Over the Ocean and Through the Long Nights

Our trip is over, we are safely back in Belgium and finally, after more than a week, back on our normal schedule. Luna did NOT enjoy the trip home, which was on a nearly full flight. Miraculously, after the first time she had a little break down and started screaming, they managed to find an empty seat for the person sitting next to us so that we could have her seat. It didn't help much. But we had a wonderful flight attendant who loved Luna even though she was cranky, and took her on tours around the plane to quell the tantrums. We made it in one piece and nobody threw their nasty airline food at us, so I guess we can't complain too much.

When we first got back, Luna was constantly wandering the house searching for "Ma" (her shortened version of Gramma) and Beau (Gramma's dog). It was heartbreaking, and so difficult to make her understand that she wouldn't be seeing them in real life again for a long while. She's now stopped searching for Gramma, but is still convinced Beau is around here somewhere. And every single dog we see or even hear in the distance is "Beau! Beau! Beau!" She loves that dog!

Getting Luna back on track with her sleep schedule was unbelievably difficult. After the third night in a row that she awoke at 10 PM and refused to go back to sleep, as Toy Story was playing in our living room at 2 AM, I announced in defeat, "She is never going to sleep again. I've ruined her!" But of course, she did sleep eventually. And after one extremely rough week, she is now pretty much back to her normal schedule.

She's been a papa's girl since we got home; she clearly missed him! He loves it, of course. She's constantly saying "Papa papa papa!" And anytime he is out of her sight she is asking for him.

If I weren't so busy taking care of a crazy toddler who is growing and changing so much every day, I could put up a new blog post about how much she is growing and changing pretty much every day. Where to even start?

She's running around like she was born to run, chanting, "Go go go go go!" She's developed an opinion about anything and everything, and makes sure to voice said opinions loudly, with much shaking of the head. She's got nearly a dozen new words, and has even started using some simple sentences ("Mama? Good!" after a tasty breakfast, and "What's that?" instead of the old standby "That?"). She is no longer afraid of the doll she got for Easter, and carries it around everywhere: holding it to her shoulder and patting its head, pulling off its socks and shoes and then begging me to help put them back on, pushing it around in the little doll stroller we got. The other day I said, "I think that dolly needs to go potty!" So she carried it across the room, opened up the potty, and placed the doll upon it. Ok, it was more like IN it, but she at least got the idea right!

We're nearing the end of breastfeeding I think. I am allowing her to self wean, and she is down to nursing once a day most days. I offer it to her at other times and she just shakes her head and says in her precious little voice, "No." I am sad, but also looking forward to having control of my own body again. My biggest fear was that I would lose my cuddle time with her, but as she has started the weaning process she has simultaneously become more cuddly, which is a relief. I get more snuggles and sloppy baby kisses than ever before, which make the process much easier on me!

It seems like overnight my child went from baby to little girl. I'd be crippled by sadness over that, if it weren't for the fact that this new little girl is SO MUCH FUN! It's so fascinating to watch her run and play and develop her coordination! It's so exciting to give her simple instructions ("Can you put these tissues on the couch for mommy?") and watch her follow them with such pride! She amazes me in so many ways; generally has me cracking up ten or fifteen times a day; and leaves me exhausted beyond belief but with a smile on my face every single evening. She has such a big personality! Look out world, here comes Luna!

We're HERE!!!!!

We made it!! According to the Google Maps Distance calculator, we travelled 4225 miles altogether! The trip took 20 hours, and we were awake for close to 24 hours. During that 24 hour period, Luna slept a total of 20 minutes. Seriously, no exaggeration. But she was AMAZING. Unbelievably well behaved, happy and sociable during the entire trip. She barely fussed the entire time, and made so many friends on the airplane! We were fortunate to have an entire row to ourselves on the long flights (7 and a half hours), so she played on all three seats and stood up to chatter at the people in front and behind. Our second flight was full, but luckily it was only an hour. She was exhausted by then and she was sick of her sippy cup and her snacks, so she had some ear pressure on that flight. But the man next to us was a pro at travelling with kids, and played the "where is your tongue" game to get her to open her mouth big and wide which cleared her ears. So she only fussed a little bit. Once we arrived in Portland, though, she'd had enough. And strapping her into the car seat was pushing it too far, lol. She had a nice meltdown in the car, but at least it was only her grandparents and I that had to listen to it!

