Christmas Cough

I brought home a nasty bug. Everyone is sick but I got the worst of it - turned into a mild bit of pneumonia. We have spent most of the vacation on the couch. At least we have a comfortable couch with a fireplace in front of it. I have been managing to write something in the Novel every day so at least there is a slight feeling of accomplishment.

Naomi has been making more progress upstairs. It would be great if it is pretty much cleaned out by the end of the holiday, but I suppose that depends mostly on how we are feeling.

We had a nice Christmas dinner with our friend Susan and her family. Amélie tried applesauce at the big table - this was her first food other than milk. She didn't like it. Yesterday I shared my popsicle with Abigail which was her first 'food'. She loved it and started crying when we cut her off. Probably would have eaten the whole thing if is was up to her.

In the last couple days Abigail has also started talking a lot. For Amélie this is normal, and she has a crystal-clear voice like a champaign glass. Abigail's is more like a frosted tumbler. They are both peacefully asleep in front of the fire after their first journey into temperatures below freezing. We took them on a bit of a walk this morning.

Merry Christmas!!

The Shortest Day

That would be today. The time is almost noon and even though I am upstairs the faint light coming through the clouds that must be the sun just barely clears the rooftop of the house across the street.

It has already dipped below freezing a few times this year (this would equal the grand total of frosts during last year's winter) but the weather is mostly cloudy and depressing. Plenty of rain. When the sun comes I imagine that it must be a Christmas Angel or something because everyone has forgotten what the sun is; or at least I have. On the upside, today is the shortest day of the year...nothing but more daylight (even if it is filtered through low hanging clouds) from here on out.

School wrapped up nicely. Students didn't need to come on Friday, we had meetings instead followed by a nice lunch. Unfortunately I was starting to get a cold, which has turned into a nasty bug sentencing me to a weekend on the couch. Finished a book yesterday...maybe I can get a bit of writing in today. Here is a snippet from a few days ago:

The monkey had swum toward him surprisingly quickly and climbed out of the water, first onto his shoulders, then wrapping its arms, legs, and body securely around his head. Tiny fists clutched Caleb’s scruffy sideburns while toes curled their way into the dripping hair that began to hide the deeply tanned backside of Caleb’s neck. The straddled creature looked like a terrified horse jockey frozen in position, every muscle tensed, just waiting for the gates to crash open.

Back to Work

Naomi finished off her pregnancy leave and has started teaching on Wednesday mornings. After Christmas she will also teach on Fridays as well. She is happy to go back to work, and we have arranged for someone to come watch the girls on Fridays. I am home on Wednesdays, so the schedule should work out well.

We are at the Cottage this weekend and had a nice steak dinner last night. This morning did not involve much sleeping in for me though. Naomi was feeding Abigail (Amélie can sleep through the night now!) and she had an explosive poop which I had to help clean up and now Abigail is not happy. No point in going back to bed I suppose.

Today is the celebration of Naomi's Grandma's 94th birthday, so we will dress the girls in something nice (hopefully Abigail doesn't still smell like poop) and head over just before lunch. For the Christmas break we will be here as well, so yesterday I set up the tree. I don't understand fake trees. They are a lot of work to put together, they make almost as much of a mess as a real tree, they need to be stored somewhere for the rest of the year, and they don't look or smell good. I gave it a try, but I think we will be getting rid of ours...

Playtime.

Happy in the chair.

Bathtime.

The Consulate

We had a busy week. Lots of visitors and no shortage of things to do. This was the last week of Naomi's pregnancy leave; the last chance to jump through some bureaucratic hoops in Amsterdam. Going into the Consulate is like entering a maximum security prism located next to the most popular tourist destinations in the country.

The Consulate building fits in perfectly with its beautiful surroundings (as opposed to the bunker in The Hague that we call our embassy) save the twelve foot tall fence and the glassed in security station. This is the place where assume that any electronics you bring in are some type of terrorist device and everything else is scanned and probed.

Once we got past the bullet-proof door, the people behind the windows who talked through a microphone were quite friendly and helpful. I made some mistakes with the passport applications for the girls, but they arranged to have me fix the problems through the mail so we don't need to return.

Play time in the box. Abigail is fits into one of my old outfits...

Back to Delft

This week was a busy one at school. We had report meetings which involves the teachers getting together to discuss each student. The differences between classes this year is large, some are doing quite well and others failing miserably. So many students are failing Math that the Math department is really not sure what to do about it. I have changed a few things in the lessons this year, like adding practice for insight questions and some bits online curriculum...while it is an improvement I doubt the results will change.

