tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36505752011-04-22T03:41:59.537+03:00Nine months is just about enough to find a good name for your baby girl. Then our baby was born. Our son. Rnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-18312606861967752332007-05-29T11:31:00.000+03:002007-05-29T11:36:44.829+03:00

Surprise! Here we are again, with not one, but two babies to write about. Or, in fact, with no babies to write about. Hannes is an active four-year-old who at 4 has a bigger social network than me at almost 40. Hilda's 15 months, but out and about all the time.I guess every parent always finds the things to be proud of, so if Hannes was 1.50 tall, I would probably think that being tall is great.

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1145222598757796662006-04-17T00:09:00.000+03:002006-04-17T00:23:18.803+03:00

The Bald and The BeautifulWhen Hilda was born, she had a lot less hair than Hannes when he was born. And even if Jessica says that I just can't remember how Hannes also lost his hair, I am pretty sure that he was never quite as bald as Hilda is now.Her head is just so smooth and soft, it's making her bottom feel bad. Baby bottom's got a reputation to defend.She's so cute. She smiled already after

Rnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1144927300634736352006-04-13T14:13:00.000+03:002006-04-13T14:21:40.646+03:00

Hilda's exactly one month old today. That's right. She was born in Stockholm on 13 March, 2006, and she is a beautiful and happy little baby.So, there she is. The Hilda we have been waiting for since the beginning of the blog. The Hilda that turned out to be Hannes is now the real Hilda's big brother. And we're fine with that.The first three four days were weird because Hilda was like a clone of

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1132658930966517302005-11-22T13:23:00.000+02:002005-11-22T13:28:50.980+02:00

ThreeToday is Hannes's birthday and he can proudly show his three fingers as of today. He makes a point of just doing the "v" and then saying that he's not two years old anymore.That's right. He's three.Big party tonight. Everybody's coming.

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1132567629713016452005-11-21T11:53:00.000+02:002005-11-21T12:07:09.780+02:00

Fly AwayWe visited Boston in September 2002. Jessica was six months pregnant with Hannes. Then in December 2002, on his first flight (to Sweden), Hannes was only three weeks old. in May, we were in New York and Virginia for a week or so.He's been around. And he's always at home. Gotta love it.We're off to NYC on Wednesday again, and we're trying to plan the entire eight-hour flight as well as

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1131623734443105732005-11-10T13:43:00.000+02:002005-11-10T13:59:20.706+02:00

Trains, books and automobilesHannes will turn three in just a week or so. He's not a baby anymore - something that he likes to point out to us, quite often. And he sure isn't, he's a small boy now. A boy who likes to goof around, to jump on the couch, run around the apartment, hide under the covers in our bed, ride his bike, have me tell stories to him and read.Well, read, that may be overstating

Rnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1128204011219944572005-10-02T00:57:00.000+03:002005-10-02T01:00:11.226+03:00

UltracoolEverything seems to be OK with the baby. We had our ultrasound on Friday, and, well, it all became very real to me again. There is a baby in Jessica's belly. A real baby, tiny, tiny still, but a real baby.Hannes wants to call her (we'll call the baby "her" until we know, but no, we couldn't see anything in the images) Dintz.Or, Schintz.We'll add them to the list ... for now.

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1127721232781756022005-09-26T10:44:00.000+03:002005-09-26T10:53:52.793+03:00

About namesSaw on Seth Godin's blog that "[a]ccording to the latest government data, [Justin and Ashley] are the two most common names given to children of Hispanic parents in NY last year. For Asian parents the story is different: name number one is Emily."Oh yes, a rose by any other name may smell just as sweet .. but if you call somebody and say you'll send them a bouquet of zmellykats, they

Rnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1127335025777024362005-09-21T23:24:00.000+03:002005-09-21T23:37:05.810+03:00

MowgliMost of the times I am Baloo and Jessica is Bagheera. Sometimes, I get to be King Louie, but not very often. Only if he's funny and goofy, and Baloo is nowhere to be seen. Hannes is always, always Mowgli.Unless I am Moominpappa in which case Hannes is Snufkin. The guy that plays the harmonica and wanders around with a backpack.It gets tricky when Moominpappa and Snufkin bump into Baloo in

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1126359273101928922005-09-10T16:25:00.000+03:002005-09-10T16:36:50.173+03:00

Another wayRK left a comment about the name choosing process.Why don't you wait until the baby is born and then choose the name?Of course you will have to have a name for the hospital register, but wouldn't it be fair to your baby to be around with him/her a little before you decide what you should call him/her? Actually, as far as I know, we don't even have to have a name for the hospital. And

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1125909854298523712005-09-05T11:38:00.000+03:002005-09-05T11:44:14.303+03:00

The ListWe talked a little about the original list this weekend. There are names on that list that we couldn't even imagine giving to our baby now. Like - and here's the disclaimer: what follows is just a personal view and by no means meant as an insult to the readers who may have a name that will be disclosed shortly - Oliver.Somehow, we aren't an Oliver family. We're more of a Hannes thing, you

Rnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1125651244913339542005-09-02T11:50:00.000+03:002005-09-02T11:55:23.896+03:00

Here we go againOh yes, yes we do. Hannes, the original Name that baby baby will turn three in November, and while I was reading some of the earlier entries here, I can't believe how fast three years can just swish by. Unreal.Anyway, in March, Hannes will go from being The One to being Big Brother.Yes. It's time to pull out that list of names again, folks.We're having a baby, baby!