She has continued to amaze me since we've gotten here. She has adjusted beautifully to everything, even to all the people! Not only has she been great with all the relatives and friends we've met, but she makes friends everywhere we go! I was worried she'd be terrified of everyone, and here she is a social butterfly. She's getting a bit too used to getting presents everywhere we go, though. Can you believe that all her grandparents and aunts and uncles are spoiling her silly?

Its been making my heart happy to see her playing with everyone and soaking in all that love and attention. I am so happy she is able to have this trip!

Here she is, from top to bottom, with Gramma, Grampa, and Nana. Can't you just see them all glowing??

Its the Final Countdown...

11 more days until my visit home! I am excited and terrified in equal measure. I cannot wait to see everyone, but I am sooooo dreading the trip! Luna is not what you'd call an "easy" baby. We love her dearly, but she is loud, opinionated, and stubborn. She also almost never sleeps anywhere other than her own bed (she occasionally passes out in her stroller for a few minutes at a time, but that's it). I am anticipating much complaining from her during the 20+ hours we'll be traveling. I feel sorry for the other passengers! And I'll have to manage a cranky child and all of our luggage alone! I just keep repeating my mantra: It will all be worth it. It will all be worth it!!!

We had a very nice Easter. Luna had her first ever Easter egg hunt! I filled some plastic eggs with rice and glued them shut to make shakers. She "hunted" the first three or four, but after that she just wanted to play with them so we had to help. She got a number of little gifts from the Easter bunny (and gramma!), including some crayons and markers and her very first doll! The crayons and markers were a hit, I now have baby artwork to hang on the wall! The doll, on the other hand, was not a success: she was afraid of it! She's just now, four days later, starting to interact with it a tiny bit. We had a nice dinner, with what we thought was a pork roast (it looked like one, and that's what the package said), but ended up tasting more like ham. It was delicious nonetheless!

We've had amazing weather the past two weeks - its been sun shiney and 80+ degrees every day! Today is gray and we've had a couple rain showers, but that's the first time in two weeks. It seems like weather comes in chunks here, its slow to change. Which is awesome when its GOOD weather, but when its rainy or snowing for 2 or 3 weeks straight its miserable! It will be weird to go from wearing shorts and sundresses back to long sleeves and pants when we get to Maine!

Luna is doing well. She continues to boycott walking for some reason. Or I should say "walking unassisted." Because she walks everywhere, holding onto either furniture, toys, or us. She literally will walk around dragging her walking toy behind her! Its more of a hindrance than a help but she doesn't dare let go! She has added a new word to her growing repertoire - "cheese." Like her "word" for cookie, which is a very distinct growly "k" sound, this is more Luna speak than English or Dutch, but its consistent, so I guess it counts as a word. Its basically the last part of the word "cheese," the zzzzzzeeeee sound. She also consistently says "Nana" when she sees my step-mom on Skype or in the photo album. She's started saying her own name again, too, and even manages the "L" sound sometimes! But she'll always be "Una" to me! :P


And last but not least, we have a new member of the family: a stuffed lobster. I found it at the Blokker here in town for 6 euro, and it reminded me of home, so I bought it. I never expected it to become her new best friend! LaLa the Lobster (the name was chosen by Luna, who was into "L" sounds that day!) goes everywhere with her. I have to battle her to keep it out of the bath and I have to prop her on the table so she's visible during mealtimes! Unfortunately, it was the only one they had, so I can't get a backup in case LaLa has an accident! I've already sewed up a hole under her eye! So keep your eyes open for a large stuffed lobster, we're in need of a backup! I find it very amusing that we'll be travelling 3000 miles to Maine and bringing our OWN lobster!

Now Entering the Toddler Years!

Its official, Luna is one! I cannot believe my baby has grown so fast! I hear other parents say that all the time, but it is so frighteningly true! It was a very emotional week for me. And lots of work!

