It's New Year's Eve in Finland...

I'm going to be on a bit of a rant while the baby's entertained by his play-mat.

WHY THE HELL are people setting off fireworks since 6pm?! I don't understand...it's not New Year's Day - aka MIDNIGHT in Finland - so why do this since 6pm??
I can't see any of them unfortunately because they're not professional fireworks - they're just the small ones you can buy at the stores. That and the trees are heavily blanketed with snow presently.
Very annoying - constantly hearing booming and not the show :(.

Okay - onto other things...I'm supposed to pay my orthodontist bill via internet banking. Which is fine. 2 nights ago - I saw this bill and thought "Okay - due date is coming up - I MUST pay this." I no longer can find the bill...OR the date of my next appointment with the orthodontist.
I need the bill for my invoice # and his business bank account number to transfer the funds...
This guy is going to hate my guts by the time he removes my braces...sigh.
The first meeting - I was 10 minutes late if not more (I got lost)....the 2nd one - still no word from my Canadian orthodontist....3rd one - well we'll see. I know the DAY - but not the time. I know it's after 5pm and a 40 minute appointment as he has to apply a bracket onto my back top molar.
I've already e-mailed him today apologizing about the late payment...then I remembered that I can't remember the time of my appointment. AFTER I emailed him. Classy I know.

In other news...I've finished the 1st comic book of "Moomin". Moomin is a character created in Finland by a cartoonist by the name of Tove Jansson. He looks like a hippopotamus - but he is not. He is Moomin. I'll post pictures later. He's a popular character here with the kids - and in Japan too. He's like the Finnish version of "Hello Kitty" I suppose.

I am done ranting. Thanks. I'm presently eating lactose-free pear ice-cream with apple crumble cake.

A bunch of random things from V�in� to the importance of "112"

*As usual - nothing is in order...I'm just bloggin' it all out of my system.

Been in Finland now for over 4 months already...today is New Year's Eve - wow! I had no idea as yesterday we spent time with Sulevi to keep him entertained while Jessica and Taneli ran errands and did some major packing. I only noticed it's NYE because of my Facebook friends' statuses about cooking, drinking, and finding something to wear and meet up.
I got some more cloth diapers and thankfully they're the pocket style - you slip a liner in the back and velcro up the sucker - and you're done.
We are hosting T/S/J's DVD collection presently - which is uber fabulous as there's so many!!! I'm presently on the hunt for a cheap TV and DVD player (hopefully with delivery included) on Tori. So far we saw the Big Lebowski - enh is what I say.

V�in� is growing like a weed....he doesn't get any formula or baby cereal or anything else but breast milk - which I'm glad I'm able to produce...but wow he has the gut. I've decided to cut out bacon from my diet to test my stomach and to test V�in�'s. Whenever I have an upset stomach from something - either one too many slices of bacon or in general too much of anything spicy etc - V�in� seems to get a reaction too. Which usually doesn't kick in until 2-3 AM.
Presently Tim is cooking the bacon - so I won't be tempted to sneak a piece...I've been bacon-free for about a week now - which is okay...I'm not addicted or anything. Then I'll cook the eggs - as he doesn't have confidence in doing so. Nor does he enjoy it.
Jessica suggested I cut out dairy for a few days - just to see if it'll ease his upset stomach and whatnot - but I really don't think it's the dairy...I drink about 1-2 tall glasses of milk a day- but not always everyday as they only sell lactose-free milk in 1L cartons - nothing bigger. And definitely not in bags. I'll try it maybe when I'm done this carton I just picked up a couple days ago. I really love my milk.

Something I also haven't eaten in ages are nuts. Primarily because of my braces - and my orthodontist always warning me not to eat nuts, skittles, M&M's or Smarties (I do have a friend who broke a bracket clean off with one), nachos etc. Well - Jessica kindly emptied out her cupboards while packing yesterday and sent us home with a bag full of every kind of flavoured tea you can imagine along with a bag of dried goodies. Gluten-free wafter bits, cashews, pitsachios, biscuits of various types, beans etc. I'm so excited to try some of these things - like the lentils - as I've never cooked them before.
I plan on making another batch of chicken soup - with lentils added!

Yesterday I went d/t to meet a lady for diapers and saw a great trailer - by the creators of the Matrix trilogy...some Asian movie - opening up scene with two little kids sparring practically to the death - and they get older and bigger - looks good. I forget the title unfortunately - and there were Finnish subtitles but the volume was muted on the TV.
Anyways - I went on the hunt for stuffing after that - so I could finally finish up the amigurumi (Japanese "cute" crochet) - and no such luck. I'm very frustrated as I'd love to keep making toys for V�in� - but can't complete individual projects for some reason or another.

