Us these days

Hello, at long last, from the great north! I'm hoping this post will be a bit longer than my recent ones have been, so I can update you on what's been going on here. But first, two cute pictures.

Leif started at dagis with August last week. The first week was pretty easy - one of us stayed there with him for the first three days, and he had a great time. He even napped easily, which is certainly not how it went with August (see here and here). His second week has been a bit rougher, which is to be expected. Some crying, some being angry, but also lots of playing and being fine. Right now they go for short days - 9am-2pm. As Leif gets used to being there we'll increase the length of time they are there each day, and we'll probably end up back at a schedule of Monday-Thursday from 9am-4:30pm.

My big news is that I got a job - and then I lost the job. Long story made short is that there was a small problem with the contract, and we weren't able to fix the contract and now the company can't afford to keep me. I have a few weeks left and then I'll be jobless. I'm considering all options - doing a distance graduate program at a Swedish university, trying to find another regular job, trying to start something myself, etc. But it won't be so bad, at least the first few weeks, as it will be the first time I've been alone in three+ years!

Turns out I also had a mild case of borrelia--also called Lyme disease--which was undiagnosed for about two months. I had a small red rash on my leg that I ignored for about six weeks before it started spreading, rapidly, over almost my entire lower leg. It didn't hurt or itch or bother me at all, which is why I ignored it. It approximately quadrupled in size while we were in Portugal, so I saw a doctor as soon as I could after we returned to Sweden. I did a ten-day course of penicillin and it's disappeared entirely.

Obviously, I scheduled TBE vaccines for all of us for the earliest possible date! I am NOT looking forward to March 14. I told August that we'd all go to the doctor together, and he told me, "I don't have any owies. I am NOT going to the doctor." So, you know, that should be easy.

The kids are both great. I feel that we are in a sort of sweet spot, where it's gotten easier for a bit. They play together much better than ever before, and Leif has become sturdy and robust enough to not worry too much about him. He still climbs and falls a lot, but he bounces up pretty quickly. He loves giving zerberts and the second he sees arm or back or tummy exposed, there he is, zerberting away. He loves to take toys from August's area - something August isn't using at that exact moment - and then run like crazy to hide, a cheeky smile on his face. He usually doesn't even want the toy, he just likes the game of taking it. He's becoming so cheeky.

August continues to fly his airplanes (we have four or five of different kinds) and drive his cars and trucks. He even has a raw, tough spot below his lower lip from making airplane noises all day long. He likes to pretend that he's a baby cat and I'm a mama cat, and he curls up on my lap so I can clean him. He especially loves to throw rock on ice, and we did a lot of that when the water was icy in the last week. He's funny and even a bit sweet, and he's such a joy.

James has been diving back into work. He's working hard on a new business idea that has him very excited, he's had some success with his research lately (publication in a highly-regarded journal), and he's starting to get more involved with his colleagues at Oregon State. And he remains a devoted dad, spending lots of time at home with us.

That's enough for now. We have a busy weekend - a schoolmate's birthday tomorrow, dinner with the neighbors tomorrow night, fika (coffee with sweet treat) on Sunday with other neighbors. It's so great being home!