MISS YOU DADDY:-)

.....and to get into upright position. Anywhere and anytime. She's getting more and more self-confident. And I guess it's just a matter of days before I have to start running after her!

V is constantly trying her new abilities - to almost crawl (she's dragging her self forward, sitting on her butt with one leg kicking the floor)....

I miss you daddy!

Today we had the most FANTASTIC weather. Around 20 degrees and beaming Sunshine. We've been out for a 3 hours long walk and of course we spent some money during this time... all for V though:-). A new PJ's, socks and a surprise for Daddy when he returns from his trip to Sweden on Saturday!

CHUNKY FOOD

The Baby Mum Mum goes into the mouth and look how clean I am!

....but it sure is fun!

It takes a lot of concentration. Eating by myself isn't easy.....

This and last week I have introduced V to chunkier food, such as diced (and boiled) carrots, peas, baby mum mum (kind of a rice cracker), diced fruit etc. She truly enjoys to be in charge of her own eating, and she is also a LOT more active when I'm feeding her = a total mess!!!

Now I have to use two spoons, one for me and one for V. I fill my spoon up, hand it over to V and try to navigate it into her mouth, at the same time as I take her empty spoon. And so we go on, and on, and on until there's no food left on the plate.... Feeding her has become a patience challenging daily activity.

VISIT FROM SWEDEN & G.N.O (girls night out!)

Me and Linda at Brant House... two very headturning hot mamas, mistaken for models:-). "Den vackra" apparently still got it:-)

Linda and I had a Girls Night Out last Saturday with a nice dinner and a drink. It was so good to get to sit down in peace and quiet and just talk "girls talk" for a couple of hours, even if we of course also talked about V and Gabriella:-).

We had dinner at BRASSAII, a cool, trendy spot at King St West and then moved on to Brant House. Last time I was there it was really good, well this time, still awesome music and athmosphere but the clientele were a bit more mature, to put it nicely. Never seen so many "cougars" in one and same place. Apparantly a BIG difference between Fridays and Saturdays. My mom would have been young in that company ( not that she's not... but you know what I mean) and the way they were dressed - OH MY GOD - these outfits belonged at teenagers. Well, we got a good laugh:-)

Michael Backman

Last Thursday we had our Colleague Michael Backman here for dinner. He has been on the road for a week, out discussing Saab Training with our subsidiaries in US & Canada. It has been a long time since I met Michael so I really enjoyed talking to him and get the latest news from Saab HQ back in Sweden.

I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO...

An exhausted V on the flight back to Toronto. She actually slept most of the 5.30 hours long flight back.

Amazing view from the restaurant. Overlooking the Wharf and Golden Gate in the sunset...

Being in San Francisco you have to eat seafood when going for dinner. We were down by Pier 39, close to Fisherman's Warf and here I am, ready to dig in at the Crab/Lobster combination. Note the bib provided by the restaurant - felt kind of wierd wearing it, but it sure protected my clothes from seafood splatter:-)

MORE SAN FRANCISCO

Me and V down at Fisherman's Warf where you can smell, see and eat giant Crabs everywhere!

Alcatraz - or The Rock - as it was called by the prisoners of this world famous prison. Alcatraz held inmates like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the island and Alcatraz this time so we'll have to do it next time - for there will be another opportunity for sure! I strongly recommend anyone to go to S.F. An amazing city!

A windsurfer and a kite surfer by the San Francisco beach.

S.F SIGHTSEEING

Beautiful flowers in the Botanical Garden inside the Golden Gate Park

Amazing view from Twin Peaks, but windy!

The San Francisco landmark #1 - The Golden Gate Bridge

ON THE WAY TO SAN FRANCISCO

Beatuiful! Would have been even more gorgeous if the sun had been shining.

Amazing scenery along the Route 1. Winding roads and steep hills along the ocean.

So much fun to ride the car! A very happy V...

MORE HOLLYWOOD & SANTA BARBARA

Harbour Inn in Santa Barbara. We stayed in this beatuiful place and got this amazing bungalow of our own for half the price of an hotel room at JW Marriott in Santa Monica.

Magnus and V at Hollywood Walk of Fame. This star is for V!

View from the Hollywood- mountain. Too bad it was a bit foggy, but if you look carefully you can see parts of LA in the mist....

SANTA MONICA PIER, HOLLYWOOD & BEVERLY HILLS

View over Beverly Hills from one of the hills in Beverly Hills... saw some awsome houses up there - and the view is to die for.

HOLLYWOOD .... did you know the sign was raised in 1923 to serve as a giant ad for a real estate development?

Me and V by one of the entrances to Santa Monica Pier

VACATION TIME!

Opposits attracts! Kind of fun watching this huge, black guy and the old fellow playing chess at Santa Monica Beach

On walking distance from the Marriott we stayed at in Santa Monica Beach, you'll find Venice Beach. Sooooo many wierd people! Oh boy, being there and you have seen it all!

