SEASONS GREETINGS

Hello everyone!! yeah I know you all thought that we had dropped off the face of the planet right .... no we're alive and kicking and I suppose that I owe you an apology! The last three months have been DRAMA and I know that usually I like a bit of action but things have been rather strange ... BUT I won't bore you with all the details now I'll do a comprehensive blog later and tell you all the juicy details.

For now though we, the van Rooijens, would like to wish you all a truly wonderful Festive Season! We hope that your Christmas was filled with love, magic, happiness and warmth and that your new year is set to be just amazing! May 2007 be the year that ALL your dreams come true and may you follow your personal rainbows all the way to your pot of gold!

We have had just a wonderful Christmas with our son who is an absolute JOY to be around - he has the amazing ability to light up a room with his smile and twinkling eyes. We think he enjoyed his first Christmas although he found the wrapping paper far more interesting and entertaining than his actual gifts! It was also just lovely to see the family lighting up when he arrived in his cute llittle Christmas outfit and he really made all of us enjoy the day all that much more! I don't think we had laughed that much in a while! Thank you boy ... Martijn and I thank all higher powers for such a blessing- despite the sleepness nights haha!

HAPPY NEW YEAR folks and all our LOVE!!

Lizelle, Martijn and Scott

Papa has a brand new look

I have the MOST GORGEOUS husband in the world .. After a number of years of harassment mark (Marts friend) finally persuaded my man to shave his head! I must admit I was sitting there white knuckled wandering if he would end up looking like the local skin head but I was pleasantly surprised when he my man looked pretty hunkish! Have you seen the series prison break? Well if not google it and check out the character Michael Scoffield .. Mart looks hotter than him ;-)
But let me assure you that this expedition into new coiffure did not happen sober - Mart needed some Dutch courage and he won’t admit it but he was pretty damn nervous before the moment – we were witness to a few trips to the men’s room hahaha
Scott still needs to get used to his Daddy’s new look but I’m a fan … Step back Danny and step back Mark – My man is da bomb

cutie pie

The weather in Holland is weird. It’s not the maritime position of the country or the fact that its low lying – its just weird. During the height of summer we had rain ALL the time. Then now at the beginning of autumn we are experiencing the most delightful weather, warm, warm, warm. Last night we even managed to eat outside and stay out till past 10pm …
Taking advantage of the sunshine we went for a walk along the IJmeer yesterday - the sun was hot and there was a lovely breeze off the water and all in all a very pleasant outing. Scott was strapped into the baby bjorn and enjoyed the wind in his face and the little legs were kicking away merrily. When we got home after about an hour I put Scott in his highchair and started preparing dinner. One moment my baby was chatting and the next I turned round and saw him slumped over in his chair – fast asleep clutching his little hippo!! I have never seen anything this precious; my heart just breaks looking at the photo. Thank you Scott for providing these wonderful memories, which we will treasure forever!

Scott and friends

The last few weeks has seen an influx of visitors at the new house on IJburg (I know I've said I'll be posting pictures and they will be forthcoming soon .. I promise ;-), it's been very gezellig and Scott has received inordinate amounts of attention from his ‘girl’friends.
Yesterday Elzelien and Roosje came by for a visit and we mommies spent a delightful afternoon chatting and bragging about our offspring – but look at the beauties – who can blame us hahaha
Rosalie has grown so much and is becoming a real little model and Scott .. Well he is just adorable and continues to charm even the youngest ladies :) Its really so funny seeing them 'talk' and my son tries to grab and bite Roosje all the time - we better watch out that this behaviour does not continue into puberty hahaha the little darling Rose is now full on smiling and dazzling us with her gorgeous blue eyes.. Elzelien and I agree that life is good and that our children are great ... being a Mom ROCKS!!

Wedding Bells

1 September 2006 Danny & Suzanne are married! CONGRATULATIONS and hip hip hooray!!
I can still remember perfectly the day last september when Suzanne called me crying and laughing and screaming that Danny had proposed and that she was getting married - I was standing on the balcony at the Bolestein and being pregnant and highly hormonal I just started crying with happiness! Not much different actually to the actual wedding day when in the town hall of Bloemendaal I had to wipe away the tears when Danny and Suuz said "I do" and tied the knot. It was so special being able to celebrate this truly lovely day with our friends!
As you can see from the photos the bridal couple looked stunning and the Dutch weather even cooperated, after a few good luck raindrops in th emorning the sun shone for most of the day. Suzie's dress was just gorgeous and Danny looked so dapper in his 3-piece suit and perfectly knotted tie. The theme of their day was 'on the beach' and Suzie's dress was the perfect colour of sea!

We started the with snackies at Danny's mom and then drove to the town hall for the ceremony; we then made our way to the beach at Zandvoort for champagne and cake which was delish! we hung outa bit, chatting to the bride and groom and getting to know the rest o fthe guests and then we had a BBQ dinner and i can assure you it was gorgeous! Surf & Turf and all sorts of 'lekker' things were enjoyed and of course this all on the beach... absolutely lovely.
At 8 pm the PARTY started - we were treated to a live bossa nova band where the singer mesmerised us with her sensual voice and the drums took my breath away; I am rather chuffed as well that my freind Danny honoured me by having one of the first dances with me .. thank you Dan - that was my cherry on the top for the day :-). After the live music the DJ spun some tunes that got us all, including Martijn, dancing. Oh we were also treated to some rather nifty dance moves from Harry, Danny's brother, who a later found out is a dancing star hahaha quite a treat indeed.

