Saturday, November 08, 2008

Hello Grandson!

Last weekend I met my grandson for the first time. When we arrived, big sister was proud to show us "her baby" and pointed to where he was sleeping in his pram after having been for a walk earlier. He was just starting to wake up, so we simply followed the sound. It felt very special to be able to pick him up and comfort him the very first time I saw him. Him seemed happy to see me, because he stopped crying. That was one of those magic moments to remember.

It took some digging and rooting around in the pram to pick him up, since he was well wrapped up deep down there, as you can see in this picture out in the garden. He usually slept outside in the fresh air during the day, very healthy!

IMG_6768

Indoors he sometimes sat in his baby sitter, i.e. if he was not being fed by mother or carried around over somebody's shoulder, which he liked the best. Big sister was very sisterly, and you could see that there was this natural bond between them. He was fascinated by her and there seemed to be some silent communication between them, the kind of which you often find between children without words, or indeed foreign words.

IMG_6808 fxd

When Amanda was not busy with her little brother, she played with LEGO or her Pippi Longstocking jig-saw puzzle.

IMG_6774 IMG_6731

We were often outdoors; the adults could stretch their legs and tire out the children so we all slept well. Amanda was on her little pink (!) bike (see previous post) and I happily did my duty, pushing the pram everywhere we went, you know, the sort of thing a granddad does.

IMG_6736 fxd IMG_6748

As you can see from the pictures, autumn is in an advanced state and winter is approaching fast, which means that the winter tyres have to come on, one of those dreaded annual tasks. In Sweden most people use the kind of winter tyres that have metal studs in them to get a good grip on ice. My son was very deft at it, did it methodically and even had white plastic bags to keep the stored tyres in. How's that for clean and tidy? He is my son after all!

IMG_6803

My best memory is when little Hampus was fed, dry and comfortable, and he looked at me with a smile and made some guttural sounds that I am sure was his way of taking part in the conversation. Bliss!

IMG_6781 fxd

6 comments:

Eric Valentine said...

Very nice pictures Swen, cute kids aren't they, but then most kids are at that age.. :)

Nice narration of your trip as always, than you for sharing my friend.. :)

Rositta said...

Congratulations, they are both adorable kids, enjoy your visit...ciao

swenglishexpat said...

Eric and Rositta - Thanks, it is easier to enjoy them since I have no real responsibility for them, only what I volunteer for. Great arrangement! ;-)

christina said...

Aww, he's beautiful. Congratulations on the new addition to the family.

swenglishexpat said...

Christina - thank you very much!

Diane Mandy said...

He looks a little like you! DOn't you think?