Confessions of a Viking Wife: January 2015

Yep you got it, sleep. That is pretty much the only thing I dream of now days. I suppose this is a new parent right of passage we must all survive, but dern I can't wait for it to be over! On a good day/night Leifur will sleep in 2 1/2-3 hr increments on a bad night I'd rather not say. Friends just keep passing on words of encouragement and hope (even if it is a fib!) We will make it! The best thing though, is he is just so stinkin cute! Especially now than hes getting chunkier, I just want to kiss all over his double chins! The only time in life being toothless and having thigh rolls is cute. We are looking forward to Grandma Kitty's visit next week and Amma and Afi's visit in March. We also booked a flight to Florida in the spring, message me for dates! Leifur (and mommy) can't wait to see the ocean and have some warmth.
I can't believe how fast these weeks are passing, my maternity leave has just over one month left and I'm sure that will fly by too. I hope we have some sort of routine established by the time I get back to work, because right now the routine is there is no routine! I have been getting braver and going on more outings sans Arni lately. Every time I do it, it gets a little easier. Our first trip was just to run a few errands and I swear I held my breath every time he made any little squeak! We also made a trip to the Ice Hockey rink to watch Arni and Johan practice and finally I went to a newborn class yesterday, which was surprisingly fun. I met some other new moms and the kiddos were all so cute interacting with each other. Of course, Leifur was unimpressed and slept the whole time, I also think going to groups like this is good for me, because I am still nervous about breastfeeding outside of the comforts of my home. Not because I am a modest person so much as I am just not super coordinated at it! We are both learning and will get better with time.
This past weekend our friends came for a visit, which was really nice. They brought us snacks from Trader Joes, took us out to lunch and made us breakfast! I guess we traded out with baby cuddle time. Saturday, Arni and Johan went to open skate where they practiced some Hockey drills while Caitlyn, Leifur and I watched and then we all went downtown to Lyons's for a sandwich and ice cream. We played some board games that evening and ate Icelandic hot dogs. Sunday we all relaxed over coffee and a hockey game, The plan was to go into the hot tub as well, that is until we realized the circuit blew and the whole thing was frozen.. oops! Obviously we have had other things on our minds. It was a great weekend and we look forward to future visits.

Book Club with the ladies

Caitlyn wanted to ride through the snow =)

Caitlyn made this play mat for Leifur! It has little viking ships on it!

Wow what a year it has been! Another move to a new town, new house, new jobs and new baby! Every year we seem to face new obstacles and acquire new goals and somehow we always manage, even when I think we can't! As I reflect back on this year I realize one thing, that even when times are tough we have a strong marriage and continue to get stronger and closer every year. I am sure having a VERY stubborn husband who never gives up certainly has something to do with that. I'll admit I may have thrown in the towel a time or two if I were alone, but in true Arni fashion, he always pulls me up and pushes me on. The move to Steamboat this year was actually more difficult than I thought it would be. I figured the move from Florida to Colorado was a bigger challenge and we were moving not out of state, but to a new town a mere 3 hrs away. Boy was I wrong. My out of control pregnancy hormones probably had a play in this as well. I think now it was difficult for me for a few reasons. As you may remember we were married a mere 5 months before we packed up our lives and moved to Colorado. So we had lived our established married years in Boulder, as well as made some very solid friendships. Friends who became our families. This was the first time I ever lived so far from family, so I really clung to the friendships I made here. We spent all major holidays with them, shared birthdays and date nights and even met people in our exact same circumstance, so we all explored Colorado together. So in a way it was like leaving my family yet again! As well as probably the best job I've had in my Nursing career, and all the familiarity of my town which had once again became "home". Funny, I remember the first time I called Colorado "home". I was in Florida visiting family and friends when towards the end of the trip I mentioned to my dad that I was missing home and was ready to get back. That is when he pointed out to me that home is where the heart is, and I had put my heart into our little condo with my little family in Erie, Colorado!

Another thing I think affected the move was I never really thought it would happen. We used to dream about moving to Steamboat Springs on a pretty regular basis. All of our friends knew how much we liked it here but like any ski town, professional jobs are far and few between. So when Arni asked if he could apply for this phD Scientist position at a research office I said sure go for it, thinking there was no way it would actually happen. Well darn, guess what, 4 interviews later he accepted the job. Not that I ever doubted my husband, he is extremely intelligent and can do ANYTHING he puts his mind to, I just thought with such a change in field as it was (renewable energy to cancer research) the company would want someone else. How does the saying go "Wanna hear God laugh, tell him your plans!"

So here we are 6 months in and things are finally starting to get easier. I found another great job, we live on an amazing ranch, my horses have adapted, even to the freezing temps, I've made a few good friends, and haven't lost the old ones either! To top it all off, I am a MOM! I have a busy, crazy, beautiful life and I wouldn't change a thing, even all the tough times.

As for Christmas and New Years we enjoyed a low key, new family, tired parents kind of holiday! Christmas eve, Icelandic Christmas, Arni made us traditional dinner as he does every year, of lamb, caramelized potatoes and Waldorf salad. I also enjoyed 1/2 glass of red wine, I say 1./2 because that was exactly how much it took to knock me out! Christmas day was beautiful and snowy and we enjoyed a big American breakfast which I made and video chatted with Arni's family in Iceland, my parents in Florida and Brett and Sarah in California! It is so amazing how technology can keep us all close, though so far away. Leifur enjoyed his very first Christmas from the comfort of mommy's lap snoozing and eating his little heart out. On NYE our friends Amanda and Cody were so nice to bring us a cooked ham and I made collard greens and black eyed peas for good luck! They came over early and we played a few board games before they, very respectfully, left around 7pm. my nights are very sleepless lately so bedtime starts around 7-8pm as we know we will be awakened at least 4-5 times over the night! So thank you to them for the great company and also understanding how it is for new parents. I told them I swear, we used to be more fun haha! New Years Day was spent watching football and chatting with family once again. Last but not least to this long blog post is today, my wonderful husband's birthday! He is spending it playing his new PS4 game and we will be eating pizza and ice cream cake later this evening! I want to wish him the happiest of Birthday's and thank him for always being positive and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, even when I can't. For being a patient and loving husband and for being such a great father. Thank you for helping me so much with Leifur, my recovery, the late nights and all the diaper changes! I know life will start getting easier in a few months and we will both enjoy being parents so much! XOXO