caught in the act...

One a nose picker, the other in training for the Olympics. Maia has the most fanatical need to jump on everything and everyone possible at the minute. Of course, her running full pelt at me to jump in my lap and give me such a squeeze and a kiss, isn't actually that bad. But, standing in the corner of the sofa like in the pic, jumping to land on her bum on the cushions and then slide with a bump to the floor, is that bad. Naughty naughty miss M! The boundary pushing and patience testing is high on this lady's agenda at the moment, the terrible 2's come late or 3's starting early?? I think 3's.

The Terrible 2's dont really exist here, the Terrible 3's is the dreaded phase that has tongues wagging from when baby is in the cradle. It causes mild panic, and special parenting classes and textbooks to take home. Active Parenting, so the movement is called haha. Some of it a load of tosh, other bits quite useful. Most of all, its just bloody common sense. You set boundaries, you keep your boundaries, and if toddler finds itself crossing those boundaries then action must be taken. Simples.

Anyways, Autumn is knocking at the door here in northern Sweden, and this Mamma is all excited for her favourite time of year. So much so, that its not even 8am and I am going to be getting kidlets dressed and down the park now that I have finished blogging. 'Til next time!

the girls

Voila! the not so extraordinary covers, but by golly do I love'em

Good morning world! Waking up to another fine sunny view out of the living room, and a dark foreboding mass of dark clouds out the kitchen window. Yes, another typical day it is. Thunder and lightning has been predicted several times now, but nothing. Yesterday started out the same and the day turned out fab. Todays agenda is unclear -  We may be seeing the SA's later, I may get my hair done and I may start sanding Maia's bookcase to get that painted too. A rather unplanned and open day, by all accounts. 

Speaking of Maia, check out this ensemble. Daddy's crocs, Lily's sunhat and a baby in a carrier. All grownded up! Cant believe her 3rd birthday is drawing near. Mad stuffs. Also mad, is her philosopy on life that is starting to emerge. Planes do not fly to other countries, but to the moon. She is not a little girl, she is a mumin. Or a blubblerbly (butterfly). Daddy is a monster, Grandad a baby and mamma is either a mumin or butterfly too. Spankin' eh!  Someone could have told me I was getting pale and lump like... ;)

On wednesday we have an eye check up, which is part of the routine with her arthritis, and thankfully, she is still symptom free. The physio we've been doing at home has helped her knee to straighten out - she just still has the habit of putting her weight over on the other leg, but that will take longer to get out of bless her. Here's hoping things keep going as they are and we aren't in for another bumpy ride this autumn/winter. Fingers crossed people, fingers crossed!

And what about this monkey? You leave her for five mintutes and she unscrews mammas nice new body butter and smears it over her face. Nice one my love, nice one haha ;) Lily is quicker than the speed of light, sleeps with one eye open, ready to pounce and not miss a thing. Ok, she doesn't actually sleep with one eye open, but she is quick to wake and come round ready for action so she may as well be IMO.

She has finally cut teeth, two is up and three just hovering- that makes a tooth a week so far, not bad eh? She takes several steps by herself now, and we tend to walk just holding hands the normal way when going anywhere here at home. The master of face pulling and expression is our Lilypops. Lily most certainly is more forward in showing how she feels. Maia is an independent strong willed girl, not backward in coming forwards but in comparison she is a little more reserved and takes things in and assesses them, where Lily just steams through. Zoom Zoom is Lily's motto

Times like these, I wish I had started blogging sooner to be able to read back and compare how the girls are at the same ages - least I will have these nuggets of gold to look back on =) Anyhoo...time to get on with my day! Here's to feeling those happy monday vibes =)

mamma's little helper

The last 3 months there appears to have been a transformation with Maia. She's gone from toddler to little girls it feels. And she's a real mini-me, in the sense that she does, or wants, to do everything that I do. She's feeding Lily, hoovering, doing the dishes, laying the table, helping to cook food. Since her cousins have been and gone, she's helping to tidy up her toys which was a nightmare to get her to do otherwise. Result!

A favourite role play at the moment is making tea and sandwiches for us in her kitchen and serving it to us. Or, going for a walk around with baby in the pram, with her change bag hanging on the handle and shoppin underneath in the basket. Should poor baby lose its little hat, mormor needs to help mini mamma put hat back on baby and tuck baby in again. My heart melts. We can occupy ourselves when Lily is asleep with making bracelets and necklaces. Making and wearing her own designs is very fun, and the last week I have even allowed her to wear some necklaces she got for her christening and first christmas, and you should see her beam with pride parading around with a alspand (read halsband = necklace).

