Wherever I am...

Just like most of my fellow bloggers who were racing their surrogacy road about the same time as us, my posts don't come that often any more. But I'm still here, believe me.
I'm currently 1200 km North from home, in Umeå. It's a wonderful city in the North of Sweden. I've been here this week for finishing my studies at Umeå University and can now titulate myself as an advanced level diabetes nurse specialist. I'm very excited about it, I have  learned so much. When I first came to Umeå in the beginning of April (for one week of lectures and training), I had never been here before. Today, I must admit, I'm a big fan of this town. I kinda thought it would be lots of people who hardly ever speak (well, that's what people in the South of Sweden think of those up in North), really cold and boring. I understand that the weather part has been a fortuity but all my preconceptions were noncence. People here are really talkative (but the dialect is really differenent, being very charming with its characteristic melody), the weather has been wonderful and the town is nothing but dull. As you may have noticed, Sweden is  narrow (maximum width is only about 500km)  but long (stretching 1572km from North to South).  One very funny thing I've noticed here, is that people in the Northern part of the country have equally poor awareness about Southern Sweden as we living in South are of North. This became especially distinct when a university lecturer referred to Gothenburg as a town in the very South of Sweden. Well, Gothenburg is about 350km northwest from where I live. It kind of made me wonder if I was considered as Danish according to her :)

Initially and especially during my first week here, I was a bit worried about how Jennifer and Erik would handle me being away for so many days. It turned out very well and hearing their happy voices and seeing them via FaceTime has been as a balm for my soul. My husband rocks as a  full-time dad.

So, what made me write the title of this post? During this week I have realized something a bit odd but maybe not surprising about myself: Wherever I go, I always look for India. I look for Indian restaurants, those little asian stores on narrow streets, I wear Indian clothes, shoes and a bindi etc. Wearing a bindi makes me feel complete in a strange way that I am unable to explain. Eating kulfi and drinking chai makes me happy as a child on Christmas Eve. Call me silly if you please!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting a wonderful couple that we met in Mumbai, during our second trip, when Erik was a newborn. It was such a joy to see their twins smiling at me. Such perfect little miracles! So nice to speak to people who share so many experiences with me. No explanations needed, whether it's  about waiting for ultrasound reports, doorkeeper at the Rodas hotel, or visiting FRRO.

Our kids are growing crazy kind of fast. I can't understand how they have managed to turn 4,5 and (soon) 2,5 while I'm not that much older. Jennifer is a wonderful, happy girl who loves the trampoline, strawberries and drawing. She is friends with everyone at the preschool and loved by her friends.

 Erik is a great talker. He expresses himself in long centences, using adjectives and words like "unfortunately". He is still crazy about vehicles. Still a biter - at least when getting tired. He loves water and both kids have attended swimming lessons during the past semester which as been lots of fun. In the beginning of April, Erik got a big-boy bed. He was so happy and proud about it. Initially, we sat next to him until he fell asleep, just to avoid bringing up the habit of getting up. We have always sought a clear evening routine. Nowadays, Erik and Jennifer  listen to a storybook, hear one Swedish and one Estonian lullaby and then go to each room and bed. Some nights Erik wakes up in very early morning and wants to come to our bed, which is ok. Jennifer always sleeps through the night. Aah, and I almost forgot - Erik is really good at potty training, too. It was sometime in early April, I think, when he understood the point of going to the toilet. He still wears pull-ons during nights and at daycare (in order to make it easier for the staff). But at home he is really good at taking care of that business. Nevertheless, he is not that fond of underwear and prefers to run around without any pants at all. Also, when wearing underwear, he sometimes still forgets that he is not having pull-ons and accidents do happen because of that. We need to stop using diapers, a vacation project :)

Erik with daddy and his beloved teddybear, Noni.