I am in Dubai!

Hi all,

tomorrow I am flying to Dubai, to visit my papa and to play in the pool. Perhaps I'll eat some dates. Exciting! I won't be blogging for a week.

Grandpa

Grandpa is visiting us. Grandpa likes playing. He always makes games with me. Here he is crawling around me on the floor. This is good fun!

Building with unoplo

I have just learnt this. You need to take the puppet by the brown hair and then place the puppet on the bobble. It takes concentration to put it right on the bobble.

I like doing this and I excercise it a lot.

The old bloke

Thank you, Protea! I love my shirt with the wise old man. And we love him, too.

Hortus

The Hortus has a butterfly house. It will be warm there, sunny and very butterfly-y. Just what we need on this wintery Easter. We cycle there, through the snow falling. Romantic, but in March? My mama had put away my red ski suit, but now I am wearing it again! And nice warm it is.

Inside the butterfly house it is warm too. I love the butterflies, the colors, the flying, they move so light-hearted. And they think I am a red flower! Which is true, my mama says.

Simon and I go in the tram

Simon is also bored this weekend. Can I come play, Francesca? Of course! Let's take the tram and go into town! In Simon's town there are no trams, so he is very excited to go into the tram.

It is snowing, and cold while we wait for the tram, but inside it is warm. Several people are trying to take a free ride, but without luck. Awell, this is Amsterdam.

We take a drink and go back home. Enough of the outside world for today. See you next time, Simon!

Clap your hands

This Easter weekend is much too early this year. The Winter hasn't receded yet, and so we have a wet, cold, snowy Easter. Not Saturday we plan anything for. We rush to do our weekend grocery shopping and stay inside.

But! Today I managed to clap my hands! I can get them together and I produce even sound! This is fun. Especially if I clap my hands while mama feeds me yoghurt with a spoon. If I am lucky I clap the spoon and the yoghurt, and I get a shower for reward!

Mama has lunch at day care

Today I am a bit ill. We were at the children's doctor yesterday. I am now 9090 grams and 72 cm tall. A little bit taller than what my mama measured two days ago!!

But the doctor gave me the jabs too! And now I have fever and my mama has to come home from work and pick me up from day care. But while she is there, we may as well eat some lunch with the other kids.

Here you see me with Caspar, Fleur and Minke. We are all of the same age. I will miss them in Alphen. We get very dirty at lunch, but I am not climbing like at home. With Elka looking on, we do not dare!! And when Elka wipes my face, I am not screaming like when mama wipes my face. Here at child care we behave!

p.s. later in the afternoon I was feeling much better.

My first drawing

We are caught in the shop by the rain and hail. One second the sun shines, the next hail is coming from the sky. What do we see? Niffy pencils!! Mama, mama, I am big enough for colour pencils, am I not?

You see, I am a big girl! Although drawing is much more difficult than I thought; it requires all sorts of gymnastics??

Pila

This is Pila. We met her in the park, with her papa. We think her papa is Spanish. Pila and I were both shy, Pila was digging a hole in the ground with a stick, and I was just feeling the cold and wet sand with my hands.

Pila was wearing shoes, because she can walk. I was just wearing my sox. They became wet and then my mama wanted to get me home and dry.

How tall am I?

My mama is all excited, now she can measure how tall I am! I am excited too. Because there is sticky tape behind the animal, and now I can do and un-do and do and un-do and do ....

My mama has measured me and she says I am 69 cm's tall!

Busy weekend

We have been at the grandparents all weekend. My mama had to sing a lot and therefore we were not at home. Pff, busy, and Sunday night we are happy to be back home again.

My Onion

This is my onion. I have so often tried to cook with it, but my mama takes the onion from me all the time. I have tried eating the skin often, but can't because she takes it from me. Just tonight she let me: if you want to eat the skin of the onion, you can, she said. Oh, what a nice day!! So, now I am cooking my onion. An onion belongs in the pan, doesn't it?

The stars of child care

This is my friend Caspar at child care. Caspar came from London a couple of months ago, but he speaks perfect dutchbabies now. We differ only a couple of days in age. That is why we play together a lot. And happily as you can see.

All of us we have a card with our name and date of birth. The foto's are old of course, when we were little. At the end you see the eggs we painted. Because Easter is coming soon. I am sure I will miss my day care in my new town.

Ha ha ha

Hahaha hahaha hahaha, this is funny! My mirror face in the cooking pot is all long and when I move up and down my face moves down and up.

Hahaha. And my feet are gigantic, while my legs are fat.

Hahaha. I need to try this up-down a few times more!

