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Tuesday, July 31, 2007

End of Bobo's breast feeding era?

Another raining day... Today is Bobo's the last day at Riitta's place, and tomorrow she will return to her own group family daycare. Yesterday I was given some photo memories of her 12 day staying. It seems she enjoys it.

During our staying in Shanghai, breast feeding is such important in her daily routine. Perhaps because of the hot climate, she intended to find great comfort. Neighbors in SH are often shocked after hearing that Bobo is still on breast feeding. On the other hand, it's quite natural thing here. Many babies are breastfed untill age of 1 or 2, even later. United Nations recommended to age of 3. It seems not an easy task to accomplish for many working mums. I was breastfed till age of 18m. Thanks to MUM :-).

Bobo wasn't eating well as I hoped in SH. I was told that perhaps she is addicted to breastfeeding; and refused to eat main food properly. I was constantly told by daycare ladies; Bobo eats rather well. Since I never seen, I am not sure who shall I believe? My eyes or their words.

I was skeptical about ending breast feeding. So I thought to give a try after we returned to Finland. Weather is way cooler. Bobo feels more comfortable. During the first few days, I missed the moment. Be honest, I feel strong bound with Bobo during breast feeding. I know she has to quit one day, it's just matter of time. 19m of breastfeeding is not bad. Bobo calls "奶奶", when she gets sleepy or anxious. I have to distract her with her favorite teddies or toys. Just finding something interesting to let her forget breastfeeding.

Today is the 12th. day after I stopped breastfeeding. Reality proofs she has managed it, and managed very well. I am glad the thing turns out smoothly...


(Bobo my dear darling... the happy nut)

Monday, July 30, 2007

Tontti visit

It's time to check our lot again...

There are plenty of wide blue berries, lingonberries and raspberries. Bobo enjoys finding them, "Tällä tällä" (here here) she says. Of course she didn't forget eating them either, heheheeee, and ended up dark mouth and blue spotty sweater.


(raspberries)


(blue berries)

Soon it will be mushroom picking season. Since there has been much more rain this year, I speculate it will have a good harvest. I find it's hard to believe how slowly my beans have been growing. Perhaps it's because I used another brand seeds. Or somebody else (rabbits) have payed a visit to my beans? Besides beans, my pepper remains only 15cm tall since April. No signs of any peppers...


(some small beans are coming)


(bean flowers)

Our car garage has got its roof, after some wall job. Tuomo can continue main house work. Hopefully we will move in before Bobo's 2nd. birthday. What a Marathon project!


(two-floor car garage size of a city house)


(main house)


(busy ants have created own highway along the stick)


Finally nothing better than having some fried dumplings for a treat! Forget diet...


(fried dumplings)


Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Busy sick leave

I am sick :-( throat ache with coughing and voice is down. I decided to stay home one day, since the law permits one day sick leave without doctor's prescription. It's one of few days, I am "left alone" after Bobo's birth. It's quiet...

House with young kid is hard to be tidy. I call Bobo a "little tornado". Usually it just takes less than five minutes for her to mass toys around the living room. Luckily she does obey my instruction to collect them back. Hehehe...

My sick leave day was a busy day as well. Poor me! :-( :-( :-( Plenty of laundry to be washed, tided up Bobo's clothes and my closet, cooking. Rrrrrhhhh... After everything was done, it already passed 4 o'clock, time to pick up Bobo.

It started to rain. Weatherman says this summer has got more rain than usual. I am worrying my beans. They have grown about 15cm since June, most likely this autumn's harvest is poor.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Daycare

Till today Bobo has been her temporary daycare for 5 days. In the first 3 days, she cried in the morning when we dropped her, but stopped crying on Thursday morning. Bobo's own daycare is closed throughout July, since most staff and kids are on summer vacation.

To my knowledge, there are at least four types of daycare in Finland.

1) ordinary daycare, usually hosts the most amount of children; grouped in different ages. The number can vary between 20 and 100.
2) group family daycare, takes care bit over 10 kids
3) family daycare, takes care maximum 4 kids
4) private daycare
Of course there are also special daycares which run 24h to take care of those parents need to work during evening.

The maximum number of children one daycare staff can in charge is four. I was surprised to learn that there are over 20 daycares within 1km from our apartment. Working mums in Finland can have maternity leave up to 10 months. Quite often many mums remains at home after that 10 months, so it's called parenting leave. The first three months of maternity leave you get 3 months full salary from your employer. During the rest months, you get 60-70% of salary based on your previous year income. Tax office does the calculation. If you continue parenting leave, you get much less money from the State. In addition, each child receives at least 100euro per month (depends on how many kids in that family), until turns to age 18.
You can imagine where our tax money go...

