These days...

Two weeks down with two under two by myself.  Phew...this is hard.  Each day is a blur of logistics, making sure both kids are safe, fed, slept and played.  That usually means keeping Xavier in the playpen where he can't be reached by his brother's loving (?) hands and Woody entertained so that he won't throw books and lego into the playpen.  Man oh man.  

Xavier is now an official US citizen!  Cutest passport photo ever?

Two cute boys asleep on me.  Everything else can wait when this happens.

X modeling the sweater I knit for him this summer. 

It's amazing how quickly this scowl can turn into....

...total and utter meltdown.  In the rain, on the street, in the bike, at nursery...toddler tantrums know no boundary.  Woody has become a full-fledged toddler, complete with messy hands, loving hugs and a permanent runny nose.  

We try to keep him as busy as possible.  He sure loves "dack-dors"!

Lately

Summer is slowly beginning to fade and the days of running around in just a diaper are sadly coming to an end.  There are leaves on the ground here and a chill at night has Woody sleeping in his new wool jammies.  

I've been doing lots of cooking and freezing of meals in preparation for the new baby.  Woody loves to help me in the kitchen.  He's an expert stirrer, but not so good at relinquishing control of the food when it's time to put it in the oven.  

Woody got a private skateboard/stroller escort in the bike lane all the way to dinner in Frederiksberg one night.  

 We are still getting out and about a bit, but I'm pretty slow on my feet these days.  Riding my bike is such a more comfortable way of getting around and I love that it's not frowned upon here like it was in Japan.  At 38 weeks, we rode to Norrebro to check out the street food fair with friend, Thyge. 

James and I had a rare quiet brunch at my favorite Cafe Paludan while Woody napped in his stroller.  

At 18 months, this little guy is gaining new words everyday and delighting us with his discoveries and responses.  He is equal parts curious and strong minded, gentle and goofy.  He's about to experience a big change, but so are we all.  

Despite the blonde hair, little Felix is becoming more and more of James's mini-me everyday.

Giddy Up from J. Foss on Vimeo.

Woody loves watching this video of himself "galloping" on his horsey.

This blog used to be mostly about our travels and adventures, but I feel those days are slowing down, at least for the time being.  It seems to be unabashedly about our kid(s)....I'll try not to overdo it. 

Summer Love

We finally found summer, but we had to leave Denmark to do it.  And from what we heard, Denmark never really got much summer.  These are just a few photos from our summer in Texas, Oregon and South Dakota.  I didn't realize as we took them how baby centric all of our photos are becoming.  You wouldn't know from the looks of these photos, but we sure did love seeing all of our friends and family.  They are what make us take an 18 hour plane ride while 7 months pregnant with a toddler on our laps.

This summer Woody became a real American.  We loved introducing him to the things we love.  Like the Oregon Coast at Pacific City.

Spending time with Great Grandpa Vince in Neskowin

Strawberry picking at Sauvie Island with Lisa and George

Oh the sweetness of summer!

Visiting 1880s Town in South Dakota with cousins

Making friends with dogs.  

When we left Denmark in June, Woody was terrified of them.  But thanks to Bend's love of dogs, he is now comfortably in love with them.

Visiting more sweet cousins in McMinnville.

Playing in the waterfall at Fort Niobrara near Valentine, Nebraska.  It was 108 degrees that day.

Visiting the Crazy Horse Monument in South Dakota.  

I suspect one day, far in the future, Woody will look at this picture and compare the progress of the monument to his day.  

Lawn mower riding is a top amusement on the prairies.  

First buffalo spotting in the Black Hills.

First camping trip at Wind Cave National Park.  Thankfully it was a bit cooler up in the hills and we were able to escape the 100+ temperatures of the prairies. 

What kind of bike is this with only one wheel? 

Woody mastered the pet door at Uncle Mike's. 

Cooling off in Texas with cousin Anthony.

Helping Woody know the smell of pine needles warmed in the summer sun at Meadow Camp in Bend.

Breakfast at community plate in McMinnville.

Joining the 4th of July Pet Parade in Bend.  

Dancing in the summer rain in SD.

Making friends with little ones in Portland.

Eating A LOT of corn on the cob.

Trying to keep his cool at 1880's Town with cousin Gabriella and Aunt Jenny. 

Desperately Seeking Summer

About 6 weeks ago, I remember thinking, "Winter isn't so bad here.  I can handle it." That was in the middle of what I thought was spring, but turned out to be just a fluke sunny week.  Now, almost to the end of June, we are still in search of spring.  I don't even hold out hope that summer will make an appearance by August.  

The last few months have been busy, but not particularly momentous.  Here are a few shots I've been sitting on from late April to last week, just waiting for a reason to post them.  

