This is a sign

SURELY this is a sign.

I have been teaching Tim to not touch OUR books in the book closet. However I have made an exception when he grabbed that potty training book. So far for consistency.

Gina Ford gives a few conditions on whether to start potty training. According to those (+ 18 months, aware of doing pee or poo, etc.) Tim is ready. However, I am not sure if I want to try yet. He's still so young. But it's either now or a few months after his little sibling is born. Because potty training when a big change is about to happen, is not a smart thing. For those with potty trained children: when did you start potty training your toddler? How did you do it?

Tim the tool man (The Tiny Dutch edition)

Who cares your kid could walk at 5 months? Speak at 9 months? Juggle fire balls at his first birthday? And paint a perfect Van Gogh replica at 2 years?

Mine can SO assemble IKEA furniture. Using ALL the screws.

We SO need a painting on the wall. I guess the kid painting van Gogh replicas would come in handy now..

The next Mozart

I have this weird pregnancy symptom. I had the exact same when I was pregnant with Tim.

The creative side of my brain (left, right, anyone?) has been asking for a piano. And it won't leave me alone. It has made me to believe I can be the next Mozart. If only I had a piano. And a few lessons. To get the basics. Oh and anti-aging creme. Mozart peeked at a much younger age.

Besides from releasing the super piano player in me, I can just see our family playing the piano together. At Christmas, singing carols, at birthdays, singing.... You get the point. It would be like the Brady bunch (did they even have a piano?).

I already talked FreezeM into getting me one. But so far he has only agreed to give me a piano from Toys 'r' us. Clearly he is not taking this serious. Sure, I'm high of all the chocolate I ate (these days I cannot get through the day without a fix of chocolate. I really should go to rehab like all the other celebrities. Because, yeah, if only I had a piano. I would be a famous.) but this is not the chocolate speaking.

So really, you all should help me to come up with the perfect reason why FreezeM should buy me a piano. The real thing, not a colorful Fisher Price one, made in China.

And this is not the time to remind me of the fact, that exactly two years ago, for the exact same reasons, I borrowed FreezeM's father's keyboard. Which I didn't touch. Because, you would not catch Mozart playing a keyboard. He would be offended!

Also, do you think pregnancy hormones can make one delusional?

If that was the case, I would see things like the only two fashion items I truly hate come together in CRUGGS! Look at that, Uggs and Crocs went and had a baby. And hereby I have proven I am not only a piano genius, I am a true mathematician proving a much told theory wrong: minus times minus is not always plus.

And modest. I am SO modest.

The - Room - We - Shall - Not - Touch

Since we moved to our new home we have had one of three bedrooms declared as The - Room - We - Shall - Not - Touch. Since a few weeks we have been - very gradually - preparing that room for our new family member who is expected to arrive late January. In the room, you'll find:

1. Three unpacked boxes (in the room since we moved in JANUARY) I have NO idea what's in them. I hope it's dead.
2. The cat litterbox (yummy)
3. A book case that was way too small for our living room. We have high ceilings, which made the bookcase look incredibly tiny. It was like putting a night stand in the living room and using it as dinner table.
4. Two desks with two old computers FreezeM used to use. But now we lounge on the couch with our laptops.
5. A lot of dust bunnies. Isn't that cute? BUT IT'S WRONGGG. ( 2 Stupid dogs.. anyone?) The English have a different name for dust bunnies: they call it "beggar's velvet". Somehow it sound less disgusting to have velvet laying around.
6. A stack of old college books. Seriously, what do you do with college books AFTER you graduated?
7. Tools. FreezeM used it as a place to keep all his tools.
8. Cat baskets. The cats hang out there all the time. Hence the dust bunnies.
9. Things. A lot of things that I just do not no where to put.
10. Part of our bookkeeping, which we are gradually moving to another room.

I'll post NO pictures. The - Room - We - Shall - Not - Touch is TOO embarrassing. But in the next few months we will have to turn into a baby room. We have to get all the stuff out, haunt the dust bunnies, CLEAN it, decide on a new place for the litter box (do you want two cats?), paint the room, furniture the room, decorate the room and pop out a baby. But what I really want is to lay around and eat massive amount of chocolate.

I'd like to thank...

1. Hotty M.D. for looking at my foot this morning and declaring it 'splinter-free'. Last week I stepped in a splinter, and I thought it was still in my foot. However, after poking around, Hotty M.D. did not find any splinters. Normally I have another doctor, whose name is (translated) Van Joke. SERIOUS!! He also doesn't take his patients very serious. REALLY! So when Doctor Van Joke wasn't available today for my foot I was happy to go to the other doctor of the practice: Hotty M.D. If I was single and kidless I would probably have a mild case of hypochondria.