Bobo's own daycare is a group family daycare, it has 12 kids, aged from 1 to 5. Sometime some kids from neighboring daycare would temporary stay there when their daycare's staff is sick.

At the first place we applied for a ordinary daycare. Pity, there were not enough places, so we decided to let Bobo attend group family daycare. We think it's better for a kid to attend daycare with more kids, so she can start to socialize with others from early age. Call it group family daycare, but actually it's not a family but a real day care. It locates in the first floor of one apartment building. It has all necessary facilitates, including a big playing room, a kitchen, few bed rooms, 2 toilets, 1 big dinning room, 1 storage room and 1 office. Most of time, younger kids are playing in the big playing room. Older kids have more freedom, since they need less attention.

Bobo was sent to daycare bit over 1 year old. She was the youngest then. During these 2 weeks, she stays in a family daycare which has 4 kids. Family daycare, as from its name, it is in staff's home. Perhaps it's nicer place to go when a kid is young.

Once Bobo is used to her new friends, she will have to return to own daycare in August...

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Toys

Yesterday I was reading an article about how useful the toys other parents have bought for their kids.

Hmmm, what about Bobo's toys?

We usually buy some toys when we visit Shanghai. As you know, most of toys in the market nowadays are Made in China. Daddy bought 2, mumma Kati and grandpa OB bought a few, and some we got from friends...

One of Bobo's favorites is book. She has always been enjoying "reading" them, both fabric and hard paper books. Fabric books are fun! They are colorful, draggable, and quite often even make sounds. Lately she has more interests on paper books. I have joined one of my favorite Finnish children book writer Mauri Kunnas's (http://www.maurikunnas.net) book club. Each month we receive one of his books. God! They are funny and I love those drawings. I wish I could be that talented. One of my dream profession is being an cartoon painter. Damn, books in Finland are expensive. Matter in fact, everything is expensive! I don't dare let Bobo "read" real paper books yet. You know, she intends to destroy them quickly. Daddy sometime reads for her. Lately he is so busy with work and our house project, hasn't got much time for a while. Bobo would drag her book and demanding we read with her. Those paper books have thick pages, it's not so easy for her to tear. However every now and then, she still gives few bits.

Fisher-price walking monkey is not interesting to Bobo. She played bit while she was half year old crawling around. Now she dislike the noise that monkey makes, and push it away. I have to hide it under the kitchen table.

Bobo likes Lego. I bought Duplo zoo series from the net. I find it's the best let her learn new things via book figures and real objects. She calls zebra "Hepa", heheee.

Wooden intelligence box which helps to learn shape and color is not her favorite either. She gets angry and frustrated after few times fail to put right block through the hole. Then she would make angry voice and throw it away. I don't know if most kids in her age are impatient. At least Bobo is. I hope she will become a patient person like her Daddy, since I am not.

Waving horse and waving chair have brought more fun lately. Bobo is able to climb by herself. Though I shall not let her do so. She might fell down and hurt herself. Almost each daycare and community playing yard has a swing. I guess she finds the excitement of swing from there.

Bobo has too many toys. Compare to my childhood I would say she is bit spoiled. She calls her name and points to the object she likes. So far she hasn't behaved so badly in a toy store. I am not sure when she would refuse to put down one toy and scream "I want that"...

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Start blog

I have been keeping my eDiary for Bobo (my little 18 month old baby girl) most of time before she turned to 1 year old. I didn't think blog is my thing, until many of my friends have done theirs.

I guess that I am bit lazy... But on the other hand, I have been kept busy by my little fellow, my excuse again? heheee...

Finally I decided to reopen my blog, which was created over a year ago with only a "test" message nothing else.

Now let's see how long I would keep this going...

So where to start? 博客

... ...

Finnish summer is too short to bear. Bobo's daycare is closed thoughout the whole July, since all the staff are on summer vacation.

On the other hand, Shanghai summer is too long and hot to stand. Bobo and I went there for a 3 weeks visit, just returned last Sunday. This is the forth time Bobo has been there. Can not imagine that an 18m old baby has been other side of world that many time already. For myself, it was until age of 23, I had my first oversea trip. Gosh, the world is changing.