Well, Sunniva, turns out we've gotten some more Daddy-Dynne time. 'Dynne' is of course what you call yourself these days: it began with a tentative whisper in the car on the way to Stavanger from Kristiansand, and has now developed into several variations which you love to pronounce all day long - while singing, looking at pictures or in the mirror, or just babbling away as you do so well.
Your transition from life at home with us to the daily routine of the barnehage has actually gone very well. Mommy and I were with you on the first three days (less and less so each day) and then you managed a few hours alone on your first Thursday and Friday, but you got an upset tummy and were very unhappy by the end of the day on Friday when we came to get you.
The second week was difficult for all of us - you cried, screamed and protested every morning when we dropped you off (almost always me) - and were often in a similar mood when I picked you up in the afternoon after work. Your teachers have been great at sending us messages and pictures to let us know how you're doing, but it was still no fun to know that you were crying your eyes out at times and wondering what on earth was happening to the safe little world you knew.
But thanks to your prodigious language abilities, you soon learned that 'mamma jobber' and 'pappa jobber' and you began to form a strong bond to Hilde, your contact teacher. During the first week alone you didn't want to play so much with the other kids, but you felt safe when you were with Hilde. The first two days you were so tired when you came home that you roamed around the house like a zombie; eyes wide and mind clearly overfull with all the new impression. This did make for some excellent sleeping at last (Mommy cutting out soy products also helped a great deal) and by your third week everything was going swimmingly.
Your teachers all love you and are very impressed by how much you talk, and you seem to enjoy playing with everyone now, as you've learned all their names! Things were already better by your third week - protesting only when dropped off but really enjoying your days after that - and by the middle of your fourth week I was somewhat shocked and even slightly insulted (not really;-) when you barely turned around to say goodbye to me in the morning, but this is in fact the best feeling Mommy and I can have - to know that you feel safe and happy when you're away from us for such a long period of time every day.We are very grateful that we chose this barnehage for you because it's really lived up to our first impression - the staff are highly competent, compassionate and communicative, and we know you're going to continue to thrive.
You've grown so much since beginning in the barnehage, and you're learning in new ways because of the contact with different people. Your language continues to explode, and you've even come home with some Eastern versions of words you've always said in Mommy's Western dialect - 'smokk' instead of 'tutt' being the funniest example. Your legs are finally starting to catch up with your tongue, too, as you can now walk (totter) about while only holding on to one hand. You've also started to dance during this past month - the cutest little up and down shake we've ever seen - and you even say 'shake a booty' when you dance! You much prefer standing to sitting, and love to explore countertops, chairs and anything that is just above eye level and slightly out of reach (Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development:-).
This brings me to the importance of schooling, and teachers, and the comfort level of students. I had the pleasure of welcoming back my ninth graders for three days but then school shut down due to a nationwide teachers' strike. I've now missed seven days of school, and it's now another Sunday night and there's no solution in sight. So, a strange and unexpected lull in what is usually a time of excitement and energy.
In typical fashion, I used all of my energy to fill my strike-time by starting my autumn swim practices on Monday and Tuesday, but I must have pushed myself a bit too hard, in addition to carrying you on my shoulders to and from work (we don't have that second car yet) and walking all the way to town to partake in strike activities, because I got sick! And what happens when one person in the family gets sick? Everyone gets sick!
Sorry to say that you came down with a fever on Thursday night and then Mommy got it on Friday. We've had a miserable weekend with little sleep and lots of snot, and now you've got a frog in your throat - ribbit! Oh, poor baby, it's your first real cold, and it's no fun to hear you cough like that. You're too young to know what's happening, too young to blow your own nose or cough intentionally to make yourself breathe better. I certainly hope you have a better night tonight, but regardless, you and I are staying home tomorrow until you're better. Maybe you can return to the barnehage on Tuesday, but for now, you're going to get as much TLC as we can give!
