CHRISTMAS DAY // I really miss our families.

Turns out the elf pajamas worked and Santa found us on Christmas Eve at our cozy apartment in Helsinki :)  He filled our stockings with lots of goodies and left them by our mini Christmas tree that we picked up at a flower shop a few doors down.  Nory was thrilled that Santa filled NOT ONE, BUT TWO stockings for her.........#haaaaaaa #JulietSharesSoWell

After a slow start to the day, we decided to brave the wind chill and make our way to the Helsinki Zoo.  Which happens to be on an island.  Which happens to be colder than attractions on non-islands.  IT WAS THE PERFECT WAY TO SPEND CHRISTMAS.  Especially since there were so many bird exhibits.  Yep, I was FREEZING COLD with THE BIRDS.  It was my dream come true ;)

Here are some pictures from Christmas Day:

^^^  Although Nory asked for a pink teddy bear for MONTHS, the little baby she got (with the accompanying baby gear!) was definitely a highlight.  As was the Kinder Surprise Egg. 

^^^  The zoo had many great exhibits, but the major ones were the big cats and owls of all sorts.  That being said, I was MUCH MORE into the beautiful landscapes around the enclosures.  The zoo made a great effort to maintain the natural landscape when they designed the zoo grounds.  It really is a unique zoo in that sense.

^^^  So pretty, TOLD YOU!  Nory enjoyed some rock-climbing after passing the moose enclosure.  

^^^  A sneak peak at the sun's descent and a newly found ANNOYANCE as a glasses user.  You guys - we walked into the AMAZON and BAM!  Fog for days.  Also...I can't stand dirty glasses.  I use dish soap on my glasses at least once (sometimes twice!) a day.  Those little cloths just don't live up to my viewing standards. 

 

^^^  This building was around the half-way point and it's where we stopped for a delicious home-cooked meal.  A HOME-COOKED MEAL!  I ordered mashed potatoes and meatballs and it was like we stumbled upon a frozen girl's heaven. 

 

 

^^^  Guess who loves gingerbread?!  (Besides everyone.)  JULIET!!!!!!!!  She can down a cookie in seconds and make you think she dropped it under the trouble when really it's 100% GONE-ZO!

^^^  For Christmas dinner, we made homemade pizza.  Yet again, Chef Quinn took the lead, but Nory acted as sous-chef and, before freaking out about flour on her pants, she really pulled her weight ;) 

In the evening, we called family back home and I think all of us were left feeling a little sad and blue.  It's nice being able to see OUR PEOPLE on the computer, but it's kinda heartache-inducing too.  Missing out on the family traditions we've had for YEARS or seeing some traditions end because everyone is grown-up and gone.....GAHHHHH.  Tears.

In an effort to STOP tearing up, let's end this one.  We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with loved ones!!!  Sending big hugs and many smiles to you, wherever you might be. 

Love, The Parkinson Family

XOXO

Reasons HELSINKI is the CUTEST and........CHRISTMAS EVE!

It's official that this town is one of the cutest towns ever.  After Lakefield, Ontario, of course.  

It's cute because the dogs here wear little coats.  And booties.  And have pony tails.  And flashing lights on their collars.  (I will try to get pictures.)

It's cute because families are everywhere.  And even when all of the stores and shops are closed and there is nothing to do but walk the streets and admire the Christmas lights, they are there.  Families with the biggest smiles on their faces, bundled and not even bothered by the wind chill that is terrible times a billion.

It's cute because there is a park on - what seems like - every single block.  And it is clean and busy and beautiful.  And the parents are playing on the equipment too.  There's not a single mama or papa sitting on the benches available.

It's CUTE, you guys!

Now.....onto our Christmas Eve :)  With everything being closed on the 24th, we were able to relax and hang out and just enjoy quality time with our traveling crew.  Here are some pictures from the day: 

^^^  In the morning, we headed to the park by the water to run off and SWING OFF some energy.  I was reminded that I am old and "lose my stomach" on the swing and Nory reiterated her love for FISH (because she's basically one herself) as she looked for fish in the water with Uncle Steve.  Since the sun never gets very high at this time of year, it illuminates the land in the prettiest way.  We ran into a Finnish man who told us that we are here at the most BEAUTIFUL time of year :) 

^^^  We decided to go back to the same area for sunset a couple of hours later.  It was pretty cold and so we didn't hike as far as we liked, but we still got to see a lovely sunset.  Nory and Jet fell asleep on our walk and they ended up sleeping for (maybe more than?) two hours.  We really should have woken them up in hindsight, because they partied until 11:30 p.m.!!!!  Santa was exhausted when he stopped by our house!

