Mommy bloggers meet!

Today Miles and I were invited to an event for mommy bloggers in Stockholm. We originally planned on meeting at a local park for a picnic but unfortunately the weather didn’t permit and we met at “playland” an indoor play area for kids. We were around 30 mommies all with strollers of course so you can imagine the chaos.

The event was sponsored by aloe Vera drink and Ella’s Kitchen. It was an awesome afternoon with lots of adorable babies and super nice moms. I got to finally meet Angie a friend of mine who I met basically on Instagram who has a baby the same age as Miles. His name is Alvar and he’s absolutely adorable 🙂

She lives about 45 min north but we plan on getting together as much as possible!

After a mission back to the suburbs via train and subway we made it in time to make dinner before Marcus headed off to soccer practice. It’s such a pain in the ass at times to take the subway with a stroller. Either the elevators broken, there are too many people waiting for it, you get stuck moving through a crowd, you get stuck going through the pay stalls, or you have trouble getting the stroller on and off the subway. I used to love Stockholm for their transportation and now I realize how amazing it is to have a car or carry him in just his ergo which I’ve been doing more and more.

Well it’s been a long day for the both of us. Miles just fell asleep and now it’s time for some candy and a movie.

Puss puss

My favorite

Went to djursholm for lunch at Fannys parents house this afternoon. Miles slept for most of the night last night and woke up around 730. We had breakfast and got ready and headed out with Fanny 🙂

I love where her parents live. It’s the biggest most beautiful house in the best suburb outside of the city. We hung out with her little sister and harassed Miles before going on a long walk around. It’s still cold and grey here which is crazy considering it was almost 90f 30c the first two days we were here! We planned on going to a museum or something but don’t have the urge to leave the house in this weather.

Miles has been more cranky than usual today and just wants to nurse and sleep. Damn jetlag and teething 😦 anyways he slept during our walk and I’m now nursing him for the 3rd time in the last couple hours blahhhhhh

Heading home soon for a fika with Marcus grandma who hasn’t met Miles yet 🙂

Puss puss

Finally

Miles has started to eat puréed foods over the last few days. Being a blog reader myself I’ve heard many good things about a brand here in Sweden called Ella’s Kitchen. It’s an organic Eco friendly baby food company that makes tasty squeeze packets of puréed foods for babies. I started with the most basic breakfast one which was a combination of rice, yogurt and banana. He has had small tastes of Greek yogurt, banana, strawberry and avocado back home but never more than a few spoonfuls.

I know many people want to push babies into eating foods as soon as possible ( my mom being one of them) but for me there is no rush. Everyone does things differently and that’s the beauty with raising your own baby. My mom and I go head to head over almost everything I decide to do with miles and it’s very hard for her to let me control things for once…. Anyways. That’s a whole different issue.

Miles enjoys breastfeeding, I enjoy breastfeeding, he’s gaining accordingly, it’s cheap, it’s convenient and it works for soothing almost anything. The best part is I don’t have to wake up and make bottles …. Nothing against formula fed babies. Everyone has their own life and decision to make and I totally respect it. Someday when Miles has his own kids I’ll have to understand he and his wife will do as they wish. That’s just how it is 😉 I personally just love breastfeeding and so does Miles.

well anyways. I’ve decided to take a more baby lead weaning approach in which I let Miles do the leading. I slowly introduce foods as they come and there’s no pressure. Lately he’s been showing a lot of interest in our foods and what were eating so depending what it is, usually fruits or veggies I’ll give him a smashed up taste.

So we have no started puréed foods for breakfast along with breastfeeding and I don’t plan on doing anymore than that just yet. Mainly because I know it’ll just add more to my plate. I’m also bummed I can’t make my own here without my nutribullet or blender but when I get back home… It’s on!

🙂
Thoughts?

The best feeling…

Miles as you know has been extra loving and fussy lately because he’s starting to teethe (I think). He’s been fighting a nap when I try to force it so lately I’ve just laid calmly next to him and played Bon Iver radio on pandora and blogged while he stares and relaxes into a deep sleep. It’s adorable.