Thank you sexy Suuz and Danny Dan for having us at your special day and as we wrote in our card we wish you both all the love, joy and adventure that comes with marriage - be good to each other and keep the fun alive. We are always here for you and we love you LOTS!

moments

While at Danny and Suuz' wedding I couldn't help thinking back to our wedding day and marvelling at how much I love and appreciate Martijn. While standing in the town hall I realised that I would do it all over again - I felt Mart's hand on my waist and felt a small kiss on my ear as the notary pronounced Dan and suuz man and wife and inside I shone.
Later in the day I dragged poor Maarten, a friend of the bridal coouple onto the beach to take some photos of my husband and I :o) ... what is it about wedding that make us so sappy, warm and fuzzy?

Grandpa comes to visit Scott

After living in the Netherlands for over 10 years I can Finally say my Father is in Town! Grandpa William has come to visit Scott! My Dad arrived on the 10th and after 3 weeks of heatwave madness the poor man arrived to ... you guessed it - RAIN!!! Oh well I suppose we are famous for inclement weather after all and for a dose of rue Dutch culture there is nothing better haha. My father and his wife Prudence will be spending two weeks with us, a short stay but now that they have taken this first step who knows we may see them on this side more often!
Scott is totally fascinated by his Opa - he laughs and chats and the initial confusion of who this person was speaking this weird language to him the two are inseparable. I am so glad that we are able to have my family over to Holland and that they can take part in Scott's life. There are days when I get a bit despondent thinking about my parents missing out on the new things Scott does and just seeing him develop and grow, at those times I question what I was thinking leaving sunny SA and coming over here but then reality reasserts itself and I realise that if I wasn't right here right now I wouldn't have my gorgeous husband or our beautiful boy!!
anyway back to the story of Grandad and Scotty (as my father calls him) - after a quick hug for Mart and I at Schiphol my father took his grandson in his arms and has thus far (5 days later) not let go - it is so great to see this side of my dad and see how my son responds.
This week we'll b travelling to Zeeland in the south of Holland and next week to Cologne and if time permits we'll take t he folks over to Texel .. I'll keep you update on our short holiday.

MOVING DAY

Tumultuous, tumultuous - all I can say is aaarrgghhh!! But we're in our new home - we are now safely and happily ensconced on IJburg. Before I begin to wax poetic about our haven and beautiful shelter let me give a shout out and special THANK YOU to the following hero's of the day - who tirelessy helped us moved ...Again ... Dan the man,Marky Mark and Ro- thanks for the muscled boys. Renate - Thank you for helping clean this spider invested, dust ebcrusted house :) All your help is so very appreciated!

We've met the neighbours avec children and had our first BBQ - life is good. The house is really coming together nicely and I LOVE our stuff - no this is not the material girl talking - we purchased all these things a year ago (that's Holland) and when it finally arrived I was a bit nervous that I wouldn't like them anymore ... being a Libran and a woman this isn't an impossible scenario .. But it all looks grand and we are feeling right at home!
Alexandrine Tinnehof 5 is officially opened for business.

Veggies YUCK!!

Remember a few posts back I was waxing all poetic about Scott the genius boy child who instantly ate his fruit and who gave us no grief ... Well I was made to eat those words yesterday. There I was playing perfect mom and cooking my son his dinner - delicious carrots and potato. I slaved in the heat and my head started swelling as I imagined what I must look like industriously preparing a healthy preservative, colourant free meal for my child. Scott like an angel was sleeping and so Mart and I sat down to our dinner (home made pasta arrabiata hmm). Right on time our child woke up and I all excitedly brought in the veggies - all that was missing was a drumroll and the sliver domed serving platter haha - we sat Scott in his high chair (a new development) and with great aplomb I gave him his first veggie bite .... YUCK .. Gross and all round gaga. He hated it .. hahaha so there I sat all disappointed while Mart laughed at the faces being pulled by the boy and eventually I too had to smile when I saw that little face ... We'll stick with the store bought veggies for now!

For the full experience check out shutterfly (link on the right)

Scott is 6 months

HIP HIP HOORAY to little Scott !!! Our child is 6 months old... I cannot believe it. Six months ago we brought him home all swaddled and small and sat watching him open his eyes and we oohed and aahed when he yawned and now hahaha he's a big boy who is grabbing at things and eating solid food! Where does the time go and am I ever gad I used the blog as a record of the months. Just looking at his first photos and now at the little man he is becoming - I am just amazed at how wonderful nature is and how precious our time!
Scott is a real chatter box (3 guesses where he gets that from haha) and is so very curious. He really looks at everything, taking all details and then thinks that he has it down and can do it as well - I can see many battles of will in the future with a son that thinks he knows best while Mommy knows she knows best ;-)! I really miss all of you in SA and you Sukie is the Emirates - I so wish that you can join Mart and I the fun times we have with Scott, I wish you could see his little personality developing and share the milestones with us. Mart and I are planning a trip to SA in Jan so that you can finally meet him.
I keep saying that Mart and I must have done something very right to have this little miracle in our lives and with each day and new experience I feel it again and again. We are so privilaged to have such a positive, lovely child and we promise to enjoy and respect him always!!
HIP HIP HOORAY to little Scott