Luna had a great time I think! She had a trip to the zoo early in the week, and she was SUCH a good girl!! An entire day without naps and she was so well behaved! She looked at the animals and enjoyed the petting zoo part.
On the big day she had a party with her papa, her Oma, and myself. I decorated and spent ages on the train cake. I worked so hard on it, only to have all the icing and candies melt overnight. Grrr! But if you don't look to closely it still looks ok! Gramma, Grampa, Nana, Auntie M, and Uncle T all visited with her via Skype on her birthday. She had a great time squishing her cake around and even ate quite a bit of it!

Presents were a biiiiiig hit! She loved everything, and is still playing with it all! Her old toys are collecting dust! Her big gift was a snazzy tricycle that will grow with her. Right now we can push her on it, while she is securely buckled in and safe. But as she grows, it goes through various stages and will become a regular tricycle. She also got a number of musical instruments, including a little drum that she's gotten really good at! She got clothes and books and two types of blocks; a lovely snow globe that plays lullabies; a play tent and Sophie the Giraffe. She was a very lucky girl!Luna hasn't been walking anymore. I read that its not uncommon for them to regress a bit, but its still disappointing! But she'll get back to it when she's ready.

Unfortunately, in the last few days, Luna's cold has come back with a vengeance. We all got this cold the first time around, and now its taking a second trip around! We took her to the doctor this morning and she has bronchitis. :( She has to have breathing treatments three times a day, and if she still is running a fever by Wednesday we have to start antibiotics. I am sick as well, and it is quickly becoming pretty awful. Not much fun around here these days!

Thank you to all for the birthday wishes, I think she had a pretty wonderful first birthday!

Stepping Out With My Baby

I'd intended to blog last night and didn't get to it. But it turns out I'm glad I waited, because we had big happenings around here today! Miss Luna took her first steps! It was a grand total of maybe 2 steps, and she hasn't done it again yet, but it was a BIG deal! Mama jumped up and down and cried. It was hysterical because Luna cheers for herself every time she stands without holding onto anything, but she doesn't even seem to have realized she took a couple of steps! She was holding onto a chair and she turned and took two steps to G's arms!

Coincidentally, we'd intended to go buy her first pair of "real" shoes today, so that turned out to be timely. As soon as they were strapped on she stood up unassisted for longer than she ever has before (that's the picture). She spent 10 minutes admiring herself and her new shoes in the shop mirror, and once we got her strapped into the stroller she kept sticking her leg out and turning her feet this way and that to inspect them. Every time we walked past someone she stuck her foot out as if to say, "Hey lady, check out my new walking shoes!" We promptly headed to the park, where we got them dirty right away (I can't believe we got WHITE ones!), and then she held our hands and walked around and around the platform while we were waiting for our train.

Other firsts since my last post include her first cold, which is still refusing to go away; the first time we put her hair in pigtails; and her first toddler tantrum. She also got two more teeth - her top two front teeth have finally broken through.

We've all had this nasty cold, G seems to have brought it home from work. He was sick a few days, then I got it, and a few days later Luna got it. Her's has been mainly just stuffiness and runny nose, some crankiness. She does NOT like to have her nose suctioned out with the bulb! In fact, that was what led to her first tantrum...

It was a DOOZY! Wow. I had no idea! I had to put her on my lap and restrain her with a big bear hug while rocking her and singing my own variation of the Little Birdie song over and over and over. After a few minutes she started hiccuping to catch her breath and a few minutes after that she got very very still and I realized she'd fallen asleep on my lap. I was so exhausted I needed a nap myself! I hate to say it, but with a little one that is as strong-willed and dramatic as this one is, I think that was probably the first of many. Yikes!

I don't know if I've mentioned it lately, but I am still breastfeeding! Its been a struggle to maintain supply, but I pump to keep it up. I am very proud of making it this far! I'd intended to stop pumping on her birthday and let her wean when she was ready, but I've decided to keep it up until after we return from our visit to the states, because I think it will provide her with comfort during what is sure to be a stressful time for her.

One week from today my little girl will be one year old! Its astonishing how quickly the time flies. I am sad to be losing my baby, but I am so very excited to have a little girl! We're planning a trip to the zoo this week to celebrate her birthday, and on the actual day there will OF COURSE be cake! I am looking forward to watching her eat the cake!