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1125484254717437502005-08-31T13:27:00.000+03:002005-08-31T13:30:54.726+03:00

Maybe this explains the silence here. Ladies and gentlemen, here is my 7,000 word entry about Hannes's summer.

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1117989707424103102005-06-05T19:31:00.000+03:002005-06-05T19:42:43.500+03:00

GuysSo, Jessica took the 8.25 train to Hudiksvall to see her sister and her daughter. She'll be back tomorrow night which means that Hannes and I will get two full Guy Days at home.We started the Guy Weekend (tomorrow's Sweden's national day, so it's a holiday) pretty well by cruising down to a friend and hanging out there. After a short nap in the afternoon, we rode our bike to the park and hung

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1117398739529250512005-05-29T23:31:00.000+03:002005-05-29T23:32:19.536+03:00

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1116853636764670502005-05-23T15:53:00.000+03:002005-05-23T16:07:16.770+03:00

Hannes is backOK, I am at home again, sitting here by the kitchen table. So, things are good. We were away only for a few days, but a lot can happen in a few days to make it seem like a long time.One of them is being sick for a day. Another, sleeping for 15 hours.But enough about me. Last night, Hannes said he wanted to go home so you can understand how disappointed he was this morning, when I

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1116687103755394532005-05-21T17:43:00.000+03:002005-05-21T17:51:44.786+03:00

Good vibrationsWe sure lose something as we grow up. Well, we lose a lot, but one of the things is obviously the ability to trust our instints and intuition.I am fascinated by Hannes's ability to know who he likes and who he likes not so much. Immediately. We're visiting my Mom (so, the view from the blog window is not the usual Stockholm suburbian street, but instead a Finnish farm with frields

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1116453232183417832005-05-18T23:22:00.000+03:002005-05-19T00:56:27.103+03:00

A funny thing happened....Well, there we were, sitting - or maybe we were standing - on the NY subway. I think it was the Times Square stop, #2 train Uptown. Hannes, Jessica, myself and Devin, the Godfather.We were waiting for the train to get going - we were running late, Devin and I were going to stop at Fairway's - when all of a sudden a man came running, juuuust as the doors closed. He

Rnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1116096564995293932005-05-14T21:35:00.000+03:002005-05-14T21:49:25.003+03:00

Here's HannesThere's a nice, small playground on the east side of Central Park, on 96th Street. They have eight swings, three slides, a sandbox and a lot of other neat things to play with. And a lot of kids. And almost as many nannies. Hannes was there last week. Anyway, Hannes was a little shy at first, at the playground. He held my hand as we walked around to see what they had to offer. "Dad,

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1115692538448756382005-05-10T05:30:00.000+03:002005-05-10T05:35:38.463+03:00

I [heart] NYHannes is currently asleep in Harlem in New York City. He's had a rough day keeping up with the yellow taxicabs and eating pretzels.The high of the day was when Hannes was running around the fountain in City Hall Park, beaming, and just being happy to run (instead of sitting in the stroller, or in a car like the previous three days).Hannes was on his third lap around the fountain when

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1114161217177460292005-04-22T12:03:00.000+03:002005-04-22T12:13:37.180+03:00

"It ain't nice"Hannes and I took the ferry over to Finland and back last weekend or so. It was just the two of us on the ferry, a real roadtrip (of sorts, I know there are no roads in the sea) with good food, lots of fun and late night Donald Duck cartoons and The Simpsons.Well, not late night. After all, Hannes is supposed to go to bed at around 9.Admittedly, there is a one-hour time difference

Rnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1108026976017764392005-02-10T11:08:00.000+02:002005-02-10T11:17:27.663+02:00

Father of the son Went out for a couple of drinks with Francis last night. We're there talking about our families, and all the issues every family has, and about blogging, and writing and about mutual friends and ex-colleagues, when all of a sudden he asked me if being a father had been like I had imagined it to be. And off the top of my head, I said, "no." Pulled out that "no" almost as fast

Rnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1105213600977821882005-01-08T21:23:00.000+02:002005-01-08T21:46:40.976+02:00

May I have your attention, please Just came home from Jessica's Grandma's traditional epiphany dinner with the sausages, and the fish and the pears and the cream and the talk. This was the first time for Hannes who got his seat by the end of the table and he commanded everybody's attention from there. To be fair, Hannes is probably the neatest two-year-old in the world - he spills less yoghurt

Rnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1104828978010511092005-01-04T10:45:00.000+02:002005-01-04T11:00:16.453+02:00

Back in business Hannes went back to work this morning. With all the holidays, with Christmas and everything, Hannes hasn't been going to the kindergarten for two weeks. It's a funny old world, that kindergarten, you know. I think all kindergartens are a little special, and I think it may have something to do with the fact that everything looks almost like in any apartment, except that

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1104768328138161892005-01-03T17:53:00.000+02:002005-01-03T18:08:16.076+02:00

Devil in Disguise When Hannes was just a little baby, I used to sing Elvis to him. I am sure I have told you this before, but bear with me. Elvis is about to return to the building. I remember those early evenings when I rocked (sic) Hannes on my arms, singing the entire "Elvis Number Ones" album, all the way from "Heartbreak Hotel" (One of my favorites, and one of the songs I do best) down to "

