Murphy's law: "What can go wrong will go wrong". So I figure if I book a trip to go skiing for a week, buy all new skiing clothes, boots and everything else that you need, invite and offer to pay for all my friends, then the f%&¤#/g snow will probably melt away as soon as we get in the car. Hah, winter's got nothing on me!

... so that I can eat one of these out in the sun:

Lordy lordy, I wonder when I will have the time to rest? Today's filled w stuff; work, parenting group, more work, meeting, more work, then finally some sleep...
The rest of the week kinda looks the same, all up until saturday, geez.... But this weekend Im gonna be doing nothing but to eat good food and relax. Cause if it's one thing I like doing these days, it's relax, and sleep...

Turn off all electricity between 8.30pm-9.30pm. Think you turing off your electricity wont make a difference? What if all people would think like that? Don't think, just do it!

...will be coming up real soon. My sister in law has been here taking some real nice belly pics of me and love. This one I took meeslef, I promise you hers will be waaaaaaay better:

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

How your life's changing:

To accommodate you and your baby's growing needs, your blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort, try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often.

You may have lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances. If you do, let your caregiver know right away, particularly if you haven't had back pain before, since it can be a sign of preterm labor.

Assuming it's not preterm labor that's ailing you, you can probably blame your growing uterus and hormonal changes for your aching back. Your expanding uterus shifts your center of gravity and stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, changing your posture and putting a strain on your back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things.

Fostrets utveckling - gravid vecka 32

Nu är du 32 veckor gången (eller gravid i 33:e veckan, om du föredrar att räkna så). Inte undra på att du känner dig jättestor — det är trångt därinne nu! Det ökade trycket på din blåsa kan göra att du måste stiga upp och gå på toaletten flera gånger på natten, vilket kan vara tröttande. Förmodligen ökar du nu i vikt med ungefär ett halvt kilo i veckan och hälften av det är bebisen, som under de kommande sju veckorna kommer att lägga på sig en tredjedel till hälften av sin födelsevikt. Eftersom bebisen nu lägger på sig fett börjar huden fyllas ut och bli slät och fin.

Nu väger bebisen ungefär 1,7 kg och är cirka 42 cm lång från topp till tå. Lungorna kommer inte att vara fullt utvecklade förrän närmare förlossningen, men bebisen tränar redan andning genom att "andas" fostervatten.

En del bebisar har redan fullt av hår på huvudet, medan andra bara har små fjun. Att ha tjockt hår vid födseln garanterar inte att man kommer att ha tjockt hår senare i livet, men det har visat sig att barn som har tunt hår oftast har tunnare hår också som vuxna.

Om bebisen är en pojke, brukar testiklarna nu vandra ner i pungen från bukhålan. Det händer emellertid att den ena eller båda testiklarna ligger kvar tills efter födseln. Två tredjedelar av alla fall då testiklarna inte vandrat ner i pungen vid födseln har rättat till sig av sig själva vid ettårsdagen.

Du lägger förmodligen på dig ungefär 450 gram i veckan nu, framför allt därför att bebisen lägger på sig nästan halva sin födelsevikt under en fullgången graviditets sista sju veckor. Se till att du äter bra den sista tiden.

Week: 32 full weeks, going on week 33 (33+0)
Weight gained so far: 27,5 lbs (12,5kg)
Days 'til due date: 55 (20%)

Just got a message from a friend who had had a dream about me telling her about how my labour went. Apparently it had gone very well, quick and easy. But instead of walking around in the hospital using the support devices they give you, I had brought my own bike and had been riding it around all departments. Hahaha, sounds like me in a nutshell, I think our baby would like it as well since I from this week wont be doing anymore backwards somersaults....

I can't believe it. I got through the day without a nap. Lordy lordy....

We had the first meeting with our parenting group today. It was really cool and nice to meet other parents-to-be. My business meeting this morning went well as well.

But now Im soooo tired (been wide awake since 6am) and my back's aching so bad I gotta go lay down.

Tomorrow's waffle day here in Sweden. It means you HAVE to eat waffles =), no exceptions... Love's gone for the day so Ive invited a friend and her 2 year old for some homemade waffles, yum yum!

Since I these days spend most of my days laying down in the couch partially due to the lack of energy, I'm really curious how today's gonna play out. My back starts hurting when I stand up, sit down or move around for too long (too long equals 30 minutes at a time these days....) so laying down is how I get my paperwork done!

