Come together right now... over me

He got monkey finger he shoot coca-cola

He say "I know you, you know me"

One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Come together right now over me

Once again, I have had the pleasure of helping the Swedish cover band ‘ComeTogether’ with their website, and this time I have re-designed the site and turned it into a blog here on Blogspot so that the guys easily can update it with new texts and photos. The new design incorporates sheet music for The Beatles song ‘Come together’, live pictures of the band, and a Gibson 335 guitar, which is the guitar of choice for the band’s guitarist Christer.

The first time I developed a website for the band was in 2006, and like with all websites, sooner or later it is time for a facelift. The band itself has been around for longer than that, they formed in 1989 and I have been to a couple of their gigs, so I can definitely vouch for their awesomeness.

A piece of interesting trivia about this band is that they have gone through the process of applying for the legal rights to the name ComeTogether in Sweden, so it is now a copyrighted name. Why do something like that? Only because they can. Not bad for a cover band from Stockholm!

Keep it rockin’ ol’ chaps!

By the power of Greyskull! E-Man!

Oui, oui, Paris!

Next week on Wednesday I am heading to Paris for a quick, last minute meeting in CareerBuilder's Paris office. I have never been to France, so that's going to be exciting of course, but as I am only there between Wednesday and Thursday, there probably won't be any time for touristing.

Our hotel that we are staying in is located right next to the Sorbonne University and close to the Pantheon, so maybe I can pop out and snap a few photos of those two landmarks at least. Anyway, I am not going there for the sights this time around but for business and yet another opportunity to grow in the company and take on new challenges and new opportunities, which in itself is very exciting. My company is awesome!

From Peru and Mölndal with love

Today we received another two surprise-pressies for Ethan from very different parts of the world! The first one was a postcard card sent all the way from Peru by our friend Erika and her boyfriend Thomas who are backpacking around South America for 9 months! Very sweet of them to remember us!

The other surprise came from our old crazy Dublin-mate Nathalie who had written a postcard to Ethan (with a promise to teach him the ‘Axl Rose dance’ as soon as he can physically stand on his own two legs!) and she had also bought him a pair of really cute ant-pants! Take my word for it; no one can knee-slide across a floor and do the 'Axl-dance' like Nathalie!

We really do have awesome friends! Thanks a million guys!

How did the appointment go?

Ethan was the bravest little trooper today and his appointment went really well. The whole thing was over and done with in a matter of minutes, and he cried a little bit of course but that is expected. Ethan is sleeping now, after a bottle of formula and some baby paracetamol. He has been a bit cranky throughout the night, which is also to be expected. Fingers crossed he'll get a good nights sleep!

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down...

Ethan is due for his first immunisation shots tomorrrow, and we hear from people that it'll probably be quite tiring afterwards as Ethan will be feeling rough and will most likely be cranky. Definitely good for him to get all the shots he can, but we are preparing for a long day.

Good thing we can always take comfort in the immortal words of Mary Poppins:

In ev'ry job that must be done
There is an element of fun
You find the fun and snap!
The job's a game

And ev'ry task you undertake
Becomes a piece of cake
A lark! A spree! It's very clear to see that

A Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
The medicine go down-wown
The medicine go down
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
In a most delightful way

Ethan's recommended immunisation schedule (according to www.babycentre.co.uk, brilliant website by the way!):

August 2009 - 2 months old
DTaP/IPV/Hib One injection to protect against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV One injection to protect against pneumococcal infection

September 2009 - 3 months old
DTaP/IPV/Hib One injection to protect against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) MenC One injection to protect against meningitis C (meningococcal group C)

October 2009 - 4 months old
DTaP/IPV/Hib One injection to protect against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) MenC One injection to protect against meningitis C (meningococcal group C) Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV One injection to protect against pneumococcal infection

Laughter is what makes a marriage last!

I came across this quote today from Eric Bana and I really think he hit the nail on the head!

There's really one ingredient for keeping relationships running smoothly: good, old-fashioned belly laughs.

"My wife and I really, really like each other as well as love each other. We definitely laugh together every day. And I don't mean chuckle – I can make her really laugh."

