Week 1 = Success

We are already one week into our visit to Minnesota. Jet lag is behind us, and the unbearable heat and humidity is upon us. So we're off to a good start!

At the airport in MN - we made it!!

We are each experiencing this trip to Minnesota very differently. For Ebba, it's her first time in the US and she's enjoying lots of new experiences and new people. She thrives under the extra attention and seems to have grown tremendously in just a week. She hates her car seat but it's a fact of life here, so she's going to have to learn to live with it. We started solids here and she has eaten apples, asparagus, green beans, chicken, banana, sweet potatoes, and carrots. She loves it! Well, if not the taste, then the process.

For Simon, Minnesota is the place where Mormor and Grandpa live. I can see how much he loves getting attention all for himself, not having to share an adult with his little sister all the time. I can't blame I'm. And you wouldn't guess that he doesn't see his grandparents very often because he is soooo happy with them.

The last time Simon was here he was 2, so it's likely he doesn't really remember much. So this trip is making a big impression, and it's fun (and funny) to watch what he experiences here. For example, when he woke up the first morning he couldn't get out of him room and began knocking loudly and calling for Mormor. We don't have door knobs, we have levers so this whole door mechanism is entirely new to him.

After his visit to the toilet Simon informed me that there was no way to flush the toilet. The levers found on most US toilets are different from the large buttons on most European toilets.

And when we passed my old college (Go Mac!!), he asked me the greatest question. "Mama, was your school in English or Dutch?" I replied that my school was in English. In a rather begrudging tone, he responded, "Oh, at my school they only speak Dutch." That was not the last I heard of it that day. I think he continues to mull over the fact that there are schools in English.

And for me? Well it feels good to be home. The bacon and the donuts are as good as I remembered them.

Somehow I haven't had Mexican food yet, but I hope to remedy that soon. I was extremely disappointed while grocery shopping at Whole Foods to suddenly realize that a pound is about half of a kilo. Doh! I have done a bit of shopping, something I almost never do in Amsterdam. The abundance of crap available at incredible clearance is overwhelming. But I bought a pair of Nike running shoes for $6.80. Gotta love America!

And with grandparents around I feel a great sense of relief. That extra set of hands has been amazingly helpful. As I write this, Simon and Mormor are at a play at the Children's Theater while Ebba naps. We have been to Minnehaha Falls, the Arboretum, and the Como Zoo.

At Minnehaha Falls

Week 1 = Success

 

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