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1104672040533109472005-01-02T15:15:00.000+02:002005-01-02T15:20:59.956+02:00

Daddy's darling "Hannes, you are Daddy's little darling, aren't ya?" is one of my favorite expressions. Hannes just looks so damn cute, so often, that in lack of better words, I just give him a huge hug and I tell him that he's my little angel. Sometimes, we ask him if he's Daddy's darling and then if he's Mom's little cutiepie. Now, keep in mind, that I speak Finnish with Hannes, and Jessica

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1104495862894821722004-12-31T14:23:00.000+02:002004-12-31T14:24:22.893+02:00

Happy New Year

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1100207739458198772004-11-11T23:08:00.000+02:002004-11-11T23:15:39.456+02:00

Blue bus blues We're doing colors now. A lot of them. Most of them, actually, but the two favorites are red and blue. As in the Stockholm buses. Most of the Stockholm buses are red (which, according to a color therapist who once visited our office, is not a good color for buses), but there are a couple of lines that have blue buses. They're so special that people refer to them as "the blue

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1099295210936220782004-11-01T09:41:00.000+02:002004-11-01T09:46:50.936+02:00

Now that Hannes goes to kindergarten every day, we have developed some new routines for the three of us. Jessica and Hannes leave the house at around 8, taking the bus to the subway and then another bus to the kindergarten. Jessica, being the optimist and positive person that she is, tries to make the trip as much fun as possible. With great success. Hannes seems to enjoy the bus and subway

Rnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1098444402342178452004-10-22T14:15:00.000+03:002004-10-22T14:27:41.403+03:00

Sentenced Hannes can now put together 1 and 1 and make it 2. He can also take three words and make a coherent sentence out of them which means that he can actually tell us things that have happened somewhere else. Like kindergarten. Now, it's a lot easier to understand what he says if he's telling us about things that have happened when we were there. Although, when he looks like this, it

Rnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1095533579616177712004-09-18T21:28:00.000+03:002004-09-18T21:52:59.616+03:00

Hannes has a great sense of humor. Up until now, he just didn't know it. Basically, he would do things that were funny, and we'd be laughing our heads off, and he'd be a little confused. Sometimes. But now, he can actually joke. Which is pretty amazing, considering he can't really deliver a punchline in any language that Jessica and I would understand. But it's not what it's how he says it.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1095443812254653832004-09-17T20:49:00.000+03:002004-09-17T20:56:52.270+03:00

When I was a kid, I hung out with my Dad a lot. And when I say "a lot" I mean A LOT. Basically, I would follow him to work, and play and pretend I was a hockey goalie all day long. And I am not sure why, but the guys, My Dad's friends always called me "Eikka's boy", and hardly ever by my name - although I am sure they knew it. (They had to, my Dad would have been talking to me by my name, not

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1090737714698440322004-07-25T09:41:00.000+03:002004-07-25T09:41:54.696+03:00

To quote Michael Jordan: "I'm back."

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1090587714214858462004-07-23T15:55:00.000+03:002004-07-23T16:01:54.213+03:00

Hannes has a couple of favorite words. Oddly enough, the "nice" words, the niceties, the polite words, the positive ones; they all come out in Swedish. The negative ones, objections, denials, grunts, those he has learned in Finnish. And then there's one word he loves, that is the same in all languages: wow. Everything new is wow. On our ferry ride from Stockholm to Helsinki, it was wow to the

Rnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1090273428707508492004-07-20T00:27:00.000+03:002004-07-20T00:43:48.706+03:00

Children like routines, I have been told. They give them a sense of security, a safety blanket (!) a rock to lean on when times get tough, and/or when they just don't want to fall asleep. Adults need routines as well, for the same reasons.   I know every Dad, every parent, sees the uniqueness in their own child, but seriously, Hannes is a very special, special boy - with very ordinary routines.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1086467243722590062004-06-05T23:15:00.000+03:002004-06-05T23:28:02.440+03:00

Forgive me, dear reader, it's been a month since my last entry. Life's a blur. Things are moving so fast in all directions that it's hard to keep up. Then again, the same applies to Hannes, so I guess I could say that Hannes is a blur, too. A talking one, too. This is Hannes is a nutshell: "pappapapmamammamaettuh .. ettuh ... ettuh.. ETTUH!!... tacktacktacktackvessakakka...kakkavessa...

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1084260356449620922004-05-11T10:20:00.000+03:002004-05-11T10:25:56.450+03:00

Parking We've developed a new routine. After breakfast, we get dressed and go to the park and play a little. This morning, like yesterday, we were the first ones there, so Hannes can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Almost. See, every time we're there, I try to get him to go through this tunnel while I wait for him at the other end. And the reason is foolish and purely selfish. It's

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1082896816631649442004-04-25T15:40:00.000+03:002004-04-25T15:43:18.280+03:00

Holy, holy, holy... Sorry. We've been busy. Really. Really, really busy. Anyway, it's mostly been fun busy, with travel and seeing friends and learning new things. Hannes has probably been the one that has learned the most. He can now: * hide the remote control * play hide-and-seek * play with Legos * dig with a shovel * say (the Finnish or Swedish equivalents of:) Hat bathroom There!

