12 Weeks

 Merry Christmas loved ones!  While some of you were celebrating the arrival Jesus or Santa last night  (or Jul Tomten if you are in Sweden), we were celebrating another milestone-- Lille Magnus' 3-month birthday.  A lot has happened in these twelve weeks!
The weather went from warm and muggy to frigid.  Guster spends 90% of his time next to the space heater in our bedroom.

 The two brothers continue to get along swimmingly.  Linus is the most gentle older sibling ever, and is always concerned when Lille Magnus is crying.  Even better is that Linus is genuinely excited when Magnus is awake, and loves to bring him toys or pacifiers.

 A few weeks ago we had a little scare when we noticed that Magnus had a horizontal nystagmus in his right eye.  I panicked in a major way, got him to the ophthalmologist in the morning who then ordered an MRI.  Long story short, the nystagmus resolved and we don't think he needs an MRI anymore.
We have noticed however that his vision is developing a little slower than other kids his age.  I guess it makes sense considering all the adjustments his brain needs to make due to his monocular vision, but we are happy to report that Magnus is steadily catching up.  We do everything we can to stimulate his vision and make his environment enriching.

The holiday season came into full swing after our return from California, and we got busy enjoying all the area has to offer.  A big attraction around here is a train exhibit at the United States Botanical Garden, with structures built completely from plant materials.  Linus got a kick out of seeing Thomas and Percy, and we all enjoyed the warm temperatures and lush greenery.

 Mattias was lucky enough to wake up during the Winter Solstice lunar eclipse.  It was incredibly clear here in the DC area, and Mattias was able to grab this shot from the 19th floor roof.

 We also got to enjoy a sort-of-annual tradition with Melissa and Matt.  Almost every year for 5 years we have gotten together in November/December for a lavish dinner date.  Past visits were to Zuni Cafe and Bar Tartine, and this year we made it out to Trummers on Main in Clifton, VA.  The head chef was named Food & Wine's top chef of 2010, and restaurant did not disappoint.
 

In happy/sad news we are moving into a house this March.  It's a cute 3 bedroom house with a nice yard and large basement in a quiet neighborhood.  Why is it sad news, you ask?  It's sad because our friends, the Kuyper Family, are moving back to California and we are taking over the lease.  They have been such great friends to us, and Ellyn is by far one of Linus' best friends.  Here are the 2 buddies at the zoo and botanical garden. 

 These last 3 months have been a whirlwind of emotions and activity.  I've had to get to know a brand new person and heal from a major physical trauma.  In addition to the demands of a newborn, I had to become an advocate for Lille Magnus' medical care and have spent hours on the phone scheduling appointments, requesting consults, etc. etc.  We are beyond grateful for the help we get from Kerstin and Magnus; without them we would have a very different (more difficult) existence.

Our hearts swell full of love when we look at this baby, and we couldn't be more proud of our sweet, brave little boy.

Thanksgiving Part II

In my rush to publish the last post, I realized that I may have sugarcoated one part of our trip back home: how HARD it is to travel with 2 kids.  Don't get me wrong, the plane trip went fine with minimal crying and tantrums, but there was a lot that I failed to mention.  Like how 3 hours of jet lag can make you hate life, especially when an energetic toddler is waking up at 3:30AM rearing to go.  Or how you have to pack everything under the sun and live in paranoia everywhere you go because you know most people aren't all that familiar with baby proofing.  Or how introducing a toddler to 30 or so new faces can turn him bipolar.... The list goes on and on, but I just wanted to acknowledge that no matter how "well" a long distance trip goes, it's still hard as hell.

OK, that said I'll move on to more of the fun stuff we did.  After our trip to the Mission we decided to try something new: make Linus take a nap someplace completely foreign.  We were tired of getting home before Linus naps at noon, so we packed his crib and favorite blanket and head down to Brisbane to visit the Schmooks (a.k.a Ken and Ingrid) in their new house, and their new baby Blake.  After some introductions and eating burritos, we plopped Linus down for his nap.  Which to our surprise, he took to easily and slept for 3 hours!

 Linus sleeping for 3 hours gave us time to catch up, reflect on the Schmooks' new parenthood, and get some pretty cute baby pictures. 











 Here's a shot of our families together for the first time.  We are excited about moving back because we know that these 3 boys will be best buds.

The following day was rainy so we went to the Childrens Discovery Museum in San Jose.  Lucky us, there was a "Bob the Builder" exhibit!  Linus loves to say, "Can we do it?  YES we can!"

The museum has a great water play area for toddlers, as well as a real firetruck to climb on.  Firefighter Linus on the right is spraying Mattias with the hose.

