Letters for Roo (17 months)

Sorry guys, I know I always wrie these letters in English and then publish it here. I got the sweetest reactions to my letters, and I've always appreciated that. But this time - maybe triggered by the slight fever and virus that got me - I just felt like writing in Dutch for once. I promise the next one will be in English again!
Hugs,
Nadine

Mijn liefste Roo,

Morgen word je 17 maanden. Waar is de tijd gebleven?

Je hebt enorm veel plezier in lopen en schoenen. Een paar keer per dag kom je op je majootje de woonkamer in gewandeld. Een glimlach op je gezicht en schoenen in je hand. Je wilt ze dan aan. Het maakt je niet uit of we naar buiten gaan of niet, maar die schoentjes moeten aan je kleine voetjes. Vanaf je 13e maand loop je rond zonder je vast te houden aan de bank of de tafel. Je vindt het heerlijk om je zo vrij te kunnen bewegen. Eerst onzeker en wiebelig en nu betrap ik je regelmatig op een sprint door de woonkamer. Je loopt vaak achter je grote broer aan terwijl je wijst en je lieve geluidjes maakt. Ook buiten loop je vaak. Wat vaak tot blikken van vertedering leidt van voorbijgangers.

Je bent een vrolijk meisje. Je lacht heel vaak, maar als je een keer moet huilen, dan zijn je tranen zo gedroogd. Maar meestal lach je dus. Je staat open voor nieuwe ervaringen het ontmoeten van nieuwe mensen. Je bent nieuwsgierig en je durft zoveel.

Je bent een avonturier lieve Roo. Je klimt, klautert, rent, hangt en ontdekt de hele dag door. Je ziet je broer op een stoel staan, wanneer je het na wilt doen en het niet lukt, dan schuif je met gemak het krukje uit de keuken tegen de stoel, en bereik je alsnog je doel. Mijn hart slaat regelmatig over wanneer ik je zo acrobatisch zie doen. Je klimt ook vaak in je broers bed. Heerlijk vind je dat. Als ik je betrap, lach je ontdeugend. Soms met de speen van je broer, en soms zie ik die paar glimmende tanden.

En met die lieve mond zeg je drie dingen: mamma, pappa en klaar. Mamma zeg je al vanaf 9 maanden. Heerlijk vind ik het om je mamma en pappa te horen zeggen. En net als je grote broer leer je ook gebaren om duidelijk te maken wat je wil. Je kan al zeggen: eten, drinken, brood, kikker (tong in en uit je mond, heel grappig)., slapen en lezen. Soms doe je ook de gebaren voor meer, klaar, giraf en eend. Je pakt de gebaren snel op en het doet je veel genoegen dat je ermee duidelijk kan maken wat je wilt.

Je slaapt heel goed, meestal van 19.00 tot 08.00 en dan nog een dutje tussen 11.00 en 13.00. Je bent gezond - al vind het consultatiebureau je ietswat aan de kleine klant. Op het moment dat ik dit schrijf hoest je wel een beetje. Je hebt een verkoudheid van je grote broer overgenomen. Maar daar knap je vast snel weer van op.

Je geeft kusjes en knuffels en je bent een echte meid. Je houdt ervan met poppen te knuffelen en om met je kinderwagen te lopen. Maar je houdt er ook van om je grote broer na te doen en op zijn fiets te klimmen.

Je at als geen ander tot een maand geleden. Ik noemde je grappend wel eens prullenbakje. Alle restantjes schoof je met gemak naar binnen. (Ook dat doe je al een aantal maanden helemaal zelfstandig, dat eten). Maar nu ontwikkel je je eigen voorkeuren die vaak het tegenovergestelde zijn van die van je broer. Je houdt van groente en salade. Van fruit, van toetjes, van ontbijtkoek en sinaasappelsap.

Je adoreert je broer, je houdt intens van je vader. Wanneer hij thuis komt van zijn werk verwelkom je hem met een lach die de polen doet smelten. Hij houdt minstens zoveel van jou.

Lieve Roo, het is lastig om zo'n lieve persoonlijkheid als jij in woorden te beschrijven. Je bent een knappe, slimme, mooie, lieve, vertederende en nieuwsgierige meid. Ik ben elke dag dankbaar voor jou in mijn leven.

Ik hou van jou,

Mamma.

Child vaccination dilemma

This is a topic I on which I really appreciate your thoughts and your experience.

