ゆりの世界

Comparing the february (valentine / love theme) boxes

Since I've become a mom, I've been reading different articles about babies and parenting.
Some of them really upset me while I couldn't agree with our society's critism on other.

What upset me the most is the one with S Korean couple starving their baby girl because they were too busy playing online game. If you don't have time or unable to raise a child, don't have it!
If you still decide to have it (which I think is very irresponsible) at least what you could do is hand it over to somebody else who can take care of it and give it love. To put the baby up online for sale is a bit extreme but at least the baby will live on.

I don't agree with the view of bringing your kids up as an investment for your golden years. You give birth to either a baby boy or girl, not a doctor, lawyer or rocket scientist! As a parent, you make sure that your kids get lots of love and a good foundation to start its life.
As your child grows up, it will find its own path and develop its own personality. In other words, the little vurnable baby that lied in your arms will have its own mind, will and his/her own plans of what to do with his/her life.
Your child doesn't owe you anything, not even love, because a parents' love is unconditional.
I choose to have my baby, my baby didn't choose to have me. I love my little JT with all my heart but he doesn't owe me a thing, not now and not later!

It's 9pm, I'm starring at a small B/W monitor and biting my nails.
Every small squeak, cracking or neighbour slamming doors make my heart jumps.

If there's a phobia for being scare of waking up a baby, I'm surely would be diagnose that.
Afterall, the rest of the night, which means my sleep and well being of the following day depends on this critical window between 9 and 10 pm when we waits for the little one to fall into deep sleep.

I'm really looking forward to moving to our new house where the closest neighbour lives 30-40 m and not 2 m away with a thin door in between from where the little alarm clock sleeps.

Well first of all we did use 2/3 of what I packed so it's not too bad.
The flights over to Sweden went pretty smoothly with 1hr transfer time in Oslo. Timing with sleep and feeds works perfectly and he was just cranky for 5mins on the second flight.

The return trip was as I fear. 1hr delay of the first flight (thanks SAS) caused a cranky wee guy, a wet nappy and 2 heavy poop nappies.
I didn't mind before but now I hate 'normal' people using handicap/change table toilets and block it for those who have to use it. With the increasing amount of people travelling with babies, they should add more toilets of those kind.
On the other hand, I love the change table in the toilet on board. It's small but it's clean and it does what you need. Yup the little one exploaded in the boarding queue and it leaked!!!


Security at Gardemoen is not as friendly as I expected. They were insisting on stripping the little one and the baby carrier out of me for a body search until I explained to them that with the delay of the last flight there's not much time for me to catch the connecting flight home.

What surprised me the most is all the helpful 'dads' along the way who offer to help us with lifting the luggage. Made our trip so much more easier.

Feeling a bit shaky about taking the little one on his first flight trip.
First of all, how can I fit all his stuff (and mine) in one suitcase??!!!
After having the packing sorted out, a bunch of questions poping up in my head.

• What if he going to be cranky through out the trip?
• Or do a big stinky poop just after we've boarded?
• Or decide that he doesn't like sitting in the baby carrier?

Another thing I'm horrified about is the security at Oslo airport on the way back. The thought of having to pick up the luggage and check it in again and then go through security again make me wish that I was an octopus!

According to the National Institute for Consumer Research (Sifo) will a child cost about 1 million NOK from birth until he/she turns 18.
So before deciding to have a baby, did you do your calculations?
Nor did I. But during pregnancy, with the baby shopping list we all start to think about what this additional family member will do to the household budget.

So what do we get for our 1 million NOK investment? 
Or maybe we should rather ask ourselves what our lives would be like if we don't have kids?

Things like 'happiness', 'fulfillness' and 'life quality' don't have a price tag to me. Therefore I find it such a bargain to get them for only half a million NOK.

There are a few freebies to expect when you are expecting.
They are in principle a pick of samples and full size merchandise of what that store have to offer moms. So it's  a win-win thing.
Now I'm stationed in Norway so the boxes below will only be avaible if you live in Norway.

Barnepakke from Rimi

(Picture not taken by me but the content was the same)

The box with best value inside comes from the supermarket chain Rimi. You can order it by going to their website fill in your details and they'll send you a pick-up card in your mailbox around due time.
This is only worth the trouble if you live in a city where there are Rimi supermarkets because that's where you'll be pickin it up.

Startbox from Libero Clubben

(Again picture 'borrowed' from the net but content was the same)
 
Join the Libero Club and they'll start by sending you a box with sample of their products. The diapers were very useful to start with.
When you are at a certain week of you pregnancy you will receive a pick up card which you will use to pick up your box at a Kiwi supermarket.

Apotekpakken
 
Fast, simple and pretty usefull content.
Just go here and fill in your details. Make sure you use an email address that you can access because that's where they'll send you a code to print out and bring to one of their drugstores to pick up the box.

Babybox

Same principle as Apotekpakke above but from a different chain of drugstore.
Go here and sell them your details.

The Finnish baby box
Now the only one thing that makes me wish I was a Finn.
The Finnish goverment gives every expecting mother a box you can call the king of all babyboxes.

The idea is to provide the mother to be with one year's supply of what her baby will need.
I wish the Norwegian goverment (with all their oil money) would be as generous as the Finn.