Preparing for the Change

January and early February has been filled with excitement and preparation for our 'new arrival'. As we get closer and closer to the calculated 'due date' of the 25th of February, I get more and more jumpy when I get a call on my cell from Eva.

Below is Eva on her last day in the office, taken around the 12th of January. The social structure is built pretty well for the family, and the mother gets 12 total weeks of paid maternity leave - 6 weeks before and after the birth of the child. There is also an additional ~ 10 months of subsidies for the parent staying at home and a bonus 2 months if the other spouse stays at home as well.

Time will tell if I can and will take this 2 months of government subsidies and time off of work to be a full time dad.

Sounds good...until you hear that the sales tax here is 19%.

Eva had a great going away party with her co-workers...and got some really nice flowers.

We wanted to see if the socks we bought would fit. They seem so small...
Despite a relatively warm winter, we finally got a few inches of snow.