She's Here!

Svea Katherine Nilssen arrived Monday, July 27, 2009 at 8:12 am. She weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and was 19.75 inches long. Both Svea and I are doing great and we arrived home from the hospital yesterday. I will be posting a whole lot of Svea on here, so keep checking in if you want to see more.

Soren Update July 17th

Another HOT week in Phoenix. I'm glad we get to go to a pool almost every day - don't know how we would survive otherwise. Things are going smoothly. We've been busy getting together a few things for the baby's arrival, but haven't done anything too exciting. I've been having a lot of fun playing around with a new camera that we picked up this week.


After a visit to my doctor on Tuesday, we are expecting the baby anytime. Whether she comes tonight or in three weeks is anybody's guess, but I am feeling pretty calm about things now that we have reached 37 weeks.


Soren's conversational skills have exploded. He is very observant and likes to talk about the things he sees around him. Today we went to my favorite Chicago style hot dog place for lunch. They had a row of hooks with hats and helmets from the Chicago area hung on them. Soren asked questions about them and talked about them for the entire meal. He seemed especially fascinated by the football helmet (which he initially thought was a motorcycle helmet). He is constantly surprising me by speaking in full sentences.


Here are a few pictures to remind you how Soren looks:

Laying in the big bed after swim class (notice the red cheeks from being out in the heat)

Playing in the backyard with his sprinkler

In his room playing with his smile buddy

Playing tball in the backyard

Great form... future baseball player maybe ;)

Soren Update July 8

It's been another fun week for us. Nothing exciting, just more time at the pool and the library to try and keep cool. We had a great time on the 4th of July - we went to the fireworks in Gilbert with a friend of Erik's from work and his family. Soren had a blast running around before the show, and he enjoyed the treats and fireworks too. Here are a few pics:

Hiding from us in the blankets

With his balloon

Running wild

Playing with his ball

And a video with a small sample of Soren's reaction to the fireworks. You can't see much on the video, but the audio is cute.

Soren Update July 2nd

We've had another week or so fly by! We stay busy with our swim class each day. Soren has regressed a little bit in his swimming skills, but we still enjoy playing with the other children in the class and getting into the water.

Highlights since the last post include a Diamondbacks baseball game (in a friend's company suite - the only way to watch a game with a 2 year old) and a captured lizard:

Biting Erik with all his strength

We enjoyed a visit from my dad and sister, Jenny, this weekend. It was short, but lots of fun. They flew in late Saturday night and stayed until Monday. Soren had a blast playing trains with Grandpa and reading stories with Jenny. He was very sad to see them go! It was a real treat to see them - since we are staying close to home this summer I didn't think I would see them until after the baby is born.

Jenny and Soren "Sleeping"

I feel like Soren has hit the famous two year old stubborn phase very hard this week. I'm sure it has more than a little bit to do with my general grumpiness due to lack of sleep and aching body. He is having a very hard time listening and his stubborn streak is showing constantly. I think I am feeling a little discouraged because I feel like he is constantly being talked to sternly and it is feeding the problem. Grumble, grumble! I feel better already now that I have had my chance to vent.

Overall, Soren is a very good boy. He loves to help me out and will help pick up toys and clean the house. He is pretty obsessed with his baby sister right now. He loves to rub my stomach and talk to her. He is learning a lot of things about what a new baby does. I hope the transition to big brother is a smooth one for him.

One thing that has really surprised me is how much Soren loves electronics. He is a potential computer addict. He has a couple of handheld computer games that I have to rip out of his hands, and he is getting very proficient on the computer. It seems strange to already be discussing limiting his time playing video games at age two!

He also loves playing with Chibi. She is very tolerant of him. Here is a sample:

I've been having some fun playing with my camera the last few days. Wanted to practice for when the baby comes so we can capture her little hands and feet to remember! Soren is my ready and willing model, so thought I would share a few...

Another Week with Soren: June 22nd

Soren and I have been enjoying our summer weather. The weather here in Phoenix has been beautiful for June - we have only hit 100 degrees a couple of times. The highlight of each weekday is our swim class, and the highlight of our week is the weekend with Erik.

Another added benefit of swim class has been Soren learning to love bath time even more. He never used to let me lay him down in the bath tub - he was too worried about getting water in his face or ears. Now he LOVES the warm water and will lay still on his back and just relax. I have to drag him out when the water gets cold. Here are a couple of pics of him in the tub:


The pictures don't really capture how peaceful he is laying like that, but I think they are still cute!

