tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36869449844535981692024-03-21T12:07:13.464-07:00The Sigurmundsson'sSy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-10514798741161632652009-07-17T02:17:00.000-07:002009-07-17T02:29:39.656-07:00Life after child birth...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyI2AILbpc3Mz_6GSbz-iZdAXSToDyh9DvOjZPiZzrCRgt0R6PthE6eQylvjZeWAV29HrjbI8rIRYxBtM0_3KeEj4w1RFUauEZB86Tf2r9SPQGwyBvht4N2tzJ5HACM9KYDB1k7Qo6d1U/s1600-h/IMG_2414.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyI2AILbpc3Mz_6GSbz-iZdAXSToDyh9DvOjZPiZzrCRgt0R6PthE6eQylvjZeWAV29HrjbI8rIRYxBtM0_3KeEj4w1RFUauEZB86Tf2r9SPQGwyBvht4N2tzJ5HACM9KYDB1k7Qo6d1U/s200/IMG_2414.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359357356539328562" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuujgL23G7AAUk6bjLjVKjLOwuvjCUrAlR95d1wxaO2KPctVNSDOas5_VMgUMs8Qgoh09KRluZORLN2LxvurbJuDTQITBI4qD7xoCdGFLJJLVu07QyXqPuiyaIXqBb9OC_1zf_lK1wyg/s1600-h/IMG_2311.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuujgL23G7AAUk6bjLjVKjLOwuvjCUrAlR95d1wxaO2KPctVNSDOas5_VMgUMs8Qgoh09KRluZORLN2LxvurbJuDTQITBI4qD7xoCdGFLJJLVu07QyXqPuiyaIXqBb9OC_1zf_lK1wyg/s200/IMG_2311.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359357351935592674" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It has been almost two months since my last post...One thing that has contributed to my lack of commitment to this blog lately, besides my new baby, is that I joined Facebook. Some of my friends had been trying to get me to join for months and I finally gave in. Well, now my husband is on my case because I am hooked- at least I have been for a few weeks!!! I love it! I can't believe that I waited this long to join. Anyways, I will be limiting my Facebook use in the future, so that I can devote my time to more important things, like raising my child.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Since Logan was born, mine and Sy's life has been quite different as we knew it would be. She is amazing and now we can't imagine our lives without her! The first two weeks after she was born was a bit rough for me. Adjusting to a new baby, as well as, dealing with exhaustion, hormones, breastfeeding, and wondering if your body will ever be the same again can take its toll on anyone. After about two weeks, though, things settled down. I began to really get use to Logan and use to my new role as mommy. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One thing that really surprised me is how much breastfeeding hurt in the beginning. I had read article after book after article that stated that breastfeeding should NOT hurt; which is why I couldn't understand why after about 2 days of it, I wanted to cut off my boobs and put them on ice for about a week. I was absolutely baffled! Every time Logan would latch on, I seriously wanted to scream. Well the pain did go away after about 2-3 weeks and not a moment too soon! I vividly remember the first time I got into the shower and could let the water from the shower head hit my chest- it was that serious! Now- breastfeeding is a complete joy! I love it- no pain at all. I figured out that what all those articles and books that give instruction on breastfeeding don't tell you is that your boobs have to go through a 2-3 week initiation period first...if you make it through you get inducted into the motherhood sorority. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Another thing that I noticed about myself after Logan was born was that my voice had changed. At first my voice sounded like I was going hoarse or like I was catching a cold or something. I thought that it would just go away in a few days. Well, days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Eventually, I began to sound like a teenage boy going through puberty. I would be talking and all of a sudden my voice would go really high and then really low and then back to normal. I could not for the life of me figure out what was wrong and people started noticing it. I sounded terrible. One day me and a friend of mine decided to take Logan for a walk and we started talking about my voice. She asked me when I first noticed the change in my voice and I told her that it changed right after Logan was born. She paused a second and then asked if I yelled a lot while I was giving birth to her. All of a sudden it was like a light bulb went off in my head. I didn't yell while giving birth to Logan- I SCREAMED bloody murder trying to get that child out. It was bad. I have never screamed so long, loud, and hard in my entire life. Many people in that hospital probably thought I was dying. My delivery room was on the second floor and my sister in law had to go to the bathroom during the delivery, which was on the first floor. She said that she could hear me screaming in the bathroom on the first floor! So I think that I must have damaged my vocal cords or something because Logan will be 10 weeks old this Sunday and I still sound a HOT MESS!</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As I said before, Logan will be 10 weeks this Sunday, July 19!!! My baby is getting soooo big!!! One thing that has totally shocked me over the past 10 weeks has been my weight loss. I was back down to the weight I was before I got pregnant about 2 weeks ago. YEAH! I do, however still have a little pudge belly, but over the past two weeks it seems to be disappearing too! Yippeeee! All I have done is walk with Logan about 2-3 times a week and that's about it...It's got to be the breastfeeding. All that torture of breastfeeding on the front end is worth it if I get my flat tummy back now!</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Logan is a wonderful baby and I LOVE being a mommy!!! Me and Sy think that she is the most wonderful beautiful little thing that we have ever seen. I can't believe how much she has grown and changed. She is holding her head up on her own and smiling and trying to talk- baby talk that is. Being a mommy brings a whole new meaning to the word 'servant'. It is the hardest and most rewarding job there is- hands down. Logan had her six week check-up on the 25 June. she had already grown 7cm- she was 57 cm total and she weight 4.95 kilos- almost 11 pounds (she was 7 pounds- 8 ounces at birth). Little stinker!</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Logan is discovering all the time...She loves to look at wall art, patterns, bright colors, etc. I love it when I walk in a room or walk past her and she follows me with her eyes- she doesn't know much right now, but she knows who her mommy is. She loves to eat! When ever she walks up from a nap the first things that she wants to do is eat. We go to the doctor for another checkup today so I will keep ya'll posted on her progress!</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<br />Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-66389960243498903792009-05-20T06:26:00.000-07:002009-05-20T06:44:51.292-07:00Logan Alexia Saevarsdottir- Part 3<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJ7Ua-cowI7vtQQH02iNsDaewaXdp25gIAgIy5HL5bP9KEyW06l93Op6YHubCbgp9sisbBJxc_XuW8RJfBbuZUdvxRmQSPUf9qER4OvmWU9MDf17d30bX5nus19BX10Jil4hWDQRLGwQ/s1600-h/Logan's+Birth+140.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJ7Ua-cowI7vtQQH02iNsDaewaXdp25gIAgIy5HL5bP9KEyW06l93Op6YHubCbgp9sisbBJxc_XuW8RJfBbuZUdvxRmQSPUf9qER4OvmWU9MDf17d30bX5nus19BX10Jil4hWDQRLGwQ/s200/Logan's+Birth+140.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337899389308955490" border="0" /></a>Logan napping...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGikPylQv8sZfkwU3sZZkz5sGCdnQ6_hae2tsM6Dj9ItMfcsddi0JoOnAbe1-s_O19MrjgBRpZyQ89ah2VElnXS1ADIjvUKdAZtQthfY1F35RRyFue16FaEoZR-UpCPNNRqxTamO4HNEQ/s1600-h/Logan's+Birth+104.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGikPylQv8sZfkwU3sZZkz5sGCdnQ6_hae2tsM6Dj9ItMfcsddi0JoOnAbe1-s_O19MrjgBRpZyQ89ah2VElnXS1ADIjvUKdAZtQthfY1F35RRyFue16FaEoZR-UpCPNNRqxTamO4HNEQ/s200/Logan's+Birth+104.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337899386535734962" border="0" /></a>Logan napping with daddy...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkyu15DokeUPea3T_VAzDqa54Kw_rKgDrkZrJvSPYtIZAoaRmtY-1N70Q4_RwSHO-N-tMnU5XBrCkc5kB7z-r60O3YgqPjn-Z0dMC7Snoombbx0-q2LuJBOUSbWQScoyTkiPKn1DhInE/s1600-h/Logan's+Birth+202.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkyu15DokeUPea3T_VAzDqa54Kw_rKgDrkZrJvSPYtIZAoaRmtY-1N70Q4_RwSHO-N-tMnU5XBrCkc5kB7z-r60O3YgqPjn-Z0dMC7Snoombbx0-q2LuJBOUSbWQScoyTkiPKn1DhInE/s200/Logan's+Birth+202.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337899379817651842" border="0" /></a>Logan and her great-grandma Stella...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JZxZNqOXPGQz1Ds2mJr8wK_6IRRbaJH26NBv_clBLDG7CtyON1LWhuBvZzXNzJi3OLP5qVMRb2HNiCryDkhC3GiZVu9hyphenhyphenDjOFqz_ijy_s4mHlEfaxMwE8cqtMd7RhhCUNusrZ0o2g-k/s1600-h/Logan's+Birth+182.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JZxZNqOXPGQz1Ds2mJr8wK_6IRRbaJH26NBv_clBLDG7CtyON1LWhuBvZzXNzJi3OLP5qVMRb2HNiCryDkhC3GiZVu9hyphenhyphenDjOFqz_ijy_s4mHlEfaxMwE8cqtMd7RhhCUNusrZ0o2g-k/s200/Logan's+Birth+182.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337899374470980866" border="0" /></a>Napping again...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5VfzcXUU-PY3uOaSwgHRrmNQfxb1WzAiRdIMrG-U1fnhxLAik0F7qRQZMzfyVSgZB-x05LSr_vsbEOsiPYa7PWswslBGaiNUWQxM32l1y8j8AWiCyiZD3dO6UAjYfXBOMf7JYLAVOIY/s1600-h/Logan's+Birth+179.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5VfzcXUU-PY3uOaSwgHRrmNQfxb1WzAiRdIMrG-U1fnhxLAik0F7qRQZMzfyVSgZB-x05LSr_vsbEOsiPYa7PWswslBGaiNUWQxM32l1y8j8AWiCyiZD3dO6UAjYfXBOMf7JYLAVOIY/s200/Logan's+Birth+179.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337899373671789522" border="0" /></a>This was Logan's first night at home in her crib...She had a good night's rest!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-8673072386787899672009-05-20T06:08:00.001-07:002009-05-20T06:24:46.546-07:00Logan Alexia Saevarsdottir- Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUARidELjViJjfJiBYueyih7Z8-y5_LAZmiCz7OD_6QGpMl8v-pZwcEDj96kzt05cyj87Tl4xEX-NlIJtQ2LM9g68XVER_EFB4Ixecu_laztrNL7UH0c_osDPp6rBhDoQf0n9lmGuOHak/s1600-h/Logan's+Birth+200.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUARidELjViJjfJiBYueyih7Z8-y5_LAZmiCz7OD_6QGpMl8v-pZwcEDj96kzt05cyj87Tl4xEX-NlIJtQ2LM9g68XVER_EFB4Ixecu_laztrNL7UH0c_osDPp6rBhDoQf0n9lmGuOHak/s200/Logan's+Birth+200.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337893778447701666" border="0" /></a>Logan taking a nap in her crib...She knows how to relax!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PNfdqEUdO4KwV6UkLJL1mBO3a_G_SMz_wtW-j3JToOmm_gDieP9gl7vpJH2XPtGxyw0oCyTK2eNmraq1Ibtyi20rtYI8dDdC_AMlrN9jrNjJ-dNVxJsNcW-HsGaycFpgBDS2ZW_LqtQ/s1600-h/Logan's+Birth+212.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PNfdqEUdO4KwV6UkLJL1mBO3a_G_SMz_wtW-j3JToOmm_gDieP9gl7vpJH2XPtGxyw0oCyTK2eNmraq1Ibtyi20rtYI8dDdC_AMlrN9jrNjJ-dNVxJsNcW-HsGaycFpgBDS2ZW_LqtQ/s200/Logan's+Birth+212.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337893773639945218" border="0" /></a>I love this picture of Logan and Sy having a heart to heart...She looks so cute looking up at her daddy!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzJzan-3amXW0KiET3pMkTlECBS53lLmAEVzG6R-EPMByOOJJjsjQnSS5_RJE_9WF8Hqd2QQYZW5XHrAEo-3jeyny5TY8iquHxQ307LwavrlRC988UmF1ifoBt9D1CRObdJOe1iLvlGc/s1600-h/Logan's+Birth+170.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzJzan-3amXW0KiET3pMkTlECBS53lLmAEVzG6R-EPMByOOJJjsjQnSS5_RJE_9WF8Hqd2QQYZW5XHrAEo-3jeyny5TY8iquHxQ307LwavrlRC988UmF1ifoBt9D1CRObdJOe1iLvlGc/s200/Logan's+Birth+170.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337893771994315938" border="0" /></a>This is Bothildur- the midwife that delivered Logan.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZHR7s4hisay5iVykVz1GrFKyz6jWQyNBwMD3QOV1az_xfxsHUnjF5X9S3AUiUPr20ULL2Q9ZRT0Wc-pONc4dgjpRmXU5dLfg2gGeM6V5p9PhNca8grsmlCfk7KY0IgPoxrsh70RlNfM/s1600-h/Logan's+Birth+167.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZHR7s4hisay5iVykVz1GrFKyz6jWQyNBwMD3QOV1az_xfxsHUnjF5X9S3AUiUPr20ULL2Q9ZRT0Wc-pONc4dgjpRmXU5dLfg2gGeM6V5p9PhNca8grsmlCfk7KY0IgPoxrsh70RlNfM/s200/Logan's+Birth+167.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337893767019259522" border="0" /></a>Logan sleeping and sun bathing. We try to let her get a little bit of sun everyday to make sure the juandis stays away.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhogwFDIbfD46tqSMrBbvTEwP8azwgA2XKXzj8If0Rj8vyjhC1_cujN8IrrCjOoZxpGaDbxKNBnfMEfBAVvYdvGzh26RB3fjlQeB2rnDpdu75tZF_MUkR8chyQw9JQuPBvVRwC23n34So/s1600-h/Logan's+Birth+142.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhogwFDIbfD46tqSMrBbvTEwP8azwgA2XKXzj8If0Rj8vyjhC1_cujN8IrrCjOoZxpGaDbxKNBnfMEfBAVvYdvGzh26RB3fjlQeB2rnDpdu75tZF_MUkR8chyQw9JQuPBvVRwC23n34So/s200/Logan's+Birth+142.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337893760907766546" border="0" /></a>Logan with her Aunt Sirry.Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-21464681383609497142009-05-19T08:47:00.000-07:002009-05-19T10:27:35.552-07:00Logan Alexia Saevarsdottir...Our baby girl made her debut into the world on Sunday, May 10, 2009 at 2:38pm- on Mother's Day of all days!!! What an unbelievable, awesome, totally perfect, precious Mother's Day gift!<br />Getting her here was quite a challenge to say the least, so I guess I will start from the beginning.