2. The inventor of chocolate for inventing chocolate. Seriously this pregnancy has caused me to eat a LOT of chocolate.

3. My mom for taking care of Tim twice a week, while I am at work, while my MIL is on HOL(iday).

4. My mom for cleaning the house, while she's taking care of Tim, while I am at work, while my MIL is on HOL.

5. My mom for cooking meals and doing groceries, while cleaning the house, while she's taking care of Tim, while I am at work, while my MIL is on HOL.

6. Arkie Mama for giving met the 'Nice Matters award'. Thanks Arkie Mama! I am honored! She thinks she can drop by my house anytime for coffee. Let me tell you something about The Dutch. They are not nice and they are not hospitable. Hostile YES, hospitable NO. Surprise visits will cost you your life are generally not appreciated. However, I LOVE surprise visits (after you've called three weeks ahead, and my secretary confirmed your appointment AND you've passed our security tests). So come on over Arkie Mama :)

Now I should probably forward this award to someone huh... think think think.... OK DONE! I choooose AIMEE. Why should you all leave this post and go over to Aimees? Because she's nice (obviously), she's smart, she's witty, she's gorgeous AND makes the cutest pictures of her son Declan. She also writes honest posts about being a parent. Honest parenting posts are a BIG help to other moms.

7. 'Let the dog in' for giving me the shmooze award. Thanks!

I had to look up 'shmooze' (hey I'm Dutch, I don't know ALL the words!) And Google defined it for me as:
shmooze: talk idly or casually and in a friendly way. And I thought it meant 'making out'. But obviously I was wrong.

Now, I have enough comprehension of the English language to understand she is not referring to Webster's translation of idle :"lacking worth or basis". I mean, I'd have to slap her, right? So I am honored she thinks I can casually chat. In a foreign language, chatting casually is difficult. Because especially crossing cultures, I'm often afraid I'll offend someone, by saying the wrong thing, using the wrong word.

So that was thanks, now comes forward... I'd like to forward this award to someone I enjoy shmoozing with .... Haley-O over at Cheaty Monkey! She is SO funny! And SO pregnant! And she still got energy to blog daily about her life with her little monkey. I would love to hang out on her new couch with a bucket of popcorn and just watch the Cheaty Monkey family and their gazillion (or was it 3?) cats who ruin their furniture.

8. Tim for napping while I wrote this post.

A weekend camping with lots of mineral water and a husband that just doesn't want to come out of the closet.

I need another weekend. Even though I'm blessed with 3-day weekends, this one was too short AND exhausting.

Friday
Tim got sick on Thursday, fever, slept a lot. So Friday we spend the entire day at home. Just the two of us. Tim slept a lot and when he was awake he needed more attention than usual. I decided we needed a vacation.

I came up with a PERFECT trip. No long driving ours. No reservations needed. No packing whatsoever. We went camping in the living room. I built us a tent and we spend many hours playing in it. I know. I'm 12. But so is FreezeM. He jumped right in there with Tim when he came home from work.

Saturday
How hard can it be to buy some dinner table chairs? Very. We found Saturday. My mom came over to play with Tim, so we could hit the shops. Though I was afraid my mom might clean up the tent (which I conveniently left in the MIDDLE of the living room: I mean, who goes camping for only ONE day, right?), because that what mom's do. My mom is particularly a very tidy and clean mom. The minute she walks in, she has cleaned the kitchen and I can use the kitchen cabinets as mirrors.

But I was happy to find out she went camping with him. The tent was still there when we came back (without chairs). After visiting about 10 (or 12, or 124, or 12835) furniture stores in Rotterdam. On our way back to The Hague we stopped by a (VERY crowded) IKEA. Where we found chairs we liked. But they only came in two colors that would have gone to a nasty war with our living room colors. I like peace in my home. So we left the chairs to be sold to another family.

Sunday
My husband is in the closet. The bathroom closet to be precise. We bought some bathroom furniture at IKEA. The bathroom has been a little project of FreezeM ours. The new sink cabinet we got Saturday was supposed to go in Sunday. Because FreezeM had to mess with the water, he turned of the main water supply thing. (This is also where my use of the English language ends. Because all the technical things, become. Things. Water things. Electricity things. Bath things. Light things.)

