sporadic

I know my posting has been sporadic to say the least but here is an update on what's been going on since June 26Th.

a lot of panic and stress and travelling. 

We went to Sweden again for what was supposed to be a two week relaxing holiday. It didn't turn out as relaxing as we hoped.

It all started the day we were leaving. My mother-in-law showed up with hubby's niece in the morning to drive us to the airport. As we were getting the last couple of things ready she decided to go pick up her bike that she had left not too far from our place. She left the niece with us. Half an hour later she's still not back and I am freaking out more than earlier.  hubby calls her and she tells him she's just been hit by a van so we need to pick her up. We pack the car and start looking for her. We find her and make our way to the airport. 

When you fly from Montreal to the U.S. you go through U.S. customs in Canada at the airport before flying. I have previously been denied entry into the U.S. for the simple reason I didn't want to go to the U.S. I wanted to go back in to Canada to pick up my student visa. The rejection makes travelling to the U.S. a bit more difficult cause they have to check that what I tell them happened is what happened. This takes about 2 minutes, that is if they take the time to do it. It was relatively quick at the border in Canada so we were through security and at our gate early and spent the time trying to entertain the bus. We boarded the plane as scheduled and it left the gate and was on the tarmac when the pilot comes on the speaker telling us that New York has closed it's air to any more planes cause there are too many in the air already. He tells us they are trying to get an exception so we can go now since we're already on the tarmac. 10 minutes later he tells us we did not get the exception so now they are deciding weather or not to have us wait in the plane or make us go back up to the gate. 

20 minutes later they decide we are going back to the gate. The plane we're on is like a flying bus, it's tiny and they took all big hand luggage away from us so we had no food for the bus and they stole our magazines from the bag. Our connecting flight in Newark is at 17.25 and it's closing in on 15.30 already. Then they let us back on the plane and we leave Montreal. When we're closing in on Newark the pilot tells us we have to zig zag a bit until we get an OK for landing. We land at 17.00.

As we leave the plane there is a man waiting for us and he tells us that we have missed our connecting flight but has been re-booked on a flight to Copenhagen that is leaving in 40 minutes so run run run!!! We make our way as fast as we can to the other terminal and just as we're about to go through yet another security check another man is waiting for us. He tells us that the Copenhagen flight pushed off early so we missed that one too. He tells us we have to go up to the service desk and speak to Al. We rush upstairs and find Al, he tells us we've missed all flights that day but we've been re-booked on a flight tomorrow night, he had also booked a hotel room for us and he gave us money for dinner and breakfast. Unfortunately we could not get our bags so we were given overnight kits from SAS. 

We made our way to our hotel in New Jersey, which was overlooking a high way, and tried to get some sleep. The food at the hotel restaurant was very American and very disgusting. It was greasy and tasteless and nothing for bus bus to eat. Luckily I had over packed the hand luggage with food and clothes for the bus so he was quite well off. The only things we were missing were toiletries and bath toys. Bus bus had a bath with a hairbrush a couple of cups and some other things we found around the room. Then he spent most of the evening screaming and refusing to sleep.

The next morning we had some disgusting breakfast and decided against having lunch at the hotel so we left for the airport at noon. We ate good food at chili's and checked in with Al and mainly just waited around, buying and reading magazines and chasing bus around (did I mention he's walking really well now).

That evening we finally left the U.S. Al was nice enough to bump us up to economy extra and we had a good flight. The same could not be said for the family next to us who were on the receiving end of a grumpy old lady demanding they pay for her ticket cause their baby ruined her flight.

In Sweden we travelled around a lot and met lots of family and went swimming in the ocean, two lakes and a bath bucket. We missed out on meeting a couple of our friends including bus bus godmother which is a bit sad but with clashing schedules and no time we're just gonna have to meet up next time unless you guys come here and visit!

We also bought lots of pretty clothes for bus and finally found a pair of shoes that fits his wide, high and big feet (I have looked everywhere for shoes for him and I've made him try on like a million different ones or so) we picked up some clothes for ourselves too of course and walked around Skansen with bus bus future wife and her mommy! We also med cute Julia with her mommy (too bad we couldn't spend more time with you guys!)