I on the other hand don’t feel like taking 28366263 naps during the day so I either shower, clean or think about packing. Since I’m still in LB I obviously can’t pack and I’m having bad anxiety about not being home to get started I have made last minute plans to visit with a few more friends before I leave so I’ll be here the rest of today. I’m also avoiding driving 2 hours to Santa Barbara while Miles is awake so I have decided to leave around 7 tonight after I nurse and bathe the little man since I know he will sleep the whole way home.

Tomorrow I’m waking up bright and early to get boxes and start packing. I can’t believe we leave in 3 days and believe it or not we haven’t touched a single thing in our apartment. Call us crazy but balancing work, a 6 month old and a boyfriend studying for finals he has till Thursday hasn’t been easy. Anyways we work better under pressure 😉

Here’s a picture of my little lovely sleeping nicely beside me. When he wakes up we’re heading to the beach for lunch with a friend then back to do laundry and pack up the car.

Xoxo

Teething babe

It’s officially began. Miles has definitely started teething the last couple days. He’s fussy and wants nothing more than to nurse and nap I finally got him to relax in his bouncy chair without me as long as he watches Barney, holds his blankie, and sucks his pacifier. Poor babe 😦 lucky for me it means extra snuggles but my arms are killing me from holding him all day.

Avoiding the heat

It seriously has been the hottest it’s ever been in Santa Barbara. Yesterday pushed 100f (39c) and today is supposed to be even hotter. Guess that means time for the beach again!

Miles is so restless at night and can only sleep in a diaper since our apartment is so hot! He went to be at 6:45 last night exhausted from the heat which of course means he was up at 6 this morning 😦 wahhhhh

He’s craZy in his playgym lately. He spins all around in it playing with all corners and this morning he had his foot through a link and his arm through a soft book toy he has. Cute :)he’s starting to scoot towards anything he can grab too…. Yesterday he wiggled his way to our coffee table and started pulling books and papers out from under it. My little busig babe 😉

This morning I’m taking the car in for an oil change downtown then I’ve got a horrible dreaded dentist apt which Charlotte is going to watch Miles for since Marcus is in school after the dentist guess where we’re headed… The beach!

Stay cool!

9 days…

9 days left until my cute little family & I hope on a plane and leave for Sweden. This will be Miles’ first time meeting the second half of his family (besides his mormor ((Marcus’ mom) who came to visit when Miles was 5 weeks old). There are so many of our friends and Marcus’ family dying to meet him & us of course and we couldn’t be more excited!!!!!

Anyways so thank goodness for one last heat wave here before we leave, it gives us time to catch up on our California tans we get to show off when we arrive in Stockholm 😉

Today we hit the beach… again and had lunch at our favorite beachside grill (again). It honestly never gets old.. if we decide to come back to Santa Barbara in the fall we have been talking about possibly moving to Summerland or Carpinteria which is only about 10 minutes south of where we live now but soooo much smaller and the beach is beautiful! Miles loves the sand and can’t stop kicking it around and digging into it with his adorable little toes & fingers. Unfortunately a lot ends up in his mouth but hey .. what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger 😉

We have been working on rolling from back to tummy which he is EXTREMELY close to doing… (I am sure he can, but since he hates tummy time..he would rather not). We are also practicing sitting and balancing without his hands on the ground… everything is happening so fast! My little mand is already 5.5 months this week…. slow down!

How are you all surviving the heat? & How’s it going in Sweden… any sign of summer yet or do we have to bring the sun with us 🙂

puss puss xoxo

My new love

Ok so the teething toy I mentioned is by a company called Zoli and it’s an all natural product. I have been telling Marcus how bad I wish there was something soft and rubbery that Miles could hold and chew on besides my finger. He has tons of toys and their either too hard, get too cold, too fuzzy, too soft or have too many sharp edges. Finally today while buying a last minute emergency pacifier this woman went on and on about how I HAD TO TRY THESE teething sticks. So I bought it and handed one to Miles.