"A girl's got to be fun," he insists. "It's the one bit of advice I always give to friends of mine who are thinking of getting married."

On the serious matter of choosing a partner, "I think love can come fairly easily and grow – but really liking the core essence of someone is a much harder thing to bottle. If you have both, you're in pretty good shape," he says, while also noting that women "are so much better wired than men to deal with multiple things at once. They're better at dealing with background noise and multitasking."

Peter can really make me laugh and I him and we are both grateful for that!

Love you honey bunny!!

Girls night out - Boys night in

Whoa, did that week just fly by or what?! We have had a really good week, Ethan has been the nicest of nice little boys and I think we are getting into a good routine with sleeping, eating and so on. Ethan is strapped in the Baby Björn right now as I am typing. Let me tell you, that contraption is awesome! He loves sitting in it, can sleep like a log in it, it’s great for walks when you don’t want to bring the whole stroller, AND you can type with two hands!

Mommy is out with the girls tonight so just me and Ethan home at tonight. Jen is having her 3rd(!) hen’s party tonight. Most people only have one hen’s party, but Jen seems to think that you are supposed to have a series of parties, equivalent to the expected number of lives of an average housecat. I am sure they are going to have a great time though!

Oh, and it is almost needless to say by now, but Ethan got spoilt again today. This time he got a pressie from Orlaith and Tara’s mom from Ireland! Marie got him a funny t-shirt with “My mummy is a desperate housewife” printed on it. Very cute, thank you very much Marie!

”This is me on a red blanket…”

“…and this is me Googling the Sweden-Canada ice hockey results”

Summer-bonanza is over, gearing up for the fall!

Grandma Michelle left this morning after 9 weeks in Edinburgh. She left with a whole lot of new impressions after everything that has been going on over the last couple of months, everything from moving in to her own flat here in the city, pre-baby preparations, the actual delivery of little Ethan, family arriving, people meeting for the first time, new friends, old friends, baby sitting, family leaving again, pubs, clubs, shopping… you name it, we probably did it.

There are no words to describe everything Michelle has done for us this summer, and hopefully she left for home with a bag full of memories. Once again: Thank you Michelle, and hope you enjoyed your stay!

Now it is time for our little family unit to look ahead, and for those of you who know us well, we stop for nothing. We already have a very exciting fall in front of us, and in the last couple of days it has become clear to us that we’ll probably clock a fair few airmiles this fall and winter if everything goes as planned. The research-hat is on, and we are in full swing with figuring things out, but the key to traveling, as you all know, is a passport so will have to make sure Ethan gets one as soon as possible. We’ll keep ya’ll updated of course.

Ethan photographed by Martijn

It’s the weekend!

I don’t know about you but we are having a wonderful, relaxed weekend so far. Last night we went out for a couple of drinks, as it was Cecilia and Iraklis’ leaving drinks. Those two have been very strong members of my team at work ever since they started with CareerBuilder, and I am sad to see them go. Last night was fun though, good turnout and good banter!

This morning Shaena got up and baked banana bread for us… with chocolate chip and raspberries! Divine! Other than that, we haven’t done all that much today. We were talking about going to St Andrews for lunch, but the Scottish weather vetoed that initiative, so we stayed at home and went out for a walk this afternoon instead. Shaena, Ethan and I walked over to Princes Street garden for ice cream and a bottle of formula.

Tonight we had Burritos on the menu, and as that has traditionally been my dish to make (and because I traded the changing of a dirty nappy for running out to the grocery store to get supplies and cook) I ended up on kitchen duty. Jen came by impromptu and dined with us, and after dinner, Godmother Orlaith joined us as well, as the ladies had plans to head over to the good ol‘ ‘Karaoke with Karen’ at The Grosvenor. Videos will follow for sure!

Ethan and I are staying in; we have decided to do a boys-night, so we’ll probably just chill out, rent a couple of Van Damme-movies and order pizza, like guys do. :)

Oh, and big news! Ethan is now big enough to start wearing some of his super-stylish outfits, so expect more snazy pictures of our little man in the near future. Here are a few recent photos from us to you:

Smiles all around

I have the cutest smile on the face of the earth!
Can't wait to show them my laugh!!