Before I saw Jim Carey and his wife on the Oprah show about their son's autism and how they think the disease is related to the child vaccination programs, I had never given the issue much thought. I vaguely remember having seen a similar item on TV before. That was days after Monkey had his vaccinations. And after Googling, I figured I was too late anyway.

I forgot about it and hided in ignorance. Ignorance can be bliss like that.

But Roo had to get her fourth batch of vaccines a couple of weeks ago. And right before that, I saw another item featuring Jim Carey's wife on television.

We decided to Google the subject again - this time BEFORE the vaccines - and tried to find more information.

First we surfed to Green Our Vaccines, the organization Jim and his wife support. I found it to be a lot about autism and less about the questions I wanted to find an answer for.

Organizations like Green our vaccines warn against the use of mercury and vaccine cocktails (not your regular Screwdriver, you get the point).

In The Netherlands there is no mercury in the vaccines, so that's one less worry. But they do combine a few vaccines and give them at once. Often repeating this 'cocktail' vaccine two, three or FOUR times. In the first year of a child's life.

Although it does kind of makes sense that combining vaccines could hurt a child; what do we know, we are not doctors, so we trust our childrens' health to the people who tell us what to do.

So we Googled some more and found quite a lot of information, but it's kind of hard to filter it, as the people and organizations that write about the topic vary from:

EXTREMELY religious people who believe a child should not be vaccinated because we (the people) shouldn't interfere with God's plan (those people may find any medicine should be avoided too, for the same reasons.)

to

conspiracy thinkers who think the vaccine program is a way of the government to drug us and to make us pay more tax money (is there more to take? :)

to

pharmacy companies who have the patent WORLD WIDE on some of the child vaccines, who say it is not a conspiracy. (but you don't have to be a genius to figure out it's perhaps not a conspiracy, but it is a gold mine for those companies!)

to

alternative doctors and medical practitioners who are against vaccines (or at least the cocktails) and promote more natural ways of preventing disease

to

people who believe God is a tree and we are his twigs and we should all sleep with our heads faced East because that will bring us in contact with earth and we all should drink organic tea while dancing in our cotton clothes and dance to ACOUSTIC music while we do not vaccinate our children and God forbid spend time in a room with something metal in it and WiFi because WiFi is the devil and we should not drink soda pop because it messes with the climate and than it will rain even more since the microwave has already disturbed earth's balance and than ...

OK you get the point.

Googling can be VERY confusing.

But there are also NORMAL people questioning the vaccine programs. They scream less loud, and are a tad more difficult to find.

Which almost made me question us questioning the whole issue.

If I still make sense, please let me know. I am confusing myself.

After we talked with my brother and sister in law about it, we found out they had the same worries. That came as a surprise, because we didn't think they would question a vaccination program issued by the government.

They did some research, but went with the vaccines, because they lack medical knowledge (like 95% of us). They also told us about friends they have, who refused the normal vaccine cocktails, and organized their own vaccination program, leaving more time between each vaccine given. Normal, intelligent people. Not belonging to one of the categories above or whatever stigma you want to put on them. NORMAL.

I like to think we're normal intelligent people too. So I guess we are not that strange to question child vaccination programs. People question child vaccination programs.

What did we do with little Roo?

Because we took too little time to research and LACK medical knowledge.

But for the next batch of vaccinations, we are going to do a little more research and find out how we can avoid the vaccination cocktails and spread them over a longer period instead.

You see, we are not AGAINST vaccinations. But I believe it may be wise to spread out the vaccines. But at this point, I just don't know for sure.

I'll keep you posted on that.

Want more information?

A CNN article about the topic

Jenny McCarthy on Larry King

The Vaccine-Autism Story: Trust Your Government, or Be a Patriot and Get on Google

Green our vaccines

A negative view on Green our vaccines, but it may be wise to read different angles on the topic

Moms against mercury

Sometimes being a parent, means trusting other people with your child. And that's difficult.

Because I want only want the best for my little Roo.

What's your take on all this?

My new favorite photo

Happy weekend!

Girl, girl, girl

you are 11 months - and a few days - old. Again, I skipped a letter. So this is your letter for both your 10th and 11th month.

Roo bear, you are the sunshine on a gloomy fall day, you are the frosting on a chocolate pie, you are that little part that makes every day a perfect day.

