23/24 months

July 2017

This month marked the summer of Sweden, which was about 20 degrees, but mostly sunny.
D had two weeks holiday so I, of course, envisioned big plans and made a long list of to-do's.
Major activities in the those two weeks of holiday: 

• We went swimming in Vanadisbadet, an open-air swimming pool. The water was warm but it was freezing when you came out of the water. DD and D both enjoyed it very much. I was content reading and enjoying the sun on the sun lounger.  
• We had BBQ with D's colleagues at the open grill of a playground. D has such talented and friendly colleagues, but it was hard to meet up due to different schedules. 
• We went to Rosendals trädgård, a lovely garden with apple trees in the nature of Djurgården. We saw a large group of geese sleeping near a lake and the garden with apple trees was very relaxing. 
• We ate out twice, some mediocre noodle salad and Chinese buffet. 
• I could spend more time studying as D took DD out to a playground. +2 for productivity
• We went to free museums and learned about ethnic cultures.

The fun didn't stop after D's vacation was over. DD knows all the names for the four playgrounds that we regularly go to: Vasaparken, Humlegarden, Rolis and Observatorielunden. He can express preference for one of them. He can also describe what he did on a day like "we went to museum with books and cars and dragons."

August 2017
DD screams a lot and talks rubbish/non-existing words. He makes loud noises to get attention. He doesn't really tell us when he needs to pee and refuses to cooperate when he poops.
On the other hand, he can travel for a long time on the bus/metro. And he accepts reasoning. He shows a preference for onigiri over pancakes/bread. And he loves to play with his best friend Hyuta and runs to him excitedly when he sees him. Hyuta, however, is a bit afraid of DD I think XD

2019 The end of a decade

2020 sounds too futuristic...that kind of time that's only mentioned in sci-fi movies with flying cars and neon-lighted skyscrapers. But it's actually coming in 9 days.
I have done so much in the past year, achievements and life changing events worth the entire decade.

1. I have been in a polyamorous relationship for over a year now. But it's mainly me dating aside from partner. I have formed and lost some meaningful connections, experienced ups and downs, but I have learned so much about myself.
2. I bought a flat, settled in Stockholm for the unforeseeable future. It feels good to have something stable, to have a home to come to that's mine. 
3. I changed jobs, from my first tech company to a startup that didn't suit me so well, to my current med-tech company that has an amazing tech team. I have the best colleagues who I can count on for support and collaboration.
4. I went to Japan, my dream destination. It proves to be an amazing experience despite some difficulties during that time. 
5. I went to Dreamhack, another childhood dream come true. Not as participant this time...I'm too old lol
6. I went to Amphi festival, metal/ebm/synth music festival, alone. This year I have shifted my life and fashion style to be more of a goth, to the delight of my partner(s). Not ditching my flowery dresses though. One should never limit themselves to a single style. 
7. worked on a game development project and gained more knowledge in game dev in general.
8. picked up longboarding, the perfect summer sport :) 
9. went to a Michelin starred restaurant for the first time :D foodie's dream come true

There is probably more, but this is from the top of my head. Let's see what 2020 has to offer!

My baby is 4 years old - update

I haven't kept a journal documenting D's growth for about 2 years....I figure it'd be time for a new one. When my memory starts to fail me, I can read the key events that happened around this time, if this blog still exists that is.

D got his first pair of glasses this week, as doctor said he definitely needed one. Not a surprise since the entire family consists of four-eyed frogs. But he is definitely the cutest frog of all.
He still likes to play with Lego, but gets more and more into role-playing part rather than the building part. He would pretend to be batman and demand me to be the villain and we would reenact a chase-and-catch scene. Aside from role-playing and Lego, he loves to draw ....it's my favourite play-time activity with him. He is getting better at drawing between the lines and making up shapes and regularly came home with drawings he made at school, for mama, he said :)
We still keep the reading book activity before bedtime and we watch cartoon during dinner. He expresses his love and says "I love you so much, mama", which melts my heart. When I'm home, he would come to the big bed in the night and sleep with me.
He has only made a couple of close friends at school, and due to busy life, we don't get to meet Sam, his best buddy, every weekend. He doesn't hang out with the toughest boys at school, but prefers to play with girls. His teacher wants us to make play-dates with his classmates in the weekends, but we still haven't got to that yet and don't feel the need to hang out with Swedish parents >_< (sorry, D)

Some fun activities we did this year:

• Mega Lego convention
• first time canoeing 
• visited a farm and sat on tractors
• learned some swimming, got the first certificate
• walked 7+ km without stroller
• went to Thailand (technically Dec 2018) and Poland (summer 2019)
• celebrated his 4-year birthday part with 2 other friends and grandparents

Now that 2019 is reaching an end, I can't wait to grow with D for the next decade and more to come :)

On a day like this...

On a day like this, I feel like suffocating from strong emotions.
It isn't an ordinary day. I'm off from work and we are heading off to get keys and sign final papers for our new flat. We are going to be home owners. Or in other hands, forever in debt slaving away for the bank. On the same day, our Ikea order and, unexpectedly, our design table would arrive in the afternoon.
Adrenaline pumps through my veins. I was excited, nervous, stressed and anxious. Many what-ifs race through my head. What if one part of the chain events go wrong?  What if things go south between me and partner?
We are "kicked out" of our current flat on Monday, 4 days from now. What if we don't manage to move in time?

The new flat looks spacious. The previous owner left way too many holes and nails in the walls, which apparently is common in Sweden? I was pretty pissed about it as I expected a proper handover of property.
The whole day I have been going back and forth moving stuff between old and new flats.