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1081021733898023832004-04-03T22:48:00.000+03:002004-04-03T22:51:33.623+03:00

It's alive! The blog. This one. It's alive and kicki... well, it's alive. I have been thinking about writing something every day. I mean, not a day has passed without me thinking about writing, I haven't even thought about writing every day. Oh, you know. Hannes is such a sweet boy. We play hide-and-seek (he's got a new place now, it's behind another door), build Lego towers, surf the Web, you

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1079166835912868812004-03-13T10:33:00.000+02:002004-03-13T10:36:14.420+02:00

The doors Nothing is as exciting as a closed door. Except maybe opening one -- so you can close it again. If you don't want to take my word for it, ask Hannes. Today, about 30 minutes ago, he learned how to open the door, by using the handle. Yet another step towards a complete upside-down world for us. Now we have to switch the handles so that you pull up instead of pushing down when opening

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1078563516389757822004-03-06T10:58:00.000+02:002004-03-06T11:00:47.576+02:00

Breakfast club By now - if you've been reading this blog from the beginning, you'll know that I love our mornings. I just love how the three of us sit by the kitchen table and read our morning papers. Well, two of us read, one of us makes toasts in two languages, plays with his food, throws books on the floor and is juts having good, not-so-clean fun with everything. And if you've really been

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1077884642351627842004-02-27T14:24:00.000+02:002004-02-27T14:26:06.153+02:00

Hannes the Hoarse Like all kids (?), Hannes loves animals. He's like glued to the TV whenever there are lions or zebrasor cats and dogs. Even the Bear in the Big, Blue House seems cuddly to Hannes. And then, of course, there are the books that we read. My favorite right now is the one where the little puppy meets the cats, and just before the pigs arrive, the duck comes walking. After our hero,

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1077656697116545082004-02-24T23:04:00.000+02:002004-02-24T23:06:58.543+02:00

Out of it I bet Hannes understands everything I say. I bet he knows exactly what I mean when I say, for example, "Hannes, if you need to pee, the bathroom's in the hall." The only thing stopping him from just doing it, is the fact that he can't open the door. (Which, by the way, Jessica and I are just grateful for). I see it every day. He amazes me every day by doing something that I had asked/

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1077490334819269792004-02-23T00:52:00.000+02:002004-02-23T13:59:35.030+02:00

Where's Hannes? I don't think I told you that I spent three days alone with Hannes, as Jessica was on a business trip in Stockholm. We had a blast. I had decided well in advance that I would not even try to work during those three days, that Hannes would be my number one and only priority. It wasn't always easy, it wasn't a walk in the park. It was many walks in the park. And since I am the

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1076421691504522072004-02-10T16:01:00.000+02:002004-02-10T16:03:18.610+02:00

Flat Stanley Hannes got a letter in the mail today. "Dear Hannnnes, thank you for bringing Stanly to town. Love, Jake. PS. Happy Chinese New Year." Flat Stanley is a little boy who was caught under a falling bulletin board and was flattened by it. No, no, he's not hurting, he's just --- flat. But hey, there's good news. Since Stan is flat, he can travel across the world in an envelope. Which he

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1076186801846378312004-02-07T22:46:00.000+02:002004-02-07T22:48:25.560+02:00

Tired Today was one of those days when all three of us never really woke up, it seems. We were tired and cranky, and really just wanted to sleep. We didn't want to be cranky but it was just too hard to be happy. Even Hannes got tired of trying to smile and laugh. he could only do it for ten minutes and then he fell into the crying-making noise-wanting to held -mode. If were a Sims family, I

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1075836004981678602004-02-03T21:20:00.000+02:002004-02-03T21:21:45.013+02:00

Hannes on ice So, Hannes was a year, 2 months, 9 days and 12 hours when he took his first contact with ice. He had been sitting there, in his trolley, for half an hour maybe, and watched me, Jessica and Tipi, a friend of ours skate around, and take a couple of cool slapshots. He liked ice. He held on to the puck and tried to run a little bit. And no, he didn't fall down. A friend of mine

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1075063790118191662004-01-25T22:49:00.000+02:002004-01-25T22:51:20.810+02:00

Day in, day out Our world revolves around Hannes, as I am sure you have noticed. (Although, in all honesty, both Jessi and I find time to work and write 3-4 other blogs :) And even if we love it, it's not always easy. It's not always fun to be feeding him ... all the time, it seems. It's not always fun to make sure you're home by 8, so that Hannes can sleep in his own bed. It's not always fun

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1074506926655576142004-01-19T12:08:00.000+02:002004-01-19T12:10:11.530+02:00

Argh! That's it! I've had it! I haven't seen Jessi and Hannes for almost a week, practically (we did see for a few hours over the weekend). Now I'm in Sweden and they're in Finland. Oh, the irony. That's it. I'm outahere. I need to go home and hug my family.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1074164923606436682004-01-15T13:08:00.000+02:002004-01-15T13:10:04.576+02:00

Elvis, part II You look like an angel Walk like an angel Talk like an angel But I got wise You’re the devil in disguise Oh yes you are The devil in disguise When Hannes was just a few months old, I used to get him to fall asleep to "Devil in Disguise." I would hold him in my arms and rock him and sing and dance until he fell asleep. I remember his big eyes locked on me when I looked at him and

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1073818531706668862004-01-11T12:55:00.000+02:002004-01-11T12:56:48.090+02:00

Dad, Dad, Dad I admit. I don't know if I feel like a real father. I'm not sure I have that daddy feeling or touch. I mean, I can easily forget that Hannes sleeps at 10. His afternoon nap could slip my mind and every time Jessica asks me if I have changed Hannes's diapers - and I haven't - I feel like whatever is in the diapers. Now, mind you, I am not saying that I am a bad father, because I