The best part of you is that you are cuddly. You like to lie on top of me with your head on my chest. You can lie like that for hours if we'd let you. You can fall asleep like that and that's what you - from the day you were born - prefer as your place to sleep. However, your father and I are dedicated to let you sleep in your own bed. And most of the time you're OK with that.

FOUR teeth! You have four teeth. Sharp teeth I might add. My breasts had to learn that the hard way. We're still nursing. I love it. Though you don't drink all that much from me anymore, we still do it three times a day. I'd like to keep nursing you until you are one year old. The goal was nine months, so we're really in overtime.

You like to follow me everywhere. When I walk to another room and you lose my out of sight, you cry. But if I call your name and peek around the corner, you crawl over to me with the speed of light.

You like Monkeys toys. Especially his Duplo dolls, which frankly scares me as you munch on their heads and I'm always in doubt you might pull one of the heads lose.

If anything, you adore Monkey the most. He can make you laugh, anytime, anywhere. He's your sunshine.

You're really learning how to play. You can give me blocks when I ask, and you'll take them back when I hand one over to you.

You can wave and you do it enthusiastically. I think I have even seen you imitate some of the sign language we've been teaching you.

You love sitting in your stroller. You don't mind shopping or waiting on Monkey to finish whatever he's doing on the playground. But you also love to be taken out and sit on the swings.

At this point the Christmas tree is a major Roo magnet. Especially the little sparkly ornaments have your attention.

What you don't like? Diaper and clothes changes. It is a battle most of the time and you scream bloody murder if I try to hold you down to change your diaper.

You sleep from 7.30 ish PM until 7.30 ish AM. Napping is not something we can count on you to do. Sometimes all you nap is 30 minutes in the morning.

Roo, my little bear, you are perfect. You are innocent. You are funny. Your are active. You are happy.

You are my little daughter and I will love you always,

Mom

9 months

My little Roo,

What a magnificent cheerful little girl you're becoming. You giggle, smile, coo, talk (in your own way :) and sing (again, in your own way). Your giggle is the most fascinating sound, and you like it when we imitate it. When we all (your father, your big brother and me) engage in this giggle feast, I am sure we sound like complete morons, but we have so much fun.

You absolutely hate to lay on your back. Because of that, diaper changes are a battle. I try to distract you with games, toys and singing, but nothing really works. Accept sometimes letting you chew on (clean) diapers does the trick. Your brother thinks it's the funniest thing ever shouting "THEEEERE SHE GOES AGAIN!" ("Daar GAAT ze weer!")

As much as you hate laying on your back, you LOVE the swing at the playground. Your little blond hairs dance in the wind and you let everyone know you're having the time of your life by doing your giggle. A lot of time you sit in your stroller and watch Monkey goof around, and you're OK with that. It won't be long before you're running around too.

Speaking about running: I caught you walking alongside the couch. You also used our kitchen step too walk. Sitting however, is not your thing. As soon as I let you sit on the ground, you turn around and crawl or climb right back into my arms.

You crawl at the speed of light! And you always head for the hallway, trying to chew on a shoe or the cat food. On two occasions I could barely rescue the food from your mouth.

You're also fond of people food. Broccoli and courgette are your favorite veggies. You are not a baby rice, oatmeal kind of girl. Only when I mix it with banana or pear you'll eat it. I am real proud of you for eating mashed foods instead of purees. You don't seem to mind the inconsistent character of non puree foods at all. You prefer to hold your own spoon while you're eating. It's kind of messy. You really love little pieces of bread with your lunch soup. Bread crumbs everywhere, but you really love to eat the pieces by yourself, grabbing them and squeezing them in your little fists making them all buttery. You'll try anything and so far I haven't found a food you really don't like. Hooray!

Your milk intolerance seems to be less, which is great. Just this morning I discovered a new rash on you big brother. After two days of having dairy ice cream. I'm glad you'll be able to eat ice cream without having to worry about how your body will react.

Roo, Roo, Roo, having you and your brother in my life feels so perfect. I don't want to miss a second of your life. It goes by quickly as it is. Being gone from home to work for 3 days a week has the great benefit that we can financially give everything to you and your brother. That we can do all these fun things. Buy many toys and the cutest clothes. Go on spontaneous trips. Buy organic food. Go on wonderful vacations. And don't have to worry about our finances. But the fact that I can't be with you and Monkey is difficult on me. More difficult than I ever imagined it to be.

I hear you just woke up from your nap. So I'll run to you little girl.

