On the 11th of November Helen and I will get married.
It will just be a two-minute procedure, signing a document at the home office here in Durban.
We will celebrate in the evening with a small dinner in RJ's, with Helens immediate family.
We decided to not have the big celebration that we originally planned for early February next year, since that was mostly intended to be our family union ceremony celebrating the birth of Balthazar, and without Balthazar that would just be a sad day.
Monday 20 October 2008
Memorial ceremony
Last Saturday we had a small memorial ceremony, just here in our home with some of Helens relatives.
We played some music and said some words and there was a lot of tears.
But it was a sort of closure anyway, and things are a bit lighter now.
Helens parents went home yesterday, they have been here for a week and have been a tremendous support.
Today is Monday, and both me and Helen have started working today, we both think it is better if we can get into some routine again.
We played some music and said some words and there was a lot of tears.
But it was a sort of closure anyway, and things are a bit lighter now.
Helens parents went home yesterday, they have been here for a week and have been a tremendous support.
Today is Monday, and both me and Helen have started working today, we both think it is better if we can get into some routine again.
Tuesday 14 October 2008
Sad news
The morning of Saturday 11 October I was sitting in a Starbucks in London, I couldn't get an internet-connection, but I wrote the below blog-post and thought I'd post it later.
--Start of post--------------------------------
This week I have been in London, to meet with my colleagues in getmein.com. I have also met up with some old friends, had some nights in pubs and walked around a bit in my old neighbourhood. Last night I met with a lot of me ex-colleagues from OTC/lastminute.com, and that was great, so many nice people and so many memories, stories and laughs. My head was a bit sore this morning :) I missed a few people there though, where were you, Tim, Colin, Rob, James, Shan, Alan?
It's only been three months since I left London, so many things have changed, and even though my life was great before it is simply even better now :) I am a very happy person :) I knew that before, but it became so much more clear last night when I was telling my old friends about all new things in my life.
But coming back to London, going to cosy pubs, walking in my old streets and favorite (book)shops, also made me realise how much I love London and the life and the pulse here, and remember all the fun I've had here. For the current, new stage in my life perhaps London is not the best place to live, but I wouldn't be surprised if I we'll move back here again sometime later in life :)
Last weekend I was at my brother's house and I was playing Playstation with his 6 year old, Simon, and I was just thinking that this is so great, this is what I want to do, play and do things with my child, a small person that I get to try to mold into a human being :)
I may not be an exemplary role model in everything I do, but I'll make up for that with enthusiasm and love :)
--End of post--------------------------------
Now when I am posting this it is Tuesday 14th October, I am in Durban, and everything has changed.
There are many details, many emotions and feelings, and I won't go into all of them here, but late on the Friday evening Helen went into labor, from the Saturday morning I was kept informed of the events, during the Saturday they tried to suppress it, but on the Sunday morning (as I was flying back from London to Sweden) things got worse and Helen had an emergency Caesarean and a boy was delivered at 9.07, in the 28th week of pregnancy, only 820 grams. Normally there is a very good prognosis in this case, but the baby was also suffering from an infection, had probably been for more than a week, and three hours later he passed away.
At this time I was in my mothers flat in Malmö. At 20.00 Sunday evening I flew out from Copenhagen on a lastminute ticket, for what must have been the longest and most terrible journey of my life, and arrived in Durban at 13.00 on the Monday, where Helens dad picked me up and took me to see Helen in the hospital.
Helen is doing physically ok apart from being sore from the surgery. Emotionally we are of course both struggling, but it is so much better now when we can deal with this together. Being so far away as this happened was the worst experience I've had.
So in those 24 hours from Saturday to Sunday my perfect world changed dramatically.
Now, after the initial shock has passed, I realise that there are still many very good elements left in our lives, it is not all falling to pieces. And the doctors have assured us that there is no damage at all to Helen, and nothing should stop us from having another baby.
I've seen him now in the funeral home, and he is a perfect boy in all ways, he looks very much like me.
He was conceived while we lived in the Victoria area of London, so we have decided to give him the name Victor. But in our hearts he will of course always be Balthazar :) *Dan smiles in between all the tears*
I managed to tell some of my friends and family before I left Sweden, and I have received many friendly and encouraging messages, and I thank you all whole-heartedly for those. I will get back to you all over the course of the next few weeks.
--Start of post--------------------------------
This week I have been in London, to meet with my colleagues in getmein.com. I have also met up with some old friends, had some nights in pubs and walked around a bit in my old neighbourhood. Last night I met with a lot of me ex-colleagues from OTC/lastminute.com, and that was great, so many nice people and so many memories, stories and laughs. My head was a bit sore this morning :) I missed a few people there though, where were you, Tim, Colin, Rob, James, Shan, Alan?
It's only been three months since I left London, so many things have changed, and even though my life was great before it is simply even better now :) I am a very happy person :) I knew that before, but it became so much more clear last night when I was telling my old friends about all new things in my life.
