The Laura Blog

In July, our 10-year-old went through a scheduled tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy due to the size of his tonsils, snoring, and sleep apnea. My time spent in the depths of the Internet preparing for the procedure cannot be overstated, and nerves were high for all of us (even his dad, who is a physician). People did not hold back in telling me how terrible recovery was going to be and how intolerable the pain would be. I'm here to offer a totally transparent, overview of our son's recovery process, including a pain scale for each day. This is the information I was after and was never able to find in one place. I'm also including everything that we purchased that significantly helped in his recovery that I would highly recommend having on hand.

Day 0: Surgery Day

Our son's arrival time at the surgery center was scheduled for 11:45am. He was not permitted any solids or fluids outside of water, Gatorade, or apple juice past midnight the night before. He woke up the day of surgery with a ton of nerves and sipped water and Gatorade until 9:45AM, which was the cut off for clear liquids. We arrived at Pre-Op and reviewed medical history and met with the surgical team for about an hour, at which time it was go-time. I was able to head back with our son to anesthesia, where he was given a mask to breathe in to (no pokes or IVs while awake). After a few breaths, he was already sleepy and nearly sedated, and they sent me to the waiting room with a number to monitor his surgical progress on a TV screen.

They had prepared us for a surgery time of 30-40 minutes. However, our son's status moved from PRE-OP to SURGERY IN to SURGERY OUT in 6 minutes flat. I actually called the emergency line thinking that the procedure was not able to be performed, but right as they were reassuring me over the phone, the surgeon strolled down the hall to let us know that everything was over and successful. They had let us know that they would allow our son to sleep for up to an hour post surgery before waking him up and allowing us back to see him, but it only took about 50 minutes for him to wake up on his own. He was still loopy and out of it when we went back, and over the course of the following hour was pretty uncomfortable. Waking up from the anesthesia was probably the hardest part of surgery day. However, about an hour later, he was fully awake and moved to an upright chair to sit in and he felt substantially better (likely from the Fentanyl he was given through IV during surgery). We headed home after about 2.5 hours in Post-Op, and the rest of the day was very manageable in terms of pain. He only ate popsicles and slushies and the hardest part was probably how hungry he was, but did not complain about being in significant discomfort.

Pain Scale: 5/10

Day 1 Post Op:

This day was a harder day. There were tears a few times and he felt discouraged about his pain and swelling. He was hungry but wouldn't eat anything outside of popsicles and Italian ice. Ice cubes were comforting for him to suck on and to chew. He wore his head wrap much of the day and liked the heat as opposed to the ice in the pads within it. This said, the pain was not unmanageable, and we made it through. Now that we've made it fully through recovery, this was the hardest day in hindsight.

Pain Scale: 7/10

Day 2 Post Op:

Pain became much better as compared to day 1. He ate a half of a scrambled egg, finely diced up Ramen noodles, and lots of Danimals smoothies. He was still slow and cautious and mostly spent the day in bed watching TV.

Pain Scale: 5/10

Day 3 Post Op:

This was a good day. He was so much more back to himself and was up, dressed, and building LEGOs. He ate mac and cheese and buttered noodles. He was really feeling encouraged and happy that he was already 3 days through his recovery and said that it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

Pain Scale: 3/10

Day 4 Post Op:

The day went very well and he was even outside playing with the neighbors (with MANY reminders from me to make sure he took it easy). He ate the same menu of soft foods. By evening, he was complaining more of pain and wore his headwrap, but after his next dose of meds, was back to the earlier / lower pain threshold he was at. 

Pain Scale: 4/10

Day 5 Post Op:

I was really waiting for things to take a bad turn on Day 5, but he continued feeling good during the day. He was outside playing with neighbors again, eating fluffy pancakes, yogurt, garlic bread, and ice cream, and overall, wandered around the house being bored. At around 6:00pm, some pain hit him pretty hard and he used his head wrap with ice. There were some tears and I was wondering if our luck was going to finally run out, but after his next dose of Ibuprofen a new movie, and some time spent laying down and resting, he felt well again.

Pain Scale: 3/10 (day); 8/10 (for a few hours at night)

Day 6 Post Op:

This day was an overall grumpy, cranky, and discouraging day for him. He was tired of having a sore throat, tired of having no outlet to wrestle and play soccer, and tired of not being able to eat the food he loves. His pain was generally fine, but there were a few times where it spiked, accompanied with tears. Again, the head wrap, lots of water, and pain medicine took the edge off. It was at this point that I realized the mental part of recovery was just as hard as the physical one.

Pain Scale: 6/10 (day); 8/10 (for a few hours at night)

Day 7 Post Op:

Another tougher day mentally. At this point, he was just done feeling not himself and really started to feel frustrated which came out through crying several times. His pain was fine during the day but increased in the evening. Sucking on ice and wearing the head wrap always do the trick. 