<br />I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for about 2 weeks on and off. On Saturday, May 9 me and Sy had planned to go to Reykjavik to spend the day with his parents and have dinner with them that evening. We got to the city at about 4:00pm that afternoon and we all decided to go for a walk because the weather was so nice. The 'walk' turned more into a short hike, as we were walking small hills, etc. I was exhausted after the walk. I started having contractions at dinner that evening at about 8:00pm. Of course I was thinking that these were the same ole Braxton Hicks contractions that I had been having. After dinner I decided that I wanted to see the new X-men movie- Wolverine. Me and Sy decided to go to see the 10:00pm showing of the movie that night. My contractions continued throughout the entire movie and on our way home to Selfoss and all during the night as I tried to sleep. Needless to say, I did not get any sleep that night. I got up at about 4:30am Sunday morning and decided to Goggle what it would feel like when my water broke. I felt as though it was time because my contractions had never lasted this long before. After my research I laid back down and tried to sleep. <br />At about 7:30am I felt a gush of liquid flow into my undergarments. My reaction woke Sy and I told him that I thought that my water had broke. He got up and called the midwife and told her my symptoms. She told me that I could come to the hospital whenever I was ready. I took a shower and Sy gathered our things and we headed to the hospital. We got to the hospital at about 10:00am. <br />The midwife that was on call that morning was Bothildur. Unfortunately, we had not gotten the opportunity to meet her during any of our doctor's appointments. She hooked me up to a machine for about 15 minutes to monitor my contractions and mine and the baby's heartbeats. She then checked to see if I had dialated any and determined that I was dialated 3-4. She then moved us to the room where I would deliver the baby. This entire time my coontractions were getting more and more intense. <br />Once we got to the delivery room I immediately decided that I wanted to get into the hot tub, since throughtout my entire pregnancy hot water always helped to ease the pain of the contractions. I stayed in the hot tub for the next 2.5 hours. At one point I thought that Logan might be born in the hot tub, but I got to a point to where NOTHING was helping the pain. We all decided that it might help if I changed scenery for a while so I got out of the hot tub and went to the bed. Bothildur checked me to see how much I had dialated- I was at about a 7. She also broke my water at that point- which wasn't broken as I had previously had thought. When she broke my water the floodgates opened- literally! Tons of warm water gushed between my legs for what seemed like an eternity. Not only that but my contractions began to become excruciatating. I have NEVER felt such pain. The midwife tried accupuncture, laughing gas, changing my positions to comfort me and NOTHING was working. Sy was trying to be as encouraging as he possibly could but to no avail. I was in pain!<br />About this time, my mother-in-law (Elsa) and sister-in-law (Saedis) came into the room. They began to caress and massage me and fan me (I was so hot!). Sy would also fan me and give me water which provided VERY temporary comfort. <br />After about an hour or so in the bed, Bothildur came to check for dialation again and I basically told her no! I did not not want her to touch me ( I was not in my right mind at this point not to mention I was soooooo exhausted)because everytime she checked me it seemed like the contraction that came after was ten times worse. Well she didn't listen- I was just about dialated to 10. <br />At that point, Bothildur began to prepare the room for the birth of the baby- it was about 2:00pm. I began to push at about 2:00pm and it was the hardest thing that I have EVER had to do in my ENTIRE life. After about 10 minutes of pushing, Bothildur kicked Elsa and Saedis out of the room. She really needed me to focus and she felt like they were maybey babying me and showing a little too much compassion (Me and Sy deteremined after the pregnancy that Bothildur is kindof a 'get-it-done, no non-sense' type of midwife- which is exactly what I needed!). I continued to push for another 10 minutes or so and at that point I was really beginning to feel like I couldn't get her out. Twenty minutes of pushing seemed like an eternity and I soooooo completely exhausted and I just felt like I did not have any energy or strength left. After every push I felt like I couldn't do it again, but somehow I did. After about 25 minutes the midwife could tell that Logan was getting weak and her heartbeat was slowing down. She didn't tell me that, but she and Sy knew that the baby was in distress. Sy went into 'you-can-do-it-Dasha' mode and he became my biggest motivator/cheerleader. After his little pep talk speech I took a good rest in-betweeen the contractions and tried to muster as much strength as I could. When I felt the next contraction come I pushed with ALL my might and Sy got really excited and told me that he could see her head ( I thought to myself finally some progress which was a huge motivator). After that and another three good pushes- she was out. <br />When she came out the umbilical cord was wrapped around her head twice, which is way she was getting weak. But she was perfectly fine and no harm was done. She did cry right away for about 5 minutes. I, on the other hand, did not cry. I was so happy that she was out and I think that I was too exhausted to shed tears. All my energy was gone!<br />The whole natural birth experience is one that I don't think I will EVER forget. I remember all the mothers that told me that once they place that baby in your arms- how you forget all about the pain. Well, all I have to say to that is- LIE, LIE, LIE!!!!!!!!! Was my baby worth the pain? YES!...Will I ever forget the pain? NO! Me and Sy have always said that we want at least three children. At this point in time- Logan may be an only child!<br />I have a whole new respect for mother's, especially single mother's...I have a whole new respect for my body! It is truly amazing how God created women to experience and partake in the process of childbirth- how our body'sustain this little life for nine months and then produce milk to sustain it after it's born. I am continually amazed and blown away by the awesomness of God.<br />Well our little angel is here and she is truly precious! We stayed in the hospital 4 days after she was born. We had planned to stay 2 days, but ended up staying an extra 2 days because Logan was juandis and had to sleep under a heat lamp for 24 hours. She is better now and is doing great. She basically eats, sleeps, and poops- the life of a newborn! <br />We went back and forth on her name for many. many months. My mom actually came up with Logan (thanks momma!), which I love ( I love unisex names for girls), but Sy really didn't but into it at first. He wanted something more 'girly'. He loved the name Alexia, which is really 'girly' and its also a family name for him (his great-grandmother and his sister Saedis both have the name Alexia). So we decided on Logan Alexia Saevarsdottir. Logan weighed 7lbs-8oz when she was born and was 20 inches long. Her daddy and I think that she is the most beautiful baby in the world- we could be just a bit biased!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-64955168371791276902009-05-04T11:49:00.000-07:002009-05-04T13:20:10.781-07:0039 down...1 to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I can't believe we are finally down to the 1 week mark...We can't wait to see her and we are really hoping that she is early!!!!<br />I am ready...bags are packed...diapers are bought...bottles have been sterilized...baby clothes are washed! We are just waiting for our little angel- whenever she decides that she's ready!<br />Sy talks to her every night and tries to persuade her to come out and see us!!! It's so precious...<br />I am ready for her to be out of me!!!...About two weeks ago I was sleeping sitting straight up in the bed, but I have started to recline a little more this week. Every morning I wake up I feel like I have been beat to a pulp- my hands always feel numb. I have alot of energy in the mornings, which is when I try to get my cleaning and some cooking done, but after about 3-4pm I am done. Heartburn is pretty much an all day affair and I am pretty much going to the bathroom every 30 minutes- lots of pressure on my bladder at all times! I am about ready to smack all of the ladies that talked about how great pregnancy was- I hate it!!!!<br />We went to see the midwife last tuesday morning and everything was great. My blood pressure, sugar, protein, etc are all good. The baby's heartbeat is good, her head is down and her head is in the right position so everything is ready to go. The midwife said that i was doing really well. We have another appointment tomorrow (Tuesday, May 5). <br />Everyone has been asking me if I have dilated any? The answer to that question is 'I don't know'. Here in Iceland they don't check for dilation unless there is a reason too, for example if I have been having consistent contractions or something...I am really starting to appreciate the methods and practices of childbirth that are used here. There are so many differences between the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1241463365_0">Iceland</span>ic and American cultures when it comes to childbirth. Iceland has the mentality that if there is not a need to check something- they don't. If your pregnancy is normal and there are no complications or concerns then everything is really laid back. They just kinda let nature take its course and when things happen, they happen. They would never induce a patient out of convenience, give a patient a C-section out of convenience, etc. They are even apprehensive about giving epidurals unless there are complications. Here, childbirth is a normal, natural process- women have been having babies since the beginning of time. Sometimes, I feel like in America there are alot of processes and proceudres that occur that aren't really necessary (not for health or safety reasons- soley for convenience) and that interrupt the natural flow of things. Everything that is permissible is not always beneficial.<br />My midwife did tell me that they will not let me go 2 weeks past my due date, due to health and safety concerns, so that's was comforting...I don't want to go 2 hours past my due date, in fact, I really hope that she's early!!!! <br />I have been having <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1241463365_1">Braxton Hicks contractions</span> for about a week and a half now. In the beginning, I was having them only in the mornings for about 2-3 hours. Now I am having them at night for about 3 hours or so. Its comforting knowing that my body is at least trying to prepare itself for this delivery and not just hanging out.<br />Me and Sy have been having conversations lately about a name. We are still nowhere! It's ridculous! Our baby girl may not have a name for a while- even after she is born! Everyone please pray and we send our apologies to all the Americans who want to kill us for not having a name yet!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-32716917147636048202009-04-05T12:42:00.000-07:002009-04-05T14:36:39.113-07:00My neice- Khloe Che'lynn!!!!!While I was in the States I got to help deliver my niece- Khloe Che'lynn. She is the most precious little thing ever! Yes, I am a proud auntie!!! Alot of people told me that I was very brave to be in the delivery room with my sister, knowing that I was about to experience child birth myself in a few months. My sister was sooooo brave and she delivered Khloe WITHOUT an epidural!!! Since I will be delivering my baby here in Iceland without an epidural (unless there are complications), her experience gave me very real view of what to expect in my own delievery. I do understand, however, that our experiences can and probably will be totally different.<br />Childbirth, to say the least, is so amazing. I cannot even describe how intense and wonderful the whole thing was. I am so glad, however, that I have will have a little over two months to mentally prepare myself for my own baby's birth.<br />Tamara was induced early Monday morning on February 23. Her water broke at 8:30am that morning. She was in labor for about 7 hours and Khloe was born at 3:19pm that afternoon. I got to cut the umblical cord! It was awesome! Tamara's nurse and her doctor were both great and they took good care of her, but I will have to say that our mom was the MVP!!! Momma was awesome! She was soooooo encouraging and motivating! She really helped Tamara make it through.<br />Khloe weighed 6lbs-14ozs and was 19.5 inches long. She is about 6 weeks old now and she weighs almost 10 lbs! The pics below were taken when she was first born.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJf55I0qjRja-JIvu7s1F4WkGg64bryp1YeB9X2i_roDmAExjaG34S82ni1-VLp6IhzBmqZeRmkBvVqlS-FlGTFkGg-r2paREpYQcnhy0eV3905s0GoeSn0FBexw1j2xTtfuTEm7u5ro/s1600-h/trip+to+america+050.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJf55I0qjRja-JIvu7s1F4WkGg64bryp1YeB9X2i_roDmAExjaG34S82ni1-VLp6IhzBmqZeRmkBvVqlS-FlGTFkGg-r2paREpYQcnhy0eV3905s0GoeSn0FBexw1j2xTtfuTEm7u5ro/s200/trip+to+america+050.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321300767357285298" border="0" /></a>This is Khloe when she was just a few minutes old...I was so shocked at how rough the nurse was with her...She handled her more like a football rather than a newborn baby!