Saturday, March 30, 2013

Frohe Ostern!

It is Saturday already, but we are still waiting for the tulips to show their true colours...


... and the grass to grow so that the chicks can hop in.


Hopefully by Monday...

But anyway, Happy Easter!

*****
Pääsiäistunnelmaan pääsy on vähän jälkijunassa, etenkin kun emme pääse herkuttelemaan mämmillä.

Mutta joka tapauksessa: Mukavaa pääsiäistä teille kaikille!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

No More Dummies!

I have been thinking about loosing Fräulein's pacifiers for quite some time. You might remember, how I asked your opinion about it one year ago. She was only using them when sleeping, but I did not have the energy nor the strength to take them away.

Pacifiers are not good for a child's teeth and might affect the occlusion. In Finland, it is recommended that when a child is one year old, she should use a pacifier only when sleeping. And when the child turns two years old, the pacifiers should go for good. I'm not sure if there are any recommendations here in Germany regarding the pacifiers, but I often see four-year-olds using one...


After Fräulein turned two, the birth of her little sister came closer. As the pacifiers where very comforting for Fräulein, I thought it would not be the best time for something that felt so radical.

This January, when my mother was visiting us, we finally decided to get rid of the pacifiers. Fräulein packed all her dummies to a plastic bag and we took the bag to our front door so that a cat could pick them up and take them to her kittens.

A half an hour later we went back downstairs and found out that the cat had taken the dummies and left Little My from the Moomins as a present for Fräulein! What a coincidence that Little My is Fräulein's favorite character. ;)

Both German and Finnish children's culture present:
Kikaninchen and Little My

Sleeping without the pacifier went relatively smoothly. Fräulein asked for them a couple of times, but when she was reminded that the cat had taken them and given her the Little My, she was happy with it.

The following Monday I told to her Krippe teachers that we had lost the pacifiers, but I guess there was some kind of miscommunication, because a few days later I noticed she had used a pacifier while taking her nap.

Before our trip to Finland, I talked with the Krippe teachers again and we agreed that the pacifier would get lost during our three week holiday. So, yesterday was the first day she took her nap in the Krippe without the pacifier. Yay!

No more dummies for Fräulein!
Silent Sunday
August 19, 2012

*****
Vähän myöhässä suomalaisista suosituksissa hankkiuduimme vihdoin tammikuussa eroon Fräuleinin tuteista. Veimme ne muovipussissa ulko-ovelle, mistä kissa kävi hakemassa ne poikasilleen. Vastalahjaksi kissa oli jättänyt Pikku Myy -pehmolelun!

Nukkuminen ilman tuttia sujui yllättävän helposti. Mutta kielimuurin takia en onnistunut selittämään päiväkodin työntekijöille tilannetta, joten tutti oli käytössä vielä päiväkotipäikkäreiden aikana. Nyt Suomi-loman aikana tuokin tutti oli "mennyt hukkaan", joten nyt tässä huushollissa on tutti vain vauvalla!

Monday, March 25, 2013

True Finn

What are we Finns known for?

Well, we all love the sauna!

And during our three weeks in Finland, Fräulein found out she loves sauna, too.


Three weeks and five visits to the sauna!

*****
Fräulein osoittautui oikeaksi saunatontuksi Suomi-lomallamme!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Goodbye Finland!



See you when all the snow is gone!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

The Winter Wonderland


Greetings from Finland! A week has passed already...


Last Saturday we celebrated Baby's christening at Oma and Opa Welle's house. Afterwards, Herr Welle flew to China and I have spent the week at my mother's house on the west coast of Finland with the girls.


No special activities, just enjoying the Finnish winter and snow. Even though I'm not homesick (yet), one week of snow is enough for me for one winter ;)

It took some time for me to decide,
whether I should pack my Icebugs or sneakers as second shoes for the trip.
I'm pretty happy with my choice...

If you really try to imagine, you can feel the spring in the air here in Finland. But it is definitely still winter. At least, if you look at amount of snow...



*****
Viikko Suomi-lomaa takana. Aluksi juhlistimme Babyn kastejuhlaa anoppilassa ja tämän viikon olemme viettäneet tyttöjen kanssa Porissa äitini luona. Lunta on riittänyt... ja alkaa olla jo ihan riittävästi.