Baby Boys and Candy

Andrew and I got wonderful news yesterday. I had an ultrasound and the baby is perfect! He (yes I said he) got quite a check-up today, I was quite impressed with the level of detail and attention that the Finnish doctors put on ultrasounds - they looked and measured the length of bones, the size of the heart, the liver, the kidneys, counted the fingers and toes, looked at all four heart valves, etc. It was very thorough. In addition, their ultrasound machines also do 3-D so we got a couple of 3D pictures for free.

We decided to celebrate last night with a bit of shopping and a trip to McDonalds. The store next door had a bulk barn and I was impressed that all of their candy was all the same price. Which means that you can just fill your bag with many different types of candy. Unfortunately Andrew didn't point that out until after we left, so I only picked one kind, but now I know for next time. Smart. Another point for Finland.

Loser?

Does it make me a loser if I'm excited that I went to the library and got myself a library card today?

First book signed out: "From Start to Finnish" - a language book on how to learn Finnish. Ha ha.

Two Months Down...

We've now been living in Finland for two months. In a way, it feels like we just got here, but we've also accomplished so much too.

We're all settled in, unpacked, and have somewhat of a routine. Maddy is accustomed to her new surroundings and we've found quite a few things to entertain her. And we've already had visitors (my parents) so that is nice. We're hoping Andrew's parents will make it in July also.

Now that we're settled, there are a few items we need to work on:
- finding a vet for Tucker
- finding a dentist
- getting the car registered with Finnish license plates
- both Andrew and I getting Finnish driver's licenses
- getting some friends

In addition, we need to prepare for the new baby. Luckily, we brought most of our baby items with us on the shipping container (high chair, crib, exersaucer, jumperoo, etc.) so it's really just tracking down some loose items in Canada and finding out if it's a boy or girl so we can get some clothes.

And I got some information about international baby groups in the area, so I'm hoping to meet up with them soon as well. Our weekdays will be more fun with friends and playdates.

Playgrounds

I know that I've bragged about the Finnish people and how much they love the outdoors, but their playgrounds seriously kick some Canadian butt. First off, whatever the time of day, there are TONS of people out walking, biking, hiking, rollerblading, etc. People everywhere. It is such a difference than Canadians, where you rarely see people outside of their house.

There are tons of playgrounds that we've found so far, which Madison is very happy about. So far, we have found a small one two minutes down the street, one large one about a 20 minute walk away, and two large ones a short bus ride away. And by large, I mean HUGE. Swings, slides, playground equipment, giant lawns and flowerbeds, tons of bikes for little kids to borrow, huge multiple sandboxes, little cottages to sit in, teeter totters, etc. This country was definitely made with children in mind.

And we have also discovered that some of the playground equipment we have in Finland would never be built in Canada. Let's just say the equipment here is a bit "less safe" or "more risky" than in Canada. High balance beams, gigantic swings that hold multiple kids at once, rope climbs, etc.

The weather continues to be gorgeous - two solid weeks of sunshine. Spending a lot of time outside, we're very happy to have such a wonderful spring (now that it has finally arrived).

Happy Long Weekend, my Canadian friends and family. Hope it's a great one.

Cheers.

Kim

Bank Machines

I believe that in the two months that we've been here (shy of four days), we have noticed things that we miss about Canada but also things that they do better in Finland.

One new example: Bank machines. In Canada, you have to drive around the city looking for a Scotiabank machine or a CIBC machine - and heaven forbid you use the wrong bank and get dinged like $4 in service fees.

In Finland, the only type of bank machine they have is called "Otto" - it is used for all banks and all credit cards. And since they are the only type of bank machine, they are everywhere. Hmm, maybe the Finnish are smarter than Canadians after all. Advantage: Finland.

To all my Canadian friends and family - enjoy the long weekend. Since Finland doesn't affiliate itself with Queen Victoria, we do not have a long weekend. Tied it up: Canada 1 Finland 1.

But, we've already had two holidays this month. Canada 1, Finland 2. Boo yah!

Maddy Update

Hi all.
I noticed that I've been mostly talking about our adventures but maybe not so much about Maddy. So here is an update on the things she's been up to.

I'm still getting a hang of the "stay at home" mom role, and I think she's still getting the hang of being stuck with Mommy all day long. I'm sure she'd rather be at daycare with all her friends but I'm doing my best to keep her occupied and for us to have fun together.

We've been going to the park a lot, playing with bubbles, going for walks, bike rides, pushing her baby in a stroller down the street, riding the bus to the mall, going shopping, etc. Now that it is nice out, we've been able to hang out in the front yard as well.

She's really becoming a dancing queen, it is hilarious. I really need to figure out how to use the video camera more so that I can take the videos off and put them onto the computer. She has quite the moves.

As for learning, she can count to ten very easily. She knows all of her colours, except of course the weird colours like aqua or turquise or maroon. I don't even know those colours though, so I can't exactly teach her, ha ha. She can sing the alphabet extremely well and pronounces almost every letter (LMNOP is of coures the trickiest). And she can now recognize certain letters and tell me what they are: O, I, U, B, M, L, X, and H for the most part. She knows every single animal and the noise it makes, it's amazing how good her memory is.

This is my first 2.5 year old so I'm not sure if she's doing well or if she's where she should be, but I'm happy with her progress. I should tap into some of my resources at her old daycare and figure out what sorts of things they are teaching their kids and make sure Maddy is keeping up.

The last two days she has decided to not have a nap. I don't know how she can go from a 2.5 hour nap to no nap cold turkey. I'm hoping it's a phase. She's actually still waking up on time (actually, earlier than usual) so it's not like she's catching up that way...

