive about birth and newborn-mothering than I was the last time around...all that stuff is still really fresh in my memory, so it isn't scary, just feels like more of the same. It is overwhelming to imagine taking care of a just-turned-one-year-old-daredevil AND a newborn baby, but I am trusting that the combination of playschool, Tumi, grandmas, and Aunt Gunnhildur will make it possible for me to hold onto some shred of sanity this summer. So for now, I'm trying to relax and enjoy the last month (or so) of pregnancy. I'm sure that like all 8-month pregnant moms, I find myself longing to not be pregnant anymore...I daydream about having a cold beer, wearing clothes that fit and look nice, being regular-sized, not being tired all the time, not having to use the bathroom every 15 minutes...but then I tell myself that it's only one more month, and who knows if I'll have another baby (certainly not anytime soon!) so I might as well kick-back and enjoy it.

Elsa enjoying a windy spring day on our old balcony

Showing off one of the infamous head-bruises and her spaghetti face
Elsa's Angel Food birthday cake (a Davidson family tradition)
The less-traditional (but far more impressive) 'Very Hungry Caterpillar' cake made by my dear friend Charlotte who is gifted with such crafty skills

More bruises
Ridin' in the car
Getting ready for an outing to escape the packing mess

Packing up the old apartment at Framnesvegur...extra credit points to those who can spot the baby girl (hint, bald, pink, window....)

Elsa's favorite spot in our new house...she'll have to find a new place to sit once the garbage starts to go there!
Elsa helping Mama unpack the new kitchen
Rocking in the rocking chair at our favorite coffeeshop

Tumi had hot chocolate and Elsa had 'toy lion fish'...both were quite satisfied.

A few words about your happiness

I've been thinking about this since I became a mother, almost one whole year ago, and I still haven't figured out just quite how to say it. Becoming a mother changes you. It changes the way you see the world, the way you see yourself, what you think is important, and what you hope for. I think that this shifted worldview is common to most (if not all) mothers, and I think I need to try and explain it...

When I look at my daughter, there is so much I feel. I feel a deep love for her, and a resounding sense of pride and amazement that she exists. Given all the complicated steps that have to take place exactly right (in the right order, at the right time) when life is created...it is actually astonishing that we are able to live and breath and learn like we do. When I look at her, I see a perfect little human, with grasping fingers and wiggly toes, big curious eyes, and a smile that can outshine the sun. Then on top of all that...she is smart! She can make sounds and point and walk and explore and recognize people and laugh and even make jokes, and while all this might not seem like much to a grown up (we do most of that stuff everyday) it's pretty damned incredible when you think about the fact that she wasn't bigger than a cell bumpin' around in an ovary two years ago.

So I look at my daughter, and I feel love, and pride, and amazement, and then I start to think about the life I want her to have. I think about the kind of person I hope she will become, and the kind of life she will live. While I can fantasize about her personality and interests, in the end all my hopes for her boil down to a simple wish; I pray for her to be healthy and happy.

This is when those maternal feelings started to change the way I see the world. I would look at toddlers walking down the street with their moms, and imagine Elsa being that age. Then, I started to notice the kids playing in the schoolyard across the street, and imagined my Elsa in school playing at recess. Then, Elsa was the teenagers riding the bus, and then the grown up lady on her way to work.

Every person you encounter in life was once someone's precious little baby, and their mothers wanted nothing more than for them to be healthy and happy...for the world to treat them with kindness and love. The same is true for you. Your mother wants you to be happy, because you are precious, smart, and amazing (I promise...you ARE!). I'll try to remember this from now on, and I think you should, too.

And now for some shameless baby-bragging...

Elsa has a new snowsuit and sled to help us make the most of the never-ending Icelandic winter

Pabbi is a sled-pulling expert

"Elsa lay there like a slug...it was her only defense"

We had a fun visit from Elsa's favorite aunt

Elsa had a code in her doze a few weeks ago. All better now!

Waking up from her nap...I kinda wish I could crawl in there with her!

Late winter happenings in Reykjavik

I've been longing to blog...Mostly because Elsa seems to be growing up and learning so fast, that now I feel like I need to keep a record of all the wonderful things she is starting to do. I am amazed everyday by how quickly she is learning and developing her own personality!