An apple a day...

Ethan here! Had my 6 week check up today and I am a healthy boy! Weighed in at 10 pounds and 11 oz and grew 3 centimeters so now I am 55 cm long!! The doctor thought I was cute (which I am) and loved my smile!! Now its time to get my passport and start showing the world my insatiable looks and charm! Here is something interesting that Mommy found on the internet for applying for my Canadian passport and citizenship:

I had a baby in the UK, and basically this was what I did. I had to send my Canadian birth certificate, and apply for a citizenship card for her AND a passport. So, the Canadian High Commission granted her a temporary passport that was valid for one year so that she could travel, and then when I received her citizenship card, then I had to send that and her passport to the Canadian High Commission and they extended her passport for the full three years.

The baby must have their OWN passport, Canada doesn't do children as entries in parent's passports anymore.

As well, for the record, neither does the UK.

If one of you is Canadian, then you can get Canadian citizenship for your baby based on this (you will need your birth cert, AND the baby's LONG form birth cert). The passport takes about 3 weeks to process.

Do you know someone to be a guarantor (must have known them for at least two years in the UK - doctor, dentist etc)? If not, you will need to get a statutory declaration in lieu of guarantor form that you take to a commissioner of oaths and you swear to them for your baby's passport photos. (I had to do this!)

As well, the Canadian passport photos are VERY strict and if you have not done it to the millimeter, they will send the whole thing back!

The places that do the photos, may be hard to find, as there was a recall on the cameras thathad the setting for the Canadian passport photos (too much lead). Basically you can't take your baby to a photo booth.

I submitted my papers for her citizenship in December and had her card back in February, BUT that being said, they do say it can take up to 9 months, hence the temporary passport. Again, that only takes a few days to get that done once you have your documents in place.

So when you apply for the card, make sure to specify to the Canadian High Commission EVERYTHING About your situation, such as that you are relocating to Canada and ask them what they suggest doing. They are really good there. They are reachable by email, and you can ask someone to call you about it because getting through to them on the phone is a nightmare. going in person is best, but since you are in Scotland.it's a bit of a journey!

Your documents for the Canadian citizenship card will go to Sydney Nova Scotia and then be processed there and sent back to you. It only took 2-3 months from when I sent it off, but they do say it can take 9 months as I said earlier.

Each situation is different, and yours is a different situation to mine (we are staying here not going back to Canada *frown*) and so to be honest, it is best if you contact them and ask
them everything. Keep in mind that policies and practices do change and they may say you need another passport for him/her as they might not do extensions anymore. They don't change surnames anymore, you need a whole new passport if you change your surname since your passport was issued.

So again, I can't stress highly enough to speak to them in London about it. I did this 2 years ago, and in 6 months their policies changed about surnames in passports. They know what the current rules are and what the current forms are. They can also recommend someone to do the photographs too. They recommended someone in London, but they might have some choices of approved photographers in your area or at least closer to you than London. They will give you the paper with the measurements and you can take that to a passport photographer and they can cut your photos to size.

Good luck, and congrats on the upcoming arrival

Ethan Noel Harrison-Helin Dr.

No pressure eh!

Things could be worse… like, way worse!

The morning started off great! I slept a little bit longer (not intentionally) and magically and mysteriously the oodles of garbage bags we had collected after our closet clean-out this weekend, and left out in the hallway to take out on the street this morning, were already gone! Thanks neighbor!

Today was one of those wonderfully productive days at work where I felt that I/we made real progress and got a bunch of things accomplished. I also booked my next trip to the US, so in September I will be in Atlanta for a few days. Will be very interesting for sure, but I am going to miss my little family like crazy.

Shaena, Ethan and grandma had a really good day at home as well and grandma really rolled up her sleeves today and cleaned, organized, cleaned some more, did all our laundry and even cooked dinner for us! And it didn't stop there. After dinner, she did all the cleaning up and made food for Ethan, and Shaena and I were not allowed to lift a finger. How awesome is that!?

The search for 'Scotland's Next Chamber Maid' is over! Michelle, you are hired! Funny enough, Grandpa Keith has already offered his services as Ethan's nanny, so soon enough we will be fully staffed.