My Own Personal Heaven

I went to a book fair today with my new friend V. It was in a town outside of Leuven, held in an enormous building the size of an airplane hangar. Millions and millions of books on every subject you can imagine, and all at drastically reduced prices... In short, it was my own personal heaven. :)

Luckily, 85% of the books were in Dutch, or I might still be there. But there were 5 long rows of English language novels, and there were English books mixed in with all of the other sections as well. I spent the first hour and a half just looking at books for myself, and it didn't take long to fill my basket! I'm not going to list all the books I got, but I'll just say I am set for books for awhile and I'll have trouble deciding which to read first!

After a brief rest and a coffee, we got back to it and discovered an entire other room as large as the first filled with children's books, craft stuff and games. Luna got a whole pile of books, most of which have flaps to lift, buttons to push for sound, or textures to feel. She even got a couple in English! She loved them all, and was upset when I took them away. It was perfect timing for her, because she's been obsessed with books lately.

On the way there, we took the highway (not intentionally, the GPS ignored V's preferences), but on the way back we took smaller roads and I got a unique perspective of Belgium I had not experienced before. Since we do not have a car, I see only the parts of the country visible from the railways or on foot. Today I saw strip malls, drive-thru restaurants, enormous car lots, and dozens of other things I've never seen here before. It was so... familiar.

Is Spring Sprung?

Spring is coming, slowly but surely. There are more and more days when we can play outside! (This pic is Luna plastered against the window saying, "Lemme out! Lemme out!") Luna is loving exploring a whole new world (aka, the backyard), and I'm enjoying being able to hang the laundry outside again. I was getting sick of my clothes smelling like last night's dinner! The crocuses are up and its time to trim the hedges and mow the lawn already. Its funny to think that when I go home for a visit on May 9, I'll get to experience spring all over again!

Things have been up and down here. G has been home with us a lot over the last couple of weeks, as he's had some troubles at work. He doesn't like me to discuss him or his job online, so I'll hold my tongue, but I'll just say I hate his job and I wish he had a safer one.

Luna still hesitates to take any steps on her own, though she grows more and more frustrated at her limitations every day. I cannot wait for that day when she finally decides to throw caution to the wind and give it a go! She's going through another difficult eating phase, and more of her food has ended up on the floor than in her tummy lately. Makes me wish I fed her the jarred stuff, because spending a half hour freshly preparing wholesome and delicious food only to see it thrown on the floor is a bit maddening. Saying "no" is only a challenge to our little stubborn diva, so we're TRYING to ignore the behavior in the hopes that she'll grow tired of it. That is sooooo hard. Especially right after I've washed the floors! LOL She's LOVING her books lately, even more than usual. She's initiated morning story time in addition to the normal bedtime story time, and I simply cannot change her diaper in the morning until she has nursed and had a story. We've been leaving some of her board books on the coffee table, and she spends ages standing there "reading" them (she likes to turn the pages and lift the flaps). She also loves to read on the potty...

Yup, I said the potty! We're not potty training, but we're doing some EC (Elimination Communication). We've been doing it for about 2 weeks now, and she's already peed in the potty three times and even pooped once! (Hey, if you don't wanna hear the gory details, read another blog! LOL) Its a no pressure thing, we just put her on her potty after meals and before her bath, give her a book, and she sits there for awhile until she gets bored. When she holds out her hands to be picked up, its over, she gets a congratulatory hug (and loud cheering and whistles if she actually goes) and a new diaper. She is soooo cute sitting there reading on the potty!

I've started going to a knitting group on Wednesday nights, whenever G can get the night off to stay with Luna. Its at a knitting shop in Sint Truiden, and with the help of the owner, I've started a sweater - certainly the biggest knitting project I've undertaken so far! Its been nice to get out of the house and meet new people, even if I am unable to talk to most of them because of the language barrier. I know the one woman who I go with, and the owner of the shop and a couple of the other ladies also speak English, so I manage. This sweater will be lucky to be completed by the time Luna graduates from school, but I'm trying!

Hello to all the other mommy bloggers who may be reading this!