^^^  In the evening, we enjoyed a delicious pork roast dinner prepared by the INCREDIBLE CHEF QUINN, followed by an intense evening of gingerbread-house making.  Emily and Steve deserve a serious shout-out for securing all materials necessary for both dinner and the house-building.  They battled through a no-English-anywhere grocery store to get everything on the shopping list.  GO TEAM!

^^^  The girls put on their "Elf Pajamas" before their late-night partying.  Auntie Gem started this tradition on Nory's first Christmas, where the "elves" drop off a letter AND a pair of new pajamas to help Santa locate us wherever we might be on Christmas Eve.  It's so sweet and we are lucky that Auntie Gem has such a great relationship with Santa's little helpers :)

WE MADE IT!!!!

After an early morning wake-up with two girls (and parents!) that didn't sleep the night prior....and after surviving the seat-less, sardine-like situation on our layover in Istanbul.....and after a flight that seemed as though every single child on board was screaming at some point.....WE FINALLY ARRIVED IN HELSINKI!  So, to those of you who've call us YA-HOO's for gallivanting the globe with two little ones.....I mean, you SOMETIMES have a point.

COFFEE and CHRISTMAS NAILS make airports much, much better :)

But then REALLY, REALLY wonderful things happen too.  And it makes all of the just-wants-out-of-your-lap-to-crawl-around, ALONG WITH THE there-are-no-pink-dresses-in-the-carry-on MELTDOWNS worth it, times a billion.  (I'm 30 now and still excel in the EXAGGERATION and OPTIMISM department.  At the same time, I'm 30 now and - almost 3 years into the motherhood game - I can't understand my reasoning behind NOT putting a pink dress in the carry-on.  SO SILLY.)

Eeeeee!!!!!!!!  I have the feeling of Christmas ALL YEAR LONG :)

Back to the good stuff.

Our Helsinki apartment is darling and MUCH BIGGER than it appears in the pictures.  (You can check it out HERE.)  This place will be our home for the whole two weeks, which means we've got to unpack and settle in and NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT SUITCASES for days.  There's lots of room for the girls to play (sanity saver!) and we are walking distance to parks, supermarkets and the downtown core.  It's PERFECT.  A big thank you to Gem and Phil for finding this place!!!

The days here are short, with only about 6 hours of daylight.  The sun doesn't rise until 9ish and yesterday morning, Nory kept telling us that it was too early to get out of bed.  Alas, she was convinced (#gottafindsanta) and we all got ready for our first day of exploring.

^^^ Side Note:  A serious shout-out to all moms who regularly get their children dressed for cold weather.  I mean....the hats, the mitts, the boots, the layers......OY.  Nory wasn't so sure about bundling up in the beginning, but we did make some progress throughout the day!

We had a really exciting (and LUCKY!) first day.  Here are some more tales from Day One:

^^^ The main goal of the day was to find Santa.  But first, STARBUCKS!  Em has become a Google Maps Guru and she led the way, through beautifully-decorated Christmas areas, to some much-needed warm beverages. 

^^^ After hot drinks, we made our way to one of the main Christmas markets in the city, where we did some stair-climbing (for scenic - not fitness - purposes) and some more hot drink drinking. 

^^^  And at this very Christmas market, we FOUND HIM!  SANTA!!!!!!  Nory was beyond thrilled and didn't want to leave him.  Thank goodness there wasn't a line and she was able to get an extra few minutes with St. Nick.  He even gave her his business card - HA!  Jettie had just woken up from a nap and was not quite sure why she was sitting on a random man's lap.  That ended in a snap. 

