HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hi everyone! Only a few hours left of this year so I thought to wish you all a Happy New Year.

Baby Bear is on his 13th day of not pooing but we took him to the doctor yesterday and were given laxative which we have given him, so hopefully he will open his bowels very soon. Today we have been to a really fab Funfair in Hyde Park. Not that he will ever remember any of it, but me and papa Bear had lots of fun. Pics to be posted later.

Well, I'd like to thank you for all the wonderful comments and the emails that I have enjoyed this year - it has been such a pleasure to read them and to get to know you, even just a little bit. Your blogs have made me think, definitely made me laugh and often made me shed tears- so for that I want to say a million times, thank you.

Have a peaceful, fun filled holiday with much joy and laughter and may all your New Year wishes come true.
See you next year. PUSS PUSS

Baby Bear on New Years Eve dressed up in his Ralph Lauren gear

Mum and Colic

My Mum, when highly pregnant with my brother Erik

Last night was a bad one. Sean’s colic is getting worse and it goes on for hours and hours and there is nothing we can do.

It’s horrible to look at his when his cramps are kicking in and his whole face turns read and he is tossing and turning and screaming out the pain. He pulls his feet up under his body and clenches his fist and produce a lot of wind.

I have hardly slept in 4 days, still breast feeding every three hours or so, sometimes more despite it draining me. Thankfully unlike some other mothers to infants, I have no stitches holding my privates together!

I now know that women with kids…they are “superwomen”. I have an unbelievable amount of respect for mothers now more than ever….and for the single mommies….Seriously……you guys are superheroes.

And speaking of mothers. This morning was the first in 6(!) weeks that I wake up without having my Mum around. She has now gone back to Sweden and to be honest, some might have thought it’d be a relief for me after all this time, but the truth is that I really miss having her around already.

I have a new found respect for her, especially now that we both are Mommies and can relate more to one another. I don't know how I would have coped these last few weeks without her. She has been through a tough few years and her battle is still not won, but I want her to know that her beloved grandson and I will be here for her every step of the way, cause we love her.

Without her vast knowledge, many valuable lessons these last six weeks and most importantly her unconditional love I would not be half as strong as I am today and would have most likely been diagnosed with post natal depression.

Thanx Mum I love you. xxx

Happy One Month Birthday Sean!

SEAN ALEXANDER D.O.B 27 NOV 2008

Baby Bear is one month old today! It’s amazing how time flies.. He has grown out of a number of outfits already. And to think that the first week, we had to scramble to find a few that would not swallow him.

Every night is still somewhat of a parenting challenge for Bear and I, with Sean keeping us awake for hours on end with his stomach cramps, but colic normally only lasts three months, so now there are "only" two to go! :-)



There are many fantastic things that a 1 month old baby can do that a newborn cannot:

Milestones for a month old baby:

* Your baby can lift his head slightly for a few seconds when lying on his stomach.

* He focuses his eyes on your face.

* With his eyes, he'll follow an object moved about six inches above his face.

Getting to Know You:

Your baby loves your face, your smell, the sound of your voice. By his one-month birthday, he'll be able to show his affection in small but important ways.

He will stare at your face for longer periods. He will look alert and seem to listen when you talk. You can encourage him by chatting when you're alone together.

Tell him, "I'm washing the dishes." Or "I'm changing your diaper." Or simply, "I love you, too."

I wonder how many times Sean has heard his Mum and Dad say, "I love you" and has heard his family sing songs to him? Sean has completely stolen his mama and daddy's heart.

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Our Christmas in pics

Wow, what a nice Christmas it has been! I must have been a very good daughter, sister, girlfriend and mother judging by the very nice presents I got! :-)

On Christmas Eve, the main day that us Swedes celebrate X-mas, we went to our local pub for lunch and some bubbly followed by unwrapping gifts, lounging in the living room, playing guitar, singing and ending the evening with a cheese board and some wine.

On Christmas day we were mostly just chilling at home, eating lots of food and watching a DVD followed by a walk in Regents Park.

