A new sight

I went to the optomitrist today & I have to wear glasses all the time now, not just for reading (not that I did that much anyway!!) .

What we've been up to?

House hunting.

While in Australia we talked about the possibility of buying our own house. This was for a number of reasons:

1) We don't know when we'll HAVE to move out from here

2) There's not enough room for a 2nd child

3) It's a buyer's market at the moment

4) Time to do it up while living where we are at the moment

Last Tuesday we looked at a house the I really liked & would have bought there & then. But after a bit of down to earth talking with Tom & his dad I eventually decided the practically it wasn't really that suitable. I still love the house though!!

Then on Saturday we went to look at another one. This one suits our needs a lot better & is quite a nice house. It doesn't need really anything done to it. The most stuff we would do with it would be in the garden. But it dosen't have the same charm though as the other.

We're talking to the bank today to see if they'll lend us the money, otherwise it's back to looking.

Immunisations

Joshua had his 5mth vaccinations this afternoon (he was due for them while in OZ, hence the lateness). I'm sure he knew what was coming as he was cranky & out of sorts all day. He cried for a good 10min after the needles & mummy almost cried as well :-(

He has continued to be cranky all afternoon & evening & took a while to settle to sleep, so we'll see what sort of night we have.

Danish Playgroup

So as I said in my blog post last week, I decided to try out the only playgroup in Esbjerg. Reasons for this were:

a) Joshua enjoyed it so much in Australia (playing with the other kids & toys)

b) I enjoyed the interaction with other mums

c) It gets both of us out of the house

The church that runs it is a Lutheran church, so there are a few discrepecies in beliefs, but thankfully it's not overly "religious" in content. That was also not the biggest problem I had with it, it was Danish culture. You see it is not the culture to talk to people until you get to know them. So I turned up & walked into the room, put my bag down & placed Joshua on the floor to play. Then we just sat there playing together & watching all the other children. No one came up & said hello, introduced themselves or welcomed us. Even the mum I had said hello to in the corridor while hanging our coats didn't come over & talk to me. I tried to make conversation with a couple of the mums, but it was all one-sided.

There is no tea/coffee or cake (though I later read in their brochure that there should be) & no organised program. It's just free play for 1.5hrs. The priest's wife (who is the leader) did come in 1/2hr before finishing time & do a couple of songs. She also did come over & say hello & welcome. But I went home rather disappointed.

They run another group on Fridays that is a little different. They meet together & have "brunch" then do songs & games before the older kids do a craft. Here the mums were a little more friendly & open. Again, Danish culture, they are more open & talkative with a cup of coffee in their hand!. I enjoyed this one a little bit more & will probably make this my regular group. The problem with it though is that it starts earlier, which means Joshua skips his morning sleep. Rather than being able to have it before we go, as with the Wednesday group.

Boys Like to Climb

Joshua certainly does. At only 7.5mths he's already trying to climb up on things. He's managed to be able to pull himself up on the legs of his highchair & this morning I caught him holding on to the loungechair arm with one foot up on the base. Makes me wonder what he'll be up to once he can really climb things!!

Back the normal routine

Today is Tom's first day back at work after nearly 3mths of holidays. So it's time to get back into the normal day to day routine. This means getting up at 6am, being at home by myself with Josh & trying to figure out some sort of routine for the day. My plans for today so far are to do the grocery shopping & buy some clothes for Josh. Plus fit in 30min exercise. Tomorrow I think we'll check out the only playgroup in Esbjerg.

Commitment

Before I started work I used to go to the gym 2-3 times a week. Then it became a bit less often when I began work cause it was harder to find a time that suited, and after I became pregnant with Joshua I just didn't have the energy. So after Joshua was born I made a commitment that I would join the gym again & go regularly. However I hadn't yet for the following reasons:

1) Have to wait 6 weeks after giving birth

2) Was going to Australia for 3mth

3) Was doing an after birth exercise class already

4) Gyms in Denmark don't provide child minding during the day

While in Oz we had the chance to try out the Wii fit plus & I decided that this would be an excellent solution to the child minding problem, as well as the suitable time issue that I sure would arise from time to time. So on Saturday we bought it & I started my program today. My goal is to do 30min/day.

Now the fun begins

Joshua's newly aquired mobility combined with his highly inquisitive nature has resulted in shelves, draws, baskets & everything else within reach being emptied & strewn across the floor. His favourites are the magazine rack & the wire baskets in the kitchen. Unfortunately he is a little too confident with his ability to stand up & walk so there have been many spills & bumps on the head.