short one

It'll be a short post today cause W is sick. He was strangely tired yesterday afternoon and after dinner I realized he was a bit warm so I took his temperature and he had a fever of 38.6°C (101.5°F). I gave him Tylenol to break the fever and put him to bed. Before I went to bed a checked his temperature again and it was still high so I gave him more Tylenol. He then woke up at around 1 am and was all talking and awake and superwarm so I put him in our bed and took his temperature again, it was up at around 39°C (102.2°F) so I gave him Motrin. He finally fell asleep next to me after I spent a good half hour singing to him. He may be small my little man but he takes up a lot of space. I slept on the edge of the bed all night and woke up with a sore back and a superwarm baby next to me. His fever was up to 39.3°C (102.7°F) I gave him Advil, his temperature went up to 39.6°C (103.3°F). I went to the pharmacy and asked for advice, I was told to give him Children's Motrin rather than Infant's Motrin. By the time I was allowed to give it to him his temperature was up to 39.8°C (103.6°F) but luckily this time the medicine worked.

So today we spent the day relaxing, watching movies napping together and worrying about his fever. We even missed his swimming lesson this morning. W being sick really sucks.

to every question...

...there is an answer... and it's always NO!
At least if you ask W. You could pretty much ask him is he wants chocolate cake dipped in ice-cream and he'd say NO!

We were out walking the other day and this clown on the street handing out balloons asked W if he wanted one. He thought about it for a moment then shook his head and said NO! The clown looked a bit taken aback but he gave W a smile anyway and told him that of course if he doesn't want one... W was then unhappy for about 30 minutes crying and asking for the balloon he turned down.

It's hard being a toddler. He'll be 2 in a month or so and he has already started the terrible twos. Or terribly two. Or like my aunt says (I thought I'd just mention she has no kids) the age when the parent become so hard to deal with setting limits and saying no and stuff.

I have to admit I am not dealing great with this new found independence, but as poorly as I deal with it, hubby is worse. I have tried giving him thoughtful advice such as don't ask W a question he can answer no to. Simply tell him you're going to change his diaper or ask him if he wants the red or the blue crayon.

We had a tantrum free day last week and that was the first tantrum free day in months. It was very nice. Me and W went to the biôdome and looked at the animals and then we attracted the crazies on the metro, not once but twice. It's amazing how cute kids like mine attracts the crazies. Well more about that another day. Now I have to figure out what to make us for dinner.

The first flower he ever picked.
today at the Park LaFontaine

Happy Mother's Day

Today is mother's day here in North America. In Sweden mother's day is on the last Sunday of May and in the UK it falls on one Sunday in March I can't remember which.

Funny story about the UK mother's day. As you may or may not know I lived for some years in the UK. I spent about a year and a half in Brighton first studying for six months, then bartending and living in a hostel for about a year. It was fun. Then London for six months and then Sweden for six months and then back to London for a year and a bit before moving here.
I have never been good at remembering such occasions as mother's day or father's day so I usually went by the advertisements for flowers that tend to show up a couple of weeks before the event. So my first year in England I did just that. It's early March and everywhere signs for mother's day are showing up in flower shop windows so I promptly buy a card for my mom write something sweet in it and send it off thinking I've been good and have done my duty as a good daughter. A couple of days later I get a phone call from mom asking me why I'm sending her mother's day cards in March when mother's day isn't until May. Well I told her I like to be early so I'm just making sure she'll have her card on time. I ended up having to send her another one in May anyway.

Because mother's day here in Canada and in Sweden both fall in May just on different Sundays I have been told I will not get to celebrate both since my hubby is clearly too cheep and too lazy to do special treats for me twice in one month. Father's day is another thing though. Father's day here in Canada is in June. I know this because W was born on Father's day thereby saving me the hassle of having to buy something for hubby since I had already given him the ultimate present. About four months later we went to Sweden to show off our new baby and have him baptised. It was November and we scheduled the baptism for the 10Th which was a Saturday since the church had decided to do baptisms on Saturdays rather than Sundays. We get there and what do you know father's day in Sweden is in November. The 11Th of November that particular year so apparently we have to celebrate both. Now how is this fair. W is born in June so both Canadian and Swedish (and UK's for that matter) mother's day are gone but hubby gets 2 father's days!

Well today is my second mother's day. Last year I got a flowerbed with a flower and this year I got a beautiful homemade card from W.






So to all mother's and grand-mother's Happy Mother's Day! May you be pampered and loved all day (and everyday).

funeral songs...

so all this thinking of death got me thinking about funerals and what song I would like to have played at my funeral and I have a couple of ideas.

Jeff Buckley - Halleluja
Green Day - Time of your life
Israel Kamakawiwo Ole' - Somewhere over the rainbow
and lastly
Antony and the Johnsons - Another World.