Pain Scale: 6/10 (day); 8/10 (for a few hours at night)

Day 8 Post Op:

The scabs are officially coming off. Lots of complaints of burning and stinging. Intermittent pain as a result. Nothing unmanageable through Tylenol and Ibuprofen, but modified diet to remove anything that might increase his throat even more irritation (acids, Gatorade). He was frustrated from the pain this day but also hopeful that his recovery now had an end in sight.

Pain Scale: 7/10

Day 9 Post Op:

Almost back to normal. He said the pain was minimal but I still gave him his Ibuprofen and Tylenol through the day. He ate almost completely normally--welcome back pizza!

Pain Scale: 2/10

Day 10 Post Op:

Nearly 100% with the exception of still needing pain meds. I went with the strategy of only giving them when he complained of pain, but as it turns out, this was like clockwork as soon as the previous dose ran its course. He still has some scabbing in the back of his throat (though almost gone), so I figure there's a reason why they call it a 10-14 day recovery. I'm sure the meds will be needed less and less over the next few days, but overall, I'm calling this thing COMPLETE.

Pain Scale: 2/10

BIGGEST RECOVERY TIPS:

• Sleep upright on a wedge pillow with a humidifier blasting and take sips of water throughout the night. We never had any issues with sleep (other than the fact that it was often interrupted by alarms going off for Tylenol and Ibuprofen).
• Never miss a dose of Ibuprofen/Tylenol (this is all we were given, and it was sufficient). Make sure you record/log your doses because it all gets confusing, especially through the night. Continue meds through at least Day 10.
• Stay hydrated. I strongly feel this was the biggest factor. Continuing to keep your throat moist keeps pain under control. Chewing gum also helps.

Heated Wrap for around neck: https://amzn.to/4d3dRyt

Heated or iced head wrap: https://amzn.to/3W6otG7

Wedge Pillow for sleeping upright: https://amzn.to/3zJDvKm

Extra syringes for medicine: https://amzn.to/4cykgSt

Humidifier to run all night at their bedside: https://amzn.to/4bPyuNw

Clear water bottle so you can keep track of fluid consumption: https://amzn.to/3WniYnF

Ice machine has been really helpful and a nice-to-have: https://amzn.to/3SaDKEC

Stock up on dye-free ibuprofen and Tylenol (WAY more than you think you will need. I'd recommend 8 bottles of each). Red food dye must be avoided in case your child vomits so it can be determined easily whether there is blood.

Overall, this experience was such a shockingly and significantly more positive experience than I thought we were doomed for. Prepare for good days with some tougher moments built in. You can definitely make it through these moments. If you're prepared for the worst, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. All this said, it was a solid 10 day recovery and then some. If you're on the fence, it is absolutely worth it to give your child the gift of having this taken care of before they reach adulthood, when this surgery is significantly harder and more painful. 

Wishing anyone in the tonsillectomy boat a speedy recovery--please reach out with any questions!

 Dear Oskar,

You’re 10. A decade. 10 years of us, of being a mom. I can’t remember life without you. We’ve learned and grown together, and you’ve forged ahead for every milestone. Pushing me ahead even when it sometimes hurts to let go.  Watching you grow has been the joy and heartbreak of my life. 

I feel like we’re entering tween years now, with extra emphasis on hair gel and cool stuff to wear. We have deep conversations and you ask the most insightful questions. You’re a tall and lanky kid, all legs. You read novel after novel and jam out to Green Day and Blink 182—your dad’s dream come true.

Your school year has been the most independent success story. I’ve barely cracked open a folder all year to check on you, and still, you completed every assignment on your own, off the charts in all the things, but especially math. You’re working a year ahead but barely blinked or thought twice about it, solving long division problems down the sides of pages that made me shudder.

So much of your 10-year-old identity is intertwined in soccer. All consuming for many of our week and weekend days, the amount of time you spend on a field is significant. You’ve grown so much as a player and are so incredibly effective at seeing the field and setting up the play. You understand the game and the strategy behind it at a truly deep level, which has brought you so much success. We’re soaring into another year of cup soccer playing at some of the highest levels. We’ve taken you to Philadelphia and Lancaster this year. I love watching you do what you love.

Figuring out what you wanted for your birthday was a conundrum in itself since you’re totally content with what you have. Soccer jerseys and soccer balls were where we landed, to the surprise of no one.

You have a few best friends that mean just about everything to you. Watching the richness that these friendships have brought to your life is something I hope you feel and have for all of the middle and high school years ahead.

You love to play football outside with your brother and dad and have won Super Bowls together countless times in our front yard together. The epitome of boyhood is calling you all in when it’s dark and you’re covered in mud, but really my heart swells because of it.

You’ve been playing drums for over a year now and have absolutely soared, playing along with your dad in the basement like you’re in a high school band. Your musical talent is one of my favorite parts about you and I think you’re pretty proud of the drum solos you can belt out too.

August is your best friend despite the inevitable fighting after any period that feels a little too peaceful. Your interests in soccer, football, video games, and TV shows you watch all really emphasize how close in age you are. When you have friends over, you all play together, and I hope that always stays that way, into adulthood and beyond.