I suppose I should've asked Jessica and Taneli this question when we first got here - but I just asked yesterday: "What is the equivalent of '911' here in Finland?"
It's 112.

"S" is for Sauna

Alright - I'm officially 95% "Finnish".
I have a reflector tag on my coat, the baby's pram and Tim's getting one for Christmas. I've eaten the fish here, eaten reindeer stew and reindeer pizza and eaten a tonne of baked goodies. Oh and I've picked blueberries in the woods too.

So I don't know what's left to do in the 5% - maybe a trip to Helsinki or something or dye my hair blonde and get some blue contacts for the eyes - however! I finally went in a sauna (Pronounced - sow-nah...not sawn-ah).
I never went before because I was pregnant, it was summer outside (I hate the heat as a general rule especially while pregnant) and presently rocking the stretch marks ("badges of honour", "Tiger stripes"....not Tiger Woods.)....so needless to say - I am shy of my body presently when viewed by others.
Maybe I should go in more depth.

You go in the sauna NAKED. No towel, no bathing suit, etc. So me puting myself out there in front of some strangers (females go together and males go separately together)...yes everybody has the same bits and pieces - but with all my scars from my operations I've had as a newborn - it can cause some eyebrow lifting.

Anyways - I caved. I went as it was just Jessica and I. And with Jessica being at the birth of V�in� - there's not much to hide.
So the sauna was in a separate little building and when you walk in - you take your clothes off and then turn right and you're in the bathroom/shower area before the sauna room. Generally one would give themselves a quick rinse and the sauna itself takes an hour to heat up. Then you go inside the sauna room and there's a bucket filled with water with a large spoon to splash onto the hot coals...which increases the heat greatly. At first when Jessica first poured some water - the heat increased so quickly - it was a rush - similar to that of an asthama attack. But it was fine. So there's a patio with benches to sit on that go along the walls and you have a wooden step to step up onto the patio/platform. And every so often - we got up and left to cool off and we grabbed our towels and stood outside on the snow. I was too chicken to roll in the snow. I could've gotten away with it - as it's a very Finnish thing to do. I wouldn't get charged with indecent exposure - the street is too quiet. HA.
And you just go back and forth - we didn't go outside each time - but just in the entry way to cool off.

It was great and after we each showered and voila.

Now - for those of you that may not know this - DO NOT wear contacts in the sauna. Thankfully I brought my contact stuff with me and my glasses in anticipation of going into the sauna for my first time.
Now another tip - it took me 4 trips into the sauna before my gold necklace (the one with the little gold ball on it) started to heat up and leave red burn rings around my neck. Jessica was talking to me and I started getting a burning sensation around my neck and couldn't concentrate on what she was saying. Finally I interrupted her and said "OW!!!" We couldn't get it off in the sauna - so I went in the bathroom and took it off. Apparently pure gold melts pretty easily. It was 80 degrees inside the sauna.

Oh and I brought my glasses in there too - to see if they'd fog up while wearing them. They did - so I left them on the bench and they became malleable (plastic frame) and now fit much better on my head. They were getting a wee bit crooked for awhile...haha now you know some tricks.

Re-shape your glasses in the sauna and don't wear pure jewelery.

Bills, Bills, Bills and CHOCOLATE

Once again it's been awhile since I wrote in my "Learning about Finland" blog.
Here we go:

Remember when I said I got some hospital bills that should be covered by the Kela insurance program - as I was technically covered but there was some delay with getting me my card?
Well - apparently all Finnish citizens pay for their hospital stay in the hospital after giving birth. Thankfully I didn't stay too long! I still had to pay for V�in�'s stay as he was in the baby ward after delivery for a few days.
According to Kela (I had to visit their office to ease my confusion) - depending on where you live determines how much you actually pay. So the amounts that I had to cough up - were quite minimal compared to some people. The Kela rep had said something about it being based on the community in which you live in. Not quite sure what that means - however I live across the street from the hospital...so it can't be that bad!

Alright - onto better things - CHOCOLATE. WOW. Before pregnancy - and while Tim and I were first dating - he thought I was a weird girl because I didn't like chocolate. I still am not obsessed with chocolate honestly. I'm not a fan of dark chocolate but love my white chocolate. Or chocolate with stuff in the center - such as nuts or a fruit filling.
Well - I had purchased some Karl Fazer chocolate bars for folks back home and had one left over as we figured Tim's mom and brother wouldn't be able to eat the massive bar I picked up. So I snuck myself a piece this afternoon - and yummy. It DOES taste different than North American chocolate...not quite sure what it is - but delightful. I've had several chunks since. The after-taste isn't as strong as North American chocolate - I think that's why I've been able to consume so much without brushing my teeth yet. (Don't worry I fully intend on brushing my teeth.)
I believe that was my old complaint about N/A. chocolate - was the after taste that followed and the scuzzy/sticky/slimy feeling on my teeth and tongue. But I don't have that now. I may have to eat more to test my theory.

