Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Life is never dull.

Before we had Kaleb I was asked a countless number of times, "What do you do all do?" To which I often failed to find a good way to respond. I mean, it isn't like I just sat around all day doing nothing. Between cleaning, cooking... spending time with John and exploring a new area of the world each season I rarely found myself bored. Not to say that I didn't spend too much time online some days, or take a longer than necessary nap. But, you get the picture... I usually found ways to occupy my time.

Now that we have Kaleb, the days go by faster than I would like. Between feedings, naps and outings I feel as though each day is gone in the blink of an eye. The past couple of weeks has been one big blur. In fact, the other morning I purposefully stayed at home in an attempt to sleep in and relax with my little guy. We spent the morning cuddling and playing, it doesn't get better than that.

Last week we had breakfast at Ikea with the other wives on the team... always a good time. And then I braved the bus to head downtown to meet up with a friend at Bagels and Beans. One of my favorite coffee shops in Europe thus far. A quaint little place where they serve bagels, cream cheese and delicious cappuccinos and lattes... and where they have a menu in English making life just a bit easier.

Kaleb was dressed and ready to go for the occasion. As for me, I was a bit nervous taking the bus, not fully knowing the proper way to board with a stroller and also knowing that Kaleb wouldn't be buckled up in his car seat. Of course we just HAD to nearly get in an accident on the way home. The woman in front of me nearly fell to the ground as the bus driver slammed on his brakes in order to avoid hitting the car in front of us. Nice.

Nonetheless, we had a great time meeting up with friends and even met another mom from California in a toy shop downtown. I figured out which places had baby changing tables, managed to feed Kaleb twice and even squeezed into a Euro sized dressing room to try on clothes while Kaleb snoozed away.

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By the time we got home, Kaleb and I were both exhausted. Five hours of eating, shopping and riding the bus will do that to you. (Especially when you aren't getting enough sleep at night.)

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Loving the swaddle... but wondering why I am still taking pictures. (And also not looking too tired.)

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Kaleb also went to his first basketball game of daddy's! We sat up in the VIP section and watched the game from afar. Kaleb sported his Jordan jersey, thanks to the Wilkinsons. :)

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Daddy is number 12 this year...

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And, the little guy decided enough was enough.

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Friends that we met when John played in Poland came to see us this weekend. It was so great to have them here and to see their little guy again, who is growing up too fast as well. Hopefully we get to see them again soon as they are living less than two hours from us this year.

Another proud dad.

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Another rainy day in the Netherlands. No wonder they prescribe vitamin D to all babies here...

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The happy group... now plus two. :) Poor Kaleb, didn't make the photo.

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I am sure all moms feel like their husbands don't get to spend enough time with their children, I'm right there with them. Perhaps it is because we got spoiled this summer... the first three and a half weeks of Kaleb's life. So when daddy is home and Kaleb is actually awake we try to spend soak up every moment that we have.

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Not too sure about Daddy's kisses...

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Bath time! The bathtubs here on on stands, making it easier for us to bend over and give Kaleb a bath. I keep meaning to take pics, but John generally has night practice leaving bath time up to me. (Also the camera happy one of the family.)

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Love his little round belly. :)

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The bath tub serves dual purposes as it is also a great place for Kaleb to hang out naked. In attempt to help heal up a diaper rash we let him hang out in the tub lined with towels. He loved it in the bathroom as the heat from the dryer kept him nice and warm. (By the way... so much for cloth diapers not giving babies diaper rash!)

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So long for now. Kaleb is finishing up his second dinner for the night and then I need to check on the chicken in the oven. Which, by the way... I used a garlic press to pound my chicken in order to stuff it. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do... I told you life is never dull around here.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Our one month old.

It is a bleak and dreary day here in the Netherlands.... nothing unusual for this part of the world. Both of my "boys" are napping and I decided to forgo the extra sleep in order to have some "me" time which seems to be a rarity these days. I made myself a cup of coffee, lit some candles and did some reading with the sound of rain serving as my soundtrack.

The days here feel more like fall than summer. Stepping off the airplane at Schiphol I quickly realized I had packed all the wrong attire for this time of the year. Since not many of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit I had gone shopping for a few things, but now I'm pretty sure I will need to go shopping again for fall wardrobe. The skirts I bought with elastic waists won't keep me warm much longer!

Kaleb turned one month old on Friday. I found myself reliving the day of his birth, trying to remember every last detail and looking at him now, amazed at how much he has already grown.

Happy One Month Kaleb Josiah!

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Perfect weather for a BBQ.

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My little man, already sporting a receding hairline. ;)

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When Kaleb was just two and half weeks old he rolled over from his tummy to his back during tummy time and completely surprised his mommy. I put him back on his tummy and he did the same thing, but hasn't done it since. On Saturday (the day after he turned one month) we were doing some more tummy time...