With Maren, your patience is limited and your insistence on teaching her life lessons or your unwavering emphasis on rules in games drives her absolutely insane. You’re older, but not old enough, to exercise a little more tolerance for a 4-year-old who is as stubborn as they come.

The update in this letter that breaks my heart a little is that your little yellow stuffed animal bunnies fell to the wayside this year, no longer meticulously set up on your pillow when you go to bed every night.  They’re tossed to the side of your bed, the most tangible sign that you’re growing up.

You are the most thankful and appreciative kid and you really don’t ask for much, even when we ask (or maybe just expect) a lot from you. It’s not easy being the oldest, leading the way for a brother and a sister who look to you for just about everything. We’re surprising you with a trip to the beach with our family, but really, this one’s for your birthday. It’s been your dream to go to the ocean and I really wanted to make it happen for you on such a big day. I hope it becomes a core memory for you.

Happy, happy birthday, Oskar Henri. The words for how much I love you do not exist.

 Love always,

    Mama

Dear August,

Happy 8^th birthday. My boy full of imagination, the goofiest and silliest, the mushiest of hearts.

Nothing makes you happier than a sunny day and somebody to throw a football to you. A happy-go-lucky pacifist who plays up with Oskar or down with Maren, the glue holding our sibling set together.

Your years have progressed from an all-consuming interest in Batman, to Luigi, to Harry Potter, and now football, always with costumes or uniforms to accompany. We call them your “eras”, and when you’re in one you’re in it big. Your football knowledge has gone through the roof, with you sputtering facts about trades and strategies and players, your mornings spent reviewing film or YouTube videos of the greatest interceptions or worst fumbles. You’ve rewatched the biggest NFL come back of all time more times than I can count, always sitting on the edge of your seat for the result.

This year in school has been an exercise of figuring out how you learn best. Your little body was not meant to sit in a seat for 8 hours a day and we’ve worked in different ways at home for you to be successful. All of the credit and accolades should really go to the kids like you who have to work for it where it doesn’t always come intuitively, and I’m so proud of you for all the time we’ve spent together to make it click.

You are a friend to everybody but still have your favorite handful, and it’s so evident that you found your people when you are with them. The silliest inside jokes and made-up games that nobody else understands: this is the happiness of which 8-year-olds are made.

A lover of sports, you’re still sometimes shy to play them, especially intimidated by anybody who may be older than you. Any frustration of losing is outweighed by you playing well. You’re starting flag football for the first time now, and your ear-to-ear smile after catching a Hail Mary pass in the endzone at practice might just well make your entire season. You finished your first basketball season and by the end, had come all the way out of your shell and had celebration dances after every bucket that had the crowd rolling. You’ve also come so far in soccer, and watching the transition from clusters of kids on a field to the strategy of positioning and passing is so fun. You’re a leader on your team and love putting the ball in the back of the net (and then doing the griddy).

Possibly my favorite new hobby of yours is playing guitar and the way that your dad, Oskar, and you now play music together in the basement. Your dad’s phone is full of videos of the three of you jamming out to a song together, which is something he dreamed about when he had two little boys under two.

This year took you to Disney World, Finland, and Scotland. You loved all of it, especially meeting Pluto and walking the street that inspired Diagon Alley in Harry Potter in Edinburgh. All of our non-vacation weeks are really just spent counting down to the next one that we can go on together.

You still love a good, long sleep and usually doze off to the most obscure songs playing on your Alexa. You’ve gotten into the Goosebumps books series, always gasping at every cheesy cliffhanger, begging us to read on. Before bed every night you have me do a “daily spin”, a pretend gameshow wheel that I trigger by bopping your finger. I get a different sound effect every night depending on where the imaginary wheel lands, and truthfully, I can’t go to sleep without knowing whether I got a bark or a whoosh of wind that night.

You’re so excited to celebrate this birthday with a football party in our basement. The curated plan is to watch all of the YouTube highlights you’ve queued up over the last months with pizza and popcorn in hand with your small group of very best friends. Your gifts from us are all things sports—a jersey you’ve been wishing for, trading cards and a back-of-the-door basketball hoop. Toys are slowly falling to the wayside, the sign of a boy who’s growing up.

August, it’s impossible not to love you. You’re such a ray of sunshine, a friend to everybody, and have the biggest heart with the world's best laugh. The littlest things make you the happiest, and I hope that never changes.

Happy 8^th birthday to my forever baby boy. I love you to the moon.

Love,

Mama

 Dear Maren,

You’re four years old. Always a hard milestone for me because the baby years are fully behind us, leaving us with a long legged, braid-wearing, brazen little girl.