We were truly cursed with public transport while away. We took a train from my grandma's to my mom's and we booked the X2000 (Sweden's high speed luxury trains) and ended up in the broken carriage with no a.c. the thing was rocking like a boat and everyone was sick. I was dying we had already spent 5 hours in a car before boarding the train and I spent half my youth puking from being carsick and hubby was not much better.

On the way home when we went to check in at the airport we had to deal with SAS idiots. You would think that SAS would be good at the Scandinavian airports being their base airports and stuff but no. SAS are horrible at Arlanda airport. I had called in advance (like a month early) and requested seats together, a bassinet and a baby meal on the flight. On the flight to Sweden we got seats together but that was it, on the way back we got baby food and we had to actually mess about with supervisors to get seats together. The seats we got were on a row of 4 seats and since bus doesn't get his own seat it was me and hubby and two other people on the same row. This is not great. Anyone who has ever travelled with a baby knows that it's difficult getting your kid not to touch the person next to you or his or her things. When we got the seats I knew it would be a rough ride on that row so I asked a couple of guys to swap seats with us, which they did. I just don't understand how difficult it can be to seat people travelling together, together? and how hard is it giving decent seats to people with kids? Last time we flew SAS (before the bus was thought of) it was the same thing, we didn't get seats together and had to move around, but only on the way from Sweden, never on the way to.

When we got to the U.S. they decided to make me go wait in the border and customs office to have a closer look at my passport. When I walked in there were about 4 people before me. After me there were about 10 more people coming in and they were all seen before me. When I asked the guy how long it would be cause I was about to miss my connecting flight home to Canada, he told me that they process the people in the order they come in BULLSHIT! It took 2 hours for them to look at my passport and send me on my way, unbelievable! So we didn't have time to eat at the airport like we had planned so very hungry we went about picking up our luggage and dropping it at the connecting flight drop off and going through a million different security checks and our freezer pack being taken from us even though it had made it through the first time around. We ate some Starbucks at the gate and got on the last flight home. 

Back in Montreal we got a lift from this nice guy on a little car from the gate to the customs and made it through fine. Went down to the baggage pick up and waited... and waited... and waited... and no bags. They lost our bags. We could not believe it. It was like the cherry on top. The perfect end to a horrible travelling experience. So doing all the paperwork and stuff and then leaving for home without toiletry again it was still quite nice to be home.

Oh and the bus was a star through all of this hardly crying at all and sleeping a lot on the flights and being a charming, lovely, perfect and wonderful bus in Sweden.

birthday, birthday, zoo

Last Tuesday was busbus first birthday. We had his party a little early on the 15th rather than the 17th cause more people could make it on a Sunday. The party was alright and bus got some nice presents and he was all played out afterwards and fell asleep in the stroller on the way home.

Then on Tuesday we were supposed to go to the zoo but the weather wasn't awesome so we opted for trying to get buses birthday present instead. We went to the mall and had a pleasant enough day even though we ended up buying mostly stuff for me. In the evening I made a cake for bus and I put raspberries in the middle. When bus discovered the raspberries he tried to throw the rest of the cake on the floor so he could just eat the raspberries.

Yesterday was my birthday. I had some friends over for cake and that's pretty much it. 

Today on the other hand was a big day. We went to Granby Zoo which is awesome and amazing and me and bus got to ride on a camel and they have a water park with waves so we got to swim too it was great! We saw all sorts of animals and it was so great when the bus first spotted the zebras.

Caught by the rain.

Today was warm, or rather it was smoking hot! The thermometer read 31°C but with a little humidity x factor it felt more like 39°C. So in the morning we were relaxing inside until bus and hubby fell asleep together giving me a nice break. I took a little walk, had a shower and sat in the stairs out front reading. When they woke up 2 hours later me and bus got in the car and went to the mall. I was going to buy suitcases since my lovely in-laws gave me money towards that for my birthday (which is in 2 weeks). I had already picked out the ones I wanted so it was relatively easy. We went downtown yesterday so I could choose some books for the bus for his birthday and to look at the suitcases but I couldn't buy them then cause I had to take the metro home and I had the bus in his stroller. We ended up walking home but a stroller and two suitcases would have been too much anyways so I went today with the car.