First I have a business meeting in about one hour. Then I have to go back home to do some paperwork for a couple of hours. In the afternoon we have our first meeting with our parenting group, exciting! After that we head back home and I have to get ready to teach tonights class.

Since I don't drink energy drinks of any sort, and I can't drink coffee since it gives me a bad heartburn, I wonder if there's some sort of intravenous energy out in the market these days, or maybe even some sprinkles for your food? I have had an urge for Coca-cola for the past couple of days (and it does contain caffeine which might make me more energized), but I really dont want to drink that stuff being pregnant and all, yuk.

Woke up, sneezing like crazy. Feels like pollen allergy, but I cant seem to find the source of it. There aren't any pods anywhere so I dont really know where it's coming from. A baby kicking like a maniac and having the hickups, feels real weird.
Gonna try to get mee bumsy out for a walk despite the contractions I get when walking. I just have to walk reeeeeeeeal slow, like a frikkin snail. But I get an itch if I sit still for too long. And oh, can't make my famous backwards somersaults anymore, tummy's in the way now....

Maybe I should start a contest where u guys get to gess the birth date and time of our baby girl? The winner gets.... hhmmmm.... to come over for afternoon tea with homemade bisquits and tarts. I must say I make them real good =)

So, the contest is open. Send your guess to my mail or post in here in my blog, the contest is open 'til april 30th. The winner takes it all!

Yesterday me and beau went to see "Alice in Wonderland" in 3D. I was sorta scared my "car sick" gene was gonna kick in, since it was 3D and all. But it actually worked real well. The actual movie didn't make me sick at all, but the commercial and previews were worse. I had to take off my glasses when they were showing.
The movie itself was kinda good, not awesome or great. I like the Hallmark version of "Alice in Wonderland" better, that one's a real trip. But last nights versions visual effects, costume design and cinematography was awesome, and Johnny Depp is always great.
In the move they didn't call it "Wonderland", they actually called it "Underland", which I thought was great. It is a underland, a land down under!

After the movie we went out to have dinner. Pizza with gorgonzola was my choice of food (the only way I can eat gorgonzola right now is if it's cooked, so I try to get some as often as I can...), yummy!
Got home pretty early, around 8:30pm. I crashed on the couch around 9:30.....

Woke up to SNOW today, yuk. Yesterday the sun was shining like crazy, got my hopes up. Might stay in today and just watch some movies until I have a meeting in the afternoon!

Your pregnancy: 31 weeks

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How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

Have you noticed the muscles in your uterus tightening now and then? Many women feel these random contractions — called Braxton Hicks contractions — in the second half of pregnancy. Often lasting about 30 seconds, they're irregular, and at this point, they should be infrequent and painless. Frequent contractions, on the other hand — even those that don't hurt — may be a sign of preterm labor. Call your practitioner immediately if you have more than four contractions in an hour or any other signs of preterm labor: an increase in vaginal discharge or a change in the type of discharge (if it becomes watery, mucus-like, or bloody — even if it's pink or just tinged with blood); abdominal pain or menstrual-like cramping; an increase in pressure in the pelvic area; or low back pain, especially if you didn't have it before.

You may have noticed some leaking of colostrum, or "premilk," from your breasts lately. If so, try tucking some nursing pads into your bra to protect your clothes. (And if not, it's certainly nothing to worry about; your breasts are making colostrum all the same, even if you don't see any.) If your current bra is too snug, you might also want to pick up a nursing bra. Choose a nursing bra at least one cup size bigger than you need now. When your milk comes in you'll be grateful for that extra room!

If you're having a boy, you and your partner will want to take some time to think about whether or not to have your baby circumcised. Find out the pros and cons from your doctor, and what the procedure involves.

Fostrets utveckling - gravid vecka 31

Nu är du 31 veckor gången (eller gravid i 32:e veckan, om du föredrar att räkna så). Bli inte orolig om din bebis rör sig mindre ofta nu. Den har mindre utrymme och kan inte vara fullt så akrobatisk längre. Så länge du fortfarande kan känna bebisen röra sig då och då, är det OK. Det kan vara ganska ordentliga sparkar nu! Vid det här laget har de flesta bebisar vänt sig nedåt inför födseln. Vissa tar lite längre tid på sig och en del bebisar sitter envist på rumpan, men det finns fortfarande tid att vända på sig. Denna vecka är det dags för förstföderskor att träffa sin barnmorska igen.

