My New Norwegian Home

I am here! Just a little busy these days with the adorable, chubby person I fell in love with from the time she was the size of a rice grain. Some days can be overwhelming and frustrating. The vast majority of days are exciting and I really look forward to waking up to my daughter smiling at me when I'm too tired to hold my eyes open. I learn a lot from Pia, she teaches me something new every day. Many days I am taught patience. I completely enjoy being a mom to my wonderful little girl. My sweet baby.  She's a very cheeky little girl.  I guess I should have written this a few months ago, but oh well, better late than never! To be perfectly honest I've been working on this post for about a month, but it's been stop and go. I think I'll make this a 3 part post. One on pregnancy, one on labor and one about how huge breastfeeding is here in Norway. With Pia being my first child, the only experience I have with being pregnant is from Norway. I really have n...

She's here!!! She's healthy and cute! Weighing in at 3.2 kg or 7 lbs. 2 oz. and measuring 49 cm or 19 inches, Miss Pia Sand came into the world on September 18, 2013 at 02:49 after about 15 hours of labor followed by a C-Section. It is such a relief to no longer be pregnant and finally have Pia in our life! :-) And life with a newborn isn't as crazy as I thought it would be, but regardless, we're still pretty busy with her. We're trying very hard to adjust her to a schedule. So far her scheduling is very loose as we're still getting to know and understand this little person.  I haven't written much about this, but being pregnant in Norway has been an interesting experience at least. Most particularly when it comes to health care. The first time my husband joined me for an appointment, I nudged him as we were leaving the doctor's office to tell him I felt like I was stealing - because being pregnant in Norway I didn't have to pay an...

Despite it being a winter wonderland *I'm joking!*, the 5 Nordic countries generally lead the world as the happiest countries. Last week, CNN posted a report on the  World's Happiest Nations .  Denmark leads the world with 1st place, which isn't surprising. Norway is number 2. Sweden is number 5, followed by Finland as number 7 and Iceland as number 9. So what makes these nations so happy? Just from my own experience of living here, I can easily say that generally Norwegians at least are a laid-back, easy going group of people. Is this a natural disposition or is it the society that encourages it?

The latest craze here in Norway, which is making itself international is  this video and song.  This is from Norwegian comedians Bård and Vegard Ylvisåker, who have a TV show which premiers in the fall here called I Kveld med Ylvis. Earlier in the week when I first heard it on the radio I couldn't quite understand what I was listening to. At first I certainly didn't realize this was a comedy song and I was under the impression it was just something strange on the radio. I was curious and wanted to google it later, so I wrote down what I thought the lyrics were in a note on my phone. Let's just say I didn't understand the word they were really using was fox !!! Enjoy!!!! :-)

Friday last week I took my driver's test. It really wasn't as bad as I thought and I have had an American driver's license for 8 years, so I felt quite prepared. I felt extra prepared since in the previous months my husband would criticize my driving until I fully understood the Norwegian driving rules -particularly the roundabouts and yielding from the right traffic rules. Of course paying for a few driver's lessons were an extra help as the instructor pointed out my strong and weak points when driving and told me everything they look for on the test. :-) Even though the whole driver's test cost roughly $731 total - including the driver's lessons I paid for, it was still MUCH MUCH cheaper than it would have been if I had waited to take it. Plus, had I waited I would have had more tests to take such as driving theory and " glattkjører " or slick driving. I think it should be STRONGLY encouraged for new coming Americans in Norway to take their driver...

Americans love food. It's a stereotype, it's a fact of life. Food is awesome! After following the Americans in Norway group on Facebook, I've realized a common complaint among Americans is the lack of food variety in Norway. I'm guilty of complaining of the same thing - A LOT. I've made compromises, but for the most part, I've come to terms with it and do as Teddy Roosevelt once stated, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." This means making a lot of things from scratch and that's okay because I could desperately use the cooking experience and homemade meals are generally healthier. ****Just a side note of advice from one expat to another: Depending on my mood, sometimes it's not a great idea to replicate a family recipe. Even if I follow the recipe EXACTLY, it never tastes the same. It's frustrating and if you're homesick at the time, it just doesn't go over well.***** Due to our daughter's approaching due ...

Just last week this interview was featured in Norwegian news articles after it became popular on the blog  A Cup of Jo . I find it interesting from both a cultural and personal perspective after reading what this American woman from Cincinnati has to say about parenting in Norway. Last month when in the US, my husband, Arild pointed out to me many times the difference between parenting in Norway and the US. Though many things about both countries are similar, there is clearly a difference when it comes to parenting. Arild would tell me during his observations in the US that parenting is done the same way in Norway and it's "done by the books" whereas, in the US it seems to be vastly individual and parents just raise their children the way they see fit. Of course I've been quite aware of some of the typical parenting since living here like children only eating candy on Saturdays, children's bedtimes being at 7 and being outdoors at daycare. I haven't really f...