Checking in at Toronto Pearson International - all ready to go!

Back from the Valentine's surprise trip and I wasn't too wrong - we went to California, Los Angeles and then moved on to San Francisco via the beautiful, beautiful Route 1. We had a great long weekend vacation and it it so fun to finally have seen parts of the American West Coast. As usual when we are out travelling, the weather wasn't that good, but still it was an amazing trip!

Los Angeles is kind of artificial but still beatuiful in its own way. We did Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Walk of Fame, Santa Monica (where we stayed), Venice Beach, Long Beach and some downtown LA, but yet we missed a lot. Well, that's for next time to explore.....We spent a night in Santa Barbara on our way to SF and we stayed at the cutest Inn.

I really liked San Francisco - so much to see and explore! We only had one full day to do as much as possible so we took a guided bus tour of the city. Got to see most of it, but we're coming back for more further on...

V was such a good girl during the travel. No worries at the flight, the car ride nor the hotel beds - a pure globetrotter! By the way, she has finally got some teeth! All the drewling and chewing payed off:-)

BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS

....." Lilla Anna flyttar saker" and it's - hhhmmm, to put it nicely - well used...

This book is her favourite - it is my old book....

This book was an early 8-months present from us to V. She really is amazed by the different textures on the pages.

Reading.... well playing with books is one of V's favourite things to do. She loves picking them up, chewing on them, moving them around, open them looking at the pictures etc. She can easily sit for an hour just with her books.

THE PAST WEEK

Carita and Madelaine

With the lovley weather it is nice to nap outside in the stroller....

V just right after she managed to pull herself up in the crib

The past couple of days the weather has been just georgeous. We have had temperatures climbing towards the twenties (16 resp 17 degrees) and some sun. Unfortunately the forecast says it will be cooler this coming weekend, but I don't really care, because tomorrow we're leaving for the earlier mentioned Valentine's surprise travel! I'm not quite sure where we're going but I have strong suspiscions we're heading for California and San Fransisco...but that is yet to be confirmed.

Otherwise life is moving on... V is now able to pull herself up to standing position and she does it all the time. She also walks when holding her hands. Small, tiny microsteps - but she's moving forward. I think it's only a matter of weeks before she walks, and that's a totally objective mother speaking:-).

What else happened during this week... Well, on Tuesday I visited a new found friend out in Burlington. Her name is Carita and she has a 6 months old daughter, Madelaine. A real cutie pie as seen on the picture above. Carita is from Finland, but has been living in North America for the past 13 years.

Also on Tuesday the lease was up for my Saab so we went to Budd's Dealership to return it. Now I'm without car for a couple of weeks as Magnus is currently driving the one I'll get once it reaches the required milage. My next car will be a 9-5 SportsCombi. Not as cool as the 9-3 SportsCombi, but still a very nice car.

FAREWELL TO A DEAR FRIEND

Just received bad news from back home - Our beloved friend and colleague, Rune Löwen-Åberg, peacefully passed away this morning after a long and challenging battle to cancer.

We are so sad he didn't win the fight.

We miss him and think of his wife, Carina, during this difficult time.

R.I.P

Not a good way to start off the week....

SWITCHING TO SUMMERTIME

Stone art on the beach...

M and V enjoying the sunshine. In the background, the Beach and Lake Ontario

The Beach walk with the T.O landmark CN Tower far back in the skyline.

Sunday offered excellent weather with clearblue sky and lots of sunshine. Temperatures climbing towards +10 and you can feel that the spring is in the air! The weather conditions required out door activites so we went to the Beaches for a nice stroll along the beach walk. A lot of other Torontonians had got the same idea so it was pretty jammed in the streets and boardwalk of the Beaches community.

Today we also switched to summer time. It felt wierd to still have sunshine at 7.30 p.m. when it was time for V to go to bed. Feels so good that the Spring is approaching - I'm done with winter!

YAHTZEE MANIA

Not a very good night for Martin as seen... think he was last in both rounds of Yahtzee - but hey - it's not about winning, it's all about participating and having fun!:-)

Looks like Martin is trying to get the dice to roll Gwen's way by mind power

Magnus explaining the rules of Yahtzee for Gwen and Martin

After bowling we went back to our place for some dinner (Japanese Home-delivery) and some more playing... Yahtzee. I have to admit, I was not as successful here as I was at Bowling. Magnus and Gwen won one game each. Over all a very nice and fun Saturday night!

SATURDAY NIGHT BOWLING

Just want to point out the red highlighted field - Camilla 134 points in round nine. Don't remember the final score, but it was close to 150! Sweet victory!

Magnus in action....

