On the Upside

Thoughts on two challenges connected to a life in Vienna that makes it feel rewarding and worthwhile.

Silja's vocabulary is rapidly expanding these days, and it is mind-blowing to see how she picks up three different languages like the most natural thing in the world. In daycare she says Papa Arbeit, Auto, geh mal and baba (see you) The other day they were playing outside when Bjarni came to pick her up, and one of the teachers said to her: Du musst an die andere Seite gehen Silja - and she turned around and walked the other way to the slide. Bjarni and I are looking at each other and are like: Whoa!  

I have requested a copy of my journal at the hospital where I gave birth. I need it because I had a complicated birth, which has led doctors to suggest a C-section might be better next time. I got the copies a while back, and it's strange to to look through them and, in medical terms and handwriting I can barely make sense of, be reminded about the crazy intense experience a birth is. When I think back I'm quite stunned that I managed that whole thing in a language I only master on an intermediate level. So in addition to the informative purpose the documents serve, they are nice little cue to myself that I gave birth in German! And hey, if I can do that, I can do pretty much anything.

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Busy, but

when they call from day care and ask you to come and pick up a little one, who is sitting with a red swollen eye (allergic reaction?), you of course don't care about the abstract meta-theoretical texts you are reading, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense anyway. And when the little one wakes up after her nap, the swollen-ness gone, you of course suck the marrow out of that afternoon with apple/cinnamon buns, somersault in the bed and drawings of shoes (go) and cats (mao), which is all the little one cares about, when it comes to drawing.

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Bliss

Day care is shut down for a week for maintenance purposes, which means I got a good excuse to put my studies on stand by for a little bit and hang out with Silja full time. So I am currently the mommy strolling through the sunshine with a coffee in hand and lots of time to stop and explore all the things that catch those little curious eyes. It's the greatest! Bjarni, who is green with envy of our vacation mode, compensated tonight by a large pitcher of Sangria. I'm sure that makes for some great research.

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This Little Head

This week our little girl started day care, which seems to be going quite OK so far. (I think it's harder on the mama.. But that's better than the other way around, right?) With the beginning of day care a third language is introduced to this little head: Our common language here at home is Danish, Bjarni speaks to her in Icelandic, and now German in Kindergarten. She is still so small that multiple languages don't really matter, and I know through friends and acquaintances that children are very much capable of being not only bilingual but also multilingual (those small brains are sponges!), but still I couldn't help feeling a glimpse of guilt the first day, when she was sitting in a circle with all the other small kids, and the teachers were singing songs I didn't get a clue of, which made me think about all the new things she will be taught there in German. Now, I am aware of all the benefits that comes with growing up with several languages and I'm excited of our embarkment on this "thing" of being a bilingual family. Whether or not there will be a third language in the long run, I don't know at this point. So even if it shouldn't be a matter of concern right now when she is so young, or if the benefits outweigh the guilt and concern, then I suppose worry is a natural element of parenthood. And perhaps this is a common one, when living abroad?

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Six Months

She is six months today! Weeeh. My six months of experience with the incredible world of motherhood tells me it's the most exciting, challenging, fun, rewarding and nerve-wracking thing ever. I am willing to do anything for this sweet little soul, and I suppose that's what motherhood is all about. ♥♥

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