Los Otros

So today we were so lucky to have Manu with us as he didn´t have to go to a rehearsal (his friend´s violin broke!!and they have a concert next Thursday!!!), and we went shopping for Eyrún (yippie!!) at a great toy store called Dideco! Naturally we all wanted one of everything, and that was only in the toy store. Their book store was also incredible and there we could have easily bought 2 of everything (one for Eyrún and one for Eyrún´s amma!). Oh well....one great item we bought can be seen in the top left photo....a square blanket with a crossover thingie and lots of places to hang stuff. And of course all in black, white and red. Eyrún was very intensely interested (every photo had blurry feet!) and we even took a little 3 minute movie, which was also the limit for her first time under it. And the other photos are all taken these last 2-3 days and now there´s even one of me too, to prove that yes I have been here! And so back to Iceland(it´s a nice land) and to my boys back home. Bless í bili, og buenos noches mis amigos!
Ammag

Ah the joys of parenthood....the two top photos say it all.
But when mz.Eyrún is at her best, then she "talks" and squeals, and even sings with Manu playing the piano (as in the picture just above this text). And in between she contemplates the world around her. Note the lovely purple blanket that she is "modeling" for her GreatAuntieFreyja. ¿Aren`t I cute?

And yes we are back on line after 6 silly days of no internet nor house phone!.....and all because 3 of those days were spent not knowing that one little "door" for a particular phone plug (that they had them use while the phone company was checking the line into the apt.) had to be shut in order for it all to work! Anyway, a guy came today to fix it, and all he did was close that little door and tada it worked (he said this happens all the time). Pretty silly. Good thing Eyrún is such good entertainment! Otherwise we would have been at wit`s end, Úlla and I (Manu is always working, so he doesn`t "need" internet, except to buy train tickets......). Ok, one more day left, and we`re going to go toy and book shopping, all for Eyrún of course! And then I go back to Iceland to winter(¿) instead of spring/summer weather here(up tp 24 celcius today!). And then in 3 weeks Mundi will be back to record some more of Eyrún´s "trials and tribulations". Blessíbili.
Amma-g

Notice that Eyrún already knows how to train a cat....and like all good trainees she uses a cat-dummy to practice her cat kung fu. (Sorry, the photos were supposed to be one after another....but, oh well.) And then later you look at people, tell them your great feats of cat conquering, and then laugh like crazy! And then there is bathtime, a now favorite time of day (as opposed to her earlier days when she raised hell and even pooped in the water in protest!).

And so she's getting used to that new person and voice in the house and even allows herself to be held by her now and then. After all it's only been one day! Now, with her mother she loves to "talk" a lot, on and off all day, and she has a whole repetoire of sounds and face movements. Her mother thinks that Eyrún has already "figured out" that happy screeches and smiles and questioning chortles gets her a lot more attention than plain ole crying......unless one is hungry of course. And so, more later....this day feels like a week. Or rather it's almost as if I never left?;p

ammag

Love

For some reason I have been thinking about love lately, the concept as well as the word and the many meanings it has. If one says “ I love you” to someone, it can mean that one is in love with that person or it can mean that one only loves one thing about the person, like the way that she/he sings or dances or whatever. And sometime it is even more “flippant”; “love you” sometimes just means good bye, or the equivalent of. But mostly love means the deep affection that one has towards your spouse, child, parent, sibling, friend, even animals. This is a little different in Icelandic. The word for love is “ást” but “elska” can also be used as a noun (“elskan mín”, even Þóra knows that word from her mother) as well as a verb. “Ég elska þig” is usually emotional and will almost always mean that one feels a deep, intense feeling, stronger than affection, not something you would say every day or use in everyday situations. It is true however that one would sometimes say this about inanimate things like food e.g, but not often about people unless there are some true emotions involved.
“Falling in love” is another concept. Now that just means one thing. Almost. “Ástfanginn” (captured by love) is the word in Icelandic and either one is (“er”) or is becoming (“að verða”) ástfanginn.
I do not think that I will try and define what love is (except as a many splendor thing), but it is many things. And there are many levels and facets, I guess. And definitions vary, even one´s own depending on the situation. The love that one feels early on in a relationship is probably not the same that one has or feels later. To begin with there are important things that have a lot to do with looks, voice, walk, posture, smell, and many other such things. It takes some time to get past these first impressions, and then gradually one gets to know the (more important thing of) personality, morals, ethics, etc., the real person behind the impressions. And it takes years. And of course one never truly knows everything.., but that´s another story.
And that takes me to my next point which is, that I think that one can and does fall in love many times over with the same person. Today there is one reason and tomorrow there is another. Or no reason at all. Always something new. I know I´m like that. I´m constantly falling in love with Gerður.
Love for people that are no longer with us is real and can be strong, even get stronger as time goes by. Mamma died almost 15 years ago, and I feel like my love is, maybe not stronger, but wider, more encompassing, omnifarious, omnipresent.., can´t really describe it but something powerful.
And there is the love for an unborn child. Of course it is different, it is an idea to begin with, but oh so strong. And then the newborn child. Overwhelming emotions when they are your own. Maybe the strongest emotions I have experienced.
I wondered how it would feel like to become a grandfather. It did not surprise me that it didn´t really feel like anything. It wasn´t about me. What I mean by that is that I didn´t feel lika an “afi”, I just felt love. And happiness. Happy that all went well, everyone was healthy and mostly happy that everyone else was happy, and in love with a new baby with all its present and future wonders. And yes, I love Eyrún, this beautiful, amazing baby, and I hope she will love me too!
OK, so you think this was sappy? You should meet the real me!
LOVE you guys!