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAxg0NbF0zy_2lXZryF2KbW33qY0u49VascCbX36YfakPqUFXJPLefsLisOywmouuSgvhIYn5XGGPdsHp5X0lnMY8Bq2U2HP-BD4myiuvLmoeZ6mWEaRvzii-5OPSMVignx2eHjB9WPk/s1600-h/trip+to+america+061.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAxg0NbF0zy_2lXZryF2KbW33qY0u49VascCbX36YfakPqUFXJPLefsLisOywmouuSgvhIYn5XGGPdsHp5X0lnMY8Bq2U2HP-BD4myiuvLmoeZ6mWEaRvzii-5OPSMVignx2eHjB9WPk/s200/trip+to+america+061.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321300771573073458" border="0" /></a>Khloe and her nana!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0I0H9-6Z6QKqflwaZv97ykNZS1X7m6oubJ_EDfzuRHlU_r4kBzmvUqwOcQHEKd8nPjEtY4YJWmR2akX-KWmQkwN00uvFZaV6QNFETvECPY4ZWuMUEhcATBK1dlp-y070QlNQKlbIZWZY/s1600-h/trip+to+america+064.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0I0H9-6Z6QKqflwaZv97ykNZS1X7m6oubJ_EDfzuRHlU_r4kBzmvUqwOcQHEKd8nPjEtY4YJWmR2akX-KWmQkwN00uvFZaV6QNFETvECPY4ZWuMUEhcATBK1dlp-y070QlNQKlbIZWZY/s200/trip+to+america+064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321300773619322818" border="0" /></a>Khloe and her auntie!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFD0B4ZCCfs_Fmli7m8kJdVaAAXJ5Scai0_MTP0T5q3oewXI0CMEGaI8yr-9hbiekRZT9uogHbx3Bg4ZoKGQ_hHgWp8wu6BX1xfLepKcvyhmqaZlXbvHP3UZsTmi-uWoKysQygd4iURs/s1600-h/trip+to+america+066.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGFD0B4ZCCfs_Fmli7m8kJdVaAAXJ5Scai0_MTP0T5q3oewXI0CMEGaI8yr-9hbiekRZT9uogHbx3Bg4ZoKGQ_hHgWp8wu6BX1xfLepKcvyhmqaZlXbvHP3UZsTmi-uWoKysQygd4iURs/s200/trip+to+america+066.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321300785089142802" border="0" /></a>Look at that precious sleeping baby!!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5swvQecGLu6DKI2LPKtrvBbEujI8zxGz4BLTKCBu-vokT8qqPmAyrozl1ABz4r7cPrpqccOr8VP8vwBuUXuf3T5vltxPnsygNNV7eQYRaLpfC8eb15Mcjrvosd3uUCwzZYinLYCgnuM/s1600-h/trip+to+america+068.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5swvQecGLu6DKI2LPKtrvBbEujI8zxGz4BLTKCBu-vokT8qqPmAyrozl1ABz4r7cPrpqccOr8VP8vwBuUXuf3T5vltxPnsygNNV7eQYRaLpfC8eb15Mcjrvosd3uUCwzZYinLYCgnuM/s200/trip+to+america+068.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321300789925991474" border="0" /></a>A little fussy here...She was probably hungry!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjustXK2ASm8RcVHtHFPku3XykZLW-0f1VGgIYpFMyX4yK1bYv-BTOsKXuAnTb-gpO3EPYviNC-CHSVx3qNb7rk0PcfR-nusdkfp5GKv7Ta175hnmxNb63XNLSSrQ3QZNmPrtzEaVOZAXM/s1600-h/trip+to+america+070.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjustXK2ASm8RcVHtHFPku3XykZLW-0f1VGgIYpFMyX4yK1bYv-BTOsKXuAnTb-gpO3EPYviNC-CHSVx3qNb7rk0PcfR-nusdkfp5GKv7Ta175hnmxNb63XNLSSrQ3QZNmPrtzEaVOZAXM/s200/trip+to+america+070.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321322755347093122" border="0" /></a>Ahhhhhh! That's better...Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-30894893842971650442009-04-05T11:15:00.000-07:002009-04-05T12:37:28.921-07:00Baby Showers...My trip to the states was great!!! It had its moments of frustration and heartache. Getting there was a total headache because I missed my connection from JFK airport in NY to Nashville and I spent literally 24 hours in JFK airport. I was supposed to arrive in Nashville at 10:30pm on Friday, February 13 and then drive to Huntsville; however I didn't get to Huntsville until 9:30am on Sunday, February 15. It was one big mess to say the least! I did, however, learn many valuable lessons in international travel. I also vowed to NEVER again travel internationally by myself when I am 7 months pregnant.<br />I made to Huntsville just in time for my sister's baby shower, or so I thought. We traveled to Florence, AL that Sunday afternoon for the shower. I got there to find out that the shower was for me too! My mom planned the whole thing and she had several of our close friends and family help her pull it off. It was so beautiful and it was so wonderful to see everyone!<br />Some of my dearest girlfriends from church planned a baby shower for me the next weekend- Sunday February 22. It was wonderful and again, I was sooooo happy to see everyone. The shower was beautiful! I want to thank everyone from church that helped plan the shower! I absolutely loved it! I also want to thank everyone that came. It meant so much to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_qYusDTG1v7PFOv10JbZ9aO9VqKG56f75n9pHL0s7GPlBrsqxV5zSaEAeDoJBb4k4OSwhiIfBEioP0ydSjSkqW2aLdT5rcaS7rIAkL-WjRCHzMfuI2VVHx1A4YVPCu9uG585T8FMeYk/s1600-h/trip+to+america+040.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_qYusDTG1v7PFOv10JbZ9aO9VqKG56f75n9pHL0s7GPlBrsqxV5zSaEAeDoJBb4k4OSwhiIfBEioP0ydSjSkqW2aLdT5rcaS7rIAkL-WjRCHzMfuI2VVHx1A4YVPCu9uG585T8FMeYk/s200/trip+to+america+040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321290062616865218" border="0" /></a>This is a picture of some of my dearest girlfriends. We all go to church together and they are some of the ones responsible for planning my church baby shower (from left to right: Cani, Stephanie, April, me, Stacy, and Emily). I love ya'll and God Bless you!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnE98oIEQujDqqGzGEudQYvmy4-SDn7qhnOltb6tV_R54JVQbTJSBwLPlnuGJH5_OCNOgtXHxEJozTKZ1zUbu9XtrlHEZbCoKlqC4qxCKR_TCckQWGFLrzwSNbbxGFBZmOi2GFTwgKM8/s1600-h/trip+to+america+036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnE98oIEQujDqqGzGEudQYvmy4-SDn7qhnOltb6tV_R54JVQbTJSBwLPlnuGJH5_OCNOgtXHxEJozTKZ1zUbu9XtrlHEZbCoKlqC4qxCKR_TCckQWGFLrzwSNbbxGFBZmOi2GFTwgKM8/s200/trip+to+america+036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321282866711473426" border="0" /></a>This a another picture of some of my dearest girlfriends (from left to right: Shotha, LaDonna, me, Quita, Andrea, Kendra, and Angel in front). We all played basketball together in college at UAH. Go Lady Chargers! I was soooo happy to see all of them at the baby shower. I love when we all get together. We just pick right up where we left off! I love you guys!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjus_2_TloXYl5MkriI-BqE-oJgGLt0_1_4E5-d5l7PDm7VXLbFOFVezi0_M1ZPv6T8hyCJtYv53eaQKxRJFFXwOFIcNrSYNDGGK91j5cUIB_7sslJxSdAUd1QlBQ-44LjB3uiKqkD3oSU/s1600-h/trip+to+america+035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjus_2_TloXYl5MkriI-BqE-oJgGLt0_1_4E5-d5l7PDm7VXLbFOFVezi0_M1ZPv6T8hyCJtYv53eaQKxRJFFXwOFIcNrSYNDGGK91j5cUIB_7sslJxSdAUd1QlBQ-44LjB3uiKqkD3oSU/s200/trip+to+america+035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321282051608034690" border="0" /></a>Me, my mom (Linda), Angel, and my sister (Tamara) at my church baby shower. Momma looks like she's a sister too, doesn't she. It's sickening, I know!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDylD6npDuKftai0KONtukehn04rr8hyphenhypheneLZgku1Qm7cBM_t7nIV4jKxzy-yie48S-t5DaUPscMinSgRWEKugA-l5GY8dPZf0xOwpME4aSH8DItNOyyy8Q-_kfcFIz7zlenJujkuUViBDU/s1600-h/trip+to+america+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDylD6npDuKftai0KONtukehn04rr8hyphenhypheneLZgku1Qm7cBM_t7nIV4jKxzy-yie48S-t5DaUPscMinSgRWEKugA-l5GY8dPZf0xOwpME4aSH8DItNOyyy8Q-_kfcFIz7zlenJujkuUViBDU/s200/trip+to+america+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321282048010032050" border="0" /></a>This is a picture of a blanket that was given to me by Angel (pictured above). Angel goes to church with us and is one of my baby's. She made this blanket (with help from Wanda) for our baby girl. This blanket was one of the sweetest, most precious gifts I received.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwtAW0A-gfAKhlODXd34yZ-ic-2PElh0IYTmroVCRet9Gt4iRufSe1dYjgCMqQg5Q1uPbfvhwJChGaETRX695FHWSkf9rmvAumNJA9dzqWQP8vI1aly2aFwhKgLfgVePXyk3zZYjfAJE/s1600-h/trip+to+america+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwtAW0A-gfAKhlODXd34yZ-ic-2PElh0IYTmroVCRet9Gt4iRufSe1dYjgCMqQg5Q1uPbfvhwJChGaETRX695FHWSkf9rmvAumNJA9dzqWQP8vI1aly2aFwhKgLfgVePXyk3zZYjfAJE/s200/trip+to+america+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321282043728815346" border="0" /></a>Here's a pic of the table decorations from the church shower. Everything was so beautiful! Thanks Joanna!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqtXKHWGZLVfnQcE12Xk1HBlIdLJhAbfYySpcJJe7vp1gBHFze5Pc_HuaistKZ8hg5SYBumKZbSAyb6mYXPbuIYSJTCYKKSnGbHdT6X-nF_WbR1XVz6ekxnxl_Cx6zXz0ZbYvTYEA-RU/s1600-h/trip+to+america+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqtXKHWGZLVfnQcE12Xk1HBlIdLJhAbfYySpcJJe7vp1gBHFze5Pc_HuaistKZ8hg5SYBumKZbSAyb6mYXPbuIYSJTCYKKSnGbHdT6X-nF_WbR1XVz6ekxnxl_Cx6zXz0ZbYvTYEA-RU/s200/trip+to+america+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321282033180593730" border="0" /></a>This is a picture of the gifts from my church shower. I was overwhelmed by everyone's kindness and generosity! I got some really beautiful gifts and I had a hard time getting everything back to Iceland. But don't fret, I got everything in one huge duffle bag thanks to Stephanie, Natelie, and space savers!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeGGDSnb-jHaR0xzgKsJ2I9fxpoiuqMxZjX1yA13WI727auw4-tmPctRegm8IpOysXtyTUP0zA8rDQ6-NmJscT2FriXC-ovvk06DabbEq3xjJRgbtVDsVDHYAokbvR8-voEZM1cyB9cA/s1600-h/trip+to+america+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYeGGDSnb-jHaR0xzgKsJ2I9fxpoiuqMxZjX1yA13WI727auw4-tmPctRegm8IpOysXtyTUP0zA8rDQ6-NmJscT2FriXC-ovvk06DabbEq3xjJRgbtVDsVDHYAokbvR8-voEZM1cyB9cA/s200/trip+to+america+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321282025938072498" border="0" /></a>Me and Tamara with our baby bellies! I love this picture! I am about 28 weeks and she is about 38-39 weeks.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRMpEtlUqy3hzR5AkwflxEYu7BREcFiBHLOBJAuEzleeS6iWwiGoJSYhT2YMAABCx_9OsWUvqocpBpmdNThpQlHsiEEta9SrQ6yfFk-25cgh-njksEhOlBNsZcRk8fOKqAp380idlLU0/s1600-h/trip+to+america+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRMpEtlUqy3hzR5AkwflxEYu7BREcFiBHLOBJAuEzleeS6iWwiGoJSYhT2YMAABCx_9OsWUvqocpBpmdNThpQlHsiEEta9SrQ6yfFk-25cgh-njksEhOlBNsZcRk8fOKqAp380idlLU0/s200/trip+to+america+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321279478345111762" border="0" /></a>Me and my sister at our baby shower in Florence.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jirKmY-Sedfejv8fXuyZ52AguFj7Wj9fmHpKJGjQHAWlx4A7GQSU2LelBJ9ca4VNVufWlVpATeAENCAnAp0KvSFWB_A4iCh6hcKM-SDAQVr1H0pKrK0uYBfhJqpEm-hRG_VESrRgmHY/s1600-h/trip+to+america+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jirKmY-Sedfejv8fXuyZ52AguFj7Wj9fmHpKJGjQHAWlx4A7GQSU2LelBJ9ca4VNVufWlVpATeAENCAnAp0KvSFWB_A4iCh6hcKM-SDAQVr1H0pKrK0uYBfhJqpEm-hRG_VESrRgmHY/s200/trip+to+america+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321279477229769906" border="0" /></a>The cake that my mom had made for us for our baby shower in Florence! This is the most beautiful baby shower cake I have ever seen!!!! Thanks mom- you are the best!!!! I love you!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-10920375265598694112009-02-12T04:58:00.000-08:002009-04-05T14:40:16.816-07:00Her first pictures...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hhkysjCt75vA_C7X7Y3pNtYseNt9wM82BQNfTXg28pTuGfT1gA6Yavv8Y_IPrZg4Io1UbLEcNfnYUfLkTwtP-x259CFkye_yCqo1_XYsY2WX7UGROljRbFuDZ2V70wA5MiSXfY6X6E8/s1600-h/3D+VIKA+27%2B_32.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hhkysjCt75vA_C7X7Y3pNtYseNt9wM82BQNfTXg28pTuGfT1gA6Yavv8Y_IPrZg4Io1UbLEcNfnYUfLkTwtP-x259CFkye_yCqo1_XYsY2WX7UGROljRbFuDZ2V70wA5MiSXfY6X6E8/s200/3D+VIKA+27%2B_32.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301894953301027138" border="0" /></a>Our baby girl had her first pictures taken on Tuesday, February 10. We had our 4D ultrasound that morning and it was truly amazing!!! We are in love and seeing her just made us so much more anxious to meet her in person! We had a time getting her to cooperate at first- she was still sleeping and 10:30am is really early for her to be up and moving around. She is already a night owl- every night at about 10:30pm she starts having a party!!! So the midwife and I tried several techniques to get her to move those little hands from the front of her face. She finally began to cooperate. She was so precious- moving, and drinking, and sucking her fingers!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2qEfcROmTysHx45W3W10DsXchaMi53I_K9VQAKEG_gLcj8byNcPSmI6iyEXVHfHuFFs65eQGtJNgmEiOtX8TyPxzxqMgKzB3pJyQUhWrzHjau0_d0X-MXOLNjW2my-MrUYk-0G0nGvRM/s1600-h/3D+VIKA+27%2B_49.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2qEfcROmTysHx45W3W10DsXchaMi53I_K9VQAKEG_gLcj8byNcPSmI6iyEXVHfHuFFs65eQGtJNgmEiOtX8TyPxzxqMgKzB3pJyQUhWrzHjau0_d0X-MXOLNjW2my-MrUYk-0G0nGvRM/s200/3D+VIKA+27%2B_49.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301894948548795986" border="0" /></a>The first thing that we noticed when we got a good view of her was that she definitely has my nose! The umbilical cord is draped around her neck in these pictures. The midwife said that its just floating there and not choking her or anything. It looks kind of like a scarf (she is already stylish like her momma!).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFPLTKYilZVuF642RyGPBhY0OhJEzWJ4VteqvekSkw6w84ZJw48anzd2UH9MHA676DC_Akr36G9LTN4fssmh4HdTngJL7kBTXI7uoyHMaTd1w-Ig0Op-ICDB0CPJiMHw_fZ4T68V0TY0/s1600-h/3D+VIKA+27%2B_44.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFPLTKYilZVuF642RyGPBhY0OhJEzWJ4VteqvekSkw6w84ZJw48anzd2UH9MHA676DC_Akr36G9LTN4fssmh4HdTngJL7kBTXI7uoyHMaTd1w-Ig0Op-ICDB0CPJiMHw_fZ4T68V0TY0/s200/3D+VIKA+27%2B_44.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301894942937000978" border="0" /></a>Here she is sucking her little fingers. This ultrasound truly gave new meaning to Psalm 139:13-17 which reads: <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous- and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable!"