Synttarit! - BIRTHDAY!

Eilen oli kuopuksen synttarit ja pitihan se kakku tehda (ja syodakin). Mietin aikaa 16 vuotta sitten kun olin laitoksella lasta hakemassa - oli uskomattoman kylma ja luminen talvi. Menin sairaalaan tapanina kun piti paivaa ennen leikkausta olla osastolla ja kaikki oli varattu ja jarjestetty valmiiksi pari viikkoa aikaisemmin. Kavelin hamaraa, kynttilanvalaisemaa kaytavaa pitkin, joulu tuntui olevan lasna jopa sairaalassa. Koputin toimiston ovelle ja esittelin itseni. Hoitaja taivasteli etta ei taalla ole listalla ketaan sinun nimistasi, oi etta mitas tassa nyt, kaypa istumaan hetkeksi. Hienoa, ajattelin mielessani, tama tuntuu alkavan erinomaisesti. Loytyihan se sitten paikka majatalossa ja seuraavana aamuna kun minua karrattiin leikkaussaliin, kavi ilmi etta eihan sita ollut varattu (kun eivat tienneet minun olevan tulossa) ja hieman selkapiita karmi kun kuuluttelivat radioon etta oliskos nukutuslaakaria jossain. Ei siina mitaan, loytyi leikkuri ja unimatti, vauva saatiin ulos ja kaikki hyvin - paitsi koska joku ei ollut varannut paikkaa minulle, ei ollut myoskaan papereita tilattu (kas kun tama oli eri sairaala tyystin kuin missa kaksi ensimmaista olin saanut) ja siksipa eivat myoskaan varautuneet seurauksiin. En niihin minakaan tassa muuten puutu kuin etta henkikulta oli hiuskarvan varassa hetken aikaa, onneksi poika oli terve! Siis naita kaikkia tuossa eilen mietiskelin - kakkua laitellessa.
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It was the youngest's birthday yesterday and a cake had to be made (and eaten) -of course!
I thought of the time 16 years ago when I was in the hospital for the c-section that had been booked and arranged for the day after Boxing Day. It was an extremely cold and snowy winter.Walking down the candle-lit dark corridor to the office I felt the presence of Christmas even in the hospital. I approached the nurse in the office and introduced myself. The nurse checked the list and stated that I am not on the list, oh dear, what now, oh, wait in the corridor for a moment. Great, I thought, this seems to be going to plan - not. Well, in the end they found a place in the Inn for me. Next morning when they were wheeling me to the Operating Room, they were constanly paging for someone to anastethise me. And operate on me. To everyone's relief both were found. There were some hairy moments before the happy ending, see, when someone had not done what they should have done when the place allegedly was booked for me, they had not ordered my notes either (this was a different hospital to the one I had had my first two) and hence they did not have all the needed info about me. For a while it was touch and go but I will not delve into those moments in this blog.
Luckily the baby boy was healthy and all ended well. This kind of thoughts I had whilst preparing the cake for my son's birthday yesterday!

Tyynta myrskyn edella - calm before storm!?

On aina tosi ihanaa kun on perjantai-ilta ja koko viikonloppu viela edessa, taysi vastakohta sunnuntai-illan ahdistukselle. Tana viikonloppuna tosin on ahdistuksen aiheita yllin kyllin horisontissa kun on vain ja ainoastaan nama pari paivaa aikaa touhuta koko joulun kirjo. Joskus toivon etta olisin samanlainen kuin muutamat tuntemani henkilot jotka toteavat lokakuun puolivalissa etta "No niin, joulu on pulkassa!" Siis IHAN TOTTA, ei kai noin organisoitunut voi ihan ollakaan. Toisaalta, tana vuonna olen huomannut etta se normaali jouluahdistus ei ole purrut - viela ainakaan. On sellainen olo etta jos kuusen, kinkun ja muut ruoat saa aikaiseksi ja paketin jokaiselle niin siinahan se on. Joulu ilman suorituspaineita ja stressia, olisko se sittenkin mahdollista?
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It is so lovely, it is Friday night and the whole weekend ahead. Just such opposite feeling  to the angst-ridden Sunday night. Although, this weekend there are lots of  reasons for angst and anxiety looming in the horizon as these are the only days I have to "make the Christmas happen". Sometimes I wish that I were more like some people I know who just calmly state in the middle of October: "Right, I am ready for Christmas, done it all now!" I mean, REALLY, no one can be that organised. On the other hand, this year is somehow different as the standard Christmas angst has not hit me, at least yet. I just feel that if I manage to get the tree, gammon with other special food and a present each then that is it. Would it be possible after all to have Christmas without performance pressures and stress?