Yesterday was a great day. We woke up to sunny skies and loaded up the car. Naomi ordered a few things from our favorite Delft Blue company - it is the smallest one but they do nice work. Lots of customization.

Just walking around the city was great, and we made it home just in time to feed the girls. Not long after that, Susan came to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. The turkey turned out really well this year and so did everything else.

Right now Naomi is shopping in Amsterdam with a friend and Amélie is crying, so it is time to wrap this up...

The new baby hammock from Brazil.

Abigail overpowered her diaper.

Enjoying Delft.

They can feed themselves! (for a few seconds)

Nap time.

Naomi's order. Even the time on the clock shows when they were born...

Thanksgiving Dinner.

Grades!

This week was one devoted to school. Next week will be too. And the week after. It is the end of the term and that means a busy time for all. I created graded, and handed back tests for all 8 of my classes. The results were quite strange - huge differences between classes. The results should have been similar as the level, age, and everything else was the same, but some of the averages were incredibly far apart.

My HAVO2 students (lower level 8th graders) are, on average, failing. This is a bit worrisome as I just learned from the kids that there is a new standard for passing onto the next year at the school - they must pass Math, Dutch, and English. Hmmm...

We spent a nice weekend at the cottage - the weather was beautiful so we went for some nice walks as saw some family. Got another full car load dropped off at the second hand shop, so Naomi is really making progress cleaning out the storage room upstairs. I also got a Brazilian baby hammock set up and the girls seem to love it (although probably not as much as I do).

Now it is time to pack things up to head back to the big city, and another busy week at work...

Birthday Week

Lots of people at work had their birthdays this week. Something to do with Singles Awareness Day nine months before? For my birthday Naomi made a nice lamb dinner with a Tarte Normande for dessert. Yesterday we had some friends over for Swiss Fondue.

At school I initiated a couple meetings about the low grades. Basically, students understand how it works after the explanation but can't translate that understanding into doing on the test. For the most part, if they did their homework well, things would be fine. There is also a big problem with retention - Math builds and they don't seem to be able to remember how to do much of anything after the test. Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that they have 14 different subjects every week. Bottom line is that I don't know how to solve this problem and nobody else seems to either.

Abigail and Amélie are sleeping away as I write this. Naomi went to the gym. They are all doing well although Naomi had a rough week. She decided to quit her job at WolfertPRO. A difficult choice for her, but everyone (except for a few of her colleagues there) seems to be quite happy with it. She will still work at the other school and might even get offered more responsibility. Much better to have it there than at PRO!

Happy in the box.

Birthday Pie.

Whose that Baby?

The babies have started 'talking' more this week - making little cooing noises. Yesterday we think Amélie noticed Abigail for the first time. She has always been the observant one, the one who tries hard, so of course smiley Abigail was oblivious. They were lying next to each other and Amélie was looking right at her sister making her cute little cooing sounds. As I write this Abigail is trying to have a conversation with me - lots of cooing and smiles.

About twenty minutes ago the opposite was true - Abigail wouldn't stop crying. So I picked her up, walked with her, played with her and nothing helped. The only solution was to flip her upside down. The crying stopped when her feet were dangling straight up in the air, but as soon as her head crossed the horizontal plane, tears flowed once again.

School went well this week. On Friday I administered and recorded the grades for seven quizzes in a row and was finished with all this work shortly after my last period. This never would have been possible without Google!

I even got a chance to write a bit...

They quickly dispersed in search of rock. After fifteen minutes of frantic lifting and dragging, a decent pile began to emerge just upstream from the truck that was, of course, still idling as if nothing was amiss.

When Jack determined enough had been gathered, he directed the largest specimens to be dragged first into the flowing water at a 45 degree angle to the direction of the current. This only seemed to make the water angry, turning it from brown to white. The group hurried to drop in the melon sized rocks next, and the water began to flow behind the truck, merging with a shallower rivulet. 

The hood was still submerged, but the remainder of the pile stopped the gaps and most of the flow was redirected. Before long sediment from the water itself finished the job, and the left wheel became fully exposed. Water poured out of the cab for minute or two as the team observed the full extent of their predicament...

Visitors

This week our house has seen plenty of people. Friends have come, Ron and Edith, even Claire came all the way from Switzerland for just the weekend. It has been nice to have people around. Luckily the babies behave well enough that we can all have a nice time.

