One Down, Many To Go

Yeahh...., little Leo has finally got his first tooth!

It broke through the day before yesterday, but it was hardly noticeable. Today it is. I tried to feel it and got a good bite as my reward, haha. Let me tell you, that little guy has some force behind those little jaws.

That is one down and many more to go. But it is a start. I am so glad he got his first 'toofer'. At least that one is not causing him any more grief. I guess, the wait now is for the next one to see the light of day.

Hopefully, they won't be as painful as this first one.

Problem Solved?

The past few nights have gone rather well with our little critter. He went to bed with hardly any problems. Last night, we did not even hear a peep out of him at all. Hmmm, what was the difference?

First of all, his Mom and Dad had put one of those baby-safe handles on the door, so he could not open the door any more and look down the hall, like he used to. I suppose, that was the 'I don't want to go to sleep, simply because I can get y'all's attention'-mentality being addressed.

Secondly, he had only one nap during day time. I suspected, lil' Kc might have reached the point where he didn't have the need anymore for two naps. Seems like the 'I don't need to go to sleep, simply because I am not tired'-state, got addressed as well.

We have to wait and see if both want and need are being taken care off. It is still too early to tell. I sure hope so. Even if the drama and trauma would have been inflicted upon himself, by himself, it broke my heart to hear him cry like that.

He may not always get what he wants, but we will do all we can, to give him what he needs. Okay, okay, if what he wants would not hurt him, we will probably cater to that as well, when we can.

Opas and Omas have the right to spoil their grand kids too, ya know?! Simply because we want to! :-D

In The Dark

Date of occurrence:
October 27, 2008.
Kc is almost 21 months old.

We are scratching our heads, when it comes to lil' Kc. No clue, what is going on with the little guy. He is always so joyful, pleasurable and happy during daytime, but when bedtime comes around, he turns into a tiny terror!

He starts crying, screaming and throwing hissy-fits for about half an hour, sometimes even longer. Nothing seems to work and besides the war of the wills, both Opa and I are concerned, something else might be going on.

Yeah, it seems like more then just attention drawing and not wanting to go to sleep. Maybe he is afraid of the dark, although the bedroom is not too dark by any means. Since he does not want to sleep in his own bed, there could be a safety and security issue here? Maybe he is afraid of nightmares, or has night-terrors? In other words, we don't know.

Hopefully, we will be able to find out soon. For the little critter's sake. Right now, we are totally in the dark!

Cookie-Monster

So far, Leo has been refusing to eat any solid food. His Mom has tried, but gets it back after a taste. Even the little baby-jars with fruit are not doing it. He still loves his rice-bottle and bottle with Formula way too much. For now, that is still okay, but eventually he will have to make the switch. Maybe we are just spoiled with his brother, Kc. He ate and eats, anything and everything and there is hardly something he does not like.

But..., there is hope at the horizon. Yesterday, to every one's surprise, Leo managed to almost completely soak up an Oreo-cookie! That was a first and maybe a start? He looked like one himself afterwards and so did his Mom. Unfortunately, our camera was full and I didn't get to take a picture. I have a hunch though, we will get another opportunity to take a pic.

Honestly, I can not blame Leo for not wanting to eat that baby-food in the jars. It tastes horrible. Even though I am not a cookie-monster myself, I too would prefer any cookie over those jars!

Taking A Drive

Lil' Leo loves to walk, but is not able yet to do it by himself. A walker is a great solution and he loves it. He has gotten quite skilled in moving forward, backwards and turning. He gets to where he wants to go.

He also loves to follow us around, but what he enjoys most, is to follow his older brother and play with him. It is a cute sight, to see lil' Kc driving around on his play-truck, followed bumper to bumper by lil' Leo in his walker.

The biggest fun however, is Kc standing on the edge of the walker, holding on tight and letting Leo do all the running around. It is being repaid in kind though. Kc often pushes Leo and takes him for a spin.

I can only imagine, what those two will be up to, when they are a bit older. I have a suspicion we may be in for a lot of mischief. :-)

Comfort And Compassion

We all lead by example and Lil' Kc shows that is true. Incredible, how observant kids are. It may not seem like it, but they notice the little things they see and apply them.

The other day, when he and I were playing, he made a little fist and pushed it against my arm, as if he was punching me. It is a little game he plays with his father. I am not for it and had no intention at all to encourage it. I know, boys will be boys, but I wanted to make sure he grasped the concept that his 'hitting' could inflict pain.

I pretended to cry after his (harmless) punch. He stood there for a moment and his little face clearly showed consideration. Then he leaned over and gave me a hug. Not just 'a' hug. His little hands on my arms were patting me as in compassion and comfort. Exactly like we do to him, when he would have hurt himself. How endearing!

The punching?? He tried it one more time after that, but did not like the reaction he got. I think he gave up on it. At least I hope so. He loves to make people laugh, not cry and I hope he will follow our example by being a help and not a hurt to others.