Your days start with your brothers with the three of you occasionally creeping downstairs without us even knowing. These were the days we dreamt about when nobody in this house was sleeping a handful of years ago, and now, somehow, we’ve arrived. You would live your whole life in pajamas if you could and getting dressed is still notably one of your least favorite parts of the day. Fiercely opinionated about what to wear, your favorite t-shirts and leggings are on repeat with piles of alternate suggestions tossed to the side every morning. Your favorite things are coloring (with such exceptional precision it’s scary), playing board games (especially Guess Who, Zingo, and Dragon’s Breath), playing outside with your neighborhood friends, climbing the front yard tree, reading books, and snuggling up to watch a movie. You never want to go to school but your days go just fine, which has been a running trend from the very beginning. You can count pretty endlessly, can write all of your letters and your first and last name, know all of your letter sounds, know about 25 sight words, and are so interested in reading and doing math like you observe nightly at the homework table. There are no words for the amount of thrilled you were when your Pre-K class issued a red homework folder that looked exactly like your brothers’. You memorize books so that you can “read” them to us—a pretty impressive skill and one of my favorite tricks of yours.  You love the Little Miss book series and if you had to choose a topic to prepare a dissertation on, it would probably be about all of the characters within them.

We’re in the challenging part of toddlerhood where you’ve fully outgrown a nap but have to take one at school, leaving us with long nights with your copious amounts of energy into the 9 and 10 o’clock hours. I’m so ready for you to move into a different classroom in the fall where we can finally leave the very unneeded rest time behind and gain some semblance of a balanced bedtime routine. I asked you why you fall asleep at school when you’re not even tired, and you sighed and said, “When they put that [lullaby] music on it’s like a tranquilizer dart”.

Your favorite food has somehow become Grape Nuts cereal but you don’t know the name of it, and we will forever laugh when you ask for a bowl of crumbs before bedtime. All of your other adventurous eating has slowly fallen to the wayside this year, in true 4-year-old fashion, also frustratingly influenced by your brothers. We are, however, kind of mind blown at the fact that you wont eat a single piece of candy or fruit snack with the exception of some Reese’s peanut butter cups, who should probably sponsor you for that.

To say you’re ahead of your time doesn’t quite do it justice. Your vocabulary, your presence, it’s all bigger than life. Just recently, you marched back into your dentist’s office, leaving me alone in the waiting room while you made your own medical decisions thank-you-very-much.

Your brothers and we love and have a reasonable fear of you. You can hold your own, resulting in some heated sibling interactions. Your brothers go between giggling at your antics to being frustrated about often having to surrender to a 4-year-old’s demands. On the flip side, I still catch you and August imagining and pretending together. His patience is the biggest and he still has just enough little boy in him to play in imaginary worlds with you. Your lingo has developed into a 9 year old’s, with you telling me that your new Paw Patrol toys are “so sick” while you sing along to Blink 182.

This year’s adventures took you to Disney World, Finland and Scotland, and except for the jet lag, you’re an amazing little traveler. You’re ready to take on the world to the surprise of no one.

You started a Little Gym class this year, your first real activity for just you after living at your brothers’ practices and games. You still say you want to be a soccer player when you grow up and number one on your Christmas list this year was “Beadling gear”, the club team that Oskar plays for. You’re starting to practice on your very own team this spring and I can’t wait to watch you play.

When I think back on this year, I’ll always remember your big blue eyes, face smudged with dirt from playing outside, braided hair windblown, and your two fingers popped in your mouth whenever you’re tired. As much as I tell you that you need to stop sucking them, your dentist reported that your teeth were perfectly fine despite the sleepy habit, which you fully understood and reported back to me as an I-told-you-so. You have a lingering scar under your eye and a fresher one on your forehead that warranted stitches but was glued shut by your doctor dad to save us a trip to the ER.

I was so excited to have a little girl, but goodness, I’m even happier to raise one with a belly full of fire. When you were born, August called you “Miss Mouse” when he first met you. Now, every time you win a game or observe something that we haven’t, you remark to yourself, “What a clever little mouse.”

You’re now turning the same age as August was when you were born, a crazy full-circle kind of moment. One thing is for sure: you were meant to be the baby of this family—someone to keep us laughing, and also just a little bit scared, every single day.

Happy 4^th birthday to our beautiful baby girl. You’ve made our family the happiest, and also kept us on our toes, for 4 whole years. We love you, we love you, we love you.

Love,

Mama

Dear Oskar,

Today you are 9. Another year older, another year of those long legs of yours getting even longer, another year of turning everything you touch to gold. It feels good to write these letters at the end of the school year, a look back into where you started and where you are now—always an unimaginable leap ahead in growth and learning. It truly feels like anything you set your mind to you excel at beyond our wildest expectations and we couldn’t be prouder of the human you're becoming.

You wake up at 6am like you always have with the routine of a CEO. We always have to laugh at your militant making of your bed, checking the weather, reading your book, and working on PowerPoint presentations, a true professional in the making before any of the rest of us make it out of bed at all. And then, true to form, you're militantly right back in bed by 8:30 every night, and not a minute later, with you starting to check the time around 7:30 to make sure the schedule stays right on track.