Our family is really growing to love Erik's 4 day work week. Friday is our fun day each week - we are able to run all of our errands and do something fun while most of the city is at work. This week we were busy running to dentist and doctor appointments, but we were still able to catch lunch at Barro's Pizza - our favorite - and a trip to the mall so Soren could run off some steam in air conditioned comfort. It seems like the summer has caused a time warp - I can't believe we had our 33 week visit at my doctor's on Friday. Things are going smoothly, and the baby's heartbeat is starting to sound like a strong baby instead of just a quiet whoosh.

Soren picked what he wanted to wear on Saturday. He insisted on wearing his "jacket". After an hour or so, he told me he was hot and that he wanted it off. I managed to catch a few pictures of the silly boy wearing a sweater in Phoenix in the summer:

I wish I was able to capture all of the cute things Soren does so I could share them. He is very observant of the world around him and has been making funny observations about life. This week's constantly repeated phrase is "What happened?" and I'm trying to be patient and answer as best I can, even though I feel like I hear this 80 million times a day. I've tried to capture a few samples of life with Soren on video for you to enjoy this week. It is only a tiny sample. I feel so blessed to get to spend so much time with this sweet little guy. Time is flying by and I try to remember to enjoy each day!

Ashley

Soren has developed a new style of dance. No idea where he picked this up, but it looks mysteriously like break-dancing...

Soren was the head chef for our Father's day meal of homemade pizza and berries on a cloud. He won't cook without his chef's hat and apron!

After all that food, the boys decide to work off some calories:

"I'm not too big!"

I was sitting at the computer finishing up my earlier post when I heard Soren screaming and saying "I'M NOT TOO BIG!" I grabbed the camera and caught this:

Guess he might have a hard time handing down some of his favorite baby toys.

He wouldn't let me help him out of the bouncer - after the video, he played in it for 15 minutes or so before he got tired of it.

Soren: June 11th

It has been a good week. I have seen a huge improvement in Soren's temperment now that he isn't constantly irritated by his sore tooth. We've had a lot of fun at swim class. Most days Soren kicks and screams when it is time to leave the pool - he loves being in the water. The class has been a blast this year. The teachers have made it much more structured than last year, and Soren has learned to kick, move his arms, blow bubbles and put his face under water. He even "swam" a short distance between me and his teacher a few times. It is fun to watch him pick up new abilities, and we both love the chance to get out and spend a little time outside.

Soren has been a great helper to me. I have been on a sewing kick the last week or so, and so I made Soren a chef's hat and apron. He'll put it on and help me whenever I am in the kitchen. He loves to mix and pour ingredients. The best part is the tasting!

We made a batch of cookies last night. Soren enjoyed a couple of cookies after lunch today. He wanted the lid off of his sippy cup. I couldn't understand why, but he was very insistent. Turns out he watched Erik dip his cookies in milk last night and wanted to do the same. I am not a dipper, but apparently Soren is!

Here's a little clip of Soren today after lunch:

Bye bye, toothie

As some of you may know, Soren has been fighting an infection for a couple of weeks now. Due to some kind of trauma to his front tooth (we have no idea what happened), he developed an abcess. Soren has an awesome dentist, and he did his best to help us get rid of the problem. After two weeks of antibiotics, we didn't see any improvement, so we decided it would be best to remove the source of the infection and pull the tooth. I have been very emotional about this decision, but know that it was the correct choice and the best for Soren's health and comfort.

We headed to the dentist this morning. Erik went in to work late to help out during the procedure. Everything went very smoothly. There were a few tears when the doctor used a needle to numb the area around Soren's tooth, and a lot of tears during the extraction. It was over very quickly, and as soon as I had him in my arms Soren calmed down and stopped crying. When the tooth came out, a "ball" of infection came out from above the root. That confirmed my feelings of peace about our decision.

Soren was very calm on the way home and even pointed to his mouth and asked me, "It feels better?" He has been in good spirits all morning and is very excited about the tooth, floss and other prizes he got to bring home. We were able to go to swim lessons today, and Soren was very happy to splash and laugh with me. It gave me a chance to see his new smile, and I am surprised to say that I think I may grow to like it!

Here are a few pictures from yesterday and today. I hope I included enough detail for you grandparents and aunts and uncles, but if you have any questions email me and I will do my best to fill you in further.

A few last pictures of Soren's old smile:

In case you can't tell, the damaged tooth is the one on the right (your right) that is discolored

Headed home from the dentist:

A numb mouth smile

Soren's new look:

He loves floss!