Toward the end of April we found the sakura!  There was even a Japanese sakura festival held along the harbor, but as most festivals go around here, the Japanese food and drink we were in search of was all sold out.  

Sunday is large rubbish day in Hellerup.  We scored four beautiful Danish designed chairs for our dining room table.  

Woody hung out in a playpen for the first time.  I'm shocked he didn't freak out...must have been the friends he had to distract him.

First watermelon!

James writing papers on weekends means that little Felix and I get lots of quality time for things like shared smoothies...

 ...and watching the Copenhagen marathon on a sunny day. 

The rhododendrons in the park near our house just about to explode in color.


We took the train to Roskilde to the Viking Ships Museum with our friends Joe & Azusa.  Woody wasn't so interested in dressing like a viking.


And we cheered on Denmark in their short bid to win the EuroCup 2012.  This was as close as we could get to the big screen in the Kings Park. Too crowded for our tastes. 

Vuggestue

Little Felix started vuggestue, or nursery, about six weeks ago.  Nursery is a very popular childcare option in Denmark.  After maternity leave ends at 8-10 months, most women return to work and their children go to vuggestue.  The wait list for particular nurseries can be up to a year, but we were fortunate to get a spot in a great daycare thanks to the fact that we are both foreigners (yay, a rare advantage!).  The Danish government reserves spots for the children of two non-Danish speaking parents in order to help children "integrate" into society early.  Our wait was only two months, but the wait list for Danes is 115 children deep!

The Danish government subsidizes vuggestue, which means we pay roughly $550 per month for full time daycare.  Felix only goes 3-4 days per week for 5 hours a day.  The kitchen across from his room bakes fresh bread and organic meals twice a day, plus snacks.  My most favorite part of his vuggestue is that the kids all sit around a table, family style, to eat meals.  They learn to pour their own water, pass plates of food, eat with forks and spoons, ladle soup into bowls, and clean up their spot when they are done.  The teachers eat with them so that the children see that food is for everyone--there is no such thing as "kid food" here.  In the early days while Felix was settling in and I hung out, I watched kids gobble up bowls of broccoli soup, rye bread, and liver pate.  The food is varied and healthy and I love that he is exposed to foods that I might not prepare (no liver pate in our house!). 

The start was a bit rocky for Felix since he previously had never been away from us while he was awake.  We can count on two fingers (one, two) how many times we've gone out without him in the past 15 months.  But the wonderful caretakers at vuggestue helped to soothe him and make him feel comfortable.  The teachers (or pedagogues as they are called in Danish) all hold university degrees in early childhood education.  They also receive in-house continuing education on various topics from cultural sensitivity to child development.  Each pedagogue is responsible for 3-4 children, none of which are younger than Felix.

Now that he is settled in, Felix loves going to vuggestue.  He loves being around the other kids and having access to different toys and activities.  The predictable and active routine has also helped him become a better sleeper at night.  We went through a period of about two weeks where we dealt with "vuggestue syndrome," as my doctor called it, where he had everything from fever, ear infections and even Hand, Foot, & Mouth disease, but it seems to have strengthened his immune system now and he is thriving. I often wonder how confused he was by the initial language change.  He seems to respond appropriately to the pedagogues now, showing that he is beginning to understand some Danish. When he is grumpy and doesn't want to do something he screams, "nej! nej! nej!" which could either be his first Danish word (no) or just Woody gibberish.  We aren't sure.

He especially loves the playgrounds at his school.  Sandboxes! Water tables! Push toys! Brooms!  Man, oh man, he loves those brooms.  Mama is chopped liver (no pun intended) compared to the joy of sweeping sand on the playground. 

Of the five hours he spends at vuggestue, two of those are usually spent napping.  The kids are stripped down into a onesie, then covered up under duvets and laid in these prams.  There are two open-air rooms like this full of prams.  They get to sleep in the fresh air everyday, no matter the temperature (well, as long as it's above -10 Celsius).  Napping is not Felix's forte, so he generally wakes up after an hour. Why sleep when you can play?!?!

Only one kid won't wear a hat.

Every so often the pedagogues take the kids on a field trip.  Four kids fit in these big prams.  I imagine it's much nicer to sit in a stroller with your friends, than by yourself.  Last week, they visited the fire department next door.  This morning, they were headed out in the sunshine to a nearby woods.  

Leaving Felix in the care of someone else was the hardest thing I've had to do so far as a mama.  There are still some days when I wonder if it's right, but when I am reminded of the great experiences he is gaining, I calm down.  I also know it has helped me be a more balanced mother.  Without close friends and family around to help out on occasion, and with babysitters costing $20 per hour, there was really no other option for me to have a break.  And with a little brother or sister for Felix arriving this fall, I know I'll be grateful for a comfortable place where his needs are met and I can focus on the new baby while also having time together each morning and afternoon.