Bebisens kropp, armar och ben fortsätter att rundas av i takt med att underhudsfett tillkommer – och de ser äntligen ut att vara i proportion till huvudets storlek. Den väger ungefär 1,5 kg nu, ser mer och mer ut som en nyfödd bebis ”ska” göra och är drygt 40 cm lång.

På grund av trängseln därinne, har du kanske märkt att bebisen inte längre rör sig lika livligt. Så länge den fortsätter vrida på sig lite, så vet du att allt står väl till. Det kan vara svårt att tro, men bebisen har fortfarande en hel del växande kvar innan den föds – ungefär 900 gram!

Bebisens inre organ fortsätter att utvecklas och mogna och den kissar nu vatten, vilket är bra träning inför livet utanför. Snart kan du vara förvissad om att ditt barn börjar få ett rikt inre liv – undersökningar har visat, att bebisar i magen har perioder av drömsömn redan kring åttonde månaden.

Du har förmodligen gått upp 1,3-1,8 kg denna månad. Ett knappt halvkilo (450 g) per vecka är helt normalt under sista trimestern, eftersom bebisen går igenom en sista växtspurt inför födseln.

Week: 31 full weeks, going on week 32 (32+0)
Weight gained so far: 27,5 lbs (12,5kg)
Days 'til due date: 62

I had suuuuch a weird dream last night. I went for a baby check up where they told me I had a very low blood pressure. "Well, I already know that. I've know that since the beginning of my pregnancy". Then a very upset nurse told me "Don't you know what that means? It means that your baby wont develop and inflate as she should, so her fingers and toes will probably not inflate since your bodys blood pressure can't press her blood all the way through her limbs".
We got to take a 3d-scan where we could actually see that her little fingers weren't inflated, three of them were missing. We could also see that her nose was all crooked and not inflated at all. I started crying and crying and crying (Im pretty sure I cried for real while sleeping). My nurse decided that the baby wasn't gonna inflate more than she already had, so it was time for me to give birth. She got me a shared room with some franternity guy who had a broken leg. He invited all his frat buddys and they decided to have a jello shots party in our room.
I called my nurse and told her I wanted to switch rooms. She sighed but agreed to fix me another one. I couldn't get my own room so she put me in a room with two older men (like 80 years old) who were waiting to have their hearing aids switched out. There were four beds in the room, standing side by side, and I got the bed next to the old guy with big ass ears like Mr. Grinch.
Then I woke up.....

Herring, salmon, cod, Atlantic plaice, I WANT IT AAAALL! Boiled potatoes and some yummy yum-yum sauce, then rinse it down with ice cold lemon water. Guess I should be happy my pregnancy cravings aren't that bad after all...

Backwards somersaults works fine, but regular walks gives me contractions, nice....

I got up bright and early at 6am to have a breakfast meeting at 8am, geez... At least the sun's up at that hour these days.
After that meeting me and beau had an appointment with our midwife for our regular baby check up. Everything is so normal it's crazy. We're following the regular curve, heartbeats are great, she's laying and moving around as she should (baby that is, not the midwife...), Im getting fatter as I should, my sugar is great and my blood count is back to normal.

I had to ask the midwife about somersaults today. Cause this sunday I taught a class where the students were gonna learn how to to a backwards somersault, so of course I had to show them how to. A couple of weeks ago I got a lot of contractions during the weekend and had to spend most of my time laying down. But now I've felt fine for a couple of days. The only problem is that my back starts aching if I do something too straneous.
Anyhoodle, I asked our midwife about it and at first she laughed, she couldn't understand how I could still do the somersaults being 7 months preggers. But she also said that I should do whatever feels comfortable, and that I seem to have a good connection with my body. So as long as I listen to it there's just no reason why I shouldn't move around.
I got real happy when she told me that. Cause even if I do get tired and my back starts hurting and I get contractions if I do too much (especially movements where I have to use a lot of abs, they've appparently disappeared...), there's just no reason for me to sit still if I don't feel like it.

Right now Im tired though, sooooo very tired. Needses to take a walk and then take a nap mee think !

Or actually I do more of a laying still kind of motion while kitty's laying across my baby belly, using my throath as a pin cushion while purring and almost falling asleep. All while the troll in ma belly's having the time of her life trying to kick her way out through my diaphragm, niiiiiice......