I went back to school this week after having a two week break. Some exams were taking place, so I didn't get to be in my own classroom. This is always a bummer, and makes it a bit more difficult to adjust to being back. Things still went pretty well though, but I am not back in my own room until Thursday. What I think the school should do is group the classrooms by year, not by subject. Then this game of 'musical classrooms' wouldn't be necessary and there wouldn't be so many problems with technology.

Right now Claire is in town with Naomi. They are going shopping. Uh oh. Abigail and Amélie are quite peaceful though, so my job is easy. Sure wish we were enjoying the amazing weather though - it has been sunny and in the 60s lately...perfect for a trip to the zoo...

Sister Time.

Hands full.

Lots of smiles! 

Found this in the window upstairs...feels like dried whipped creme...any idea what it might be? Time to leave Rotterdam?

Time to Relax

Our couch sure has paid off this week. We finally had time to spend on it. Been watching an addictive Netflix series - Lilyhammer. We will finish up the last of the first two seasons today, but the third doesn't come out for another month, so I guess it will be a forced break.

Naomi has been doing a great job of tackling the box closet upstairs. The space is pretty large, a little under 200 square feet maybe, and the ceiling is slanted and low, but there was only a 8 foot passageway that one could squeeze into - the rest was floor to ceiling tightly packed with stuff. Quite the project. Yesterday she brought away two carloads, and hopefully we can do the same tomorrow.

Tuesday I need to start working again, and these two weeks have really flown by. More like a working vacation as we had so much to do, but there was still some time for relaxation...

Practicing for Halloween!

Great Grandma sucked into baby-land. Nothing else exists.

Play time.

The Cottage

Where has time gone? We had so many plans for this week, and some of them got done I suppose. I have a two week vacation from school - one week for Fall Break and the second for some parent leave that I get. Amazing. We are spending most of it at the Cottage, but the first half is already pretty much gone! We have been really busy, but haven't gotten to enjoy being outside much and also haven't started on the box room which was meant to be the big project for the week.

Twins take up a lot of time! We did manage to clean things up, do some shopping and a few legal things, arrange and enjoy a Netflix subscription, and eat some really good food. The last couple nights the twins have actually made it through the night with one feeding instead of two! Our fingers are crossed that this continues because our lives would become even better. They were fed slightly after 9:30 last night, then we had to wake both of them up at 4 in the morning! Amélie woke up at 7 but Abigail lasted until 8. Great night.

I worked in a bit of the novel as well...

Amadou’s fame was known in the region; his greatness allowed him a large family. He had four wives and twenty-three children. He strongly believed monogamy was something reserved for the weak. There was no way for him to know that a monogamous relationship existed inside his body.

Some time ago, two small worms about one centimeter in length pledged their lives to each other when the female nestled herself into a long groove shaped just for her - the male clutching her tight for the rest of his long life. The two had joined together to become one.

The couple settled down within Amadou’s bladder and got busy with the family business of reproduction. Over the course of their lifetime the number of offspring they would produce would be uncountable, although the vast majority would die before reaching maturity. 

Test Week

It was a good week to give a bunch of tests because two of my classes were in Bath, England so I had time to grade them. I also made the tests from scratch this year which actually saves me a bit of time because I formatted them for grading efficiency. Unfortunately, the results were rather low. This problem will only get worse I imagine as the Google culture of having answers at your fingertips deepens. Students don't retain much information, and as Math builds, this is a big problem. Much of the test was review, but they don't remember how to do stuff from last year let alone primary school.

Things are going well at home. Two feedings per night and in between the babies are sleeping well. Naomi remembers being told they are meant to gain between 100 and 200 grams per week. We calculated it yesterday, and over the course of the past few weeks Abigail has averaged over 500 and Amélie around 300. They are outgrowing clothes quickly already!

We also tried out some Pacco wraps last night - they are a velcro-laden swaddling cloth and for the first stretch both of them slept for 6 hours! Hopefully they will continue to help, but they will keep the babies warm and prevent their arms from moving around. Naomi picked up a couple of bouncy chairs that the girls love; I am bouncing them in them as I write this...

Amélie.

Abigail.

What goes down...must come up?

A Full Week

This was the last one for awhile. It went well though...I didn't feel maxed out which is a surprise. Next week will be lighter as two of my eight classes are in Bath, England. After that I will be working Monday and then my parent leave starts. I wouldn't have know to ask for it if it had not been our friend Peter who gave us the tip. Thanks!

