My Lovebird

At 6 months old, his very first picnic

In this last flurry of activity I've neglected to post a blog just about Magnus.   It's hard to believe that Magnus is now wrapping up his 8th month.  Just 100 diaper changes ago he was a squirmy little infant, enjoying the first picnic of the season.  In these 8 months he's also earned a few nicknames-- I like to call him my little "Lovebird", Mattias says he's a "Critter", and Linus usually calls him "Funny Lillebror".

His first meal of rice cereal

 My Lovebird grows and changes so fast, I don't have time to tell him to slow down.  At a little over 6 months he started to eat solid food, and I'm already sensing his boredom with breastfeeding (yay!)  While he's not crawling just yet, we'll randomly find him in yoga poses on the floor (especially plank and downward facing dog).  The talking has accelerated, along with his need for constant stimulation. 

Future Heartbreaker

It's a little sad how the second child just seems to be along for the ride.  That ride called "Let's chase after the crazy toddler" makes it very difficult to snap pictures.  One reason is the lack of hands, I unfortunately only have 2.  The second reason in the lack of time-- even with a DSLR camera, catching those money shots takes patience and a little coersion.  In the coming months I'll have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy Magnus' baby-ness, because it won't be around for much longer.

Magnus On a Mission

There's something magical about being with a baby, that translates into healing power.  Their soft skin, those bright eyes, and wide toothless smiles all send a message to your body that no matter what's going on, the world can't be that bad of a place.  A few weeks ago, Magnus and I went on a mission to share his healing powers with my dad out in California.  Some of you might have heard that he recently had surgery to treat prostate cancer.  The visit was planned before my dad's surgery so that he had something to look foward to, but was scheduled weeks after the actual surgery so that he had some time to recover.  He had to be well enough to hold a baby, after all.  

Lolo was so happy to see Magnus.

Lola was pretty happy, too.

The weather was gorgeous the weekend we visited.  (It usually is, so I think California is trying to lure the Karlssons back home.)  I decided that I wanted to check out the Hakone Japanese Garden in Saratoga for some zen feelings and a Vietnamese sandwich picnic.

The grounds were beautifully kept, and I especially loved how the garden was surrounded by redwood trees.

The following day I trekked up to the city with Magnus for another mission: bring home Tartine ham & cheese croissants for Mattias.  Now that I've tried croissants at both Balthazar and Bouchon in NYC, I can confidently declare that NYC pastries ain't got nothin' on our beloved Tartine.  While we waited for the glorious pastries to emerge from the oven, Magnus and I took a stroll around Valencia Street.  Left to right: Magnus in front of random artwork, a U-lock on a toddler bicycle (What kind of world do we live in?!?), and Magnus on 18th Street with Sutro Tower in the background.

Afterwards, we saw my friend Stephanie, her husband Mel, and their dog Rocky.  Steph and I are friends from the college dorms, and she is expecting her first child.  Talk about a cute pregnant lady!  But of course, I forgot to snap a picture of her cuteness.  Here are the dudes chillin' on the floor.  Rocky is going to make one great big brother!

We did get to have some chill out time at the house.  And I took full advantage of my parents watching Magnus by getting a pedicure and a couple of massages with my sister Malou.  Magnus had a great time rolling around the living room and bathing in the bathroom sink.  I'm sure the house seemed really quiet after we left.  And I know my dad seemed to be doing just a little bit better than when we arrived. Mission accomplished.

One of the most pleasant surprises on the way back home was the new domestic terminal at SFO.  I am always amazed at how progressive and modern the SF area is.  T2 as they call it, looks like a hotel lobby with lots of artwork and sculptures suspended from the ceilings.

It has kids play areas, pleasant cafes, and phone/laptop charge stations.  The best part: they tell you to dump out the contents of your water bottle before the security check and have stations to refill them on the other side.  Genius!

Before our flight we hung out in one of the kids' spots, and thought about how much more pleasant travel would be if all airports were designed like this. 

And the trip was over, just like that.  My apologies to friends that I did not get to see, I hope you understand how short of a trip it was.  Not to mention how busy-- traveling alone with a baby is no joke.  If it weren't for a few kind parents on both flights, I don't know how I would have survived.

As a last note: every one of us will be touched by cancer in some way during our lifetimes.  The American Cancer Society exists to inform, advocate for, and support us.  Please consider supporting me during this year's Relay for Life.  Donations go to programs that educate the public, including the comprehensive website that my mom and I referenced just after my dad's diagnosis.  Click here to donate.