HEATWAVE

Holland is HOT and I don't mean in the hip, happening, trendy, NOW! Sort of way - I mean literally melting into a puddle of bodily fluids hot! But your African blood can surely handle that I hear you say (sarcastically) but I'm a Jozie girl (I haughtily reply) and am used to dry heat! Its so darned humid here - the humid where you have cold shower and still sweat ...
Scott is handling it very well though and Mart and I tend to just sit and do as little as possible while drinking loads of energy drinks. Sleeping is also a nightmare and as usual I am the main fare for all the Uithoorn mosquito's .. I'm sure if you look into "The Mosquito's guide to the Netherlands" they have my address as a 'must see & do' ... The little buggers!
Oh before you think this is a rant .. let me reassure you that this is just a record of the hottest 3 weeks I have EVER experienced in this country - 3 weeks with temperatures above 30 degrees are surely worth a mention :-)
and if you don't believe me have a read ...
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=1&story_id=31657&RSS

The van Rooijens have a house

YIPPEE and YO HO HO we have finally got the keys to our new house - happy happy, joy, joy as Stimpy would say hahah.
We are the very proud owners of the Alexandrine Tinnehof 5, 1087 CM in Amsterdam!
On Monday 10th July it happened; we went over to the offices (converted container) of the developer (Era Bouw) to meet Mr Bes, whom Martijn instantly took a dislike to haha, we had a bit of a chit chat while waiting for the inspector … once he arrived – I don’t know his name but he was wearing all black in sweltering heat and not sweating therefore I think he was an alien – we headed out to inspect the house before taking receipt of the key!
The kitchen has been placed and looks pretty cool – we have the funkiest lights touch-tone – just one soft touch and they go on and another soft touch and they’re off haha can you see me touching the lights for a full 10 minutes?
Oh the painter also came by to check things out and probably see how much extra he can charge us – cynical? Who me? – Anyway he seemed a nice enough guy, a true Amsterdammer hahaha with tattoos absolutely everywhere – I’ll see if I can get some shots of Jan to share with you all …. We start the work on the place soon; I’ll keep you updated on the happenings!
http://scott2006.shutterfly.com/action/pictures?a=67b0de21b33ef8cd65c4

Interlude

Let me give you a quick rundown of our morning activities .. I wake up round about 7 and wake Scott, we change his nappy and give him his morning feed :). I then put him in his playpen or in his little 'wipstoeltje' and then I go and have my shower...
This morning as I was rushing about getting ready for work I looked across at Scott sitting in his little chair watching the Tweenies on CbeeBees (ChildrenÂ’s BBC) and I just had to stop and look in wonder at my child. He just looked so adorable. He was wearing a little shirt (from Lael and Emelia) and his little Khaki pants starting to look like a proper little man now! MY BOY!!!
Its weird how at moments like that my heart breaks because he is so sweet and my heart swells with pride at the same time as I see this perfect person - I wonder if I'll explode with the emotions I feel ... I look at Scott and I feel that my actions need to be truer and that the bad thoughts I have will somehow taint me in his eyes. He truly makes me be a better person. Martijn and I must have done something very right in a former life to be blessed with such a lovely boy.
I love being a mom and I love my family!

Our Trip to Texel

Hello Hello :) remember a few weeks back we went to Texel and we forgot to take the camera along? well that didn't happen a second time haha last weekend we hit the road again and headed out of the city ... not that Uithoorn is really a city - more like a village - but you know what I mean. Mart and Scott came to pick me up from work and we were off. This time we, or more accurately I, took loads of photos - from the moment we started our journey, in the car, having dinner at Mc Donalds, onto the ferry and into Opa and Oma's tiny cottage!
We had quite a lovely weekend, shopping, eating, sleeping and seeing the great-grandparents again. Scott lay all naked in the sun and loved going for walks in the fresh air - have a look at the Texel reportage in photos on: http://scott2006.shutterfly.com/action/

We also had a 'first' this weekend ... Scott had his first bit of fruit :) Apple & Banana hahaha it was such a great experience seeing the little man tasting something other than milk. Saturday we tried the first few bit/slurps haha and his face was just too precious - utter disgust - and a bit of an annoyed look at Daddy and me for making him eat something so obviously vile! That quickly changed though as he got a accustomed to the taste and by Sunday afternoon he was happily eating an entire jar - my gorgeous clever boy! I mean I know kids all over the world start eating solids but seeing Scott sitting there with his bib on and making lip smacking noises and looking so immensely pleased with himself just thrilled me tremendously hahaha I love my boy soooooo much!
Now Mart and I fight to feed him - just enjoying his little face and seeing his eyes following the spoon, which he also tries to grab constantly- so damn cute!! This week I'll be making him some lovely veggies to try - I'll let you all know how that goes :)

Scott & Rosalie

Rosalie is one month old hooray!! A few posts back I showed you the gorgeous lashes of little Rosalie (Roosje) ... here you see a better photo of the sleeping beauty! We have finally met her a few weeks back and introduced her formally to Scott! As you can see by the photo he has already assumed the protective pose hahaha She is such a little angel and didn't cry once during our visit. Mom Elzelien is doing well and Paul is the ever-so-proud dad :) its so funny to see out friends as parents - probably the same way they felt about us the first few weeks after Scott's birth! Scott presented Roosje with a pink basket filled with pink girlie things which was perfectly offset by his boyish Cheeky Monkey shirt .. what is it they say about sugar and spice and puppy dogs tails :)
We look forward to the next visit, hopefully at our new home on Ijburg!
Kisses Roosje from all of us :-)

