. . . playing catch up

So in order to bring this blog up to speed, I think I'm just going to do a little "picture dump" of some things we have been up to here in the NL, which is basically a lot of pictures of Liam because who can resist his cuteness? Not me!

Liam walking around at his 1 year doctor appointment :)

sleepover with friends!

After a great few days with Jane and her family and then a nice, relaxing weekend in Alabama, we were finally back in Georgia! But before I get to Liam's birthday party, one of the things we knew we had to do was also spend some time with our friends Courtney, Pete, and their son Casey. Unfortunately for us (and fortunately for them!) they were headed out of town that weekend for Courtney's birthday, so this would be our only opportunity to see them -- hence, a sleepover!

Liam and Casey are only five months apart and they had a GREAT time playing together! They "painted" with paint rollers, read books, ate, and pushed things all around the house! It was so much fun. :)

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

. . . Liam's Law

Today was the very first time I've left Liam in the care of someone other than family . . . and we both survived! I wanted to attend the monthly IWCE meeting at Thermae Son like I did last month, but this time I would be taking Liam and letting him play in the creche (what they call daycare here) with the other kids while I got to attend the meeting and have lunch with friends. I was a nervous wreck, to say the least!

But before we left Liam decided it was time to take a nap, which was fine because he normally takes an hour morning nap and I would much rather him sleep in his crib than get a not-so-decent nap in the car or at the creche. He went down at 9:30, which normally would have been perfect . . . however, this morning Liam's Law was in full effect.

Liam's Law states: "Whenever there is a time that Mom or Dad need to be somewhere at a given hour, Liam shall sleep extra long and make Mom or Dad late."

Good for Liam, bad for Mom or Dad.

Georgia on my mind . . .

Two weeks ago Liam and I boarded a plane and headed back to Georgia -- just the two of us! I really prayed a lot before the trip about our flight, and specifically the people who I would encounter on our journey. It really couldn't have gone better, thanks be to God. We had a day flight, which meant that I had to feed Liam all his meals (breastfeeding and solids) three times during the flight. Yikes! Out of the nine hour flight, Liam took three thirty minute naps on my lap -- that made for one very long day! Lucky for me, Liam never cried, but just fussed a few times when he would get tired or hungry. We also were fortunate to have the nicest people around us, all young folks who loved to give Liam attention, which let's face it, is what the boy lives on . . .

Liam and Gram Gram : )

Case in point: he loves to be held!

19 kids and counting . . .

Thursday was the IWCE's monthly Baby Play Group, where one mom hosts other moms and their kiddos from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. It is a big undertaking, providing snacks and lunch for your visitors and entertaining a gaggle of babies and toddlers. My friend Jessica hosted, and let me tell you, this was no small feat! At one point I counted about thirteen moms and nineteen little ones! Liam was the youngest at seven months, and I believe the oldest was three years old. Jessica had the perfect house to entertain us all, and because it was another beautiful spring day we all were inside and outside enjoying her huge play room and fabulous back yard, complete with playground and all kinds of fun toys for the young children as well as the older ones. There were also all kinds of healthy snacks for everyone, and Jessica served a delicious southwest-style soup for lunch, complete with all the yummy condiments we could want like cheese, sour cream, and nacho chips! Jessica set up a high chair outside and us moms with little ones took turns feeding the babies who weren't running around with sandwiches and juice boxes -- I think Liam was the fourth child to take his turn in the high chair and eat his lunch! We all had an absolutely fabulous time, and Liam slept all the way home and took another long nap later that afternoon. : ) Thank you Jessica for a great day!

I meant to bring my camera, but of course forgot, so here are a few iPhone photos from our fun afternoon!

playing in the exersaucer outside

trying to get out of the chair he's sitting in

Liam and Alex are both learning to crawl!

~Jessi

boys just wanna have fun . . .

