Bun check

Well, the weather here has finally turned to winter- after weeks of cold and rainy, it has been cold and clear for two days. James is mostly over his ear infection but is still quite congested; we are all feeling a bit housebound as this recent bout caused us to miss 2 days of daycare (i.e. time for Mike to work at home). I am just glad that I have some jobs now as the last 6 months have been pretty sparse.
We went to our first visit to the verloskundige (midwife) today. At only eight weeks there were just a few forms to fill in and a blood pressure check. At 12 we will have the first of two sonograms and the next appointment with the midwife two weeks after that. Last time was such a different experience- everything starkly new and exciting and terribly unknown in so many ways. It makes a difference when you have to make sure your toddler isn't doing any lasting damage to the office while you are talking. Katharine is still not 100%; mainly getting tired of being tired and nauseous. We both have alot of things on our plate at the moment but are trying to keep focused on enjoying this new year of changes. James helps when he can- especially when he wears his freshest hat-



Story time-

A Mighty Wind

We had a massive storm here yesterday and most of last night. The wind was so strong we didn't even venture outside once, except to let the dogs out during a lull in the evening. It ripped off a section of our serre (sort of a greenhouse, clear plastic roof porch off the back of the house), and sent a bunch of debris whipping through the back garden.



James slept or was held on a shoulder the whole day with a high fever. This morning he was in the same shape and we went to the doctor where they confirmed his second ear infection in as many months. He is now still burning up though he is getting ibuprofen and we hope the antibiotics kick in soon. The doctor said his adenoids were inflamed and suggested that we think about having them removed next year if he keeps having trouble with infections. We'll see, but I hesitate to have him cut open to remove something that produces antibodies. I guess it used to be more common to just take these and your tonsils out at once.

Katharine and James' schedules meet on the couch for Grapenuts-



Back on the couch-

A word in edgewise

At 17 months James isn't much of a vocalizer. Unless you count various tones of 'uhhn' (while pointing). He used to say Mama pretty often, but now just usually looks expectantly at Katharine when we say it. As if to say- yeah, she's right there. He is a great listener though and has really begun to enjoy being read to; and can finally sit still long enough for a short story, though he almost always has to go find some prop to go along with the book. His favorite story is 'When the rooster crowed' by Patricia Lillie, words and pictures by... we all know it all by heart now. For this story we must find the horse and cow to slam on the pages when they neigh and moo. 'Socks' is the term he can most clearly enunciate, with 'juice' a close second. He enjoys trying to say 'James' and can almost get it. Other than that its all grunts and pointing. Earnest pointing. Oh, he can also say ajuus (eye-youse) and dag (dah ch) including the guttural sounding 'g'. Those are Dutch terms for goodbye and good day. They say if you hear two languages growing up that it can stall talking for a while- I guess because the range of terms is greater, but he hears mostly english and my sloppy dutch during the day so who knows (do kids raised mostly by men keep quiet so we don't disturb the prey during our hunts?). Whether he can talk or not he is definitely growing out of clothes pretty fast- we'll have to see what happens at the next doctor's visit in a couple of weeks.
We have the first visit to the midwive's next week, where I think they will do an initial sonogram. Katharine is quite tired (and a bit illin) in the early stages. Having a toddler and working to finish the thesis and applying and interviewing for jobs and thinking about selling this house and moving sure makes it different this time.
Her phone interview with Wheaton College in Massachusetts was very encouraging; she was one of the top two candidates but ultimately it is up to the school to choose someone from Political Science or another candidate from Natural Sciences for this position and they are leaning toward Science. We'll see.

The sincerest form of flattery

James has really gotten into imitating everything we do lately- of course it is hard to catch him at it but I finally had the camera close enough tonight as Katharine and I were talking.



It is hilarious the behaviours he chooses to copy. It also makes me realise we are going to have to be more vigilant with our sterling example...

On the job front, we were actually talking about a very encouraging letter Kat got today from one of the schools she applied to, Wheaton in Mass. She will have a sort of phone interview next week. Its just nice to hear something, after waiting every day. I bought my ticket to Hartford CT for my trip to the Heartwood building school in February. I am very excited- luckily there is even a cousin of mine in the area to stay with! Handy big families. This time I will remember my passport...

