To log or not to log, that is the question
Our New Year’s resolution was to get rid of nappies for Matthijs (nights) and Daniël (days). We did our very best, but it did not work out. Daniël went to the toilet regularly, sustained by consistent bribes of sweeties on…
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St Nick first turned up in the kindergarten and Daniël was thrilled by the sweets and presents. They made much more of an impression on our little pragmatist/opportunist than people in funny hats. Matthijs on the other hand is old…
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Matthijs had a really creepy nightmare (it nearly gave ME nightmares) about threads falling from the ceiling on to him. In my best pop-psychology manner I tried to give him a “weapon” (a plastic hammer) to chase them away with….
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This month we went down to Brussels on one of our regular visits and specifically to show off the new baby. Daniël had been a bit “off” for a few days: a little temperature off and on, grumpy, not much…
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This month Matthijs turned four, unfortunately on the 11th of September so we celebrated it on the previous Sunday. That was easier than midweek and avoided him having a celebration at school, a party at home and starting a new…
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I was just waking up to go to work this morning when Marjolein said “I don’t think you are going to work today…”. I was immediately very, very awake. We were eight days overdue at that point and I had…
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Fortunately for Marjolein this was a cool summer month: much better for the highly pregnant. The saga of the bathroom continued: fortunately the contractor managed to place the temporary shower in the bathroom (fewer stairs for Marjolein) and we now…
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Matthijs has got the psychology all wrong. Instead of having a nice healthy Oedipus complex he would rather marry me (his father). I explained that boys generally (this is Holland, remember) marry girls but of course Marjolein sabotaged this by…
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The next morning I went in to find Marjolein holding a solid-looking Falco and looking slightly dazed. The new parents across the room were a text-book dysfunctional family and she had been supplied with graphic details of their horrific home-life…
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That the brothers rough-and-tumble and fight and compete we had expected, it is the moments of tremendous tenderness and affection that take you by surprise. Daniël now has just enough language for Matthijs to hold a conversation with him, sort…
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