Just me, Leon

Stretching after drinking

After I have been drinking my belly full, I stretch my arms above my head and let the milk sink.

Mermaid Ces

My sister Ces likes dressing up; as a Princess, as a Birthday girl, or as a Butterfly. Now she is all in one, and the combination looks like a Mermaid.

The blue dress is a piece of the curtain that I am getting in my room. My mama is stitching the hooks on this nice piece of fabric, and then I have a see-through curtain in my room. But I like my sister wrapped up in this curtain!

A new table

Ces's table was getting too small. She is cutting, drawing, painting and claying so much these days, that the table was snowed under and things falling off.

This new table is just the thing: see how she has already cut two 'Zandkasteel' cards!

Two babies

My sister Ces likes playing baby, and I am a baby. Tada! we say.

Grandma Franka, Dick and Elka

Uncle Dick brings Grandma Franka and Elka to see me. Grandma Franka is my great-grandmother, and she is great!

Blub (2)

Blub

After drinking milk from mama, I always do a little burb. This helps me digenst the milk. Here papa helps me. In the mean while I look around and find out a bit more of this new world.

Uncle Frank, finally

Simon and Alex visit me again, because their papa is now home, and comes to visit me. The last time they were here, I slept. But this time I am awake. Exciting to see new faces!

Gabrielle visits me

Gabrielle and her mama and papa are visiting me. I wish I could play with the two girls, but I am just a bit too small still.

I am sitting here in a female club!

Fancy fair at school

Shall we go? Or shall we not? There is a fancy fair at Ces's school, and it is at dinner time. I am still getting used to days and nights, so this is quite something. But we go, because it is fun.

There is food, and books for sale and lots of people who have seen my mama with the belly - and now without.

Ces is having fun jumping - and eating a hot dog with ketchup. A lot better than the Brussel's Cicory we had for dinner at home!

Baby gym

I am lying on the 'baby gym' while the others are having dinner. Ces rather shows me the toys and how I can play with them. She knows! She used to play with them. But she was a bit older, than I am now. I am getting a bit dizzy from all the toys. Time to sleep again!

Sponsor run

The school from Ces has a fund raising week, for a school in Africa. The kids do a sponsor run. Also Ces has raised sponsors: her papa and mama and Grandma and Grandpa.

Holding hands tight with Miss Maartje, with red hair, and her class mates she does two runs.

Can you see Ces in the picture? She is in bright pink!! That is very safe on the bicycle...

Ces gives me a cuddly toy

Ces likes holding me, and often she gives me a cuddly toy, like this bear. Although the bear is nearly as tall as me....

Ces holds me

I like playing with my big sister, and she really likes holding me too! She is really carefull with me.

Pirate

Ces is having a Pirate party at school. What do girl pirates look like? Like a princess of course!! But this princess is a real pirate!!

Raphael visits me

Our friends Ellen and Raphael are coming to visit me. They are keen for a stroll too. It is rather windy and cold. But I am nice and warm in my pram, and Raphael and Ces run around barefoot.

My first walk

Today I get to go on my first walk, while my sister Ces joins us with her walk-bike!

I enjoy it very much ...., sleeping!

Karen and Wybe visit me

I get two lovely cuddle animals with music and sleep throughout the visit outside, it is such lovely warm weather!!

Karen is also Ces's big friend. See the lovely Bambi hair clips that she got from Karen? And she gets a Bobo book, Wybe is very nice and plays the puzzles with her. She loves that!!

Writing and pointilism

Mama and Ces are drawing and writing. Ces is learning letters in school, and now she wants to write at home too. The first name she can write? 'Simon'.

Ces has started to draw in points. And now mama and Ces both make drawings in points. Ces also draws a house with a child in it. In the picture on the left, Ces is finishing Mama's drawing.

And the next day Ces is really finishing off the drawing: by cutting it! First the road, then the lawn, then the house....

On my throne

Do you see me? I am realy not that small!!