You love school and love to learn, so curious about life and about anything you can’t make sense of, needing to know how it works and why. We always say we need to get you a t-shirt that says, “WAIT, WHAT?”, because if you overhear a conversation or anything that doesn’t make sense to you, you pause everything around you to make sure you fully understand before the world keeps turning.

You’ve made such an amazing group of friends and you care about them all so much, always giving a hug or a high five to anyone you pass in or out of school. Many of them came to your birthday party a few days ago at a big wooden playground that you were so insistent upon. I warned that an outside birthday was always a weather risk, which you then took to Alexa and researched the weather on June 3^rd for the last 25 years.  The odds were in your favor, so we rolled with it. Watching you so happy, wild, and free with 30 boys who were there to celebrate you made my heart so happy. You found your friends to love who all love you right back, and one could argue that there’s nothing more important than that.

You turned into a soccer star this year, playing on a travel team that went undefeated. You were a leading scorer and developed such an amazing strategic understanding of the game—positioning and passing and setting up plays with your other teammates. Your talent didn’t go unnoticed, because when taken to cup tryouts, you were selected after the first night—a true testament to your talent. Above all else, I’m just so glad you found your “thing”, something to continue to work and excel at with some of your best friends and teammates along for the ride.

You also started drum lessons not too long ago. Your math-mindedness has made you a natural, and even your teacher marvels at your patience and determination to get it just right. "I've never met an eight-year-old who has this level of focus", he told me one day. Us either.

In November you had a horrible break to your upper arm at school during recess, requiring a rushed trip to Children’s Hospital, a late night 3-hour surgery, and pins to set the bone in place. Watching you in so much pain was one of the single hardest things I’ve ever had to endure. The recovery was long and slow, and even after your cast came off you still required 7 weeks of physical therapy to regain your strength and mobility. You gave up a lot of what you loved for a long time, and I’m so thankful that the whole ordeal is now finally behind us. It made for a memory we’ll never forget.

Your favorite things are pizza, Green Day, and playing outside with your forever best friend and next-door neighbor Frederick. You started putting gel in your hair every morning before school, a tangible sign of getting older. You’re working your way through the Harry Potter series with your dad and the Mysterious Benedict Society with me.  Your birthday gifts are an assortment of various things we’ve picked up along the way that reminded us of you—a big comfy pillow, a concert t-shirt, a watch (since you always need to know the time), a music stand, some of your favorite books, a Pitt banner, and a Ratatouille pin to add to your Disney pin collection—your favorite ride from your favorite trip we took this year. We’re heading out again to Finland, the Åland Islands, and Scotland in a few short weeks, adding countries 6 and 7 to your passport. Traveling the world feels like my dream coming true every time we set off on another adventure together.

You’re a role model to August, a helper with Maren, and the kind of son that everybody dreams of having. You’re a leader, naturally gifted at everything you try, but also the kindest and most empathetic person who tells me all the time how lucky he is. We are pretty unbelievably lucky, too.

Happy birthday Oskar. We love you, we love you, we love you.

Love, 

Mama

Dear August,

You're 7 years old today. Your birthdays are always so fun to celebrate because your excitement is so palpable. It builds up and bubbles over when the day finally arrives, one of your favorite days of the entire year. The morning started off with a bowl of ice cream and with the opening of a present, all before 7am--the most August beginning to the biggest day.

You’ve grown taller, taller, taller this year and your pediatrician said that you’re on track to be 6’3” as an adult if you continue your crazy growth curve that was explosively big from the very beginning. Your hair is still so blonde and your eyes the most beautiful blue-green. You’re growing in a front tooth which is so incredibly cute—the toothiest smile just right for a seven year old boy.

You tried a rolodex of activities this year, from soccer to art to wrestling to guitar to tennis. A man of many hats, trying to see which one you fall in love with. So far, soccer seems to have taken the lead and is one of your favorite things to play outside in the front yard. You’re always in costume (“uniform”) in accordance with whatever it is you’re playing, always needing to look the part. You play football with Oskar and your dad strictly in head-to-toe Pitt or Steelers gear with a helmet, even if it’s a game of catch in the front yard.

You’ve done so well in school and true to your August self you chose a few friends and love them so hard. You’re becoming such a good reader and are working your way through your first chapter book. Your imagination still knows no bounds and you live and play in far away worlds. Catching glimpses of it is my favorite thing, me trying to watch you play without bringing you back to reality if we were to accidentally lock eyes.

You love figurines of any kind—recently army soldiers and knights—which are some of the last remaining “toys” in our home. Suddenly, we’re here, with boys that are so grown up. It makes my heart physically ache sometimes, how I can flash back to you as a 6-month-old in my mind and then look at how grown up you are now.

Your personality is so goofy and scatter-brained and we love to love you for it. You ask the most obvious or oblivious questions and then laugh at yourself when you realize it. Nothing has to be perfect in your world, leading you to be brave enough to draw or create without any of the self-critique. Everyone should be as fearless as you in this way. You love to sleep in and you’re my favorite because of it. My goodness did our house need a Type B personality, and you just make everything so fun. Don't ever let the world change you, because you know better than anyone I know that life should never be so serious. 

