Photo from Mount Royal, Frisco, Colorado.

"That is happiness; to be disolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep." - Willa Cather

Friday 12 December 2008

New Apartment

We were able to find just two apartments for rent in Næstved (where we're going to live for the next 7 months). They were both nice, but SR liked one and I liked the other. After an exhausting battle, we went with my favorite because it was cheaper. Drumroll...

Hallway.



Picture from dining room into living room and extra living room.



The kitchen.



We didn't get a picture of the bathroom. It is enormous, but there are no lights, no shelves, and nothing to hold up a toilet paper roll. There is a bidet, however.

One of the two bedrooms.



We rented a Mercedes Sprinter to move many furniture items loaned to us by SR's parents. Moving was a bit rushed as there were no lights in the apartment. Luckily we did bring a couple of lamps along. We are soon going to get a lesson in the wiring of ceiling lights.

Here's the view. This was the first sunny day since our arrival over two weeks ago.



Chocolate celebration back at Farmor and Farfar's.



As you can see, The Bois has learned to take his own picture.

6 comments:

Abbie said...

Seriously, the Bois is so cute! I love your apartment and the view is gorgeous! I hope you're enjoying it. :)

Michelle said...

What a nice-looking place!!

The Bois -- now that is one cute kiddo!

Can't wait to see more pics of new Old Country. Especially since I will likely be stuck in California my entire life. :-)

Danni said...

Love the apartment!!!

Olga said...

Very spacious.

Lisa said...

Nice place! Lots of light, spacious, open floor plan...what more could you ask for? Those wood floors are great!

Hope you get settled in quickly!

Anonymous said...

Dear Sealegsgirl,

I found your blog on a google search for "running and pregnancy" (I am also a runner and 4 months pregnant). I eagerly read every word, and I am really inspired by your ability to remain true to yourself, your goals, and maintain such an honest and open record of your ultra-fit pregnancy in spite of the rash of unwarranted negative commentary, especially since your pregnancy was progressing normally and your healthcare providers had no concerns!

I was particularly struck by how gracefully you handled nasty comments like "you are selfish" for sticking to your pre-pregnancy fitness program, folks accusing you of having an eating disorder, expressing pity for your child, and even getting on your case for having skipped dinner one night (!). A pregnant woman is such an easy target for the projections of others. Your strength, logic, and ultimately your delivery of a healthy child speaks volumes for your strength of character (and of course, you were right all along!).

I noticed that the "concerned" folks have simply disappeared from your blog - I hope they find themselves embarrassed, in retrospect, by their rude and inane comments.

In regard to attitudes about pregnancy and weight gain, I find it interesting that my own mother (pregnant with me in the 1960s) was sternly admonished not to gain an ounce more than 20 pounds (she gained 17 - I was a smidge over 7lbs at birth). In fact, the normal advice in the 1950s and 1960s was to limit weight gain to 15-20 lbs. At that time, a pregnant woman's concern with excess weight gain would be regarded as normal. The current advice to gain 25 to 35 reflects the realization that normal weight gain exists in a continuum. Interesting that there is now debate in the medical profession that current guidelines may prove too high, especially because many women routinely start their pregnancies with excess weight.

As a first-time pregnant woman, the lesson that I take from this debate is that there is no "right" weight gain that can be applied to any pregnant woman. Assuming one is consuming a balanced diet with sufficient calories to sustain the pregnancy, and the baby is developing normally, I see no issue with trying to limit excessive weight gain. I'm doing that myself - and maintaining my normal fitness regime at somewhat lower intensity.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with concern for your own well-being, self-image, and level of fitness while pregnant. What's sad are others who feel that it is their place to deem such positive acts "selfish". Nor was your fitness regime out of the ordinary for you - you were simply continuing to run as you normally would. Not everyone can run 80 miles a week, pregnant or not. The point is that you were doing this before pregnancy, and there was no medical reason why you should stop. Your healthcare providers cleared you to run - so the outrage over your running mileage was simply a reflection of existing (outdated) prejudice.

I was actually given the "don't get your heart rate over 140 bpm" nonsense by my own physician. After I challenged her by citing multiple studies and current ACOG guidelines, she admitted to me that her practice required her to say this because of liability concerns. I told her I would follow the 2002 ACOG guidelines, but not the 1985 guidelines, and she agreed. I know my decision to continue running during my pregnancy is a sound one, and that any concern I have with excessive weight gain is not "selfish" nor does it represent any danger to my child.

Kudos to you for maintaining your blog, sitting in the hot seat amidst a maelstrom of negative remarks, and for inspiring one more fit pregnant woman to keep on running!