On being a mom

What a glorious experience being a parent is!! Every day is a new adventure, and contains another new slice of glorious, fascinating life. Every person that has ever been born is more precious now, because I know how intensely that person has been loved and what it took to birth them. I know unconditional love, and it is the richest love that exists. It is a love that transcends everything, clarifies the deepest philosophical questions, and gives meaning to it all.
The mundane tasks of parenthood are fun, joyful and beautiful to me because they sustain and nourish a little soul. I am more patient, more trusting, more open and more confident, because I have learned that I can go through sleepless nights, childhood illnesses and intense neediness and thrive and grow as a person. I can give even when I don't feel I have more to give. I am more than I thought I was, and I'm glad for everything I have given, as it is an investment in an ever-growing bank account of rich love.
The laughter of children is life-sustaining. The knowledge that my child will soon grow up gives me the perspective I need to prioritize my days. Cleaning the house is not where it's at. Laughing, reading and playing together while the laundry piles up--that's it.
Little intimacies, learning about my child's interests and helping him to develop them--what a gift! Seeing my child's love for animals and his softness with them, that is joy. Making muffins together and watching them bake in the oven, what fun! Making silly sounds and cracking up, yahoo! Sharing family good times, yay!
Aidan, I love you!! Thank you for coming into my life!
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Wild names in the wild (mid)west!

Here are some of the names in the baby groups/library story times, etc. in my neighborhood:

All first names, of course!

Cline (boy)
Keegan (boy)
Charisma
Utah (boy)
Poppy (girl)
Arabella
Miracle
Amadeus
Aristotle
Campbell (girl)
Alto (boy)
Levi
Skye
Pippin (girl)
Salem (boy)
Chosen (girl)
Patience (girl)
Indigo (girl)
Jupiter (boy)

Aidan learns to use the computer!

Aidan is our competition for using the computer these days!!

Video!

First birthday!!

Aidan's birthday was great fun. We had the whole Kansas family plus Mormor who had just arrived from Norway, over at our house for a woof-woof (Aidan's first word several months before and his great love) themed party! Mormor made a yummy cake, and everyone made a poster board of handprints and cute messages together. Aidan loved the cake, and a good time was had by all!

Costumes, farms and fun!

We went pumpkin picking with Jeanine, Jacob and Madeline, and Mormor made Aidan a Viking costume for Halloween!! We also went swimming with some of the family, and it was great fun. Aidan loves the water!

In Kansas!

We moved to Kansas in August 06, and lived with Grandma and Papa Waters for 4 months. They love you and we love them! It was great to meet the whole family and get to know Lenexa, Overland Park, Mission and Olathe. You love Pumpkin and Patches, the adorable cats that live with Grandma and Papa, and you explored every nook and cranny of the house. You took your first step at 8 months there, learned to crawl up and down stairs, and said your first words ("woof-woof," "bird," "na-nam," "dada" and "mam") on 101st Street!

Navnefest, or Welcome Fest!

Instead of a circumcision or baptism, we made you a navnefest (in Norwegian it translates into "name festival") to welcome you! Lots of friends joined in, Mormor arranged for the beautiful cake, and we had a great barbeque at Frogner Park! Dad, mom and Mormor all said a few words. Mormor wrote a poem about seeing all the generations in your eyes. Dad also wrote a poem that spoke about our desire to guide and comfort you with all the love and understanding you may need. Mom talked about how important it is to give you the "Five Freedoms" that Virginia Satir talks about, and we all wrote a poem-song that everyone sang.

Your first girlfriends!

And she socks it to him!!

Aidan decides to hang out with the crowd rather than going for just one girl!
These are the little girls from the baby group we belonged to in Norway. This was a meeting at our house when you were about 3 months old.

Time to put away your beautiful, handmade cradle

Mormor, Uncle Knut and Uncle Odd all collaborated to refurbish this cradle, which was once a baby carriage that they were wheeled in by their mom Brita! It was probably purchased in Flisa in the early 1900's. Mormor made the bedding from scratch. She even had the mattress custom made for it! It is so beautiful and precious to us, as it is part of our history.

Trip to London

You did great, as long as we held you! We had such a good time in London, thanks to Uncle John and Catherine Meyer (we went for a P.A.C.T. filming of the documentary called Children of Another War). We met some of mom's Internet mommy friends in the park!

It's getting warmer, and we're loving it!

Outside your first home with mom. We really enjoyed living here with the balcony you see in this photo and wonder views of Oslo and the fjord from our living room window.

Ricky hangs out outside to chill out

He wasn't too impressed with you at first, but after a while he liked to cuddle on the couch near us while you ate and slept. This is his little outdoor house. Of course, he came in whenever he wanted to as well!

There's a little New York attitude in you..

Hey dude, what's da deal man??!!

Antics!!

Here's you with the peppermint tea you managed to open by yourself, much to our amazement! Mom gave you the box to play with, not dreaming that you'd manage to open it! Hehe! Well you got it open, and even got some mint in your mouth (which you made a face at but it didn't seem to bother you too much). Mom had to take some pics before rushing to get it out of your mouth!
And as they say, Norwegians are born wiith skis on their feet. Here you are in your first pair of skis! Mormor made the skis and socks for you, and we had such fun taking pictures of you in them in Flisa!

Here we are your first few months!

You smiled at mom at 20 days, a real smile! And you laughed (dad thought you were crying or choking when I called and left a message on his cell phone with your first attempts at laughing) at about 11 weeks. At about that time or even earlier you were trying to turn over from your stomach to your back, and at 6 months you were crawling. You pulled yourself up at 7 months, at at 8 months you stood without holding on. You were and are great fun and fascinating to be around!

An Austin Powers fan already!!

Here's you doing a Dr. Evil imitation!! Hehe!!

Coming home, and the first months

We brought you home on the Friday after you were born. You were a bit jaundiced, but not too seriously so. We were told to put you in sunlight, a bit hard in Norway in January, and to nurse you frequently. Mom did that, and we put you under the window (we had a skylight window on Stjerneveien) whenever we could find some real sunlight. You got over the jaundice within a few weeks.
You loved to eat and to be awake, and it was amazing how much caught your eye at such a young age. You hated your baby carriage! Being confined with the carriage bonnet constricting your view was not cool! So we carried you everywhere, and you liked that a whole lot!

The first day

Here are pictures of your first days. Your first hug from dad, first face-to-face meeting with your mom, first hello to your Mormor and more!!
We didn't want to know your gender before your birth, and since mom had to be in the recovery room for a while before she could meet you, She didn't know your gender when she first woke up from the anasthesia. She had asked the nurses not to tell her, only to tell her that you were healthy. But several times in those first two hours before she could see you, nurses came in and almost spilled the beans. As dazed and excited as she was, she kept having to say "wait, please don't tell me the gender!" And then dad came in with you, and she was in awe at the tiny, perfect little boy she finally got to meet!!