Birth story in brief

Thought I would tell you about the actual birth but in a short edited version:

We arrived at the hospital at 8am, scheduled to have the operation at 09.30am.

When we arrived we were told we had to wait until 11am, as there was an emergency caesarean before us. Then at 11am, we were told there was another emergency and so we had to wait until lunch time.

Around 12.30, we were told yet another emergency caesarean was taking place and it was unlikely we would go in before 5pm.

Finally, at 3.30pm we were told to get ready and change in to our clothes to prepare for the operation. Then the doctor arrives at 4pm and tells us that they do not want to proceed with the operation until the next day as there wouldnt be enough staff on hand.

Words can not explain how disappointed we were but as if Alva had heard our prayers - my contractions started! Alva wanted to come out! So the doctors then had no choice but to go ahead with the operation. Thank you Alva!!

We went in to the operating theatre and I was given the epidural and a spinal injection to numb my body from the shoulders and down.

Not much to say about this, apart from the fact that Klaus almost passed out watching the needles go in to my body! ;-)

I lost all feeling in my right leg at first and then it followed up my whole body. It was a scary feeling not being able to feel any part of your body.

I kept annoying the doctors (and Klaus) by asking them if my legs were still there! The operation then started and Klaus was amazing support, talking to me about holidays and food (at this point I hadnt eaten for almost 24 hours!) to keep my mind off things.

I felt the doctors move around in my stomach but I felt no pain at all.

Then, at 18.38 I heard a screaming and the screen was lowered so that we could see our beautiful daughter! Alva arrived!

She was wrapped in a blanket and put on my chest for me to kiss her.

I dont think Klaus and I have ever felt such happiness as we did when we first saw her little face.

26th January 2011 - She is here!

Content after first feed.

In the recovery room

Just born! 30 seconds old.

(try not to look at the bloodstains)

Celebrations

Big girl!

On Saturday it was my 33rd birthday, which marked the end and the beginning of an era.

I was spoiled with home made "taarta/torte" for breakfast (in bed), which was made by Klaus.

Its a birthday cake which my mum used to make for me when I was little and I hope we will continue this tradition with Alva. Its very tasty! Just bananas, strawberries and cream!

Amazingly, despite his charming clumsiness, Klaus only managed to cover parts of his pyjama in cream and he didnt drop the cake! ;-)

Over the weekend, we took the opportunity to do the things we probably wont be able to do in a while, such as:

Not get out of bed until noon

Go to the cinema for a matinee (we watched "Due date" which was very funny)

Have dinner at Nobu (yum!)

Go to an art fair

Sleep (although I am still only managing to get through a few hours each night....)

In 48 hours time, we will finally meet Alva!

One week left!

Today it is exactly one week left until we meet Alva! It is getting very exciting now and almost a little bit surreal to think that it will no longer be "just the two of us".

This time next week, we will be a family.

Here are some images of her bedroom accessories.

Honeymoon part 2

And here are some more photos...



Kaufmann house in Palm Springs


Sunset during our drive through the desert



Klaus at Amangiri

Cheesy tourist picture Grand Canyon (sorry Klaus....)

Our Mesa View Suite at Amangiri

Honeymoon

Amangiri at night

Priscilla and Elvis

Turns out we didnt need one....we are married!

Not exactly the vintage Mercedes we hoped for but it did the trick...

I figured I would take this opportunity to do a post about our amazing and unforgettable honeymoon, seeing as we havent had the chance to share this with you.

The trip was arranged the following way:

Flight to Los Angeles - 1 night at the Thompson Beverly Hills hotel. Not the most memorable night as I magically developed a chest infection on the flight over and we had to call a doctor as soon as we got to the hotel.

Then followed a 3.5 hour drive the next day to Las Vegas in our white Ford Mustang. If you are going to roadtrip you might as well do it in style...

Checked in at the Stratosphere hotel and upgraded ourselves to a junior suite. Again, if you are going to do Las Vegas cheese you might as well go all the way!

Three days in Vegas was more than enough and on the last day we decided that getting married was so much fun that we wanted to do it all over again. This time - with Elvis Presley!

So off we drove to the Graceland Chapel, me in my Priscilla outfit and Klaus with his fake unironed sideburns. What followed was 20 minutes of pure happiness, fun and a singalong of "Viva Las Vegas"! Thankyouverymuch.