Free Lunch!

It's been awhile since I wrote in my Finnish Blog - so here I am!

I previously mentioned that elementary school starts at the age of 7 up until they are 19. So there are still the standard 12 grades and the education system here is quite excellent I've been told.
Well get this - students (during elementary school straight until graduation of high school) get free, nutritious and HOT lunch. Everyday until they graduate high school. That means - no purchasing of lunch bags, ziploc bags, thermoses or having to remember to pack a lunch for your kid everyday- Monday through to Friday. This also means not having to find mold in a forgotten lunch container, missing lids to plastic containers or having your child starve because they forgot their lunch bag on the bus or on the counter.
WOW. In Canada there's presently talks (if it's not done already) of having to pay for supervision in the lunch rooms.

Oh I got my hospital bills for when I delivered and stayed there. Including V�in�'s ICU visit. Per day worked out to be approximately 30 Euros (1 Euro = ~ $1.50 CDN)....these bills should be corrected tomorrow when I go to the Neuvola as I finally got paper work from the Kela stating that I was covered since August.
As well - hurrah! I finally got my Kela card!

Today I went to the S-Market downtown and Tim had requested "Finnish Danishes"on the grocery list. The running joke being that danishes are a food as well as the proper term for someone from Denmark. However these "danishes" (the edible kind) are baked by Finnish people.
Anyways - I got a bag with a couple of freshly baked danishes (mine is sitting near me on the table waiting to be gobbled up) and just noticed that the label says:

"PIKKUWIENER"

The Finnish language is a tricky one...many multiple words are combined into a single word. For example a street in English might be: "Tulip Street"
However in Finnish - it's all one word. The street I live on is "Valajankatu".
"katu" being the "street" or road.
Which makes it quite difficult while trying to translate documents in Finnish (presently working on that now) as the word on the paper may not be written as is, in the dictionary!
I may have to learn Finnish fairly soon.

"K" is for Kela

Kela as previously mentioned is the social service system here in Finland. Such things are covered by Kela: maternity/paternity leave, compensation, un-employment, the massive maternity package with the clothing in it etc.
The big thing also covered by Kela is the health insurance as well. You get a little card with your name on it and the pharmacy (Aptekki) only bills you what is remaining to be owed that the Kela does not cover.
I was not covered until now. I will be receiving my documents some time next week - but it has been an ongoing battle with them because at first we were both (Tim and I) rejected. I was able to deliver V�in� without charge and stay at the hospital without charge - but the specialist appointments (while still pregnant) I later found out, cost me 25 Euros and some change. Got the bills in the mail. We were rejected at first because Kela didn't understand Tim's position at the university. He's doing his phD program here in Finland - however he's technically doing research for the university and therefor deemed an employee of the school too. So that's where the confusion was.
Then Tim got his lovely Kela card in the mail - and I did not. We thought for awhile maybe we were supposed to share. But that wasn't the case - I was still on the chopping block for coverage. I ended up paying full price for my inhaler anyways - as I was in desperate need of it prior to V�in�'s arrival. Thankfully they have forms that you can fill out and the Kela can credit your bank account once you file a claim. And I won't have to pay those bills from the clinic - just show them my Kela stuff and I'll be free!

OH and best part - the orthodontist gets covered by the Kela too (not sure of exact amount)!! I had no idea. We were under the assumption that Kela wouldn't cover braces - because how many insurance companies in Canada actually do?! Blue Cross does, Great West Life covers a portion and so does Sunlife (military). That's all that I know of - and braces in Canada were 205$/month or about $6000 over a span of 2-2.5 years. And the above mentioned companies only cover up to $1500.00.

P.S. "PC" is for Pocket Change - not just Personal Computer!

I forgot to mention in my previous post "O is for OW and Orthodontist"....that one should always have pocket change when in Europe.
Why? (Because if I haven't mentioned it before - I apologize if this is old material) In case you need the bathroom. Or "WC - water closet" as it's known here.
When in public - whether it be Grilli 21, Hesburger, the mall or a public independent porta potty - you need to pay to use it. That's right. It can cost upwards of 50 Euro Cents (or more? I don't know). I suppose it's for the independent cleaners that come in and have to scrub and sanitize the washrooms - so it makes sense.
Thankfully in the hospital there is no charge, or in the library or majority of restaurants. I used to go into Tim's office and use the public washrooms there when I was still pregnant and V�in� was bouncing on my bladder.