</span><br /><br />We thank God for this precious little life- we already know that the Heavenly Father is as crazy about her as we are!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-44321147792905228122009-02-04T04:02:00.000-08:002009-02-04T05:01:52.321-08:00Finally, Pictures!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrSanfARHFy1T1R3k-_ltRlCBNuAMXVYe9_qGqT3H7uMGHsG5fXZ09ctEG8ONgIyWwJ-zAgqVxgy0ZVdXD3Y1RSKQVVg-vuBMn3hv_VkDUs17w0kBg0d_uNwpplriqVrVIFniVACba-w/s1600-h/IMG_1446.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrSanfARHFy1T1R3k-_ltRlCBNuAMXVYe9_qGqT3H7uMGHsG5fXZ09ctEG8ONgIyWwJ-zAgqVxgy0ZVdXD3Y1RSKQVVg-vuBMn3hv_VkDUs17w0kBg0d_uNwpplriqVrVIFniVACba-w/s200/IMG_1446.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298922947042152002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRNKIji4lWWzFkFDBVM-c9JPnpGUDEG1813arV1L03RzbHbtIhh_CDIfC8JoZ8Komi_KTSEIB1yWa9NzyFxun03jeN1eYFh3CrCqFo8k1S9V9_AUOwAN0Q3_8c4xVDrX-5IgoDg1T204/s1600-h/IMG_1445.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRNKIji4lWWzFkFDBVM-c9JPnpGUDEG1813arV1L03RzbHbtIhh_CDIfC8JoZ8Komi_KTSEIB1yWa9NzyFxun03jeN1eYFh3CrCqFo8k1S9V9_AUOwAN0Q3_8c4xVDrX-5IgoDg1T204/s200/IMG_1445.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298922940393282082" border="0" /></a>The two pictures above and below are of the market were I volunteer about 3 times a week. This market was started by the church that we go to here in Selfoss. People in this community donate items (i.e clothes, furniture, dishes, etc) that they don't want anymore and we take the items and sell them at low prices. Part of the proceeds go to help the ABC foundation, which is a foundation that helps children in Africa go to school. The other half of the proceeds go to help families here in Selfoss that are struggling during these hard economic times. Our church and this market has been a tremendous blessing to me and to this community. It gives me something to look forward to, it gets me out into the community, allows me to meet people, and it helps me learn Icelandic! I love being able to serve the Lord in this way!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZVREW6drbnZWCj8Aqa5leCSfU7WKXVLGzA_65RyqyIYc7cfJRrAB3_MfgsyRwgdehA11D_5mG8V_HZdvqkXcEMWdkfx7yo0C41_ZfKXY10rZJr6AjepZGecA7hgU_Nrux-QQgNgJeNg/s1600-h/IMG_1447.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBZVREW6drbnZWCj8Aqa5leCSfU7WKXVLGzA_65RyqyIYc7cfJRrAB3_MfgsyRwgdehA11D_5mG8V_HZdvqkXcEMWdkfx7yo0C41_ZfKXY10rZJr6AjepZGecA7hgU_Nrux-QQgNgJeNg/s200/IMG_1447.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298922940085424818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2Wj4fiwg4jonsR2fKaT81e2JlP5DfgvSS61cDpahf6m2piQQ6spK134hbfLqmL3vQ23u7veu81BnUmuCyOqus1TZmqoVQFEN0ABOe1cuU8xUu8RgYP2VH13HNtmSizXH9GZKDfT7q4s/s1600-h/IMG_1448.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2Wj4fiwg4jonsR2fKaT81e2JlP5DfgvSS61cDpahf6m2piQQ6spK134hbfLqmL3vQ23u7veu81BnUmuCyOqus1TZmqoVQFEN0ABOe1cuU8xUu8RgYP2VH13HNtmSizXH9GZKDfT7q4s/s200/IMG_1448.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298922935933639202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEVauDafxLSDZgzPxRQBUFojJU_KhRgcbLJf-VLMPgcAZyC1D9lmqkenTgvbb9_P21Lxu44RXF5Js210vFG5bwngBEo5B4eArGD3vkv2ohblC4f9XK7fWnzS2iQJB5X9PCQY2f3sNnjE/s1600-h/IMG_1455.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEVauDafxLSDZgzPxRQBUFojJU_KhRgcbLJf-VLMPgcAZyC1D9lmqkenTgvbb9_P21Lxu44RXF5Js210vFG5bwngBEo5B4eArGD3vkv2ohblC4f9XK7fWnzS2iQJB5X9PCQY2f3sNnjE/s200/IMG_1455.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298920048261975042" border="0" /></a>I wanted to give ya'll a little comparison of how much I have grown. The picture above and below is what I looked like in January. The two picutures below that is what I looked like at Christmas. I don't know about you but I can tell a difference! I'm glad- that means my little princess is growing!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LLOaqOOCs9xiBgj9ThWnAI5Vccj4hcw1TcH3C3vbtPyYEj7hRsHwKiFYdQcbX9miCK0QU9TjUMaoOgGciKF_w33GDcySw7YheOip4oW0bSlp9G5v8EAhWm5qIZpwfACHvSj8tVCg2H4/s1600-h/IMG_1454.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LLOaqOOCs9xiBgj9ThWnAI5Vccj4hcw1TcH3C3vbtPyYEj7hRsHwKiFYdQcbX9miCK0QU9TjUMaoOgGciKF_w33GDcySw7YheOip4oW0bSlp9G5v8EAhWm5qIZpwfACHvSj8tVCg2H4/s200/IMG_1454.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298920042761322754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwQqT8moa-XDJh9F3auayFlJrugHxRTvIn51yUrJLr1NpnSfAKcptMT4kWI7yFucGyI9bHX7ddPZS3sOhDf4V3gJywZ35MRCbLvk8XgW8h1wSVkC1JGRhX37UMI8gTvquZeDU0JOijDg/s1600-h/IMG_1427.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwQqT8moa-XDJh9F3auayFlJrugHxRTvIn51yUrJLr1NpnSfAKcptMT4kWI7yFucGyI9bHX7ddPZS3sOhDf4V3gJywZ35MRCbLvk8XgW8h1wSVkC1JGRhX37UMI8gTvquZeDU0JOijDg/s200/IMG_1427.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298920045195257058" border="0" /></a>Me at Christmas- December 2008.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dhR5XniTrtEhNq905uEE675boPz3b_sypbAAK_HVnTyPt7VNJGeeg3V-I_iudxPhZEYzhwtQXncTiK9IHaT5KsXA_RgWpbWEv6Nva7XnAQSWuxdfUNol18u5pQtnyxOg88wqczHymXw/s1600-h/IMG_1366.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0dhR5XniTrtEhNq905uEE675boPz3b_sypbAAK_HVnTyPt7VNJGeeg3V-I_iudxPhZEYzhwtQXncTiK9IHaT5KsXA_RgWpbWEv6Nva7XnAQSWuxdfUNol18u5pQtnyxOg88wqczHymXw/s200/IMG_1366.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298920040136195986" border="0" /></a>Me on Christmas Eve.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QP5fDsxzlxY2GQ2rQzZJ3RzHWDnfThcc198CSaxtRByqWG86Nlb6kkSW33GPrGVpW6X6swdZUl1P_1ZEgWekv7dyT1v4LYLfFJNE-2lLWr_NSGjwDLv2PHXtFZZkV9pV4eaIQLgZrO0/s1600-h/IMG_1439.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QP5fDsxzlxY2GQ2rQzZJ3RzHWDnfThcc198CSaxtRByqWG86Nlb6kkSW33GPrGVpW6X6swdZUl1P_1ZEgWekv7dyT1v4LYLfFJNE-2lLWr_NSGjwDLv2PHXtFZZkV9pV4eaIQLgZrO0/s200/IMG_1439.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298914494398723026" border="0" /></a>This is Sy paying for our doctor's visit. We are not in the Icelandic social medical system yet- its a six month process to get in. We bought medical insurance before we came and thought that it would cover the pregnancy, but when we got here we found out that it did not. We will get into the system in April- praise God- right before the baby is born in May. We pay for all of our visits in cash and that is something that the receptionists are not use to (they don't recieve many cash payments) becasue no one hardly ever pays- everyone in Iceland is in the system. Consequently, we get charged a different price for our visits almost every time we go. Thankfully, it's not very expensive overall, especially considering what we would have to pay in the States if we didn't have medical insurance.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcriYhCgI5EmoNIXP9h4nKQDkRRF71o3L2Fp3e4ntaDpYIg-juqyR-Hr60vdvqSUCYg4MRZXTpko5eZk0wlvisTCQAJcyYKbbkUSwqtBCgpqQzqDVqBl3NmNWddOH61u4gx6w1B4PhcQ/s1600-h/IMG_1431.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcriYhCgI5EmoNIXP9h4nKQDkRRF71o3L2Fp3e4ntaDpYIg-juqyR-Hr60vdvqSUCYg4MRZXTpko5eZk0wlvisTCQAJcyYKbbkUSwqtBCgpqQzqDVqBl3NmNWddOH61u4gx6w1B4PhcQ/s200/IMG_1431.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298914491993804322" border="0" /></a>This is a me getting checked by the midwife. She usually checks to find the bottom of my uterus and then she checks the baby's heartbeat, among other things. On this visit, as she was checking the heartbeat, I noticed that the heartbeat was slower than it usually is. Just as I was thinking that the midwife goes "judging by this heartbeat, I would say that you are having a boy." Me and Sy looked at each other and then at her and Sy goes "our sonar showed that we are having a girl". Well, that did it for me! I made Sy call and make us an appointment to get a 4D sonar- we need to make sure that our girl is a girl!!! Our 4D ultrasound is scheduled for February 10 and we are so excited!!!! Our next checkup is also February 10 at 8:00am and after that we head to Reykjavik for the 4D which is at 10:30am. We will have a busy morning.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6i6mj5isvWsF567sTHUEueZhr0HV-5k77tpFzkwm9dCnjP7wvU03bpl-9eZPFEYV8eZCHg1m02Kfv8lSfDrQ6QecOrkDMCEp07HD2QwaIRnqOQyZsqZxdLVUrN9BFKLf5HDqCl6ckcFA/s1600-h/IMG_1432.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6i6mj5isvWsF567sTHUEueZhr0HV-5k77tpFzkwm9dCnjP7wvU03bpl-9eZPFEYV8eZCHg1m02Kfv8lSfDrQ6QecOrkDMCEp07HD2QwaIRnqOQyZsqZxdLVUrN9BFKLf5HDqCl6ckcFA/s200/IMG_1432.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298912532827517922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaXNp7GZj0-Rsg1I1r5iMiZVOFFO1OShWgmKwlUSQXe9ltOIK_gwQ-QHpylwafsHo3iApPXnqvuGLF9YQ9c4MjpBqHu8tOjbKsMW7j1rfkg9KjPrNdeV9qmu4_Rjux1s20I7IBOeNxWo/s1600-h/IMG_1434.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTaXNp7GZj0-Rsg1I1r5iMiZVOFFO1OShWgmKwlUSQXe9ltOIK_gwQ-QHpylwafsHo3iApPXnqvuGLF9YQ9c4MjpBqHu8tOjbKsMW7j1rfkg9KjPrNdeV9qmu4_Rjux1s20I7IBOeNxWo/s200/IMG_1434.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298912533432898130" border="0" /></a>This is the building that we go to to get our checkups. No I will not have our baby here. The picture above this one is the waiting room inside this building. You can barely see the sign on the right side of this building in this picture, but its called Hvita Husid in Icelandic or White House (a fitting name, don't you think). We took these pictures during our last visit, which was January 20.Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-77126830262708773712009-01-11T09:39:00.000-08:002009-01-11T10:28:34.336-08:00I can't believe it's 2009...Well, I really can't believe that it's 2009. I am looking forward to a lot of new things this year. For one thing, I will become a baby's momma this year!!! I will also become an auntie to my new little niece, Khloe!! Hopefully, I will also become half way fluent in Icelandic this year with a lot of grace and mercy from the Lord! Oh, one more important thing- I turn 30 this year!!!! Oh, my goodness!!!! What the crap- 30! Anyways, this should be a wonderful year!<br />The FSU basketball team played their first game since the Christmas break Friday night...I am soooooo happy to report that they won! It was a close one (83-82). It was a great game...Saevar played really well. I was really proud of him and the entire team for keeping their composure throughout the game. Their next game is this Friday night I believe.<br />I have a prayer request for anyone reading this blog. One our friends and Sy's teammates, Arni (pronounced Out-nee), has been asking a lot of questions about the Lord. He is one of the sweetest guys that I have ever met. Arni went to bible study with me, Sy and Tyler last week for the first time ever (He did not grow up in the church). The bible study is really small and intimate and people are really free to share openly. We thought that it would be great for Arni to experience. We are studying a lesson by Rick Warren, the author of the book, "The Purpose Driven Life". That night we talked about the priorities in our life and if the Lord is top priority in our lives. Arni really enjoyed the group and the study...He said afterwards that he didn't feel weird being there at all and I praise the Lord for that because I feel like alot of Icelanders that aren't Christians have a lot of preconceived notions about Christians, church, etc. Arni's heart is really open to the Lord right now so I just want to ask anyone reading this blog, who is a believer, to please pray for Arni's salvation and that the Lord would continue to draw him unto Himself. Arni will be attending the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) next year on a basketball scholarship!!! Also pray that he will get involved with the right crowd next year that will encourage him in the Lord.<br />My sweet husband got me three hours of massages for Christmas this year. It's probably one the best presents he has ever gotten me!!! I went for my first massage Wednesday of last week. It was awesome!!!!! The massage table had a big hole cut out for my belly and everything!!! The massage tech was Icelandic but she lived in Scotland for eight years where she got her license. We talked the entire hour pretty much. She has three children ages 4,5, and 6! I was impressed that they were all back to back because I have been thinking recently that if me and Sy are going to have three children (Sy said recently that he wants 4 kids- everyone please PRAY) they are going to have to be back to back as well. I am going for my second massage tomorrow morning!<br />The baby is doing great! I feel her moving all the time now. I am about 23 weeks now and I weight 86.3 kilos (which is about 187 pounds and I still have 4 months to go- again everyone please PRAY)!!! Today all of a sudden I am experiencing some heartburn, acid reflux kinda symptoms- not liking it too much...<br />We are still working on a name for our baby girl, but I don't think that we are remotely close to coming to a consensus...<br />That's all for now...Happy New Year!!!