Model Scott

Lights, camera and ACTION - Sunday Scott had his own little photo shoot haha Barbara (girlfriend of Mart's colleague) is a professional photographer and she offered to take some photos for us of our gorgeous boy. These photos will be his first portfolio in case we want to write him into a casting or modelling agency :)
Anyway - we arrived at the studio in Zaandam (just north of Amsterdam) bright and early on Sunday morning - as Scott's assistant I had packed a couple of outfits and got acquainted. After a few cups of coffee while Barbara set up shop we started the shoot. Shame our little boy is still so small that we had to help him with sitting up- so there was his dad and I trying to stay as much out of the shot without man-handling the little man - hard work I tell ya!
Scott was so fascinated with everything and, cute as he was, refused to smile - so there we all were, jumping, dancing, clapping and making silly faces at him while Barbara was snapping away trying to get a small smile but stubborn child just looked at us rather disdainfully and didn't oblige at all hahaha BUT after the shoot when we were packing up Scott turned on the charm, smiling and flirting up a storm! He certainly gained a new fan in Barbara and her and Roelof invited us to lunch in the Vondel Park (Amsterdam) to meet their baby Leica a little terrier who is also cute as a button!
We had such a lovely day with our son - amazing how this little person can just take over our lives and make us smile so much!
Thank you to Barbara for offering your Sunday and thanks to Roelof for being a serioulsy relaxed dude :o)
Of course once we have the final pics of the photoshoot I'll put them on the blog!

Check out family shot and one of cutie dog Leica.

For Mama

Something was amiss - the sun was shining and Scott was so happy this morning, yet I woke up feeling out of sorts and slightly blue – and then it dawned on me - today 6 years ago my beautiful grandmother passed away.
I’m still surprised by the depth of pain I feel when I think of Mama and just how much I miss her. There are moments when it hits me again – she is no longer here with us, I find myself saying oh I must tell Mama this or I must show mama that … when unrepentantly I remember her soft hands or remember the way she smelled. I miss lying behind her back in that tiny bed and touching her soft hair. Here is a peek into a personal moment … Mama loved to have her back scratched before going to bed haha and the grandkids would fight with each other to have the honour – I invariably ‘won’ the fight cos I was the youngest (and cutest haha) and I would always scratch very carefully around the mole on Mama’s back – my own way of taking care of the special woman who always took care of me.

I especially missed Mama when I was pregnant and on the day Scott was born.
I would love to hear her voice saying his name and see her holding my son in her arms – I can just picture her singing to him and saying that like his mother he too has lucky lips and then singing very jauntily … lucky lips are made for kissing lucky lips are never blue … just like she did for me when I was little. I wonder if this tight feeling in my chest will always remain when I remember my mama?
28th June 2000 in memoria – I love you Chrissie and I miss you so much!
I will tell Scott about his great-grandmother who is watching over him and whom I know is guarding over our child as his own personal angel … Thank you for being my inspiration.

Just keep swimming``

This last Saturday we went swimming as a family! Actually it was more for Mart and I - the weather was pretty nice and as we are still stuck in Uithoorn where life can be quite boring ;-) we decided to take the little man swimming. FUN!!! we packed our bags (yes BAGS - cos going anywhere with Scott is an exercise) and bought some swimming diapers and headed for the local public pool. we got changed and Daddy and Scott looked super cool in their similar trunks haha and I almost burst a vein blowing up the baby float .. we walked into the wave pool and got the shock of our lives! THOUSANDS of children - or so it seemed by the noise - everyone was screaming and shouting and laughing out loud. Little Scott just stared with his big eyes taking it all in.
I was expecting some crying from our little boy at this new experience but he took to it literally like a fish to water. All relaxed he sat like a veteran in his baby float and just checked everything out. Boy do I ever love our little boy terribly!!
We swam for almost an hour then treated ourselves to fries and headed home to snuggle up and enjoy the remainder of our day - Saturday was a good day indeed!

Scott chilling in his baby float and looking smart with Daddy - check out the same 'cool' swimming trunks ;)

Family News

Blogging takes off in the family and my cousin Adele has started her own blog - welcome to the bloggosphere cuz :o)!!
Its great reading about the family in Pretoria http://family-thoughts.blogspot.com - this is a great way for us to get to know your family and catch up on news despite the distance between Amsterdam and Pretoria! I am happy to be featuring your blog on mine - maybe you can add Mink and Mart to your links as well! We now look forward to seeing some pics of you, Lenny and the kids so carry on the good work and post, post, post!

Fathers Day

Scott continued his creative streak on Fathers day and surprised his Daddy with a beer glass featuring his adorable little handprints hahaha our cutie son !! Mart was quite surprised and I was so terribly proud. Of course as we are fully into the Football World Cup the wrapping of the gift was all orange and 'hup Holland hup' hahaha you should have seen Mart's face - my darling man is NOT into football at all but because the gift was from Scott it was great despite the orange flags!
The day itself was somewhat quiet as Mart had to work during the night and needed to catch up on his sleep during the day. We spent a quiet day at home and cooked a delicious dinner for Dad :) we cuddled loads and gave Dad all the love he so definately deserves! Thank you my beautiful husband for being such an amazing father and husband - Scott and I are so blessed to have you!