Oh and while I was knitting/waiting for my turn at getting stabbed with the H1N1 - there were some senior citizens ahead of me and when the nurse called out a number (in Finnish) one elderly lady jumped up (literally JUMPED) from her seat and had her sleeve rolled up and her number in her hand like it was the winning lotto ticket. We all had a good chuckle - I think because A) she looked awfully excited to be getting stabbed in the arms and B) she was at least 70 and very spry.

I had a Hesburger combo today (Kerro-sateria the equivalent of a Big Mac Combo but messier) before my Orthodontist appointment and remembered to pack my tooth brush and tooth paste so Juha wouldn't be offended by any bits of burger stuck in my brackets. Well I also remembered to bring a 50 Euro Cents coin, and some little coins (about 40 Euro cents) with me so I could use a washroom to brush my teeth. I went to a bathroom in the mall where H&M is because I've been in there before and it's clean. I wasn't sure how clean the Hesburger one was. Well the 50 cents didn't fit in the slot and the door handle ate the rest of my change but wouldn't open up! ARGH! So maybe I was short some change - and of course with my luck - nobody was coming out of the bathroom! Ugh - needless to say - I was quite embarrassed to finally make it to the Orthodontist Office and not have minty-fresh breath.

On that note- I am going to quit my habit of going downtown and having a Kerro-sateria. NO MORE HESBURGER - maybe once a month. But that's it. V�in� had a really icky diaper last night and today he had 3 in a row. I'm blaming it on the Hesburger as I did have one yesterday (not a Big Mac style just a regular plain burger) and then I had my monsterous Kerro today. Let's see if me kickin' the Hesburger-can will help.
Thankfully my next appointment with the orthodontist is after 3pm - so I won't be eating by then!

"O" is for OW! and for Orthodontist

Today I got my flu and H1N1 shots. Not sure if they have the adjuvent or not unfortunately - but at least I have it should I come in contact with a sickly person. That being said - once it fully kicks in my system - I'll be able to pass the antibodies on to V�in� via breast feeding. H1N1 is in the left arm and it hurts a lot! Hence the "OW" in my subject heading. Because I didn't have my Kela (insurance) card - I got to hang with the senior citizens while waiting for my shot.

I did a bit of shopping today - picked up some bones for the dogs, stamps for Christmas cards, printed some photos at a photo lab (that is closed during the month of December)...it's 50 Euro Cents for your first print then 30 Euro Cents for each print after that. Not too bad and done in an hour. It's a FujiFilm shop. Oh and I got a couple cute things for friends who had babies recently (can't say what in case they read this on FB).

I got lost going to the Orthodontist. The address I was given by a dental student (who kindly responded to my ad in Tori about needing these services) - was the street parallel to where the Orthodontist's office actually was and a couple numbers wrong.
I'm sure the receptionist hates my guts by now - I called 3x to figure out where the heck the office was. She even went outside to try and find me. Then the Orthodontist, Juha, actually called me and asked if I knew where I was. Thankfully - he does speak perfect English.
For those of you that have Dr. Christopher Baker for a dentist in Dartmouth (Dart. Shop Ctr.) - my orthodontist looks like him. Glasses, sandy blonde hair, nice teeth (but not as blinding white) and maybe not as tall or as many children. Very nice.
During my consultation we discussed my previous treatment in Canada and everything seems okay with him. He put a wire on my bottom teeth as they were spreading and thankfully put nice/clean/new elastics on my top teeth - as they were "very yellow". Yes it's been awhile. I was supposed to see an orthodontist by the end of September - well that didn't happen.
So he gave me an estimate of cost and it's cheaper than Canada. How sad is that?! For the next few months - he figures I'll have the braces off during the early New Year (so by March I'm hoping!) - including the cost of the permanent wires/bites (retainers) - it's about 500 Euros. SWEET. It was costing me a little over $200/month for my braces back in Canada. My consultation cost was supposed to be 16-17 Euros - but they didn't charge me....she said next time?

This would never happen in Canada. BTW my consultation fee in Halifax was $70 - just so you can compare 16 or 17 E against 70 Canadian DOLLARS. OW.

PS I got a reflector tag in the shape of a butterfly (it was slim pickings!) - so now people can see me before they hit me. It's dangling on a string on my knapsack...it gets pitch black (think midnight darkness) by 3:15pm now - if not earlier. Thought I'd share this. I feel like a "true Finn" now.
As Finnish as a Canadian can get.

