Today is the third day in Nora's life. The last 72 hours have been an amazing time. Thank you all for the sweet emails and comments. We will reply to them all when things "slow down".
Sasha is doing well and today we are even expecting our first visitors -- the Zane family will stop by.
Nora is amazing. Incredible to see such a sweet babygirl and to realize it's ours. And our responsibility.
I am having my first cup of coffee of the day -- it is noon, so I am in pretty desperate need -- and Nora is sleeping next to me in her bassinet. She likes sleeping, clearly. She moves in her sleep sometimes if there is an unexpected sound, like a door closing in the hallway. As new parents we are closely monitoring how much she eats and processes. So far, so good.
I've learned how to swaddle her, and how to say "to swaddle" in Dutch: bakeren. Nora seems to like it, nicely in a bundle. This morning I changed her diaper for the first time. I'm also learning how to type with one hand while safely holding Nora in the other.
Things she likes/dislikes:
- Obviously, her favorite place is being with mom. Bliss.
- In her bassinet, she likes the swaddle. It calms her down.
- She enjoy snuggling on my chest. Especially after feeding.
- She doesn't like it when I put on her hat. Once it's on she's fine but the placing always annoys her a bit.
Yesterday we went to a fun Dutch social, or "borrel", in a bar in Ballston.
After work I picked up Sasha, Jeroen and Juan from downtown D.C. and we drove back to Arlington. The monthly meetup was in Frontpage in Ballston. It was a lot of fun and the bitterballen were delicious.
No big plans for this weekend. We've completed almost all the preparations and purchases, so time to relax. Last Saturday I filed our taxes, which was quite a bit of work since we had to file state returns in North Carolina, DC and Virginia. Always a good feeling when that paperwork has been completed.
This week we made good progress with the preparations for our new arrival.
Wednesday evening I installed the car seat. It was easy but it's nice to know that it's done.
I stayed home Monday afternoon to receive the delivery of the crib, but it was damaged in shipment so I refused delivery. Hopefully they'll redeliver next week.
We ordered all the other things we need this week, and every day we are receiving new packages. With the exception of clothes and blankets we've ordered almost everything online. It's very helpful to read the reviews on Amazon, especially for things we have never bought before such as these baby items.
Over the last few days I've done quite some cooking, in preparation of the first weeks when the baby arrives. I'm not exactly sure what's in store for us, but everybody says we'll be very busy and tired so I figured it's useful to have some frozen healthy dinners ready.
I made enough macaroni sauce for seven meals last week, and recently I cooked a huge batch of chili. I'm very happy with my two electric burners that allow me to cook on the balcony -- it's great for "smelly" foods like garlic and onions.
This week I'll also freeze babi pangang and perhaps some other dishes.
In what seems to be good news for Dutch citizens abroad a spokesperson for minister Spies said that sending the controversial dual-nationality law to the Dutch Parliament "currently does not have priority". Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports that minister Spies did not mention when she will submit the proposal for review to the Tweede Kamer, and said that she will determine the time-frame of this "herself" -- apparently distancing herself from her predecessor Minister Donner who had earlier said that he would send the proposal before Christmas.
"A U-turn compared to last year"
Eelco Keij, spokesman and initiator of the protests again the proposal: "This means a U-turn compared to last year, and it seems that because of the public pressure the government is (temporarily) backing off. Needless to say, we remain alert, but for now it comes down to a 'standstill victory'. The exceptions for dual nationality for Dutch people abroad remain unharmed, at least for now."
The minister's remarks come after significant publicity around the effects of the proposed laws on Dutch citizens abroad, including in The Economist and the Huffington Post. The Economist wrote: "By seeking to toughen its nationality laws, the Netherlands is bucking a global trend". The online petition against the proposal currently has more than 20,000 signatures.
No formal decision to delay or postpone the proposal has been made, so it remains to be seen how things will ultimately play out. Says Keij: "we'll keep monitoring".
Minister Spies was named Minister of Interior and Kingdom Relations after Mr. Donner was appointed to be the new Vice President of the Council of State in December 2011. The proposed law has as goal to limit dual citizenship for new Dutch citizens and would impact Dutch citizens abroad as well.
Sasha has a birthday today and while we are very busy with feeding and burping and diapering, we had a piece of chocolate cake together. 
This afternoon the Zane family came to meet Nora, their new cousin. 
Today is the third day in Nora's life. The last 72 hours have been an amazing time. Thank you all for the sweet emails and comments. We will reply to them all when things "slow down".
Yesterday we went to a fun Dutch social, or "borrel", in a bar in Ballston. 
On Wednesday Sasha's colleagues threw her a baby shower at work. 
This week we made good progress with the preparations for our new arrival. 
Over the last few days I've done quite some cooking, in preparation of the first weeks when the baby arrives. I'm not exactly sure what's in store for us, but everybody says we'll be very busy and tired so I figured it's useful to have some frozen healthy dinners ready. 
In what seems to be good news for Dutch citizens abroad a spokesperson for minister Spies said that sending the controversial dual-nationality law to the Dutch Parliament "currently does not have priority".