While at the mall, bus and I had a cosy lunch at Starbucks and then we went and got busbus his birthday present, he helped me pick it out but he won't get it for another week. Then we went to get the suitcases and it was quite a mess trying to buy them since I had some questions and no one spoke English but in the end it all worked out and this nice little shop helper boy carried the bags to my car. 

As we leave the store the heat outside is unbearable, it is so hot you cannot breathe. But as we near the car the first drops of rain starts falling and the thunder starts rumbling. I quickly put bus in the car then I packed the rest of the stuff. When we got on the highway it really started pissing, like the sky just opened and poured a bucket on us. We had to drive super slow cause  you couldn't see anything. Then it stopped raining and by the time we were in Montreal the streets were dry again and the heat was unbearable. 

The bus was getting tired and cranky and as I finally got onto our street the first drops of rain started falling at the same time as bus fell asleep. Parking on our street is hell and for some reason every time I try to get parking all the spots outside our house are always taken but then I look out 5 minutes later after parking further down the street and there's a free spot. Anyways no parking right outside but not too far away so I take the bus and the keys and we run just as the rain starts coming down hard and bus is rudely awaken. 

Well inside he goes back to sleep and once the rain had stopped pouring I went out for the rest of the stuff. 

Lets just hope this rain will clear out the humidity. and lets also hope that I saved my flowers and herbs on time and that they will resurrect soon.

it's a miracle!!

Yesterday we put up the a/c as I told you in my last post. Well that thing is amazing! I put the bus down for a nap and he slept for 2 hours in the morning without waking up once. Usually he wakes up at least once during every nap. Then in the afternoon when I finally got him to sleep again he napped for 1.5 hours, and then in the evening I got him to sleep after some tears a little bit of crying and some pacifier throwing at 8.15 p.m. Guess when he woke up the first time?? at 5.29 a.m. That is a bloody miracle. He has never slept that long without waking up before. Usually I'm up at midnight and at 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. and so on putting the pacifier back in and stroking his back and then finally feeding him sometime between 3 and 5 a.m. Last night he slept 9.5 hours or so straight without waking up. 

I felt so refreshed this morning. I have not slept for more than 4 hours straight since the night between June 15-16 2007.

2007!!!!

So basically I have not had a decent night sleep in about a year. 

So in a week and a bit busbus is turning 1 year old! It's a big deal and I'm in the middle of planning his party and figuring out what to get him for his birthday. I have a couple of ideas. 

Then it's midsummer closely followed by St-Jean-Baptiste and then my birthday which happens to be my sister-in-laws birthday too. June is a very exciting month!

Oh yeah, we went to a wedding last week on May 31. Congratulations Marc and Isabelle! Here's what we looked like.

Daddy and busbus looking dapper!

Mommy and busbus with bad quality photos

At least busbus is very pretty!

Busbus looking like the Grinch who stole Christmas and mommy and daddy

Feeding time for the bus

The happy couple

missed out

Yesterday was Sweden Day! I didn't know... maybe because my computer was broken. Maybe because I don't live in Sweden anymore... who knows.

So a couple of weeks ago busbus decided it was a great idea to throw the computer on the floor while shouting "dedans!" dedans (don't know if I got the spelling right...) is French, it's the buses first French word and it means "in" like dedans la boîte means in the box. The bus unfortunately does not seem to get the finer meaning of the word dedans but simply uses it for everything from throwing to dropping to actually putting things in boxes etc. He likes the word a lot. I think mostly because it's fun to throw things on the floor. He likes throwing things on the floor, while eating while taking his bath, while he's supposed to be sleeping. 

He woke up once from his nap and the first thing he did was take his pacifier and throw it on the floor while shouting dedans! 

So now we have a Swedish word titta and a French word dedans but no English word yet, unless you count daddy.

Today is horribly hot here in Montreal, they say it's 30°C but it feels like 39 if you add the humidex. Me and hubby put up one of our a/cs in the bedroom so that we and the bus won't die from heat in there. Then me and bus went to the pool while hubby went to work. 

We tried a new pool today and it was great. It was free and it was fun. Me and the bus splashed around for a good 40 minutes before going home. 

