June-July Update
First of all, our baby Ariana has grown a lot. She has seven teeth and can pull herself to sit and stand. She crawls and walks when we hold her hands. She is very mischievous and playful. She has that naughty look on her face when she knows she is not supposed to do something especially as I am watching her. She does pretty good on the plane which is a real blessing to us. People even comment on how happy she always is. We are really thankful to the Lord for giving our baby such a delightful personality!!!
Well, we moved into our new home on the 1st and travelled to Sweden on the 6th; so it was a very hectic week. Steve is now stationed in Stockholm. He works 3 weeks and is off 2 weeks (which includes travel time). Stockholm is a very beautiful city and there are many parks and greenery. Transportation is pretty simple with the subway and the bus. The bus fare is free if you have a baby but I haven't really travelled this way a lot.
One good thing here is the maternity leave. In Sweden, one gets a year's leave (upto 18 months depending on how much you work before the baby). So in the park, there are mothers or fathers with their strollers/prams. I made friends with a thai girl who has 3 kids and her daughter is 6 months, one month younger than Ariana. The hotel where we stayed was very close to this huge park where I met this girl. So the weeks went by pretty fast.
We visited London for a few days on the way to Miami. We had a good and tiring time visiting the British Museum, Tower of London, Windsor Castle. Saw a lot of the popular places like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Bridge, etc... We travelled in the subways (which is not child friendly and would have to carry Ariana and stroller up and down a lot of stairs).
We returned to Miami for my sister Eugenia's wedding (July 11) which went by very well. Many friends and families came in from Canada, California, New Jersey and Pakistan; so it was fun meeting all of them and I sure did have a great time. Ariana also got used to them all and enjoyed it. The house was very busy and noisy for the whole week with all the people, since it was the main meeting/happening place. Steve wasn't used to this and it stressed him out. So much so that he is recovering from a cold/cough.
The wedding was beautiful and the reception was great. The banquet hall was very pretty and we had a great time doing the Grand March and dancing. Ariana and I were in the wedding. My sister wanted her to be the flowergirl and I had to carry her in; so it was quite an experience for me. My sister, Eugenia also had each sibling and their spouse light a candle together to signify their commitment to their respective marriage which was something unusual but very touching.
Ariana's grandparents were also present at the wedding so we spent an afternoon with them and they helped look after her on the morning of the wedding, which was a great help. She did real well and did not cry at all.
We arrived in Sweden on the 17th of July and moved into an apartment (Praise the Lord). Its a 2 bedroom on the 3rd floor with no elevator, which is a good exercise for both of us. There is a balcony where we have the distant view of the water and we can watch Steve as he gets to the car (which Ariana loves). There is a playard nearby where I let Ariana use the swing, rocking horse, slide...... The big park is 2km away which I hope to visit soon. Its actually the Drottningholms Palace and there is a lot to see there for free.... Yeah!!!!
So I am busier in the home with cooking and cleaning and the baby; so we do not leave the house till 4pm for an hour. Last month, staying in the hotel and with nothing to do, I would leave around noon and be out till 5pm. Steve is trying to digest whatever I cook. He may be losing some weight but he says it still beats going to a restaurant. We've had a hard time finding non-smoking areas and these places are so small that the smoke still gets to you. So last month, dining out was very frustrating.
Anyway, next break will be August and we plan to visit San Diego/Miami.