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Last day at home
Oh, Sunniva!! What can I possibly say to you on this, my last day at home with you after a blissful and unforgettable 3.5 months together?!
You are not the same person you were when we began this adventure - you're bigger, stronger, smarter and more beautiful and charming for every day that passes. And I mean it when I say 'day' - you are growing and learning so quickly that your progress simply astounds us. Just this weekend you said your first phrases - lines from two songs: 'bæ bæ lille lam' and 'in the moon' from Raffi's Aikendrum. This may seem like a minor event when you read this as a grown-up, but let me tell you that witnessing and participating in your cognitive awakening is the most incredible journey we've ever been on. Whenever you do something new like this, it stops us in our tracks and melts our hearts. We are so proud of you, little one, and you're getting to be such a big girl already!
I'm sitting on the train to Oslo as I write this because we need to borrow Uncle Andre's car this week so that we have two now that you're at the barnehage and we're at work all day long:-( I can't bear to think that we won't have our mornings of playtime and music making any more, nor our almost daily walks to the pond to swim and see the ducks.
You've taught me so much, and I realize that in order to keep up with you and make sure we're on the same wavelength I've just got to follow your lead. I still strive to be less self-absorbed and more present for you at every moment the way your mom so naturally is.
I cannot express the depth of my respect and admiration for everything she's done for you since you were born - she is such a wonderful mother, and you both help make me the best father I can be. I feel so privileged to share my life with you, and my only desire in this life is to do right by you both and be there so that we can be a happy, harmonious family.
Your transition to barnehage is a big change for all of us, but most of all you. You were very intrepid in your first week as you quickly formed a bond with Hilde and didn't even cry once when we said goodbye. The tears did come eventually, once you realized that we were gone, but you stayed longer and longer alone each day - 1 hour, then 2 then 3 then 4. Unfortunately your reflux (maybe due to new tooth?) made things harder for you at the end of the week, and we are very anxious as to how you will fare on your first full day tomorrow. Regardless, we are so proud of you and we will do everything we can to help ease your transition.
While we both love toying with idea of keeping you at home with us forever, we know that the barnehage will provide you with many things we cannot, most importantly, relationships with kids your own age. You are ready for this, probably more than we are, so let's all just take it one day at a time.
In closing, know that we took one last walk up to the pond this afternoon to mark this momentous occasion. I carried you up in the backpack and mommy carried you down, and we spent a very serene hour throwing rocks into the water (a favorite activity of yours) and watching them plop!
The difference in how much you've grown during our time together was apparent when we reached the playground on the way back down; when we took you there several weeks ago you just wanted to eat sand and weren't interested in anything else. But this time you fell in love with the big blue hammock swing, and you cried out 'alene!!!' over and over in delight when you realized it was much more fun to swing all by yourself.
Friday, August 1, 2014
ABC: Anniversary, Beaver, Cloudberry
Due to the record warm summer this year, the cloudberries have ripened a full two weeks early here, and these were our goal as we chose a 2km loop by Lake Totak for our morning walk.
Our walk began at Telemarkstunet, a cluster of traditional wooden buildings where craftspeople ply their various trades and so keep oxygen flowing through the cultural blood of this small yet deeply rooted place. We asked an old woman baking fresh flatbread and lefser about our walk and the possibility of picking cloudberries, and she happily showed us the way.
When we finally came upon our field of 'the gold of the mountains' we had to look hard to find ones that were ripe. This being a popular place to pick, the ripe ones had almost all been taken, but we got to taste a few and brought home a bucket of blueberries besides (for waffles - yum!).
The best part of the walk for me was discovering this beaver dam, still in use, and the many broken trees with gnawed-off trunks like toothpicks and wood shavings strewn all over. The beaver family has done impressive work here, totally backing up a fast-flowing stream so that it has become a pool of stagnant and oily marsh water. Their presence was closely felt - these were their woods, their swamp, their masterpiece of traditional craftsmanship.
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