Denmark - Here We Come

We are moving to Denmark at the end of the month, which is - ohhhh - just around the corner. Ultimately, we want to be in Copenhagen, but it looks like we will have to be patient and let that happen in a few steps/moves. We found a fantastic apartment in Copenhagen (Nørrebro), but as it turns out, there are a few conditions attached to Keith's DK visa. One is that you cannot live in a sublet. Unless you are ready to buy, it is practically impossible to find an apartment in Copenhagen, which is NOT a sublet (unless you have been on one of the apartment 'lists' for 10 years). Besides, the couple subletting the apartment wanted us to buy many of their furniture before we could take a look at the lease, so we bailed. Instead we are headed to Odense for the time being. The important thing for us right now, is to get to Denmark and be in a situation, where we meet the requirements on Keith's visa, - one less thing to stress out about. Everything else we can work towards as we go. We are very excited to go to Denmark and it will be nice to be (back for me) in Odense while we settle, learn danish, find jobs and otherwise get situated. Mormor & Morfar and Torben & Anette have been on the look out for an apartment in the center of Odense. Even-though it was a true battle competing with all the freshman university students for a place to live, they/we were in luck. We are renting a nice 3 bedroom (that is 2 bedroom for you Americans) apartment about 10-15 minutes walk behind the train station. We will only just make it to Denmark for Maya's 1st year birthday. We are flying out on September 30 and arriving in Copenhagen on October 1st.

Here in Charleston, we are in a state of moderate stress. We had two garage/moving sales, in the effort of getting rid of our furniture and all the stuff not worth shipping. Shipping is ridiculously expensive, so we have spent the last 3 weeks or more examining every thing we own to figure out whether it is worth the trip across the atlantic. We were lucky that grandma and grandpa Lopez had time to help out on those days, - it gets a little tricky with a baby as I'm sure you can imagine. The Lopez's also brought over a ton of their garage sale items, and there was quite a bunch of happy shoppers the first time around... Not so much the second time around, but we still sold enough to make it worth while. Packing is an entirely different issue. We are all going a little nutty here. We are so exhausted and just want it to end. On the first picture you can see we have been packing up shop, in the meantime we have packed a whole lot more, but we are still not quite there yet. Keith and granpa Lopez built many more crates for a hopeful safe journey of our artwork. The drag about all this packing is that everything has to be itemized and valued in $$. Maya is of course sensing something is up - maybe it was when we sold her crib (fortunately, there was no drama adapting to the porta-crib) or as her toys slowly disappear one by one. She is a tough little cookie though, and even though she might be a little more attached to the hip than usual, she keeps her smile on and continues investigating. It has been a little tricky getting all the packing done, especially because Maya shouts/barks/hmm whatever at you when you use tape. Odd how everything else can be fine, but the sound of the tape leaving that tape-roll makes her extremely upset. So we save that for nap-time and when she has gone to bed. We sold our TV so we might as well continue packing all night. If you are sensing a little - self pity - well you are spot on!

Hvad Siger løven?

Just another quick one. When Mormor was here, she taught Maya to say like a lion. When you ask 'hvad siger løven'? (what does the lion say) - she goes 'GRRRRR' - hilarious, right?

Head banging and Bath time!

We are packing like crazy. we were supposed to be all finished last Monday, but well that didn't happen. Maya is being very helpful - unpacking whatever we pack. I promise, we'll do a blog update about everything that is happening with the Alstrup-Lopez family very very soon.

20x200

A little while ago I did a double edition with Jen Bekman gallery and her 20x200 project. For this I had to take a photo of myself for the 'artist page' http://www.20x200.com/artists/dorthe-alstrup.html Once Maya woke up, we snapped one with her in it too.
I know - a little cheesy, but hey also so smiley.

More of that bonding!

Having fun at the beach

We managed to get to the beach twice while Mormor was here. Ahh the humid heat is much more manageable by the sea or preferable in the water. Maya gets a kick out of exploring. She is cruising around the furniture but isn't walking by herself yet, but see how she checks the other baby out on the last photo.

Bunny Ears!

Angel Oak

We are so far behind here, so there won't be much writing just now. Have you heard? - We are moving to Denmark at the end of the month, and it is all going very quick. Mormor came to visit again at the beginning of August, and here's some of the photos from when she was here.