Let’s just say he hasn’t let go!
Their gag proof and have a little shield that prevents them from sticking it too far into their mouth and it’s like a rubber honey comb textured piece on the end that can reach their molars and front teeth for chewing and gnawing on.

Their amazing! I haven’t seen ANYTHING that works as good or is as simple as these

Must try! I’m looking into their other products now so more reviews to come 🙂 it comes in a two pack. I’m hoping I don’t lose them & I wonder of they exist in Sweden?

🙂

Summerland and pacifiers

My good friend Charlotte is in town from Norway and what better time to visit Santa Barbara than when it’s a scorching 96 degrees. So we hit the beach. It’s been miles and my hangout/hideaway for the past couple weeks.

I found myself spending too much money just walking around downtown either shopping or eating so the beach is far away enough and just as entertaining for both of us 🙂 after lunch at my favorite beachside grill we had coffee at cafe Luna in summerland then laid on the beach for a bit more as the crowds of people rolled in, all obviously escaping their hot houses since SB doesn’t believe in AC. I fell in love with a green tea smoothie today, that or I was just miserably hot and low on energy. Miles was the worlds cutest and best baby today, I mean he always is but today was exceptional. Also must be the heat 😉

We had a pacifier crisis when I lost his pacifier (forgot it at home) and after he nursed he naturally wanted to take his nap which means pacifier in mouth, favorite blanket and left alone. Well….. The pacifier was no where to be found as were at the burger joint so I unscrew an Avent bottle and used the lid (almost worked). He realized and started crying. I nursed him totally to sleep as I stared at my food getting cold and laid him in his stroller (success). Then as we got into the car later to head back to town he wanted his pacifier since that’s his “car thing” and that’s where I had no other option. I dug around my car and found a dirty old soothie pacifier meant for newborn ages and he rejected it the whole way to a nearby baby boutique and as I ran in to buy a pacifier he passed out with the soothie and my friend Andrea holding his hand.

$13 later and an organic expensive intense pacifier things were good. Oh ya and I got suckered into buying some teething toy for another $10. (I love it though and I’ll post about it later)

Regardless of this incident the day was amazing and filled with sun, friends, green tea smoothies and expensive pacifiers.

Stay cool 🙂

Mother’s Day!

This year was my first year actually BEING celebrated on Mother’s Day instead of just celebratING. Though I still of course got my mom a nice gift & wished her a happy Mother’s Day it was my turn as well! I must say I miss the good old days when a card with handprint hearts or the word “Mother” misspelled was enough to put a smile on mommy’s face… nowadays I get requests for a new pair of heels, botox, or a massage at a top notch salon.. well I guess that’s what happens when you start to work yourself 😉

I can’t wait for the days Miles comes home from school and hides something in his room & can barely hold in his little secret of what he made me at school or what him & daddy got at the store. This year since Miles is only 5.5 months old I woke up (after sleeping in till 9) to Marcus & Miles in the kitchen with an all American breakfast at the table and fresh brewed coffee. After breakfast we hit the town and walked around state street people watching as there were tons of moms and kids out together… so cute.

I had to work that night unfortunately but it was a Mother’s Day jewelry party with champagne, mimosas, wine, cheese, & I got to showcase and sell jewelry to all the ladies! I was only here for a couple hours and made some pretty good money and all the ladies had an amazing Mother’s Day away from their kids…

Mother’s Day is an interesting holiday & I saw a survey in the newspaper the other day stating out of all the women who were surveyed only 3.8% of them claimed they got to do what they ACTUALLY WANTED to do on Mother’s Day which believe it or not was spend some ALONE time or time with just the girls! I totally understand and it’s only been this year that I was celebrated.

I love the idea of gifts and brunch with the kids the morning of, but followed by a massage or wine with friends sounds like a PERFECT Mother’s Day to me….

just a thought 😉

How was your Mother’s Day…. I know Sweden doesn’t celebrate till November if I’m correct…