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-1764816674344575132008-12-30T14:12:00.000-08:002008-12-30T14:53:27.086-08:00It's a Girl!!!!!!!!We had our 20 week ultrasound this morning at 9:30am...The drama, however, started well before then...I was so restless last night...I woke up at 1:30am and just couldn't go back to sleep until about 4:00am...I think that I was just so anxious about the ultrasound that I couldn't sleep. Sy had to go and pick up one of his teammates, Tyler Dunnaway, from the airport this morning. He left the house at 5:00am so that he could be at the airport by 6:30 (It's an hour and a half drive to the airport from our house)...I wanted to go with him, but he wanted me to stay behind in case something happened...He wanted to be sure that I would make it to the doctor because we have had so much drama with all of our appt thus far since we have been in Iceland...Sy called me at 8:30am to tell me that he has picked up Tyler; our car had broken down in Reykjavik (30 minutes from our house); and Siggi was on his way to see about them...My first response was "You have got to be kidding me!"...No, he wasn't kidding...So I get up out of bed and start to get dressed because I realize that I have 30 minutes to get ready before I need to start making my way to the hospital...<br />Now, it would take any normal person about 15 minutes to walk to the hospital from our house, but I am not normal when it comes to being in a hurry...I am probably one of the slowest people you would ever want to meet and the fact that I am pregnant does not make matters any better...so I knew that it would probably take me 25-30minutes to walk to the hospital...I started on my way at about 9:00am...<br />As I am walking I see an ambulance coming my way and I was soooooooo close to flagging him down and asking him to take me the rest of the way BUT I didn't...Saevar calls to tell me that our car has to be towed; Siggi is letting us borrow his work truck; and that he is on his way!!! He also asks me to stall the ultrasound tech as long as I can...At that point I realize that the paperwork that we need for the ultrasound is in our broken down car...Thankfully Sy remembers it!!!<br />I get to the hospital just in time sweating like a pig...The technician calls me back into the room...I explain the situation and asks if there is anyway that we can postpone the appt a little so that we can wait for Sy, who at this point is about 10 minutes away...She kindly explains that she is booked all day and that she can't wait, but that we could re-schedule the appt for next week...I kindly DECLINED that suggestion- we had already been postponed a week (our appt was originally on the 23rd of Dec)...She said that the appt would last at least 30 minutes so Sy would be there in time for the majority the session...and she was right!!! When Sy got there (papersork and all) he hadn't missed hardly anything!!!! Praise the Lord!!!!<br />The ultrasound was wonderful...She measured the baby's head and femur, which showed that we are actually 21 weeks and some days instead of 20 weeks...My due date was moved from 14 May to 11 May...We saw all 10 fingers, 4 chambers of the heart, the kidneys, eyes, nose, two little lips, the stomach, two little legs, and last but not least the female anatomy!!!!!!<br />Honestly, me and Sy thought we were having a boy, but we could not be happier!!!!<br />The funny thing is that we went to a birthday party this past weekend with bunch of Sy's friends that he grew up with- ironically, all of his closest friends growing up were girls...Anyways, four of the girls that he grew up with are pregnant- all with girls!!!<br />Happy New Year everyone!!!!! It will definitely be a new year for the Sigurmundsson's...Life, as we now know it, will NEVER be the same!!!!!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-90512641001179619102008-12-28T16:47:00.000-08:002008-12-28T17:06:10.730-08:00Some Christmas Pics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4C-ZcAtvr7u1RCKZgZmlBLqXzUs_ycQTz0E7t4TxiNogdUZ2p4KS5F0T2ivmg9i71mtWLJS5tPtJwloPIk30R6tfUNPicC-vrsHD3LpkdpvND5TQDIVQdKrhaUWeZycxf-iSP97eoV6U/s1600-h/Iceland-12-21-08+239.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4C-ZcAtvr7u1RCKZgZmlBLqXzUs_ycQTz0E7t4TxiNogdUZ2p4KS5F0T2ivmg9i71mtWLJS5tPtJwloPIk30R6tfUNPicC-vrsHD3LpkdpvND5TQDIVQdKrhaUWeZycxf-iSP97eoV6U/s200/Iceland-12-21-08+239.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285011266916908850" border="0" /></a><br />Clearing all the snow off the car<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBp92to5rYPQ-giyIOOQVZ__l5_UoE1DMGGEquM67uKGNmcjD-xYOt57Gimc7nM7MS5_OUSzqOB0IGpyN4cM5P2fmhLqfPhPcrNmfS0sUwIf2v0segCTfDpMo0r6ZPlPoCUENV9Pbb0Js/s1600-h/Iceland-12-21-08+267.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBp92to5rYPQ-giyIOOQVZ__l5_UoE1DMGGEquM67uKGNmcjD-xYOt57Gimc7nM7MS5_OUSzqOB0IGpyN4cM5P2fmhLqfPhPcrNmfS0sUwIf2v0segCTfDpMo0r6ZPlPoCUENV9Pbb0Js/s200/Iceland-12-21-08+267.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285011254152291282" border="0" /></a><br />Siggi, Sirry and Einar with the Christmas Tree we found in the woods<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIrfICR03pVMkIao17mNoA6HbpTPPaGp33FqxSx5AirTU08ogkVbTs8EqXIH6Wu4nfFAi4Svkx1pGooRonLyx6TifR56lF8bWSSPcI2ZnsP04MNtzGrvMucMFBUp_pyGrX0nCrJFh9w8/s1600-h/Iceland-12-21-08+127.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFIrfICR03pVMkIao17mNoA6HbpTPPaGp33FqxSx5AirTU08ogkVbTs8EqXIH6Wu4nfFAi4Svkx1pGooRonLyx6TifR56lF8bWSSPcI2ZnsP04MNtzGrvMucMFBUp_pyGrX0nCrJFh9w8/s200/Iceland-12-21-08+127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285008659678285458" border="0" /></a><br />Mr and Mrs Good Looking<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSY1ZLDpV5bjp98nlJQatSy5YgjVmJRQ4Hd4bQctRjUZu1JKYjrWTdoGugVtLRH35coyrAI-ODTZ2BC66zorfMWNBdoukOkNf-cDsuQH0_L0p9NdjKOr7_3iobxUCBZ6V5UjHHo5_brIA/s1600-h/Christmas+012.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSY1ZLDpV5bjp98nlJQatSy5YgjVmJRQ4Hd4bQctRjUZu1JKYjrWTdoGugVtLRH35coyrAI-ODTZ2BC66zorfMWNBdoukOkNf-cDsuQH0_L0p9NdjKOr7_3iobxUCBZ6V5UjHHo5_brIA/s200/Christmas+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285008638673583090" border="0" /></a><br />Merry Christmas!!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-71537716689763414972008-12-26T07:03:00.000-08:002008-12-26T07:15:20.671-08:00Sy's EmailThe following is an email that Sy sent out to our friends and family from our church back home, The Light, a few days before Christmas...I am posting it for two reasons: 1) It gives a good update on what's been going on with us, as well as the economic conditions here in Iceland and 2) Not everyone that reads this blog is on our church email distribution list...<br /><br /><span style="color:firebrick;"><em><strong><span style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230304096_0">Merry Christmas everyone</span>. I have been meaning to send an email for a while, but better late than never. Just wanted to let everyone know that Dasha and I are doing very well in Iceland. I know some of you have been keeping up with us on our blog that Dasha does such a good job of updating. I have been extremely busy with basketball and work and I am really excited about a little <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230304096_1">Christmas</span> break. Our team hasn't done as well as I would like, but we are getting better. We are 3-7 in the league, but we have lost some very close games that we could have won. I am hoping we can pick it up in the new year and get on a winning track.<br /><br />The baby is doing really good. We had a doctors appointment this week and we got to hear the heartbeat and everything seems good. We go for the the 20 week ultrasound on the 30th of December and then we will get to know if we are having a boy or a girl. We had decided not to find out, but then Dasha changed her mind so we are really excited to find out what we are having.<br /><br />We have found a really nice church here in Selfoss where we live. It is a small church and it really reminds me of the Light. I got to share my testimony last Sunday and it went really well. Dasha has been getting more and more involved in the community and she is really starting to enjoy Iceland more. We have also had several opportunities to share with my teammates and we are praying that God will bless them and draw them to Him.<br /><br />We will be spending Christmas with my family in the capital city. It is only 30 minutes from our home and we are going to stay with them for 4-5 days and just hang out.<br /><br />I know many of you have probably heard about the economic crisis here in Iceland. The country pretty much went bankrupt and many people are really hurting. I know it is going on all over the world, but we were the first country to go down. My mom lost her job, but she will continue to get paid for a few more months, which is such a blessing because there are no jobs available here. God has also really blessed my dad because he had just gotten a pretty big project that will last until this summer. They are saying that things will get really bad in about 2 months since most people that have been laid off the last couple of months will be receiving their last paycheck then. Who knows what will happen, we just keep praying.<br /><br />Dasha got her residence card which was a lot easier process than what I had to go through in the states. The only problem we have right now is that we are not in the health system. We didn't know this, but it takes us 6 months to get into the system to receive free health care. So we have to pay for all our doctors visits, which is not bad since prices here are not nearly as bad as in the USA. It was just bad timing due to the pregnancy and we have to see the doctor every month. Dasha and I should be in the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230304096_2">health care system</span> in early April, which is just in time before we have our baby in mid-May. We are thankful for that because it could have been really expensive to have the baby without being in the system.<br /><br />Well I don't want to write to long and bore you guys. We really hope all of you are doing great and that you have a blessed Christmas.<br /><br />Here is all our contact information. We actually have a US number you can call anytime. It is a local call for you guys we would love to hear from you.<br /><br /><span style="color:royalblue;">Phone (local): <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230304096_3">256-513-6575</span></span></strong></em></span><em><strong><span style="color:royalblue;"><span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230304096_5"></span><br />Sy Email: </span></strong></em><a rel="nofollow" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" ymailto="mailto:saevar@inbox.com" target="_blank" href="http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=saevar@inbox.com"><em><strong><span style="color:royalblue;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230304096_6">saevar@inbox.com</span></span></strong></em></a><br /><em><strong><span style="color:royalblue;">Dasha Email: </span></strong></em><a rel="nofollow" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" ymailto="mailto:ladashat@yahoo.com" target="_blank" href="http://us.mc656.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=ladashat@yahoo.com"><em><strong><span style="color:royalblue;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1230304096_7">ladashat@yahoo.com</span></span></strong></em></a><br /><em><strong><span style="color:royalblue;"></span></strong></em><em><strong><span style="color:royalblue;">Skype: sysigur, dasha sigurmundsson<br />We also use facebook<br /><br /><br /></span></strong></em>Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-7031972849923019012008-12-16T16:00:00.001-08:002008-12-16T16:52:57.132-08:00Catch Up...Several things have happened over the last two weeks...I won't mention them all, but I will try to hit the highlights...Me and Sy somehow end up in Reykjavik almost every weekend...The weekend before last we went to a Christmas Buffet dinner with Sy's parents and another couple....This wasn't a typical buffet...It was at this fancy resturant and we had all this fancy food...Everything was wonderful and the food was delicious...After dinner we walked around downtown and went to several places that had live music...We ended up meeting a guy from France that was in town for the weekendat a place called Cafe Rosenburg...He was actually a violinist and he played with the band that was performing at the resturant that evening...He had never played with the band before, but you wouldn't have known it because he was great! AND his french accent was da bomb! Later on that night I met a guy from Maryland who was visiting Iceland for the first time...He just went to his travel agent and said I want to go somewhere I have never been and she suggested Iceland...He got a really good deal because the dollar is so good here right now...We had a nice little talk...He was an mechanical engineer who built night vision system for the army...We had alot in common with my missile defense background...