Before I get started with all that, I need to write about Elsa's surgery. A few weeks ago, we found a little bump which turned out to be a hernia while changing Elsa's diaper. Apparently, this particular type of hernia is much more likely to appear in little boys than girls (90% of the cases are boys) but since my mom and I and Tumi all had them in our own childhoods, I suppose maybe Elsa was just destined for this fate! Elsa had a successful operation, including general anesthesia and the whole package. It was so hard to watch them put the gas on my little baby...I sobbed. It's weird how even though you understand that these doctors do this all day everyday and have gone to school for years and years, and the real risks to your baby's health are so low, that somehow watching her just fall asleep like that taps into something really deep in your parent-animal brain. It's a powerfully terrifying thing!

After about 1/2 an hour, the surgery was done, and we were allowed to come into the recovery area and wait with Elsa while she was waking up. It took her about an hour to come out of it completely, and she was still pretty groggy stoned for the next few hours. She had a worrisome fever the next morning, and wasn't moving around at all like her normal active self, but it turned out to be unrelated to the procedure and she was back to normal the next day (we still took her to the hospital just to be sure!). I'm very proud of my strong healthy little girl for going through such a weird and probably very uncomfortable experience...

I feel the need to document how much Elsa can do, because it seems like she is learning so fast these days! Since we came back to Iceland from our trip to the US this Christmas time, Elsa has learned to walk...first with a few hesitant steps between creeping along the furniature, and then eventually she mastered the full-on Charlie Chaplin waddle! She also likes to help us with the laundry, and is just generally adorable in a lot of ways.

She is getting better at 'talking' and can now say stuff like Mama, Pappa (it's supposed to be 'Pabbi' but we're headed in the right direction there!) and 'GunnGunn' (Gunnhildur). She says 'kkkkk' when she sees the clock, and 'ba' when she sees the bath (or a picture of a sheep). She says what sounds like 'skeeees' for keys, cheese, teeth, and peas. She says 'baby' quite clearly...sometimes. She attempts to meow like a cat, but this usually sounds like a very high-pitched 'mama' (we still understand the meaning, of course). She is quite fond of a carved lion statue we have, and will point to it when you ask her where the lion is, or if we are reading a book with a lion in it.

She likes the clock and the shower and the pictures on the wall, but mostly she loves her books. One of her favorite passtimes is to waddle up to us with a book in one hand and demand to sit on our laps and read with us. Sometimes she wants to hear the story, and sometimes she is more interested in just turning the pages and then bringing us a new book. We can (and often do) clear off all the shelves this way.

The coming months are full of big changes for this little family. Elsa will turn one year old on April 2nd, and then we will move into our new apartment sometime in the following week or so. Then, our little lady will start playschool sometime in the middle of April. We will probably only have her there for a couple of hours to start, but we were quite fortunate that they were able to take her in this spring, since the waiting list is very very long. Then sometime in late-ish May, we will get a brand new family member! Whew!

So, while I was pregnant with Elsa, we took a tummy picture every week. I guess part of being the 2nd child is that your mama can somehow manage to make through 29 weeks of pregnancy without really remembering to take those adorable belly shots to document your growth. I'm sorry, tummy baby boy. When we did finally get around to taking the belly picture, Tumi suggested that I suck it in so we could at least attempt to fake a 'before' pregnancy picture. I did my best, but this is all I could manage...


Elsa working on some cucumber

Watching out the window


This was in the waiting area before Elsa's surgery

And (slowly) waking up after the surgery with Pabbi

And with Mama

Elsa reading her favorite book (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) in her favorite room (the bathroom)
Elsa going over Mama's Icelandic homework...Looks like she founds some mistakes.

Dear Spring, We're ready for you now. Love, Reykjavik.

We are all settling back into the routine of regular life in Reykjavik after the extravagant Christmas adventure to the US and A.