Almost 5 months

LOOK AT MY BOY!!! AARRGGHHH tell me where the time is going - my son is almost five months old! Scott is just growing in leaps and bounds! at the last visit to the consultatie bureau he weighed 7.690 kilos and was 67 cm long - he is now able to grab and hold onto things and everything he gets into his hands heads straight for the little mouth hahah And at the moment the cutest thing is the laughing - Scott is laughing up a storm, when he sees me in the morning when something unexpected happens - when he Daddy makes funny faces - its just so awesome! the other day I came out of the shower and just heard him gurgling so I snuck into the lounge to spy and there was Scott watching the boogie Beebies and laughing - it just made me so happy! He is also starting to roll about with his fat little body haha and he can move his hips like a little Elvis :o)


I spent my first night away from Scott this month as well - it was awful! I had a training and had to spend the night away. So the weekend before I sat there trying to express as much milk as I could and trying to hug and kiss him as much as possible. Then I thought - let's be positive, see it as a full nights sleep but do you think I could sleep? Hell no - I kept waking up thinking I heard him cry - is this to be my future friends and family!! We also used the training to introduce Scott to formula and there I was thinking (and secretly hoping) that he wouldn't drink it and that he would just want his mother ... I had visions of the Mart distraught and tired and Scott screaming and then I wuld glide in all cool and collected, saving the day and being SUPERMOM ... Who was I kidding - the boy was an angel hahaha he drank his bottle and was sweet and relaxed. And after the initial pang of self pity at how easily I could be replaced as a food source I was full of pride again at our clever little boy!

I have also started reading to Scott - and I'm not sure who enjoys it more. Look at his little face man!! He loves it and he will sit on my lap for the entire story- making noises and hitting the pages hahaha in the book above (Who Made me?) he is in love with zebra and will give this high pitched little scream when we get to that page - I just want to eat him up. Sufficed to say that we have the most gorgeous and brilliant baby in the world ;-)

The weather has been hotting up on this side of the world and we took Scott for his first visit to Texel to celebrate Opa's 82nd birthday! The boy's first big trip .. car and ferry to get there and he was so good shame not a squeak out of him the whole 2 hours we were traveling. Mart and I are used to making the trip but were a bit surprised by how much we now had to take along for the little man. I am really looking forward to spending more weekends there this summer - it was such fun - the first time Scott felt grass and lying naked in the sun - hahaha he managed to pee on two towels but it was worth it to see him enjoy the new found freedom! Opa and Oma were also so excited to have him there and he even made the traditional trip to Timmer for coffee and gebak :o) - oh and we hang our heads in shame because we forgot the camera so no pics of the trip BUT we will be taking some next time round.

Rosalie

YIPPEE our dear friends Paul and Elzelien were blessed with a little girl! Rosalie Fienne Kuijs was born at 12:30 on 01-06-06 after a long wait and a difficult pregnancy for Mama en Papa!
Rosalie we say WELCOME!! we are so happy that you are here!
Scott, Mart and I met Rosalie last week and she is a true princess in pink! It was also a shock to see how much Scott has grown in just 5 months - he looked huge next to her hahaha
You'll probably be reading more about Rosalie in the months to come, as proud aunt and uncle we look forward to getting to know her.. and in the meanwhile check out her gorgeous long eye lashes :)

Darling Paul and Lien - well done and CONGRATULATIONS!! We love you

Mothers Day 2006

Yesterday was my first ever Mothers Day and ... I LOVED IT!!! Last week I got my pressie from Scott which he 'made' at daycare - his little cute footprint on a tile with the message 'Voor mama, dikke kus Scott' (to mama big kiss Scott) shame my little Dutch baby hahaha so cute - I opened the little package and just felt my chest close up and the tear ducts open - what an amazing feeling getting the first little self-made gift from your child - nothing in the world could possibly feel better. I stood here in the lounge with tears in my eyes not knowing what to do with myself and poor Mart just held me - the poor man doesn't know what to do when I get so emotional.

That was not the end of it though as on Saturday I received the most gorgeous bunch of flowers from my own beautiful Mother - thank you Mumzy ...
And then yesterday when I walked into the lounge, there was little Scott sitting in his 'wipstoeltje' with a package in his lap haha a book for the Mother from him and daddy :o) This was then followed by breakfast from my gorgeous husband - croissants (freshly baked) and freshly squeezed orange juice. Delish!
We also went round to Dawn and Lawrence for a braai yesterday afternoon which was great and the mommies didn't have to do a thing - absolutely fabulous - I say bring on Mothers day every year what a way/day to be spoiled. Thank you my wonderful husband and son for making me feel so special - I am blessed and I love you.

Q1 Results and Stats

Scott is 3½ months old. Things are a-moving and this blog will share some of what he has been doing since the last update!

First some basic Stats :) since our last update the young man has grown - at our last visit to the consultatie bureau Scott weighed 6.970 kg, was 64 cm long and slightly above the 'curve' in bothweightt and length yoo hoo to breast milk haha he can hold his head up when he is on his belly and when you hold him up in the airairplanee style he tenses and rights himself - apparently a test at this age. He got his second round of vaccinations - so zielig - but was a brave boy!!
His smiles are abundant and seem to get more dazzling by the day and an added bonus for Daddy and me - Scott has started laughing and my word what a divine sound that is. Two weeks ago we were changing him and Daddy went in to tickle his belly and then like magic there was this wonderful sound - like angel bells ringing (goofy I know but he's our angel) and our boy laughed! His eyes crinkled up and his little mouth was wide open and he giggled hahaha we of course whooped and cheered which scared Scott a bit (shame!) and we proceeded to spend the rest oof thee evening and weekend trying to make him laugh again. Not only that but we called ALL the family to share the happy news - we are pathetically enthousiastic about our son!