After-Labour in Finland + a funny nurse appointment

So after you deliver a baby - you get a diaper bag in your room. The diaper bag is by the Libero brand and it's packed with goodies. It's lime green by the way. Each year they come out with a new color I was told.
There was a 10 pack of diapers, a package of wipes (64), a little hat, a few coupons and pamphlets, a change pad, a hardcover children's book (Ratatouille - in Finnish), a pair of disposable breast pads, a little bottle of oil for cracked nipples...and a soft toy that rattles that you can clip on to something. I think that was all! It was crazy! I don't think you get that in Halifax.
When we left the hospital they didn't inspect the car seat like we were expecting them to.
The standard stay is 2-3 days after deliver depending on the health of your child, your stitches (or c-section) and your general health as well. I checked out early after 2 days because V�in� was put in ICU - so even if I did stay in the hospital - I'd still have visitation hours between 8am-9pm. Or I could go home and use the bathroom in private (I had a room mate my 2nd night there) and eat my own food. Not that the food wasn't good - as it was really good. But I usually ended up missing their tea/snack times and breakfast as I would be nursing V�in�. Everybody got the same food - you just had to go during a certain time frame to get it and then put your dishes away afterward. Breakfast (the one time I had it) - was oatmeal and an apple. Lunch is usually a bigger meal (i.e. fish, potatos, veggies) and supper was always a soup. BLEGH. I'd prefer soup for a lunch personally - but that's alright. It was all delicious - considering it was hospital food. It's really amusing seeing a bunch of women in these robes, socks and sandals with their hair all messy and looking like they walked out of the gym (aka tired)...shuffling into a line up for food. Almost like a weight-loss club atmosphere. Haha.

Even the restaurant/cafeteria that was attached to the hospital (yet had it's own entrance as well) - didn't look like a cafeteria. Unless you counted the people eating that were wearing scrubs or some sort of medical-looking outfit.

We had an appointment at the Neuvola the other day and the nurse, Katri, asked how the labour was and so on. I told her all things considering - it went very well. 5 hours isn't a big deal compared to some women who go for at least 20 hours or more!
She smiles and says, "Do you think you will want another baby soon?"
Once I managed to scrape my dropped jaw off the floor - "Definitely not. I only want one right now. The pain was just a little too much for my liking."
"Oh but it gets easier with the 2nd labor and multiple labors after the first one. The first one's the hardest but after that - it just gets easier."

SHE TRIED TO SELL THE IDEA OF HAVING ANOTHER 9-10MONTH PREGNANCY/X-AMOUNT OF HOURS LABOR TO ME. This being an issue as she's not going through the pain for me. HA.
I just told her - oh well maybe in 5 years.
"So you'd like to start contraceptives soon then?" Katri
"Oh yes - as soon as possible. I don't want another baby any time soon. Thanks."

Do YOU use snow tires?

So it's been awhile since I've written in my blog (10 days) - I was previously writing about V�in� by simply using Facebook Notes.

Now let's talk tires. Here in Finland it is mandatory to have winter tires from December 1st until March 31st. Some people test their luck and wait until November 30th and sometimes get lucky because there hasn't been any snow. Some "All-season" or "All-weather" tires do qualify as "winter tires" but Finland has a particular criteria or rating the tire has to fulfill before it is accepted.
Yesterday we experienced our first "snow storm". Because it's not overly windy here - it just looked like "snow". The trees weren't on the verge of falling over, the power lines are all underground anyways - so no lights flickered...it was really nice and pretty.
I will take many pictures later on and post them. From our balcony the trees are coated in a thick white layer of snow and it's sooooo pretty looking!

I got V�in�'s documents from the Public Registar (Mastraati)'s office yesterday. We had it translated by Taneli during supper last night and V�in� is considered born "out of wedlock". Yes- they still use that term here...for those of you that don't know what that means - it means a child born to a parent(s) that are "not legally married". Not sure what the procedure is in Canada and how it affects a child - however here for us, it is a major issue.
As the mother - I am the legal guardian. As of right now- Tim has "nothing" to do with V�in� as he's not considered a parent or legal guardian until a paternity test is taken - either via court order or by him volunteering. Or by us proving our marriage - which we're still working on.
So if a father is not a legal guardian - does he have to provide for the child? No - he doesn't. From what I understand and have read (hospital provided tonnes of pamphlets) V�in� or I cannot accept any sort of monetary support from Tim given his birth out of wedlock scenario.
It's a fairly interesting system to say the least - however in terms of proving our marriage - that's stupid and a very lengthy process (which has been mentioned in previous blog posts).

On a lighter note - today we have an appointment with Katri, our Neuvola nurse (building behind us), to see how much weight Mr. V�in� has gained and so forth. Should be fun!

I'm terribly excited.

I'm sorry - we haven't had the baby as of 9:46pm.
HOWEVER! We are the proud new owners of a kettle. Boo-yeah!
Anybody that knows Tim - knows he has to (and loves to) drink a lot of fluid - his fluid of choice being loose-leaf green tea. His tea pot I got him a couple of years ago holds 1 full liter - he drinks at least 3-5 of these a day.
He's been using pots to boil water - which was annoying as heck for awhile as we only had 1 large pot and 1 little pot. And if I wanted to make mashed potatoes in the big pot and carrots in the little one - well I had to wait for Tim to finish boiling his water. Thankfully Jessica came to the rescue and found some pots that they no longer needed (due to possible gluten contamination) - so we now have plenty of pots.