I love you always,
Mom

(PS: I am sorry I didn't write you your 8 months letter. There's no excuse other than the fact that I rather spend time with you than writing about you.)

How is this even possible?

Roo, while you're standing there, cooing at my laundry basket, you might want to fold the laundry too.

Before we go you grow any further...

Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?

Will you make me so happy be my little girl for the rest of my life?
Or will you take me away and will you make me your wife? be out on your own by the time you are five?

I gotta know right now
Before we goyou grow any further
Do you love me!!!?
Will you love me forever!!!?

My little Roo. She is growing and learning a little faster than we expected. She's been crawling for a few weeks now. And now she's able to stand UP. STAND UP. But her little wobbly legs don't allow her to stand. When gravity takes hold of her relatively large head, she loses her balance and falls backward. So her first attempts at standing usually end with a loud bang or me diving to the ground just quick enough to catch her precious little head before it bumps into our wooden floor.

A big reward is up for the first person who will teach me how to freeze time.

7 months: sticky rice milk baby crawls and breaks speed of light barrier

(7 month letter)

To my little crawling baby,

7 months old and you're crossing our living room like Roadrunner. Your main targets are colorful objects, preferably non toy objects your brother found somewhere and brought into the living room. If I let you out of sight for a 1 millionst of a nano second, you've disappeared into the hallway. I can't remember when your brother started crawling, but to me you're growing up so fast. The months pass like weeks and the days pass like minutes.

All that crawling requires energy. So it's a good thing you eat plenty of food these days! We've started weaning you. So far you've eaten baby rice, and purees of apple, pear, peach, green beans , zucchini, carrot and sweet potato, and as of yesterday you get the tiniest amount of yogurt and chicken stock to get you used to animal protein. As with your big brother, we use Gina Ford's guide to weaning and so far it's going perfect. You have a major food crush on pear and zucchini. The goat's yogurt makes you pull funny faces because it's a bit sour. We cook all the purees ourselves, and we have fun doing it. Next up in your menu: avocados, broccoli, mango, turnips, oats and cauliflower! Let's see if most of what we offer of that ends up in your mouth too.

I say MOST, because you tend to make big mess of yourself eating. Dinner tends to turn you into a very sticky mobile object! But, still cute.

You ADORE your brother. Especially when he acts silly. You're his audience, and he loves it. Your laugh is contagious and funny and the cutest thing. I am glad we see plenty of it! Overall you're a happy baby. You let us drag you across town, without so much as a sigh.

You sleep in your own bed every night. From 7 PM to 8 AM'ish. Though I am glad your daddy and I have the evenings to spend together, I miss the nights you depended on me to hold you until you fell asleep in my arms. I miss having you in my arms at night. Feeling and hearing your breath on my cheek.

I secretly suspect I am still your favorite person. Perhaps the fact that I am still your main source of food has something to do with that! We still nurse four times a day, and I wish it would never end.

I miss you while I am at work, but overall you're doing great with your daddy and grandma's.

You saw fireworks for the first time last Saturday. The sparkling lights intrigued you and with open mouth you watched until it was over. Sparkling things like jewelry have your attention, and you seem to like shoes too. Well munching on them anyway.

Did I tell you, you have two teeth? You have! Suddenly you just had TWO teeth in your mouth. Today you used them to eat the vacuum cleaner. Which, I rather wish you wouldn't.

Little crawling Roo, don't grow up too fast (and don't eat my household appliances and shoes),

Mommy

6 months

Einstein was right little Roo, time is relative. Not sure if he meant it in the same way as I, but it feels like yesterday or maybe a week ago you were born. But here you are 6 months old: cooing, laughing, rolling, drooling and playing (and a lot more, but you are also time consuming so I have little time to write this letter ;)

You are such a joy and pleasure to be with. Your big blue eyes always twinkle and shine, and when you're happy you unfold a smile that's so cute and pretty, it makes the most gorgeously blooming flower on earth look like weed in desperate need of rain. This smile is also terribly infectious.

I worry about you. You sleep on your tummy. Like your brother did, the minute he could. As soon as you got the skill of rolling over down like a pro, you slept on your tummy. All medical and baby experts urge parents not to let their babies sleep on their tummies because of the possibility of SIDS. So we put you back on your back, only to let you roll back on your tummy as soon as you notice what we did. So I'll trust you on this one.

