A mouse in the house

Lotta and I had our car yesterday. She has an eye infection again and we needed to go to the ER in the morning. The homeophatic remedies we've gotten have unfortunately not worked and it is starting to look certain that Lotta's tearducts will be operated. When this happens is everybody's guess since the University Hospital doesn't regard the problem as an acute one - rightfully so. It's not fun for Lotta but this was the first infection since early summer so that it isn't that she has them week after week.

What she does have is a tear in her left eye all the time and now it was the right one that got infected. We don't see another option for her than to have the operation but I am very scared. It stems from the fact that anesthesia almost killed my mother when I was a little girl - or at least that's how I've understood it. It may have been just the fact that she had an emergency operation with full stomach and I'm told that's really not what you'd want. Regardless, I'm scared.

Now if that weren't enough in the afternoon we went to get Husband from work and as we were driving home he asked if I'd heard noises during the day. As I was busy trying to figure out what in my appearance made him think I'd started to hear noises he added that: "You do know we have a mouse, right?"

I knew no such thing. I thought it was the neighbours - unfairly, since they are a lovely bunch and never make much of a ruckus. But there you go. I've lived most of my life in appartment buildings and have seen two or three mice in my entire life. I don't know how they sound. I hardly even know how they look. Now I do.

In the evening the mouse felt that it was time to explore the house and Husband - who sees everything! - saw him from the corner of his eye. He didn't see where it went but eventually he found the mouse behind our livingroom shelf. Didn't catch it, though. Once the adrenalin died down we decided to go to bed. There wasn't much else we could do at that hour.

If you're squeamish this is the time to go read another blog because this is what happened next: Husband had left to work at 4 am - yes, this is true - and around 5 am the mouse I guess was assured that he had the house for himself. So it felt it was time to check out, are you ready for this, our bed. It climbed up to it via my hand and woke me up VERY thoroughly in fact it scared me witless.

I heard it jump down from the bed and got up to see weather it had gone to Lotta's room and sure enough there it was looking at me with very big black eyes (I had a flash light so as to not wake up Lotta). I heard it run under her bed as I went to get her. I was sensible enough to take a clean diaper for her and her Ella bear and then we went out very fast and closed the door behind us.

Lotta was drowsy and accepted the move peacefully. I went to get the phone, sat on our bed shaking and called Husband. He didn't answer his own phone so I called the work phone which he answered right away. I told what had happened and told him to come home kill the mouse IMMEDIATELY. And he did! Bless his heart.

I wasn't there to witness what happened next since I had a sleeply little girl to tend to but I am told the mouse is dead. I'm very sorry for the poor little mouse who just wanted to get in from the cold and enjoy his new home but mice and I will NOT, and I repeat NOT, share a house. Thankfully Husband comes from a farm and this was by no means the first time he'd encountered a mouse.

The thing is I've never been particularily afraid of them. Bats, yes. Snakes, too. Wasps, absolutely. Rats, definitely. Cockroaches, yes. But mice, no. And I'm still not exactly afraid but I did get an awful scare when it thought my hand was the perfect climbing tree. We hope - and I pray, although I'm sure God has more important things to tend to - that this was the only one to try to move in with us. We have an idea where it might have come from and we'll both try to make sure nothing can squeeze through again and put a mouse trap there.

The blessing in disguise is that the mouse was so into exploring the house. What was the very worst part for me was the part that made sure I woke up and got to Lotta. I don't know what it would have done to her to be woken up by the sharp feet of a mouse in her bed. I regard it as a huge blessing that that didn't happen.

Once she wakes up from her nap we'll eat lunch and then we're going to clean the house. I just noticed mouse poop on this table! Oh, no!

Ps. It's snowing :).

All Saints Day

Today is All Souls Day. In our Lutheran tradition we only celebrate All Saints Day with the idea that it includes both the saints and the souls. But for example the Anglicans make a distinction between the two holy days and today is the day to remember those loved ones who have died.

Incidentally, one of the challenges of talking about this is the amount of euphemisms we have about dying and death. Understandibly so, though.

These photos are from the Main Cemetary of Turku and my parents grave. It is a very small one. For a long time I've been embarrassed by the smallness of the stone - a dear friend helped me to carry it from Ruissalo Island which was a really special place for our family - and it was the biggest we found. And I haven't planted a rose garden around it - not that you could either but you get the point.

But this Saturday as we went there to take the two candles it all of a sudden felt all right. It is small and not fancy but it is for lack of a better word organic. It would little by little no longer look like a grave at all if the cemetary were left unattended and there is something good about that to me. I guess it's the feeling of "ashes to ashes and dust to dust" that I get. My parents are with God - this how I want to see it - and in due time the remains of our bodies need to become one with the earth again. And something about that is very soothing to me. I think it's a feeling of timelessness. There is no hurry any more.