But coming back to London, going to cosy pubs, walking in my old streets and favorite (book)shops, also made me realise how much I love London and the life and the pulse here, and remember all the fun I've had here. For the current, new stage in my life perhaps London is not the best place to live, but I wouldn't be surprised if I we'll move back here again sometime later in life :)
Last weekend I was at my brother's house and I was playing Playstation with his 6 year old, Simon, and I was just thinking that this is so great, this is what I want to do, play and do things with my child, a small person that I get to try to mold into a human being :)
I may not be an exemplary role model in everything I do, but I'll make up for that with enthusiasm and love :)
--End of post--------------------------------
Now when I am posting this it is Tuesday 14th October, I am in Durban, and everything has changed.
There are many details, many emotions and feelings, and I won't go into all of them here, but late on the Friday evening Helen went into labor, from the Saturday morning I was kept informed of the events, during the Saturday they tried to suppress it, but on the Sunday morning (as I was flying back from London to Sweden) things got worse and Helen had an emergency Caesarean and a boy was delivered at 9.07, in the 28th week of pregnancy, only 820 grams. Normally there is a very good prognosis in this case, but the baby was also suffering from an infection, had probably been for more than a week, and three hours later he passed away.
At this time I was in my mothers flat in Malmö. At 20.00 Sunday evening I flew out from Copenhagen on a lastminute ticket, for what must have been the longest and most terrible journey of my life, and arrived in Durban at 13.00 on the Monday, where Helens dad picked me up and took me to see Helen in the hospital.
Helen is doing physically ok apart from being sore from the surgery. Emotionally we are of course both struggling, but it is so much better now when we can deal with this together. Being so far away as this happened was the worst experience I've had.
So in those 24 hours from Saturday to Sunday my perfect world changed dramatically.
Now, after the initial shock has passed, I realise that there are still many very good elements left in our lives, it is not all falling to pieces. And the doctors have assured us that there is no damage at all to Helen, and nothing should stop us from having another baby.
I've seen him now in the funeral home, and he is a perfect boy in all ways, he looks very much like me.
He was conceived while we lived in the Victoria area of London, so we have decided to give him the name Victor. But in our hearts he will of course always be Balthazar :) *Dan smiles in between all the tears*
I managed to tell some of my friends and family before I left Sweden, and I have received many friendly and encouraging messages, and I thank you all whole-heartedly for those. I will get back to you all over the course of the next few weeks.
Thursday 2 October 2008
Babypreparations
We bought our first piece of baby-furniture, a travel-cot.
Since our lease expires and we will move two months after the birth of Balthazar, we won't buy any "proper" furniture until then :)
And no, the baby is not going to be called Balthazar, it is just a working name, sounds better than "bump". We also don't want to find out the sex of the baby, it will be a surprise, for Christmas :)
Since our lease expires and we will move two months after the birth of Balthazar, we won't buy any "proper" furniture until then :)
And no, the baby is not going to be called Balthazar, it is just a working name, sounds better than "bump". We also don't want to find out the sex of the baby, it will be a surprise, for Christmas :)Roadtrip
Friday 5th September Helens parents arrived, with lots of boxes filled with babythings that Helen has collected over the years :) Winnie the Pooh-party, yay!
That Saturday we went to the babyshower for Amy, and on the Monday we left with Helens parents to go to Ficksburg where Helen grew up, it is a good 6 hour drive, very beautiful.
Helens younger brother Matt and his wife Helen (how is that for confusing) were also in Ficksburg, and after 5 days we left together in their car to go to Cape Town where they live and stay there for a week.
Ficksburg to Cape Town is a good two days drive, on a road with many crazy drivers.
We stopped for the night at a rather posh bush camp, where we had rented a "hut". There were lots of antelopes grazing right outside, and in the morning I found this by the door:
We had a great time in Gordon's Bay (Cape Town), had a look at properties around there, visited Helen's aunty Babs, and one day went for a drive around the Cape, and we passed through Simonstown, where I bought a cute present for my nephew Simon :)
That Saturday we went to the babyshower for Amy, and on the Monday we left with Helens parents to go to Ficksburg where Helen grew up, it is a good 6 hour drive, very beautiful.
Helens younger brother Matt and his wife Helen (how is that for confusing) were also in Ficksburg, and after 5 days we left together in their car to go to Cape Town where they live and stay there for a week.
Ficksburg to Cape Town is a good two days drive, on a road with many crazy drivers.
We stopped for the night at a rather posh bush camp, where we had rented a "hut". There were lots of antelopes grazing right outside, and in the morning I found this by the door:
And at breakfast Timon passed by:
We had a great time in Gordon's Bay (Cape Town), had a look at properties around there, visited Helen's aunty Babs, and one day went for a drive around the Cape, and we passed through Simonstown, where I bought a cute present for my nephew Simon :) And here is me and Helen at Cape Point:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)