It's real II

Well if you think i was looking forward to seeing the new flat, then you can imagine i was even more excited about this,... it's been an exciting week.

I am super proud to be able to introduce you to - Mauds sibling.

He / she is a bit modest and really didn't want too give to much away but the nurse thought that maybe, just maybe, it is a girl.
The due date has been set to 08.08.08 which would be a cool birthdate by any standards.

Can't think of many things that match up to the feeling of seeing your childs heartbeat while still in the womb, weee wow or wow weee - whichever you like.
Everything is tip top with little baby, next ultrasound in 14 weeks.

Shame they couldn't give me a video of what we saw today, too bad for you, the ultrasound pictures below will just have to do.

It's real

We have only ever seen our new flat on a piece of paper so to say that i have been a bit nervous about finally seeing what we have actually bought and where our family is going to live for the next few years is a bit of an understatement.
'Oooh blimey what have i done?' has crossed my mind a few times but i needn't have worried..........
YES we got to see our new abode today and i was very pleased indeed. We got to go round pointing out small defects so they can fix it all up for our completion date of 8th April. There were of course a few things, we managed to fill one of their natty 'New Flat Preview' forms anyway. Nothing bad just a few scuffs here and there and a kitchen cupboard door which looked as though it had been dragged behind the lorry on it's way from the factory.
These poor guys have to listen to 62 other flat owners over the next week or so pointing out everything they lay their eyes on. I'm just glad we were the very first to have a viewing.

Didn't really get much time to snap pictures after our fault finding hour we really had to get to work, so here are a few. The blue bits of tape you can see are the things we want fixing.

Hallway..



Open living space...
we will probably put up some sliding doors and a wall to block off the veiw of the kitchen but that will happen after we move in.



Maud takes a breather out in the gangway, that is our front door on the left.



en-suite bathroom ..
there is another slightly bigger one for Maud. hehehehe.



View from the end of the balcony, always disappointing these shots, your eyes are so much better for seeing this kind of stuff, you can see The Oslo fjord believe me, click on the photo and see for yourself.
The wires will go, all part of the building process.
The high voltage wires and pylons in the middle distance will disappear in the coming year too, the council just have to dig the trench and chuck the cables in, no big deal apparently.

Blow out !

Maud suffered her first puncture in two years of pram driving, high speed blow out on the way to nursery, scary stuff, luckily for us i managed to control the resulting slide and come safely to a stop in the gutter. The culprit - a drawing pin.
So it was off to the workshop to make good the damage



A puncture repair kit is something i have - somwhere - could i find it when i needed it. No, ah well it'll turn up during the move, and then disappear again.
Had to buy another.

Spring fashions

Day-glow raincoats - this seasons fashion you heard it here first.
A b'day present from uncle Tim, she won't wear anything else now, luckily the weather is co-operating and it is actually raining.

early HH

and here through the wonder that is modern technology - a picture of auntie sarah on her 2nd birthday - May 1970 - thanks to grandma for the digging this out of the archives at Conibear HQ.
I am reliably informed that this head of hair hadn't seen the sharp side of a pair of scissors either. Sorry Maud, slow-grow hair is in your DNA, but just who's side does this phenomena have its erm ahem.....roots, further research is required methinks.



some things never change 2 year olds and their dollies - modern buggy style is required for todays babies however.

2

Maud reached the big 2 last week and managed to spread her celebrations out over three days, a lavish party with obligatory jelly was thrown on the saturday, we had a little less raucous but no less fun celebration with Grandma and uncle Tim on the sunday, then on the big day itself Maud celebrated at nursery and then again with auntie Ingvill in the afternoon.
Enjoyed herself enormously except when everybody sang happy birthday which didn't quite seem so fun.

Now i used to hate it when my parents did this to me....dress me up in some fancy togs and then utter the dreaded words....
'just stand over there by the table / chair / or whatever and smile for a photo'
It can't be helped i tell you - i didn't realise i'd done it until i saw the photo and then it dawned, i never smiled when asked to perform this duty either.
So expect plenty more of these in the coming years, it's my right as her dad to put her through it each and every year.




Waiting for the guests to arrive is always the worst bit, just time to get a healthy dose of fruit before the cake fest begins.



Couldn't to even wait to get into the living room before opening the first present, eagerly aided by Oscar.



Maud and Kristiana get away from the crowds to open another.
One thing i notice in this photo is Maud's super slow growing hair, she and Kristiana were born a few days apart. Maud made it to her second birthday without ever having her hair cut, apparently her auntie Sarah had the same problem... HA!




people opening and closing their cake holes.

Present and correct

On the sunday Maud couldn't even be bothered to change out her pyjamas before commencing with the present opening, she has no problems knowing what to do with gifts, i think she prefers them without the string...easier to get in to.



Maud takes full advantage of grandma's willingness to read books and runs backwards and forwards to collect the rest of her extensive library, no matter that Grandmas norwegian isn't up to much....they have to be read too.
See this this word here grandma... that says monkey.



In the afternoon grandma treated us all to lunch, which Maud spread round her own face.



Contented after another days present opening.