This evening we went out to the City Market (aka the massive grocery store with a massive cow in the dairy section - complete with udder and working bell) and as I was mosey-ing about - I saw a kettle. Not an electric one - which is fine. But a kettle that wasn't 40-50 Euros! It was 9,95E!!!! I'm super excited. Now I'm able to enjoy hot beverages too without fear of spilling hot water all over myself or worse, on the dogs waiting at my feet! And it whistles but not one of those ear-splitting-nails-down-a-chalkboard whistle. Just a light whistle to let you know that your water is done.

Other gems of the night include a tea steeper (now I can finally enjoy the loose leaf tea Jessica gave me for women who want to breast feed - I previously kept forgetting to pick one up downtown), some cereal (some apple/cinnamon muslix concoction - quite delicious), 2 WHOLE FRICKIN' KGS WORTH OF CARROTS (I love carrots so much), a large bag of dog food and some bulk candy. I took a bite of a light brown octopus - and it was salty with a hint of licorice...ick.
Oh and massive tubes of tooth paste, bottles of body wash and shampoo etc. All the usual stuff :)

In the car on the way home I read "Mr. Brown Can Moo - Can You?" to Sulevi and he's in the phase of repeating certain things and "Mr. Brown" was the chosen phrase for the night. (The other night was "Gruffalo")
When Taneli and Sulevi dropped us off - Sulevi told me he loved me. It melts my heart... :)

When we walked in - all was peaceful and the dogs were excited to see us. Which is nice.
Oh and of course Loki had to show that he missed us by leaving an empty bag of this soft/sweet square bread (I didn't even get the chance to take a picture of it yet!) that reminded us of the potato bread we tried with Taneli a few days ago! Here's the crazy part...
The bag was not torn and Tim had left the plastic tag on it - which I just found still in a circular shape. Loki was able to pull off a small plastic tag off the bread bag and eat the contents of the bag without ripping a single hole in the bag. (I am secretly impressed and proud - with the exception of him stealing food.)
Thankfully Tim had an ice-cream cone from the City Market to keep his mind off the missing bread and as well he had consumed more than 5 pieces of the bread (unlike the poor Domino cookies from last week).

Well that's all for now!

No trick-or-treaters! Only in Finland....Psst - don't forget to change your clocks/watches/cell phones!

WHAT?! No trick-or-treaters on Halloween?! The most looked-forward day in the year (next to Christmas) by all the kiddies? (And who can blame them? Free candy and the oppourtunity to walk around at night time with their friends...depending where you live - this was a blessing).
That's right. In Finland there isn't such thing as Halloween. No kids running around as ghosts, princesses or Dora the Explorer. No firemen, Superman, Spiderman or Batmans running around bundled in layers.
Don't get me wrong - some people celebrate it via costume parties. There was an orange piece of paper with some Finnish black scribbles and a kitty on top of a pumpkin sticker on it - posted downstairs at the front entrance. Possibly an invite - but who am I to randomly show up in someone's apartment that I don't know? It was actually the neighbour below us who apparently reads English and was able to return the rope toy a few weeks ago. They had a party but you wouldn't know it. There was the odd loud laugh or cheer - but that was it. Finns are great at partying! LOL - compared to where we used to live on Robie/Lady Hammond - their version of partying is barely noticeable.
I believe sometime in April or May (I forget which) the little girls dress up as witches and go around knocking on people's doors to knock on the people's heads (lightly) with a wicker stick. It's to help ward off demons and such.
Another thing I just realized - it's a blessing not having to hand out treats - we'd probably make the kids pee by our dogs going crazy licking them and nudging their little barely 30-lbs bodies around!

Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour (Fall back or Spring forward is how I remember it) - yay another hour to sleep in for you!
Europe had their day light savings last weekend. Funny it's not written on my calendar however!
Because it's so dark here in Finland - I've been getting plenty of rest.
Well maybe an exception being right now as it's 5:41am and I woke up due to some cramps and began to time them. I am now eating a PB/J sandwich as I think the baby was hungry.
My friend suggests that maybe this is my last meal - well isn't that pathetic?
PBJ sandwich (no honey as the husband was getting peeved that the kitchen light was shining through the doors), a slice of cheddar cheese and 3 ginger snap cookies and soon enough - a glass of milk.
Ah well - it could be worse - it could be raw tomatos with coffee and licorice (BLEGH).

PS We still have snow on the ground - not a lot like maybe 3cm if that. It's presently -5*C.