He seems to be well on his way. He loves help out and make people laugh. He is good at it too. :-)

Good Night

Nite-nite time is one of the things I always look forward to. Noooo, not because our grand sons go to bed, even though the peace and quiet (when it occurs right away, haha) are nice for a change. It is because Lil' Kc makes the round and gives everyone a good night hug.

He usually starts with our oldest daughter, who is sitting in a chair, then it is my turn. Since I am on the couch with hubby, he has to pass by me to give Opa his hug and pass by me again, on the way back.

That suits me fine and I would not want it any other way. I always get a second hug!! :-D

Dancing Away

Lil' Casey always loved to dance. He would hop up and down through his knees ever since he was about 6 months old, while someone would be holding him.

When he was about a year old, he started swaying to and fro and now since a few days, he is dancing like a hippy, who is totally in a trance. His movements are slow and one hand waves up in the air. Where he got it, we have no clue, but it is a cute sight.

So, we already went through the hip-hop, the twist and landed in the hippy stage. I wonder what's next.

Rock & Roll?!!!

Fire-Ants

Lil' Kc is an outside boy. He loves roaming around in the backyard, running, playing with Mia our dog, and exploring. He always gets so excited, when we are fixing to go outside.

I can imagine how huge the world must be, to such a little boy. The impressive and majestic trees in the back, that large open field of grass to play in and all those new things to discover, each day. It is all so fascinating and .... dangerous at times as well.

He has to learn that not everything is good to play with and not all of his curiosity is going to yield in a pleasant experience. Like grabbing hands full of fire-ant beds! He got in them twice now. The first time he grabbed a hand full and showed Mommy. He got bit several times. The second time, he wiped a fire-ant bed flat off the face off the earth. More bites.

It fazed us more then it did him. He is no 'cry-baby' by any means and just went on playing. I was impressed and concerned for his wellbeing at the same time. I know, we all have to be taught and learn from our mistakes. Both lil' Kc and Leo are no exception. However, when we can keep them from danger, we will take measures to keep them from being harmed.

Those fire-ants are history in our yard!!!

Ouch

Our youngest grand son has not been a very happy camper, these past few days. He is teething and it bothers him very much. Thank The Lord for all the products that can be applied on his hurting gums and sooth the pain. It helps our little guy a lot.

This is one of the things, that is makes life and growing up a bit easier on everyone. In my time, there were no such products, All I knew to do, and was told to do, was to let the girls bite on a teething toy. That works during the day time, but not at night when they are tired and want and need to sleep.

Little Leo's 'toofers' are about to break through. We can feel the bumps and he chews and drools on everything and everyone. Hopefully, it will not take long before his teeth appear.

I don't like to see our little one in pain. I so wish, I could take his hurt, so he wouldn't have to suffer. I know, it's part of growing up.

It breaks Oma's heart though. :-)

Beautiful Horsepower

There are not many cars that spark my interest, but I have always loved the Mustang. They were not custom in the Netherlands and the only way to got to see one, was through the movies.

Nowadays, you can buy Custom Mustangs and find all kinds of news surrounding this extraordinary car. Owners and fans gather online, to discuss and share rumors and concepts.

It is all so different now then in the old days. One thing has not changed though. The Mustang is still as beautiful and desirable as it was, when it was first introduced. Who knows, maybe some day we get to own one.

Egg Art Materials and Tools

Many materials can be and are used, to decorate and adorn egg shells. Paint, pencils, paper, all kinds of craft items like beads, rubber bands, yarn, and of course jewels, are just a few options. I have no doubt, you can come up with a few ideas of your own.

To make decorating eggs easier, there are lots of tools and accessories available. Craft stores and many online stores sell egg kits, to lend you an extra hand in expressing your creativity. This
egg marker for instance, helps to draw perfect straight lines on the egg.




For cutting or etching the eggs, egg drills are the perfect tools. They are air-driven and are similar to the dentists' drills. However, you need an air compressor to operate them, which makes it rather expensive. The results are worth it though.





For displaying the finished product of your creativity, you would need a stand. Egg stands come in many materials, forms, seizes and shapes as well and I have no doubt, you will be able to find a stand to complement the fruit of your labor.





There are also many figurines, books, egg art lessons, lighting and empty egg shells to be found online. I would recommend to order the empty shells, because those are all disinfected and you would not have to worry about spreading, or catching, any diseases like salmonella, or the bird flu.

It is better to work with pre-treated egg shells and be safe, then to constantly have to walk on egg shells!

Hugs And More Hugs

Little Kc has gotten in a habit of giving hugs. When he comes in the office, or leaves it, he walks up to us. Hit little arms are reaching out for us and as we bend over, he puts his arms around our neck and lays his face against ours.

It only lasts for a few, but he has made a game out of it. Open the door, say hiiiiii and then comes to give a hug. Go out the door, wave bye, come back, hugs and leaves. This can go on for a little while.

