Bye hotel suite! It was fun. Now back to reality.

A little champagne and now out to find some dinner!

On my way to Santa Monica with hubby to go out to dinner and spend the night in a nice hotel...without the toddler. Yippie! Our 16 and 17 year old girls are babysitting.

At the civic arts plaza watching Elmo from Sesame Street with Hayden and friends. So cute seeing the excitement on their little faces.

The laying of the floor is going at a snails pace. At this rate I'll be happy to have it done by christmas!

Out running errands. First the bank and then to the local home and garden store to pick up some pool chemicals. The pool turned a little yellow while I was gone. It's good to be home, so that I can help out with everyday chores and errands. My poor husband definetily had his work cut out for him while I was gone. And now, with our home being torn upside down, we need to work as a team more than ever. But it's going to be so worth it. The floors are beautiful. Another week, and it should all be done.

Back Home

Yeay! We made it back home! It was a long flight with gross food and unpleasant neighbors, but we survived the ordeal. So proud of Hayden. He had a few moments, but all in all he did this trip like a pro. When we got home I realize the extent of the waterdamages that my poor husband had to endure. What a project! And my husband had hoped to have it all finished by the time I got home. I think he was a little over optimistic. They had just started the floors yesterday, and they are still painting in the kitchen! All our furniture are either in the garage or outside. So, basically we have no kitchen for a few days, and really no place to be but upstairs. But, it's going to look so good when it's done. Love the new floor! Dark Brazilian cherry...a beautiful hardwood floor!

Beginning our journey home. We went to bed at midnight and got up at 3:30 am. It's 6 am and we just boarded our first flight from Stockholm Arlanda.

Thoughts

Haven't been in here for a few days. It's been a little rough. My dad is still in the hospital, so we have been spending a lot of time there. This trip didn't end up the way I thought. But when does it ever go the way we think?

Now I have to return home with the knowledge that my dad is still in the hospital;they are still waiting for a solution to their living arrangements. My parents live in an appartment without an elevator. My dad can't walk. Too much strain on his lungs. At the moment he is in a rehab hospital with the idea that he'll get stronger, so that he can return home. But there is no way he can return to their appartment. The hallway and doorways are too narrow for a wheel chair, they have a bath tub not a walk in shower which he needs. So, either someone has to come here and make this appartment workable with a wheel chair or the social services elder care department has to assist them in finding something suitable. They have put their names down for a senior living appartment that is close to a local mall and has an elevator and the amenities that they may need. But the line is long. There are too many elderly in this community with similar problems. And my parents don't have the finances to buy something on their own. So they are at the mercy of the "system" which seems to work best for people who demand things with loud voices. My parents were brought up in the era where you wait your turn, you don't keep calling a government agency to demand things. So, I will have to do this for them. I've already called once during my time here. I will write them a letter today, and place a second call. That's all I can do. Tomorrow I'm leaving for home!

On our way to town to have lunch with my friend Nettan...a little break from our dealings with hospitals and obstinate phone companies. It's been a week now, and they can't find the problem!

I think I may have created a monster. Toddlers are like predators! They sense your weakness, and then they strike. It's been an emotional rollercoaster, and we've been back and forth to the hospital. The toddler senses my insecurities, and starts showing off his worst behavior in public. Like in the hospital hallway he has a tantrum and falls to the floor....a dirty hospital floor. He knows it upsets me, and that I don't like when people are starring. I feel like I can read their minds."What's wrong with her, can't she control her child?" As much as I hate to admit it I have resorted to the use of bribes...lollipops, icecreams, use of my Itouch, you name it! I will have a bad habit to break when I get home. But right now he is sleeping so sweetly in his car seat.

How to Finish Unfinished Business

So my return date is getting closer. I have to admit that I'm homesick, but I still have unfinished business here. My dad is still in the hospital, and there are too many loose ends! One good thing is that they have moved him to a hospital closer to my mom.

I started my day out visiting the department in the social service system that deals with elder care and assistance. Needed some paper work for my dad to fill out. Then I continued to the mall and did some shopping for the big kids back home. Mind you I walked to this mall which is about 3 miles from my parent's appartment. And I walked back! Needed the exercise to clear my head. Spend some time at home on the phone with the stupid cable company because we still have no working phone! It's been almost a week! No success there; they claim it's a local problem that they haven't been able to find! They said they will text me when they do! Thank you very much Comhem! After that I took the car and visited my dad and had him fill out the paperwork. Then back home again. Fed the toddler who didn't want to eat, had dinner with mom, entertained the toddler, read some stories,and now...my time. I would love to read just a few pages in my book before I pass out!

Starting to get used to the stickshift. Yesterday I drove from my parents' house to the hospital to visit my dad, and then I continued on to my sister's. Today I did the trip in reverse since I spent the night at my sister's. Spend an hour with my dad. He is still very weak, but his spirit seemed a little higher. I only stalled the car once, and that was when I was pulling into my dad's garage!

Driving my dad's car. Haven't driven a stick shift in 10 years. It's nerv wrecking. First I couldn't get the damned thing in reverse, and it took me a few minutes to get it out of the garage. Then my sister and I had to run an errand, and of course I took a wrong turn. Thought I was going to do a u turn, but the road was to narrow, so I thought I would do a 3 point turn. I turned left and then I thought I would reverse and then move forward. I was stuck. Couldn't get the damned thing in reverse! It seriously took me 5 minutes to get it in the reverse. My sister looked at me questioningly and said "...and they gave you a licence?"