You’re still the middle child, through and through, never the one to cause conflict and always the first to forgive. You play so nicely with Maren, though I know these days of imagining together are slowly coming to an end as you get older. Oskar is your best friend, but also the yin to your yang, two completely opposing personalities coming together to play but then also clashing, the infinite cycle that knows no end. You’re growing up even faster because of a big brother and watch the same shows, play the same sports, and have many of the same friends, such a bonus of being just 1 grade apart in school.

You love nothing more than anything squishy, 1:1 time with mama or dada, a bowl of ice cream before bed, and relaxing at home, a home body forever and ever. Your birthday gifts are a hodge podge of sports uniforms and walkie talkies for your outside adventures, running around the neighborhood on your made-up missions.

To my empath, my boy with a heart of gold, my forever baby boy. Your silliness and your lighthearted approach to life is something the entire world could learn from you and has shifted my own perspective more than I can even count.

Your sports themed party will have all of your favorite people there to love you and to celebrate you, and I know you will soak up every single minute. I can’t wait to see your face and to hear your wish—guaranteed to make me laugh, I’m sure of it.

Happy birthday August James, my beautiful baby boy. Thank you for bringing so much laugher and happiness to our lives for seven whole years.

Love,

Mama

 Dear Maren,

You’re three years old today. With each milestone we reach, all of the collective moments from the time you were born feel like they flash in front of me. What words could possibly be enough to describe you just as you are, right now? The most magical age. So full of personality and full of life. The kind of little girl that, when I was pregnant with you, I would have said, “I hope I have a daughter just like her one day”.

Your hair is long and blonde and something you’re fiercely attached to now with your new discovery and love of Disney princesses. Flashes of mischievousness or twinkles of happiness radiate from your blue eyes, and I can’t help but laugh along with you when you giggle at something you find funny. Your favorite things are playing tea-party, restaurant, building magna-tiles, reading books, and painting. You say you want to be a soccer player when you grow up, and the suggestion of a ballet class led you to calmly explain that it would make you “way too dizzy”. Your vocabulary blows anyone away, but it always has. Years ahead of your time, you’re asking me how things are spelled, point out the color "indigo", and demand to do your own homework alongside of your brothers at the end of each school day. You can count to 30, have known your alphabet for about 2 years solid, know all of your shapes and colors, and point out letters and numbers. Potty training was the easiest one day exercise of putting all the diapers away when we came home from a trip to Finland and you never had an accident and you never looked back. When you introduce yourself to anyone you spell your name out for them: “it’s  M-A-R-E-N” you say, which is impossibly adorable. You asked about the “earthquake in Ukraine”, mixing up your news stories, and jam along to Oskar’s favorite song “Renegade” by drumming out the base line. You’re braver than your brothers were and fearlessly talk to strangers, rattling off stories about school or toys or TV shows as soon as you meet them.

Your days start with the sun in a new big girl bed of which you’re incredibly proud. Still a 6am riser, but with your growing independence and your biggest brother’s exact same sleep schedule, the two of you have become two peas in a pod. Oskar and you creep your way downstairs in the mornings to wait for us to drag ourselves out of bed.  Most days you’re in school and complain about having to go but then always report that you had a good day. You play house and babies with your friends and somehow always make everyone else be the dad or the dog, demanding to be the mom in charge. You’re a strong personality with your peers, always wanting to be the boss and not always loving to share. You tell me “I’m a big strong girl”—something I hope you always feel, though it wouldn’t kill you to fork over the toys to your friends every now and then. We’re the luckiest to be in a neighborhood full of kids and being able to grow up with the little girls around you will make for the best childhood memories--running from yard to yard and playing imaginative games--the way every childhood should be. You’re still a good eater for a 3 year old and love oatmeal, mashed potatoes, salmon, carrots, and any kind of soup. You’re always willing to try something new and love to share whatever we’re eating. You love Peppa Pig and frequently tell me you’re “going on holiday” or that your pretend restaurant meals cost “6 pounds” or that you need to wear your “swimming costume” for the pool. You’re also able to rattle off Minecraft characters and know about every show your brothers watch, not to be left behind for even a second. August is on the precipice of outgrowing the things that unite you, but for now, your combined imagination and make-believe games are what I’ll look back on and remember most of all at this age. The both of you in costume or playing with your kitchen, emersed in a world far, far away, I’ll hold in my heart forever.

The last remaining trace of your baby years is the way you soothe yourself, by twirling and intertwining your fingers into my necklace while I hold you. Your two fingers on your left hand get popped into your mouth simultaneously and you’re instantly calmed—the magic my chain holds over you. You’ve demanded for your stuffed animal elephant to wear a gold necklace to bed too, an instant middle-of-the-night way to get yourself back to sleep.