The $h*t you do for your kids

Growing up, I never really appreciated all the outings and events my parents took me to. It's partially because I have a way of only remembering the negative, my recolections of family trips were of me breaking things and getting in trouble.  Or of Alvin and I getting into a scuffle, then getting in trouble.  Or of me fill in the blank followed by getting in trouble.  I just never realized how much work it was for my parents to plan outings and execute them without losing their minds (or wringing my neck!)  These past few weeks have been packed with events planned just for the kids, and I finally got to see my parent's perspective.

For Finn's second birthday Melissa  invited us to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum for a"Day Out with Thomas".  But as the day drew closer, the two of us semi-regretted purchasing $60 in tickets because our toddler boys were being major pains in the behinds.  The whining!  The lack of sleep!  The naughtiness!  The morning of the event turned out to be gorgeous, so we dragged ourselves out of the house by 8AM(!) and made the one hour drive north.

Look who was waiting for us on the platform.  OMG it's Thomas! 

After boarding a conductor came to punch our tickets.  Magnus was interested in everything happening around us, too.

The actual trip was about 15 minutes, highlighting Baltimore's finest neighborhoods (said with extreme sarcasm).  Not quite the set of "The Wire" but far from the Island of Sodor...


 After the train trip  there were lots of things for kids to do.  A playground, model trains, bouncy houses, and pony rides all kept our little monsters busy and interested.  By the day's end, we weren't regretting our decision to go.

While the kids were enjoying themselves, Melissa and I stole a few moments to comiserate.  We also had a wonderful time watching our kids rip around.  As a kid,  I always thought it was weird when my mom did this.  "What's the fun in watching other people have fun?" I thought.  Nowadays, I can't think of many things that are better.

The following weekend we travelled 25 miles north of Philadelphia to visit Sesame Place (a Sesame Street themed amusement park) for a short family vacation.  After 4 hours of heavy traffic on 95, we skipped checking in to the hotel and went straight for the park.  We couldn't miss the parade!

 

Linus was so excited to see all his Sesame Street friends.  There was dancing, singing, moving floats, and all the wholesome educational content you would expect from Sesame Street. 

Afterwards we took an ice cream and carousel break.

 
Then we decided to head over to "Elmo's World", where there were rides and lots of places for Linus to run and climb.



The swings were a favorite



This bohemuth of a climbing structure was a huge hit.  For the most part, Linus was terrified and kept saying "This is dangerous."  Mattias helped him get through it by pretending like they were spiders.

Each admission is good for 2 days, so we returned the next morning.  We didn't get a good picture, but they have a street that looks like Sesame Street, complete with a firestation and Hooper's Store.  Magnus liked looking around but eventually fell asleep in his comfy ride.

I volunteered to do the water rides with Linus, since it was such a nice day out.  What I didn't know when I volunteered was that the water was something  close to 60 degrees!  There were large climbing structures with (cold) water pouring/spraying everywhere.

There were also inner tube rides-- a few where you went down slides, and one where you floated down the icy river.  After a while, my junk went numb from the cold water, so I didn't mind it anymore.  Notice that we're the only ones floating along?

All this action wore Linus out.  You can't tell from the pics but Mattias and I were dragging our feet.  Magnus has been teething and was generally irritable, but even worse is that he started to wake in the middle of the night.  Add in his dislike for new or loud places (any restaurant, our hotel room) and we had one unhappy baby. 

But did Mattias and I have fun?  You betcha!  Two rounds of margaritas in the hotel hallway outside our room is party enough for us.  Needless to say, we've redefined what it means to have a good time.  Just like our parents did for us.

The following day was Mother's Day.  We drove down to Philly to enjoy a stroll in the park.  This helped us tire Linus out before the 3 hour drive home.

It was a peaceful morning at the Japanese Garden, an ideal way to spend Mother's Day before the exhausting ride home.

Was it worth it you ask?  It cost $200 for 2 nights in a hotel, $180 for admission to Sesame Place, $80 in gas, and $100 in food.  Let's not forget the loss of sanity that comes with planning such a trip!  But on the morning of our departure, Linus asked me if I was happy (in which I answered "Yes.")  When I asked him the same question, he said "I'm happy. We're a family."

My heart melted and I was overcome with joy.  That's the $h*t your kids do for you.