The ladies at day care put hair clips in my hair. I have forgotten by now, so they are still in when we get home.
My mama has earlier tried to do it too, but then I didn't like it. Maybe because these are children's clips and a bit softer.
When mama takes the clips out at night, my hair stands up!!
I understand some words now.
For example cooking. I know it means I run to the kitchen, climb on my stool and then the fun begins: splashing with water or eating my cherry tomatoes. I get cherry tomatoes before dinner, to still the worst hunger. Only they make a mess by leaking on my shirt.
When we are finished cooking we have to wait a while: this is while the food cooks and we wait. This is a difficult time. But I know another word too: 'tafel dekken'.
Dressing the table, means that I put forks on the table, and my plate.
And then, there is food at the end of cooking.
I understand words, but I cannot speak them, only 'bal'.
We are doing our daily shopping, but I like walking around. A new game: walking on the line.
And I take off, while mama hurries to put our shopping trolley in the queue again. I am quick and can be out of sight in seconds!
But then I am distracted again: those faces in the display are interesting!
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 | I am at day care, lying on my back playing with the counting frame, or actually, the alphabet frame. I let the cubes twirl. I see something from the corner of my eye and turn around: mama!! |
 | I run towards the window to greet her. Then I run back to the door where she will come through. "Come on, mama, go to that door too!" When I was little, I did not understand that mama had to go out of view to get in, but now I know there is a corridor she has to walk through to get into my room. When she is in, I'll show her all my toys. |
Tomorrow my papa goes back to work. We go out for dinner at the most famous Italian in my town, Is Morus. First we need to decide if we are going to cycle through the rain or if we are whoozies and take the car. The car is too hard to take, we cycle. It is not that bad actually, carefree.
We come very early, but already all the children's seats are in use. I sit on mama's lap, climb over to my own chair, climb back to mama and more. I like the ham and the bread and the olives. The spaghetti's are fun and for the rest I like showing off how I drink my apple juice.
You know that I can drink from a glass? I really can! My mama repeats over and over again: "Carefull!", but with that I can drink without spilling!! All by myself! Ain't I a big girl?!!!
It is a rainy day, so we may as well drive to our holiday home. Mama mows the grass and I watch her from inside. Untill I want her to be with me. Then I cry.
When we leave, the grass is shorter, but it looks wobbly from mowing in the rain.
We enjoyed being in the holiday home. Even though the holiday home is more a burden now that we have a house with a garden, we always enjoy being there. It is so quiet there, and there is nothing else to do but to relax. Nevertheless the house will be sold next year.
Now that I have shoes and can walk for a stretch, I sometimes go walking with my mama or my papa. It is a good thing to do, when otherwise we would be cranky.
But today is rather cold day, so we go for a walk to get a fresh nose - else we would be couch potatoes. We always take my car, for when I get tired. There is a little play ground in the next block and that is our target of today. I play with the slide, the rocking horse and papa shows me how to walk the balance beam.
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We have been cycling, but when we close our house door behind us, it starts raining! We're stuck inside, no fun outside. Then we make fun inside!!
Painting!! Yes! My mama has had the paint ready for a long while and is keen to use it. Within five minutes we are a mess, but papa rescues us. He gives us fresh paper and helps us clean our hands. It is over in ten minutes, because more mess would mean we have four green walls. But fun it was and we have new art for on the walls.
I love red berries. When I was little, I found them too sour, but now I like them. I am not sure if I like them because they taste good, or because they are fun to play with. Here you see me at lunch after I had a sandwich with jam.
 | Before the city hall we wait for the two o'clock signal that we can start. It is a very sunny day and papa, mama and I have come cycling. Simon arrives and he joins me in the running game. I like running up and down steps and slopes. Simon likes it too! |
| Then we go inside and I get Simon's raisins to keep me quiet, that is very nice of Simon. Papa and mama kiss each other and I paint my hand in their marriage book. I am witness, too! This is before I threw a tantrum about not wanting to wear my coat. My first real tantrum. I threw myself on the pavement screaming loudly, but Aunt Karen caught it on the video. And this is before I got covered in chocolate from our chocolate fountain. The rest of the day I played and ran and ate a bit in between. I was very excited about the party. | |
 | Sterre is also at our party. She is enjoying herself and looking at all the people. She has a very nice picture of herself at her weblog: Sterre |
 | Cousin Koen is also there. He doesn't want to sleep, because it is too much fun to be there. He stands a lot, because he likes that. He also likes to wave his fork at food. |
My papa and mama are married! We are just back from the city hall, and are partying with all my cousins and cousines and friends.
But I need proper hair for the upcoming wedding. My papa has found a hair dresser who cuts children's hair. They have a good chair!! It is high and it has got a steering wheel. When I sit in that chair, I just cannot cry.
Actually, I think I like the feeling of the lady plucking my hair. I am thinking about it in the picture.
But the blow dryer is absolutely not acceptable.
This morning I fell into the pond! That was a shock!
I was playing on my belly with my snails. I bent a bit too far ahead and then suddenly I slid off! My mama was sitting on the floor next to me and my papa was standing on the other side. They were talking. My papa heard the sound of me sliding and he got a big shock. Instinctively he grabbed my leg and pulled me up. Wow! That was a good reaction. My feet hadn't even become wet!