I am sitting in 'mama's room', her corner in our house, with the couch only she likes.


I am looking out the window at the leaves of the trees.

Ces upside down swinging

While I sleep, mama and Ces go to Ces's favourite spot: play yard. Ces has learnt a lot of new tricks by looking at the bigger kids in school. And now she can do some herself. Look at her swinging upside down!!

Anja

This is Anja, she helps my mama and me this first week. She is lovely, and we enjoy her company as well as her cares.

In bath

Every other day I get to go into a bath, nice and oily to sooth my skin. The first time I wasn't sure, but now I really enjoy it. I let myself float, and enjoy the warm water and the sensations on all those body parts I didn't even know I have.

Watching

In between my feeds and sleeping, I have a minute with my papa. And I look at the light of the window.

Dinner with the four of us

Right around Ces's dinner time, I am usually awake too. I want to have my dinner too. So, I drink and mama tries to eat. And then I enjoy the noise of our family eating from my chair. Ces counts: 1, 2,3, 4. Yes, we are now with four! Just the same as her age!!

Koen and family visit us

Everybody wants to see me, small as I am. Or perhaps it is because I am small?

Picknick

Mama is staying in bed, and Ces and papa think it is more fun to eat in her room. We call it a picknick, because that way it is even more fun!

I don't think the old secretaire cabinet has ever seen so much and such good food! And while I sleep in mama's bed, we dine with the four of us together!

I get visit from Simon and Alex

Simon, Alex and Aunt Hannie are coming to see me. Ces is happy to see Simon, they roll around on mama's bed.

In the mean time Alex is picking the anis seed candy of the cakes.

I am sleeping all this time, but I know that they have looked at me in my bed room. Yes, I sleep already alone in my bed room!! Sometimes at least. Sometimes I sleep with mama in her large bed.

Bonding with my papa

My papa is these days a bit busy with my big Sister: she goes to school and dancing lessons and my papa helps her.

But sometimes he and I are bonding too. He is the other man in the house, after all!!

Bath tub and getting weighted

Once per two days I may go into the bath tub. The first time I wasn't sure, but now I really like it!

Just before and after..... getting undressed is cold and getting weight is just as cold!! I am now two days old, I am slightly under birth weight: (3240 versus 3340 grammes), but I am drinking really hard to gain! No problem for me!

The arm that you see belongs to Anja, she is helping my mama this first week. She is a darling.

Meeting my big sister Ces

And finally, the next morning, my big sister Ces is able to come. Grandma and grandpa have taken care of her, while I came into the world. And this morning papa went to bring her to me.

She is very excited too: Jumping all around me! We settle on mama's bed and enjoy each other's company.

Hello! I am Leon

Here I am! I am Leon. I was born at 8 pm, my father helped me into the world, and my mother was ready to feed me. Now I feel comfortable in this new world. Tomorrow I will meet my big sis Ces, I am so curious!!!

Goat farm

I have an afternoon off from school.

My mama needs to rest a bit, and we have run out of apple juice, so papa and I visit the goat farm again. It is always fun. The lambs have grown!!

Miffy

Mama asks me: where do you want to go Ces? To the Miffy museum or to the swimming pool. Hmm, tough choice. I love swimming, but Miffy... I choose the Miffy museum!!

It is not large, but just about right for me: there are computers, and a real Miffy house! And I get to draw and cut out a Miffy face!

And then we sit in the Museum court yard garden and drink beer and juice.

On the way home I ask if we go to the swimming pool... No Ces, mama says, I am afraid it was an 'either - or ' choice. A pity! But we had fun.

Gabrielle comes playing

I have a week of holidays, so a good opportunity for Gabrielle to come to play. We pick her up at day care, I get to see the ladies from day care again! It is funny to see them back after I have learnt so much in school.

And then Gabrielle and I play, we run around the garden, drink our lemonade in the garden house, and then mama takes us to play ground. We take our puppets in the puppet buggies.