April 2012 | Guus Bosman.nl

Queen's Day 2012

Mon, 04/30/2012 - 11:20pm

Friday night there was a borrel in Frontpage in Arlington, and it was a fun evening. It was a prelude to tonight's Queen's Day celebration and a lot of the same people were there. It's a nice group and both evenings were a lot of fun.

The celebration at the Embassy tonight was very large with several hundred guests. It is a combination of a business event and a social party, with copious amounts of Dutch food including kaas soufflés, a personal favorite.

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On the balcony

Sat, 04/21/2012 - 3:18pm

Nora in conversation with her mommy. It is a beautiful day today. The predictions not withstanding, the sun came out and it's around 80 degrees. We are spending our afternoon on the balcony. Nora prefers the shadow but likes to be with us.

In the morning, after her feeding, we put her in her chair and ten minutes later she started crying. Diaper was clean, food had been provided and she had just slept, so I picked her up to see what was going on. The answer was clearly that she wanted company, because she started smiling and cooing to us. Slowly but surely she's turning into a person with real social behaviors.

This morning talks within the Dutch government broke down, and new elections are likely. That is very good news for the dual citizenship for Nora and me. Let's hope that the proposed restrictive law goes away for good.

We are getting ready to receive friends for a drink.

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First shots

Tue, 04/17/2012 - 7:04pm

A couple of shots don't scare Nora. Her parents recovered okay. Today was Nora's two-month checkup at the pediatrician.

It was also the appointment for her first shots and oh boy, that was quite stressful. It was painful for Nora for a few minutes, and her parents suffered from stress. Thankfully we all recovered quickly, Nora fell sound asleep in the car.

"She's of average height -- for a four-month old baby", said the doctor. She is very tall for her age, and her weight is good: 24.5" (62 cm), 11 lbs 12 ounces (5.3 kg).

A happy baby, happy parents.

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Easter weekend

Sun, 04/15/2012 - 10:04pm

It's been a busy and fun weekend. Yesterday we organized the guest bedroom and even managed to go for dinner together. The weather was amazing and Nora was asleep while we ate at Woodside Grill.

Today the Zane family came to visit us, which was great In Bulgaria Easter is celebrated this weekend so we had a nice celebration together. Before the lunch started we did the 'break-the-egg' game which Ilana convincingly won.

Communication

Wed, 04/11/2012 - 7:56pm

Nora is paying close attention to the books in the living room. Her parents are hopeful that this is the start of a lifelong love for books. Slowly but surely Nora is starting to communicate with us. This weekend Nora had her first 'conversation' with her mommy -- she listened when Sasha talked to her, and even make cute noises in reply.

She clearly hears and recognizes our voices now. Yesterday she was fussing in her crib, and when I got close and just asked her "Hey, what's going on?" she stopped immediately. I kept talking and then she smiled, melting my heart.

Another very positive development is that she seems to like books. Well, at least she looks at the bookshelves keenly when we place her in her chair. She must like the colors and the patterns.

Solid foods

Wed, 04/04/2012 - 9:16pm

We have established that Nora loves the smell of bananas and tomatoes -- but hates onions.

When we put a piece of banana under her nose she started smacking her lips; the same with tomatoes. There was no noticeable reaction to either potato chips or lasagna. Is this a sign that she will love only healthy foods? A parent can dream!

A weeks ago I was cooking hachée on the balcony -- a beef dish with a lot of onions -- and at one point I went outside with Nora in my arms. When I opened the pan to check on the food the smell of the food came in her nose and she made a face of absolute disgust.

So, no onions for her anytime soon. Bananas and tomatoes it will be (in a few months).

Portrait at 6 weeks

Mon, 04/02/2012 - 7:57am

Nora at 6 weeks. She likes it when we sing to her. This weekend Nora turned 6 weeks old. We made some portrait photos on Saturday; she seemed to enjoy that.

Slowly but surely she start smiling at us. She likes it when we talk or sing to her. We've relearned some Bulgarian and Dutch children songs, so my head is full with "onder hele hoge bomen" all day.

Guus Bosman

software engineering director

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