Skip to main content

Transition

Have we really been here close to two weeks? It doesn't feel like it!

We've been enjoying our mini vacation before real life starts here in Helsinki. After a few days of running around just trying to get the essentials - groceries, a baby bath tub, cat litter... - we finally were able to do some long term adjustment.

We continue to experience temperatures that are far above average for the area. It's been in the upper 80s nearly every day. We spent a few days with the windows closed up for fear that the cats would escape (no screens!) before we tried it out. Turns out the cats aren't keen on jumping down three stories, and theres no ledge for them to creep out to. Thank goodness - we are all happier with the windows open!


You know what's less fun than a hot baby? A hot AND jet lagged baby. I spent few nights with my half of the mattress on the floor so I could fall asleep with my hand on Soren.
(That's right - my half. Expect a longer post some day about the weirdness of Finnish bedding.)

It took about a week before he started sleeping more than an hour or two at a time during the night. During this time, we wound up transitioning him out of his swaddle as well - he's starting to roll, and now spends all night sleeping on his side!

Speaking of big changes for the little guy, we realized that the car seat doesn't make much sense when he's never in a car anymore. We transitioned him to the big-boy stroller (reclined nearly flat, but it's a start), and he faces out in the baby carrier too. It's a whole new world!


We're preparing for our final move into our new apartment. I can't wait to share photos of how beautiful the area is. I also can't wait for the elevator and the air conditioning and the balcony!
We went to Ikea three times this past week. Ikea is out in the suburbs, but there is a bus that runs every few hours between Ikea and the city center.
We get the keys Friday afternoon, and all the furniture, towels, pots, pans, and other miscellaneous goods delivered up to the apartment that evening. All we have left to do is move all of our stuff, which thankfully is mostly still in boxes.
A few more baby pictures, just because I can 😊





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Learning Finnish: progress check

 Do I speak Finnish? No. Omg no. I speak just enough that I can mostly keep up with what my 3 year old brings home from school. I usually can buy something without revealing my ineptitude. I can read many signs with context. But at the same time, I have come a CRAZY long way. Let me demonstrate. 2015 (trip to Finland) I cannot hear sentences, words, or even basic sounds. I cannot hear the difference between y and u, and I can’t keep a/ä straight in my head.  I regularly think people speaking Finnish are speaking Japanese. 2018  (initial move to Finland) I have studied some words from America. Ironically, this will mostly be unhelpful in the long run because I learned to pronounce them incorrectly. I put the accent on the wrong syllable, thanks to my years studying Spanish, and I can’t keep a/ä and o/ö straight.  I am super proud when someone says anteeksi (excuse me/sorry) and I know to move out of their way. I cannot pronounce the name of our neighborhood in a way t...

How Finland has Changed Me

 We’ve been living in Helsinki, Finland for a little over 2 years now. That’s not super long, but it’s long enough that our lives have drastically changed to fit our new environment. I still remember the first day we were in Finland in our temporary apartment, suddenly in a record breaking heat with no air conditioning, trying to figure out how such tiny grocery stores could possible have all foods we were used to, and completely forgetting that we actually had to carry our food home. Never mind the fact that my Finnish was limited to hei (hey), kiitos (thank you), and anteeksi (excuse me/sorry), which does not help you at all when trying to read food labels for allergens. We didn't have any bags, so S had to carry our groceries. It’s strange to think about those versions of us. Raising kids in Finland has forced us to adapt and conform to Finnish norms faster than we probably would have naturally, and I love that. I love that I’ve changed in many ways that will probably be permane...

Adventures in Paivakoti

Well, friends, it's been three months since we returned from America and Soren started in Paivakoti. It's been a game changer for everyone. Let's talk about what paivakoti is, why we are using it, and what the biggest differences are from American day care. Paivakoti literally translates to day home in Finnish. It is a public service, closer to public schooling in the states, so placement is guaranteed within certain conditions. It covers every child over 1 until school age, which starts at 7. Although one is the minimum age, maternity leave is generous enough that many do not start until 3. Soren is attending out neighborhood Paivakoti for half days. The paivakoti is the first floor of the building, while school age classes are on the second floor. Soren has a group of roughly 15 kids, where he is the youngest, and the next youngest is 6 months older. He is the only one not walking, the only one doing half days, and the only one without a Finnish parent. But that isn...