Helping

Its amazing what a difference there is in our household now that everyone is relatively healthy again. James is so much happier and a pleasure to be around. We just returned from a birthday party for the 10 year old twins of some friends and he was the hit of the show- walking around eating crackers and clinking his juice cup with everyone willing (he can't say 'cheers' but he loves the action...).
He is becoming a bigger imitator every day- it is pretty hilarious. He also loves to 'help'; even a little bit and he is ecstatic. We will see how long this lasts.

Vacuuming:



Walking the dogs:



Bringing in the groceries:

Happy Birthday Dads!

January 1 is the birthday of both our fathers. Mike's Dad turns 80 today, but he still runs circles around most people his age. Above is Tom Maier cycling through the park on a visit to the Netherlands in 2004. We also tried exposing him to some modern art, with mixed results. I think the photo came out pretty nice anyway...

This is my Dad with Mike Gould, one of the 17 grandchildren for whom he always makes the time.

Always good for a laugh, Dad and brother-in-law Terry pay an electrical tape tribute to the power of my awesome 'soul patch'-



Even before he retired, he always found some time to take us fishing; now he has taught 2 generations something about the beauty (and patience) of getting out on the water. This was an awesome, clear day full of substantial bluefish action on the Raritan Bay in 2004.



Since James was born I think almost every day about how my parents managed with nine kids. Its incredible that they are as healthy and sane as they are today after all that. My Dad's apparent mania for maintenance and order wasn't for nothing- it has given us all the chance to make it through anything life has thrown at us so far with an unwavering and honest example. Thanks for everything, Happy Birthday- and many more Dad!


Jim Owens is 66 today. Here are just a few shots, from our wedding in 2003 and the Owens' visit about 6 weeks after James was born.

First, dad looking sharp in his tux-- that was such a fun day. We loved everything about our wedding, especially having so much family there to share it with us.
These last two are of Grandpa Owens with a very tiny James. We are so glad you decided to visit us and you were a real trooper for those two weeks. How many trips to IKEA did you and Mike take in the end? It must have been a dozen. You never hesitated to help us and make that hectic time fun and enjoyable. And you managed to spread your southern charm throughout Enschede-- from the hotel to the shops in the center-- everyone loved you. We love you dearly and wish you the very best of health and happiness for the next year.

Gelukkig Nieuw Jaar

We are feeling surprisingly good after a long day and night with just a little sleep. James is in fine form which is a wonderful thing. The New Year in the Netherlands (called oud en nieuw-- old and new) is really incredible. As Mike mentioned yesterday fireworks are officially allowed during this time. The Dutch are really crazy about them. There was a steady stream from midnight to 2AM, and the ocasional blast from then on.

Our nearest neighbors also have a baby, and they came over for a fun Raclette dinner. It is a griddle/grill combination and you use it to prepare your meal as you sit and talk. It is like fondue in that it is interactive and fun. When you first sit down and see all of the small bits of meat you think (if you are with an eater like Mike) that there is surely not enough for everyone. Twenty minutes later I was done-- with about half of the meat and sides still left. Ronald, the slowest most careful eater in the world, patiently sat for at least another hour, enjoying his grilled extravaganza. We had a great time and it was delicious.

Throughout our dinner both babies slept, while it seemed every other neighbor on the block was outside firing away. At one point we asked a neighbor how long he would be shooting fireworks (it was not yet midnight). He told us that he had over 75 sets of fireworks ready to go.
It was clear that James-- in his bedroom facing the street-- was not going to be able to sleep through this onslaught. As soon as midnight struck the gigantic explosions began and we heard the babies start crying. We went up to James' room and held him while we watched out the window. If it was only our neighbors it would be incredible enough, but from the second story we could see row after row of fireworks (from wimpy to HUGE) above the houses in every direction. It was incredible. At times the street was filled with sulfurous smoke. James was not frightened but he was a little confused at first.

After at least forty five minutes of constant explosions, we thought we should try to put him down and get some sleep. After all, our little bean wakes up at 6AM no matter what. We changed his diaper, zipped up his sleep sack, prepped a bottle and closed the window shades. I walked downstairs as Mike went through our usual routine of administering a bottle in the dark room. Then the longest, loudest set of fireworks went off. It sounded like 10 machine guns in our living room, for 2 straight minutes. I am not kidding. It seemed it just wouldn't stop. Finally it did, and was followed by the strongest, loudest bang I have heard in a long long time. Not the ideal moment to put the baby down. By then it was 1 AM, James woke crying at least twice over the next half hour. We comforted him and tried to get him settled. Then we crashed out too.

All in all a WONDERFUL way to bring in the new year.