I do miss them both, though. Very much. I think they'd be incredibly proud of their beautiful, beautiful little granddaughter. In fact I think they'd drive everybody nuts with stories about Lotta and I so wish they could.

All of you who are mourning the loss of loved ones: may God hold your in the palm of His hand and assure you that everything is going to be all right. May you all be very blessed.

Lotta language

When children learn to speak their versions on words can be highly entertaining :). Unfortunately these don't translate but I hope you who don't understand Finnish don't mind. Those of you who do I hope these'll make you smile.

Lotta – suomisanakirja (lyhyt versio):

as uus – ylösalaisin
mukkaa – mukaan
sykkyy - sykkyyn eli syliin
sulii – syliin
sytä – sydän
manna – helmi
(viittaa homeopaattisiin lääkehelmiin JA koruhelmiin)
koju – koru
kattoo – katsoo
(jos katsottava on syötävää, se syödään olipa se itsen tai ei, muuten sitä vain tutkitaan, joskin usein kauemmin kuin vanhempien kärsivällisyyttä riittää)
ei! – ei tai kyllä tai ehkä
(mikä jossain määrin vaikeuttaa kuuntelijan mahdollisuutta tietää tahtooko vai eikö neiti tahdo)
sapu – sapuska eli ruoka
nusu – rusina
nääkä - nälkä
tis tuus – kiitos
tattis – tattis eli kiitos
hyvvää – hyvää
(isi puhuu murretta ja äiti nykyään myös)
sutti – smoothie
(sekä Semperin smoothiet että Kidius-jogurttitetrat)
tisu (mutta myös kisu) – kissa
nanukka – nallukka eli nalle
kottii – kotiin
kiija – kirja
musa - musiikki
musaka – musiikki
puutelii – puuteri (tarkkaan ottaen puuterihuisku)
lousut – housut
aippa – vaippa
sini – sininen
tatu – lintu
tilli – tilhi
(meillä on lintukirja, josta Lotta tykkää kovasti)
seppo – kirjosieppo
(ks. ed)
Puh tai Puff – Nalle Puh
Tikku – Tikru
Isto – Risto Reipas
hunu – hunaja (Nalle Puhista)
seis, seis, seis (samoin)
mieti, mieti, mieti (samoin)
Kaiju – Kaivuri (Puuha-Petestä)
Ispas – Vilpas (samoin)
musta – musta
(goottihenkinen lapsemme oppi tämän ensiksi, osa muista väreistä tulee Puuha-Peten kavereista eli vihreä on Rolle ja punainen Pusku ja keltainen on Kaiju)
Emmi – Eemeli
(Lotan serkku ja Maaria-tädin poika ovat kummatkin Eemeleitä)
Ella – Ellanalle
(Lotan rakkain unilelu)
Tytti – Tyttipupu
(melkein yhtä rakas kuin Ella)
laa, laa, laa
(omaksuttu lastenlaulusta ja esitetään hyvin pontevasti eli LAA, LAA, LAA!)

Lotan ensimmäinen lause:
Puh sanoo: ”Mieti, mieti, mieti!”

Our 3rd wedding anniversary

Around 7.20 pm tonight Husband and I will have been married for three years. Yesterday I received as a gift from him the second heart in the chain. The first I got our very first morning as a married couple and the heart represents to me Husband. The new one is, of course, our beautiful little girl.

These two hearts are my whole life. They are everything to me. I love them so much that it keeps surprising me every day. I could not possibly be more blessed than I am.

My love,

OIKEIN ISO HUOPATOSSU, JA PIENIÄ SÖPÖJÄ LEPPÄKERTTUJA, JA IHANA PEHMEÄ PYYHE :). Rakastan sinua!

Ps. The last part will not make sense to anyone else than to Husband so even if you do understand Finnish don't worry I haven't gone mad it's just code.

This morning

I have a baptism service this afternoon at 3 pm which is why I won't write more but these photos are from this morning.

Soap bubbles and a will of one's own

Who says you can play with soap bubbles only in the summer? The photos were taken a couple of weeks ago and Lotta still mentions daddy blowing the bubbles every time she sees a soap bubble. We had fun :). Now it is getting too cold and windy for them, I admit.

We've had an interesting two week period as our child decided she doesn't need naps anymore. Of course she does, but for some reason she couldn't get to sleep. We are now celebrating day nr 3 of taking a nap again. I was very worried for her and shamefully for me, too, since I REALLY need the time for myself. Mostly I was worried about her, though.