Besides growing in weight and size the little man has started going to daycare to help his brain develop.. at least that what I tell myself to make the feelings of guilt and missing him somewhat less! The first morning I had to leave him behind was awful!! He is so small ..
He goes to 'Dribbel' and is the Banjerhoek rascalss corner), his two carers are called Lieke, Sylveline and there is an intern Denise. Scott is the baby of the group and he is so small compared to the other kids that I just want to pick him up and run away to our safe home .. small he may be hahaha but apparently he gives them a run for their money and demands ALL their attention (takes after his mom there). he seems to be doing well though and Isupposee it helps him socialise and by being with older kids his development will be a bit faster with the extra stimulation. I do get butterflies in my tummy though when I know I can pick him up again and whenIi walk in and see my hello smile from him all my cares from work fade away - he is my instant stress reliever.

oh now a quick update on moi - I started working again on April 26th - AWFUL!!! I got back to the office and verily found out my manager was trying to get me out of the department - a very nice welcome-back NOT .. but as legally this is not allowed of course - not to mention that it is morally despicable - after a few meetings with HR and me looking up the labour laws and sharing them with him I have been handed my job again. To behonestt I would have gladly moved out of the department as my manager is a bit of a snake but staying in a familiar place is probably good for the next few months what with everything that haschangedd and the new house coming up!
Oh yes we are probably getting the key to new home in week 28/29 (beginning July) ... I cannot wait and will be updating you on that soon as well.
Some good news to end off with .... I have been selected as the new Chairman of our Canon Works Council - we are 13 members of staff that represent the interest of 700 employees - its loads of work but so rewarding! I feel a bit chuffed as I am the first female chair in Canons history :o)

Moments...

I suppose I should warn you that this blog contains a high saccharine factor so grab a bag and get ready! Scott is gorgeous, he is just the happiest baby and I feel so blessed! love him with all my being! Not only is he gorgeous but he is smart and every day he develops a bit more. Its such a privilege to be a part of his life - I just marvel at the fact that he knows who I am and that when he sees me he gurgles and waves his arms about and just beams! He is starting to discover his legs and kicks off his blankies and seems to enjoy the fact that his mom and dad run to cover him... he already understand the concept of action-reaction!
Another part of his body that he has discovered is his little tongue - the little pink thing pops out of his mouth constantly and blowing spit bubbles is just great fun hahaha oh this may be TMI but hey its my blog ;-) sometimes when he's breastfeeding, the little man will look up at me and just grin so hugely that the nipple pops out of his mouth and he gets sprayed with milk which gives him a bit of a fright and he'll squeal hahaha so damn cute!!

Also for the last two nights he has slept right through (quite a feat for such a young 'un!) and then in the morning when I get him out of his bed there he is with this huge smile on his face just gurgling and 'chatting'! Our little man has also been sleeping in his own room - which is another amazing feat - I am so proud of our boy! I feel like a real mother at night when I put him down after his last feed - he is so small in his big bed and I lay him down, give him a kiss, tuck his blankets tightly around his little frame and walk to the door.. just before I leave him I look back and there he lies with his arms relaxed beside his head and that sweet face all safe and comfortable in sleep ... my heart just fills and I get this weird feeling in my stomach .. life is at that moment is bitter-sweet!
The responsibility for this little life is awesome and the rewards are so much greater than I could have ever imagined .. I promise to be the best person to my son that I can be!

2 months old

Scott is two months old .. where does the time go I hear you ask and quite honestly I don't know. I still have 4 weeks left of my maternity leave and I am starting to panic! We have been to check out a creche here in Uithoorn and it didn't leave me feeling particularly happy so you can imagine that the thought of leaving our precious boy in the company of strangers is just a bit much for Mommy (I still think I have some strong hormones floating about haha)
BUT let's forget that for now .. I'll tell you what has been happening with the little prince!

Smiles! Scott has been smiling up a storm this month and making his Dad and I just sooo happy! You have no idea how amazing and wonderful and full-on fantastic it is seeing that smile - he coos and gurgles and then like a light switch being flicked on he dazzles us with a huge toothless grin hahaha awesome! This boy is already a charmer and all the girls are falling for him - and how could they possibly resist those big brown eyes and button nose?
The most heartbreaking thing ever is waking up in the morning and as I open our bedroom door I can already hear little sounds coming from his room - he gurgles and sighs and as I open his door I am greeted by the biggest smile ever and his eyes crease and twinkle - just gorgeous - of course this ensures that my day can't get any better hahaha.

Oh Scott also had his first vaccinations last week - the first shot he took quite well a small little cry but then they gave him a hepatitis shot and then he cried so much I couldn't control my tears either so there we sat mother and child having a little weep. I must admit I was rather shocked by the big needle they used in that small little leg!! Other than the shot though the visit to the baby clinic was good - Scott now weighs .. wait for it .. 5,790 kg and has grown to 60 cm's - great huh??

Ijburg

hi guys :o) - its been way too long since the last update but what can I say - life is full haha
News on Scott to follow but first I thought I'd give a quick update on our new house. On the 10th of March we had a buyers afternoon where we got some more info on when we get the keys (week 22-26) and we also got a chance to see the house again. The facade is up and it looks stunning! the dividing walls are also up and the room allocations are in place. Its rather weird to see the spaces - they are slightly different to what I imagined when looking at the plans and the last time we went to visit when it was just a shell. It looks really good thus far though and soon they will be placing the kitchen and doing the bathroom and toilets... can't wait to see that phase!

The space is just amazing and we cannot wait to move in. Scott's room is the best in the house (figures the lucky fish) with big windows and loads of light. The lounge is also just GORGEOUS!!! long and bright and 50 m² I can't wait to get our new furniture in there and actually start living on Ijburg. We have gone looking for floors, curtains, cupboards, paint etc and I am really looking forward to making the final decisions on all the colours and everything - its going to be so cool decorating our first house :)
I've made a new album with pics of the house thus far - click on this link: http://scott2006.shutterfly.com/action/ and choose the Ijburg album to have a look.
If anyone is free round about June/July and fancies some painting and DIY you know where to come to :-) Alexandrine Tinnehof 5 ...