The days are getting longer here in Reykjavik, and when you are so very far north, you feel every extra minute of light bringing you out of the deep dark winter. It makes me excited for spring...for flowers and green, buds on the trees, sunny days, calm weather, and new beginnings. Big news; we are MOVING in a couple of months! Tumi's parents have bought a beautiful 3 bedroom apartment with a bathtub and a great big kitchen and a dishwasher and enough space for our expanding family to rent from them, so we can move in April 1st! It is just down the street from where we are now, and I am very happy to be in the same neighborhood. There is a big balcony, and I anticipate nightly BBQs this summer (when I will be able to have a beer with that Icelandic lamb fillet...Imagine!) and lively games of Kubb in the backyard :) This knowledge that we will move in a few months is having a weird effect on me...now when I think, "Gosh, these floors are dirty, I should really mop them" I always think "Nah, let's just move instead!" We're gonna live in a pigsty the next 2 months, for sure! Very excited to move...

Tumi started back at school and will complete his teaching certificate this spring, but is focusing most of his attentions on his journalism studies. In Iceland, they let student journalists intern at the major news organizations during their second semester of graduate level studies, so Tumi was 'working' last week in addition to the regular classes. He seems to have found a way to turn his passion for sports into something he can do for a living, and we (the non-sports oriented members of the family) have just stepped back in amazement to watch him flourish in this new career!

I have been working part time as well, doing an evaluation for the UN University Fisheries Training Program, which is based here in Iceland. I am truly enjoying the work, and feel so fortunate that the opportunity for part time employment, in line with my interests and career goals, popped up between maternity leaves (the project will be done at the beginning of May this year!).

It has been a bit of a challenge finding time to get my work done, since I am technically still a 100% full time stay-at-home-mom and Elsa hasn't started with daycare or anything like that yet. We have been able to swing a schedule over the past month where her Amma or Afi or Pabbi or babysitter can take her for a couple of hours a few times a week in which I can get some work done. She is on the waiting list for daycare through the University, and they said it was likely that she would be able to enter this spring, but we're just waiting for news on that.

Next Tummy Baby (NTB) is doing well. He started wiggling and kicking around in there, and I'm starting to look pregnant (not just feel it!). I went to the midwife this morning, and she said he seemed to be growing well and had a fine heartbeat. They changed my due date...did you know they could do that? Anyway, I was due on May 20th, but then after the ultrasound, they estimated May 27th. The midwife refused to tell me only one date, insisting instead on saying "He will be born around the end of May" which I find a bit frustrating. Now when people ask when my baby is due, I'll have to say "May...towards the end, I think" instead of "May 2oth." But I suppose it will be an adventure waiting to see just when he feels ready to come out! Not having a true due date means that anytime basically from the middle of May on, we're on yellow alert!

Elsa Maria, my precious little sweet baby girl, is turning into a toddler before my eyes! She is *almost* walking on her own. She spends most of her day standing, cruzin' from couch to coffee table, to chair, to kitchen cabinets, around the table, to walker-toy, and back to couch. My little lady is highly mobile, and basically refuses to crawl unless she really needs to get somewhere. This new daredevil spirit has gotten her into some trouble lately, since she tends to have more confidence in her abilities than she ought to at 10 months old. She has started to climb. I kid you not...CLIMB. She has a box (for playing with and putting toys in and such) that she has taken to pushing over to the bookshelf and trying to STAND ON TOP OF so she can reach the higher shelves. More interesting books, perhaps? I have decided to embrace the fact that my daughter is clearly one of those fearless go-get-em-adventuring-girls (I think she gets it from Aunt Gunnhildur) but as a mom it sure sucks to see your little baby with a black eye (like the one she got from a nasty spill yesterday).

Anyway, I should sign off before my little daredevil wakes up from her nap. Keep in touch, y'all!

This is the best picture I could manage of Elsa's shiner (just below the right eye...yowch!)

She got some extra time with the plug after taking a particularly rotten tumble...

Reading to Bergrun (from next door) and Elsa...

And Elsa thinks...Mom, what is *she* doing here?

Happy baby in her favorite play place

Making it rain
Mom! Stop taking pictures of me! I'm busy in the shower!!!

Good example of her cruising skills

Smelling flowers with Caitlin

Oatmeal does amazing things for your complexion. You should try it!

A daughter after her father´s heart

Huh?

Good to be back among the toys!