<br />Me and Sy have been going to a little church here in Selfoss called Hvitasunnukirkjan...don't ask he what that means...Anyways, we really like it...It reminds of so much of The Light...Its a small community and they have pastors, but they have different speakers come in regularly to share the Word...The pastors of the church are Aaron and Gunna...They are a sweet couple about mine and Sy's age...They invited me and Sy to dinner this week to get to know us better...It was really nice...We talked about 3.5 hours during and after dinner...They told that the church has approx 7 small groups that meet every other Weds night for bible study and they invited us to join them...So, this weds night will be our first bible study!!!! We are really excited because we have been wanting and needing some accountability...Praise the Lord for helping to get us plugged in...The church put together a market to help raise money for needy children...People all over Selfoss have been donating items that they don't want anymore and we are selling the items at reduced prices...This effort has gotten a wonderful response from the community...Poeple have been very thankful because with the econmic crisis many have little money for Christmas presents so the market has given them the opportunity to shop for the presents...I have been volunteering at the market this week and I have really enjoyed it...It has given me an opportunity to meet and fellowship with people in the community and with people in the church.<br />A very exciting thing happened this past weekend...We bought my ticket to come home in February!!!!!!! YYEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! I will be home Feb 13-March 2...I will fly from Iceland to NY and then me and my Momma will both fly from NY to Nashville together...My ticket from Iceland to NY was only $350!!! So anyone planning to come and visit us anytime in the next decade should really checkout flights right now...the are pretty reasonable...Now, the kicker, as always, was getting the flight from NY to home which also costs us about $350...All in all, it was pretty reasonable...<br />We are having a baby shower for my sister on Feb 15 in Florence and I am really excited about seeing all the fam...It will be great!<br />Oh, me and Sy have decided to find out the sex of the baby!!! I was really sold on NOT knowing, but now since I'm coming home I want to be able to shop for the baby...Plus I want to be as prepared as possible...So I really had my heart set on finding out next week (my sonar appt was the 23rd of December); however the sonar office called today to re-schedule my appt to the 30th of December...Uuuuggghhhhh...So now we have to wait another week...In the meantime the belly is getting bigger!!!!<br />The basketball team has been having weekly pool meetings...So we have been going to the pool at night in the freezing snow...Its been awesome!!!!...Americans really don't understand swimming in the winter, but its the best...Iceland has heated pools...They are more like hot tubs really, but you really haven't lived until you've been in a heated pool with 3 feet of snow all around you!!!!<br /> By the way its snowing over here like crazy...I love it and I am dying to have a snowball fight!!!!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-22784362949579356592008-12-04T06:03:00.000-08:002008-12-04T06:35:16.508-08:00Thanksgiving in Iceland...Me, Sy and Tyler (one of Sy's American teammates) traveled to Reykjavik on Friday, November 28 to have Thanksgiving dinner with Sy's family. I cooked chicken-n-dressing, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, and homemade chocolate cookies-yummy! Now I had never made dressing or sweet potato casserole or homemade chocolate chip cookies before. I found the dressing and the casserole recipes online...The sweet potato casserole recipe that I found is the one that Ruth's Chris uses so I figured that it should be pretty good and it was...The dressing recipe that I used I also found online and it turned out pretty good as well...The chocolate cookie recipe I got from Nat-Nat and it was great...I made the cookie dough on Thursday night and I wanted to test it out so I made half the batch...I made 2 cookie sheets full and they were so delicious that I sat there and ate about 10 cookies that night!!! Needless to say, my stomach hurt immensely afterwards...<br />One very important last minute detail that I forgot in the mist of all my preparation was the cranberry sauce...We had a little bit of trouble finding it...I don't know it you're like me, but I HAVE to have cranberry sauce with my dressing! We went to about three grocery stores before we found some...<br />We arrived at Elsa and Siggi's house at about 7:30pm Friday night and Elsa of course had the place decked out with candlelight and her best china on the dining room table...Siggi had spent the past five hours slowly cooking the biggest Thanksgiving turkey I had ever seen!!!! It was huge...Elsa and Siggi had also prepared salad, carmelized new potatoes, fruit salad, and the BEST mushroom gravy sauce ever! We had so much food!!!!<br />We before we got started eating Sy asked me to tell the story of how Thanksgiving was started in America...Thankfully, I had listened to a sermon earlier in the week by Dr. David Jeremiah on being grateful. In his sermon he described the first Thanksgiving in America...He talked about the Pilgrims coming from England to the "New Land" seeking religious freedom. Because I had heard this sermon I knew exactly what to say. I mentioned how Thanksgiving, back then, lasted three days but today we only celebrate it for one day...Siggi cut in "We only celebrate it for one day, but we cooked enough food for three days!" It was hilarious! and he was right...We had cooked enough food for three days and then some....<br />After that we all went around the table and told why we were thankful...It was a wonderful Thanksgiving! After we all stuffed ourselves can anyone imagine what happened next???...<br />We all got SLEEPY...Yep, it was a great Thanksgiving...Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-58615138595129048272008-11-25T06:12:00.000-08:002008-11-25T06:41:22.974-08:00The Baby Bump...Ok I am finally getting around to posting some pics of my little baby bump...I am sorry this has taken so long...I tried to get some good ones this weekend, but I am afraid that they didn't turn out that great...<br />I have been feeling fine lately...My nausea has decreased significantly, however its not completely gone yet...I have been having some stomach pains every now and then...I checked my 'What to Expect When Your Expecting" book and it said that it's pretty normal and that it's probably my uterus expanding...Going to the bathroom is becoming ever more frequent, which is also pretty normal...All in all I feeling pretty good...So far, I have gained 10 pounds!!! We will be 16 weeks this Thursday!!!! I can't believe I am already 4 months- that's crazy! I talked to my sister, Tamara, this morning who is also expecting...She is about seven months! I am so excited to see my little neice- Khloe Shaylin!!!!! Everyone please pray for both me and my sister as we continue on this awesome journey of child birth.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bkbe2-ZNqcyTnZ8TbSXgqsCtsK_fPKcp5KqPOBqv4QilBdJTgNUa4sGca3Fz8ecX5Cg9AQ-oWv3FBH7PAOxsg_G-3nrSslZVLMpMN9W2yrXhC2iRFcpvhv7omFckdrgGAktOrS1DmLA/s1600-h/IMG_1153.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272604095594407650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7bkbe2-ZNqcyTnZ8TbSXgqsCtsK_fPKcp5KqPOBqv4QilBdJTgNUa4sGca3Fz8ecX5Cg9AQ-oWv3FBH7PAOxsg_G-3nrSslZVLMpMN9W2yrXhC2iRFcpvhv7omFckdrgGAktOrS1DmLA/s320/IMG_1153.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMr0RjqGHQoMtxJVpm_9z9qEHth-FICk1qKnSQf6udGufFHk4uVSyJ0YuyBE4h0ixVflAgNcZeOJHhXuJJT2rxnKccYJQ7kcPhexQQu-yIwFSwJ_0GxsfC1KChv1WPQz9CHAp97xNT76c/s1600-h/IMG_1156.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272604091069502466" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMr0RjqGHQoMtxJVpm_9z9qEHth-FICk1qKnSQf6udGufFHk4uVSyJ0YuyBE4h0ixVflAgNcZeOJHhXuJJT2rxnKccYJQ7kcPhexQQu-yIwFSwJ_0GxsfC1KChv1WPQz9CHAp97xNT76c/s320/IMG_1156.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJkYgtxY8UGOo9fLD8nHLYMeazkUpJ5GmlRonrN2TjvbLsfAWke23fgycr0woGiXxlwHYPG15-DGe8w2WG2_1F6NMXW1eepho490i76utwKahrDpnB5U3RzbCQQwjYNpJnE5PnVYLuis/s1600-h/IMG_1154.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272604077602580770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJkYgtxY8UGOo9fLD8nHLYMeazkUpJ5GmlRonrN2TjvbLsfAWke23fgycr0woGiXxlwHYPG15-DGe8w2WG2_1F6NMXW1eepho490i76utwKahrDpnB5U3RzbCQQwjYNpJnE5PnVYLuis/s320/IMG_1154.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcbdLIHhJN5sanvojsum5SLO5-a48f5fp1s1VmqAF8uPwn5REQXSzhQiHu5ZMMQTPL1HaeZxFIorr_q7aaPt3PhR8zh4CvlyLhkc9u4Jpmp8lQOA1CFao5tlBc-mYkv1hleZbgyFzU4M/s1600-h/IMG_1152.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-21427586014276230742008-11-24T09:47:00.000-08:002008-11-25T06:10:38.673-08:00Sightseeing in Iceland...Sy took me and the two Americans ( Tom and Tyler) that play for FSU sightseeing this past Saturday. We went to see the Geysir and the Gullfoss waterfall. Then we drove through one of the national parks in Iceland. We were excited to get out and see some of the beatuiful sights in Iceland. We were not, however, excited about the weather conditions: cold and rainy. All in all we had a great time.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtmDM_MXkbx43-a2ilEHI2wkkFZP4LEmxlx9Qr8zDPkj_mMiuK1uhDqJJaTuLelPbVTtW50blkS5oZ7lXjcpP_h2sIWnCAAtdrz3hB_INyeCj35ZysO2jRP-C0bbmcWhb35crTIlWma4/s1600-h/IMG_1186.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272285518946969506" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtmDM_MXkbx43-a2ilEHI2wkkFZP4LEmxlx9Qr8zDPkj_mMiuK1uhDqJJaTuLelPbVTtW50blkS5oZ7lXjcpP_h2sIWnCAAtdrz3hB_INyeCj35ZysO2jRP-C0bbmcWhb35crTIlWma4/s320/IMG_1186.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVackPEyDFrAUsMag-S3fCwd_PYPhXzZBoachYWg_9U-CWAXtUwJMUn5zzp8ZsVRXHasQTyhaCNQ_DeZV60o4FcFFjdjTsEpOOQ3WzP0asV_nYfWTiYlMTcQ9tTENuUax66RncdKC0U1I/s1600-h/IMG_1159.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272285488213145938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVackPEyDFrAUsMag-S3fCwd_PYPhXzZBoachYWg_9U-CWAXtUwJMUn5zzp8ZsVRXHasQTyhaCNQ_DeZV60o4FcFFjdjTsEpOOQ3WzP0asV_nYfWTiYlMTcQ9tTENuUax66RncdKC0U1I/s320/IMG_1159.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4F9-RIgUX7gzYXQcg88qJQ3lssH3qk2GTrFb3EuxxAJdx5Ml-Hf5JkT9fNJHCH0yHDZ912WJRYD9Smutm0Sc-LKbSpMmFTsJm8P_05bqBBVKSZTGWhwEQeYI_qafNlvm2QQ9LZTna7E/s1600-h/IMG_1182.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272285509322433938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS4F9-RIgUX7gzYXQcg88qJQ3lssH3qk2GTrFb3EuxxAJdx5Ml-Hf5JkT9fNJHCH0yHDZ912WJRYD9Smutm0Sc-LKbSpMmFTsJm8P_05bqBBVKSZTGWhwEQeYI_qafNlvm2QQ9LZTna7E/s320/IMG_1182.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmO0JZ-rOkA1nOLh6HQFe_5ZhWOP6DXCeBBLmknLRzQ-WSS2cTlomb_WCbCat1tx57kf87u1kNnB_Qe-19uHSYVr5QpS_923DAbypDpphDPSIXRo0QAMCvVfT7k_yRM-HbUkPgoOENJeE/s1600-h/IMG_1177.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272285504463766242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmO0JZ-rOkA1nOLh6HQFe_5ZhWOP6DXCeBBLmknLRzQ-WSS2cTlomb_WCbCat1tx57kf87u1kNnB_Qe-19uHSYVr5QpS_923DAbypDpphDPSIXRo0QAMCvVfT7k_yRM-HbUkPgoOENJeE/s320/IMG_1177.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-5870784571594975162008-11-18T18:58:00.000-08:002008-11-18T19:21:04.101-08:00Thanks, etc...I just wanted to say 'Thanks' to everyone who emailed us today to tell us that Al Rocker from the Today Show was in Iceland! Ya'll are hilarious! Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to meet him. We need a little more notice people...<br />FSU is currently 3-5...We can't seem to win on the road which is killing us...Fortunately, the next three games are at home! The next game is Thursday night- Go FSU!!!! There's a bug going around the team right now...Sy had is share of it and is doing much better, although he did lose some of his conditioning while he was out that week. Yesterday, four of the players missed practice due to illness. I hope that this bug passes soon and that the team can remain healthly for the rest of the season.<br />Elsa (Sy's mom), Siggi (Sy's dad), Saedis (Sy's middle sister), Siddy (Sy's baby sister), and Einar (Sy's nephew) came to visit us the past weekend. The team was off on saturday so they came to visit for the day...I love when they come to visit...We had lunch and dinner together...I made chicken-n-dumplings for dinner...They had never had them before and they enjoyed them for the most part...We cleaned out the big pot i made, that's for sure! They bought me this cool abstract painting that i have been wanting to hang over our black leather couch...I love it and it looks sweet!<br />I have been cooking alot and trying new recipes! Tonight I made pineapple teriyaki salmon...It was some recipe I found off the internet...I will not lie- it was the BOMB! We will definitely be having that one again!<br />The baby is doing fine...I will be 15 weeks on Thursday! The morning sickness is slowly disappearing...YYYEEEAAAHHHH!!!!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-23670489573314824172008-11-14T03:01:00.000-08:002008-11-14T04:04:36.848-08:00Our First Doctor's Appointment...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We had our first doctor's appointment here in Iceland on Wedsnesday morning. My nurse/midwifes name is Kristin. She is in her 50's I would say. She was really nice and she could talk English pretty good. I felt comfortable around her and she looked like she had delivered a few babies in her day. She will be my midwife throughout my pregnancy, unless for some reason I all of a sudden start not liking her for some reason. If that happens I can request a new midwife. Now things are obvilously done differently here in Iceland than in America, as far as having babies are concerned. From what I have gathered so far, Kristin will be with me throughtout the pregnancy and she will also come to my home after the baby is born and will assist me with anything that I need (i.e. help with breast feeding)...She will also come and check the baby's weight, vitals, etc to make sure that everything is okay.