^^^  After our Santa sighting, we had a TEAM CANADA sighting at the Hard Rock Cafe!  Steve saw them walk into the restaurant, which obviously made our lunch decision EASY PEEZY.  Once inside, I was voted as tribute to walk up to their table and ask for confirmation of their WORLD JUNIOR status AND ask if we could be in a picture with them.  I was SO NERVOUS!  But ultimately, I think they were more surprised and nervous than I was :)  They were such gentlemen :)

 ^^^  Since Nory slept through our Hard Rock experience, we felt compelled to visit the toy store immediately after ;)  She had a great time making music on this "running piano".  When we got home, we let her sugar-it-up with a "Christmas lollipop" that we got from the Christmas market. 

 ^^^  Jettie was a trooper about her winter gear, but she sure enjoyed the freedom of being back at the apartment to cruise and crawl.  She's been sporting some TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS onesies to model her continued support of ALL-THINGS-CANADIAN.  

^^^ Before bed, Uncle Steve and Nory had a hay-day playing with Brio trains.  It was a great way to end an AMAZING first day :)

So that was what we were up to on Day One.  It wasn't all rainbows and unicorns, of course.  There was the meltdown about getting mud on the shoes and not having an extra pair in the back pack.  There was the meltdown about wanting/not-wanting to climb the stairs to see the view of the Christmas market.  There was the meltdown about the thumb not being in the proper part of the mitten.  But, HEY, we survived and are all stronger for it ;)

HOORAY FOR TEAMWORK!  AND AUNTIES!  AND UNCLES!  AND.....it's CHRISTMAS, y'all! XOXO

Sometimes.

When your toddler spots a fresh bag of cotton balls.  And starts pouring them out of the bag.  And throwing them all over the living room floor. 

You just have to embrace the mess, declare the snowstorm, blare the Christmas tunes and DANCE!!!!!!

P.S.  NINE months until CHRISTMAS EVE! ;)

Counting down the hours....

Phil is at work today.  But it's not just ANY work day.  It's the FINAL DAY OF WORK before a TWO WEEK HOLIDAY TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!  Hip, hip!  As exhausted as we are, I think every single one of us will find a way to jump for joy the minute he walks through the door this afternoon.  It is just THAT exciting!!!!!!!!!

It's so funny to think about our initial holiday plans.  We were never going to travel (because I was going to be too far into the pregnancy), but we were going to spend time setting up the house for baby and taking Nory out and about as much as possible before we became somewhat housebound and exhausted with a newborn.  Well, turns out our newest addition will be two weeks old tomorrow (CRAZY!) which means the "setting up the house for baby" has already been completed by Phil and some friends and the "taking Nory out and about as much as possible" will not be an entire family affair.  Since Jet was born early and during cold/flu season, we've been advised to keep her indoors and away from crowds for a couple of months.  This means that one of us either stays home with Jet or I put on my big girl panties and trust Kumari with yet another one of our babes.  I'm really struggling with that last part....

If this were a movie, you'd see my heart pounding OUT of my chest....

Kumari has held the baby for approximately 15 minutes total.  FIFTEEN MINUTES!  I have been extra protective of her (understatement?), allowing Kumari to hold her for one minute while I made a tea last week and for a couple of minutes as I ran downstairs to pick up a delivery yesterday.  Yesterday's couple of minutes was a BIG DEAL!  My heart was racing the entire time and I'm pretty sure I left a "she's a wacko" impression on the delivery lady.  Kumari handled the situation more than fine (obvs) and was absolutely OVER-THE-MOON when I asked if she could watch Jet as I took care of this Christmas business.  It was really sweet, you guys.  Her whole face lit up and when I returned to the flat, the smile was still there and she was looking at Baby Juliet with so much love.  So then I felt bad stealing Jet right back and I (bravely!) did some playdough with Nory before giving Kumari the "it's over" cue.

I'm not sure when I will feel better about letting others take care of Jet.  I DO KNOW that I haven't been OUT-OUT in WEEKS and the cabin fever is kicking in hardcore.  When I get excited about a car ride to the hospital, you know something's up!  So.......we shall see what happens over the break.  Perhaps all I need is some gentle "you got this!" coaching from Phil :)

Well, it only took about three hours to whip this one up.  Jet is back to sleep and I need to eat before I pass out!  Missing all of you! xo

Speedy in every sense!

