Lately.

I don't know what it is, but lately I seem to be ready for bed when Kaleb is. The weather has been awfully gloomy. Overcast skies, rain and wind make for the perfect sleeping weather. John is on the road again, and here I sit at my desk with a cup of "half caffeine" coffee sitting on my green coaster and "kruidnotens" just waiting to be munched on. I was sitting on my couch but feared I would fall asleep if that tells you anything. Oh, and the smell of homemade brownies is wafting through the air just begging me for a taste test.

Our days have been filled with Kaleb's sweet smiles. I just can't get enough of them.





He still loves his hands and is getting them to his mouth more and more.



How sweet are his chubby little legs covered with his new baby legs? A thoughtful friend gave Kaleb his first pairs. I adore them but had to laugh when John was getting him dressed and said, "Suzanne, why does our son have NYLONS?" I couldn't make up some of the things he says if I tried.



I love propping Kaleb up and my knees and playing "patty cake" or doing "this little piggy." And when he smiles back? All the more rewarding.



Love my boys.



Daddy's number one fan.... although he usually conks out for the night before the game even starts.




Kaleb's little buddy, Cooper... reunited after a trip back to the States for Cooper to meet his new cousin.

"Cooper, why did you leave me?"




"Don't worry Kaleb, I am right here."



A couple of weeks ago John actually had three days off in a row. In his profession this is such a rarity. We are usually lucky if he has two days off in a row. So three days? We packed up and hit the road. First stop: Hagen, Germany. John's former team was having a dinner and we were able to stop by and see all our old friends. Last time we saw everyone Kaleb was still growing fast inside my womb.





Kaleb with all the pretty girls. :)




Next stop: Uncle Brad's. And we even got to see the Watts!




These guys make Kaleb actually look small.



And we got a few new things while we were there visiting my brother. Kaleb likes his bumbo.




First trip to Starbucks! Kaleb is already out past his bedtime here and he was such a trooper.






We were out late to see our friend Al, one of John's teammates the year he played in Poland.



And we found our way to this fun little Mexican restaurant, which by the time we got there seemed more like a bar than a place to get food. All I could think of was the line from Sweet Home Alabama when she says, "You have a baby... in a bar!" Let's just say we got plenty of looks, navigating the stroller through the crowds. In that moment I thought to myself, never again will I judge that mom who has her child in a onesie out a midnight at Walmart. For all I know the mom could live nowhere near family, be a single parent, and having to drag her sick child out for medicine. You just NEVER know.

Kaleb fell asleep with his little noise canceling headphones on and all was good. Even if maybe, just maybe... a group of teenage boys called us irresponsible parents.



I'm slowly trying the find the balance. The balance between having a schedule and then not being so preoccupied with trying to maintain that schedule that I don't leave room for the fun moments in life. After all, those are the moments that we will remember for a lifetime. Kaleb survived his first long road trip just fine (slept most of the time in the car!) and it was more than worth all the packing and the hours in the car... even if he wasn't in bed by seven every night.



Scrolling back through the photos, I realize just how blessed we are to have met such amazing people over the years and to have friends all around the world. Now if only there were a way to transport ourselves to see everyone whenever we so desired....

Kaleb's Three Month Photoshoot....

Three months old!

I had grand plans to get a long blog post done this evening, but ended up spending wasting 50 minutes on the phone with Continental airlines instead. Needless to say, I am not too impressed with their service at the moment. John is on the way home from a game in Amsterdam and although is isn't even ten o'clock it feels closer to midnight. I am going to blame it on the dreary weather.

Since I promised myself I'd get a post done before I retired for the evening, this is short and sweet. A picture of Kaleb on the day he turned three months old:



Told you it was sweet. Is anything sweeter than baby smiles? And I love his little right foot with his curled toes. We are still waiting for him to laugh, but he has mastered the fake cry which only makes US laugh. I love listening to him coo himself to sleep or watch him play with his hands. Who needs toys when one finds his hands so intriguing?

Diaper Changes.

Don't worry, this video isn't of "graphic" nature as the title might suggest. ;) Rather, it just goes to show how much more interactive Kaleb is becoming by the day. This was taken a couple of weeks ago, but it was around the time when he started kicking away when it came time for his diaper to be changed. I don't blame him one bit...

Headaches.

