Our weekend in pics

Sean 1 year old today!!!!

I can't believe it. My angel is ONE YEAR old!. I'm not sure I can still call him a baby because it feels more like we have a little boy, a tiny toddler in the flat now. I actually get the feeling now that my son is a person in his own right. He has his own personality and very definite preferences, he's not just a baby waiting to be fed, have his nappy changed and be put to bed.

It's amazing what a baby does in his first year. When we brought Sean home, he was nearly 2 days old. He had no control over his limbs, he couldn't do anything except cry, poop, drink milk and sleep. Fast forward to today and the transformation is amazing!

These days, he does not even sit still to eat. he has learned how to climb up stairs and giggles when I follow behind him. I don't let him try to climb down yet, even though he wants to, because it's scary how absolutely fearless he is.

Some other new talents--he claps and waves back at us. He is eating lots of solids now and will pretty much eat anything, although he hasn't quite figured out how to proper chew yet--he ends up storing pieces in his mouth then spits them out.

He still cant stand unassisted now, although he stand when holding on to things, and walk along side our table or other furniture.His current favourite toy is a ball which he keeps throwing, crawling after, catching it and throwing it again (for ages), and on Cbeebies he loves watching Waybuloo over and over again.

Sean really makes me so incredibly genuinely happy and fulfilled, only in a way a parent can understand. He enables me to grow as a person, and forcing me to grow up and take hold of my responsibilities, with both hands, and a smile. He is my delight, joy and purpose. A real sunshine, who wakes me up most morning with a massive smile that says “I love you, Mum”.

And you see, what’s so incredible is just that, that they really do love you, their parent/s. No matter what. In all circumstances do they love us, look up to us, admire us whilst we are trying, sometimes failing, then trying again, to be good parents. But they allow us to make mistakes, and they forgive you and give you another chance. With that big hard wonderful hug that says, “it’s ok Mum, I know you’re doing your best. And that’s really just what I am trying to, being the best Mum I can be to Sean. I hope he one day can see and feel that.

Happy first birthday my wonderful baby boy, my flesh and blood, my treasure, my everything. Mummy loves you immeasurably

XXX

Living in Britain

10 things I dislike about living in Britain:

1. Everything is very expensive! - housing, food, petrol electricity and gas etc. Britain has probably one of the highest living costs in the Western world!

2. Carpets. They are everywhere, in peoples bathrooms, in offices, in pubs, etc. They are filthy, disgusting and very unhygienic.

3. Anti-social behaviour (hoodies, yobs and chavs).

4. Small houses - no wardrobes storage rooms and most with no basements. Also, even the detached houses are built very close together.

5. Congested roads, parking on pavement etc

6. Awful customer service.

7. Football hooligans

8. Litter - everywhere. No bins in central London

9. Separate hot and cold water taps. This drives me crazy.

10. Public rail network - very expensive and so unreliable. Prices keep rising but the standard is getting worse.

10 things I love about living in Britain:

1. Temperate climate - it rarely gets extremely hot (hence no air conditioning in houses) or very cold (I'm from Sweden, so this is especially appreciated).

2.. lots of surveillance,CCTV, especially in central London (Britain is supposedly one of the most watched nations in the world!) and it actually makes me feel quite safe, although I know the average British person really dislikes it

3. There is history everywhere you look - ancient buildings, cathedrals and castles!

4. NHS - it's nowhere near perfect but medical care is available to everyone and you never get a bill.

5. Afternoon tea with tea and scones – So typically British, I love it!

6. Love the monarchy, they are a real life soap opera! (they can have the 60 odd pence a year it cost me to have them)

7. London (everything from the cultural attractions such as museums, galleries, theatre, to the 6000 black cabs who must be the friendliest and most reliable in the world!)

8. Stunning scenery - the beautiful countryside (I’m a fan of Midsomer Murders which is being filmed in the beautiful counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey) , houses with thatched roofs, tall hedges alongside twisting country lanes, lakes/mountains, and narrow boats on canals.

9. Pubs ( preferably gastropubs, and public houses) - not just a place for a drink but a friendly place to meet and eat pub food; welcoming convivial atmosphere - cozy in the winter (many have an open fire) and pub gardens to sit outside in during the summer.

10. Its got an extreme diverse population with people of different values and beliefs to mine and I love it. I love that I get to have some sort of cultural exchange on a near-daily basis.