It's true, I actually do have time off every now and then. Today I had some work to do during the day, then I spent a couple of hours on the couch (only slept between 10pm-2am last night...). Me and beau took the time to go out and have dinner among other people for once. A niiiiiice goat cheese veggie burger with jalapeños and fries was on tonights menu, yum.
Now it's time to sit my bumsie down and do some more work, in good company of splendid organic dark chocolate and a cup of tea. It's mucho importante to enjoy your time at work =).
I have to work tomorrow afternoon as well, so Im really gonna try not to work too much tonight. Kitty seems to be getting utterly annoyed with me spending time on the couch without cuddling with her, so the princesses wish is my command!

Week: 30 full weeks, going on week 31 (31+0)
Weight gained so far: 25 lbs (11,5kg)
Days 'til due date: 69

These days the little troll wakes up around 4am, which means I wake up around 4:30am. Nice.... I desperately try to go back to sleep but usually give up around 6:30-7am. No wonder Im tired every day, ALL day. Hey, at least now it's light outside at that time of day, and the birds are chirpin'. Kitty gets quite excited as well since she has someone to keep her company.

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

How your life's changing:

You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you're having trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsier than normal, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, but the concentration of weight in your pregnant belly causes a shift in your center of gravity. Plus, thanks to hormonal changes, your ligaments are more lax, so your joints are looser, which may also contribute to your balance being a bit off. Also, this relaxation of your ligaments can actually cause your feet to spread permanently, so you may have to invest in some new shoes in a bigger size.

Remember those mood swings you had earlier in pregnancy? The combination of uncomfortable symptoms and hormonal changes can result in a return of those emotional ups and downs. It's normal to worry about what your labor will be like or whether you'll be a good parent. But if you can't shake the blues or feel increasingly irritable or agitated, talk to your doctor or midwife. You may be among the 1 in 10 expectant women who battle depression during pregnancy. Also let your caregiver know if you're frequently nervous or anxious.

Fostrets utveckling - gravid vecka 30

Nu är du 30 veckor gången (eller gravid i 31:e veckan, om du föredrar att räkna så). Bebisens lungor och matsmältningssystem är nästan färdigutvecklade, vilket innebär att den har stor chans att klara sig bra även om du skulle föda i förtid. Forskare tror att bebisen redan kan se, men ingen vet riktigt hur bra. Det börjar bli trångt inne i livmodern så när bebisen rör på sig märks det tydligt! Inom ett par veckor blir det, för dig som vill, aktuellt att delta i en föräldragrupp.

Bebisens lungor och matsmältningssytem är nu nästan färdigutvecklade. Ökningen i längd kan komma att sakta av (bebisen är ungefär 40 cm lång nu), men den kommer att lägga på sig vikt ända fram till födseln.

Bebisen fortsätter att blinka och kan förmodligen se vad som händer inne i livmodern, till exempel skiftande ljusnivåer och rörliga ljuskällor. Om du håller en ficklampa mot magen, kanske bebisen inte bara vänder sig mot den, utan sträcker sig eventuellt mot ljuset. En del forskare tror att det stimulerar bebisens synutveckling om du har magen ”ute” i ljuset. Förvänta dig inte att bebisen ska ha perfekt syn när den föds, däremot – nyfödda ser bara någorlunda bra på 20-30 centimeters avstånd. Normalseende barn når inte vad vi menar med perfekt syn förrän de är mellan sju och nio år gamla. Bebisen har nu ögonbryn och ögonfransar.

Nu omges bebisen av ungefär en liter fostervatten, men det blir mindre när den blir större och det blir trångt. Din expanderande livmoder trycker på diafragman, vilket kan göra att du känner dig andfådd och har svårt att andas ordentligt, men det är en naturlig följd att att det är trångt om utrymmet. Vid ungefär 34 veckor (eller precis innan det är dags att föda, om detta är din andra eller tredje graviditet) kommer bebisens huvud att vändas nedåt i bäckenet inför förlossningen, vilket gör att det blir lättare att andas och äta.

Läs det här innan du handlar för veckans fredagsmys!

FIIIIIIINALLY, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (3D) is coming up at the local theatre. I actually didnt think it would, so I placed my ticket reservation before anyone had time to say "off with her head". Woohooo!

... to have an alien in mee tummy that wakes me up at around 4:30am every morning so that I can rise and shine wide awake at 6:30. Why sleep in?