Pharmacy, testings, H1N1 etc....(men may not want to read - there's a lot of pregnant junk in here)

So this morning I had an appointment at the Neuvola (nurse clinic behind our apartment building - tres convenient) - and the nurse asked how I was feeling. I told her fine - no pains, no contractions - nothing. I had cramps a week ago that I timed - and after an hour and a 10 minute wait for the next one - nothing happened. So I went to bed.

Anyways - she asked about regular stuff and I said yep/nope accordingly and I mentioned my concern about me using the bathroom frequently (only to have a drop!) or that it was running clear. She thought it was possible that there could be a tear in the amniotic sac and sent me to the hospital afterward to get looked at. Other than that - the heart beat was a steady 160/minute and she felt the tummy and said I'm growing great and was a little worried about how hard my stomach was at first. Which I thought was normal and part of the baby's back/butt or feet. But s/he loosened up after she poked/prodded some more.

Off to the hospital. Well the nurse was great - heart beats went up and down from 140 up to 169. Then the doctor - well she was a butch. She had lovely long reddish hair with blonde highlights and it was pulled back in a tight braid. That should've been the first sign she was a butch.
Anyways - she tried using this white boomerang tool (Tim said all the docs have used it - apparently she's the lucky un-successful one) - and I cringed a lot. It hurt - and she smiles and says, "Wow the head is very very low." SNAP goes on the glove and a few jabs later she determines that I am not leaking amniotic fluid at all however I am 3-4 cm. dilated. Yee haw. She determined I have approximately 6 cm. of amniotic fluid going on inside and that is "very good".

Then I went and did a urine test for Strep B (I know in Canada they do it similar to a Pap test during 35-38th wk of development - but here in Finland - they do a urine test early in the pregnancy to determine Strep B) - and when you're done filling your bucket (honestly - think cole-slaw bucket you pick up for a picnic!) - there's a hatch in the bathroom back corner. You just open the little door and leave your bucket (+ lid) in there. So this saves embarrassment and messy hands of having to give your bucket of pee to the receptionist!

SO! Off to the pharmacy - once this was all done and over with....when you get inside the Aptekki you take a number and when you get buzzed you go up to the appropiate teller and they fill out your prescription - right there on the spot! Why it takes 15 -30 minutes in Canada - I don't know. She punched my name in a keyboard, confirmed my ID and plop - there was my inhaler in a brand new box.
I'm sooooooooooooo happy! I've been feeling super bad lately because I don't take the woods anymore or out for their bathroom breaks because I have a really hard time keeping up with them (not that I was running) but as well going back up the stairs too was making things hard.
But now I feel great and alive! WAHOOOO!

Ok - time for a nap to see if these "cramps" go away permanently or not.

PS Before I forget - I will be getting the H1N1 shot on Tuesday. There are now cases of H1N1 in Northern Finland (I'm in Central) - and if they're anything like the ticks - well they'll spread quickly. It's not the same vaccination as in Canada Katri (Neuvola nurse) said. And where I am not only pregnant but have asthama - I am part of 2 high risk groups. So hopefully the baby can hold out until Tuesday - then once I get the shot - it'll go with the baby too.

Somewhere in Finland - a certain pregnant lady should be asleep..."Chinese Post-Pregnancy Remedies" - near the bottom!

This is a bit of a rant post - so feel free to skip this by all means (or scroll down to the pregnant Chinese remedy - it's a laugh).
It's 3:58am presently. I've been awake since 3:30. I went to bed at 12am on the dot - conked out completely with the dogs.
I woke up at least 2x to use the bathroom like a zombie - in the dark and barely functional.
I woke up because Blue came to bed and left the bed and came to bed and left the bed and finally crawled in bed and I said - F it. I'm going to the couch. It's colder and more spacious and my right hip is in pain again. (Do dogs get hot flashes or nightmares and need to come back to hog their "rightful share" of the bed?!?!)
Needless to say - I haven't touched the couch - too cranky. I feel like I'm roasting internally (no the forehead is cool and the neck is too). I just opened the balcony door open a few inches....it's presently -1C but with windchill -5C. FEELS GREAT.

Read a great book over the last couple of days "Vince & Joy" - Lisa Jewell (?). Very hilarious as most London based stories go.
I'm in the process of crocheting another pair of mittens for myself - a thicker wool (like the one from the famous flower slouchy hat and the blue toque) - so I'm pretty excited.
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** Please note - I am not responsible for any action you may take if you choose to follow these "remedies" - they're merely for general knowledge of old school Chinese culture/beliefs. I don't plan on doing any of them for the most part.