Diaper change is challenging. Not because you cry - because you don't, you don't mind getting a nice & dry diaper - it's challenging because you constantly want to lay on your tummy. And because of that I now can change a diaper while you're laying on your tummy. You're teaching mom quite a few things little girl.

On the day you turned 6 months, we started giving you rice cereal. You had no idea what to do with it. The rice cereal was everywhere, but not in your tummy. A few days later we learned you're more the pear puree type, and after a few successes with eating that, you've got the hang of eating rice cereal too. Next up in your weaning plan: apple puree, carrot puree, sweet potato puree, potato puree and green bean puree. You'll be chewing on a 5 course dinner before you know it.

Every morning when I go and wake you up (you like to sleep in late, like 9'ish, waaaay after we've all had breakfast & coffee) I feel like a little kid running down the stairs on the way to the Christmas tree on Christmas day. You are the perfect Christmas gift I get to open and play with every day.

You're my little sunshine, my endless joy, thank you for being in my life.

Mommy

4 and 5 months

My dearest Roo,

My sweet, cheerful, smiling, happy, healthy little Roo, you've become quite a little girl. My favorite little girl.

Let's devote this month's letter to your favorites. From number 10, down to number 1, your absolute favorite:

#10: Rolling rolling rolling
You have discovered you can view the world from different angles by rolling from back to tummy and from tummy to back. You've started enjoying this just a few days ago. You perfect your new learned skill every time you roll around. It is amazing how fast you learn. The play blankets that were to big for you just a week ago, are now to small. And when I put you on one of them on our lawn, you quickly manage to roll onto our young field of grass.

#9: Faces
Preferably funny faces, smiling faces, happy faces, changing faces. Not too close, but from a 6 feet distance. You especially like to watch the face of the person that is not holding you. You don't just watch and coo at the many faces that look into your big blue eyes. You interact, and use every ounce of your baby cuteness to complete and utterly let that person fall in love with you.

#8: Nursing
One of many favorites you share with mommy. Nursing time is special. Though I guess your basic need for food plays a major part in enjoying nursing, I really do believe you enjoy it. You coo, hold my finger, look me in the eyes and forget to drink all together. I hope we enjoy nursing for at least another five months.

#7: Watching other people
In a way your little life has more variety than your brother's life at your age. We take you with us to his toddler soccer playtime, swimming and every other event life asks our family to attend. And you enjoy most of these outings. At soccer you watch a bunch of crazy toddlers and their parents run around, at the swimming pool the same amount of people enjoying what must look like an extended bath time for you. As long as there's fun and a lot of movement, you're perfectly content watching everything from a distance.

#6: Bouncing on my knee while I'm singing the Dutch song"Op een grote paddestoel"
This is one favorite you share with your brother. I lay on my back with my knees pulled up and you're sitting on top of them. I wiggle my knees while I sing and you look down. Smiling and cooing.

#5: Playing hide and seek
Mommy's here, now she's not. Daddy's here, now he's not. I don't know how many times you'll still like this, but for now you screech in total happiness when we play. I hope it teaches you we'll always be there for you, even if we're out of sight.

#4: Your 'vibrating' little Playgro blue cat
When I pull the cord, the little cat - previously Monkey's toy - vibrates. When I dangle it against your cute little nose, you giggle the cutest giggle. I am sure we'll have lots of fun tickling you, my dear.

#3: Laying on your tummy in your play pen
Laying on your tummy is not one of your favorite things unless you have something to look at. Your play pen gives you a good view of our living room, only when on your tummy. And there you lay, on your tummy, (and drooling like you're growing some teeth). When you're not watching us fool around in the living room, you like to watch yourself in your playpen mirror. You smile at yourself, and I hope that means you love that little baby looking back at you just as much as we.

#2: Your mom and dad, especially when they're acting silly
I am lucky to be one of your favorite people. For a while I was your favorite. You seemed only happy in my arms. But that has changed. You've opened up to other people. And you've bonded with your father in a special way. And if it makes any sense at all, watching you to coo & giggle with your wonderful daddy, gives more meaning to my life.

#1: Monkey
Your number 1 favorite: your big brother Monkey. When he's around, you keep your big blue eyes on him. You watch his crazy & funny actions with amazement and interest. He makes you giggle and I am sure you'll be his perfect audience when he's being funny and silly at dinner time.

Little Roo, all my favorites seem silly and unimportant to my top 3 favorite things on earth: you, Monkey and your father.

I love you,
Mommy