Four Months! I missed it...

Looking at the calendar, I realized I missed the four month celebration of how long we've been here in Finland. Maybe this shows that I got a life??

Word of the Day

I came across this fine Finnish word last week. Try to pronounce it for yourself.

"asiakastyytyvaisyystutkimus"

But, it's actually a pretty easy one, compared to these Finnish dandies.

"epajarjestelmallistyttamattomyydellansakaankohan", or

"lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas"

Arrivederci, Andrew

Visitors

Less than a week until Andrew's parents come and I am excited to see them. Maddy can't stop talking about all the things that Grandma and Grandpa are going to do with her - take her to the zoo, and to the fair (amusement park) and to Helsinki. I hope the weather cooperates; otherwise it may not be as enjoyable.

I find myself a bit overwhelmed with planning their stay - I think it's the pressure of the in-laws. Not that it comes from them, I do it to myself. They spend all this money to come and I just want to make sure we plan the best time possible for them. There is a fine line between planning too many activities and planning the perfect trip - you don't want them to be bored but you also don't want them to have to take a vacation from their vacation.

That and the fact that they will only be here for five full days and there is WAY too many options for things to do in Finland.

Why didn't we move to a boring country??

Safety First?? Hmm, maybe second or third...

So I walked to the bus stop this morning and we passed a construction site. I couldn't help but notice how safety is not a priority. At least not when it comes to attire.

One man was actually wearing a speedo - and nothing else. Well, likely work boots. No hard hat, no safety vest, no gloves, just a speedo.

Maybe working on his tan was his priority?

Lovin my Yard!

I'm pretty sure our neighbours are jealous of us. They have to be. You walk down our street, there are rows and rows of townhouses with tiny little yards. And then you come to our lot, which is one-acre, very treed, fenced in, very private, and very mature plants. Our house is up on the hill so it's away from the road. It reminds me of the Extreme Makeover Home Edition episodes where people from a dumpy neighbourhood get a gorgeous house and it kinda looks out of place compared to the rest of the street. Crack house, whore house, crack house, drug dealer, mansion, crack house, whore house, etc.

Not that we live in a dumpy neighbourhood but you know what I mean.

In this "heat wave" that Finland is experiencing right now, I have to admit how awesome it is to pull up our driveway from the hot road and get hit with tons of shade and a cool breeze.

Perhaps my favourite part of the yard is my clothes line. Some people get massages, some people read. My form of relaxation is hanging my clothes on my clothes line. Cool breeze, rustling leaves, birds chirping. An opportunity for five minutes to zone out, I love laundry day (with the exception of folding and ironing).

Or maybe my favourite part of the yard is the fact that I don't have to mow the lawn....

Ultrasound Oops

My girlfriend Maegan and her husband just announced the birth of their son Caleb! Wonderful excellent news, I am very happy for them.

Except for the fact that their ultrasound technician had told them they were having a girl!!!! Oops. Caleb will be coming home from the hospital to a pink nursery with the name "Aaliyah" spread across the wall.

I know they always say that ultrasound results aren't 100%, but how much can you really trust the results that they give you? Especially since I ordered them a portable Disney Princess booster seat....

Thankful right now that our ultrasound tech gave us a 3D picture of our baby's "below region" so that I have no doubt in my mind what we're having.

Also Perfect with Sandals??

So we've been living here for almost four months, and I've learned to appreciate most of the differences between Canada and Finland.

Socks and sandals is not one of them...

I don't know what it is about wearing socks and sandals that drives me crazy, but everybody here does it. Even with shorts on. We walked through the Helsinki Market Square today and there was a booth selling wool socks. A large sign said "Also Perfect With Sandals".

Oh no, it's not.

The answer is: 112

A) What is my chloresterol level?
B) What is the score of my latest golf round?
C) What is the 911 equivalent emergency phone number in Finland?
D) What is the sum of six consecutive prime numbers?
E) What is my IQ?
F) What is the number of pounds in a British long hundredweight?
G) What is the number of surat al-lkhlas in the Qur'an?
H) What is all of the above?

There may/may not be more than one correct answer.

Andrew

Linnanmaki

We went to Linnanmaki today, which is a fairly large amusement park in Helsinki. Maddy enjoyed herself immensely. Linnanmaki is fairly small compared to something like Canada's Wonderland, but it was a lot of fun and reasonably priced relative to most things over here. In fact, admission is free and you simply purchase a bracelet to go on the rides. But, the nice thing is that Kim and I did not have to purchase bracelets to go on the rides with Maddy.

There were approximately 12 rides that Maddy could go on, given her diminutive stature. She did each of them 2-6 times, so needless to say, she got her money's worth. Kim and I both realized that something has changed from our younger days, as spinning and twirly rides make us fairly nauseous now. At one point, I hadn't realized that the ride was over because my world was still spinning and the ride operator had to tell me to get off. On the other hand, Maddy refuses to get dizzy and seems to be able to spin indefinitely.