My little darling, how and when did you get so big? 

hello world

It will never cease to amaze me, how little sleep Maia seems to be coping with. And, I will also never realise I need to keep my mouth shut and not jinx things. Like talking about how great things have gotten regarding sleep with Maia, less wake ups in the night, later waking in the morning...and BOOM! 3.30am. After only falling to sleep at 22.00. Battles of wills, frustration to max, and me walking out for 10mins and going for a drive to clear my head.

Anyways...far to busy living life to blog atm! The summer is here, we are out and lapping up the vitamin D, making up for months of darkness and cold. Its not just the good weather to blame, but we have had an awfully busy week too. Today, thankfully, is the last of it, and its time for Maia's first physio appointment. To say it is a relief that at the moment she is symptom free from JIA, is an understatement. Here's hoping the autumn & winter doesnt affect her too much, if at all...I can pray at least. I NEVER want to see my beautifully energetic and active daughter reduced to a quiet shell, so stiff and unwilling to move, and in pain.

This time next week this house will be 4 people richer - the long awaited arrival of dear sister in law and her brood of lovelies is only days away. Two long years and one new niece later ( a new one for each of us haha), it will guaranteed be a tear-fest when we see eachother again. I cant blimmin wait! I cant imagine what it would be like seeing EVERYONE again at christmas?!

The borrowing of little Alba went as well as could be, a few tears from all three, a lot of dummy swapping and many giggles, and cementing the fact that we do not want another child lol. Two keeps us busy enough, and I dont want to lose the novelty and the enjoyment when we have little borrowers here for the day. It is something I imagine I may struggle with if I had three of my own haha. Over exposure to something fun is never good ;) It is most certainly a day to repeated - Ruaridh & Astrid you have a fab daughter!

4m, really?!

This is what 4am looks like. It would be almost pretty, if it weren't for the fact that I had a screaming toddler to attend to and try and make sure she doesnt wake the baby up. That I succeded in, atleast. Failed miserably at getting the toddler to sleep again. All because I gave her the ''wrong'' dummy. I swear, those things are sent from the devil himself and he is having a whale of time laughing at the choas it leaves us parents to deal with. Smug git. I think it is time for them all to just magically disappear. *P*O*O*F*

It shall be interesting to see how the rest of today goes...no doubt Maia will collapse around 14.00 and want to sleep for several hours and we will have another tantrum when we wake her up until she goes to bed. Which, because she is in said tantrum, mean routine will go to pot and perhaps we will have her settled by 9pm. If we are lucky. And that is not taking into consideration Lily being woken up.

She's another kettle of fish altogether. I realized last night I am very quick off the mark to run into her room to sooth her or give her a bottle when she wakes, as we are terrified she will wake Maia up who then wont sleep. Vicious circle, I believe it is called. 

How to break that circle without causing too much disruption to the rest of the household?

greetings from the other side

well, we have done it now, all moved in and settled bar 4 smallish boxes that need to be unpacked. I think I might try and get that done today. If I can call unpacking fun, then it most certainly is that when faced with three ikea bags of ironing instead - having done 2 bags of ironing last night, I feel somewhat unenthusiastic to start the day the way it ended yesterday.

Speaking of end of days, Lily went into her own bedroom last night, and even if it wasnt as successful as the previous night when daddy left us in bed and took up the sofa, it was still better than the nights we have had as a threesome in our room. The motto " Keep Calm & Carry on" springs to mind, and is somewhat of a mantra at The Wilson's at the moment. Incredible the effect of sleep.

¨

 Wonderful news on Miss Maia! If any of you missed it on facebook, Maia has been given an almost all clear!
We saw her doctor on tuesday, and to be honest, I went there fearing the worst. Since her cortisone injections 5 weeks ago her knee still cant straighten out 100% and I was convinced that she was going to need immune suppressants (meaning then that any colds infections could make her actually quite ill, and there would be a lot of time of work needed). But lo and behold, her bloods were as good as could be, no signs of infection or inflammation in her body, and now we are to finish her course of meds she is already on and then stop them and see how it goes over the summer and if it flares up again when the cold arrives. Maia will also be getting physio for her knee as its stiffness due to lack of proper use since October that is causing her to not be able to use it properly =)

In other news, terrible two's and the constant testing from Maia is tiring, but also intriguing. Intriguing for seeing this little person finding her feet in the world, becoming her own person and exploring everything and anything around her. Her vocab seems to have expanded tenfold in just a few week, and she's making little sentances (though not usually more than 3/4 words). The day of hotly debating what to wear/eat draws ever near! Actually, we already to debate food. All she wants is "doooooosss" (smörgås/sandwich). My favourite word of hers at the mo is "apelpin" (apelsin/orange) for the way she crinkles up her nose when she says it and her tone of voice lol. My wonderful, fantastic little terror <3