A month in the life of ...

Time truly does fly - Scott is one month old! Unbelievable ..
We are now truly on our own - Maman left us on the 18th of Feb and we are now truly on our own during the day. The first days were a bit weird - since Scott's birth there has always been someone else in the house and as Monday the 20th Feb started I kept waiting and listening for Muriel's footsteps coming down the stairs or another voice ... but it was just us! I do miss the maman but I am also enjoying this time with just my son and I.

The 20th also saw Scott's first visit to the baby clinic (consultatiebureau) and the little man has gained 33% of his birth weight already. Scott now weighs 4.740 kg and has grown 2.5 cm and is now 56.5 cm .. so cute!! I thought that gaining 1.5 kg's was a bit excessive but the doctor assured me that this was quite normal seeing that he was growing in length as well and that breastfed babies generally gain about 300 grams per week. He is starting to get a little fat now - not real fat rolls yet but his legs are just adorable - his dad and I constantly want to bite them- oh he is also getting little jowls hahaha and these too need biting now and then!

Shame so much is happening in his little life and its just fantastic to see him grow and develop - he is starting to focus on more things and I swear I see little smiles - he has also started producing tears which cover his little lashes when he cries and just break my heart! I never imagined that seeing him cry could upset me this much! I know that he tears are just a physical thing and that I should be happy that his tear ducts are opening and functioning well but my goodness he looks so 'zielig' when he cries!!
He has also started making more sounds lately - sort of cooing and gurgling and when he's awake you see him looking around and moving the little hands constantly.
Oh Scott may have my nose and mouth but he so has Martijn's facial expressions - sometimes its just scary how much he resembles his Dad haha and he has this frown which is just endearing and cute as hell... I can see him wrapping me around his little finger as he gets bigger - oh who am I kidding he's doing that already!

Photos online

Hi All,

I have created an online album for the boy :) click on the below link to view the first albums: day of Scott's birth as well as his first week - I'll be updating the site with the subsequent weeks asap ..
On this site you can also add comments - looking forward to seeing who's had a look!

http://scott2006.shutterfly.com

In love

Can you all believe that our child is two weeks old? On one hand I feel like he has always been here and then I think back and I can't believe that he was just born 2½ weeks ago!
Scott is growing like gangbusters and eating like a fiend - he has me up every 3 hours to eat and then when I am sitting there at 4 am feeling grumpy and tired and generally crap he looks at me with his big eyes and grabs my finger and my heart just melts as I keep falling in love with him every day!
How is it possible that he is so perfect and cute and adorable and smart! The lady from the baby clinic came by on Monday for an intake 'interview' as well as to check up on my mothering skills (checking for nappy rash etc) and to see how the new child is feeling in the world and she was rather impressed by how alert Scott was - all curious eyes and pensive face hahaha its like he is really studying his new world and will probably be filing his report soon!
Dad and I are still struggling with waking up at night but we have managed to put the little tike into his own bed and although it just breaks my heart to see him lying there so small in his big cot its for the best (or so I am telling myself) but Scott still has us pandering to his needs anyway because he is all fussy when things go quiet at night so we have a radio in his room which makes the nappy changes quite fun at 3 am when you herer the most bizarre radio interviews - shame let's hope his taste in music is not affected by the oompha bands and Dutch rock which is also played in the wee hours :-)
Oh wait before I sign off ... Scott has started sucking his thumb .. ADORABLE!!! He'll start fussing and pulling strange faces when I lay him in the pram and then when I go back to look at him there he is lying with the tiny thumb in his mouth and his little fist curled up over his cute little nose .. my heart just breaks - as the subject line says - I am so totally in love with our son!!

Watching from the sidelines (but some times on the field)

Hiya - Maman signing in
If the past week has been surreal, the day of my arrival can be described as floating in the stratosphere.
As I emerged from the arrivals hall at Schiphol I looked around but could not find my beloved daughter's dark curls amongst the throng of eager heads, nor that of my son in law. I settled in for a bit of a wait, leaning on the handles of my trolley. But alas a scant minute or three later I caught site of the Mart on his cell phone, craning his neck. We had the customary 3-kiss Dutch greeting and I asked where Lizelle was (thinking she was probably waiting outside the bustle- being 9 months pregnant and all). Martijn replied that she was at home - what, for the first time since visiting Holland over the past 10 years or so, she was not at the airport to greet me? But being so heavily pregnant, I reasoned, she is obviously forgiven. Then Mart informs me, as we briskly walk towards the parking pay-station that her water had broken that morning at 07h30 (and we are now at 11h00)... I am reeling... this baby is supposed to arrive a week and two days later! In his efficient manner Martijn tells me that Lizelle had reminded him to pick up some vlaai for me. (This is a little ritual Lizelle and I follow every time I land - we get a type of pastry topped with fruit and loads of cream at the airport patesary). 'Hell no' I said ' let's leave immediately - my child is in labour!'.
I saw Lizelle pregnant for 8 hours and then little Scott Francis van Rooijen made his entrance into the world at 19h26!
He is perfect and adorable and intelligent and charming and has a little dimpled cheek! Proving to be a lady-killer already - all the nurses wanted to take him home!
His mother has taken to her role like a duck to water and his father is fulfilling his role with exceptional flare.
I am grateful that I formed part of welcoming this new little life onto the planet and feel extremely blessed to experience this first phase of Scott's development.
I am sharing some of my favourite pics with you.
From a cold, but (thank God) dry Holland.
The doting Maman.

a kiss from Dad ... my guys!!