So back to the broken computer, busbus decides to drop it while shouting dedans and then after that it started making a weird sound... like water running inside. But it worked good so I didn't worry about it. Then on Thursday I sat down to check my e-mails and the whole computer froze so I turned it off and when I tried to turn it back on I got a grey screen with a file with a question mark flashing on it. SCARY! I freaked out and called apple support and then it started again but then it crashed again so I called the repair shop. I dropped the computer off Friday morning and I picked it up Friday evening and the computer is now fine. It has a bigger hard drive and a newer version of os X but no iLife which I used to have and when I tried to install it I couldn't do it. So I'm gonna call apple support again after busbus goes to bed. He's sleeping now so it could be a while before he goes to bed tonight. 

Well I'd better get back to the cooking, I'm making home made fish and chips tonight. I hope it's gonna be good.

later

what I want bus to be when he's older.

bloons

sorry about the lack of postings but I am now addicted to bloons. You guys should check it out.

A blogger at heart.

I know that I have been less then consistent in my promise to blog every day. But I have been very busy and if it's any consolation I think about blogging a lot. I compose blog posts in my mind all day. About our lives and about Quebec and about all the great things I could write about. Lately I have been having this crazy fantasy about blogging for babble. I would love to blog for babble. They have a whole section of great blogs written by cool and funny people. It does seem that most of these cool and funny people are writers and this is where my hopes of becoming a blogger for babble dies. I am not a professional writer. I don't think I could ever be one either, I don't think I could do the university studies to become one. But if I was ever given the opportunity I would love to blog for babble. 

I could write blogs about raising a trilingual child and about being a Swede in Canada and about all the things that annoy me about hubby, and how lucky I am to have such a great husband and son and so on. It would be great.

We booked our tickets to Sweden this summer. We're off again on the 14th of July. I hope we can see everyone this time around. We're going up to my dads for a visit. My mother-in-law might even go with us, we'll see. Anyways it'll be great. Bus can swim in the ocean and we can spend nice evenings barbecuing at my grand-parent or in my moms chalet. I can't wait to go, another 2 months to go. 2 exciting months. In one month from tomorrow the bus will be 1 year old and a week after that I will be 26 and officially closer to 30 than 20. Then in between those dates it's midsummer and St-Jean Baptiste and Canada day. Then off we go. 

Later

Mother's day

Today is my day! 

It's mother's day here in Canadaland... in Sweden mother's day isn't for another week or two. My first mother's day since the bus was born in June last year.

Hubby the lucky bastard got two father's day last year since the bus is born on father's day here in Canada and it was father's day the day after the baptism in Sweden. 

So this morning when I woke up (or was rudely awaken by the monster bus who decided to put a foot in my face) I was told to go look for my gift. I found it in the kitchen it was a flower box with a beautiful flower. I then gathered my bays and we went on a morning walk to get croissants. It was very nice. 

The afternoon I spent with the bus in the park where he decided he's all grown up now and doesn't need me anymore. He tried his hardest to abandon me and crawled very fast through the sandbox. We looked at interesting sticks and pieces of bark and leaves that we found in the sand and played on the rocking albatross and spent some time on the swings.

We finished off the day by getting fish and chips and I ate the fish and the chips and the bus ate fish and vegetables (at least one of us has to be healthy and it might as well be him).

Tomorrow we're changing the tires from winter tires... a little late you might think but between travelling and not having the tires here at home it just hasn't happened yet and besides the roads here are so bad anyways I don't think we could possibly damage them more.

The bus is in bed now so I'm gonna finish the day with a big glass of apple juice.

Biodome

We took bus to the biodome this morning. It's like a zoo kind of. It's 4 different climates and they have the animals that live there so they have a tropical section with monkeys and sloths and alligators and lots of cool birds like parrots. Then they have a temperate section with beavers and otters and porcupines and a lynx. An arctic section with lots of fish and a giant 8 kg lobster and a tiny shark. And last but not least an antarctic section with penguins. We saw most of the animals and bus liked the fishes and the tiny little monkeys and all the trees. But the highpoint was when there was a penguin just on the other side of the glass in the water with it's head as close to buses as it could get. It was like the meeting of man and beast or something similar. The penguin looking into buses eyes and the bus looking back. 

It was awesome. 

So all in all a good outing.