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I went into the kitchen to get my breakfast to bring out to the living room, and when I came back I found this:

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Apparently our little guy only performs when I don't have the video camera handy or when no one is looking.

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He is also starting to pay closer attention to us and to toys we give him. Yesterday during "activity" time, he found that he could chew on Sophie's ear.

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How can you resist these sweet eyes?

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I will admit that when we first arrived her in Groningen I was a bit overwhelmed with our living conditions. Going from our home in the States to our home here in the "ghetto" of Groningen will do that I suppose. Add in a newborn, a tired mom and hormones and you probably have a recipe for disaster. I nearly cried but somehow pulled myself together and went into "fix it" mode. We are supposed to be getting a paint job soon which will help, right now the walls are dingy white.

I have been reminded yet once again that it isn't the condition of a home that counts, but the memories inside the four walls that matter. (And really, pretty much any place can be cute with a little TLC or several trips to Ikea!) I went to bed a few nights ago just thankful for a roof over my head, after all not everyone has such luxuries. Sure, I might find a cat in my apartment from time to time (yes, that happened the other morning!) but when it comes down to it I have my little family here and that is worth more than anything in the world.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

One crazy week.

The last week has been, well... insane. Moving to a new continent with a three and half week old (now four week old) is not an easy task. Not that I thought it would be, but I just kept telling myself I just had to get here. Well, it certainly didn't end there. In fact, I could probably say my work here is even greater than at home. For one, I don't have "grandma" helping. Unpacking everything and attempting to get the apartment cleaned all while tending to a newborn on limited energy thanks to jet lag has been a bit much. BUT, I am thankful that I am surviving and that God is giving my strength (or sleep!) just when I need it the most.

People have asked if it was hard to leave with a newborn. The short answer? YES. The night before we left I sat in our picture perfect bathtub and that is when it all hit. John came in to find me crying and he leaned over, tenderly touched my shoulder and said, "It is okay to cry."

I couldn't help but to remember when I would sit in the bathtub pregnant and huge, and suddenly there I was with Kaleb already sleeping in his own room and us getting ready to leave the country the next day. I had a hard time when I realized how fast time had already gone, how I wished I wasn't having to pack up and clean... how I felt as if I missed out on moments to cuddle because I was preoccupied with the move and saying good-byes.

Saying good-byes was more difficult than usual. Every time I said "bye" I couldn't help but feel as if everyone would miss out on the growth of our sweet little boy. To imagine that our loved ones may not see him until he was on the verge of walking made me a little misty eyed almost every time I thought about it.

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Kaleb's cousins will certainly look bigger the next time we see them. Skype will be even more meaningful this year.

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Somewhere in there, we did squeeze in our first date night since Kaleb arrived! Grandma was anxious to watch Kaleb and we didn't have to worry about a thing, knowing he was in very good hands. Thanks grandma. :) We were exhausted, so the date didn't last long... but it was still nice to get out just the two of us.

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Kaleb's newest (and tiniest!) friend came over for a visit the night before we left.

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Isn't she just an absolute doll? Such perfect and defined features. I tried hard to imagine how Kaleb would have looked that tiny!

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That same night we got a text message from my sister that she had gotten engaged!!! I just about killed her for sending me such exciting news via text, but forgave her when she was afraid that we would be sleeping. I called her immediately and told her that the sleep could wait, she better get over and show me her ring! Congrats Matt and Jenna, we are so excited for you and are glad to welcome Matt to our family. (And we had just happened to celebrate his birthday earlier in the evening.)

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We arrived here in Groningen on Sunday and John had his first practice on Monday. It was open to the fans and we had a dinner in the business club afterward. I just love the look on Kaleb's face here. It is like he is saying, "Mom, what are we doing?"

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Kaleb's first time watching daddy play basketball!

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At Martiniplaza, the arena where John will play all his games in this year.

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Yesterday we had a full day, starting off with a journey to Ikea in hopes of getting our one euro breakfast. Unfortunately it ended ten minutes prior to our arrival, so we ended up with chocolate muffins and coffee.

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Yes, I will be spending a lot of time here this year. (Thankfully everything is inexpensive!)

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We had dinner at some friends' house whom we haven't seen in a couple years. The best of friends pick up right where they left off, and that is just how it felt last night. Sure, their little girl is already two and a half and we now have Kaleb, but other than that it almost seemed as if time hadn't elapsed. When we arrived home we looked at the car seat and saw this. Priceless.

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Monday, August 16, 2010

We arrived!

It is 10:00 here and I am ready for bed, but I thought I would write a quick update first. We just got back from John's first practice of the year, and Kaleb's first chance to watch daddy practice!