The weather continues to be absolutely gorgeous, we couldn't ask for anything better. Yesterday we took her to the zoo and had a great time. I need to start working on my tan, I am ridiculously white. Then again, most Finnish people are not tanned so I don't feel so bad. They don't have the fake and bake tanning salons here like they do in Canada.

Out.
Kim

Fox

A fox ran through our front yard last night. How neat is that? Kinda freaked me out a bit until Andrew told me that the only way they would hurt us is if we cornered it. Good to know.

Chalk up a few more points for Finland - it's going to be in the 20's and sunny for the rest of the week and into next week. Woo hoo!!!!!

Finally!

It appears that we are finally having some nice weather! The rest of the week should be sunny and around 20 degrees, which is a huge change from what we've been seeing every day since we moved here. I may actually be able to send my kid outside without a hat and mitts!!!

This also means that me, a dryer-less mother, gets to finally hang some clothes out on the newly installed clothesline (thanks Opa!), which also means that I can do more than one load every two days. That's how long it took for my clothes to dry using the drying rack. So keep bringing on the sunshine!!! I do realize I will run into a problem come October when the sun is non-existent and I have two babies' worth of laundry...

I have been impressed with the postal service as well. With the exception of one incident of a missing parcel that was later returned to Holland (thank you anyways, Hennie!), things seem to go very quickly. I sent a letter Express on Thursday to Canada for 10 euros (almost $15 Canadian) and it was there by Tuesday. Recalling my Canada Post working days, the cheapest we could Purolate anything internationally was about $50 and it still took 3 to 5 business days. So two points for Finland!

We are also getting the hang of Skype, where it is very nice to see all my nieces and nephews and the rest of my family. Maddy is in love with Avril Lavigne's Girlfriend, and wants to dance to the music video for everybody. So my apologies to all those SKype family members who have to sit through the entire song every time we Skype you.

Another minor accomplishment today - we got the vacuum cleaner to work. The entire apartment is hardwood but we have some rugs. Andrew was worried it was going to blow up because we were getting close to the transformer's limit, but it worked! So yippee for clean rugs.

Tomorrow is Ascension Day, in both Finland and Canada. The good news for us is that Finland recognizes it as a holiday and Andrew will have the day off! Finnish people really know how to squeeze as many holidays as they can, it appears there have been about two holidays each month. I'm definitely not complaining.

My thoughts are with Alicia today, as she ends her maternity leave and officially goes back to work. XOXO

Signing out,

Kim

Happy Mother's Day

The sun is now rising prior to 5am, and it is setting just before 10pm. I am thankful we bought blinds for Maddy's room (thanks to Opa and Andrew for installing them) so that we are able to put her to bed in a dark room.

I think we need to fix the blinds in our bedroom, since I am waking up at 5am and wondering whether Andrew slept in or not until I look at my clock. I need more darkness! I am sure I'm going to regret that comment come November when it is going to be dark almost all day long.

Found a gorgeous huge playground just a short bus ride away, and Maddy and I took Daddy there yesterday for Mother's Day. Way better than any parks I've seen in Canada. Looking forward to some nicer weather days so that Maddy and I can play more and also I can meet some other mommies.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there, especially my own. It was wonderful that this year, Maddy could wish me a Happy Mother's Day and give me hugs and kisses and also draw me pictures - LOVE HER XOXO

And to Rose, Alicia, and Jessie, my dear sisters who celebrated their first Mother's Day. Congratulations, little mommas.

Finnish Flag Flying

Interesting (?) Observation:

Although flag poles are found everywhere in Finland, they mostly stand naked without any flags attached to them. Except for a week ago (Finnish Veteran's Day), when there were flags galore to be seen. Apparently, there are only a handful of days during the year that government offices, businesses and citizens can fly the flag publicly. Or, you can fly them on special personal occasions (i.e. birthdays, weddings etc.). I guess the Finnish don't want to dilute their patriotism over the whole course of a year, so they save it up for those few special days.

Peace out, Andrew

P.s. Today, traffic cops prevented me from entering the highway, since they temporarily had it shut down to allow for a convoy of Mercedes and Audi's to pass. I guess this procession of important people (i.e. diplomats, hockey players, or Finnish pop stars) didn't want to share the road with my lowly Hyundai.

Vappu

We partook in an actual Finnish activity last weekend and it was quite interesting. It's called Vappu, which is the May 1st celebration of the unofficial beginning of spring. On the Eve of May 1st, tens of thousands of people gather in the Market Square of Helsinki and bring their white graduation caps. At 6pm, a statue in Market Square is capped, which marks the beginning of spring. Champagne is opened and the celebration begins!

We decided to go to Market Square and squeeze through the 50,000 people to stand very near to the statue and partake in the activities. There were beer bottles and champagne bottles galore, with hundreds of balloons and costumes. It was definitely a sight to see. And then at 6pm, the entire crowd was wearing their white cap that they obtained when they graduated high school. The old peoples' hats were basically yellow and brown, it was quite funny.

The Market Square is also where the Christmas markets will be so I'm looking forward to going back. Two strangers gave Maddy helium balloons, of which she was very excited. It is still hanging in her room.

May 1st is usually a day of picnicking and eating and drinking outdoors in the parks of Helsinki, but it was very rainy and we stayed at the house. But on May 2nd we went to Jussi's parents' cottage and spent the day with Jussi and Anita and Elsa. It was very nice.

Next big event is Midsummer's Day.