Yummy Dinner - Pasta Primavera

I found a recipe for Pasta Primavera on a friend's blog and have been wanting to make it ever since. Kevin was gone for the evening and I knew he wouldn't really like it (too many vegetables and mushrooms, not enough meat) so I figured it was as good as time as ever.

The goods.

The sauce.

I think I need a bigger skillet.

It was delicious and I will gladly be eating the left overs for a couple of days.

Catching up on photos

It has been a while since I uploaded new Isaak pictures. 

As seen on our walk through the park today. That is a little dog chasing the ducks. This went on for 5 minutes.

In preparation for our daily park walk with the dogs.

Getting a little tummy time - gotta strengthen those back & neck muscles!

We have finally made the board! This is the board of new babies at my midwife clinic.

Last weekend we were going to try to go to the Van Gogh museum. The line was too long and the sun too hard to resist.

Rolling Over!

Today was my 6 week check up with my Midwife. Yes, Isaak will be 6 weeks on Monday. Time really flies. I expected a whole pelvic exam. Nope. We talked about what I think about when I think of the birth. How big and alert Isaak is. How he is sleeping (Really well between 9:30pm & 2, and then again between 2:30 & 6am. Not so well between 5pm & 9:30pm), how well he is eating and growing. Marike and her student felt my stomache to see if the muscles are coming back together - got the "all clear" for excercise/sit ups, and tested my iron to see how well I was recovering from the blood loss - just fine.

I quizzed her about allergy medication while breast feeding (my spring allergies are in full force and I was miserable last night. The netty pot works well to manage my allergies most of the time, right up until they get really bad) and if she had any OB/GYN recommendations for having my IUD put in (I really wanted a female doctor after my experience and horror stories of friends). She couldn't help with this one. She gave me her email address so that I can get her the very graphic birth photos. She really wants the ones where his head is crowning as I guess it is hard to get these and ours are very vivid.

On the way home I checked at the pharmacy to see if there was any "over the counter" allergy medicine that I could take. Of course they said No. I wasn't surprised as this is the "Tylenol for everything - and nothing stronger" country.

Once home I called my house doctor to make an appointment for my IUD, ask about prescription strength allergy medicine and my Hep A booster. They will call me back, hopefully they can give me something - I always have the "allergies make my asthma worse" card to play.

Yesterday we had a huge development with Isaak. He rolled from his front to his back - TWICE. We think it was a fluke as he shouldn't be doing that for several more weeks. We cheered like he was accepted into college!

This afternoon we are headed to Hoofdorp to get Isaak's residency started. If Kevin were to go alone then Isaak's residency would expire when Kevin's does - in 1 year. If I go then it will expire when mine does - in 4 years. 

He rolled from his front to his back yesterday, twice. We cheered as if he was just accepted to college. We think it was a fluke as he shouldn't be doing that for weeks. Maybe it had something to do with him being on the ottoman and it being a little 'cushy'. 

First Checkup

Today was Isaak's first check up since the Kraamzorg and Midwife week. In the Netherlands the baby wellness appointments are done through a "baby clinic" and our "house" doctor only sees him when he is sick.

Isaak is up to 4.9 kg /10lbs 13 oz and 54 cm / 21 inches. He was born at 3.6kg/7lbs 15 oz and ~50 cm/~19 in. No wonder he is burning through clothes!

We took him in the bike trailer (we get funny looks every time we break it out, I think everyone is used to seeing babies in a "Bike Fiets") to the baby clinic. We didn't really know what to expect or where to go so I am sure we looked lost. We wandered in to the appropriate office and told them we were there for Isaak's appt. We were told to take him to the waiting room and strip the man down to his diaper and wait to be called. There were two other women in the room when we got there, one with her pinky in her baby's mouth (thank goodness we have graduated to pacifiers!) and the other was quickly dressing her wailing daughter (must have gotten a shot). I felt sorry for the second woman as we have been experiencing similar wails recently. They are heart wrenching.

Last night Kevin and I struggled to get Isaak to sleep between 7:30 and 10:30. Well, I struggled until about 10, when Kevin came home from lacrosse and I handed him over. He finally went down at 10:30 and then awoke again at 11:30 to start his normal night routine (12ish to 3ish to 6ish to 9ish). Yesterday evening and afternoon were filled with Isaak waking up every 1.5 hours for more food, and then at 7:30 he decided he wasn't going back to sleep. I know it was a matter of him being over tired but he was pretty stubborn in fighting the sleep.

Today has been better in that he has gone back to sleep pretty easily after each feeding, however he has kept his feedings to about every 90 - 120 minutes. When it takes 30 - 45 min to feed and change him, it makes for short naps. I expect to be exploding with milk tomorrow as he has definately been telling my body "MORE MILK".

On other topics...
Kevin went in on Tuesday to sign his contract at AICS. He also inquired about the daycare. Good News, we don't have to worry about it as we are guaranteed a spot! I am thrilled, but will feel better once I have it in writing. Now to figure out how to fill out the appropriate paperwork to get the daycare subsidy from the Government. They will reimburse us for a portion of the day care costs, on a monthly basis!

Isaak's immigration appointment has been scheduled for next week, the same day as my 6 week check up. I may just send Kevin to that, while Isaak and I stay home. There isn't a need for all three of us to go and it is not in Amsterdam. Anna (the crown agent who helped us when we first arrived) will come and pick Kevin up and drive him to the appointment (very handy!).

Has it really been 4 weeks already?

This week was filled with beautiful sunny days. Yes I said sunny days in Amsterdam. Thursday actually felt like summer. Isaak and I have been taking advantage of them as much as we can. We mostly take a 45 minute walk around Beatrix park with the dogs. Saturday Kevin joined us for a 3 mile walk to and around Vondelpark.



I can't believe how much he is growing. His hair is dark but glows red in the sunlight. Kevin's does this. My dad and my grandfather both have dark red hair. I wonder if Isaak will take after the 3 of them. His eyelashes are getting darker and longer every day. He is almost 10lbs already. It is hard to beleive that Isaak is already a month old, the first 4 weeks flew by!

Monday we took Isaak to get a second set of Passport photos. His US passport arrived about 2 weeks ago and Kevin picked it up on Monday. The photos we used for his US passport wouldn't work for his dutch residency, so we needed to get a second set.



Thursday Kevin, I and Isaak had lunch with my cousins; Nancy, Jill and Sarah. They were in town at the end of their Brussels, Brugge, Amsterdam and Leiden vacation. After lunch Kevin had to run to tutoring, the 5 of us stuck around and moved to the restaurant's patio to soak up some of the sunshine. We then moved down the street to another restaurant for dinner.

Kevin got a teaching job for next year! It is at the Amsterdam International Community School, which just happens to be a 5 minute walk from our apartment. It also has a daycare associated with it the "Blue Rock Penguin". The teachers at AICS receive priority at the daycare, when Kevin goes in to sign his contract he is going to find out how to get us on the list. To have both Isaak and Kevin that close to home, and each other, will be really nice for next year.

The position actually starts on June 1st. It is 3 days a week and is on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This presents a day care problem for us in the month of June. Kevin is in The Hague on Wednesdays and Fridays (AICS will have a sub for him on the Wednesdays he is supposed to be in AMS). I was going to take Fridays off in June and work from home on Wednesdays, that won't work now that Kevin has the AICS job. Kevin's parents have graciously offered to come and help us out in June....THANK GOODNESS!

It sounds like this week won't be filled with as much sunshine, it was nice while it lasted.