This birthday is a traditionally tough one for me. Three whole years, a baby no more. It’s especially hard with our last and final; our miracle girl who completed our family. As sad as it is to have this time slip so quickly through my fingers, what an absolute joy it is to have the most brilliant and beautiful child. A healthy and vibrant girl who learns and plays and grows and is becoming a little person who continues to bring the most joy to our family. I always ask you before bed, “Do you know how much I love you?” and you tell me, “So much!”. To the moon and stars, kiddo. Happy 3^rd birthday.

Love,

Mama

My yearly favorite things list for 2022, hot off the press in February 😏. This is the stuff that REALLY sticks out thinking back on what I bought and loved last year and what I still reach for almost every day. If you're in a shopping mood, you can't go wrong with anything here. 

1. Leggings and Top: This matching set is an exact dupe for Lululemon. I'm convinced they're made by the same manufacturer and tagged differently. Buttery soft, flattering, and absolutely perfect to work out or lounge in. This is my number one for a reason.

2. Blazer: I love this blazer over a bodysuit with high waisted denim. Found a picture of my mom wearing closely the same thing in the early 90s, so how the turn tables.

3. Hair Mask: This transformed my hair over the last few months and came recommended by my fairy godfather of a hairdresser.

4. Vitamin C Capsules: I have freckles and sun spots and have noticed a serious difference with the use of this vitamin C. After lots of time researching and listening to cosmetic scientists, this product is the best you can get for a really reasonable price tag.

5. Perfume: The most addicting scent. I typically don't wear perfume, but I just can't get enough of this one.

6. Earrings: My every day go-tos, giving the illusion of a double pieced ear.

7. Lip Gloss: The best low-budget gloss that you can afford to have in all purses and middle consoles. A great nude that isn't sticky or goo-ey, but gives just the right amount of color to feel a little more put together.

8. Atomic Habits: A ground breaking book to get yourself motivated to do that thing you've been putting off for too long.

9. Clogs: So comfortable, so cute. Classics never die.

10. Hair Growth Serum: I had so much breakage of my hair around the crown of my face, and with this growth serum, I've noticed a crazy difference in just 9 weeks. The best part is that the serum doesn't make your hair oily or greasy, so I can still wash only a few times a week.

Ho ho ho! I'm almost done with Christmas shopping already and really kept it all easy and light this year. Saving for future vacations in lieu of stuff has become the name of the game in this house and I love it. This said, I did round up some of my favorite purchases from this year for myself if you're looking for some inspiration. Here we go!

One: Guys, I LIVE FOR THESE. The comfiest, coziest set of pajamas that I've ever owned, and I have higher-end pajamas as well (think LAKE). 

Two: A spendier gift but just so worth it. I finally got myself one after a promotion this year and use it all the time. Every cook should have one.

Three: My go-to favorite shoe. Easy on, easy off, and look good with anything you wear.

Four: the cutest stinking cocktail glasses. I'll be gifting these this year.

Five: The WAY I LOVE THIS PERFUME. I was influenced by Mikayla on TikTok who said that the underlying tones of mango were amazing, and the girl did not lie.

Six: the perfect red lip for winter

Seven: cutie little sherpa belt bag. I got the ivory which is sold out, but keep an eye out for restocks.

Eight: little samples of Drunk Elephant products for anyone who appreciates skin care

Nine: best quality polishes for the holidays

Ten: A hair mask that has worked wonders for my hair over the last year

Eleven: I love these earrings. The look of a double piercing with just a touch of sparkle.

Happy October, happy fall! We're all settled into our school year and sports routines and are looking forward to one of our favorite times of year. The boys have ended up "themed" for costumes since they were very little--pig and wolf, Peter Pan and Smee, Iron Man and Batman, and a plethora of Star Wars characters the last few years that I know nothing about. This year, they ended up choosing professional soccer and professional football players--synced as could be until Maren came along. NO to baseball, YES to The Little Mermaid. If you see us in ref and soccer mom outfits and uniforms with a mermaid toddling behind, #itme. 

I like to give them each a little "boo basket" mid-October with a few fun fall things tucked inside. Adding some of the finds I grabbed, below. Favorites of ours that we already have are The Witches book (an absolute must read for Halloween!), the Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza game that has become a night time ritual, and cat ears for cute sibling Halloween pictures outside in the colorful leaves. Soaking up these last few weeks of sunlight--I'll be back with Christmas updates before we know it. Until then!

1. The Witches

2. Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

3. Fake Snake

4. Cat Ears

5. Squishmallow

6. Halloween Pajamas

7. Hair Color

8. Bath Bombs

9. Halloween LEGO

We arrived in Oslo on a Wednesday afternoon, a short skip and hop over from Helsinki where we had been the previous 2+ weeks. Why all these Scandinavian, Nordic cities, you ask? Because they're so dang easy (relatively) to navigate with kids. Ours were 8, 6, and 2 this time, and we're just not up for the overwhelming Romes, Barcelonas, or Parises of the world with our trio quite yet. We took a train from the airport directly to city center and walked to our hotel from there--a quick 10 minutes if you're not dragging copious amounts of luggage behind you like Matt was. I'd highly recommend Hotell Bondeheimen for accommodation. For about $230 a night, we had the ENTIRE TOP FLOOR of the hotel, including a balcony, and some of the most delicious breakfast food included (including every kind of smoked or baked salmon under the sun) to feed our family of 5. A huge bonus in an otherwise very pricey city. The location was central and we could walk to nearly everywhere we wanted to go.