At the hospital just before heading home .. we can't believe it - did we create this little miracle? We already love our little boy.

Up and running ...

Big day today for us - the umbilical cord fell off .. the last physical remnant of the time spent in Mommy's womb!! Day 5 already .... and we are getting the hang of things :) Scott and I are discovering each other and we fall more and more in love with each hour. Is it possible that this little angel is mine?? Or in case Daddy reads the blog .. ours hahaha
Scott is starting to show his true colours - his first days were spent on his part looking about and just checking out the world, while I spent most of my time looking at him in awe and wondering if this was real. He has now decided he likes what he sees and has started 'voicing' his needs. He is such a sweetheart - once he has been fed, burped and changed he'll just lie there looking about and being cute .. Much like his mother hahaha
We are establishing our routine quite nicely and after surviving the 4th day baby blues I feel relatively back in control of things. Apparently on the 4th day there is a hormonal shift in the mother and boy did I feel it - crying and feeling literally crap! - completely out of control and helpless - I suppose that the fact that my milk 'came in' was no help either. I have become a milk making machine and I tell you Pamela Anderson aint got nothing on me .. if my career at Canon doesn't take off I'm sure playboy has a space for these babies haha Scott is loving it and eating like the proverbial little piggy!! It does however take some getting used to this breast feeding gig and as a woman you have absolutely NO idea what your body is capable of - just amazing!!
But enough about my lactating bits .. back to the star on the show - he has kept his Dad and me up and this too takes some getting used to. We are starting to recognise the various sounds he makes and have realised that not all crying is bad although boy does it ever break my heart to hear him cry and see the little face turn all red and scrunched up!! And have I mentioned that my sone has these amazing eyes ... so when you want to get annoyed and cranky when at 4am he is making life a bit tough he looks at you and the little hairs stick up all cute and then our hearts melt and we laugh and kiss the little cheeks .. and you know what else - he smells soooo GOOD!!!! As Mart put it we are such animals - we sniff him and kiss him and rub our noses against him constantly - we just can't get enough of our baby boy and actually I hope that we never will!!!

from peanut to angry raisin .. our (love) child is born

On Sunday 22 January 2006 at 19:26 - Scott Francis van Rooijen made his entrance onto the planet Earth - weighing in at 3.450 kg's and 54cm tall. In true familial style he was early and he made it in record time - both parents being impatient and rather single minded :).
I'll give you all a very quick run-down of how the day went ... you know you'll hear more about it later.

At 06:50 my waters broke and by 10 am contractions had started. As most of you know Muriel, the Mater, was scheduled to arrive at 10 and Mart had to go and welcome her on his own .. the poor Mater landed right in the middle of the drama which actually now that I think about it - probably suited her just Fine haha
From 2 pm till 5 pm I was instructed to lie down and breathe ... never before has breathing been that difficult.
At 5 pm my midwife came for a check and discovered that I was fully dilated which prompted an emergency run to the local hospital - Starsky and Hutch style - haha - myself and midwife in the first car my mom and Martijn following close on our heals.
By the time we arrived at the hospital 'pushing' contractions had already started and thus the real labour!!
From about 5:30 pm I started pushing ... Mart was amazing with tandem support and the Maman was ready with cold compress on forehead and junk ...
Scott - the star - did everything he was supposed to do, and then some. And by 19:26 he came into the world - an angry Raisin as his Dad puts it. He was all scrunched up and blue and despite all that, he was beautiful (no we are not just saying that coz he's our son!).
On sunday night i had to stay in hospital just tomake sure all was well with son and Mom and mondaymorning we packed Scott into his ski suit for his first ride home ... Dad drove very carefully :)

Day 3 of life and him and Mom are doing well - I am still a bit sore of course but I have never been happier and I cannot believe this little man is ours and that he is so perfect and that we are now in the presence of the kicking machine that was so recently in my belly :)
As his aunt Sune's gift put it (see picutre of little hat) - welcome to the World - Scott - our little miracle!!

Ramblings & the migration of the nose ...

I should get a dictaphone, actually I've been threatening to get one for years .. Why do I need one? Well because I get all these amazing thoughts and turns of phrase in the wee hours of the night but then I am so tired and body heavy that I can't get out of bed and don't write them down and in the light of day I sound so bland and pretentious ... In one word - it sucks. Oh and of course I don't see little Mart being happy with lights going on and the scratching of the pen in the night
Why is it actually that the good ideas and the bright thoughts come in the dark, when sitting on the toilet or in the middle of a meeting?? Is it cruel fate or just stupid coincendence .. I don't know what I do know is that its annoying beyond reason.

Now onto part two of my title - the migration of the nose.. this is a funny occurrence indeed. WHY does this happen .. I know the medical reasoning for this and I realise what with hormones and excess fluids in the pregnant female body its rather commonplace but my heavens .. my nose is large!! Actually my whole face has become puffy so it looks okay-ish ... kinda! I wonder if my nose will return to normal proportions after the birth of our beloved (already) boy? What if it doesn't .. hell that doesn't bear thinking about!!
And its not only the nose that causes me some consternation - I have also aquired some sausage fingers and my ankles have also moved off leaving my feet to connect directly with my leg hahaha my midwife says to eat white vegetables as this helps with water retention - can you all just see me nibbling on cauliflower as a midday snack when all I want is nougat!!