. . . Liam lately (11 months)

Where has the time gone? In less than one month my "baby" will be a year old. I can hardly believe it! This time last year I was eagerly counting down the days to Liam's arrival, thinking, "it could be any time now!"And now here he is, an almost-walking, kinda-talking little being!

Picture taking has now become a constant battle trying to keep him in his chair

Bien venido a Espana!

Keith and I decided about a month ago that we wanted to go to Spain for our beach vacation because we had heard great things about Mallorca and how family-friendly it is, with beautiful beaches and delicious foods -- sounded perfect to us! For those who don't know (like me, before we booked this trip), Mallorca is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea (technically the Balearic Sea), off the coast of Spain near Barcelona (and a stones throw from Ibiza). There are many Brits and Germans who live and vacation there, but not many Americans (most people thought we were British, haha!).

Having fun while we wait at the airport

So we booked our holiday just weeks before we left and planned to spend eleven days in Mallorca at the beginning of July. We were lucky enough to have great friends keep Murphy while we were gone, and off we headed to Eindhoven airport (luckily only ten minutes from our house) to catch a two-hour plane ride to Palma, followed by a 45 minute drive to the other side of the island where we were staying, in Playa de Alcudia. Unfortunately the board said our plane was delayed. Indefinitely. Until further notice. Seriously? So we fed Liam and had a drink ourselves, knowing we would eventually make it to the beach that day. And we did. Just two hours later than we thought. Lucky for us, the temperature was perfect the entire time -- in the mid-80s (28-29 C), sunny, breezy, and perfect.

feels like home . . .

A couple weeks ago we were lucky enough to have visitors from Georgia -- my BFF Jane and her son Mason came to stay with us for a few days while Spencer worked in Amsterdam. Jane and Spencer were the first of our friends to meet Liam when he was mere days old, and it was awesome to have them back again to visit, especially because our "nephew" Mason got to come this time! They planned to do a little European vacation and spend time in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, and Paris. I was lucky that they got to spend three whole days with us, but boy was it not enough!

I picked up Jane and Mason from the train station Wednesday morning, and we first headed to our Winkelcentrum Woensel so they could experience the market and fresh stroopwafels. They agreed that it's probably one the best things you can put in your mouth. We did a little grocery shopping, walked around the centrum, and then headed home so they could get settled and take a little [ahem] nap. Mason's "nap" turned into a two hour sleep on the couch, with us begging him to get up so he wouldn't be jet-lagged. Jane and I got to catch up and play with Liam, and it really felt like no time had passed since we'd been together.

. . . on his terms

We have been going on play dates for quite some time now, usually once or twice a week. It's been so great to know so many moms here and connect via the Baby Toddler Play Group, part of the International Women's Club in Eindhoven (IWCE). There are several moms that live super close, but I haven't had to travel further than 30 minutes to go to a coffee morning or brunch or potluck lunch with moms!

One thing that I have learned about Liam is that he is slow to adjust to the play date chaos -- I'm sure it's a combination of waking up from his car-nap and walking into an unfamiliar place with LOTS of moms and kiddos. It just takes him a few minutes to get settled and see what's going on. And there's no way I can just set him down in a play room and walk away -- too overwhelming for my shy boy! BUT, if I sit at the table and talk for a few minutes, he will want to get down . . . he'll sit at my feet for a minute or two, then slowly crawl away, glancing back every little bit as if to say, "Ok, mom, you stay there and I'm going to go over here. But you stay there. I'm a big boy." He wants to play, but he needs to do it on his own time, in his own way. But once he's gone, he has a great time playing and won't even need or want me for a long time, which is a great opportunity for me to socialize and eat and enjoy some adult time. He loves to watch the big boys play, but that can be a bit chaotic sometimes, so he sticks to the younger girls (and who am I kidding, he LOVES the ladies).

He is loving his play dates more and more, and just needs to exercise his independence without me forcing it on him. He wants to do things on his terms, definitely giving me a peek into this little boy's growing personality . . .

I'm ready to go play now . . . see ya, Mom

I wonder what Colette's doing?

Playing on the chalkboard

These girls aren't paying any attention to what I'm teaching them . . .

Another play date -- he loves the bucket and blocks!

~Jessi

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there! This is my second Father's Day away from my dad and it's not any easier. I wish I could be there, lounging by the pool and hanging with my family, but at least we got to make it a great first Fathers' Day for Keith. Our first Father's Day wasn't that much different than our first Mother's Day . . . french toast for breakfast, lots of play time, a long nap, and an afternoon at the park looking at animals!