On Walking, Talking, and Turning One

Five days after Alexander turned one, he took his first step (for the record, it was on the evening of Monday, August 17th). The next day, he took one more. And the following day, two more. It's hard not to get excited as a parent. Something as small as a first step shows bravery, boldness, tenacity, and determination. Sure, every child may have it, but to recognize it in your own little one is an awakening of sorts. Go, Alex!


Meanwhile, with Tobi gone, Lukas and I have been reading together and cuddling before bedtime. Last night, he looked at me and said, "I love you Mama, but do you know what else I'm thankful for? Ferris wheels and playgrounds." I could literally feel my heart melting. He's such a sweet, sensitive boy, and he's always looking out for his little brother (sometimes tackling him or grabbing him by one foot to prevent him from crawling into mischief).


Speech-wise, we're thinking that Alex is not quite as advanced as Lukas was at that age. That's probably normal for a second child. He says both Mama and Papa, but he seems to say that for a lot of things. What was cute was his begging for a Snickers bar on the beach in Wemeldinge the this past week. I take a bite, give Lukas a bite, and Alex is nearly on top of me, saying, "Mama, Ala!". For those of you who need a translation, that's "Mama, give Alex a bite!". Very cute.


With the first child, I think parents are so anxious for their babies to talk and be the first at everything that they tend to read more into each tiny baby noise. Hence the mother of an 7-month-old, proclaiming, "Oh, he just said Da-da!" (which only works for fathers choosing to go by "Daddy" and not "Papa"). Whereas with the second child, you're begging for them to grow up slowly, and more confident that they will walk and talk when the time is right.


I'd rather Alexander be the last at everything, than the first. Afterall, he has his whole life to walk and talk. I want him to be a baby... while he still can.


Happy birthday, sweet baby boy. We've so enjoyed this first year with you, and we're looking forward to watching you grow... every step of the way.

Our (Nearly) Dutch Baby Turns One

Has a year really passed? All of 365 days? With the coming and going of this huge milestone, I'd like to write a bit about where Alex's journey to-date. It's a long-overdue update of our life abroad... as parents, and as a family.

The past couple weeks has been really special. My Uncle and his wife and children made it out for a visit... which came as quite a surprise! Best of all, the boys adored my Uncle Paul, Aunt Teri, and cousins Alyssa and Evan. I know they're missed already, even if Alexander can't say it. :) Actually, the kids have adored most of our recent visitors (my cousins Vanessa and Andrea, my Mom, my friends Jen and Lauren, the Müller family, etc!). That's great!

As I played tour guide, the boys were great travelers (as usual), and we took them to some of the most incredible spots in Zeeland, Belgian Vlanders and Bavaria.

In the meantime, Tobi's been working... a lot. And when he's not working, he's studying for his MBA. In between, we have a quick dinner together. His dedication is amazing, and he's been coming to bed at 3am, only to wake up at 6 for work again. Poor guy.

While Alexander doesn't seem to notice Papa's occasional absence too terribly much, Lukas asked where Papa was as he began to doze off tonight.

"Papa's working, honey."
"But Mama, he just came home from work -- I just saw him."
"I know, but he has a little more work to do. He'll come to bed soon."

You have to love those sweet bedtime conversations!

How am I coping with all of this? Well, better than expected. I never thought I could be a single parent, but when you pick up any slack gradually, it's becomes doable. We comitted to this, and although we're only 3-months into Tobi's 3-year Masters program, I know time will go by more quickly than we think.

But hey! I wanted to focus on Alexander in this posting, so let me shift gears.

The poor little guy is sick... again! His nose isn't running as much, but as this cold runs its course in my body as well, I'm beginning to realize that there's more to it than sinus congestion. My chest is feeling yucky and tight, which means he's probably dealing with the same thing. Let's hope we're all better by the weekend for Alex's big party!

Today we celebrated Alexander's birthday as a family, singing him happy birthday and eating nutella-and-chocolate-sprinkled cupcakes. Judging by the mess on his face, he enjoyed it, and Lukas loved the decorating part. We also had a small party for him at Tobi's parent's place on Sunday... but that was kind of combined with a traditional German meal. It was cute watching Lukas, who did a great job helping his little brother blow out his very first birthday candle.

Developmentally, Alexander is great at keeping his balance and loves to climb. And, although he's a risk taker, he just isn't quite ready to take that first step yet. The funny thing is, while with Lukas nothing could ever happen fast enough, with Alexander I remind myself how quickly time flies... take your time, baby! :)

I know I'll have more to write in the morning, and Alexander has just begun to fuss, so I'm going to come back to this post in a few hours' time.

Thanks for reading, and check back soon for (more regular) updates!
~Liz