Timothee is 6 months old

That's right, everyone!  Timothee has officially turned half a year old. Baby moments felt like they went by pretty quick when Jacques was little, but this time around, with 2 little ones at home, time just flew. I see how much our children have changed in just 6 months, and it makes me think of all of our family that we don't get to see nearly often enough...and how much they must be changing as well. Let me just say that it makes me look forward to our summer vacation plans with our American and Belgian families (yes...I have begun counting down the days). But for now, I'm extremely grateful for so much great technology (especially video chats!) that keeps us connected even when so far away.

Well...back to Timothee. Let's see what the little guy has been enjoying in the last month...

1) Weekend mornings in bed. Weekday mornings always feel a bit rushed, so we like to make sure to take a little more time in those 2 special mornings a week to get some extra cuddling and playtime in. Tim, our early riser, makes sure that we take advantage of these mornings to the fullest....and now that the days are getting longer, we even get to enjoy them with a little natural sunlight as well!

Papa and Tim in the wee hours of the morning

 Nothing like a beard tickle to get a smile

Mama is here too!

...and Jack Jack. PJ Party!

2) Naked Time. What baby doesn't enjoy being naked?...and Tim is definitely no exception. Even if he's having a super grumpy or tired moment, Tim is usually all smiles once his clothes are off. This month he's even happier since he gets easier access to his new favorite toy...his toes!

I love naked time!

Look what I found! Feet!

3) Rolling. That's right...It took a few additional weeks, but now Tim is a master of not only back-to-front but front-to-back rolls which means one thing. He's mobile! He is quite a persistent (or stubborn?) kid. Once he sets his mind to something, he doesn't give up easily until he gets there. Right now this usually means trying to get to a toy (or us) just out of his reach. He's been successful quite a few times and I'm sure his success rate will only increase.

Coucou...

4) Teething. Timothee is now the proud owner of 2 sparkly bottom teeth and he's quite proud to show them off to anyone looking. I remember how much of a challenge it was trying to snap a photo of Jack's first teeth...but with Tim laughing, it turns out to be an easy shot. Cheese!

Check out my 2 pearly whites!

4) Taste Testing. I would say eating, but Tim has definitely only be dabbling in foods other than milk. At the moment, bananas seem to be his favorite, but I'm sure he'll be expanding his food repertoire any month now. As Alexis and I both noticed, there seems to be less rush with the second child...they'll eat when they eat. Right? For the moment, Tim is enjoying his graduation to his high chair. We definitely forgot how far little baby arms can reach though. Tim always seems to be grabbing something he shouldn't have. Jack's cereal or milk cup, Mama's plate...you name it...he somehow managed to reach it.

Looking innocent while enjoying my new chair.

5) Playing. Tim is definitely in the great stage of exploring. Any little thing that might be in arm's reach is a little treasure for Timothee to discover...and put in his mouth. Jack is really enjoying re-discovering all of his old baby toys, and it turns out it's a great lesson in sharing as well. Some days are better than others though!

Playdate on the bed.

I got it!

Mmmm...this looks tasty...

Acrobats on the couch...

6) Music. When Jack is awake, we spend quite a bit of our time singing songs and nursery rhymes. So when it's just Timothee and his Mama, we like to enjoy some downtime simply listening to music (not creating it!). One of our favorite music compilations to enjoy is actually one that Alexis put together to play to my belly (in our not so successful attempt at turning Timothee). It turns out that Tim really loves this music...he loves dancing to it or just relaxing on the couch cuddling.

Well our little baby is half a year old!! We hope you enjoyed watching him grow up so far!

I'm a half a year old! Can you believe it?

Ice Skating at Hellasgården

With the warm weather slowly coming back to Stockholm, Alexis and I were pretty convinced that our ice skating days of the season were over. We have had quite a few afternoons reaching temperatures of 5-10° C, so we couldn't imagine that the ice would stick around for too much longer. Therefore, we were a bit surprised when one of our friends invited us to go skating with his son but thought we might just have to try since Swedish know best. It turns out that it was an absolutely beautiful day to hit the natural ice rinks. The sun was shining, temperatures were slightly above freezing and the conditions were fantastic. All of my previous visions of a swimming pool over the ice, or worse big holes poking through, were instantly erased and we all took to the ice with skates, sleds and strollers in tow.

A frozen paradise almost to ourselves

Jack and Alexis take to the ice for a little lake tour

Tim gets a turn as well...

I learned quite a bit while slipping and sliding around the ice with Tim sans skates. Supposedly the ice only needs to be 5 cm thick to safely skate on. In Stockholm, a lot of the lakes are cleaned and scraped to make a smoother surface for everyone to enjoy. Big plows and trucks mean at least 10 cm of ice. Today, even after 2+ weeks of relatively warm weather, the ice was still at least 35 cm thick, and there was barely any water visible even at the shorelines. I guess in the end, we will have at least a couple of weeks if not months of ice skating to enjoy. Who knew?

The frozen shoreline...

The water slowly peeking through...

Although you do see the occasional figure or hockey skates out on the ice, most people have touring (or Nordic) skates. These are long blades that are simply attached to your boots with a binding and made for skating on uneven, natural ice surfaces. I think they are pretty ingenious because you can just walk up to the ice, strap on your skates and you're off...no need to worry about that extra pair of shoes. It took Alexis one trip to the frozen lake before he decided to invest in a pair of blades and was hooked on this fun winter sport. Now all I have to do is strap some skates on my feet as well to try it out. Hopefully soon!

Nordic skates are nice...but optional!

After taking a few tours of the lake, we headed out to a small island frozen in the middle of the lake for a bit more playtime. The ice is definitely fun for everyone, but it's still nice to have some solid ground underneath toddler feet...at least for a little bit!

Our little island playground...

When there are sticks and rocks involved...Jack is a happy boy.

A brief break to enjoy the view...

Jack taking a second to plan his next move...

...and he's off!

After skating, we finally got to enjoy a traditional Swedish lunch grill-out...in other words, hot dogs cooked by yourself over a communal fire pit. Yummy. This was Jack's first successful hog dog experience...and I'm sure we'll be repeating it sometime soon. We love our picnic sandwiches, but there is something about standing over a warm fire pit in the cold that has it's appeal as well.

Fingers crossed for at least a few more weekends out on the ice until the warm weather is officially here.

One last tour before heading home...