The Great Salt Lake

Well, we made it.

I was loaded up like a pack mule with a bag on my back and the baby strapped in front. From start to finish it was a long trek westward, but it went better than I had anticipated. Addie was a great little traveler and I was amazed at how many thoughtful people I met along the way who offered us help.

Fun Fact: It takes about 5 days for babies to get over jet lag. Who knew?

Since our arrival there have been lots of new introductions:

Some went more smoothly than others...

It has been a whirlwind of friends and family the moment we arrived. After living so far away, it's been nice just to soak it all in.

Traveling Solo

As excited as I am to go to the US, it is hard to have to go without Ben. And he has been lamenting all week about not seeing his little baby for so long. But he has lots to do to finish up here in Finland, so I set off on the 24 hour journey westward solo while he stays home with his textbooks to keep him company.

Books are no match for a snuggly little baby

Meanwhile, I'll try to keep her from getting too big while we are away.

5 months

152 days old. And counting.

Addie's new noise drives us crazy--and she knows it.

Most Annoying Sound in the World from Benjamin Ames on Vimeo.

Baby's First Passport

Well, Adelaide is finally an official American Citizen.

It was a bit of an ordeal to get all of the paperwork in. We had to rent a car, drive through a blizzard to the American embassy in Helsinki and hand in a large stack of documents, photos, and a rather sizable check.

As you can see from her passport photo, Addie takes this citizenship thing very seriously.

It felt a little strange filling out information for an infant.

Height: 1.9 feet tall

Weight: 14 pounds

Hair color: ummm, reddish fuzz? A nice bald spot in the back.

But in the end, she passed the test. Well done, baby.

And today she got her first passport in the mail:

But why, you ask, would a baby need a passport?

Because she is going to America to visit her Grandparents. Hooray!

And I get to go as her escort because we can't have her flying alone. That would be just ridiculous.

USA, here we come!

Great Reading for 2009

This post was inspired by my fellow book lover Wendy. Check her blog for more reading recommendations

I am an avid reader and am always looking for new books and authors. As 2010 begins I thought I would profile the top 3 that I read this past year. (Now keep in mind that my options are limited to what the Jyväskylän city library has to offer in English so my selection usually pretty random) Ok, drumroll please...

Third Place:

Two Babushkas - a true story of a woman's two grandmothers living in communist USSR. A fascinating first hand look of what it was like during World War Two and surviving under Stalin's regime.

Second Place:

All Quiet on the Western Front - The classic novel about a group of students fighting for Germany during World War One. I had never read this book and was surprised at how much I liked it.

First Place:

The Gulag Archipelago - Won the nobel prize, written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who spent a decade of his life in the Gulag of USSR. Wonderfully written and filled with amazing thoughts about humanity and what drives people to do evil. It was painful and lovely to read.

Honorable Mention:

Be Prepared, A Practical Handbook for New Dads - I read a lot of pregnancy/parenting books this year, and this was by far the best one. Full of great advice and great illustrations, this is the must have for pre-baby reading.

What are your favorites from the past year?

Happy reading for 2010!

Girlie Pirate

Arrrrgh Mateys!