Freja and the family

Yesterday my parents came by for dinner and we had ‘roast something or other’. Pork with gravy, the sort of thing my Dad likes. Pip was a bit shy of my parents at first since she has reached that age where her memory of people doesn’t quite serve to remind her who is who. Its odd, but she remembers, or seems to remember some people, more than others. For example, she apparently has no problem remembering Malene whom she only sees once every fourteen days or so. Apart from Mette, and myself I think the people she sees the most often are my gaming friends who are here three Thursday in every four. Of these she seems to like Oleg the best, though she is most curious about André and Peter who she watches with wide eyes, no doubt trying to decide if they are children like her, or adults like the others.
(I should explain that André and Peter are Oleg’s two sons. They stay here, usually watching TV, drawing or playing on my computer whilst we all play our boring old-fashioned games.)

My Dad is besotted with his grand daughter and it’s a joy to see him so at ease around her. Sometimes he starts acting like a kid himself and I wonder how it must be to reach the age where one looks back over two generations. Freja has already awoken many of my own memories and long dormant thoughts and I have no doubt that deep inside his heart, his memories are equally stirred. I’m not sure about my Mother though. Her relationship with Pipski is more distant, less proud and more practical. She usually waits until my father’s initial enthusiasm has waned before she plays with her grand daughter and I think her own maternal experiences must surely lend her a more complex relationship to Freja and what Freja means to her. Or maybe I just think too much? I’m just happy that we can all share in the pleasure it is to behold the birth of a new generation.

My Mother brought news from my relations in England (and also America) and it seems that on the whole, things are well in the Cooke family though my thoughts turn to my cousin Louisa and her son who was born last November. I hope things go well for them.

Freja had a fairly good day yesterday… that is, when she wasn’t banging her head on the floor. Greater mobility has meant a slimmer waistline and a mass of bruises and bumps. She is wild about her little pink cart and will insist on climbing onto it whenever I am not paying attention. Thrice today she fell off it, twice jack-knifing to land on her side and once keeling over backwards to bang her head on the floor. I can report that a bit of love and some cuddles soon saw her to rights again and back to her capers!

Here we are watching a popular Swedish children’s programme called ‘Emil fra Lønneberg’

I går kom min forældre og vi fik flæskesteg (som Mette lavede for min far). Som en nye ting var Pipsen var lidt genert da hun så min forældre men hun kom hurtigt i godt humør og charmede med sin ’snorte ansigt’. Hun har nåede den alder hvor hun er begyndte at blev lidt forsigtig med nye ansigter, men ikke med alle. Malene for eksemple er hun altid glad for at se.
Ud over Mette og mig selv ser hun nok min spiller venner mere end nogen anden. De er her tre gang om måneden og hun er ret vant til dem. Hun kan bedst lide Oleg, men er meget nysgerrigt over for André og Peter (Olegs børn).

Min far er meget begystret for hans barne-barn (Hvordan siger man det?) Nogen gang bliver han helt pjattede og jeg tænker at det må være en mærkeligt ting at kigge tilbage over to generationer. Det er så mange forskel, men også så mange ligheder at det må væke ret mange minde og tanker om sig selv og livets gang. Freja har vækket mange sjøv, og nogen gang ikke så sjovt, tanker og følser i mig at jeg er ikke i tvivl at det må også være sådan for min far. Min mor er ikke det samme. Hendes forhold til Freja er mere virker mere fjernt og tilbage holdent, mere praktiske og mindre ’stolt’. Hun plejer at vent med at snakke og lej med Freja indtil min far’s entusiasme er kølet lidt af (nok fordi det kan være svært at kom til ellers). Ligesom min far tror jeg at Freja’s tilkomst i verden har betydet meget for hende, men jeg tror hendes egen moderlig oplevelser har givet hende en mere indviklet forhold til Freja end min far. Måske tænker jeg for meget om det (og det er ikke fordi jeg er så fandens god til at forklar hvad jeg snakker om) men jeg er bar glad for at vi kan alle deles om den glæde det er at se starten på en ny generation.
Min mor hevde jo også nyheder from England og Amerika med (min kusine er flyttet til USA og bleven gift. De fik en søn sidst November)

Freja havde en god dag I går, selv om hun slået sig selv flere gang. Hun er så glade for hendes lille lyserød vogn men hun er så frygtløs at hun klatrer oven på den hele tiden og tre gang faldt hun i går og en gang var hun ned og slå hovedet i gulvet. SÅ skreg hun, men med lidt kærlighed og en del nys var hun hurtigt på ben igen og tilbage til at lave ballad.
Mette siger hun tror Freja kan gå før hendes første års fødselsdag og det ser ihvert fald såden ud!





Its now 3 am and I've been listening to 'Passion' by Peter Gabriel as I wrote this post. Now I really need to get some sleep!