Omg I soooooo want some marshmallow or ricemallow creme. In my coca or on peanutbutter sandwiches, yum!
But here in la suede I can only find non-organic and/or with nasty additives. I've found a recipe so that I can make it myself, but I can't seem to find organic white syrup...

Ooooh I miss Whole Foods, god damn it. Hey you americanos, would someone like to send me a bucket of either "Toonie Moonie's Organic Marshmallow Creme" (vanilla flavour) or "Suzanne's organic Ricemellow Creme"? Or maybe both.... =)

Today's the day for the international womens day (read more about it at http://www.internationalwomensday.com/), it's celebrating 100 years this year. Im gonna spend it at a conference at Gävle Slott for ambassadors with some politicians and our own governor Barbro Holmberg. Might sound real boring to some but Im really looking forward to it.

But before Im off to that event I have some secret business to take care of =). Can't tell yet, Im gonna be very sneaky sneaky about it for a while.....
I have a feeling Im gonna pass out when I get back home tonight. Usually one event/day is enough for this mama-to-be, holy moly....

Week: 29 full weeks, going on week 30 (29+0)
Weight gained so far: 24 lbs (11kg). So let's say the baby's about 1,5kg, the rest is...hhhmmm...breast feeding supplies.....
Days 'til due date: 75

Not even a small scratch on anyone, can u believe it? Sure, my nephew fell down a couple of times (he was my dads skiing buddy for the day). But concidering the fact thet he had never skiied downhill before I was truly amazed he didnt crash in to someone or something. And my dad, oh my god. He was actually real good low and behold. Last week he told me he had only skiied downhill once before when he was really young, using cross-country skiis. That's why I was so worried. But as it turns out he had apparently skiied downhill more than once in an early age, and the skiis they used back in the stoneage looked similar to the ones they used to go cross-country with, so they usually used the same skiis for both. Phew, I was holdig my breath for about 30 minutes while they were going upp the ski lift and down for the first time.
But seriously, they both did really good. My dad didnt even fall down once and he had a real cool style shile skiing. Go dad!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

How your life's changing:

Your baby's very active now. Your practitioner may ask you to spend some time each day counting kicks and will give you specific instructions on how to do this. Let her know if you ever notice a decrease in activity. You may need a nonstress test or biophysical profile to check on your baby's condition.

Some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage now. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows digestion, which in turn can cause gas and heartburn — especially after a big meal — and contribute to constipation as well.

Your growing uterus may also be contributing to hemorrhoids. These swollen blood vessels in your rectal area are common during pregnancy and usually clear up in the weeks after giving birth. If they're itchy or painful, try soaking in a sitz bath or applying cold compresses medicated with witch hazel to the affected area. Also avoid sitting or standing for long stretches. Talk with your practitioner before using any over-the counter remedies during pregnancy, and let her know if you have any rectal bleeding. To prevent constipation, eat a high-fiber diet, drink plenty of water, and get some regular exercise.

Some women get something called "supine hypotensive syndrome" during pregnancy, where laying flat on your back causes a change in heart rate and blood pressure that makes you feel dizzy until you change position. You might note that you feel lightheaded if you stand up too quickly, too. To avoid "the spins" lie on your side rather than your back, and move slowly as you go from lying down to sitting and then standing.

Fostrets utveckling - gravid vecka 29

Nu är du 29 veckor gången (eller gravid i 30:e veckan, om du föredrar att räkna så). Nu växer din bebis huvud och hjärna; miljarder neuroner (viktiga för senare inlärningsförmåga) utvecklas i otrolig hastighet. Bebisens näringsintag är större nu och du behöver mycket protein, C-vitamin, folsyra och järn. Det växande skelettet absorberar massor av kalcium, så ät mejeriprodukter (eller annan kalciumrik mat) för att tillse ditt behov. Besök Livsmedelsverkets webbplats om du känner dig osäker på vad som är bra mat.

Nu växer bebisens hjärna snabbt och huvudet blir längre för att bereda plats. Pojkars testiklar är på väg från sin ursprungliga position nära njurarna till sin sedvanliga destination. Flickors klitoris syns tydligt, eftersom blygdläpparna ännu inte är så stora att de döljer den. Allt sådan utveckling kommer att ske veckorna innan förlossningen.