Visit Simon through the storm

It is storming outside! A boat was thrown on the beach, all the cyclists are thrown off their bike and the wind is howling around grandma's house. But Simon is a little bit ill and grandma has to go to Simon to take care.

We bring grandma with our car, so she doesn't have to take the train.

I like playing at Simon's house: he has so many vet cool toys. But playing together is still hard for us: we both want the same thing, but we both want it for us alone! Somehow what the other has is better.

Walking hand in hand

Yes! Yes! Yes! I do it!

Looking out the window

I found eating sooo boring, I couldn't sit still. I want to see the same things mama is looking at. Mama, can I look out as well?

Now I am sitting in front of the window and can see the children playing on my square. I still can't sit still, but it is much more fun!

My mama sighs and tries to discipline me ....

Planting the borders

It is a nice Saturday morning and I want to go to the Vechtoever. We sit in the Sun on the picknick carpet and play. My mama is working a little bit in the garden. And then the neighbours arrive. It seems there is work to be done on our shared border.

But alas, the Sun disappears and I call my mama inside, so they have to do the work on their own, I am afraid.

The happy birthday card

Aunt Valerie had sent this beautiful card to my mama. I found it and find it very beautiful too. Can I play with it mama? I sit and study this card for a long time. The balloons stand up so nicely.

Daffodils in spring

This Sunday the sun shines. It is cold, but sunny. We are going for a walk in the Grandma's and Grandpa's park. But they are a bit slower in getting ready and I was all dressed in my warm suit. So we wait outside.

It must be getting spring: you see the little daffodil in the background?

Going around the house

Cessie? Where are you?

I go around the house on my own these days. Never far away, and going back to mama after a short trip only. But sometimes she calls out for me, because she doesn't hear me.

And that while I am only re-organising her wardrobe.

The box is standing in the room not because we are moving, but my papa gave the box to me for climbing on.

My new home

This is my new home! We are moving! This is such exciting news. And a bit scary too. I have to go to a new child care and what about the new town - Alphen aan den Rijn? But I will have a street to play on with other children and a big garden and lots of schools I can choose from. And my mama doesn't have to drive so much anymore.

And what a house it is, isn't it? A room for everybody and then some more - there is even a table ready for mini trains for my papa!

Papa back to work

My papa goes back to work. His suitcase comes out and he packs his tropical shirts: he is going to Dubai.

Of course I am not happy with that, even though I am excited about standing against the suitcase. And he is going such a long time: eight weeks!

But my mama says we are going to visit papa: surely we can do with a week holiday in the sun. Wow, that will be so exciting!

Working at home

On Tuesdays my mama doesn't go to work. In the morning we go swimming. Then I am tired and sleep. When I wake up my mama is usually working. She stops when I am awake - not that I keep her from work, of course, but she just likes to be with me.

But sometimes she has to finish her work and I help her.

High up on mama

Look what we can! I love this! Haha, the higher the better, I say. You see how well I repositioned the door step? That is my three-daily task in this house hold.

Simon's playground

We visit cousin Simon and Aunt Hannie, Uncle Frank is on a trip. It is a sunny Sunday, and there is a great play ground near their house. A pity they are moving to a big house soon, then we will have to go back to their old house, just for the play ground. Look at us here!

Aunt Hannie has to run around with Simon. He is a bit bigger and likes all the toys. I was not quite sure if I liked them. All four of us played at seesaw. It tested my mama's skills of climbing. I was playing in the sandbox. I wasn't eating sand!! Was I?


Afterwards we look at the animals in the children's zoo and then Aunt Hannie is hungry for a Hamburger. Wow, those potatoes taste much better than the ones I get at home. And there is a really good-looking motor cyclist in the restaurant, a bit of flirting is good for a girl!

Steps

I have made my first steps!! Not on my own, but while holding on to this step and pushing it. Here you see me after I crossed the whole kitchen and I feel very proud!! Now I have reached the end of the kitchen and my papa turns me around so that I have a fresh stretch to cross. Wow! We are all so excited about this.

But stepping while holding papa's hands I still find scary. I don't like it.

Like all kids

My mama says she has heard it from all the other mama's and papa's: babies like to play with the electronic things. And I can tell her why: it shines, it has buttons to push, holes to put your hand in. Au! The hands can get stuck. And they are at a convenient height.

Don't you think I can organise the cd's really well? Before and after.

The diaper disappearance act

A good toy, this is where my diapers disappear. Sometimes this thing is strong and heavy and I can lean against it, sometimes it is not so strong and it flies away when I lean against it.

It is definitely a most exiting thing! Take the lid off, bang the floor with it, look inside the bin and then make a few steps with it while pushing it.

If it is heavy, because otherwise I fall.

Why can't I touch the things inside? They are too deep. Still.