Hummingbirds

Erik got a new hummingbird feeder for us to put up when our yard was first completed a few months ago. It took awhile for the birds to find it, but they have finally started to come in droves. Erik and Soren have a lot of fun watching the birds and mixing up the food for them. The other night Soren was standing right under the feeder while 4 or 5 little hummers buzzed back and forth above his head. They didn't seem to see him as any kind of threat. He kept asking Erik, "Can I catch it?". Cute. The video captures the moment better than the photos.

And just in case you wanted another glimpse of the boy being a boy...

Soren Update May 26th

Well, I had a nice long break from blogging. Sorry for being a slacker!

Since it has been over a month since my last update, I am going to cover a lot of ground.

At the end of April Soren and I flew up to Utah for a week to visit and celebrate with my family. My mom and dad flew in from Japan the day before we got there, and Soren and I were able to enjoy a couple of quiet days at home with them. We spent a lot of time outside enjoying the beautiful Spring weather in Pleasant View. Flowers and trees were blossoming and the temperature outside was perfect. The rain and cold days of spring waited until the end of the week to show up, so we got a nice taste of each.

We were able to attend both graduations for my siblings. My brother, Jake, graduated from BYU in December with a BA in Japanese and was finally able to walk in the Spring graduation. My sister, Stephi, graduated from BYU with a BS in nursing. It was so special to be able to be there to help celebrate them and their accomplishments. Jake is now well on his way in the seminary teacher's program at BYU and will be student teaching this fall. Stephanie started her first job today as a nurse in a hospital. I am so proud of both of them.

Soren did great during both graduation ceremonies, especially with a lot of help from his uncle Jake and aunts Steph, Jenny and Katie. We did miss the university commencement. I took the chance to pop in on Jake's wife, Mekelle, for a quick intro to Soren's first cousin, Bridget Rae. Mekelle and Jake are such cute parents and little Bridget is a doll. I am glad I got a chance to get to know her - wish we were closer!

After the graduation, we had another big accomplishment to celebrate. My dad celebrated his 50th birthday with a big party for his family. We had planned to celebrate out at the Sandhill, but a cold, windy and rainy day spoiled that plan a little bit. We were able to eat some great food (I am still craving those shishkabobs) and play a few games. My dad's family performed a song written for my dad. Steph, Jenny, Soren and I even whipped out a little number to honor the geezer.

Before heading back to Phoenix, Soren and I had a quick visit with Erik's dad. Between throwing rocks and watching planes, Soren had a great day with Papa.

I can't believe we have been home from our trip for so long already. We have been enjoying the warm summer weather. I picked up a baby pool and we have it set up under the shade of the back patio. Soren and I are out in the water every afternoon for at least an hour. It is great because it has allowed us to stay outside even in the 100 degree plus weather. Official swimming lessons start on Monday. I can't wait. Hopefully a little structured activity every day will make the rest of this summer fly by.

This weekend was a four day weekend for our family, thanks to Erik's 4-10 schedule. It was nice to stay at home and spend time together. We had a pretty laid back weekend. Friday was a beautiful day here, overcast and 77 degrees. We went out to Mesa for my doctor appointment, then decided to enjoy the outdoors and went to the zoo for a few hours. We were able to run a few errands on Saturday. Soren's friend from nursery, Seneca, celebrated her second birthday on Monday. Her family invited over several families for swimming in their pool and a barbeque. We had a ton of fun. It was sad to hear Erik head off to work today. Soren and I really enjoy having him home with us!

I am starting to feel really pregnant. I am 29 weeks now, and officially in the third trimester. The baby moves a lot throughout the day and night. I think I am driving Erik nuts because I can feel myself starting to get nesty... I have been getting obsessive about planning the baby's room and picking out things I want to make my life easier. He is a good sport and pretends to listen when I take 10 minutes explaining why a receiving blanket needs to be 42" by 42" instead of 24" by 24". My pregnancy is now chugging along like normal and I am relieved to be having just the "normal" aches and pains of this stage.

Soren is growing and changing every day. He is very self sufficient. I find myself relying on him to be my helper quite a bit already. His speech is growing clearer and vocabulary is growing as well. I was released from my calling in nursery, and he loves his new teachers. It is funny to hear him say things he learned from other sources. The other night while he was "grubbing" in the big bed with us, he kept telling Erik to "play nice". We couldn't tell what he was saying at first because we hadn't taught him that. He must have picked it up in nursery on Sunday. Although he has his moments of being a stinker two year old, for the most part he is a positive and cheerful guy to have around. His hair has gotten its summer "buzz like bees" cut. His favorite activities right now are playing in the backyard, watching for hummingbirds, webcamming, bouncing on the exercise ball, dancing and cleaning the house (lucky me, right?).

Alright, I will wrap it up for now. Hope you all had a nice Memorial Day weekend.

Ashley