Ma petite chérie

Finally we’re starting to get some routines to our daily life. It might sound boring with routines but it really makes life easier, especially with a kid. It’s just been impossible to keep our own when we’ve been staying with family, friends and in hotels. Especially as I’m one who easily fall in to other peoples routines. But now we’re slowly getting there! 

We usually take Claudine to the playground and then for a run on the grass field just around the corner in the afternoon. She thinks it’s a lot of fun running down the hills holding my hand and giggles all the way, haha! Sweetheart! If we’re lucky she’s hungry when we get back home and I cook for her, she eats, baths and then we play until she’s tired. Usually she falls asleep around 8, just as she’s been doing ever since she was just a couple of months old.

Xo

One on one

The other day me and Tobias went for a date one on one, something we haven’t really been spoiled with this past year. I guess that’s the way it is when you have a small baby and are living far away from our families like we do, and aren’t comfortable in leaving your baby with just anyone. However, we’ve finally found a nanny that we like and trust and slowly Claudine is getting used to her. Even though it feels very strange for me not having Claudine around I think it’s good for both of us to spend an hour or two apart from time to time (even though it’s breaking my heart every time and I feel like I’m missing a limb or  something). I really enjoyed a lunch and a coffee in complete calmness though, not having to leave my chair once and just talk about our dreams and future – just like we always used to do on our dates! I think we’ve just had too much other things going on lately that we haven’t really thought about those things… But it’s one of the favourite things about our relationship – that we’re are two total dreamers and nothing is ever impossible. The sky is the limit and the future always looks bright! ❤

 

 

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Finding good paediatricians in foreign countries

From an early morning at Mugg & Bean

What started as an ear infection for Claudine last week turned in to a high fever and a throat infection on Sunday. My poor baby! She’s been on antibiotics since Monday but is still struggling with fever. It’s just devastating when your baby isn’t feeling well, especially when you’re in a new country and don’t really know any doctors or hospitals. Luckily we’ve found a really good paediatrician, Dr Padayachee-Govendor, at Life Fourways Hospital. Cross your fingers that my baby will be feeling well soon!

In Geneva it was very difficult to find paediatricians and you had to wait for months just to get an appointment. I gave birth to Claudine in Sweden and moved back to Geneva when she was about one month old. I was desperate to find someone who could do the regular check-ups and vaccinations and was so surprised to not being able to get an appointment for months and months… I was recommended a paediatrician in the neighbouring Swiss village and thought I’d give it a try so I sent him an email (going through his receptionist was a dead end as he didn’t take on any new patients at the moment). Said and done, I sent him an email telling my story and got a response that we had an appointment the following week. Apparently he was a huge Stieg Larsson fan who absolutely loved Stockholm because of ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ books and therefore had decided to take us on. We ended up discussing Stieg Larsson and the books more than Claudine, hahaha! I’ll be Stieg Larsson forever grateful!

Xo

För mina svenska läsare – paediatrician betyder barnläkare. 🙂

Smash the cake!

We decided to celebrate a bit in advance with a classical ‘smash the cake’ on Sunday. I’m so happy we did as it’s started raining right after we finished and then we had rain and thunderstorms for two days. Luckily the weather is better and the sun is shining again. This country simply isn’t made for bad weather!

It was so much fun to see Claudine smash the cake even though we thought there would be more action and she wasn’t to excited about the sweet taste. I don’t mind though, I’m more than happy as long as she prefers fruit and berries over cakes and sugar! ❤

Hope enjoy the pictures!

Xo

A year since it all started

Tomorrow is a big day – our baby girl is turning one! I can’t believe it’s one year since I more or less went into labour while I was at an amusement park in Stockholm with my niece and my parents, hahaha! I called my husband and told him he had to book a flight from Geneva and get to Stockholm as soon as possible and less than 36 hours later we got to meet our precious little girl! I was so happy to find these pictures on my camera from our first magical hour together (and boy did those sandwiches taste good, haha). Wow, how fast a year can pass by! Yesterday we were talking about how surreal it is that just a year ago Claudine was a helpless little baby and now she’s running around, she’s communicating and she’s basically a small person and not a baby anymore! She brings so much love and joy to our lives and I’m so thankul for being her mom! ❤

The weather has suddenly changed here in Johannesburg, yesterday we had a cool breeze and in the evening it started raining. Something we didn’t anticipate after 3 weeks without a cloud in the sky. The temperature has dropped, it’s been raining to and fro and we’ve even had thunderstorms. I really hope the weather clears up for tomorrow so we can spend some time outside!

Xo