Just a quick update

I have been very busy working in my Dad's office. I am really loving the real estate game, and without giving away too many family secrets I will just say, I am learning tons about developing, leasing and working with the government! This friday I am flying back to Philadelphia to visit my best friend in the world Amy! And Jonas has had his good friend Bjorn in town the last week and he leave this Friday as well to fly back to Sweden. They were in Yosemite most of last week taking photos, drinking beer and freezing their butts off at night!

Preschool already!?

As Elsa's arrival get's closer and closer, I think more and more about her education, her/our heritage, and how my involvement in the Scandinavian community here in the San Francisco area has always been near and dear to my heart because I am proud of who I am. The Scandinavian School in SF, http://www.scandinavianschool.org/ is a highly recognized pillar of the Scandinavian Community, where children go for day care up until age 5, and it is run in the Scandinavian way with home cooked meals and language emersion. So even though it is expensive and it is in the city (a good 30 minute drive from us) I think that Jonas would be able to drop her off and pick her up at least 2 days a week. This would give Elsa more time to practice and use Swedish and maybe Danish, for us to meet other Scandinavian parents with children the same age as her and a wholesome Swedish childhood. I know it looks really undiverse but the reality is that is what it is like in Sweden. Anyhow I thought I would share this video the school made so you can see how nice it looks!

I also read over the application for admission, and they accept applications after your child is born. That sounds crazy, but I think I'm going to send hers in as soon as she is born! I am hoping that since the women who run the school know me through my involvement with the Young Scandinavaians Club and Lucia and know Jonas because he is involved in the SACC with is boss Nils, that they will have no choice but to accept lille Elsa! I am thinking when she is around 2 to put her in 2 or 3 days a week, because at that time I hope we have a newborn and it would be helpful for my sanity to have her in daycare....whoa, talk about forward planning! hee hee

25 Weeks Baby Bump Pic!

In the last 5 weeks my belly has definately grown!

Baby Stuff

I figure that only giving you a boring fence update means I need to give you a juicy blog entry about something to do with Elsa. So, Jonas and I went to Pottery Barn Kids, and ordered our crib and dresser/changing table last week. (thanks Mom and Dad!) I decided on PBK because it's high quality, made in the USA, sure it's expensive but to last for hopefully 3 kids, I wanted solid wood, and not some mystery wood that leaches chemicals from Ikea(sorry sweden). I thought it might be too early to order this stuff, like January seems way off,  but I'm glad I did NOT wait. The first reason is when we went in, it happened to be the first day of the Friends and Family sale so we got an extra 20% off everything except the dresser bc it has to be ordered, and secondly it's backordered until November 28th! I think we can pick up the crib this week. With the extra discount from the sale I was able to add in the mattress, chaning pad, breathable bumper, and a few changing pad covers that all in all added up to the same amount as just the crib and dresser would have been! 
So here is the crib we ordered. I decided on white finally, after debating in my head between the dark wood and the white, but in the end the baby's room is already pretty dark, so the white furniture will pop and it's pretty gender neutral considering Elsa is only the first of how many?

Fillmore Dresser as we ordered it with changing pad etc

I have also ordered crib sheets, white, a light shade of green and this wild flower pattern which I received in the mail the other day and I just love! 2 of the 4 walls in the baby's room are a bright orange that I painted last year to add some pizazz to the boring cream colored walls. I figure orange is also gender neutral and I really don't feel like repainting to pink or lavender.  Which bye the way seem to be the only 2 colors that all the baby girl stuff comes in! I am trying to pop other colors into the design. White, blues, lime greens, orange etc... so here are the sheets I am obsessed with, almost want to order a second one!

I did NOT however buy the bumper, I don't believe it is necessary for an infant.

I think it will all come together nicely. I also picked up 3 solid wood slightly used Pottery Barn white shelves from a family on Craigslist so once we figure out where everything fits then we can put the shelves up. For now we I need to move our strollers and other stuff that I have piled up in that room to the garage because Jonas friend from Sweden is coming into town Sunday night, Bjorn, and he is going to stay in that room for the next week or so!

Lattice topped fence

Before and After's of the fence






Now out of boredom I was looking back at my post in March when it was pouring but Spring and the plants were all so small and to look at it now!

nothing exciting but..

Elsa is a kicker! I mean even as I write this after lunch, I'm sitting in my Dad's office,(because I am working here now) and yes she is making my stomach bounce around! I don't think that how a fetus acts in utero is any indication of their personality but I'm sure this little lady will have sass and "artitude" a word a friend of mine coined in highschool!

Anyhow, this weekend Jonas finished putting the lattice on top of our new fence,  and it looks great! We really do live in a compound now! Then Saturday night we went to the Swedish Achievement Awards, a black tie affair, that started too late for me! We cut out early, like 10pm early, but it was nice, they took this pic of us, it's a weird angle, and I really don't want to admit that my face might be getting a little ummmm heavier now that I'm in the end of month 6 and almost to month 7.

Something about this picture reminds me of my Mom. Speaking of which, we went through some old pictures of my Mom, and I compared some of these toddler pictures of her to mine, and I can't wait to line up Elsa's next to these and a few of mine!

Lastly, and I know my Mom will get mad at me for posting this, but WOW she was quite the stylish lady in the mid 60's! I love love love this picture of her, and I wonder HOW did she get her hair so high!!??

Couldn't Resist!

Knowing that I am having a little girl, and knowing that I love clothes, well,..almost a deadly combo for Jonas's paychecks haha! I couldn't resist buying some things so far. I just received in the mail a few Polarn O Pyret (a swedish company who makes baby/toddler/expecting Mom's clothing) items I ordered a few weeks ago, and at a much bigger discount than when I'm in sweden. Anyhow here are some pictures I had to share! The Glider is also a recent purchase, it's an Xtra large Dutalier glider/rocker chair with ottoman I picked up on Craigslist for less than half the retail price, because it is used, but it really seems brand new! Jonas and I both love sitting in it!

I didn't buy the purple hoodie and these funky Danish leggings as an outfit, they just happened to match!

How Many Shots to get a good one?

Taken 10/1/2011 at our friends Charles and Laura's wedding in South lake tahoe.