Wordless Wednesday

Bicycles

Baby Bear riding his new bike today

The bicycle is a gift from my very good friend Vivien, who is mum to Sean best mate, Oskar

And here's the bike I would want, to cycle in real style (designed by Chanel):

the skill of walking

This morning I'm trying to encourage Sean to walk. So far, he can stand by him self, but only if holding on to something, and he can also walks along side our coffee table.

But like my brother Erik said " he will be walking for the rest of his life, so what's the hurry?!" haha. So very true. It had me thinking, when he put it that way. Not sure why us parents want our children to learn to do everything so early??

Walking is actually on of our greatest achievements and it requires strong leg muscles as well as perspective, coordination and a good sense of balance (which Sean don't seem to have as much as babies his age, as he is far taller)

It is now less than one week until his first birthday, and it will be a fun-packed week next week, with his party, and my Mum's arrival :-)

Saturday eve at ours

My favourite thing to do is cuddling up o the sofa in my cosy gear with my newly bathed baby boy in his pajamas. He makes me feel so grateful and happy ♥

Inspiration: Champagne

After yesterday's girly night out, here is a fab and relevant pic of Christian Louboutin for Piper-Heidsieck

Definition of love

Imagine this...Bear walks upstairs to the bedroom with a beautiful cup in hand and says, "Darling, would you like a cup of tea?"


And it's not just any old cup of tea that he makes. He knows how to make the perfect cup of tea (and has picked out the prettiest cup, my favourite pink one with pink hearts on it, that always suits my mood). Tea just the way I like. English breakfast tea with just the right amount of milk.


And, on top of that, he emptied the dishwasher and took Sean when he woke up, changed his nappy and gave him his bottle of milk, and have played with him, all during the space of 1 1/2 hours, when I've been snoozing under the weight of my protective duvet!

Thanks, Bear - I love you!

music

I so love music. It very much depends on my mood, my emotions and my state of mind. I listen to very different types of music. At times I go wild with electro and progressive house and some good old trance music.

Every now and then I tune in to some RnB, hip hop radio station, and sometimes I immerse myself in slow and deep tunes as well as classical.

Apart from a lot of new contemporary music, I also really love 50’s (and 60s and 70s and country, not so much 80s though) like Patsy Cline, The Everly Brothers, The Drifters, Elvis etc, and there are days, weeks, months that I can listen to one or two tunes like millions of times and I will never ever get bored. Some mornings I also put on youtube.com and I listen to my favorite artists live.

This is my playlist at the moment:

Pixie Lott – cry me out

Jackie Wilson – higher and higher

Sugababes – about a girl (produced by Red One)

Jay Sean feat Lil Wayne - Down

Disco Decay - Neelix (live mix)

Robbie Williams – you know me

David Guetta (feat Akon) – sexy chic

Etta Jones – At last (you might now it from Beyonce singing it on Inauguration Day to Obama)

Michael Jackson – This is it

Madonna – celebration

Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire (still not tired of it!)

Dionne Bromfield (Amy Winehouse’s niece) - Mama said

Steve Angello – Tivoli (original mix)

Jackson 5 – who’s loving you

deadmau5 - ghosts n stuff

Cheryl Cole – fight for this love

New on my bathroom shelf

Love love love my new see-through make-up organiser that I got today

Stupidity and sarcasm

Here is something I noticed today, crossing many streets this morning as I was walking from home, all the way to Piccadilly Circus:

You know when you go and push the button at the pedestrian crossing. PLEASE tell me why, even RIGHT after I push it (and people around me see me push it) do the same people feel the need to push it it again?

We are all walking the same way across the same crosswalk. Do they not think I know how to push a simple button correctly, so they push it again? Same scenario applies to lifts (see above).

If the floor you are going to is already lit up, why push it again? I know it is probably just a habit or human nature, but still. It annoys me. Please enlighten me....

Hermes auction

Yesterday I went to Christie’s South Kensington for the viewing of an auction of historically important handbags, Hermes Birkin and Kelly, which are otherwise know to have a waiting of more than six years.

Besides the handbag sale they also offer a selection of vintage jewelry. The auction is on Thursday 19 nov and you can view it here

The Sunday lunch

Outside Cafe Laville - one of mine and Bear's many favourite places for Sunday lunch. It's a romantic little cafe which has beautiful views overlooking the canal. Good coffee, tea served by the pot, soya milk available and the food is yummy.