After delivery, Jet was sent to the NICU on the fifth floor.  The doctors reassured us that the only reason she was there in the first place was because she was born premature (and they continued to repeat these words to us due to the proximity of other families in a completely different situation).  The cords and sounds and tears from other parents elevated our concerns, but the doctors said Juliet was a mighty little thing and, despite a slightly elevated white blood cell count, all things pointed to perfect.  We felt so, so lucky. 

Never leave the house without holiday props!

Our early Christmas present.  Santa did GOOD this year!

The three of us, captured together for the first time!  You can bet that NOTHING was going to stop me from making my way up to floor five.  NOTHING!!!!!!  Phil got to show off his smile for the picture :)

I couldn't believe how tiny she felt in my hands!

Nory would have loved the little "cat" sticker on her chest :)

After 31 hours (which seems short in retrospect but long at the time!), Juliet was wheeled down to the nursery outside of my room on floor two!  They kept her IV in while waiting for some bacterial cultures, but that was removed the following morning when the tests returned negative for infection.  I felt so much better knowing she was nearby, even though the doctor advised she stayed in the nursery (and away from any infection that was introduced by the massive amounts of visitors welcomed by other families!). 

On Monday, we received the proud parent report that Juliet was the only baby in the nursery to GAIN WEIGHT rather than lose it!    Accordingly, we were allowed to take Juliet home at lunch time!!!  We buckled all 4.8 pounds of her into the safest car seat Phil could find and the three of us put on our best "we're not afraid" faces as we drove the 30 minutes home to Mahboula. 

HOME SWEET HOME is AMAZING!  Our family feels complete (minus the little white dog that Phil promises he will get me in the future). 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday my Dad sent me the best message ever - a message reminding me that it was the last day of November and that TODAY marks the start of my FAVOURITE MONTH!  Isn't that the best reminder message of all?  (Thank you Dad! xo)

Here's why I place December on such a pedestal amongst les autres mois:

1)  For some reason, the celebration of Christmas is just starting to become socially acceptable with everyone else.  I don't actually care that I look like a complete wacko during mid-November, but it's so great for the rest of you to join in the fun :)

2)  GOODBYE MOVEMBER!  I'm all about supporting a good cause, but Mr. Parkinstache (as he INSISTED THE STUDENTS CALL HIM) was getting a little much and I'm happy to see a clean shaven face once again.  Our mistletoe can finally go to good use ;)

See ya next year, STACHE!

3)  It's the month of my birthday, my sister's birthday, my niece's birthday, my brother's birthday, some friends' birthdays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve.................(so much awesome packed into 31 days!!!!)

4)  Traditions return (in heaps)!  Holiday baking, tree decorating, Christmas readings (THE POLAR EXPRESS!!!!), family gatherings, Christmas cards, advent calendars....

5)  Family pictures.  If you're a social media junkie, you would agree that the spirit of FAMILY is captured so beautifully over the next few weeks.  And it's not because people took photography lessons in November.  Or upgraded their camera equipment.  Or that professionals were hired for the job.  It's just the genuine HAPPINESS that comes with building a snowman, watching a Christmas movie or having a hot chocolate in a messy, messy living room that make these sorts of pictures THE BEST.  

6)  People seem kinder.  Don't they?  More likely to let things go, more likely to help out, more likely to show thoughtfulness and consideration.  Door holders are out in full swing.  Smiles are reciprocated.  There's a general sense of JOY that radiates throughout the population and I soak every cheesy moment of it RIGHT UP. 

7)  For this year only, I can say that THIS MONTH may be THE MONTH we welcome our little Goose.  (Although we'd like you to hold off a few more weeks, Honey). 

If you need a little help getting into the holiday spirit yourself (and my 7 supporting statements haven't already pushed you over the edge!), this WestJet commercial is SURE to do the trick!  I can't believe I've never flown with WestJet before.  It's as if we should do it this summer sometime, just because!!!

HAPPY DECEMBER TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Singing Christmas Tree / Whatever Would We Do Without Her???

Let's begin by telling you that I spent a long time preparing this felt Christmas tree and it comes with HOMEMADE, PERSONALIZED, FELT ORNAMENTS for her to enjoy the whole decoration process over and over again.  Alas, Eleanor has found great joy in using it in ways of her own thinking.....