Maias new shoes

These little beauties fell into my shopping bag on tuesday. Now that the snow is melting, and the smell of spring is in the air, Maia needs something other than her winter boots to stomp around in. We even were as organised as to get her a new pair of wellies at the same time. I had to be careful mind, that madam certainly has a thing for shoes just like her mamma hehe. Lily is still waiting for her first pair of shoes, bless her. But once the weather is more child friendly, and Lily big enough to get out of the pram and have a play around herself I will be hot trotting it to the nearest shoe shop - fear not! No daughter of mine will EVER be without footwear ;)

For all the smell of spring that abounds, it has actually snowed a little tonight. But, it hasnt really settled, and its only due to be cold again over the weekend. Amazing, right now, anything hovering around the 5C and up mark I am considering warm. And I say its ''cold'' over the weekend, but its around 0C. Quite balmy infact. We did have -30C not THAT long ago...

Well tomorrow, it is friday again. This week spent in my sick bed and Mark ill last weekend, is making me anxious to get some socialising in this weekend. Social withdrawal symptoms. Good thing then, that we have a fika/dinner and loppis visit planned for sunday, and saturday is a girly day with Camilla, Linda & the kids as our other halves are working. Fair trade to me ;)

little treasures

Sometimes all the tantrums, sleeplessness, and sibling rivalry is blown away and forgotten when I see my little treasures playing together nicely. I really hope they will be friend for life! <3

first time injections

Ok, apologies for the tardiness with the update on how things went on wednesday - this lack of sleep for 5 weeks is seriously starting to mess with me head! Never have we slept so badly, not even when M&L were newborns...
Anyhoo. Wednesday - finally time for injections!
Like before the MRI, I was a bag of nerves again, not for the unknown of what it actually would be like seeing Maia being put to sleep, but because I knew how horrible it was feeling her body go all limp and floppy. In those sort of circumstances I am most definately a pessimsist, and I cant stop myself thinking about the worst possible outcomes. The phrase ''your own worst enemy'' comes to mind.

In true Maia fashion- it was a piece of cake. She loved the fuss of sitting in the hospital bed being wheeled around like a princess, and was slightly awed at the Mumin murial on the wall in the room we were in. What was really nice, was that we ended up with the same anaesthatist nurse as last time. She remembered Maia from before and I felt well chuffed when she told to doctor how incredibly great she was last time! It never fails to melt my heart when someone talks about Maia in a good way <3
Putting her to sleep was as easy as last time, no fussing, and fully accepting of the mask going on her face. Once she was out and we'd put her on the bed (she was sat in my lap) , Mark and I went to sit just outside the room where the waiting area was. My ever fantastic husband had made us  flask of tea and yummy cheese,pepper and pesto sarnies for fika, and a mere 30mins later, Maia was wheeled out ready to head for recovery ward and she'd already starting to wake up which was nice.
Once up on the ward and fully awake, she got an icelolly, and scoffed some biccies, and an hour from waking, we were on our way home, and then it was off to work for me =)

There is already a massive improvement in her movements, but her knee still cant quite stretch out straight. In time,like the next week or so, it should be able to, and hopefully we dont have to have too many injections and things can be managed more with medication. She's allowed a maximum of four  injections to each joint per year before it becomes detrimental to her. Maia is now covered in bruises from all the leaping and rolling and running she's been doing- even though we were in strict orders to keep her as still as possible until friday haha. THAT was the hardest part!

foto-friday

I love taking photos of the girls. I love sharing them with people, and yes, I love getting likes on facebook for my pictures. Because I am so goddamned proud of my daughters and when other people ''like'' them it makes me even more proud! Who would disagree?

Miss M is showing a keen interest in wanting to snap away herself, but I guess at her age it's just imitation. It's something I'll be sure to encourage at least, and she as our old camera to take pictures on and she's actually rather careful with it, unlike most of her other toys lol. My ickle chicken <3

Anyhoo, best get off and start getting ready, we're off to the Watt'ses for St Paddy's Day, and Im already thinkin about co-ordinating us all in green, sad I know. But hey, life's for living and laughing ;)

when bed is the sensible option

frick, frick and double frick!

I cant sleep. Or rather, I cant bring myself to go to bed. I'll just be laid there, listening to Mark and Lily snoring (both are full of the cold) and thinking of poor Maia in her bed all alone. I am quite tempted to hunker down next to her bed tonight. To just lay there, listening to her breathing, like I used to do when she was in the cot in our room. My little baby, she has gotten so big!