Kim is already experiencing abandonment issues, as Maddy's favourite rides were the ones that she could go on herself without our company. All in all, Maddy behaved herself very well, and we only had to jump the fence a couple of times to physically remove her from the rides, because she was having too much fun and didn't want to leave.

Sayonara, Andrew

Hup Holland Hup

Although I love to antagonize my inlaws, I need to admit that I fully supported the Netherlands during this World Cup and will continue to do so tonight against Spain. I suppose that it's the least I can do as there is an ample supply of orange blood running through my wife and daughter. In fact, it has come in handy thus far, as I've been able to ridicule the English, French, Italian, American and Portugese folk that I work with. Unfortunately, I play soccer with a Spaniard, so hopefully Holland continues to win tonight.

Come on Holland, go!
Don't embarrass the Dutch Lion!
Come on Holland, go!
Don't play like a wuss!
Come on Holland, go!
Be strong and don't be overwhelmed!
Cause the Dutch Lion playing football can beat anybody in the world!

Hyvasti, Andrew

Free Condoms?

Since I have my European passport, I have qualified for full health benefits from the country of Finland. I had no idea how useful that was going to be for me, until I started doing some research on having a baby in Finland.

On top of your maternity leave for one year and child care allowance for the first three years, new Finnish moms get a maternity basket that contains the following:

- snowsuit, hat, insulated mittens, booties

- sleeping bag and quilt

- knitted hat, balaclava hat

- multiple socks and mittens

- 5 bodysuits, 4 romper suits

- footed leggings, regular leggings

- playsuits

- mattress and mattress cover

- undersheet, duvet cover, blanket

- hooded bath towel, nail scissors, hair brush, tooth brush, cream, thermometer

- bib, nappies

- picture book and toy

- bra pads, sanitary napkins, condoms and lubricated gel for parents

On top of that, you get to keep the box it all comes in, which apparently can be used as a crib for your baby!!!!!!!!!

Here is a link to a picture of the package: www.kela.fi/in/internet/english.nsf/NET/180408150632HS

In addition to all this, Andrew gets 3 weeks off when the baby is born (to be taken in December so we can go to Canada for Christmas) and then another 3 weeks at a later time for what they call "daddy month". Maybe moving to Finland isn't so bad....free condoms and all...

One More Thing to Cross off the List!!!

I am extremely happy and relieved to announce that we FINALLY passed our Finland inspection and got license plates for the car!!! This past month has been kinda crappy phoning garages that (a) speak English (b) aren't located in the Laplands (c) won't charge me my second born child to pay for, and (d) won't make me wait until next month to fix my car.
I ended up going to three different garages to get the 7 items on our list done. The biggest job was the repairs to the rust damage - apparently you're not allowed to have rust in Finland! Hello, my car is 8 years old, it was our only vehicle that entire time, and we drove it in Canadian winters.
Many setbacks were overcome, many tears were shed (mine, not Andrew's), a few f*bombs were dropped, but the important thing is that we passed, the car looks great, and we don't need to go through this again.
Well, at least not until next year....

This and That

It's hard to believe that I am 25 weeks pregnant already!! Only 15 more weeks until my due date, it is flying by. This baby is moving around like crazy, way more active than Madison ever was. I hope this isn't a sign of how active he is going to be when he comes out!!!! Or perhaps I am in big trouble. Baby should weigh about 1.5 pounds now and be 13.5 inches long.


Things with the car have progressed slightly, although I am hoping this week will be the end of it. 7 items on the "things you have to fix before we will give you Finnish license plates" list, we have completed 3 of them so far, are getting 2 done on Wednesday, and getting 2nd opinions on the other two tomorrow, to be fixed on Thursday. Inspection is booked for Friday, which just so happens to be three months after the car was entered into Finland and therefore the first day that our temporary plates are expired. I am hoping all the repairs are done properly so that Friday goes smoothly and I can finally move on. Or else, I'm pretty sure these hormones of mine will ensure that I cause a scene at the inspection station and cry in front of the entire room.


I can't believe I'm actually going to utter these words, but it is damn hot in Finland!! Maybe it's because I'm outside a whole lot more than usual entertaining Madison (as opposed to my air conditioned office in London where the summertime wardrobe included massive sweaters for the younger women while the older women battle their menopausal hot flashes). And the fact that I'm 6 months pregnant. In any case, I believe it is finally hot enough for me to start using our indoor pool, woo hoo! We'll see.


We have our next round of visitors coming in just over three weeks: Andrew's parents!!! I am hoping the car situation is all figured out this week so that I can start planning our activities while they are here. I believe we are going to take a trip to Estonia, as well as the usual trips to the zoo, beach, Helsinki, etc.


They will also be bringing with them an extra suitcase full of goodies for me: my remaining maternity clothes still being used by my newly-mommied sisters, and the first batch of clothes that my nephew Jack has outgrown. This poor guy has nothing so far except one outfit shipped over from Grandma and a Superman onesie that I couldn't resist from H&M.


It's a beautiful day.

Kim