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1073338791648174892004-01-05T23:39:00.000+02:002004-01-05T23:43:41.890+02:00

Look, Grandpa, hands My Dad came for a visit today. He hadn't seen Hannes in a few months so I was a little worried if Hannes would be afraid of him, or shy, you know. He wasn't. Hannes started talking the second Grandpa walked through the front door and, wait, no, he still hasn't stopped. He's been asleep for 3 hours now, but he's still talking. It's really cute the way Hannes walks,

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1073248155072620092004-01-04T22:29:00.000+02:002004-01-04T22:30:25.343+02:00

About them cheeks This is Helsinki. This is January. It's dark. It's cold and dark in Helsinki in January, although it hasn't really been unbearable here .. yet. It'll come. However, it has been below zero (celsius), with some sun. We have hade some perfect winter days here, in other words. And we take Hannes into the daylight every day, of course. And it's good for us, too, we definitely

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1073163914139108072004-01-03T23:05:00.000+02:002004-01-03T23:06:23.670+02:00

Author's note: Today, Name That Baby reached the 12 000-visit mark. We say: Thank you.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1073162755740661832004-01-03T22:45:00.000+02:002004-01-03T23:05:36.810+02:00

Walk, walk, walk Well now the years have gone and I've grown From that seed you've sown But I didn't think there'd be so many steps I'd have to learn on my own .. Now I'll do what I can I'll walk like a man And I'll keep on walkin' - Bruce Springsteen, "Walk Like A Man", Tunnel of Love, 1987. Hannes's record today: all the way from the kitchen door to me. According to family legend, I learned

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1072990229354333382004-01-01T22:50:00.000+02:002004-01-01T22:51:36.296+02:00

Happy Hannes Today was one of those days when we didn't "do anything". We have some friends over from Sweden, so we basically just stayed at home all day - not counting the long walk we took, during which Hannes almost froze himself cheekless - and just hung out. With five adults in the same apartment, me and Jessica get a chance to just sneak out and read or something. and let Hannes hold

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1072787587114502692003-12-30T14:33:00.000+02:002003-12-30T14:34:11.966+02:00

Seven The record stands at seven. Seven short, wabbly steps in a row, in the same direction, is the best Hannes has done so far. He takes shorter sprints - say, 4-5 steps - all the time, and even twirls sometimes. He's fast, but his endurance is not the best, it looks like. It is amazing, though. It's hard to tell who is the happiest when he walks, the person sending him off, the one catching

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1072045999502715902003-12-22T00:33:00.000+02:002003-12-22T00:34:15.920+02:00

Baby steps Yes. Hannes has taken his first unaided steps. Hooray! He takes small steps, baby steps, all the time now, just moving from one safe place (like the couch) to another (the coffee table, "and hey, while I am at it, I may as well grab the remote control"). It's not that he walks to the bathroom or anything, but I would guess that he spends more time in a vertical than horizontal position

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1071571592175596492003-12-16T12:46:00.000+02:002003-12-16T12:47:22.950+02:00

This is Hannes Hannes is really into phones. Not only does he go after my mobile phone the second he sees it, he also takes remote controls, little cups, and tin lids and uses them as a phone. He holds the "phone" next to his year and laughs and talks and talks and laughs. It is really, really, cute. Lately, there've been several long distance calls to Santa. He also likes to call Grandma,

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1071441477683103392003-12-15T00:37:00.000+02:002003-12-15T00:38:47.060+02:00

You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry We got our first snow yesterday. Perfect, since it's only a week until Christmas. Jessica and I kinda made a decision pretty early on that we wouldn't go totally overboard with presents to Hannes. 'Cause, basically, he won't really have a clue, except that he'll probably love having a lot of people admiring whatever his latest trick will be in a week

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1070467107895201082003-12-03T17:58:00.000+02:002003-12-03T17:59:05.860+02:00

Walking the walk, talking the talk One thing that everybody's asking me these days - when I talk about Hannes, my 1-year-old son - is if Hannes walks. Walking is a big thing, walking's huge. Basically, when a baby gets upright, he becomes a real human, and leaves the monkey world for monkeys. Not the monkeying around, necessarily. Oh, Hannes doesn't walk yet. He can stand up, especially if he

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1069525632614958472003-11-22T20:27:00.000+02:002003-11-22T22:27:49.543+02:00

Happy birthday, Hannes Today's the day. Hannes's age is no longer measured in months or weeks, but years. Our son, our baby, won't be "6 months" anymore, he'll be "a year," "a little over a year," "almost a year and a half," "almost two years now." A year ago, Jessica and I were sitting at the hospital cafeteria, looking at a tiny, yellowish boy sleeping in a bed beside us. I was trying to

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1069346945036248532003-11-20T18:49:00.000+02:002003-11-20T18:49:30.280+02:00

Hannes, the non-Hilda "Friday, November 22, 2002: Oh boy! We took off on Thursday morning at six. I just got home, it's 6 a.m on Friday. In that 24-hour period I have witnessed courage, love, caring, guts, hunger, sleep deprivation and happiness. A lot of happiness. I am proud to say that Jessica and I became parents tonight. Hannes, our son, was born on 22 November at 2.58 a.m. I checked