We've had another fun week, continuing our trend of play dates for Liam! On Wednesday Liam and I went down the street to Sanna's house. She happens to be a five minute walk from our house, door to door, so it was great! Her two boys are precious, and Logan (3 years old) just wanted to entertain Liam the whole time -- so cute! This visit was Liam's first encounter with a cat and I so wish I would've gotten a picture because it was hilarious to see him . . . at first he laughed nervously like he was a little afraid, but a few minutes later he was all about the cat and kept trying to pet it. Luckily the cat is used to two little boys pulling and tugging at it, so Liam was no exception. He was so patient and let Liam grab at him and just wanted to be in our lap the whole time. : ) I can't wait to do more play dates with Sanna, Logan, and Morgan -- especially now that the weather is nice and we live next to a huge park!

Our second play date this week was when Lindsey and Jackson came over today . . . I met Lindsey at a brunch last week and we really hit it off. Jackson is almost one and absolutely precious! Jackson and Liam had a great time playing today and then hung out in their strollers while we walked to the winkelcentrum for a little bit. We had such  good time and I can't wait to do it again!

. . . busy as a bee!

We had a really busy week here in the NL, so I'm just going to touch on each of the fun things Liam and I did each day!

Ready to walk to lunch!

Monday

Keith worked from home so the three of us walked to La Place in the winkelcuntrum for lunch. I always love sharing a weekday lunch with Keith -- he spoils us when he works from home because if he's not on a call he can help out if needed. It's nice to sleep in and let Keith get Liam when he wakes up. I don't know who loves it more -- Keith or Liam! They both have big smiles when they see each other in the morning. : )

Tuesday

There was a "Newcomers Brunch" at Rachel's house today that was jam packed! Although we've been here since June, this brunch was for anyone has joined the International Women's Club this year, so that meant me! Keith needed the car that day, so my good friend Megan picked us up (along with two other ladies -- the woman is a saint!) and we all drove out to Son for some good food and company. Speaking of good company, I met a great girl named Lindsey and her sweet almost-one-year-old Jackson. Lindsey and I spent the entire brunch talking and letting the boys stare at each other and play. : ) It was great to ask her advice about certain things like solid foods and sleep habits. I love meeting new moms! I can't wait to hang out with her again soon!

On our way home, Megan passed by the bus stop close to Rachel's and noticed another mom from the brunch with her 2 year old waiting for the bus. So what else does Megan do but pull right over and load them both into the van?? So five adults and two kiddos later, we are all headed back to Eindhoven so she can drop us all off at our respective homes. Did I mention she's a saint?!

. . . when life gets in the way

I know, I know, it's been a while since I've posted. And I wish I could say it was for some awesome reason, like, we went to the south of France on holiday! But . . . alas, theres no one really good reason but more like lots of small ones: I got busy, taking Liam places, appointments, going shopping, dinner with friends, etc. Actually, now that I list the reasons, it's been kinda nice. We're much more settled into life here and I've been comfortable enough to take Liam out more, and we've really just been doing life the last couple weeks. It feels like we're settled more into routines and getting used to what each day brings. It doesn't hurt that Liam is sleeping through the night of course! STILL so happy about that. : )

Liam's first (play)date . . .

So today Liam had his very first play date! But before I get to that, I must explain that I have been getting out and about by myself much more in the last couple weeks. On Friday Liam and I went to the IWCE (International Women's Club of Eindhoven) monthly potluck. There were about 30 women there and all kinds of delicious international foods to share. Liam did great, sleeping in his tricot slen sling for most of the afternoon, but then was awake for a while while some friends got to hold him. : )

What made this outing memorable is that I didn't have cell service when leaving, so I couldn't use the GPS on my phone to find my way. I was able to follow my friend Megan out of the neighborhood, but then I was a little lost from there. AMAZINGLY, I found the highway and figured out ON MY OWN how to get home. I never used the maps app, never called Keith, kept calm, and carried on. : )  I told Liam how proud I was of us for figuring it out! The reason I start with this story is because it gave me the confidence to hustle out the door today . . .