I don’t know about you, but I loathe February. It’s grey, dark, windy, neither real winter, nor spring and on top of that full of storms. At least this year it has been. And it’s only the 11th. This picture is from last year, don’t let it fool you.
expecting
Winter 2020
Winter never came this year and everybody was so disappointed except for me- haha! One less thing to worry about- falling on ice with a big tummy! And freezing my butt off on top of that…But then it started snowing on Sunday evening and yesterday it was winter wonderland for a couple of hours or so. And so I took Sam out in the woods, disregarding my excruciating pelvis pain, and with my camera on my shoulder on top of that. 😉 It proved to be poor judgement since I fell on the ice the first chance I got. Being the good doggo that he is, Sam jumped on top of me “to save me” and so I ended up in an even worse state than the one I was already in. Laying there on the ground and alternating between “Mother of God” and “Fuck me”, I found myself crying, laughing, moaning and giggling, all at once. Continue reading
20 years in Norway/ Turning 40
This fall I can finally say I’ve been living in Norway for half of my life. Just before turning the big 40, I get to become a mom and it’s a dream come true. I’ve known I wanted to be a mom ever since I was in my teens, but somehow it wasn’t meant to happen until now.
Weekend Mode On
Hi, darlings! How are you? I started my weekend rested, after sleeping in til 10 yesterday. I love waking up without the alarm and feel like I’ve slept through several days, it’s the best feeling! Especially since being as pregnant (read heavy) as I am now, means you need to pee at least 5-6 times a night and use an hour or two to find a comfortable sleeping position. But a good night’s sleep does wonders. Not to your pelvis (unfortunately), but to your capacity to mobilize and do something nice with your day.
Waiting
The move is a month away and we’ll be waiting for two more months until this mysterious creature in my womb comes out for the world to love. ❤ These days I’m calling her the boxer since she seems to be throwing punches in my tummy after a good meal or a sweet cup of tea. “Talk to her”, my mother tells me. And so I talk to her, both in Romanian and in Norwegian, I tell her things like “Madde girl, I can’t wait to meet you! You sweet little thing, it must be dark and tight in there.” And she responds by kicking. I don’t know what else to say to her, besides the fact that we love her already, that she was longed for and that she’s our little miracle. And that I hate being pregnant, but I’m doing it for her. ❤
Getting Ready for the Big Move
Although I moved away from home at 19 and lived more places than I care to remember since, this one is the Big Move. Not that the apartment in itself is much bigger than the last place I had downtown, in my previous life, but it is definitely more up to date- we’ll have each our own sink in the bathroom and Madde will have her own room from the day she’s born! 😉 Plus the last couple of years we’ve lived in F’s condo and I had to put most of my stuff in a storage box. And boy does it hurt not to have your belongings around when you invest so much feelings in your things. (I know, I should deal with my hoarding problems, but that’s for another entry. ;-))
Back to Real Life
31 weeks into my pregnancy and moving into our new home in just 5 weeks, being back on track doesn’t really begin to cover it. After the holidays, we have to do what’s needed to evaluate, style and sell the apartment, as well as apply for parental benefits, go to work, walk Sammy and purchase the rest of the stuff the baby needs- like pram, diapers and clothes for the first two months. What can I say, with this terrible cold and the dark outside, I feel overwhelmed before even starting. Thank God I’m not working until Tuesday afternoon and so tomorrow I’m calling my chiropractor, fetching Sam and easing into things.
Motherhood
What is motherhood if not a quest into the unknown? It feels like I’ve been waiting for this my entire life and yet I have no notion of what’s in store for me. I only know that dreams become smaller and little joys bigger.
Preparations
These days I’ve had little work and all this time on my hands. The first few days were blissfully relaxing, then I started panicking and now I’m back to “I couldn’t care less”, there’ll be more work than I can handle when it picks up. Meanwhile I can read my photography books, take pictures and bake bread. Today I made a fantastic pumpkin and walnut bread and I can’t wait to get hungry again to have some more of it. I’ll blog about it soon enough.
The other days my buddy Sam and I hit the woods for a morning walk and since there was nobody else there that early, I let him run free and he was ecstatic! He would dip in the river, chew on some sticks, run right past me and then come back to see what had become of me since I’m walking so slowly.
Nature was amazing that particular morning, the frost made the ground turn surreal and I imagined how lonely it must feel to be that bench in the middle of nowhere.
Here and there, broken branches fell heavy from a tree and the river raged rusty with leaves. Sam barked at it and grinned at me, showing me all his small teeth, I could read bliss on his face.
Back to civilization, I was saddened to see so many apples left unpicked, I know many residents are old and can’t reach them, but I would die for an apple tree and would have gladly helped had somebody asked me to. 😉
I’m turning mad from house hunting, today I actually decided to take a break, ’cause it’s simply not good for me. Every time I see something I like (and it’s not that often!), I keep imagining myself settled in, drinking coffee on the porch and enjoying the garden and I can’t even sleep with excitement. Unfortunately, most of the places I’ve liked have either been far away or not to my significant other’s taste and so instead of getting angry, I decided I should let him take initiative. Stay tuned…
The weather is cold, but sunny and since I’ve managed to regain some energy, on Saturday I was out lunching with a friend of mine at Ahaan, where they serve the most fantastic Thai street food and the best non-alcoholic drinks I’ve had so far in Norway. The experience was so uplifting, I’m still a bit high on it today. Going back there soon with my F. ❤
Hoping this entry finds you well, tell me how you spend this November and what have you been up to lately.
xxx, Alina
Counting down to Christmas
This is pretty much what Oslo looks like these days, although the trees are no longer green, since this picture was taken sometime in May/June. 😉 But yeah, lots of rain and umbrellas and Chinese tourists. When it’s not sunny, as it was yesterday, and all you feel like is find a little spot of sunshine to enjoy your Darjeeling on. Continue reading
life in a bubble 