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1068501595239012712003-11-10T23:59:00.000+02:002003-11-10T23:59:52.273+02:00

Father's Day Yesterday, Sunday, was Father's Day in Finland (and Sweden). My first as a father. It's funny, my family has never really celebrated Mother's Day or Father's Day in any special way. Sure, I would draw something at school, hide it around for a couple of days and then bring it out on the Special Day. But the rest of the Sunday we would just do what we always did: go for a drive, eat

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1067333972459218252003-10-28T11:39:00.000+02:002003-10-28T11:43:12.076+02:00

"Look, Ma" Let it be known that Hannes has officially reached the age where he learns something every single day. And unlike me, who also like to brag that I learn something every day, he doesn't forget it the next day. Yesterday was a busy day for Hannes. He learned at least two new things, and perfected a third one to a point where he can say he masters it. First, last night, as Jessi was

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1065948876711988732003-10-12T11:54:00.000+03:002003-10-12T11:54:36.890+03:00

Big Boy Hannes had some company over. His buddy from Karlstad, Jaspar, son of Sofia and Per, a Swedish couple that lived in Helsinki until May drove up to Stockholm yesterday. It'd been a few months (well, since May) since we'd seen Jaspar so obviously he had grown a lot. That, and he wanted to walk all the time! It was pretty funny to see him hold Per/Sofia's arms and walk away. I mean, he's

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1065778824337072452003-10-10T12:01:00.000+03:002003-10-10T12:40:23.923+03:00

M. Night Shamalamadingdong I remember being scared of the dark, and the night. For lots of different reason, but mostly simply because everything looks different at night. I don't think Hannes is afraid of the nights, on the contrary maybe, but it is getting harder for me to not get worried about how the night's going to be. Hannes seems to have tummyache at night. Oh, we've been up at

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1064694927109991752003-09-27T23:35:00.000+03:002003-09-27T23:40:15.380+03:00

Chillin' out We usually take Hannes for a nice walk in the cool autumn day in the mornings and afternoons. Or a cool walk in the nice autumn day. Anyway, the weather is definitely getting chillier - this is Finland, after all - so we have to pay a little more attention to Hannes's clothes than in the summer. Basically, we know what Hannes should wear, but Hannes doesn't seem to agree. First,

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1064346633201100312003-09-23T22:50:00.000+03:002003-09-23T22:50:32.593+03:00

You can call me Al Hannes seems to be a real family man, uh, boy. It's not like he's overjoyed to go for a walk with me, or Jessica alone, but when he's sitting in his blue limo, and he sees the two of us pushing him gently along, he basically goes nuts. He jumps up and down and slams his little Chile-hat-covered head onto the back of his trolley and starts talking away. Usually, you can see

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1063134267347951812003-09-09T22:04:00.000+03:002003-09-10T13:42:52.266+03:00

Duracell-Hannes I just can't believe how much energy a little person has. Jessica told me a few months ago how some Swedish lightweight boxer had tried to imitate his baby an entire day. Like, whenever his baby waved his arms, the boxer would. When the baby crawled, the boxer did, too. And so on. Until the boxer was all wiped out. Another amazing fact of babies: Babies laugh, on average, 300

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1062407948474357752003-09-01T12:19:00.000+03:002003-09-01T12:19:08.526+03:00

Team Hannes I got up at 4.52 this morning because Hannes wanted to. Actually, that's not true, since I don't think Hannes actually woke up at all, he just made a lot of noise so I thought it'd be smart to get up and hold him a little bit. I think it's fascinating how he can keep on sleeping and yet make sounds all the time. (Jessica probably knows a lot more about this topic than I do. I don't

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1061757115428207712003-08-24T23:31:00.000+03:002003-08-24T23:31:55.400+03:00

Letters to Hannes, day 3 Helsinki, August 24, 2003 Dear Hannes, I am sorry that I haven't been writing to you. I actually did write to you once, but the power was out for 40 minutes in Helsinki, and I couldn't post the letter. Anyway, you'll be coming home tomorrow, and I can't wait. Like I said before, I have a few new tricks I want to show you. I have become quite the master with the

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1061563483199401522003-08-22T17:44:00.000+03:002003-08-22T17:44:43.236+03:00

Letters to Hannes, day 2 Helsinki, August 22, 2003 Congratulations, Hannes, you're nine months old today! Woohoo! I was talking to (your) Mom the other day, and I asked her which nine months she thought felt longer, the last nine months, or the nine months before that, when we were expecting you. She said the first nine months. I am not sure what I think. All I know that when I sit here by

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1061445879004215052003-08-21T09:04:00.000+03:002003-08-21T15:09:48.006+03:00

Letters to Hannes, day 1 I was thinking that since Hannes is on his road show, I can't really write about what he does and how funny and cute he is. So why not write about how funny I am and how cute I am?. Just kidding. Actually, I was thinking that I would write a letter to Hannes each day now. Helsinki, August 20 Moi Hannes! I hope you're having fun in Sweden, with Mom and Co. She has

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1061330977169044412003-08-20T01:09:00.000+03:002003-08-20T16:46:49.810+03:00

Hannes's adventures What a weird morning. I dreamt that Hannes was standing up and making funny sounds, and then all of a sudden he was doing a radio morning show. I thought it was weird since I thought I was about the only person in the world that understood him. But there he was, a guest on the show. Then Hannes went off air, and the regular guys were back on, and I realized that there was

