December Cheer // Life Lately

“We just have to make it to December.”

This is what the Viking and I have been saying to each other all Fall long.

And guess what….

We made it to December!

So why was December such a milestone for us to make it to?

Well, this Fall has been all kinds of crazy for H and I.

First and most important, this Fall has been all about adjusting to life as a family of three.

Sure our little Viking was 3 months old at the start of the Fall, but during his first 3 months of life we were spoiled with extra help. Between my family staying with us in Iceland, the Viking being on paternity leave, and a long trip to Oregon where we had endless helping hands around us, it wasn’t until the end of the summer where we started settling into life as a family of three.

Also starting at the end of the summer, the chaos of our third semester of our MBA.

Let’s just say it was an interesting ride juggling being new parents and our school work, but in all honesty it wasn’t as stressful as we had mentally prepared ourselves for, so that was a win.

Then there is the wedding.

When we got engaged last Fall it felt like we had all the time in the world to get to planning. Over the summer we crossed some big things off our to-do list (book venue, find photographer, pick out wedding dress etc.) and felt like we were killing it with our wedding planning.

And then we did nothing else.

Now, we realize we still have 7 months to go, but when you are planning a wedding from a different country, and half your guest list will be traveling abroad, it complicates things a bit. So whenever we have gotten a spare minute some wedding planning has been throw into the mix.

And, to finish off, about two weeks into our school semester H was offered a new job that was a great opportunity for him that he just couldn’t pass up, no matter how crazy life was at the moment. So, we added H adjusting to a new job to the mix.

But we did it, and wow does it feel good to have reached this point.

And our little Viking agrees, this boy is loving the bright snow December has brought!

While this past Fall has been all kinds of chaos it has also been ridiculously fun as well.

After waiting years for my family to come visit me I have had a steady stream of visitors (all thanks to the little Viking) this Fall who I have had a blast showing around Iceland.

I may of done the Golden Circle route more times this Fall then my entire time in Iceland, and the waiters at Friðheimar now recognize little H and I when we walk in the door, but it has been so fun taking my family around and seeing Iceland through their eyes.

And our little Viking, he has quickly become the best traveling partner.

Thanks to all of these visitors I have gotten to explore a bunch of new (at least to me) places around Reykjavik.

I swear, every time I go downtown there is at least one new shop/cafe/exhibition to check out!

I have a post in the works with a roundup of some new places to check out around town, but two of my favorite finds is the charming cafe Julia & Julia, and the famous colorful bakery Brauð og Co.

Finally got to visit Reykjavik’s most popular bakery, and the cinnamon rolls more than lived up to the hype! Also, Yaya (aka my mom) is in town and the little Viking and I are having a blast exploring the city with her. Having family visit your adopted homes is just the best, don’t my fellow expats agree?! #unlockingiceland

A post shared by Kaelene - American in Iceland (@unlockingkiki) on Nov 2, 2017 at 1:53pm PDT

And lucky for me the family fun isn’t over yet.

My little sister is arriving this week and I am so excited to get to be the one to introduce her to international travel and spark her wanderlust.

Extra bonus for me, I get an excuse to walk around downtown Reykjavik everyday and take in all the Christmas charm in the city. While I am not the biggest fan of the chilly temperatures December brings, I am a big fan of all the decorations that take over the city!

In little Viking news, well let’s just say he is keeping us busy!!

Our now 6 (almost 7!) month old little baby is no longer a cuddly newborn but instead a very wiggly busybody who more than keeps me on my toes.

And his giggles, they just melt my heart.

Yes, we are so those parents that dress our kid up for monthly update pictures. I mean, we got so many adorable outfits for him from our families, we need some reason to dress him up in them, and they are just ridiculously cute.

This little one is lucky he is so cute because he sure has given us a run for our money regarding sleep. As in we have been seriously sleep deprived and I don’t remember the last time I woke up feeling rested.

This picture below perfectly captures my sleep deprived self; bags under the eyes, extra frizzy hair with a sleepy smile always on my face is how I will remember myself from these first few months;)

I can’t complain too much though because our little man isn’t up in the night crying.

It is more like he is up at night talking up a storm and wanting Mom and Dad to join in his conversation and wiggle party at 3am.

Something happened though when our little one hit the 6 month mark and he is now sleeping through most of the night (knock on wood that writing this won’t jinx things for me) and wow what a difference I feel getting more than just a few hours of sleep at night!

It is like I am finally coming out of my mommy zombie bubble and noticing the world around me again.

So thank you dear son for finally deciding that sleeping at night is actually pretty nice.

Aside from the sleep struggle our little Viking is one smiley, giggly, eating machine. We started introducing some solids recently and it has been so fun giving him new foods and seeing what he does, and really does not, like. Between his frequent nursing sessions and “big boy meals” this boy clearly has his father’s appetite and love for food.

As for me, when I was getting ready to start my maternity leave I was a bit worried how it would be adjusting to being a stay at home mom. While there has of course been some long rough days I am loving getting to spend all this time with my little man and feel so lucky to be able to do so.

And the days are just flying by, can time slow down already?!

Now that the little Viking is a bit older we have been venturing into the world of mommy and baby playgroups. And for us there is an added twist as you never know how many different nationalities will be represented at the groups, but it has only added to the fun. We have been making some new friends (as important for mommy as baby I think!) and it has been great to expand my Iceland network with some new mom friends.

For the most part though it is just me and my little man filling our days with adventures. Our favorite things to do are nice long walks (bonus when the pathways have lots of trees) and heading to the local pool for some splashing around together at the swimming pool.

One thing is for sure, everyday is an adventure with this little one by my side!

And that concludes the long ramble of what these past few months have looked like in our household!

Now that we have a nice long break ahead of us I am looking forward to using my free time for writing blog posts instead of case analysis, so hopefully we will be seeing more of each other soon:)

But, before I go, a few questions for you all.

First off, the biggest thing that has been on my mind lately regarding this space of mine…

What type of posts are you interested in seeing on here?

Does life update posts (with lots of pictures of my little Viking) interest you, or do you want more post all about the gorgeous Iceland? Let me know, I am looking for ideas to work on this month!

The next question,for those of you in multi-culture households, how do you combine the different holiday traditions?

The Viking and I are debating between celebrating the traditions of whatever country we are in (Iceland or US) or finding a way to combine the two and always celebrate a bit of both each year.

Picking out his first Christmas tree:)