The culmination point for us came Monday when we went to the store. Silly mommy (and trust me I've called myself much worse, but this is a reader friendly blog) didn't realize that she had a tired (no nap), somewhat overwhelmed (fourth store) and hungry (snack hadn't been enough) in her hands. Not to mention a wet one although I think that happened when Lotta got angry with me.

I had a preview on what the terrible twos can be like. She yelled, she screamed, she squarmed she did her very best to make all of Southern Finland know she was NOT HAPPY!

Husband asked what started it all and I'm not quite sure. She wanted to look at everything and she couldn't, since I thought we needed to hurry, and then she wanted out of her stroller but I couldn't let her wonder around, since I thought we needed to be quick (there's a pattern here don't you think?)

The thing is that she doesn't stay with me anymore like when she was younger. Instead she'll run around happily touching everything. I understand her but it doesn't really do to let her loose in a store with millions of things to pull out and explore. The poor pet had two choices to stay in my lap (NOT GOOD) or go back to her stroller (EXTREMELY NOT GOOD). I'm surprised I still have hearing in my left ear. And that no one called child services.

I did remain calm (embarrased but calm) but that didn't help the least bit. The thing is the child needs her space when she's lost her calm and holding her is the very last thing she wants. This of course is what I couldn't do i.e. let her down because I thought she'd win and that would be bad for her as she needs her parents to set boundaries for her. Right?!

Probably not. I think things would have calmed down the minute I put her down and I could have picked her up and put her into her stroller after that. I learnt a lesson and I felt horrible for not being more sensible when it came to our timing and especially since I was so inept in helping her get through her anger.

That night she woke up at 9.40 pm and came to sleep in our bed. The whole night she pushed herself really close to me and woke up several times anxious. My poor little baby girl. In the morning, though, she was a happy little camper again and has remained so.

We are now back to normal and Lotta has been her loving little self. She is starting to have more opinions about things but I'm also learning to both give her time to realize what is happening next so that she is ready to move to the next thing and also to set limits. But, oh boy, this is the hardest job ever! I knew it was going to be but, whoa! God bless all of you moms and dads it doesn't get harder than to raise children. It's fun, extremely fulfilling and you love your children to bits but it is certainly challenging. And grandmas and 'pas THANK YOU!

Had my mom lived today would be her 67th birthday. I miss her terribly especially now that I have a daughter of my own.

Bubble wrap

My American sister got engaged in July. I am really happy for her and her fiancé. I've seen photos of them together and they look like a perfect match :). We wanted to send them an engagement present. They've just moved to Florida so we waited for the new address and now have it. Have you any idea how hard it is to make an elegant gift if you have to use bubble wrap? Seriously. Cannot be done! But we hope they will enjoy the present :).

What else? Well, Lotta and I planted tulips today to our back garden and yesterday another type of a flower to the front garden. Lotta really liked throwing the tulip bulbs in the little ditch. I think the best part of being a stay at home mom is just this: just about everything ordinary is facinating to my daughter and I get to enjoy watching her learn new things every day. We even encountered a ladybug which was pleasant enough to let Lotta poke her.

The rest of the family are fine but I've had tummy problems and had to see a doctor last Friday. I knew it wasn't anything serious since I didn't have a fever but I had felt miserable since Tuesday evening. Now this is the thing no one tells you when you're trying to loose weight and therefore try to eat really healthily. Tummies don't necessarily like it. Mine hates it.

I am embarassed to say that I have to eat a very strong antacid for the next two weeks. There is a chance I have stomach ulcer, too, and the medicine I'm having would be perscribed for that as well. So, for now no one knows weather I was suffering from too much acid (and let me tell you it really, really, really hurts - although not quite as much as giving birth) or stomach ulcer. I'm pretty sure, though, it's just acid. Or, rather it's the acid, there is nothing "just" about it.

Why is it I feel so middle aged because of having to eat antacids, though? I've had a hyper sensitive tummy all my life so this was not spectacularily surprising. But still. Antacids. When you're pregnant you go through tons and tons of them. In fact I still keep finding Rennie tablets from the pockets of my coats. But I'm not pregnant and I wish I didn't have to eat them again.

On the plus side the medicine helped - it took almost a week - but it did help. The pain is gone and yesterday I was for the first time hungry for real when it came time for dinner. I love food so not feeling like eating anything was really weird and almost frightening. Yes, I have my issues with food - mainly that I like it too much - but the thing is that I also love making food and I would like to enjoy eating it as well.