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1060548673823886782003-08-10T23:51:00.000+03:002003-08-10T23:51:54.453+03:00

Triple tongue There are currently three languages spoken in our household: Finnish, Swedish and Hannes. It's pretty funny becaus both Jessica and I are pretty anxious to hear Hannes's first words. Not that we know that he'll be talking any time soon. I mean, he does make a lot of different sounds, but talking? Not really. Hannes can say, for example, "tha-tha" and I will get super excited and

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1059901145729177992003-08-03T11:59:00.000+03:002003-08-03T11:59:05.766+03:00

Workin' fer a livin' They're coming to take me away, ha ha, they're coming to take me away, ho ho. My vacation is officially over 00.00 tonight, and it's time for me to return to the office tomorrow morning. I can't say that I am looking forward to a lot of stuff there and I know for sure I am going to miss being around Jessica and Hannes. We've had such a blast this summer, and seeing Hannes

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1059503113739680062003-07-29T21:25:00.000+03:002003-07-29T21:25:13.780+03:00

Blood on the floor I know that the title of ths entry may get you thinking about Michael Jackson, and even if Hannes does have some pretty extraordinary moves when he gets going, he's no King of Pop. And this blog is about ... well, yeah, it's changed over the past year that I have been writing it .. but it's not about Michael Jackson, that's for sure. When I was a kid and would hit a body

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1058968725845287972003-07-23T16:58:00.000+03:002003-07-23T16:58:45.676+03:00

Hannezzzz One of things I am still pretty confused with is how small children, babies, sleep. More importantly, why don't they want to sleep? Why fight against sleeping when it is obvious that they are tired and need to sleep. Í have heard the theory about babies being worried about losing their Mom and Dad, that they won't be there when they wake up, but even if I believed in that one, I still

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1058598080016305182003-07-19T10:01:00.000+03:002003-07-19T10:01:20.053+03:00

My father's grandson Hannes has been on the move all summer. In at least two ways. First, he has really learned to take himself to places on his own, and second, we have been traveling between and in Sweden and Finland quite a but. We're currently at his grandpa's. My Dad's place, that is. I just love watching my father play with and hold my son. My grandfather, my father's father, died when

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1057786514122676872003-07-10T00:35:00.000+03:002003-07-10T00:35:14.070+03:00

All four Hannes It's official - I AM the funniest man in the world. I mean, it doesn't take that much to make Hannes smile or even laugh a little, but it's not that easy to make him laugh out loud. Loud. Like I've said before, there's no telling in advance what Hannes think is funny. And the things that are funny today, can really be so not funny tomorrow. It's a challenge that keeps me on my

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1057270744164577062003-07-04T01:19:00.000+03:002003-07-04T01:19:04.166+03:00

Good morning Too bad I don't have any photos of Hannes's two teeth, because they're really cute. Only 18 to go, this time around, I read somewhere. We can already see four (!) new ones coming through up there. That also means that Hannes has a little trouble sleeping, I guess his gums are itching like crazy. I got up at 4 a.m. this morning and we watched a James Bond ("From Russia with Love")

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-105700672853006962003-06-30T23:58:00.000+03:002003-07-01T00:00:39.840+03:00

Hannes and the Order of Phoenix Well, Harry isn't the only special boy with the initials "HP" in the world, you know. There's one very special HP sleeping about 5 ft from me and my computer. Not sure what kind of magic he possesses, but I know he wraps people around his finger just like that. We're on our vacation in Hannes's other home country, Sweden, and there are many aunts and uncles and

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1056032052000198212003-06-19T17:14:00.000+03:002003-06-19T17:15:04.713+03:00

Streets of Helsinki Ever since Hannes was born, I have been looking at celebrities and thinking, "I bet his Mom and Dad couldn't see this one coming!" (Unless you're Mrs. Spears). Jessica and I saw Bruce Springsteen in Helsinki this Tuesday, and somewhere in the middle of the "well, I got this guitar and I learnt how to make it talk"-solo I got the same feeling all over me again. I bet little

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1055794022002494592003-06-16T23:07:00.000+03:002003-06-16T23:07:02.020+03:00

Aunt's world It's been six months since I wrote about Aunt Jenny. Well, not my Aunt Jenny, but Hannes's. The reason for that is that Jenny has been in Chile for the past six months and even if we have got awesome reports from her, she hasn't been here. Until yesterday. Last time Hannes saw Jenny, she was just a ... heh, you know what I mean: Last time Hannes saw Jenny, he could hardly see.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-1055629487725405992003-06-15T01:24:00.000+03:002003-06-15T01:24:47.340+03:00

Just do it Days just flash by, and there are many stories I should remember to tell you about, but haven't. Hannes is doing great. Jessica and I were talking about it today that actually, human child becomes a real person and a member of his community really fast. The first three months are a blur, but now Hannes is a member of our team just like we are. Anyway, the big news is that Jessica .

