Linus goes to Sweden

Hi everyone! Mattias here. I figured since I was the one who took Linus to Sweden a couple of weeks ago, I would take this opportunity to write my first blog entry about it. The main purpose of the trip was to have my 84 year old grandfather meet Linus, but we also spent about half of our time there with my sister Gunilla's family. My mom came too, as I never would have survived without her help.

As expected, we had to deal with a good amount of rain. Linus always seemed to stay dry though.

Gunilla lives very close to Gothenburg, so one day we drove into the city and checked out a really cool exploratorium/science center. Linus loved looking at all the critters.






The exploratorium section was also really fun, especially the motorcycle.



That night the weather was really nice, so we took a stroll around Gothenburg and ended up at the harbor.



The next day we decided to check out an old fort that had been built hundreds of years ago to fend off Denmark. We took a long tour and learned a bunch of history. 'Nuff said.




With the jet lag and lack of a consistent schedule, it wasn't easy getting Linus to sleep at the right times. Often, we would both just crash on a couch. Other times, Linus wouldn't go to sleep and we'd have to go jumping on Gunilla's trampoline at 10pm to wear him down!

After spending a few days with my sister and her family, we took a train to my Grandpa's house to spend a few days with him. He is a truly unique character-- he has many quirks, but never ceases to amaze me. He has so many talents and knows something about everything.

But... he's a bit of a hoarder. Some of it is junk, but most of it is really old and delicate stuff he has collected over the years. One could probably start a small museum out of his basement.




As you can imagine, this was no place for a two year old to rip around. So, we spent the majority of the days outside (as long as it wasn't raining)



I'd say the best part of the trip was watching Linus play with Gunilla's kids, Sara and Anton. It's amazing how much energy they have-- which was perfect because I was running on empty for most of the trip.




Here's a random picture of a swan being attacked by a bunch of birds.



And of course, we met up with a bunch of extended family too. Good times!



On our way back to the train station, my Grandpa insisted that we walk instead of pay for a cab. So we grudgingly agreed to lug all of our stuff across town. Linus disapproved.



On our last day in Sweden, we had really really great weather. So, we decided to head to a coastal town called Varberg. It was warm enough to swim, which surprised us all.



I have to say, this trip was probably the most tiring ten days of my life. I became the replacement Mama, though, which was kinda nice. I was the center of Linus's world! Now, I'm back to a second-class citizen again.

M.I.A.

Where do I begin? The last month has been a whirlwind of activity, starting with some health problems in our first/furry child Guster. Mattias noticed him walking funny one day at the end of a long walk, nothing too serious, but he saw that he was scratching one of his rear toenails on the pavement. I immediately thought "Neuropathy!" and scheduled a consult with a neurologist/neurosurgeon, who just happens to be one of my classmates from Davis. The news wasn't great-- he needed an MRI and likely surgery. Both happened during the first 2 weeks of May and he has been recovering great ever since. Here's a pic of his "Owie" as Linus likes to say.



Right after Guster's surgery we scrambled to get Linus and Mattias packed for their first transatlantic flight to Sweden. Elmo DVDs- check. Fig Newtons- check. Benadryl- check. Farmor- check. They jetted off to visit our family, and I neglected the blog. So here's a recap of some fun things we did in April.


We had a great double date night last month with Mel and Trisha at Sushi Taro in DC. Allaire gave us a gift certificate to enjoy the chef's tasting menu. And boy was it tasty.

Our appetizer of various veggies and conch.

They had the prettiest sushi I've ever seen! They also gave you a bowl of soy sauce and a brush so that you could "paint" a thin layer of sauce of the delicate pieces of sushi. The servers told us that in Japan, nobody "dips" their sushi. Well when we were there, we dipped.

Nice weather always prompts us to visit the National Zoo. We took Linus to the Invertabrate Hall for the first time. He sure loves bugs that bite.



Prairie dogs are always a hit.

The best part is letting him rip around the grounds.

We've also done some biking, thanks to the trailer we borrowed from the Harris family.

Arlington has some fantastic trails that can lull any baby to sleep :)



We've also spent time at local parks. Mel came out with Willie one day to check out our nearby dog park.




And we've taken several trips to Clemyjontri Park in McLean, VA, a unique handicap accessible park designed so that "all children can play." Think of an amusement park of just playground equipment for kids to romp around.



It did rain some days, requiring us to stay indoors. Linus now has his own umbrella, that he uses to conceal himself.

And when both Mattias and I are tired and it's rainy outside, we defer to Linus' favorite show "Elmo's World." It's kinda like "Wayne's World"... This is how Linus watches TV when he's really chillin'.

We are spending the three day weekend relaxing and enjoying the nice weather. Mattias goes on a motorcycle ride this afternoon, we BBQ with farmor and farfar tonight, and tomorrow we celebrate the opening of Arlington's water spray parks with a picnic with the Harris family.

Coming soon: Mattias' first blog post on his trip to Sweden.