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We filled out some paper work and she checked my height and weight. I took a urine test which came back normal. I didn't take a blood test because I had already taken one in America. We listened to the baby's heartbeat and she said that is was STRONG!!!! We were thankful! It is such a neat feeling hearing your baby's heartbeat...No matter what kind of mood you're in you will ALWAYS smile whenever you hear it... </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After that, she wanted to feel my uterus she so started gently pressing down on my stomach with her hands...she kept telling me to relax...she said something to Sy in Icelandic and Sy explained that I was an athlete and that I played basketball...Appartently she could feel my stomach muscles which made me feel great! I was, of course thinking, there are still muscles in there...By the way, my stomach is getting bigger by the day! I have got to post some pics soon...I promise I will...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After the feeling of the uterus I had some questions:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My first question was will I ever see a doctor during this process (No offense to her as a nurse/midwife, but in America we see doctors)? </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Her response: No...not unless something goes wrong...She said that a very high percentage of pregnancies are normal. If everything is normal then there is no need for a doctor, but if something does go wrong then they call him and he will be there in a flash. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My second question was, of course, about an epidural. Do you have them? Can I get one? What's the deal?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Her response (as she smiled at me with this look like you naive American women): Yes they have them, but they don't like to give them to women unless extenuating circumstances take place (i.e. the women is in labor for a long time, etc). They like to use other methods to help the women through the pain like acupuncture. They perfer the let the women's natural endorphins kick in and assist in the birth process. She said that my body was made for this and that nature will take its course and provide me with everything I need to delivery our baby. She also told me that women that had received an epidural with their first baby did not want it for their subsequent children. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I will admit it was a good sales pitch, but I must have not looked completely convinced because at the end of her spill she told me that we would talk about it again on our next visit. I am sure that if I insist she will give me one, but right now I am seriously considering going 'Oh Nat-u-ral'. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">All in all I think the visit went very well. My next visit is December 12 and I will have an ultrasound visit on December 23!!!! I can't wait to see my little peanut again...Oh, I guess it will be a peach or a grapefruit this time!!!! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oh and me and Sy are seriously leaning toward NOT finding out the sex of the baby...I know everyone in America will be really excited about that decision! Finding out the sex of the baby is not near as common a practice here as it is in America. I think that we want to be truly surprised AND I think that not knowing will help me, especially if I am going to spit this baby out naturally!!!! That will motivate me to get the little stinker out becasue we will be sooooooo excited to see what it is!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well that's all folks. Talk to you again soon...</span>Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-75392389314434192342008-11-10T04:10:00.000-08:002008-11-10T10:29:12.588-08:00Differences: America vs IcelandI have been here for about a month now and I am, all the time, logging in my mind the differences that I notice between America and Iceland. The culture here in Iceland is obvisouly very different from what I am so use to growing up in Alabama. I wanted to share some of the things that I have noticed so far with you...I am sure that this will be "Part 1" of this blog entry because I think that as I spend more time here that more and more things will become apparent.<br />Well, mine and Sy's life has changed so much since our move here, especially for me. I went from being and full-time working wife in America to a "stay-at-home-soon-to-be-mom" in Iceland. One of duties as a stay at home mom is, of course, grocery shopping. Upon going to the grocery store, I noticed right away how small all of the portion sizes were. All juices and milks, for the most part, come in 1 liter containers...I am use to buying gallon size containers in America! I noticed that about so many of their products...especially meat, juice, and milk...Also, all of the refrigerators in most of the peoples homes, including my own, that I have seen are a lot smaller than fridges in America...I would say about half the size, which probably explains why the food portions are smaller... Some people here use their baloncies as fridges of freezers, if you will...In the winter its cold enough to keep drinks in a cooler on the balcony, which is what some do, who don't have enough space in the fridge...<br />The discipline of children here is different than what I am accustomed to. I have noticed that no one spanks their children. I heard rumors when I got here that it was against the law to spank your child!!! My first thought after hearing that was that the Sigurmundsson's may be back in Alabama sooner that we thought!!! That is yet to be confirmed though...I asked Sy about it and he said that he does not think that it's a law, but that it's more of a cultural thing. I feel that parents here try to reason with their children more than they discipline them. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out when a child is using a disrespectful tone, no matter what language is being spoken. All I can say is that the Sigurmundsson's will not be sparing the rod, nor will we tolerate disrespectful children.<br />I have noticed that Iceland has probably some of the best dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, etc) and the best water in the world. No one in Iceland buys bottled water...their water is great!!! It get's really HOT and really COLD. I have had to be very careful washing dishes bc I have most gotten 2nd degree burns!...I love taking long hot showers and I love it here bc the hot water NEVER runs out!!!<br />The gas here is RIDICULOUS!!! $8 per gallon!!! Yep that's right $8!....I here that gas in America is 2.00+ right now...Count your blessing! It costs us approx $95 to fill up our little VW passat wagon...I asked Sy why the drop in oil prices (currently ~$60+ per barrel) didn't affect Iceland like it did America...He said that its bc Iceland buys the oil in dollars and the dollar is VERY low here right now so the drop in oil prices doesn't do anything for Iceland. Gas, unfortunately, isn't the only thing that's expensive right now...Since the economic crisis hit over here everything has gone up really, including food.<br />Although Iceland has a state religion, which is Lutheran, most Icelanders only go to church for the christening of a child, Christmas, Ester, a wedding, or a funeral. If you ask, most Icelanders will say that they believe in God, but very few are living for God.<br />One of the most fascinating things that I have noticed about the Icleandic culture is how they "put their babies out" to nap. It is VERY common that mothers here wrap up their infants, they put them in these carraiges (it looks kinda like a bassinet with wheels...it zips all the way up so that nothing can get into the carraige with the child), and they put them outside on their balconies or right outside their back door, and they let the babies nap. The wind gently rocks them to sleep and everyone I have talked to here says that the babies LOVE it...They say that babies will sleep anywhere from 3-5 hours...I can't tell you how many Icelanders have asked me if I am going to "put our baby out"...I know that so many Americans are against it and I wouldn't dream of doing something like that in America, BUT if I can get my baby to take a 3-5 hour nap each day I am DEFINITELY going to consider it!!! I spoke with my mom about it and she thinks that it good for the baby and she a nurse so I trust her...<br />I have learned that most girls here start getting into boys and having sex at around age 14. Upon talking to some of Sy's teammates I learned that the girls are very "forward", if you will, about having "relations". That breaks my heart- they are obliviously searching for something...I also learned, from talking with the boys, that most parents don't talk to their kids about sex or the dangers of pre-marital sex. Also, most couples here live together and have a child together long before they get married, IF they even get married. I guess this one really isn't a difference between Iceland and America, it's probably more of a similarity. The shocking thing is that, according to my hubby, only about 20-40 people in Iceland have HIV, out of 300,000! I did some research and actually there about 220 people in Iceland living with the HIV virus.<br />Ok that's all for now...Stay tuned for Part 2...Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-76504858929812264432008-11-07T05:51:00.001-08:002008-11-07T06:33:28.942-08:00Jesus Women...Before we left for Iceland Bjarni told us about a little church here in Selfoss that we should visit. Last friday I was talking to Bjarni on Skype and we went to the church's website and found out that a group of ladies from that church meet the first saturday of every month from 10am-12pm for food and fellowship. This group of ladies calls themselves "JesuKonur" or "Jesus Women". I think that Bjarni could tell that I was feeling a little depressed or something that day so he encouraged me to go. By the end of the conversation I decided that I would attend the meeting. <br />The next day I got up and got dresses for the meeting. I could tell that Sy was happy that I was trying to get involved and meet some new people. I got there about 10 minutes late because I got lost, of course. In my defense, the little church was kindof hidden, if you will, behind a grocery store. When I got there about 3 ladies greeted me with smiling faces at the door. There were about 13 ladies there. There was also food and drinks, but I wasn't hungry...After a few minutes a lady, I assumed the worship leader, got up in front of the group and began to lead the ladies in song. All of the songs were in Icelandic, however I did recognize soem of the melodies. They sung about 5 songs. After the singing one of the ladies that had greeted me at the door came over to me and asked me if I would like her to translate for me. I was thrilled! Of course I wanted a translator! One of the ladies from the the group got up and shared what the Lord had been teaching her lately. She spoke about what it means to fear the Lord. She talked about that word 'fear' and how she has learned that it doesn't neccessarily mean to be afraid of God, but more so to revere Him or reverence Him. She also tied her message about fear in with obedience and love. She said that when she was young child she used to obey her parents out for fear of not being loved. That struck a cord with me...And I wondered how many times I have done the same thing...I am sure many times...But then I thought, isn't it wonderful that we have a Savior that loves us unconditioinally...no matter what we do or don't do...Romans says that nothing can seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen!<br />I was so happy that I went to the Jesus Women meeting that day...I left really encouraged! I also met several new friends: a lady named Michelle who is orginally from the Phillipines. She moved to Iceland 2 years ago with her husband and son. She goes to FSU for training in Icelandic and she offered to get together with me so that we could practice our Icelandic skills together. I also met another lady who just found out that she and her husband are expecting their second child. She is actually the pastor's wife. Appartently, they have a 5 year old daughter already, but had trouble getting pregnant again. They have been having fertility assistance and just found out that the procedure worked and that they were pregnant!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-15276744857968398682008-11-06T06:43:00.000-08:002008-11-06T07:00:41.316-08:00Under the weather...Saevar has been sick since Sunday night...We don't know exactly what it is- it may be the flu...He is experiencing fever, loss of appetite, loss of energy, sore throat, body aches, etc...it's been awful...FSU had a game monday night against probably the best team in the league...We lost 125-91...Sy was really sick but he played anyway which, we think, made him worse...Sooooooo, we have been in the house for four days now and I am about to go postal!!!! No really, its been fine...FSU has a game tonight (Thursday, November 6) and Sy is going to sit this one out...Hopefully, we are on the tail end of this thing.