After settling in, we decided to jump on a tram to the Vigeland Sculpture Park--unique and weird, for sure, featuring 212 sculptures of naked humans that REALLY got the boys giggling and yelling "butt" and "balls" about every 5 seconds. So much for culture, but otherwise, a truly beautiful walk on the most gorgeous, sunshine filled day. Right inside the park is Frogner playground which was absolutely enormous and got out the travel day wiggles from all 3. They played, played, played, until it was time to head back and figure out dinner, which we ended up eating in Aker Brygge right on the water. The views are unbeatable, and restaurants on the water all have blankets for guests to use as the evenings on the water tend to get chillier. We finally headed back to our hotel rest up and figure out our Thursday agenda.

The next day, we set out to find Europe's best cup of coffee at Tim Wendelboe, a coffee house credited for starting the coffee craze across all of Scandinavia. We stumbled across the coolest, modern playground next to a waterfall in the middle of the city on our way, which the kids STILL say was their favorite part of the trip. On this note, playgrounds are frequent, abundant, all all so unique across the entire city. They are everywhere, making walking throughout the city with kids a breeze with a playground bribe just around every corner. Tim Wendelboe was the experience I had imagined it would be, with cold brew served in a wine glass and our initial thoughts of a take-away or to-go mug quickly squashed to death. This was an *EXPERIENCE*, with every drop meant to be savored. 

Afterwards, we grabbed a quick lunch and went to watch the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace, which happens every day at 1:30pm. The kids were way more intrigued by The Princess Ingrid Alexandra Sculpture Park, which contains sculptures by--and for--children. The sculpture park was established between 2016 and 2019 as the result of a nationwide competition among 5th and 6th graders, and you're able to see the drawn up submission as well as the sculpture that was brought to life as a result. August, our artist at heart, gulped it all up.

To cap off the day, we headed to Oslo's opera house, near the top of every tourist guide. This architectural masterpiece allows you to climb up the side of the building to the roof, where you're able to catch some beautiful 360 views of the city. The kids had a blast climbing and riding make shift slides down the outside of the opera house.  The views were stunning and a reminder of how Scandinavia does summer. It seemed like the whole city was out on the small beach that the opera overlooked, sun bathing, sailing, and paddle boarding. We finally wandered over to Operastranda for dinner where they have a big line up of food stands. The kids ate a pizza while we had the best fresh fish and chips of our lives as we sat and soaked up the sun. We ended the day with ice cream and the prettiest playground overlooking the sea (duh).

The next day was my BIRTHDAY (!!!) and we did it right. A must-do in Oslo is sailing the fjords, so sail the fjords we did. A little lesson on glaciers and how the water inlets were formed really peaked Oskar's interest, and it truly was fascinating, and SO BEAUTIFUL, to sail through them all. We were about ready to sell all of our things and to live in one of the cabins by the sea forever by the end of it until we learned their price tags. 

The next and final day we ventured by train to Frederikstad, which is truly like going back in time. The ride was just over an hour, making it manageable back and forth to Oslo in a day. The old city is just spilling over with charm, full of wooden buildings, quaint shops, playgrounds, and outdoor restaurants. We walked and shopped, played at a playground with roaming GOATS, and sipped some ice cold Ringnes on a cobble stone street. Highly recommend. After getting back to Oslo, we squeezed in a trip to the Munch museum. It's huge, and we could have spent hours there, but with 3 already tired kids we spent about just about 90 minutes. Enough to soak in some of his most famous works, including The Scream. The kids found yet another too-good-to-pass-up playground next to a Poke bowl restaurant, so that was pretty win-win and we all ended the night on a really happy note.

Overall, I think we could have used just one more day in Oslo, as I would have loved to go to the open air museum and to have done some island hopping by ferry. The city really was a perfect one with kids, and the weather showed up for us 100%. Everyone told me to enjoy my notoriously rainy time in Norway, but not a drop was to be found while we were there. This said, if you go, make sure you pack ponchos and rain gear just in case. Next on our lists: Bergen, Norway, which looks like an absolute dream. I wanted Maren to be a little bit older and out of a stroller so we can tackle the mountains and fjords without one. Until then. 

If you're planning any travel and have any other questions about the city, shoot me a message on Instagram @thelaurablog1 and I'll get back to you! Sometimes it's easiest to talk to someone who's been there, and I think we got a really good feel for everything that Oslo holds. Ha det, for now, Norway. We will definitely see you soon!