Next stop - Utah. We drove for roughly another 3.5 hours to reach the Amangiri resort by Lake Powell. It is literally in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by red rocks and canyons. Absolutely stunning landscape and so tranquil.

We stayed in the Mesa View Suite which had a little patio with a fire place, overlooking the canyon. The bed was the size of a room and the bathroom had two showers, so newlyweds can always keep eachother company! ;-)

The first evening was spent in front of a fire place in the main building, watching the sunset and drinking tea curled up in their huge sofas. We only stayed two nights as we were virtually bancrupt by the first night but it was worth every single penny! The days were spent swimming in the stunning pool, reading books and sleeping. What more does one want!?

Reluctantly we left Amangiri on Monday morning and drove towards Flagstaff, Arizona.

We stopped along the way to buy some jewellery made by the local Navajo native americans who had set up "shop" (read: tables) in the middle of nowhere. These have become very treasured by myself and Klaus. The ghost beads used in most of the bracelets/necklaces are supposed to bring good luck.

After a quick touristy pit stop halfway through Grand Canyon, we arrived in Flagstaff where we set up camp for the night. We managed to find the weirdest hotel which has a reputation of being haunted by ghosts. Also,the rooms are named after film stars or musicians. It was truly an experience.

Flagstaff itself is a lovely american small town with nice shops, cafes and restaurants.

After a horrendous nights sleep (must have been the ghosts) we had an unforgettable breakfast at La Bellavia. They are famous for their "swedish oat pancake" (unheard of in Sweden!) which was served with bananas,cinnamon and apple sauce. We also had fruitsalad, yoghurt, multigrain banana pancakes and smoothies. Basically, a heart attack on a plate! But boy, did it taste good!

This set us up nicely as we had a 6.5 hour drive ahead of us to Palm Springs!

The drive to Palm Springs via Lake Havasu is absolutely stunning. Not a car, person or building in sight for 3 hours as you drive through nothing but desert. Temperature reached 110F/43C so we had stocked up well on Arizona Green Tea to keep us going!

We reached Palm Springs around 6pm and checked in at the Ace Hotel. Its a fun, friendly modernised motel which has been decorated purely in 50's style. In other words - we loved it!

Our days were spent by the pool, reading and playing in the water. In the late afternoons we would trawl the retro furniture stores which there are a multitude of along the main street.

In the evenings, we went neighbourhood cruising and taking in the stunning mid century architecture which is so typical of Palm Springs. We saw the houses of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and the other Rat Pack members.

Palm Springs really has a special place in our hearts and we have promised to go back once Alva is a little bit older.

Boemp

Last day at work!

A little message for Klaus...

Almost 6 months, in Milan

Taken last night! At 37 weeks

In Milan again

I dont really want to bore anyone with pictures of how the "boemp" (bump) a.ka Alva has developed over the last 9 months.

But what I will do is share some pictures of what a big girl she (or is it me?!) is now! Ive put on 11 kilos or so and the majority seems to have gone to my northern "Dolly Parton" regions!

Makes for difficult breathing, I can tell you...

Countdown

Its January 13th 2011 and today its only 13 days left until Alva enters our world.
It is a mixed bag of excitement, joy, fear, anticipation, frustration and more. This last month seem to have lasted forever and the lack of sleep and general discomfort doesnt help.
But feeling Alva move and kick makes all the problems suddenly go away. It is really the strangest feeling having another person living inside of you.

Klaus has done a great job at putting Alva's bed together. We love the fact that it was bought in London back in 1977, shipped over to Stockholm and now - 33 years later - it has been brought back to London again! We hope it can be passed down through generations.

We have also invested in a pram. Much to Klaus' amusement we bought a Bugaboo Bee (please ask him how he feels about this) as it is super light and folds in one simple movement.
Something which comes very much in handy when trying to manouver the steep stairs AND comfort a screaming baby!

I think we have a very good approach to our new adventure, not stressing about what is yet to come, not investing silly money in gadgets we will probably never use (sterilisers,pah!) but most of all just accepting that we will learn as we go along each day.

I couldnt think of a better and more wonderful person than Klaus to share this adventure with.