The park was surprisingly lively for Xmas day but I suppose it's because there is a large chunk of Londoners that do not actually celebrate Xmas & failing to find much else to distract them when most things are closed, a walk in the park must seem like a very good option. It's also nice even if you do celebrate Xmas, just to walk off some of the excess calories consumed :-)
Here is our Christmas in pictures:

All dressed up on our way to have a typical English x-mas dinner at our local gastro pub

Wearing just a thin coat shows just how warm London was on Christmas Eve

Three generations under the Christmas tree

Feeding my little milk junkie

Uncle Erik bonding with Baby Bear

Unwrapping gifts

Mum in her element - entertaining us

Cheese and wine

Some of my Christmas presents which include (clockwise); Louis Vuitton cuff/bangle, LV purse, Estee Lauder creams, Asics Gel Kayano 14 trainers (voted "the worlds best shoe 2008" by Runner's World Magazine - I kid you not - check out the link), Gucci handbag, Juicy Couture track suit, Juicy Couture cardigan, Lyle & Scott v-neck jumper

My favourite Christmas pressie from Bear this year - a sheepskin coat

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Sean as Santa's little helper

I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to all my fabulous blogging friends! This is my first Christmas as a blogger and as a Mum, and I am very happy to have met you and to be sharing this special holiday with you all! So far we've had a wonderful time, and I just don't want it to end...:-) Will be back soon with lots of pics from these last couple of days.

Puss Puss, Catharina & Family

My own little" Buddah Bear" - looking really serene!

Christmas, Santa and Champs

Today Santa is coming - whoopee! :-)

Good morning! Christmas is finally here and it's very uplifiting - I'm in such a good mood and am feeling like a child again who's so excited that Santa will be visiting today! Mum, me, my brother Erik, Bear and Baby Bear are going to a local gastro pub for Christmas lunch. We've stocked up on loads of Champagne which we will be sipping once we are back and throughout the evening whilst unwrapping all the presents. In the meantime I thought I'll post one of my favourite quotes, by Madame Lilly Bollinger, regarding just that drink; CHAMPAGNE:

"I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty"

A typical night for us

Last night before going to bed, I thought to make a note of the events of the coming night. Here's what happened;

10pm - fed Baby Bear

11.30 - Baby Bear fell asleep

1.30am - Baby Bear woke up with stomach cramps and was very cranky. I had to get up and waddle him for some time before he fell asleep again.

3am - Baby Bear woke up again and was hungry. Fed him

5am - Baby Bear woke up with stomach cramps. Bear tried walking around with him, put him under the music mobile, turned on the lights, waddled him etc. Baby Bear finally slept.

6.30am - Baby Bear woke up and was hungry - Fed him 30 mins

7am - Gave him to mum in other bedroom to try and get some uninterrupted sleep

8.30 - woke up, heard Baby Bear in other room. Went to check on him. Mum said he has been awake since she's 7am and that he has been grouchy with cramps the whole time, but also that she can manage it, so I went back to bed.

10(-ish)am - Mum woke me to say Baby Bear is hungry and I fed him.

So, as you can see, life as a parent to a new born is very different to what it was like before. No more sleeping until the alarm comes on or even just a few hours uninterrupted sleep - that's in the past.

I have bought Gripe Mixture for colic which I'm replacing the Dentinox drops with, starting from today. Again, hoping to see some improvement. I'm ready to try everything there is out there but obviously not all at once cause then I don't know which ones are working.

Well, despite the sleepless nights, life as a Mum is wonderful and I wouldn't change it for the world. Sean has in the last few days started to really focus his eyes and is really looking at me and recognising me which is such a joy.

Earlier today we went to see my health visitor and weighed Baby Bear. He was exactly 4 kilos and I was told it was a perfect steady gain. :-) Now I can't wait for tomorrow, Christmas Eve, which is when we (and other Swedes) will celebrate X-mas. We will however, save some pressies for the 25th which is when the UK is celebrating, so Bear feels that we are embracing his tradition too. Bye for now.x0x

Swedish Santa & x-mas card from Bear

Afternoon! Baby Bear was waking up on and off until 6am, because of his stomach cramps. We then both slept until 12pm today! Help.... half day is gone, and there was me thinking I'll be up early and out of the flat before noon, to go last minute x-mas shopping.

He hasn't had any poo in his nappy since Thursday and I really wished I saw some this morning - that must be a first - wanting messy nappies!haha!

I called my health visitor and she said it's perfectly normal for infants who breast feed not to poo for up to a week, but that I can drink a small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in the mornings, which should do the trick! Watch this space.

Ending today's post with attaching a card that my darling Bear has sent me, and also by shattering the myth that all Swedish men are love gods..... giving you "Swedish Santa" LOL!