We arrived in Groningen, Netherlands yesterday morning. After running through the airport in Minneapolis in order to catch our connecting flight, the rest of the trip was pretty non-eventful. (I was so out of breath by the time I reached the gate that I thought I was going to pass out... I don't even remember the last time I ran!) Unfortunately the flight was completely full and since we were pretty much the last ones to board we had to hold Kaleb on our lap the entire time. Oh well, it isn't like you get much sleep in economy class anyway.

Kaleb was such a trooper... barely even made a cry, just a few small whimperings. He slept most of the time and was happy when he was awake. Thank the Lord for answered prayers in terms of easy travel! I am pretty sure everyone inwardly moaned when they saw us boarding, but thankfully it wasn't our child disrupting everyone's sleep. ;)

That is all for now... we are off to bed in hopes of getting a few hours of sleep. While we had Kaleb on a bit of a schedule in the States, unfortunately he was up for a couple hours last night. Apparently jet lag DOES affect newborns which makes for one tired mom and dad!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Kaleb Josiah's Birth Story.

The night before we were scheduled to meet Kaleb, John and I went on one last date before we welcomed our son into the world. After a nice Italian meal, we came home and tried hard to fall asleep... which was nearly an impossible task. I found myself tossing and turning... anxious and excited. Finally uncomfortable enough and exhausted, I got up and tried to sleep on the couch in our room. I didn't want to leave John's side though... knowing that in the morning our lives would change forever. I wanted to wake up next to him, excited to head to the hospital to meet our little boy... the day we had imagined often over the previous months. And so I would soon leave the couch to return to my husband's side, so that we could wake up on such a special day together.

It all seemed so surreal. The alarm clock going off, the good morning kiss. John exclaiming how excited he was to meet our son. My stomach growled relentlessly, but having strict instructions not to eat or drink anything after midnight I couldn't do anything to help. I put on a maternity dress, thinking to myself it would be the last time I would be able to look in the mirror and see my son inside of me. I would look in the mirror and rub my belly a countless number of times that morning.

Before we knew it, we were taking some last photos and heading on our way out the door. Most of our bags had been packed the night before, the car seat awaiting us in the backseat. It seemed so surreal that in a matter of days we would be bringing home our son.

On the way to the hospital I tried hard to soak it all in. The morning sun not quite out yet, the drive seemed so peaceful. Klove played on the radio, with the announcer saying a prayer that seemed to fit the morning perfectly. John and I held hands, waiting for what was in store.

Arriving to the maternity ward, we were welcomed by the nursing staff and taken to a labor and delivery room to prepare for the c-section. We had several nurses, prepping me... asking questions, explaining procedures, getting scrubs for John. Somewhere in between the nurse explaining, in detail, what would take place I started feeling queasy and knew I was about to throw up. So, I politely stopped her while she rushed for a bedside pan so I wouldn't have to get out of bed. Needless to say, she stopped explaining everything from there.

At some point John and I were left alone. He pulled up the chair next to me, holding my hand and praying for what was ahead of us. Our son's heart beat loud on the monitoring system. I kept looking at the clock, counting down the minutes until he would enter the world.

At 7:00 a.m. the nursing staff changed and a familiar face entered my room. A mutual friend entered the room, said she had talked to our friend the night before and asked if we wanted her to be our nurse. Of course I was more than happy to have her assisting on such a special day. She had a way of calming my nerves, for which I was more than thankful. I told her I was nervous and she said, "Well, I'm not... I'm excited!"

Finally our doctor came into the room, and it was then that I was able to move past the nervousness into complete excitement. I knew we were in good hands and another familiar face was more than welcomed at that point in time. She said that we had a great anesthesiologist and helped reassure that everything would be just fine. Off she went to get ready for the surgery, and we were soon headed out of the room down the corridor and into the operating room.

The operating room seemed small and filled with what seemed like a sea of people. My nurse, a nursing student, a resident doctor, my doctor, an operating assistant, NICU nurses, the anesthesiologist... the room was a buzz. Doctors were cracking jokes, the place was alive. Which is just how it should have been. There was a sense of excitement in the air, like everyone knew exactly what needed to be done and were completely calm about what was in store.

Soon I would have my spinal and go almost completely numb. They had to help my lay down on the narrow operating table. I must have said something about how small it was, because the response I got was something along the lines of, "And you are tiny, imagine getting some other patients on here."

And then it was a matter of minutes before I heard the doctor jokingly say, "Your water broke." And then, "Your stomach just totally deflated." And then...