I think the Sunday lunch is the best lunch of the week. The weekend is well underway, the sleep-ins have helped, relaxation is foremost on the mind and the day is still well ahead of you.

And on glorious days like this, there's nothing better than spending hours doing just that, Sunday lunching!

Good morning Sunday!

Baby Bear and I in our comfy gear, cuddling up in front of Baby Tv (excuse poor quality but very dark outside at this early )

A quicky this early morning... Here's my current motto that I keep repeating to myself:

Affirm the positive, visualize the positive and expect the positive, and your life will change accordingly (I sincerely believe in that, and already positive things are starting to happen :-)))

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Early rise and worst storm this year

Morning! Today is the 2nd early 5am rise this week *yawn*. Baby Bear woke up screaming like a stuck pig. At first I thought he had got his leg stuck between the cot bars, but he hadn't.

All seemed ok with him except the screaming, so I'm beginning to think he might have had a bad dream, woke up in the pitch black room and got scared..

He's back to sleep but Bear and I, both on our laptops with classical music in the living room, and only a dim light on, have already been up an hour and a half, and it's only 6.30 am!

Well, Wales and Southern & Eastern Britain is today facing the worst gale force winds this year (read about it here), so please take care out there in the storm!

Here's a little number from X-factor finalists, Danyl and Jamie, to get you in the mood this Saturday morning.

Bear bonding this morning

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Confessions

Confession is good for the soul ( and at times also good for a laugh or two!). Of course I don’t mean your deepest darkest secrets, more a kind of silly confession.....

1. I am terrified of insects (only small ones, not snakes and bigger animals) and would not enter a room if there is one, and I scream out load if I feel threatened

2. I am quite anal with hygiene and have got a phobia of touching public things i.e. – I always take a tissue and wrap it around the cinnamon/chocolate sprinkler in Starbucks before grabbing it. Don’t even get me started on toilet visits or on public transports (which I by the way try and avoid completely)

3. I am more or less addictive to chewing gum. I go sometimes go through one pack (20 peaces) a day, although I tell myself that is ok as I only chew it for a short while before spitting it out. Pls don’t lecture me, I already know it’s bad for me

4. I am extremely organised mainly with my personal accounting:checking weekly (on the same day) bank statement and balances online on each account that I have, and I would never spend a penny that I don’t have i.e – I have not got ANY credit card (or other for that matter) debts. Should add that I also know by heart all my account numbers

5. I stick out my tongue every time that i really focus and concentrate on doing something difficult

6. My guilty pleasure is sneaky smokes on nights out accompanied by champagne (which I am hoping to eventually give up completely)

7. My first ever crush I had was on Antony Andrews. I was completely and totally obsessed with him when I was a little girl. I first saw him in Ivanhoe (also with Sam Neil) then in The Scarlet Pimpernel (with Jane Seymour).

I was intrigued when it first aired on TV (it was made for TV) and my parents recorded it and I watched it on our VCR over and over and over. I remember writing in my diary about him, wishing that he would come and take me away and marry me!! lol

8. If I have any scabs, I have to peel them off, can’t help myself, and it’s left me with various scars on my body

9. I didn’t start plucking my eyebrows until I was 27(!)

10. I sleep with two duvets, one thin and one thick (which is also the one I share with Bear), and change throughout the night as I get hot/cold

11. I know my National Insurance number by heart (why? Dunno, ridiculous, I know!)

Wordless Wednesday

It's the little things in life...

Here are a few "little" things right now, that makes me happy:

our cosy TV-bed
the battery operated flickering candles behind our window blinds
my new Juicy Couture down jacket
Starbucks new Christmassy red cups
lilies in our living room
my Burberry ear muffs
planning and organising for Sean’s birthday
TV favourite “Come Dine With Me”
Christmas present shopping
sending Christmas cards
Sunday brunch at Raul’s on Clifton Road, W9
romancing during weekend in Paris, end of December

wintry soups

US drama; Brothers & Sisters
my Mum’s arrival in a couple of weeks

The Positivity Blog (in English) by fellow Swede Henrik Edberg

Ginger snaps from IKEA

InStyle, Grazia, Mama and other fab mags

my playlist on Spotify (West London's Jay Sean and his " Down" is one of many on my current playlist)

Wintry Walk

This evening me and my boys went for a walk down to Oxford Street to have a proper look at the Christmas lights, then we got a hot chocolate from Starbucks to keep the cold out.