Christmas card received in the post from Bear which reads:


"For the one who shares my life - Since we met you have made my life one ongoing happy one, full of joy and bliss. Catharina; I wanted you to know that I still cannot believe how lucky I was to find you. Being in your arms is where I want to be. Happy Christmas, With all my love at Christmas, and forever - Bear xxx"

Labour ward pics and birth story to follow

Apologies for my absence these last few days. It's very hectic here with Christmas so near. I've nearly bought all pressies but am going to do some last minute shopping tomorrow. Baby Bear has been slightly better and thankfully have slept a bit more in the night and a little less during the days. The stomach cramps still comes and goes, and I'm not sure if the drops are working although they certainly make him fart!

I've had some requests from readers of my blog to write my birth story which I am currently working on, but in the meantime I'm posting some pics from the labour ward. Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend xoxo.

Excellent exhibition!

How can an angel cause so much mayhem?

Hey ho, lucky me, I managed to get 4 1/2 hours sleep last night! Baby Bear woke up around the usual 12 -12.30am and the colic kicked in, and it was a lot better than the night before, as it "only" lasted until 4am (as opposed to 7am the night before). I dont know if it's just me being naive, but I am thinking that his condition is getting slightly better? Are the new drops really are working? Or was it just a one off? Only time will tell...


The Body World exhibition today was incredible - I was mostly fascinated by the preserved embryos, which started from a foetus of one week old right up to the baby at birth. By week 6, you could really see it was a baby and the fingers and toes were showing and I was getting quite emotional..especially as it is only a few weeks since my little baby boy arrived . Anyway, fascinating, well worth a visit and is was great to be out and about. I planned to post some pics, but unfortunately photos and video fimling was prohibited.

x-mas tree and preserve human bodies

Transporting the x-mas tree using the very handy pram

what it looks like all dressed with pressies underneath

Today was the finest winter's day in London. Unfortunately for us, last night we tried to comfort Baby Bear from midnight until 7am(!), and tried to get him to sleep. Luckily for Bear he didn't have a client meeting until 12pm today , but it was still so very stressful. I'm finding it so difficult to cope when baby Bear cries, uncontrollably, and even more so because I'm helpless. The only thing that's comforting is that colic doesn't last forever even though 3 months seems like a life time....

We finally found a Christmas tree (at our local petrol station - charming, eh?) and have now dressed it. I really cant wait to have our first proper family Christmas with our son here.

Tomorrow Mum, brother Erik and I are going to The Body Worlds London exhibition, where anatomist Dr Gunther von Hagens, have used his world renowned technique of plastination to preserve human and animal bodies.

The exhibits on show have been created by taking thin slices, sections of the body and organs, and coating them with an air tight seal of plastic that preserves them perfectly for scientific scrutiny. Hopefully I will be able to take some pics there so I can post some here later. Night night.

Gorgeous stuff from Juicy Couture

Dear Santa;

A round neck wool blend long Juicy Couture cardigan with self attached belt and gold tone buttons (which can be found here) and the new this season's Gray velour track suit with a pink gitter 'Her Majesty Juicy Couture' logo at the back, are both on my X-mas wish list this year.

Fab local Marylebone cafe/deli

Yesterday Mum managed to persuade me to get out of the flat and do some Christmas shopping in town. I was feeling quite low and sleep deprived but by 3pm I had finally managed to shower and get dressed. The streets of London are really busy but there's a lovely atmosphere and I really think the Holiday season really is the most wonderful time of the year in London, even despite the lack of cabs and hoards of tourists.

On our way home from town we stopped by this traditional café-deli which is one of my favourite places to relax with a good cuppa and a sandwich after hitting the shops on Marylebone Lane and Oxford Street. The shop itself dates back to 1900, and it still retains that old-fashioned charm of the village grocer. Sorry bout the bad quality pics taken with my mobile phone.

Friday night fun :-) and Colic :-(

Wearing my new over the knee black boots, topshop jeans, black French Connection shirt and black leather D&G handbag on Friday night

Friday night out with Bear was a real success. It really was like any other night out except that we had to squeeze it all in, in the space of three hours and be back home by 11.30pm. First we went to see a rock gig (Bear's friend plays the bass) at The Metro Club on Oxford Street followed by drinks at the uber trendy Long Bar at the Sanderson Hotel where I bumped in to an old friend. In fact, I saw many of the old faces there who were regulars when I was on 'on the scene'! Same old, same old....I am glad that my life has moved on ;-)

We have now tried Sean's drops for colic for 5 days, and unfortunately they don't seem to work. Sean is crying, mainly at night, and is at times inconsolable. It's really putting a strain on me and Bear and during the days I'm exhausted and am dreading the nights. I still would like to stay positive, hoping that it wont turn worse, as I've heard that the colic is at it's peak when the baby is 12 weeks old. *sigh* -

At the moment we are swaddling him, putting him in the pram and the bouncing chair, keeping the lights on and when everything fails to keep him quiet, I breast feed him which seems to be the only thing that calms him down. My sympathy goes out to all colic parents out there... Night night.