 The next day was sunny, a perfect day to visit the revamped Happy Hollow Park in San Jose.  This place has a huge playground, a small, well kept zoo, rides, and puppet show all geared for kids age 2-7.  Linus rode the triceratops on the carousel.

He also got his first face painting-- a dragon mask. 

It magically transformed him into a scary monster, who roared at random people in the park! 

 All of a sudden he could do anything, like climb mountains of rock.












By far his favorite was the firetruck ride that went around in circles.  He went on a total of 4 times (refusing to board a police car) and never tired of the clanging of the bells.

 

 A memorable day, we will be sure to go back the next time we are in town. 

 

We did have some downtime, like when Mattias took Linus to Ed Levin Park in Milpitas.   He enjoyed climbing the "big mountain" as he called it.

On another day we trekked into Oakland to see Aunties Amy and Jade.  First we checked out Lake Merritt for some playtime and snacks.

After visiting at Amy's house, we stopped by a Bay Area favorite-- Fenton's Ice cream.  It was warm enough to sit and eat outside.

Of course Linus chose the obnoxious blue ice cream with the gumballs in it.  When Mattias fished out all of the nasty choking hazards, Linus exclaimed "Pappa loves balls!"

As you can see, it was a very busy but fun trip.  Toddlers have a way of making you get up and leave the house!  As we flew away we were saddened by the fact that it may be more than a year before we get to come back.

In the end, there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed and settling back in to your old routines. 

Thanksgiving Part 1

It seems like forever ago, but fall was peaking here in Arlington just a few weeks ago.  We enjoyed a lot of cool, dry weather that allowed us be outside a lot.  Here's some of the fabulous foliage just across the street at Quincy Park.

My weeks of maternity leave have flown by, and I find myself getting ready to go back to work in 3 weeks.  So what do I do at home, besides laundry, dishes, scheduling doctor's appointments, going to appointments and cooking?  I certainly haven't done any reading or crafts, but I spend  a lot of time holding one very cute baby...

...while neglecting/ignoring one cute little dog.  The "My Brest Friend" nursing pillow is really the best Gus can do these days.

 

On the weekends the entire Karlsson family usually likes to get together to do something outside.  A few weeks a go we went out to Theodore Roosevelt Island for a hike.  You have to walk across a bridge to get there, which has a gorgeous view of Georgetown.  A place, in my opinion, that is better enjoyed from a distance.

We loaded the 2 boys in Kerstin's Swedish double pram Brio stroller, a.k.a. The Hummer.  This bad boy has 4 large wheels, 2 independently moving, fully reclining seats, and weighs a good 30 pounds!  The plus side?  It rolls over anything with zero chance of tipping over.

 

Later that week we took Magnus on his first cross-country flight back to the SF Bay Area.  It all went surprisingly well with no crying, but lots of "Bob the Builder".  On our first day Linus woke up at 3:30AM (awesome!) demanding action.  Our solution?  Drag the entire family to the Palace of Fine Arts and Exploratorium. 

Lola and Lolo with their grandkids

Linus loved checking out the exhibits, especially the ones that were messy.

He also had a grand time dancing in front of some lights that created colorful shadows.

We all had to sit down to rest after a couple of hours of exploring, and we had a hard time getting Linus to leave.

We managed to bribe Linus to leave with promises of his favorite thing-- ice cream.  So we parked our SUV in the Mission for a stop at Humphrey Slocomb, an ice creamery that boasts unique flavors like Jesus Juice (made with red wine), Secret Breakfast (bourbon & cornflakes), Cucumber Ice Milk, and Habiscus Beet sorbet. 

The following day was our big Thanksgiving potluckfeast at my parents house.  Alvin made a slew of vegan sides and dessert.  I made crab cake appetizers and a pumpkin tiramisu.

My aunt Sheila with her two beautiful girls.

We're too many people to fit around one table, so we do it buffet style with fend-for-yourself seating.

Here we are, minus Malou (taking the picture).  In years past we had so many more family members to celebrate with, but with relocation and work we are now a more scaled down family.  Nevertheless, we were grateful to have celebrated as a family.

The next day we trekked back into the city to hit our favorite spots.  First stop: our condo on 14th street to check out the new paint job.  I like it better than the previous purple/green combo.

Then to Tartine for some bomb coffee and pastries.  Just saying "Tartine" makes me sigh and feel homesick.

Good friends Elizabeth and Andrew met up with us, and joined us on a stroll to Dolores Park.  Not much conversation happened because we were kept busy by a certain little boy.

The views from Dolores Park, as gorgeous as ever. 

We then walked up and down Valencia Street, Mattias' and my favorite street in SF.  It was awesome to soak in the sun, and admire all the color and art that the Mission is known for.