Rocking out to Johnny Cash and Enjoying some Blackberries

The title says it all. Happy days here in the South.

In Search of a Little Breeze

Would it be so wrong to assume the day to be a little cooler on the bridge compared to our low country neighborhood? - I took Maya on a long walk on the bridge in the hope that there would be somewhat of a breeze higher up. Well, not so! - it was just as hot and of course the humidity remained the same. I guess this could explain my bright red face (not sunburn, just hot) on the picture of Maya and myself. We made it almost all the way across and back again, and I must say that was too long a walk for both of us. Luckily we could swing by the store for some cut up cantaloupe, which seems to be Maya's favorite these days. The sunglasses are just for show. It takes about three seconds before they are off her head and in her mouth instead.

Sea Squirts

First when you take Maya into the water she wraps her body a little tighter around your waist. She gets used to the water pretty quickly though, and then she becomes very hard to keep a hold off - bit of a juggle really. Not easy keeping her from licking up the pool water either. Last month we took Maya to swim lessons, but unfortunately we ended up not completing the session. The water was just too cold, the little one was clacking her 6 teeth, so we decided we were better off just going to the beach. Besides there wasn't really any babies there, it was mostly older kids. Well there were a few babies in the beginning, but I think they bailed like we eventually did. No point in being inside and cold when outside is so lovely (at the beach that is). Yeah - not lovely outside unless you are very close to water - in the water. Yesterday is was 100F (38C) and humidity very high. Never thought I would be an A/C person, but so relieving to be sitting under the cool air vent.

A Little Melon Goes a Long Way

Maya had her 9 month check-up the other day and she is healthy as can be. She now has two teeth at the bottom of her mouth and four at the top. Those little baby teeth are razor sharp and there have been a few yelps when one of our fingers have gotten in between. She is crawling and pulling herself up everywhere. Unfortunately most of our furniture is pretty low so nothing is sacred from her busy hands. We are starting to run out of 'out of reach' places to put our 'not so baby friendly' stuff.

Well Adjusted!

Maya got this 'Well Adjusted' t-shirt from our chiropractor Dr. Delson - well, she wears it with pride. It's probably true for every baby as it is for Maya - that the cupboard full of tupperware is far more interesting than the carefully selected, vivid colored, full of patterned toys that are her very own to chew, drool on and bang as much as her little heart desires. Same goes for her lack of interest in chewing on the gel filled plastic teething rings chilled in the fridge before handed over to the little princess. No thanks, she would rather outdo herself in cramming the remote control in her mouth or giving the brush a little taster. Anyway these pictures give you the run down. In the last picture Maya is in deep concentration.

The Grass is Always Greener....

The grass is always greener outside of the pool - well you know what I mean. When we are outside by the mini-pool (unfortunately we lost our big pool privileges), Maya wants to get in the pool. Then when she gets in the pool, she wants go get out of the pool - and so the next 1/2 hour - 1 hour goes. It seems to be the baby way - always onwards to new and more exciting discoveries. From the get-go Maya has been a little strange with many things coming her way. We give her a pacifier and she will take great delight in gnawing on the plastic surrounding the pacifier. If you give her a toy to chew on, she is guaranteed to chew on the handle and not on the 'good to chew' areas. Well, whatever works, right!

A Perfect Rainbow

I have never experienced so much lightening, thunder and stormy weather as what we have experienced here in South Carolina. Nothing scary though - and from what I can understand - nothing in comparison to what you would come up against in Kentucky or some other flat and dry place. Well, it had been stormy all day and Keith had just left for a late afternoon shift. He calls me from the road and asks if I had ever seen a perfect half-circle rainbow. What a pretty sight. Unfortunately, I couldn't get back far enough to photograph the whole thing (trees were in the way), but there you go. Our friend Laura sent these homemade beanbags for Maya spelling - Maya Kirstine. Maya isn't quite at the stage where you can get her to spell out her name, but until she gets to that stage, she loves throwing and bashing them about.

Enough is enough!

These photos are from Maya's 7 month photo shoot out in the yard. It is pretty obvious to everyone when she has had enough. - Did we ever tell you that she has some good lungs on her. We haven't heard any comments from the neighboors.... yet!