But I had gotten a fright and was crying loud. My mama immediately changed my clothes and then I was put to sleep. It was about time!
My mama says that it was a good lesson for me. She was expecting it to happen one day. But papa's heart was pounding!!
Now my hair is all wild.
There are lots of snail in my pond. Interesting creatures. I fish them out of the pond and squeeze their head back in. I like the feel of their slimy body in my hand. And I lick the slime with my tongue.
Look mama! This is a beautiful snail!!
A lovely day to go for a ride. My papa has seen the mark for the Dutch Turtle Centre on the map of my little town. What isn't here?
It is hidden in an industrial estate, but then again: we want to keep the turtles warm, don't we?
I can see the turtles well, because they swim on eye height. Mystic creatures. I like them. I watch them when they swallow whole salad crops in one go.
It is a beautiful little centre and they have the largest collection turtle toys ever seen.
And then I get ´a few licks´ from mama´s ice cream - she buys an extra one for herself.
While mama waters our new plants in front of our house, I run around with my car.
Mama, can I really not go on the street?
My papa is back home! I make him do my favourite game: running! Who is first on the other side? An unexpected competetive element in me comes up.
How could it have happened that I forgot to mention them? My first shoes? We have been too busy, that is why.
It is ten days ago: all my shoes had holes in them and it surely would only have taken a couple of days and new shoes would get holes. I simply run around too much for soft shoes. I need proper shoes!
Mama and I went to a good shoe shop in my town. There was a lovely lady there, who kindly asked if she could hold my foot. I thought it was fine: I was sitting on mama's lap and there was a wooden climbing set in the shop. If I can climb, then I am happy.
The lady measured my foot: 19 and a half. So, I got shoes size 20. In the beginning it was very strange to walk with shoes. I have to really lift my feet, or else I can't put one foot before the other. But very quickly I got the hang of it. Even in the shoe store self: here you see how well I walk with them! I can dance with them. They don't come off, and they don't get holes.
I love my shoes now: it means I go outside to walk.
My mama is a bit tired of all the time eating at the table. She says we spend almost the whole day feeding me: breakfast, fruit time, lunch and then it is time to start cooking.
From now on we eat lunch from the hand. Or while we're cycling.
Grandpa and grandma are coming for a day.
What is that? I can just make it out through the greens. Grandpa is bringing out mama´s bicyle! I´ve gotta watch that. The bicylce should not leave without me!!
I was leaning over and suddenly I fell face forward on the pavement!! That hurt! And now I have a big bruise on my head. It happened when we were just about to bring Valerie and Paul to the airport. So my mama put a quick dab of Nestosil on it and then we drove off. I soon fell asleep in the car and so we didn´t drink coffees on the airport anymore.
But the big bruise doesn't stop us from going for a bicylce ride to the garden centre. I have already forgotten my bruise.
And then it is our last day together. Valerie and Paul invite us out for dinner. We go for fine dining, and sit up too, in a children's chair. They serve wonderfull olives in a secret dressing, and I eat six olives. I also like my amuse: kiwi and banana with colourfull sugarsprinkles. But mama's amuse is good too, with orange sauce. We had a nice meal and I enjoyed myself very much. We were all very proud that we could sit with the four of us this nicely.
Paul likes old cities and he likes to take the train, so we go to my old town with the bikes and the train. We stroll along the old canals. They don't make many pictures, but here they make one of us. For a very long time we stroll and I fall asleep in my buggy. When I wake up lunch is served on the boat. After that mama and I leave them strolling and take the train home for a bit of rest and early bed.
I am now so used to Valerie and Paul that we can play games together. I am teaching Valerie the gardening-gloves-game. Valerie holds up the glove, and I put my hand in. Then I have two very large hands. And we both laugh while I walk around with them. My mama is keeping the camera ready, but, haha, I am much quicker!
We visit the windmill across the road from my house. The bags with freshly milled flour are being lowered around us. We climb all the way to the top. I do a bit of climbing myself, but Valerie is very nervous about that. No need!! I can do this!! But she plucks me off the stairs.
The last stairs are really difficult for my mama to carry me. The miller carries me. A stranger carrying me!! No way! I cry loud, but mama has definitely given me to him. Then she follows and all is ok. I find the mill very impressive: such a machinery from wood. And that in my street!
These are Valerie and Paul. They are actually very sweet. I had to get used to them. I met them on Schiphol, and then in the car back home, the car completely stuffed with their suit cases of course, Paul sat next to me. That was too much. But then I feel asleep, so I suppose I survived that.
But today I am getting acquainted, and I found out that I can wave to Paul smoking outside like I can wave to my papa. Paul waves back to0. I wave the whole day to Paul - although he is not smoking the whole day.
Here we are sitting in Den Haag drinking a beer in the rain. But they think it is good weather, so they must come from Canada, right?
Dear readers, you may be wondering why you haven't heard from us for a while, but we are very busy: mama's friends Valerie and Paul are staying with us, they come from Canada and Australia, not sure which one counts most. And now we are doing fun things.
