One

Earlier this week our little Anna Silja turned one. She has gone from a helpless little bundle to a little person with her own way of being, her own will and preferences (which is expressed quite clearly at times despite the lack of verbal skills!) Some of her current favorites include dogs, her own toes, blueberries, eating with a fork, books (she loooves books), pigeons, standing without support, snuggling and dancing.

She seems to respond equally well to both Icelandic and Danish (German I don't know), but is still saying just a couple of words (in Danish). We are having a lot of fun with the baby sign language, which she has been actively using the last three months.

This past year has been what I expected beforehand in terms sleep deprivation, stinky diapers, piles of laundry and endless love and admiration for this little being that is ours. Even though I guess it's all more intense than you can prepare for. What is still surprising (even though you hear it all the time) is how crazy fast time goes by with a child. That and to experience the drive such a little human has to learn and acquire new skills. Sure we are there to provide support along the away, but the turning around, sitting up, crawling and walking all happens by itself. That's pretty damn amazing!

We are so happy for our little big girl, who is perfect just the way she is.

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Uni Wien

University of Vienna has a beautiful old main building, which I only make my way to when picking up or returning books at the main library. It's worth a peek inside the old buildings even if one is not affiliated with the university. My own institute (Institut für Kultur- & Sozialanthropologie) is located in far less spectacular surroundings (typical for social sciences it seems), and even though I'm not there much at the moment, I am busy at home or at cafes around town, plotting out my master thesis - though I must admit it's not the easiest thing to keep focus on at the moment, when the majority of Vienna seems to be in vacation mode and the sun is shining.

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Finally out of Vienna

... On a day trip that is. I think it is next week we reach the two year mark of our stay in Austria, and finally finally we made it outside of Vienna. We have hot and humid weather at the moment and none of us could stand the thought of staying in the city the entire weekend, so off we went on a train to the region of Wachau, where we enjoyed the scenic view and a nice breeze down the Danube from Melk to Krems. We also made a stop in the monastry in Melk, where our little Duracell bunny could burn off some energy in the shade.

Today is a lazy day. We are waiting for the heat to go down slightly so we can venture outside for ice cream. Meanwhile I am dreaming of my own yard with a kiddie pool and a hammock in the shade. Did you hear that Bjarni?

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30

I turned 30 this past Friday and had the most fantastic day. I had to take Silja for a check-up and a vaccination at the pediatrician in the morning, and when we came back an hour later I was surprised by my sisters, my dad and Karen, who were standing outside our front door singing and waving flags. They had come by plane early in the morning and neither Bjarni nor I had any clue they were going to casually "stop by". Talk about a (GOOD) surprise! In the evening friends came over for homemade sushi, and I enjoyed having a lot of people over, something that happens (too) rarely now because of a baby. Saturday was spent in the city showing my family as much as possible of Vienna, before they traveled back home again. Today - three days later - I still receive the sweetest birthday surprises in the mail from Denmark with funny old pictures and cool presents. I'm one lucky lady, and there are no painful feelings connected to entering a new decade. I'm right where I want to be in life with those I love, and I can't wait to see what this new decade will bring to me and to us. Cheers to the 30's!

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