John and I were talking about how cute Kaleb is last night and the rest of our conversation went something like this:

Me: I can see why people have ten kids.
John: (Silent for a moment.) I have a headache.
Me: (Dying of laughter.)
John: No seriously, I just got a headache. I don't know if it is because you said that or if I was already getting it.
Me: Don't worry, I don't want ten kids... I can just see why people have really large families.
John: Okay, we should probably go to bed now.

I am sitting here laughing just thinking the look on his face.  :)

Baby Talk

Owl lamps.

Where were these when I was decorating Kaleb's nursery? I think the one from Target would be even cuter with a different color of shade.

For those of you who have designer taste on a budget, be sure to add copy cat chic to your google reader!

New discoveries.

Kaleb has really been finding his hands lately. I think he is finally starting to realize they belong to him. He pulls them close, focuses on them, and then often brings them to his mouth to attempt sucking on them. And for your viewing pleasure, a quick video to show the little man in action:



In other news, John has a home game tomorrow and I am excited to watch him play again. It seems as though it has been forever since I've seen him out on the court. Between his ankle injury and away games, it has been at least a couple of weeks since I have gotten to watch him in action. It is always rewarding for me to watch my husband doing what he loves, and it often gets me through those "what are we doing here?" days that are bound to arise from time to time. I know we are here because we are supposed to be and am thankful that my husband gets the opportunity to do this as his profession.

Hope everyone has a terrific Friday and a great start to the WEEKEND! :)
-Suzanne

Uncle Brad's Visit.

My brother came to see us last week and we had such a great time. It seemed surreal to me, remembering back to when we told him we were expecting. Crying practically the entire three hours home, knowing that in a matter of days he would be headed off to war. E-mailing him and letting him know how I was doing when no one else shared our secret. And then... he was there, in person, holding my son... his nephew.

I told Kaleb all day long that his uncle Brad was coming to visit him. Apparently the excitement wore him out because I put him down for a little play time, came back a few minutes later and found this scene.



After much anticipation, Brad finally arrived and got to hold Kaleb for the first time!







The next morning we headed out on a walk to catch the bus downtown. This sports center is behind us and Brad was wishing he had brought his climbing gear when he saw this:



Coffee for us, milk for Kaleb at the Douwe Egberts. Caramel latte? Yes please.



Warm stroopwafel at the market? Lekker.



And then Kaleb had to go get his vaccinations. Poor little guy. Clearly he didn't know what he was in for, but he sure was acting tough. ;) He also got weighed and measured... 25.5 inches long and 14.5 pounds. He is growing way too fast for the liking of this mama!





Brad wanted to see how he would do. He actually didn't cry nearly as much as I anticipated, I guess he was pretty tough after all.





We have a new favorite spot for lunch and drinks. Kaap Horn, a restaurant on the lake. So when the sun came out we took advantage and went straight there to sit out on the patio.





John happened to have one day off during Brad's time here, so we took a day trip to Amsterdam. Brad and I went on a canal cruise while John stayed behind with Kaleb. (Been there, done that... and saved us time waiting in line at the VVV to get tickets to the Van Gogh museum.)



The dutch LOVE their bikes! This reminded me of my days as a nanny in Amsterdam our first year overseas. I would ride a bike from one house to the next... Often in the rain, sometimes in my heels. I was a true dutch girl.



What do I love about Amsterdam? The canals. The bridges. Sidewalk cafes. The mix of people... tourists and locals. Really though, I prefer to get out of the touristy areas and hang out where the locals do.





But when showing others around, one can't really avoid the tourist areas. Here is Dam square. Kaleb's first time in the city!



The floating flower markets. An entire canal is lined with these florist's shops.



And there is plenty of shopping. Too bad we didn't have room to take this back with us.









We just had to have dinner at the Hard Rock. Kaleb's first (and probably not last) time to one!



I went to the bathroom and met the boys outside to find my son rockin' some shades. He already thinks he's cool.





And we went to the North Sea. Nothing special, but a quick drive from Groningen and fun to say that you've seen it!



Loved chatting in this quaint little restaurant over coffee and applecake. A typical dutch treat.





The trip home... full of windmills and cows.



Sadly, all good things must come to an end and before we knew it Brad was packing up and getting ready to head home. But, not before Brad taught his nephew the fist pump.



I think he won Kaleb over with that.



He just didn't want him to leave... nor did we. Miss you already uncle Brad!