He does have a sense of humour

Michael has been smiling on and off since he was three weeks old but it has only been in the last couple of days that we have seen big beaming smiles. The first beaming smile was directed at Phil whilst I was changing Michael's nappy. Phil was totally blown away by it and I think Michael could have got away with anything at that moment - Phil was wrapped round his little finger.

We were beginning to wonder if Michael had a sense of humour at all. Phil and I rely on our humour to carry us through the tough times and we, like all parents, I'm sure, hoped that Michael would be a happy baby who would gurgle and coo at us. For the majority of the early weeks he did nothing but eat, sleep, poop and cry. The thought had occurred to me that he might end up a joyless character like Victor Meldrew. Thankfully there was a sunny disposition hiding in there somewhere :o)

Belly cast

On a warm and sunny evening in July, when I was 35 weeks pregnant, Phil and I travelled to Leiden to meet a lady named Annemarie Fetz of Puur Sculptuur.

I decided some time before I got pregnant that when I finally did have a bump to show off, I would immortalise it by having a cast made of it. This is what Annemarie does - pregnant belly casts. I had to strip to the waist, coat my skin in petroleum jelly and perch on a little stool for half an hour whilst she covered my torso in strips of plaster-soaked bandages. I had to be very careful not to move or I would risk cracking the plaster. When the mold was removed we could see exactly where Michael had been lying to the right of my belly button. He had even managed to crack the plaster a little by kicking! Annemarie used this mold to make the cast that you can see to the left.

To say that I am thrilled with it is an understatement. I will always have this to remind me of how I looked when I was pregnant with Michael. I think that the pregnant shape is a beautiful one. We haven't decided yet where we will hang it in the house. There is a nice spot in the living room that isn't too in-your-face but part of me wants to keep it private and hang it in the bedroom. It is a pity that Annemarie doesn't do baby hands and feet casts. We have a do-it-yourself kit for this but we haven't got around to doing it yet. Keeping Michael still for long enough to make the mold will be quite a challenge!

Not the giant slipper!!!

With parenthood comes maturity...

This morning at breakfast time I received unquestionable proof that I have finally grown up. I had purchased a selection of serving-sized cereals and was preparing a bowl of cocoa shreddies. I tipped the cereal into the bowl then added the milk - next comes the sugar - but wait!! Since this cereal has cocoa powder in it, it doesn't really need sugar, does it? For the first time in my life I didn't add sugar to my cereal. I hope that this turn of events doesn't lead to more disturbing decisions and purchases. I am not ready to buy one of those giant slippers that fits both feet in yet!

Michael hosted his first webcast last week. Being an expat has a lot of advantages - experiencing other cultures is very enriching and I now feel far more of a European than a Brit. The main disadvantage is being far from family and childhood friends. My family are feeling this distance particularly acutely since Michael's birth. Realistically, we may not be able to visit each other more than three or four times a year and Michael will be virtually unrecognisable on those visits. The solution is simple - Skype, a microphone and a webcam. Now my parents can see Michael whenever they wish and feel like more a part of his life. They are serious technophobes and rarely feel that computers and the internet are worth the hassle so something like this convinces them that it does have it's uses.

No longer a shut-in

Here they are - my two favourite people in the world. Two peas in a pod :o) Michael has been suffering from some rather nasty tummy cramps lately - hence the less than cheery visage.

Today Michael and I actually left the house on our own. He is 5 weeks old and we have never managed this feat before. Phil went back to work last week and I don't know where the time goes to during the day. I count myself lucky if I manage to grab a shower and get dressed. This afternoon we walked into town and did some shopping. I was so pleased to briefly rejoin the land of the living that I called Phil at work to share in my victory. He was suitably impressed.

For my next trick, I will try to find the time to make myself something to eat during the day in addition to showering and dressing. I know, I know, I'm aiming high, but you never know - I might actually manage it one of these days! Phil usually comes home of an evening to find me feeding the baby on the sofa and surrounded by breast pads and muesli bar wrappers.

We have a smile!

Michael smiled for the first time this morning! He had been crying for a feed and I put him down on the bed to reach for my breastfeeding pillow and he immediately stopped crying and started looking around for some entertainment. Being a good mummy, I immediately obliged. After I pulled some particularly hilarious faces, he smiled at me. It certainly does make the sleepless nights and perforated ear-drums worthwhile. I called to Phil and we managed to get Michael to smile a few more times before he remembered that he was still waiting for some breakfast. I'll try to capture this smile on camera and post a picture.


The afternoon wasn't quite so fabulous as we went shopping at Vroom & Dreesmann in Amstelveen. It is a large department store with a great selection of baby clothes. I spent a happy half hour blowing my salary on little items of blue cloth whilst Phil was on another floor buying trousers. Whilst I was queuing at the checkout - disaster - Michael had a meltdown. The store was overly warm and he decided that he had had more than enough. I got a lot of pitying looks from other shoppers which was quite irritating - note to self - do not make eye contact with other shoppers when Michael has turned purple and is screaming the world down...







Things I love about Michael:

1. When he is having a cry and ends it with a sad little "Oooooooooh".
2. When he sticks his bottom lip out to get extra sympathy. Two female doctors fell for this hook, line and sinker yesterday.
3. His baby smell.
4. When he looks right at me and smiles.
5. The cute little monkey faces he pulls when feeding.

Things that drive me to hurl myself out of the window:

1. Michael instinctively knows when I've just started eating a meal or when I'm watching a programme I really want to see. He makes a point of howling extra loud at those times. I will never know what Gordon Ramsey threatened to do with that pumpkin on "Hell's Kitchen" yesterday.
2. The lack of sleep.
3. Did I mention the lack of sleep?

Phil has just reminded me of something funny that happened last night. It was about 3am and he had taken Michael into the nursery to change his nappy. I was watching TV in the bedroom next door. A couple of minutes after he left the room I started hearing exclamations of horror - "Oh no!" "No, stop!" and other such comments. Then I heard laughter that sounded tinged with hysteria. I decided to investigate and found Phil holding Michael suspended in mid air over the changing station. Michael was enthusiastically pooping all over a nappy on the changing station below. Phil wasn't able to put him down without covering him in poop and didn't have a free hand to get a clean nappy. Mummy to the rescue! Poor Michael was howling but Phil and I found the whole thing very funny and fell about laughing. We had to assure Michael afterwards that we weren't laughing at him.