In the end, I suppose it's still spreading the same joy I had envisioned :)

Baby's First Christmas???

Last year our friends Scott and Maria gave Nory a "Baby's First Christmas" stocking.  As we were decorating for Christmas last weekend (yes! it happened!), I pulled it out of the holiday bin and decided we should add a question mark to the end of the "Baby's First Christmas" cursive - embroidered ever-so-sweetly at the top of stocking.  I mean, babies DO come early (sometimes, right?!) and I was certainly not going to let our newest addition celebrate her first BEST HOLIDAY EVER in a non-traditional way.  NO WAY JOSE!  And so I told Phil we must let Santa know what's on the new baby's wish list (which she shares with me nightly via morse-code-kicking) - just in case she happened to appear before her mid-January due date.  Three weeks early seemed like a normal thing and I wanted to be prepared! 

Moving on to the next part of this random story....

It wasn't our intention to go the mall this past Friday.  In fact, the plan was to keep Nory on her morning schedule, get her to nap well, and then take some maternity pictures with Emily once she woke up.  But then Nory woke up with even WIDER FEET than her widest shoes and it was off to the mall to find some extra-wide Clarks she could wear for our planned OUTDOOR photo excursion.  This released the flood gates for a whole other series of extraordinary events:  rain in Kuwait (so much for the beach pictures!), an unhappy-and-unwilling-to-eat-or-sleep-because-back-molars-are-popping through toddler, a sick to her stomach/bathroom bound photographer, and a random "PHIL I AM HAVING SOME SERIOUS PAINS" at the mall incident contributed by the pregnant lady herself.  Just a few hiccups in the road, yes?  

Well, based on my not-so-settle encouragement, the four of us were able to regroup as best as we could given the aforementioned events.  Nory got shoes (not exactly photo-shoot material, but they light up when she stomps and plays and that's a big hit with her).  Emily rested and got her stomach back in working order before cabbing to our place.  Nory crashed for a couple of hours....EVENTUALLY.  And ate (ice cream, nonetheless!)......EVENTUALLY.  My pains subsided......EVENTUALLY.  And although the rain kept up, Emily was able to make our inside space work A-OKAY!  We had thoughts of postponing the shoot until the next weekend (which probably made the most sense) but I KINDLY (or not) insisted we got the show on the road, fearing the consequences of my mall pains as a looming early delivery.  Ah-hem, what good are bump photos without the bump?!  The show had to go on!!!!  IT HAD TO!!!!!!!! 

And so the miraculous crew of dedicated individuals persevered!  Through Nory's extreme disinterest and all (have you noticed my lack of Nory pictures these days?!), photos were taken and there's living proof I had an honest-to-goodness bump at 32 weeks.  Here are a few snapshots from Friday's session.  A big thank you to Emily for all of her time and effort in taking/editing these pictures!!!! XOXO

Charming, yes?!  We planned on heading to the beach early this coming Friday to approach it from our initial angle, but as the series of unfortunate events continues, I think this plan has already been axed.

I'm in the hospital, people!  Admitted on Sunday night with some spotting and premature uterine contractions.  It's been a big scare, with Goose already listening to Phil's "if you're not early, you're late" speech at a mere 32 weeks and 2 days of gestation.  I mean.......I can name a few 12 or 13 year old's who listen to my husband's words out of 100% fear....but I feel she's too innocent to even recognize such a sincerity in this brief, yet influential speech I've heard a billion times.  (Have any of you heard him say it with intention?  It even gets ME ON THE MOVE!).  

Back to the baby.  She's okay.  I'm okay.  And we've been receiving the best treatment the last two days to encourage her lung development and stop my contractions.  Tonight I am supposed to be disconnected from the medicine and then observed for 7 hours to see how my body holds up!  FINGERS CROSSED!  I'm hoping to be discharged tomorrow morning, at which point the doctor is to discuss with me what this means in terms of work....(sore subject 'round here).

Perhaps I will get the chance to do some more blogging while "resting" at the hospital today.  Those quotation marks are there with purpose, y'all.  Maybe that will be my next blogging topic:  "Resting" at the Hospital.........

Thanks for all the love that has been sent our way!  XOXO..........