Nu väger bebisen dryga kilot och är ungefär 38 cm lång från topp till tå. Hos pojkar börjar testiklarna sin resa från sitt ursprungliga läge nära njurarna till pungen. Flickors klitoris sticker ut mer än den kommer att göra från de sista veckorna innan födseln, då den göms bakom de inre blygdläpparna.

Bebisens huvud växer och hjärnan utvecklas och växer snabbt. Nästan alla bebisar reagerar på ljud vid 30 veckor.

Bebisens näringsbehov blir större under tredje trimestern och du behöver äta mycket protein, C-vitamin, folsyra, järn och kalcium (ca 200 mg går åt varje dag till att bygga upp bebisens skelett), så se till att äta mat som är rik på dessa näringsämnen. Skelettet byggs som sagt upp nu, liksom hjärnan, musklerna och lungorna. Ta en titt på vår guide till bra kost för att se till att du får alla de vitaminer och mineraler du och bebisen behöver.

Today we're off to watch my 60 year old dad ski downhill for the first time in his life (Im going with my folk's). My suggestion was that we were gonna go to a smaller slope nearby. But apparently he thought that hill was too small (?) so he decided that we were gonna go all the way to Järvsö.
I love downhill skiing. Me and Jenny-Jen used to go to Austria to ski when we went to school, and after that we went to France. I love skiing in the alps. I've tried convincing my dad to ski with me before, but he's refused. Now he's bought skiis, poles, goggles and boots, totally prepared for today. Unfortunately I cant skii with him since Im already 7 months preggers, and my mom doesen't skii either. So he's gonna be skiing all by himself, gaaaahhh!
I told him that he needs to practice in the childrens slope first (I feel I need to give him some pointers), but he didn't seem very pleased with that. He seems to think hes gonna be able to go all the way to the top by himself and then everything will solve itself. I dont even think he will be able to get on the frikkin ski lift. Geez Louise....
Keep your fingers and toes crossed. I have a feeling Ill be driving a very sore dad home today....

This morning I went for a 1h full body maternity massage at SPA Valdhav, ooooooohhhh the perks. When the masseuse had worked my back for a while she suddenly stopped and told me that a heart had appeared on my back. The actual heart was completely white and the edges/lines around it were red so it was apparently real clear. She had never seen anything like it before.
She continued working on my arms and after a couple of minutes she told me that the heart had changed shape and turned in to a butterfly instead, just as visibly clear as the heart.
I just had to look up symbolics when I got home, and this is what I came up with:

"A heart is a symbol that often has a positive meaning, a symbol for love. The actual symbol might also mean the heart in your body"

"A butterfly is a strong sign for a new beginning on a higher plan. Just like the butterfly is breaking out of her cocoon, it might mean that you are entering the world with a newly found beauty and awarness, that you are entering a period of rebirth and transformation. The butterfly is a very old symbol for the soul and even for life itself. A butterfly might symbolize happiness and joy."

Now I can't tell you how hard those words hit me (cause mommy's got some secrets you know...) but it's just soooo cool. Im a real sucker for symbolics and I really believe in that stuff!


The whole thing put me in such a great mood, and when me and hubby took a walk in the sun when I got home it made the day even better. It's goooooorgeous outside today:

Finally I got to speak to someone who had everything (almost) under control (maternity leave wise). She promised to send me the papers I needed, thank you!
All this mess makes me tired, soooooooo tired. Just woke up from a 2h nap on the couch. Now work for 2h, then back to sleep. My back's aching lika crazy, luckily Im off for maternity massage tomorrow......

I keep on hearing and reading about how the swedish government wants more people to start their own businesses, this lower the unemployment rate. Fine, I get that. I now have had my own business for little over a year and as for now I have two employees.
But all the while your hear "start your own business", they dont tell you about the hardships. I was prepared to work my ass off when starting up, which I did and still do. What I wasn't prepared for was the incomeptence from bank personel, people dealing with maternity leave etc etc.

Today I got a letter ying that I've been granted money for maternity leave, full time. Awesome!, was my first thought. As I continued reading I saw that they wanted information about my income, the most recent information they had on me was from 2007. Wtf? The date in 2007 that was written even was BEFORE we moved back to Sweden. Since then it's been more than two years, and yes, I have been working since then. At least I have been paying taxes. But then again who knows who's getting that deposit...

