Hello!
I know it's been over a month since we returned from our first holiday as a family of 3, but just wanted to share some photos and do a quick recap of the trip...
First off, we had only been in our new house three nights before we left for Sweden. The night before our morning departure, I felt very anxious and overwhelmed-- I even said to Niall, "should we really be doing this?!" I thought maybe we should have used Niall's Easter week off to get organized, unpack, possibly do more painting, etc... also, I think I was nervous about traveling with Méabh. Would it be tricky taking the pram on the plane? Would she scream during takeoff and landing? Could we even go out in the evenings with a baby? Niall was calm and assured me everything would work out. Looking back, we couldn't have asked for a better trip-- sure, some things were different, but overall it was so nice to get away from our cluttered house for a week and Méabh took her first holiday abroad in stride!
Days 1 - 3: Stockholm!
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| This photo is significant!! The first night in Stockholm, Méabh had her longest stretch of sleep ever! She went to bed at 11 pm after a long day of traveling and didn't wake me up again until 5:45 am. Unfortunately this hasn't happened since but at the time it was oh so nice :) |
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| Auntie Avril! |
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| 'kanelbulle'... Swedish cinnamon roll. Very popular and so yummy! |
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| We visited the Vasa Museum, it was amazing. Built around an old warship that sunk on its maiden voyage in 1628 in Stockholm and was salvaged in 1961 (dad you would have dug this). |
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| Strolling around Gamla stan, translated 'The Old Town.' The cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways date back to the 13th century! |
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| relaxing after a busy day |
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| always bundled up! |
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| Avril had us over in her student accommodation and cooked us dinner |
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| Avril with her fellow students |
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| We took a ferry out to one of the islands in Stockholm and went for a beautiful walk |
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| Now for a loooong train ride down to Simrishamn |
Next, we went South to 'Kivik', a small town on the coast. Here we stayed with an old friend of my dad's and his wife. It was so nice to be in the countryside, and their hospitality and local insight was the highlight of our trip. We even got some warmer weather which for us is always such a treat!
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| Karl took us to 'Kivik's Musteri' for lunch one day |
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| they had a little museum type room that showed how apple juice/cider/beer etc is made |
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| country walking |
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| on a little walk behind Karl's house |
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| another walk in a nature reserve Karl took us to |
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| SUN!!! :) |
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| overlooking apple orchards |
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| we had a good laugh at this photo! :D |
That last day of sunshine in Kivik gave us some much needed Vitamin D! Our last two days we stayed in Malmo, with a day trip to Copenhagen.
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| when Méabh needs to eat, I get coffee! :) |
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| so much dense, seedy bread eaten here |
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| we're suckers for our green juices |
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| famous Hans Christian Andersen Little Mermaid statue |
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| Random photo-- I just thought his bike was cool! |
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| morning coffee in Malmo, just before catching the train for our flight home |
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| I'm always jealous of people who can fall asleep before the plane even takes off... :) |
Needless to say, we had a LOT to do when we got home-- but, we felt refreshed and ready to get organized. Benny had done some painting downstairs while we were gone which helped a lot! Lately house stuff has slowed down a bit... we still need furniture and we're still looking into details about possibly getting our kitchen renovation done... but the worst is over.
Today Méabh is 4 months-- in some ways it sounds old but in other ways I feel like it's taken a lot to get to this point! She is still a very sweet baby and we feel so blessed. Being a mom is a 24/7 job and I'm learning something new all the time. She's still screaming and crying before bed-- any tips?!
I still have ups and downs-- it still feels like a big adjustment for me being home all the time. Unfortunately, we've been having really cold/wet/dreary weather these past few weeks. It's easy to get down when it's so grey out-- yesterday due to rain and hail, we never went outside! :/ I'm trying to be productive and not long to be home... but I admit, right now Santa Barbara sounds like heaven. I miss the warmth of the sun on my skin more than words can describe! I haven't worn shorts once this year yet... today I got out for a walk but had to wear gloves and a big jacket. Brrr.
Luckily, in between those moments when I'm feeling a bit 'blah', this kid makes me smile!
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| we don't have one of those mirrors in the car to see her when she's in the carseat... I checked on her on the way back from Niall's parents' house and she was sleeping with her pacifier in hand :) |
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| very chatty these days! |
Well I'll stop there. More updates to come hopefully soon... maybe even from Mr. Madden? We'll see. He is extremely busy these days so you'll probably be hearing mostly from me these next few months.