Finally the weather is changing. A sweatshirt is enough! No other changes though...my dad is still in the hospital. Will go visit today after our walk.

Spent a couple of hours with my dad. All vitalsigns are stable, he is breathing on his own with supplementary oxygen via mask. And his color is much better. Yesterday he was ashen when the paramedics arrived. Spoke with the pulmonologist who said he had a small basal infiltrate in his lungs. Could mot rule out a possible infectious process. In other words, he may have pneumonia. They've taken bloodtests, bloodgases, sputum samples, chest xrays, and they started IV antibiotics. Now it's just wait and see...

Hayden in the ICU waiting room...

My dad has taken a turn for the worst. Last night he was taken to the hospital by ambulance due to breathing difficulties in spite of 4 liters of oxygen! Couldni't go with because I had just put the little one down for the night. On my way to the hospital right now by train to visit him. He is in intensive care, stable at the moment...!

It's funny how one has this preconceived idea how things will turn out! Went to this reunion last night. Haven't seen most people since 9th grade except for a handful. It was fun and interesting seeing some people whereas seeing some others was anxiety provoking. I realize that I no longer have anything in common with this latter crowd. Most of them kept in contact with eachother in some form and thus have an adult connection. For me middle school and highschool was about survival, so I think I supressed a lot of things that now surfaced. There were actually quite a few not so nice people in my school back then, so now I just felt kind of an aversion to them, but couldn't put my finger on it. But, I did enjoy seeing some and hear what have happened in their lives. Ended up being a partypooper though, and left around 10 pm with my close friends. We'd seen enough, our curiousity was satisfied!

What's wrong with this picture? It's May 7th, and the toddler is dressed in a heavy sweater, jacket, scarf, hat and mittens. I miss the California weather!

Went grocery shopping for my mom's birthday dinner tomorrow. It's interesting to visit a Swedish supermarket. You'll find things you won't find at home...! How about wildboar roast or moose, or deer??? I've never had wild boar, have you?

The toddler slept terrible last night, so that meant I did too. He tossed and turned, snored and sat straight up looking for me. I was 3 " away. He kept holding on to me for dear life, so needless to say I'm exhausted. Thought I would tire him out, so that we could nap together later, so today we went for a long power walk after breakfast. Of course he fell asleep in the stroller.

Out on a hike in the forest close to my parents house. The stones are old viking graves from about 500 AD. I used to love this place as a kid. Always come back to this place when I'm in Sweden. It's comforting. It reminds me of old times, when my parents were younger and my dad was strong as a horse. Now he is so weakened by his lung fibrosis, he can barely get around in their appartment...and that's with 3 liters of supplementary oxygen. It kills me to see him this way, and to see the worry and sadness in my mom's eyes. And there's nothing we can do!

So what do think of Haydens new shirt? Got it in "Old Town". Hayden called it his "tomte troja"(santa claus shirt). Guess he never seen a viking before!

Took the train into the city today with Hayden and my mom. We strolled around "Old Town" where we visited "Storkyrkan"which is were the Royal wedding will take place in June. The church is beautiful and very, very old...we're talking 13th-14th century. It has just been renovated (about $2 million worth) in time for the big event. Afterwards we had lunch at a very old cafe down in a cellar basement which used to be prison cells. We're talking hundreds of years ago...I must say I miss Stockholm. It's a beautiful city!

A Busted Water Line

It's never a good sign when you get a facebook message from your husband when you're out of the country that says "Call home". My phone had been off, and I just happened to turn my sister's computer on to check my mail. We'd had a water leak! I mean a major water leak! A "busted main water line in the bathroom" type of leak. My husband was out with the dog when it happened, and the girls were sleeping, but heard the water. They desperately called my husband on his cell, and then frantically tried to shut off the water and start cleaning up the mess. My husband said our bath room and bedroom were in 3" of water, and of course it had leaked through the ceiling to the kitchen downstairs. Major water damages. All floors need to be removed. It leaked through the ceiling over the island stove. Of course we'll have to replace sheetrock and drywall too. I wanted new floors, but not like this! We have home owner's insurance, but that never covers the true costs of replacing all this. It doesn't feel good since I just spent $2,500.00 on my Sweden trip. Like I didn't have enough to worry about! My dad is my major concern right now since he has deteriorated dramatically since I saw him last summer. I didn't need this headache!

Nap or No Nap

So the toddler didn't nap yesterday! If you think that meant he fell asleep early, so that my sister and I could talk the night away undisturbed you are wrong. He played with his teenage girl cousins for quite awhile, but then the tiredness set in, but of course he didn't want to sleep. He was in a new place, and God forbid he could miss something. He didn't fall asleep until midnight; only to wake up again at 2 am with a nightmare. He screamed bloody murder for 5 minutes which of course at 2 am feels like 2 hours. So much for all the advice I get about not letting him nap to get him to sleep better at night. I tell people he does not sleep better at night if he doesn't nap, on the contrary, his night sleep gets worse. I am a firm believer that toddlers sleep the best when they have routines and that the better they sleep in the day time the better they sleep at night. And then I avoid the crankiness that comes with overtiredness. So, from now on I will stick to my guns. Naptime is a must!