Flowers and random ramblings

Long stem roses from Bear

I've just about managed to squeeze in to my old jeans! :-)

Firstly, I want to thank Bear for the beautiful long stem roses he bought me yesterday. He knows' I'm a bit vulnerable (mainly about what's happening with Sean and his cramps) at the moment and wanted to cheer me up. Every girl loves flowers and I am no exception to the rule, so thank you darling! I love you :-)



Other than that, we didn't manage to find a Christmas tree to our liking yesterday, so we are still on the look out for one. We are planning to pop down to M& S on Oxford Street over the weekend to see if they have started selling trees there.



Today we went to the health clinic to weigh Sean as I've been worried he is not keeping enough of the milk I'm feeding him, as he is vomiting on and off. To my joy, he has put on weight and has gained a healthy 700gram since his birth!



Tonight will be the first time since my baby was born, that I will be away from him for more than 20 mins (except for when I leave him with Mum every morning between 7-10am to catch up on some sleep that I lost in the night).

Bear and I are hitting town later for dinner and drinks, and Mum will be baby sitting. We will only be away for a couple of hours but it will be nice to have some quality time just the two of us, without having to think of messy nappies etc.



Posting pic of me in my old jeans that I was wearing prior to becoming pregnant - whoopee! I'm yet to weigh myself because I have decided not to think about weight or loosing any until after the Holidays. Have a great weekend - I can't wait to get dressed up, blow dry my hair and make myself pretty for Bear (and myself) this eve. PUSS

Fringe Fashion

Newly bought moccasin boots as seen on Kate Moss above

Thought I'll post a picture of these lovely pairs of moccasin/tassel boots that Mum and I bought yesterday (she got them in black and I got brown ones to match my brown sheep skin coat). Bear always says I'm such a fashion victim, and now he's got even more reason to tease me, haha!

Today we are going out on a mission to find a Christmas tree followed by a full hour's massage at 4pm. It's with a Thai lady (that has been recommended to us) who will bring all her gear to our flat, and I can't explain how much I'm looking forward to that. Ciao Ciao!

Emotional roller coaster of postnatal motherhood

Leaving the Lucia event at the Swedish Church last night

Sean is 12 days already. I can't believe how time is flying!

With Mum's huge support, I kind of thought that I had made it past the first huge hurdles , only to be struck with a blow. He has got what seems like stomach cramps, mostly in the night, and as the health visitor who came by today explained it might be colic! (but it might not as well..)

She also explained that there is such a bad stigma to the name and that it doesn't have to be as bad as one might think. She said that he looks like a healthy boy and that it seems like I'm doing all the right things and that I don't seems like an anxious mother at all... Well, despite that, naturally, as his mother, I cant help but be worried sick......

Motherhood is a wonderful thing, but you are just not prepared for the never ending worrying. "Is he breathing, is he warm enough, is he dressed properly,did I feed him enough" etc etc

I adore my baby boy, I would die for him, but I am overwhelmed with it all - and I put so much pressure on myself to be the best.. I want to be the best Mummy so badly I can't let him down, that's what I am thinking 24/7. I have bought some drops called Infacol today, so I'm hoping we will see some improvement and that the cramps he is experiencing right now will not escalate.

Last night we went to the Swedish Church for Lucia celebrations and Christmas carols. Sean behaved really well, didn't cry at all throughout and undoubtedly likes the Swedish tradition, lol. Bear said he too, really enjoyed it, even though he didn't understand a word of what they were singing. We had some mulled wine and ginger snaps afterwards and all in all, it was a great evening.

Our weekend in pics

Hello! As you can imagine, it is taking some time to adjust being a parent, and currently I am sleeping during the day and staying awake in the night to feed my dear son. It's like living in a different time zone. I feel like I've got constant jet lag. So; I'm sorry that I haven't been blogging these last few days, but I will therefore make up for it by posting lots of pics. Will be back soon to write more how we are progressing here as a family, now that two has become three in this household. XOXO

Mum and brother Erik

Sean looking gorge in his Ralph Lauren sleeping gear

Proud Parents strolling in Regents Park
Jenny holding Baby Bear for the first time

Sean in a funny sleeping position

Papa & baby Bear dosing

Winter cosy

My little love bundle