Sunday a lot of THINGS went wrong. FreezeM spend an entire day IN the closet and at the THING store.
And because of the water THING was shut down. Tim and I had no tab water. And no toilet water. So I washed my hands with mineral water. Cleaned with mineral water. Flushed the toilet with mineral water. Cooked with mineral water.

I felt like Madonna. When everyTHING fails, I turn to luxury.

This is also the point were I should mention that Tim was the devil himself a little cranky. The WHOLE day.

And I also like to share with you, that when I know I can't pee (because there is only mineral water to flush the toilet with) ...... I HAVE to pee. I know it's in my brain. Probably. But I'm also pregnant. And pregnant women should ALWAYS be allowed to pee.

So I was a little cranky too. Without running water. With a cranky baby. No new dinner tables. And a husband in the closet.

But he does look cute doing manly things. Maybe I should get him a tool belt.

I NEED ANOTHER WEEKEND.

Camp "I already know the name of my baby boy"

The house of Nadine is divided in two camps:

Camp "I already know the name of my baby boy"
The camp that knows the name of the boy (IF it's a boy) that will be born around January 30th 2008.

Camp "not THAT name"
The camp that has yet to decide (or agree) on MY name of the boy (IF it's a boy).

I'm the first camp. Obviousely Tim is too. Because I gave birth to him. And that gives me the right to put him in my camp.

SO. The husband thinks the name I picked (which I HEART and ADORE) is girlish. TOO girlish. Actually, that is not the word he used. But I don't want to offend anyone. You know what I mean.

But he's WRONG! The name is a male name (looked it up) and it's just the cutest possible name there is for a baby. And a cool name for a guy. I mean, gotta think of his future, right? Can't name him Superman or Butterfly (now that would be a girlish name!).

So while we are divided in two camps (still on speaking terms, sleeping in the same bed, no worries). I need YOU to side with me and sign a petition. No, just kidding. I want to at least pretend to consider other boy names. That's where you come in!

What should we name the boy - IF it's a boy - ?

And if one of you come up with the name I picked? Husband's camp lost.

And also? We are not finding out IF it's a boy until September 17th.
And? You won't find out until January 30th. Give or take a few days. (TAKE, please!)
And? Of course I will give you credit if you named my baby.
And the girls name? Already decided on. It's gonna make at least one of you think we named her - IF it's a her - after you.

Oh no, it's...

sand!

The horror!

Tim has a SAND phobia. I hopethink it's just temporary. I mean how many ADULTS are afraid of sand.. Right?

• When we take him to the playground, we have to carry him over the sand to get him on the slide.
• He refuses to play in his sand box, which is in our garden and has the shape of a giant turtle. It's really cute, and I would totally play in it, if it was big enough. But unless I like to have firemen come in and remove a giant turtle from my ass, I'll refrain from giving in to my inner child.
• He doesn't like the beach.

But since it was MY birthday last week, AND it was good weather, AND we live like a 15 minute drive from the beach..... we took him to the beach (here). Were we first visited Sea Life (which is the world's smallest Sea Life, and although it was fun, I would never go there again. It's smelly, tiny and there was a HUGE Sweat Fish walking around with a German accent). But the Seahorses were fun:

Than we ate poffertjes on the boulevard. It's like mini pancakes.They are typical Dutch meal. Mostly for children. But I am 9 (not 29, although my date of birth suggests otherwise) so I could totally eat them too.

An than finally, we strolled on the beach. Tim didn't realize we put him on the SAND. Until he ran. And fell. And felt the sand. And cried. But as long as he was carried..

Or laying on top of mommy....

Or distracted by sea shelves...

He was fine. But don't let him touch the sand. I mean, the horror. Sand. Imagine. Ew.

Despite the sand issues, my birthday totally rocked.

Did I just...

Cameron: It's an allergy.

Chase: There's no rash. It's must be his heart.

Foreman: Those theories don't make sense. It's neurological.

House: Oh stop it. Isn't it obvious? Mommy tried to kill the baby. Test for poisons.

OK. I plead? Guilty.

Yesterday I was brushing my teeth. And Tim went along to the bathroom and did his sign for teeth brushing. No harm in a little bit more extra brushing the teeth (as he really doesn't do a good job). So I gave him his toothbrush, put some toothpaste on it, and gave it to him. He was delighted. Than I put back the toothpaste. Went on brushing my teeth. Looked back on the bathroom sink and saw two tubes that very much looked alike. One tube with baby creme called "weather and wind creme" and the toothpaste. Ehm. Stone to stomach. Did I just...