<br />On a more positive note, the Sigurmundsson's would like to congratulate the Van Zoren and Waite family's on the arrival baby Arden and baby Brody! We are so excited for guys!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-64931384334010105402008-10-29T09:08:00.000-07:002008-10-30T11:53:15.925-07:00It's been a while...Well its been over a week since my last post and a lot has happened since then. FSU is 2-1. There last home game was last Thursday and they killed the team that they played...<br />Last Friday night we went Reykjavik and stayed with Sy's parents for the weekend. Sy's uncle, Halli, had a 40th birthday party Saturday night and the entire family was there. It was good to see everyone and a lot of his extended family found out that we were expecting a baby that night. Everyone was excited about the news. We came home sunday afternoon because Sy had practice that night. The team had a video meeting from 4:30pm-5:30pm and then they practiced from 5:30pm-9:00pm!! I was wondering why no one could tell me what time practice would be over. Iceland does not have the athletic rules/laws that we have in the states. In the states, collegiate athletes practice 2 hours at most.<br />Monday I spent the day with Aya, Bjarni's mom! She lives about 7 minutes from us. Aya made me curtains for my living room and kitchen and they are beautiful...I love them! She is amazing! She can sew anything! She is so sweet and I really enjoyed spending the day with her. Later on that afternoon she taught me how to make lamb soup. Lamb soup, also called meat soup, is very popular in Iceland especially around Christmas time. Lamb soup is the first real Icelandic dish that I have learned how to make. Speaking of Icelandic food- I ate horse a few weeks ago!!!!!!!!!! I didn't know what it was...We sat down to eat lunch at Sy's parents house and there were two kinds of meat on the table- one was chicken and the other looked like beef, or so I thought. Sy put a peice of the meat on his plate and I tried a bite of his...I thought to myself, this beef taste funny...and so I proceeded to eat my chicken. Later on in the meal, Sy asked me if i liked it. I said "no" and he kindof laughed. I asked what it was and he was like "horse"! After I found out that it was horse and that it wasn't supposed to taste like beef I had another bite and it actually tasted better.<br />We finally made our first doctor's appointment this week. My first appt will be November 12!!!! I have been feeling fine expect the usually morning sickness or should I say "all day sickness". We also found out this week that the medical insurance that we bought to cover us until we got into the Icelandic socialist medical system does not cover our pregnancy. That basically means we will have to pay out of pocket for all of our pregnancy medical care for the next 6 months (it takes six months for us to get into the system). We went to check on the costs of everything yesterday and thankfully, its not too bad. It will costs us about $150-$200 per visit. An ultrasound, which I will get at 18 weeks, will cost about $150, as well. We will get into the medical system around the first of May so the birth of the baby will be covered- Thank you Jesus!!!!<br />We also checked on getting me into school so that I can start learning Icelandic. Unfortunately all the classes are full until January ) : So i will have to wait until then to get into a class.<br />We have had a carpenter at our house for the past 4 days fixing the wall that was damaged during the earthquake. His name is Brynjar and he is a very sweet man. When I first met him I didn't think that he knew how to speak english; however, one morning he was at the apartment working and I was at home by myself (Sy had already left for work)...All of a sudden he says ´Good Morning!´...and that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, as they say. I sat at my kitchen table and talked to him for about 2 hours that morning...I was so thrilled that he knew english...Not only did he know english, but he also knew norweigen (I know that i didn´t spell that right, anyway the language that people from Norway speak)...The reason that I bring that up is because the new washer/dryer that me and Sy bought was not in english...I assumed that it was icelandic, however when Sy started to assemble them he realized that he didn´t know what language it was in either...of course i´m thinking ´GREAT´...Sy explained that the operator manual that comes with appliances, etc usually comes in icelandic, english, etc...but for some reason our washer/dryer didn´t...I explained the situation to Brynjar that morning and he offered to take a look at it...As it turns out Brynjar, his wife, and his three children lived in Norway for five years and he was fluent in Norweigen!!!!...so he translated my washer and dryer for me that day!!!! Talk about a divine appointment!!!<br />Brynjar finished fixing our apt wall yesterday!!!! So i finally got to uncover my new sofa and red leather chairs and basically put my living room together! I think it looks pretty good so far...I still need a picture to go over my sofa, a coffee table, a rug, and a few decorative items...The curtains that Aya made for me look great....<br />Today is Thursday and I am at Elsa and Siggi´s house...Sy has a game tonight...They play some team that´s about 5 hours away so the team had to fly to the game tonight...it was about a 40 minute flight...I hope that they play well...FSU is getting a new player tomorrow...I can´t remember his name but he is actually from the Huntsville area...He is a 6´9 guard...The team is really excited about him coming...He was playing for a team in Italy and now is coming to FSU!<br />Saturday one of Sy´s uncles is getting married so we will travel back to Reykjavik for the wedding. It should be fun-more time with the fam!<br />Sunday night I am having my first dinner party!!! I invited three of Sy´s teammates over for dinner...I am not quite sure what I am going to cook yet but i know it will be good because i can get down in the kitchen!!!!!! I also want to try to check out this church that Bjarni told me and Sy about in Selfoss on Sunday...I haven´t been to church since I left Huntsville so I am ready for a little fellowship...FSU will be having 2 a day practices starting saturday to try to bring their new player up to speed, so I don´t know if Sy will be able to come...I may just go by myself...I am learning my way around selfoss pretty good now...<br />FSU plays again on Monday night so ya´ll keep the team in your prayers...Also, so many people have been asking us about our faith...Brynjar the painter, Sy´s teammates, etc...I really want to start a bible study and Sy does too, but Sy has a lot on his plate already with work and b-ball...those are both important things BUT we have got to also be about Kingdom Business if you know what I mean, SO you guys please pray about us making time to share about the Lord...Also pray about what the Lord would have us to share with these people.<br />Well, that´s about it for now...Later!<br />PS...I am 12 weeks today!!! The first trimester is OVER (let´s pray that the morning sickness is too!)...Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-9109715300244486762008-10-21T03:33:00.000-07:002008-10-21T04:27:28.441-07:00Shopping in Iceland...The past few days have been exhausting...Now those of you who know me know that I love shopping!!! This is coming from a girl, who back in my college days, once spent 6 consecutive hours in a mall- and some of my dear friends at the time might argue that it was actually 8 hours!! However, right about now 6-8 MINUTES in any store leaves me feeling tired, hungry, plagued with lower back pain, and ready to just find the nearest chair or toilet, whichevers closer. In the past few days I have been to many, many, stores with names I can´t pronounce and sales people I can´t understand and have had to choose between couches, chairs, beds, washers and dryers, curtains, pots, dishes, bedding, and anything else you might possibly have to buy when you´re starting your life over. Don´t get me wrong, under normal circumstance I would have been in hog heaven, but with the pregnancy and all, my mind is on alot more than just couches. Now, when I walk into a furniture store my first thought is 'How long has it been since my last meal?' and ' How long do I have before I am starving again?'.<br />Elsa and Siggi, Sy´s mom and dad, have been real troopers. They have been so supportive. They have taken us all over Reykjavik trying to find us the best deals and helping us transport our items to Selfoss, where we will be living. Selfoss is about 30 minutes from Reykjavik.<br />I really like our apartment. The only bad thing about it is that it doesn´t have a dish washer- So you know what that means- SAEVAR is going to become a great dish washer!!!!!!!! I think that its the perfect size for the two of us- soon to be three! It´s two bedrooms and one bath. Hopefully, we will move in it today. We have been waiting for some repairs to be completed. So of you may remember the earthquake that Iceland had a while back. Well our apartment got damaged during that earhtquake, some of the walls were cracked. Our landlord just settled with the insurance company to repair the walls and the contractor is supposed to come today to fix it.<br />Sy is REALLY anxious to get moved. He is having to drive to practice everyday (30 minutes one way), which is not too bad, but it would make his life so much easier if we were moved. Our apartment is a 30 second drive to the gym where FSU practices.<br />So, we bought a black leather sofa and 2 red leather chairs for the living room! I am so excited about those chairs! I love a little splash of RED! Anyways, we got the chairs at this store called The Peir here in Reykjavik, which is their version of Peir One!!!! I was so excited when I walked in- it felt like home! I really wanted to go contemporary with this apartment and I must say that it has been challenging- I knew that it would be...I am so used to warm tone (reds, yellows, browns, greens), so I am totally OUT of my comfort zone- but I kinda like it. Our living room colors will be black, white/off-white/cream, gray, and red. The real challenge was finding window treatments. I wanted already made curtains, but I just couldn´t find any that worked. Eventually, I can across the bomb fabric!!!! It´s great and Aya, Bjarni's mom who is a great seamstress, is going to help me make curtains!!!!! I'm really excited about the curtains and about spending time with her...<br />Oh, the last thing that I wanted to share is about the bed that we bought...It´s king size!!!! I am so ecstatic about it...Me and Sy have never had a king size bed and for two people as big as we are, I feel that it is almost a neccessity!! So we are in the store and we didn´t think that we would be able to afford it...the kings were substantially more than the queens and you know sy is all about the 'benjamins' sometimes...So I asked the sales guy if there were any king beds that were maybey a little damaged that he could give us a deal on...low and behold there was!!!!!!! He called the warehouse to check and be sure...He came back and gave us the price on one of the most expensive king size beds that they had (its called 'Angel Dream'!) and it the price was going to be less than that same bed in a queen size!!!! We were so happy! And the only thing that was wrong with it was that the box spring had a small cosmetic defect that could be covered with a bed skirt!!!! The Lord is good and ALL good and perfect gifts come from Him!!!!Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3686944984453598169.post-64028751427959115282008-10-17T14:28:00.000-07:002008-10-17T17:44:50.152-07:00Sy's First Game...<span style="font-family:verdana;">FSU (Sy's team) had their first game last night, Thursday, October 16 at 7:15pm Iceland time. It was awesome and FSU kicked butt- they won 103-78!!!!! They played a team called Njardvik, which from what I was told has a strong tradition of basketball in Iceland. This team is one of the winningest teams in the Super Division of basketball in Iceland. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The atmosphere in the gym was so intense the entire game...The Selfoss club handball team and the FSU basketball team support each others games, so the handball team was in the house last night. They dressed up and brought drums and other noise making instruments, and they had tons of cheers!!!! Every time someone from the Njardvik team had to shoot a free throw, the handball team would line up on the sideline and chant "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE PRESSURE!!!!"- in Icelandic of course (someone translated it for me). It was great!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Sy had a AWESOME game!!!!! It was so awesome to see him compete!! He is such a great competitor. He ended the game with 29 points and 8 rebounds!!! He was the leading scorer for FSU and there was a sweet write up about him in the Icelandic newspaper this morning- The Morganbladid. We are all so proud of him!</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Sy eventually wants to try out for the Icelandic National Team. The guy that he guarded last night is the center on the Icelandic National Team and Sy dominated, so hopefully he will have a good chance of making the team next year!<br /><br /><br /></span>Sy and Dashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06035539920965515016noreply@blogger.com3