V suspiciously investigating the giant pink ball

On Saturday afternoon we met with our friends Martin & Gwen for some Bowling up by Dufferin/Lawrence at Playtime Bowl. We played the guys against the girls and guess who won - THE GIRLS!!! On stake was paying for dinner. I played a really good serie and had the top score for the evening (picture proof available further up:-)), don't wanna brag - but man, I was on fire!:-)

BEST PALS

V and her new friend, Mr Doggy - yet to be named:-)

Thanks Justin and Andrea for the gift - V absolutly loves it as shown in the pic!

Last weekend when we were at Justin & Andrea's for dinner, V got this cute dog. She really likes it and it has become one of her favourite toys. She also brings it to bed with her when it's time to sleep.

BOOK TIP

Book tip of the day!

I just read the best book!, " Män som hatar kvinnor" (Men who hate women) by Stieg Larsson. It was sooooo good, I could hardly stop reading. I took every opportunity when V was sleeping, eating and playing to read - I just couldn't stop myself. It totally got me from the very first scentence.

"On Sept 22, 1966, 16 year old Harriet Vagner vanishes without a trace. Almost 40 years later the journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, gets an unusual assignment. He's contacted by the business man, Henrik Vagner, who wants him to write the Vagner family's history. But the Family Chronical is only a cover for the real assignment; to find out what really happened to Harriet. Mikael, who just got indicted and convicted for defamation, feels that he needs a break from his job at the Millennium Magazine and takes on the task. He gets help from the younge, peculiar computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. Together the odd couple start digging in the Vagner family's past and they meet a darker and more bloody history than what they ever would have imagined...."

I suppose most of the population of Sweden already have read the book, but since I'm over here, I just heard of it, scanning through the 10-top Paperback list! Apparantly the 2nd book "Flickan som lekte med elden" (The girl who played with fire), in this planned triology, was released in June 2006, and that is a given present for my upcoming birthday (right Carro?) in April. Just can't wait to get started reading it!

VÄLLING TIME!

Välling is good stuff! V just loves her välling. Feeding V can be a bit of a hassle as she at the same time is totally occupied kicking her legs, swinging her arms, grabbing & pulling the bottle and rubbing her eyes....but she always finishes her Välling, it's just a matter of how long it will take:-)

Yesterday, March 7, we went to the doctor's office for a routine check-up on length and weight. V is now 70.5 cm long and she weighs 7.55 kg. Next appointment is for April 11. She will then be almost 9 months, oh boy - time sure flies!

JUST ANOTHER MONDAY

Our precious little sunshine!

Freezing temperatures and strong winds, made us stay inside the whole day and then what to do... well get on the floor and play with V is one activity. Doing boring household chores is another... Here's a typical day in my Monday-Friday housewife life:

07.00 Rise and shine as V is wide awake and eager to start the day

-8.30 Playtime on the floor or in the Jumparoo

8.30-9.00 V's Breakfast

9.00-9.30 My Breakfast while V is playing on her own

9.30-10-ish Playing with V

10-ish V's napping time and my two hours of getting things done start....

Noon-ish V wakes up

12.30 Prepare lunch for V

-13.30 Lunch for the two of us

14.00-15.30 More playing, running errands or if the weather is nice just taking a stroll outside

15.30-16.30 Nap #2

16.30-ish V is getting meal # 3 of the day; välling, cereal or mashed banana or anything else equally yummie!

-18.00 Some more playing...

18.00 Bath time!

18.30 More playing.....

19.00-ish M is usually coming home at this hour.... Preparing the välling (formula), feeding #4 and V is getting ready for bed

19.30-20.00 V is hitting the sack

20.00-21.00 Prepare dinner/eat,

21.30-22.30 Browsing Internet, watch TV and usually fall asleep in the sofa ....

Exciting, eh?

OUT IN CYBERSPACE

M and V talking to Tomoko

A common sight in our house - videocalls with family! This Saturday we talked to Grandma Tomoko and Grandpa Nils back home in Gothenburg. Obviously everybody back home is thrilled to be able to see V grow "live", and I must admit, I wouldn't survive a day without MSN Messenger and the chance to talk to people back home.

PARTY PRINCESSES

From left: Alie, Marie, Me, Jo and Linda at the Brant House at King St, down in the Toronto's Entertainment District. Jo, T.O.'s party princess #1, had made an excellent pick when chosing this spot to be our hang out for the evening. Great people and great music!

Since I didn't dare to bring my camera out for the Girl's night out a couple of weeks ago, I waited for Jo to upload photos to Facebook, so I could copy some! Anyways, we had a blast and I'm so happy my GWB mates did come together to take this mama out for a serious PARTY night in downtown T.O. It was totally worth the MEGA hang over the day after (at least that's how I feel now... didn't feel the same directly on Saturday morning when waking up - Oh my God what a headache!). Last time I was out dancing and partying was Oct. 2005!!!!!, so I was a bit rusty, but once a "party pingla", always a "party pingla" or as we say in Sweden, " Ränderna går aldrig ur en tiger":-).