In the evening, at bedtime, he makes the round. Everyone gets a nite-nite hug. We are trying to make that a routine. That way he knows, it's bedtime. But.... even if he would not get that down path, that would be okay.

As long as Oma gets her hugs! :-)

An Open Door

Children grow up so fast. Literally, I mean. Our oldest little critter has grown to the point, where he can open the doors now. That means: beware and have eyes in the back of your head!

There are some ' door child proofers' available in the stores, but I can not open them either then. It takes a special skill, which I seem to have lost due to my RA. So, it would not only be baby-proof, but Oma-proof as well. That may seem funny, but not very handy.

So far, we have gotten by with locking doors and putting baby-gates in front of the ones that can not be locked from the inside.

Prods the question: How long will it take for him to climb over them? At the rate he is growing.... not that long! :-)

Goodmorning!!

Slowly but surely, things seem to be calming down. Problems we come across are being solved and the grand babies are settling in.

It is getting used to, having a full house. There is hardly any moment of silence, except for at night. Even then one of the grand boys decides to test their lungs, but that is rare.

It is cute though, being up as early as we are, sitting in the office and all of a sudden hear :"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii"! What a better beginning of the morning can one think of then staring in our oldest grand son's grinning face, his pacifier in his mouth and a spark of joy and mischief in his eyes.

I can. Both of our little critters doing that, hehe.

Egg Art II

Should you be interested in egg art, I would suggest you do a search online. I was amazed to see how many galleries, art shows and guilds there are. Not to mention the exhibits and pictures of so many beautiful creations, shown on the Internet.

pictures and art © IEAG
From very simple, to extremely ornate, you can find it all. I never would have thought an egg would be suitable for so many different forms of art. The variety of uses is enormous and the shape and form of the egg, lends itself extremely well for 3-D art.

Copyright © 2005 Houston Egg Art Guild
I can understand, if you would not want to take the risk of breakage and would rather work with a solid egg shape. There are wooden, porcelain, glass, and several other materials offered, as a replacement for the original substance.

You don't even have to resort to just chicken eggs. Goose, duck and ostrich eggs, to mention a few, are available as well and can be purchased through the Internet. The different colors and seizes, create their own ideas, options and possibilities, for many more delightful and fantastic works of art.

Not All Is Peachy

Well, not everything is 'just peachy'. When you have so many people living together, you can expect someone's apple cart to get upset.

Everyone has to make concessions and be respectful and have regard for the other. We anticipated to run in to problems and rightfully so. Any other expectation would have been foolish.

We had already discussed and covered the major problems. The rest we decided to deal with, as they came along. It does not have to be a big deal and they can be solved pretty quick, when everyone is willing to consider and cooperate. This too shall pass.

The road of life consists of many lessons. We can learn a lot from them. :-)

Almost All Together

Boy, am I tired!

After spending almost a week of cleaning up and out and the past two days deep cleaning and transitioning from master bedroom to, what used to be the guest bedroom, every muscle in my body is aching.

But..., the kids got all their stuff moved over and the grand babies' beds are set up. There is still a lot to do for them, but they are settling in. No rush, they will be here for a while.

I can not tell you, how pleasurable it is, to have the entire family under one roof, share meals together and enjoy the grand sons. Okay, okay, almost the entire family. Two of our daughters are living overseas and as I am typing this post, I can't hold back the tears.

We miss them, but we have faith. Anything is possible! :-)

Egg Art I

The egg was seen as the beginning of new life. Decorated in many ways, it was given as presents in many cultures and religions and became a desirable object amongst the European nobility in the thirteenth century.

Even though egg art was mainly brought under the attention an made famous by jeweler and gold smith Carl Faberge, it has existed for many centuries. The art of decorating eggs actually goes back as far as pre-recorded time!

Faberge did not use real eggs, but just the egg form. His elaborately decorated eggs, were ordered by the Russian Czar, as presents for his wife. The intricate designs resulted in miniature treasures, decorated with jewels and often had a 'secret compartment', as a surprise.


Copyright © Faberge
Many artists have followed this example, be it by using wood, porcelain, or other materials. The invention of the air compressed drill and saw, opened many new possibilities for decorating the natural egg shells. Consequently, it resulted in many delicate pieces of craftsmanship by artists all over the world.


I can only imagine how much patience it must take, not to mention all the broken egg shells, for such wonderful work of art to be created.

See also:
Egg Art II
Egg Art Material And Tools

Reclaiming Space

I am in the process of cleaning up and cleaning out, so that the kids have their space when they move in. That will be this coming Saturday.

I am just baffled by the amount of stuff, that we have accumulated over the years. It did not seem like much at all, until I started to go through it.

Lots of it went in the building. It should have gone there in the first place. I guess we were too lazy at that time, to carry it out there, and just stuffed it in any open space available.

Either way, there is still lots to do, to clean out and rearrange. It is worth it. Plus we discovered we had more space then we thought we did! :-)