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2004125152003-06-11T18:47:00.000+03:002003-06-11T18:47:42.146+03:00

I love you tooth, two The first one isn't completely up yet, but Hannes's second tooth is already showing. That means twice the amount of saliva, and twice the amount of chewing stuff. And he's twice as cute.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2003906582003-06-05T23:33:00.000+03:002003-06-05T23:33:40.643+03:00

The boys are back in town Last night was Girls' Night Out - which automatically means that it was Guys' Night Watching TV. Jessica went out for the first time since Hannes was born, and she somehow talked herself into leaving Hannes for more than two hours. I think the record stood at two hours and 12 minutes. That was the longest Jessica had been away from Hannes. But, as all records, that one

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2003803502003-06-03T21:42:00.000+03:002003-06-03T21:42:47.000+03:00

An hour later... Hannes is smiling again. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2003799992003-06-03T20:33:00.000+03:002003-06-03T20:33:03.473+03:00

To dive for I guess it was bound to happen. I mean, no matter how hard or much we try to protect Hannes, or how much we hold him in our arms, this day was going to come. I'd rather it hadn't happened, but then again, maybe it's good for him. He fell today. Or, "fell" is actually a wrong word. He basically just tipped over. On his face. Lip first. Not even his ultracute cheeks could dampen the

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2003706722003-06-01T22:46:00.000+03:002003-06-01T22:46:34.940+03:00

Tooth and nail So, there we were, all three of us. I held Hannes on my knees, and sat on the toilet seat. Jessica stood in front of us, between the seat and the mirror. It was time to brush the tooth. For the first time. Obviously, the brushing did some good because Hannes wouldn't let go of the tooth brush. I don't think he really cared about his dental hygiene that much, but maybe the

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2003682532003-05-31T22:59:00.000+03:002003-05-31T22:59:38.516+03:00

Pride and joy My cousin graduated from high school today, and there was a big garden party at their house. The entire family and all relatives were invited. We got all dressed up - Hannes got to wear his new shirt and pants for the first time - and drove up to their house. It was a sunny and beautiful day. I am repeatedly amazed at what a baby does to people. There were people that I have known

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2003441922003-05-27T16:21:00.000+03:002003-05-27T16:21:31.753+03:00

Hannes's Dad goes sailing Tomorrow, I will go sailing with my team at work. And since I am a terrible leaver and since our mornings at home are just too damn cozy and nice, I really don't wanna go. I know I am going to have fun (although I don't really like water, or toughing it out in the woods) I also know I am going to miss waking up to Hannes laughing and Jessica trying to catch one extra z.

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2003208382003-05-21T12:30:00.000+03:002003-05-24T15:58:06.000+03:00

Pause for applause I got a big lesson of positive feedback yesterday. Hannes gave it to me. We were (read: Hannes was) lying on the washing machine, getting ready for a diaper change when I started to play our usual "Hannes runs, Hannes runs, Hannes runs .... Hannes jumps!" game. (We'll change it to "Hannes shoots, Hannes shoots ... Hannes scores" in a few years). But this time, Hannes would

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2003130552003-05-19T23:30:00.000+03:002003-05-19T23:30:42.716+03:00

I love you, tooth Hannes being our first - and only, at least for now - child, we're going through a whole bunch of firsts these days. Hannes's first summer, our first summer as parents, Hannes's first ball, Hannes's outgrowing his first clotes, Hannes being sick for the first time... well, you get the point. So, you can just imagine how overwhelmed we were when we noticed that Hannes is

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2002863102003-05-13T23:56:00.000+03:002003-05-13T23:57:02.000+03:00

G'night, drive safe "Hey, hey, hey, heyyyyyyyya, heyyyyyyyyah, how're ya doing, how you doing, you doing ok?" [giggles] "Yeah, yeah, YEAH, yeah, YEAH, yeah, YEAHAHAHAHAHAHAH" [laughs] "Prrrrrrrrrrrr!!" [banging of the table] THUMP, THUMP, THUMP "BBRRBBBRBRBRB" [more banging of the table, laughs] "Check this out, baby, check this out" [throws a raisin in the air, catches it in his mouth] [loud

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2002634462003-05-08T23:35:00.000+03:002003-05-08T23:35:23.540+03:00

Hungry like a wolf How many times have I said that Hannes is a very cool, calm and collected little guy -- and very nice. He's more often happy than not, and wakes up with a smile on his face. Really. The only time he screams or cries or fights against us beyond any control or reason (yes, I do try to discuss the matter with him in a civilized kinda sorta way), is when he's hungry. When he's

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2002381832003-05-03T23:13:00.000+03:002003-05-03T23:13:14.060+03:00

Dad mad When I was a kid - this according to a fairly well documented family legend - whenever people would get angry with me (after I had done something I shouldn't have), I always said: "You shouldn't get angry with me, because that would make me sad." Apparently, it worked well for me when I was like 4. I felt like that last night, when Hannes (!) got very upset with me, for some weird

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2002148302003-04-29T13:01:00.000+03:002003-04-29T13:01:57.000+03:00

The tables have turned It's been a week since my last entry. I haven't really had the energy to write anything, I have been travelling and stuff. The good news is that Hannes is feeling well. The bad news .. Jessica and I are sick. We both threw up last night, and are now two zombies walking around in slo-mo. Hannes is the happiest of us, but of course I'm a little worried about us getting

Rnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650575.post-2001887442003-04-23T20:23:00.000+03:002003-04-23T20:23:58.230+03:00

Hannes Pukerinen He launched the first one at 11.59 a.m. The second one, equally powerful, saw the light of day at about 2.30 p.m. And there would be six more in the next 16 hours. Fountains of puke, that is. And when I say fountains, I mean fountains. When I was in high school, a friend of mine used to draw a picture of a Roarman all over the place. It was a picture of a cartoon guy, that

Rnoreply@blogger.com0