big sista dance

Here's a wee video of Auntie Cassie and Ellie doing the "big sister dance". It's Cassie's birthday tomorrow so this is in her honor. Happy Birthday to my little sister with the moves!

big sister party girl

Hey all. We're doing well having just enjoyed a nice long weekend (Ryan was able to work from home on Friday so I could catch up on rest) and gearing up for the long week ahead. Except for a couple good eggs, most of our Memphis friends have fled the heat (yesterday we reached 109!!) for fairer climes and so we're stuck inside not knowing too many folks, doing a little bit of thumb twiddling and diaper changing until the weather breaks and we can bring the wee baby out more. It reminds me of the insanely windy, stroller and bike blowing over days in Maastricht that kept us homebound--just another weather extreme and this time the babe is on the outside and a bit less able to regulate his temperature. Sweet Auntie Cass sent these pictures of Ellie's Big Sister Party!! that was held a couple weeks ago now. Last year Ellie picked blueberry cake for her party--as you can see she's moved on to chocolate. She also recently asked me why Memphis doesn't have the chocolate, cheese and croissants she used to have in Maastricht . . . seems we have a little foodie on our hands. But at least she has good taste. And she is indeed a great big sister.
Cheers!

weekend of four

After a weekend with only us four at home, we find we are actually settling in to being this new family. And despite a few flashes of jealousy/anger about having to be patient with a slower pace and less attention, Ellie's getting used to and liking being a big sister. We get lots of "help" from Ellie but Owen seems fine with it, so I suppose we are too. Cheers!

home alone in Memphis

After a great morning at the Children's Museum of Memphis and lunch at Cafe Eclectic, Grandma Diane has just left, the kiddos are both asleep, and I'm left fighting my own nap wondering and worrying at the emptiness of this house in Germantown, Tennessee. So here we are--Owen is born safely, the company that we've been enjoying has headed out and it's really hit me that now we live in Memphis. Certainly we knew we were moving to Memphis, but this afternoon there is a new tangibility to it all. So I guess here we go--we'll find the best and make the best of Memphis while figuring out how to be a family of four. And while it isn't so interesting a place as Maastricht, we still like visitors. Love to all.

Home with 2 kids--and help

A week into Owen being home now and we just got back from our first "normal" outing to the bookstore and grocery store and I'm wondering how everything will happen with two kids. We had Grandma Diane and Auntie Cass (all the way from Tanzania!) helping the whole way and it was still a circus of slinging and strapping Owen, chasing shopping carts, dribbling milk, lots of trips to the bathroom (Ellie), struggling with grocery bags and dodging cars in parking lots. I have no idea how people have more than two children and leave their homes. Really. And I have very little idea how we'll manage this when suddenly we will only have my two hands rather than the six on hand today. Yikes! Too bad we can't convince more family members to just come and move to Memphis . . .
But, logistics aside, all is well. Ellie is a fabulous big sister who likes to lend a hand and dote on Owen. Owen is a mellow babe who likes to nurse and sleep--we keep thinking one day he's going to wake up and let us know that the first week was a joke and he's actually not so thrilled about all this, but so far he seems content. We're especially stoked that when he wakes up in the middle of the night he passes out again right after a little milk buzz. Ryan's back at work catching up and I am, as I've just written, trying to figure out how all this will work out while being optimistic that it will.
So cheers to you all and an extra dose of respect and admiration for any of you with more than one child! Love from us.

So he's finally here . . . a short birth story

Well everyone, I won't take too too much time as I don't know how long I have with two sleeping kiddos (wow!!), but as you can see from the pictures we're doing well. So here's an abbreviated version of the birth for those interested--if you're not then feel free to skip blog entry and read the ones to come. The Dutch midwives had told me that I would have a very short labor--they predicted 4 hours tops--and that I would do it naturally. I hoped they were right, but was skeptical nonetheless especially given all the changes we've had in our lives the past few months. But it seems the Dutch midwives are also prophets, as things progressed exactly as they'd assured me. Owen came really quickly on Monday--at 4 pm I was wondering if perhaps I was finally in labor and by the time I had called Ryan and he arrived home around 5pm the contractions were only 2 minutes apart and very intense, and Owen took his first breath at 8:01. Backing up--after a long day of running errands (nesting) at 4:30 I was still at Costco, hiding out in the women's bathroom, deciding I was definitely in labor and a little afraid to get to the car in case my water broke between the bathroom and the parking lot when my sister Emily called and I whispered "I'm in labor, I'm in the Costco bathroom". She instructed me rightly to hang up, call Ryan and have Gloria (Ryan's mom) get me home immediately. We checked out our gigantic bottle of maple syrup and organic animal crackers and we were on our way. Once Ryan and I met at home around 5 I jumped in the shower to make sure that this was really labor--afraid if we hopped in the car to head to the hospital it would stall. Needless to say, there was no stalling and it was difficult to breathe through them alone. So we squeezed big sister Ellie and left her in the capable hands of her Grandma and Grandpa Willemsen (thank goodness they decided to come down early!) and headed to the hospital where the maternity receptionist asked in a slightly bored voice without looking at me what time my induction was scheduled for--she certainly got down to business when she heard me trying to breathe through a contraction and soon they hustled me back to a room. We had a great birthing experience. I couldn't have done it without Ryan and the doula Melissa (who said that Ryan "rocked"--he did) keeping me at least a little bit sane and focused and calm through the hardest contractions/transition and a hands-off nurse who let us do what we needed to get him here without interfering too much with monitors, needles and the like. I was able to shower through transition which provided a lot of relief. I didn't think I could go on much more (i.e. feeling like it was going too fast and too intensely, I was begging for drugs) when I felt like I was ready to push and, hobbling out of the shower, my water broke and I was ready to have the baby. The doctor barely made it (despite the nurses' requests, I started pushing after my water broke while the doctor was still racing there), but it was a good thing she arrived when she did as Owen had inhaled some meconium and his lungs needed suctioning before he could be fully born. I think we were all a little surprised at how quickly things moved, but very soon things calmed down and Owen was able to nurse and cuddle up, the two things he hasn't stopped doing since his birth, and we we/still are awash in gratitude. More to come soon about how Ellie is doing, how our first week has been, etc. but in the meantime here's a picture of Ellie reading to Owen. We love/miss y'all!

Owen comes home

Here are a few of us at home. Grandma Diane is holding Owen on the porch. Ellie has been nursing all her various babies while I nurse Owen. We're all settling in quite well.