What music do you want for your funeral?

sad

Someone I love very much tried to commit suicide yesterday. She almost succeeded. She's been sick for quite a while now and all she wants to do is die. She's in a deep depression. She's now awake in the hospital and is being kept at the psychiatric ward on suicide watch. I am very sad.

bad day

today is a bad day. I don't know if I have the strength to write about it. today is a very bad day.

All grown up

We cut his hair on Saturday. I know I said we would never and that I had a long debate about it here but we did it and it looks awesome! He's so pretty. He looks all grown up and no one mistakes him for a girl now.




He's all grown up now. Yesterday he named one of his toys. That's a first. So far nothing has a name unless I have given it one. But yesterday he took his BRIO dog that he got from Maria, Jason and Natalia for his baptism and named it Nina. Nina is our neighbours dog so it's not completely random.
Today we went to IKEA and he chose his own food from the menu and then proceeded to eat it all which he never ever does when we eat out. He also got his own little cart and pushed it around the whole shop. We finished to shopping with ice-cream which he ate without spilling any while sitting on a real chair. He also climbed into the car and into his car seat by himself. Soon he won't need me anymore.

the new soundtrack to my life

This song has been on repeat in my house and in my head since Monday's episode of Chuck. If you are not watching Chuck you really should check it out. It's a great show. And Bon Iver is a great band, you should check them out too.

Love is a losing game

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Set iPod to "Shuffle" setting

2. Next question, next song

Here's mine:

1. If someone says “Is this ok?” you say?

Your pretty face is going to hell - Iggy & the Stooges

Well clearly it's not ok at all...

2 . What would best describe your personality?

Girlfriend in a come - The Smiths

I don't know what to say to this... I guess I'm about as much fun as someone dead?

3. What do you like in a guy/girl?

Upon this tidal wave of young blood - Clap your hands say yeah

I guess this means I'm a bloodthirsty vampire who likes them young?

4. How do you feel today?

Ode to my family - The Cranberries
I'd say homesick a little and very much in love with my little family.

5. What is your life’s purpose?

God Monster - Cramps

This can either mean I am supposed to be God or I am the monster that kills God? Or maybe I am a monster created by God?

6. What is your motto?

Mother Nature's Son - The Beatles

Yeah I'm a hippie mama!

7. What do your friends think of you?

Satin Sheets - Silverchair

The true meaning of this escapes me... maybe I am nice to sleep on?

8. What do you think of your parents?

Saturday Night - Kaiser Chiefs

I am yet again baffled by the deeper meaning of this. Maybe my parents are fun like a Saturday night...

9. What do you think about very often?

Wings of a dove - Madness

Well I saw a pigeon today and I thought a lot about how it kind of looked like the pigeons in Bolt but they're not exactly doves are they and I don't think I've ever thought of doves. Maybe it's symbolism... wings of a dove might mean death and in that case I guess I occasionally think of death and what would happen if I died or someone I loved died.

10. What do you think of your bestfriend?

Let me tell you about my boat - Mark Mothersbaugh

I really like this answer. It means that I think of my best friends in terms of us being able to talk about anything.

11. What do you think of the person you like?

Starman - Seu Jorge

How to interpret this... hmm.. I love you baby!

12. What is your life story?

From a balance beam - Bright Eyes

Well I better stay on the straight and narrow or I'll fall off my balance beam.

13. What do you want to be when you grow up?

It had to be you - Billie Holiday

I guess that means I want to be the one to blame...?

14. What do you think when you see the person you like?

Raining in Athens - Azure Ray

You are so beautiful it rains in Athens every time I look at you!

15. What do your parents think of you?

Dragonfly - Azure Ray

They think I flew far away from home, and that I'm pretty.

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?

Good Song - Blur

Well I'm already married and I didn't dance to Blur and I don't know what we danced too so good song might be the right answer after all.

17. What will they play at your funeral?

Good Fortune -PJ Harvey

It was good fortune for you to have known me?

18. What is your favorite hobby/interest?

Zeplin Song - Courtney Love

Yeah... No that's not right.

19. What is your biggest fear?

Hate - Cat Power

To be hated. (Great song by the way you should all listen to it)

20. What is your biggest secret?

Love is strong - The Rolling Stones

I love my W and my J more than anything and now it's no longer a secret?

21. What song will be the title when you repost this?

Love is a losing game - Amy Winehouse

Great song!

I think I should probably mention that my playlist I shuffled from is shared with my hubby J and our son W and also contains the songs I have to listen to for work so I wouldn't say that this list is an accurate summary of my musical preferences.

Another thing... Marie I know you did it in Swedish and I was debating doing yours but then I have to cater to the people who don't speak Swedish so I went with the English version. I hope it's ok.

I can't wait

I honestly can't wait for this



I read this book to W every night and we've shown this trailer to him and now when he hears this song he says Wild Things.