I am 80% sure I gave him toothpaste. I'm not completely sure because the substance of the creme and the paste are very much the same. And as I frantically smelled and snorted both the creme and the paste, I really could not identify the difference in smell either. (But after the snorting, I did see pink striped elephants in gigantic balloons flying through the bathroom, that was AWESOME!).

Normally the creme isn't even on the sink. FreezeM put it there because he build a nice new bathroom closet. So not everything was in his place yet.

Dr. House. You are right, as always. It was the mommy who poisoned the innocent child. I won't even lie. So punish me if you will. Don't call the police: a gentle slap on the behind with your cane will be great punishment and will teach me to take better care of my baby.

I think he'll be just fine. I downed a bottle of after shave when I was like 3. And I'm O.K. Although a very manly perfume scent emerges from my pores when I am in a steam room and my poo smells kind of musky.

So, who watches Animal Planet?

FreezeM and I woke up TWICE last night because of a weird sound. I think it was located just outside our bedroom doors to the garden. I'm thinking it was an animal, like a reptile. But I have NO idea.

It sounded almost exactly like when you very slowly deflate a balloon. You know, the high pitched sound. We heard it a couple of times. We did not bother to get up and look. But we did share a few giggles and a "what IS that??".

So, our options:

Either, there was an animal in our garden making that sound.

OR the neighbors were playing with balloons.

OR it was a hoarse Dolphin that got abducted by aliens and dropped in our garden.

OR FreezeM and I were both hallucinating and giggling about it, at the same time.

I am totally going to name this creature after the person who can explain this mystery.

Did you just ask me if I am 'in the mood'?

I met my good friend A. at college about TEN years ago (when I dropped out and he graduated a few years later) I don't get to see him very often. But every once in a while we get together for lunch. Last Thursday we did just that. And as we walked towards the restaurant we a fun conversation. Bare in mind he doesn't have kids yet.

A: So, you're really pregnant!
Me: Yep!
A: That's awesome! Congrats again!
Me: Thanks!
A: So FreezeM is having the time of his life I suppose!
Me: What?
A: So FreezeM is having the time of his life I suppose!
Me: ... what do you mean? He's happy to be a dad again!
A: I meant, you know.
Me: No... I don't know. Tell me.
A: Pregnant women are always in the mood, aren't they?
Me: Did you just ask me if I am 'in the mood'?
A: So it's true!
Me: God, you are messed up. But yes, I guess for many women this is true.
A: I see.
Me: But it's really just good coordination by Mother Nature.
A: Why is that?
Me: Well, the woman gives the husband a lot of 'it' before giving birth. That way, she's giving him a chance to stock up on his needs.
A: Really?
Me: Because after birth? He might not be getting any for weeks.
A: Oh.
Me: Months...
A: ....
Me: Years possibly.
A:....
Me: Do you want children?

Happy birthday to meeeeeeee

29. Just ONE year left until I will be 30. ONE year.

I don't have a 'things to do before 30' - list. But in my mind I always wanted to have a family of my own before I hit the big Three O. Well, have that!

What is (or was) on you list? Should I do something this year before it's just too late? Before I turn old and gray next year?

FreezeM had a surprise: he took the day of to spend with birthday girl (I am still a girl, right.. ) I LOVE surprises like that! A whole day with my two favorite men in the universe. They're preparing breakfast while I get to stay in bed and chat with you! Tonight my parents and in laws are coming over for dinner. I haven't even figured out what to cook yet! Eek!

And besides letting the internet know it's my birthday (there's only a few of you, right?), I'm keeping it quiet so I can forever pretend I am still 28.

Excellent blow job honey

Our Sunday was HOT. Summer finally kicked in. About time: it's August for crying out loud! So what is this big blue egg thing doing with my husband (you didn't think those legs where mine did you? My legs are WAY less hairy)?

I got Tim a little blow up pool. And FreezeM got to blow it up (That's a men's job. Totally.) But he got a lttle helper...

Never mind the pump wasn't even connected to the pool. It still maked a shhh shhh sound, which made it his favorite toy of the day.

You know, with a small garden and a climate that doesn't really allow pools (unless you're a polar bear or a penguin), a mom has got to do something to keep her boys cool. So voila, we shamelessly played in the pool for an hour or so. The neighbors probably had a good laugh. But we kept cool and had a lot of fun.

And yeah, it took an entire elephant to cover up my (by ugly bikini) exposed cleavage! Hooray for pregnancies! I have to enjoy it until they shrink again and a bumble bee is enough to cover up that extra cleavage I just don't want to expose on photos.