Okay - not sure if I mentioned this before - but my birth father is in China and has continuously told me this (prior to me getting pregnant) about what to do after you deliver a baby. Hope you're sitting down and emptied your bladder. ** This is what I was told by my birth father and apparently the Chinese have followed this for thousands of years. I say this is bull - but I thought you'd be interested.**

When you're in labour (apparently he's under the impression that natural labour goes slower than a medically assisted one - i.e. Epidural) - your joints loosen. Your joints loosen because A) the baby sucked up a lot of calcium during your pregnancy and is still going! and B) because your are puting a lot of pressure into pushing and therefor everything loosens up naturally.
So once you're done having your baby - you SHOULD NOT SHOWER FOR 30 DAYS. Because no matter HOW HOT your shower is - there are cold water particles in the hot water and they will attack your joints (now that there's gaps in between them) and you will develop arthritis in the years to come. Apparently my biological aunt has this issue and she's not even 40 - my cousin Dora being about 8 years old now.

So what does one do to bathe for 30 days post-delivery?
You're supposed to boil water and fill a tub with slices of raw ginger root (along with the boiled water) and have a bottle of rice wine poured in there too and sponge bathe yourself. My question is this - WHO HAS A BIG ENOUGH POT TO BOIL ENOUGH WATER TO FILL A TUB?! My argument and logic is that by the time you use your seasonal lobster pot to boil water and get it poured into the tub - and actually have the tub reasonably filled to your hips at least when sitting in it - the water would be cold. Or at least be colder than a shower - which would contain those darn pesky cold water particles that will STILL ATTACK your joints.
Hmm. I wrote this response numerous times and get the same crap-ass answer each time. "It's been proven for thousands of years Dominique - you cannot deny Chinese medication and remedies..."
This time I added a twist in my response - Finns don't have bath tubs. BAHAHAHA. I am awaiting a response.

Now in this particular e-mail I recently received - I have more "good Chinese remedies" for all you preggo ladies out there.

- Eat nuts - especially walnuts - develops more baby brain (same with fish - careful Tuna and shark {or maybe it's sword fish} contain a lot of mercury)
- All of your cooking should contain ginger - it keeps "the bad wind away"
- You cannot put anything in your mouth that is directly from the fridge because it's too cold and this would affect your joints
- Stay at home as much as you can for the first 30 days - "Get Tim to help you as much as you can"
- Don't eat watermelon
- Cook fish soup - this helps you produce more milk to breast feed. You can put melon in the soup but cannot eat watermelon on it's own...

There ya have it. Please comment - I'm curious as to your thoughts of this.
Well it's 4:36am - time to possibly crash on the couch.

Even the 1/2 Finnish children are ridiculously smart (fairly funny).

Okay - so here's hoping that the baby will be super smart like our friend's son, Sulevi - even though being born to both Canadian parents.
Last night we were invited over for supper and as per usual, Sulevi made us laugh and at the same time wonder what goes on in a child's mind.
He was having some lentil soup and decided he didn't want anymore - so I thought I would be the clever one and out-smart him. I told him, "Hmmm - Tim looks pretty hungry. He's going to eat your soup - you should have another bite before he does!"
Well - I got out-smarted by a 22 month old.
Sulevi ran away laughing, into the fridge and gave Tim (in multiple trips) : a cucumber, a bottle of ketchup, a bottle of currant juice and a package of chicken strips (raw). We were all quite confused for a moment until we thought about the conversation that had just taken place and realized that indeed, Sulevi thought Tim was very hungry and should eat something and not his soup. (Although he didn't have much more of it himself after).

Later on that evening Sulevi plunked himself down on his back and was pushing himself upward with his legs. I thought this was another yoga position (the kid knows downward dog) - but he was saying something in Finnish that sounded like "Vipa". So I figure - Oh - a yoga position called Vipa or Viper.
Erm no. He wanted Tim or I to change his diaper. HA HA HA. He then decided he did not want a diaper on and to convince him to put one back on (2nd attempt at out-smarting a 22 month old) - I told him, "Well Tim has a diaper on and his trousers. Everybody's wearing diapers!! Sulevi needs to wear his diaper and pants so he doesn't get cold." Well - I GOT HIM. Hahaha - he looked at Tim (who had a look of shock on his face that I would even think to suggest he was wearing a diaper) and decided - yes if Tim's wearing a diaper and trousers - he will too! (Whew).

Oh and a great work out to tone your arms (and your legs I suppose) - get an exercise balancing ball, sit on a chair and squeeze it with your knees (to prevent it from rolling away) - or lie on the floor and hold it tight with your ankles - and bounce a young child on it. Tim didn't have the pleasure of doing this with Sulevi last time we visited - but he did last night. And his arms were quite tired after a few "higher! HIGHER! BOUNCE" with Sulevi. Hahaha.
Ah well - it'll prepare Tim to hold a baby no problem. LOL.