And still, she is so small. Too small, in my opinion, to have to be ill. Tonight I have this disconcerting, anxious feeling creeping all around my body from my toes to the ends of my hair. I keep going over and over the last four months since Maia first had her fall that caused her knee to swell up. I think back to how she all of a sudden started sleeping funny a month before Lily was due, having always been a fantastic sleeper. Always. Did it start then? Was she in pain? She could have been. She might be hurting in places, other than her knee and ankle right now. Just because its not swollen doesnt mean her joint doesnt hurt. But which one, if there is one?

I am thankful we can see a change in Maia this last week since she got her medication. Its just a darned shame she was too snotty to be put asleep yesterday in order to have her cortisone injections. Saying that, as it was with  me being poorly we probably wouldnt have been going in anyways what with the risk of infecting others (even now it seems Im the only one to have been ill, touch wood). She is sleeping better at least. She is recognising when she is in pain now, where she wasnt able to understand it before. Now she can tell us and point to where it hurts, as she gets its now, poor mite.  Like a lot of young children, a lack of understanding what pain is makes it hard for them to say what is up. They just get on with things, just like what Maia did. Now when she wakes in morning she usually tells us her knee is sore and is qutie stiff when she walks.
We have an eye examination on monday, to check that there is no swelling there, which can lead to problems; another thing that is hard for small children to explain as they dont percieve it as their vision having changed and it being a bad thing, its just accepted by them. Makes you wonder really.

Anyhoo...I better get myself tucked up, else I will be useless tomorrow. But then, it is friday, so who really cares- the weekend starts once we wake up tomorrow ;)

Diagnosis

Today is going to be a sh!t day. No point in flowering it over.

My heart breaks for Maia. Having to deal with just a cold is bad enough when it comes to pulling at your heartstrings, but knowing that my daughter faces unknow amounts of pain, for what can possibly last for the rest of her life is different.
The diagnosis is, despite my negative attitude at the mo, actually rather good. Yes, she has JIA, but 2 out of 3 children more or less grow out of it. And so far, Maia doesnt actually seem to be suffering too bad. So maybe I am being over sensitive, maybe I am not. However, I do think I am allowed to feel however the hell I want, so sod it, I will.

I am glad that Maia doesnt appear to be in much pain. Yes, her broken sleep and waking up through the night might be down to her knee and ankle hurting, or it could be just a phase, or just a simple thing as a lot going on in her head in the way of dreams as there is so much going on around her what with all the hospital visits,blood tests and what not. It is something that started about 2 months before her fall which we believe brought on the JIA (its common for trauma to a joint to cause JIA to flare up for the first time in small children). But just because we werent aware of anything prior to this, it doesnt mean she wasnt suffering. We have completely missed that her right ankle is slightly swollen, as its always been so obvious with her left knee. Her paediatric doctor also missed this, and it was only the specialist who spotted it on tuesday. So I'm not beating myself up over that one.

We now have anti-inflammatory and pain  killer to give her morning and night, and she is booked in next wednesday to have cortisone injections to her knee and ankle. Seeing as that is a rather painful thing, she will be put to sleep again, so we have another whole day at the hospital. Hurrah! I would rather that though, and maybe I will get a chance to read my book that is gathering dust on the shelf as its not been touched since Lily was born lol. Poor booky-wook!

Maia is home with me & Lily today, she's not quite 100% with this cold she has now caught. Hope it goes away over the weekend else Im not sure what will happen on wednesday. We had to postpone the MRI scan once as she was full of it and they dont want to put them under with a cold. Risk of complications and all that. So today I think we will make some chocolate balls as Maia really enjoys it. Ofcourse, on days like today, lots of cuddles on the sofa are obligatory, which I am sure will go a long way to mend todays heartbreak

monday

This morning we embarked on the next stage in the quest to find what ails our dear first born. She's a little trooper, is our Maia.

The MRI scan showed nothing. Great! ...but, ah right, yea..hmm. Back to square one we go. After a lot of consulting, delibarating and head scratching, several doctors involved with Maia's case all agree that the swelling has been hanging around for too long to simply be put down to the fluid being a result of bruising. We are now being sent to a super duper specialist and an Optholomist to check the back of Maia's eyes for signs such as swellings that are common with juvenile arthritic conditions. So today we had more bloods taken as per order from the Specialist and spent 45mins sat in the loo at the doctors trying to get a urine sample from little miss. Something that could easily have been done over the weekend if we had known it was needed...but hey ho. Why make things easy lol.

 Wednesday sees me going back to work, one day a week, and Marko taking paternity leave. Gotta love the swedish system. It will be nice for him and the girls to have some time without mamma hanging around and butting in, and I think once spring and summer arrives they are going to have endless hours of fun at the beach and the park. I even have grand visions of cosy picnics being brought to work for lunch dates lol. Optimistic much?

But now I really ought to crack on and clean up after our waffle lunch...it made for rather messy cooking when little people want to be all grown up and help out. Gotta love 'em!

<3kim