I heard his cries. Those sweet, precious first cries. They weren't very loud... just sweet little cries telling his mommy and daddy that he was here, and that everything was okay. A nurse rushed him to my side as I heard everyone exclaiming how big he was. Laying eyes on him I felt a rush of love. I would already do anything for him. I just wanted to hold him, but at the same time I was just relieved that everything was okay and that my son was healthy and strong.

I touched him briefly, telling him I loved him before they would take him across the room to clean him up, weigh him and measure him. The scale registered at 9 lb. 1 oz. and the nurses measured him to be 21.5 inches long. Finally they brought him back to my side to see him and touch him again. I was overwhelmed with emotions... joy, thankfulness, relief, love, pride and a bit of sadness that it would be a while longer until I was able to hold him.

The rest was kind of a blur. The doctors finished "putting me back together" before I was wheeled to a recovery room. I remember waiting for what seemed like eternity for them to bring me my son. At that point, John and I hadn't given each other "the look" yet to settle once and for all on a name. I found myself wondering how he was doing in the nursery, yet struggling to stay awake and keep my hunger at bay. At some point I started vomiting all over again and my sweet nurse pulled my hair back with her own hair tie, but to be honest I don't remember if that was before or after Kaleb was finally wheeled to my room.

Finally our little boy arrived... he was already smacking his lips and searching for food. I am almost certain he was crying when he entered the room too, but my memories are a bit of a haze. We did skin to skin immediately and he latched on right away, obviously a hungry little boy! Then he had to do the heat lamp a little longer before he could have his bath. At that point I was so out of it that I couldn't have given him a bath if I wanted to. I just remember fighting to stay awake, trying so hard to soak it all in while my eyelids felt progressively heavier and heavier.

I'm not sure how much time lapsed, but after a while I started to feel a little better. I had insisted that when I get hungry I get weak, and thus they gave me sugar water in my IV to help the situation as I wouldn't be allowed to eat for another 24 hours. They wheeled Kaleb and me out the room and down the corridor to the elevator in which we saw my parents out in the waiting room through the glass doors. I could tell they were excited, curious and growing probably growing impatient by the minute. I was pretty much just focused on getting to my room.

And then, finally Kaleb's grandparents were allowed to come meet him. While it was a joyous occasion, I started throwing up yet again all the while some of the alarms started sounding on my monitoring system. John's dad made a dash for the exit to get a nurse all the while I was trying to convince him I was just fine. Pretty sure the sight of me said otherwise.

Later John and I were able to spend time snuggling our little boy, just the three of us, before we allowed more visitors to come see us. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it exactly the same way. Although a bit of a blur, we'll never be able to get back those first hours spent bonding as a family... and they are sweet memories indeed.

One night we were all settled in at the hospital. Kaleb had been fed, changed, cuddled and laid down for bed. I had made it back into bed after brushing my teeth and taking out my contacts, and John had pulled out the couch to turn it into his bed for the night. We were all exhausted after a long day and ready for bed.

The lights were turned out and we had prayed together. After a few moments of silence I heard John say, "Do you ever feel too happy? Like everything in your life is just perfect?"

Yes, yes I do. I have been given such a beautiful life, and I don't deserve a single bit of it. An amazing husband and now an absolutely precious and beautiful son. I know I am one hundred percent biased, but he has to be the sweetest baby I have ever met. His little facial expressions make me laugh and his little feet, hands, ears, lips, nose and eyes make me smile in awe at how he is perfectly and wonderfully made.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Our "new" life.

Our "new life" consists of lots of kisses, sweet moments, gathering around a sleeping newborn... soaking in all the little faces, all the firsts. As I filled out his baby calendar the other day I realized that he has already experienced so much in his first days of life. I find myself wishing I could hit a "slow down" button. Wishing that I could hit pause, as I know these newborn days will go by too fast. That is what photos are for, I suppose. They capture those moments, freezing them in time to enjoy over and over again.

Kaleb had his first bath the morning after we arrived home. Needless to say, he didn't enjoy it very much. That is okay, he will in due time. I tried hard to push past the pain to help out in the experience, but after a while daddy had to take over.

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His first time wearing a cloth diaper. And yes, he hates being cold.

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All nice and warm now.

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Time to file his nails.

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And comb his hair.

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Kaleb's first walk! We didn't make it far before mommy tired out, but it was a walk nonetheless.

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Sweet baby sleeping. Does it get any better than this?

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I love it when he grasps my hand.

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Basking in the sun, trying to help with the jaundice.

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Love my cuddle time.

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Sweet little poses.

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Kaleb attended his first birthday party for his grandma. It wasn't a huge celebration, but we did what we could. Of course, he probably slept through the whole thing anyway!

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And one more frozen moment in time... baby toes are too sweet not to take photos of. Kaleb is wearing Daddy's wedding ring.

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