18 months

My dearest Tim,

Monday it was exactly 18 months since you first opened your eyes and became part of our family. In 18 months you grew from a little baby to a happy, healthy, funny, cute and awesome little boy.

You're a happy little fellow. You hardly cry, and even when you fall really hard, you get up like a big boy and smile like nothing happened. You love to play soccer (still, you have played it since you could walk, 6 months ago), you often read ('Ernie's picnic' is your favorite), you adore feeding the ducks in the park, you like to draw and you like to play with us. You're mommy's little helper in the house. Especially vacuum cleaning. Which, you know, I can only encourage.

You communicate with signs and words. You know the signs for food, drink, more, duck, cat, frog, sleep, bath, giraffe, monkey, bird, banana and a few I can't think of now. You also say a few words: ball (the word you use most often), mommy, daddy, tree, bread, woof (dog), ooh ooh (owl), tooooot (car), moooo (cow) and " you can't be serious" (serious! he said it a few times. or, at least, it sounded like he said that), and again, I am probably forgetting some. You do imitate words a lot, but most of them you don't really use yet. Accept for "you can't be serious", which you really do seem to use in the right context. Being able to communicate with you through signs really added so much to our little talks. Plus you never have to cry to say you're hungry, you just do your sign for food. You even make sentences, like doing your sign for cat and than for sleep.

You're healthy. You have had a cold like 3 times since you were born. They hardly bothered you. Nothing really seems to bother you. You have a mouth full of molars and teeth, and honestly I cannot remember when they popped out. You just suddenly had a mouth full of shiny white teeth.

You eat so well. Most of the time you eat your veggies and you LOVE fish. You like to try new things. Like feta cheese, olives and onions. Lately cucumber and sweet corn on the cob are on your favorite list. It is amazing to see, and I hope you keep it up for a long time, because it really is good for you.

You're just the sweetest little boy in my world. And lately you have been doing something that really just melts my heart faster than an ice cube in hot steaming chocolate. You have been sharing and enjoying the sharing. And no one made you do it, you thought of it yourself. You have favorite crackers, and you just don't want to eat them alone. You always give one to me, and than get another for yourself and than you look like that sharing just made your day. But really, it made my life.

You have really been into hugging and kissing since a few weeks. Nothing makes me more happy than a big wet good night kiss from you, which you so consistently give us after reading your bed time story. And when you're in bed, your daddy and I often joke "Shall we wake him up, so we can play and cuddle?". But really, it's not a joke. We simply miss you when you're not around.

Thank you for being your adorable little you.

Love,
Mommy

14 weeks

You all guessed it! I am pregnant! Or in modern terms: WE are pregnant. (I am hoping this time WE give birth and divide the pain equally too!)

The new baby (Still have to give 'it' a nickname. Suggestions?) is healthy. Last Monday we saw our baby dance and wave on an ultrasound. At 14 weeks I don't actually feel the baby inside yet. An ultrasound at that stage and hearing the baby's heart, is like the prove there is actually a little human being growing inside. I had an ultrasound at 8 weeks too, but it never hurts to check twice, right?

My due date is January 30th 2008. That is Tim's second birthday. I know, two years age difference is considered perfect. But this is ridiculous. I feel like a bad bad bad mom for stealing my sons birthday. But I have to get over it, I am not going to change a thing about it. Chances are very slim that the baby will actually be born on the 30th. Right?

I know some of you already counted back to the conceive date. Seriously you all can just think of ONE thing, can't you? When did we do it? The new baby is a souvenir from our trip to Washington. Like Tim was a souvenir from Rome. What can I say. We do some pretty expensive souvenir shopping.

Don't let anyone tell you two pregnancies are the same. With Tim, I was nauseous for two weeks. This time? It was the nauseousness that gave away the pregnancy. (OK, that and the fact that I cried more than Jordan when she won American Idol. Seriously I was a mess. Whaling like an sea lion.) And I STILL have a little morning sickness. Also the tiredness is insane. I felt like sleeping 20 hours a day. The other four hours, I was either sick or eating. But since a few days my energy is back up. And so is my breast size. Woohoo. One of the perks of being pregnant. I have my pre-Tim pregnancy rack back. This only proves that my previous pregnancy really took away 2 cup sizes. Not that I am frustrated with that at all. Who started this topic anyway?

So yeah. Pregnant. Hormonal. And very very very happy we will be given a child yet again. If 'it's' (I REALLY need a nickname, people!) anything like 'its' big brother, we will be very blessed with two close to perfect children.CLOSE to perfect: because they don't come pottytrained. They poo in their diapers (if you're lucky.). And poo is SO not perfect.