So, I go in and talk to teh so called "competent" people about my income. To explain and see what information they actually want. The paper I got said they needed information from my employer about how much I've worked and how much I've gotten paid. When I told the lady at the counter that Im my own employer and my salary is not even near being stabil as for now, since it's only been a year since I started my business, the look on her face told me she did not know anything about how to handle that kind of situation. She started babeling about printing out their policies so that I could read about it.
I made the mistake of telling her that I also have a "regular" employment. As soon as she heard that she told me to bring in papersshowing how much I'd worked at that place last year.
On top of it all she tells me "I need the information on monday the latest, it takes a while to process information from a business owner".

First of all I dont' even really know what kind of informaiton they need, cause she couldn't tell me, she just printed out some papers and told me to read, probably hoping I found find some information useful since she didn't know shit. Second of all I cant bet you my right arm that in the end they're only gonna base my maternity leave on my income form the newspaper, even though I almost never work there. But it seems like information from business owners is something they cant handle and so they just skip dealing with those papers. The exact same thing happened at the bank last year, retards....
They must have dealt with business owners before, no? It feels like whenever I come in contact with this sort of people they react like Im teh first business owner they've ever had to deal with that is not just a business owner, but a "normal" person as well....

GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

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Spännande =)

For two days straight, TWO DAYS, I've apparently been using the softener container on our washer for detergent instead, GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH.

And earlier this week I was going crazy running around looking for a lighter. I got so happy when I finally found one so I went back to my office to lit some candles. Then I realize I'm holding a pencil instead of a lighter...

We've got snow on our yard, a LOT of snow with a bunchload of snow on top of that. When the temperature starts going up next week I think we're gonna have a HUGHE problem. Our front yard will turn in to a smaller ocean and we're probably gonna have to start parking the car out by our mail box and row our way up to our house, geez...

This is one of the highlights every morning; Hera jumping up in the couch, telling me to lean back cause she wants to cuddle, then she immediately falls asleep in my lap. Right now she's dreaming as well so her little whiskers are tickling my leg, soooo cute...

I mean just look at the weather outlook for next week, LOOK AT IT I TELL YA!!!

Husband: Honey did you have trouble sleeping last night? You kept on moving around, twisting and turning....

Wifey: Well, yeah as a matter of fact I didn't sleep very well, I cant fit in my pyjama pants any longer cause Im too fat.....

Resting was the name of the game. That's what I've been told I need to do now that I only have 8-13 weeks left of my pregnancy. But for some reason my schedule keeps on filling up....



This week:

• Fix my moms computer
• Work Monday-Thursday
• Massage on friday (day)
• Out and about on friday (night). omg, momma's leaving her house!
• Going to watch my 60-year old dad skiing downhill for the first time in his life. Did I hear anyone say age crisis?

Next week:

• Meeting with all the ambassadors from Tillväxtverket in Gävle (monday)
• Work monday-friday
• Trainees having a class on saturday
• Me teaching a class on sunday

Week after that:

• Work monday-thursday
• Meeting with ELLE (no, not the magazine, a network Im in) on tuesday morning
• Meeting with IRIS (another network) on sunday

Week after that:

• Work monday-friday
• Job dinner on sunday

Week after that:

• Work monday-friday
• Weekend'spacked w easter

And so it goes on and on and on.... I know that the weeks that has "only" two things scheduled (but for pretty much the whole week) will have more things added once I get there. I had a meeting with a personal coach last week, as a part of the business development program I took part in. There we came to the conclusion that when I say I want free time I dont really want to have nothing to do at all. I just want some time to be able to do the things I want to do, so it's not like I want to just sit still and do nothing. I tried doing that last summer in our cabin, worked for about 1 day, then Jesper had to come get me....

Now if I dont shut down for tonight I will probably fall asleep where I sit...

over n out!

Im not a real big coffe drinker, but I like my cup of coffee whenever I feel like it. Since this maternity heartburn keeps on bothering me whenever I do (and I don't want to take any pills, I just use cloves and yoghurt), I have to stop drinking coffee for now.
Instead I´ve found this organic barley drink that you mix with water, kinda like instant coffee. It's not as bitter tasting as coffee but it does do some use and it does taste linda like coffe. It's also high in fibre which is great during pregnancy!

Me spokded to ma Ire for about one hour yesterday. You see Im not only gonna be a mom this year, Im gonna be an auntie as well, weehooo! Ire and Juan's son Luciano is due for delivery on july 27th. Only problem is they live on the other side of the world =( Thank god for Skype. Now we have "sunday-skype-dates" booked to keep track of eachothers growing bellys =)