FOOD!

Mom's been trying very hard to get Odin to enjoy solids. This has been a big challenge. She even broke down and purchased some baby food at the grocery store (which Odin did seem to enjoy a bit more...grr!). Then she finally got the hint that Odin doesn't want to be feed...Mr. Independent wants to feed himself! This, of course, makes a big mess with very little food actually getting into the belly. But it sure is fun...

Here Odin is feeding himself avocado.














Odin enjoying some beet, pear and banana mush.













Odin is also very close to crawling. He can wiggle and "hop" around if there is a toy he really wants to get. He's also very good at wiggling in circles.

Borgafjäll

We spent the holiday weekend cross-country skiing at Borgafjäll in northwest Sweden. It's a very nice, small mountain community.

In the middle of our cross-country skiing outing we have to stop for a Fika break! Note the snowman in the back.

Odin wanting to be on the downhilll slopes with the other kids. He loved watching the downhill skiers and dad told him it won't be long until he's on the slopes.

Irish coffee after a wonderful dinner at the hotel Borgafjäll. Kenneth and Anita's son, Peter, is the head chef at the resturant. Clearly Odin had a good time as well!

Stay on the path! Kenneth stepped off of the path while helping dad with Odin's sled (you can see Odin sleeping away) and when he did, he sank up to his chest in the unpacked snow!

New Toy! Odin loves to play with the empty OJ containers! This goes well with his other favorite toy...the mason jar lid!

Cross-Country Skiing

On Saturday we went cross-country skiing with our friends Kenneth and Anita on some trails near the lake across the street from our apartment. Though we were very close to town, the trails wind you away and into the woods; we weren't able to hear any cars or other sounds of human activity except our own skiing. We went a total of 8.6 KM (5.4 miles), which was quite a long trip since it's been 15 years since dad has cross-country skied and it was mom's first time! Here is a picture of us skiing with Odin being towed in the sled.

Mom with Odin all nice and warm in the sled. He ended up sleeping about 90% of the time and spent the other 10% of the time looking up at the trees as we skied along. He was very happy in the sled! Even though dad fell twice (ha!), the sled never tipped over and Odin didn't even wake up!

Of course being in Sweden, we have to take a coffee break! Kenneth and Anita provided coffee, tea, and snacks. This is called "Fika" in Sweden.

After skiing Odin got a bath and discovered how much FUN baths can be! He loved the sound of splashing water!

We were so impressed with the performance of the wool in the sled that we went to a store that specializes in wool and bought a nice sheepskin for Odin to wiggle on. The sheep were organically raised and the hide is 'infant-safe' in that no harmful/strong chemicals were used in the tanning process. It is VERY soft and regulates temperature quite well. Plus, it's machine washable!