This means I will have a full week off from work, and we combined it with fall break, so in total I will have two whole weeks off! We will spend most of it at the cottage.

It was great to be there this weekend. We were undecided as to whether or not we would make the journey because Abigail has a cold. Lots of trouble breathing due to a stuffy nose. I guess I passed that one along to her...whoops. The weather was so nice on Friday that we couldn't stay here. Luckily it continued through Saturday. We went for a nice long walk and enjoyed the patio thoroughly. Even got a bit sunburnt!

On Wednesday I finally had a chance for a bit of writing again...

Eventually Jerry skidded to a halt under a shady grove of trees. Tim dizzily exited the car while Jack and Johanna decoupled themselves from the roll bar and gingerly hopped over the tailgate. The grove of trees was large, but they could already hear the rushing sound of flowing water. 

They grabbed everything they needed out of the cab that didn't lock and took the short walk under the strangely tall canopy. What opened up before them was nothing short of a tropical paradise...

On Our Own

Wednesday was a sad day. Grandma and Grandpa had to leave. We all had a great time and adjusting to the lack of help will continue to be a challenge, although we are doing pretty well. Today I will finish getting the Ikea cabinets we bought set up in the bathroom, and that will make a big difference.

Tuesday morning I had a prep hour, and I spent it across the street at the zoo. If this nice weather holds, I will try to make that a more regular thing. On Thursday during one of my prep hours I picked up my 5-year residence permit, which makes me a more permanent fixture in Dutch society.

Naomi did really well on her own this week, she even got a bit too much done. This weekend brought a bit of rest, but we have still been busy. She does a great job of taking care of the twins, although she often thinks she doesn't or can't. Hopefully that changes soon now that she is on her own four days a week!

Ready for the Great Outdoors.

Walking in the Park.

Naptime after the Walk.

The crib downstairs gets lots of use...it isn't so neat anymore though!

Birds near the Zoo's entrance - I can see the flamingos from my classroom and bike past the pelicans every day.

Welcome to Asia.

Monkey Island.

Amélie.

Abigail.

Family Picture Time.

The Last Week

Only a few days left of the easy life. Once my parents head back on Wednesday we will have to do everything on our own. I am happy to say that we have had a great visit and many things have been checked off the lists. Our houses are really getting into shape for these babies.

My energy has been pretty decent this week except for a little cold, so we will see how that changes. Early on Tuesday morning I even snuck over to the Zoo during one of my prep hours. Too bad I didn't have my camera because the low light coming in through the mist was incredible. I was one of only a handful of visitors, so it was fun to feel like I had the place to myself.

Mom and I took a trip to the Ikea and as always, ended up with more than we came for. Still need to install some cabinets in the bathroom and when that is done things will run more smoothly. We tried the cloth diapers this week and they worked out well. Good to have that system installed, then we can use as we like.

This weekend was spent at the Cottage. We all had a nice time. Yesterday Naomi and I did something completely new for both of us - bought clothes at full price. Strange experience. We shall see if we continue to do this or not, but it sure is nice to have the luxury of giving that a try. We also had a nice lunch outside with a live band. Good to have babysitters!

Did Grandpa Steal a Baby?

I have been trying to remember what happened this week, but it comes back as a bit of a blur. A good blur. Mom and Dad have been a great help - Dad got here Wednesday. We are getting used to taking care of the twins, but it will be quite the shock when Mom and Dad leave.

School went fine, and on Friday we even went to the Zoo. It was sunny and nice. I seem to be having a decent amount of energy given the splintered nights, but that all might change when we are on our own.

For now, September continues to be one of my favorite months. Plenty of sunshine, lots of nice walks, no shortage of things to keep us busy. So much has changed since last September!

Grandpa loves to go for walks and he takes one of the girls, usually Abigail, with him. He immediately looks rather suspicious with his UP beard and clothing - they don't see that style much here in the big city. On top of that, he carries the babies in his arms, without a backpack or a stroller.

On his way home from a walk to the windmill, the police stopped him. They were very friendly, but explained that he had been reported as a possibly baby thief. They walked him home in order to confirm his identity and that of the baby's with the mother, who happened to be in the shower at the time.

All in all a rather awkward situation, but one that we home Grandma will make into a children's book one day...

Back to Work

Happily, I was able to start slowly this week. Monday was a day of meetings with a nice lunch. Tuesday was just a few lessons. Wednesday I had off as the school was able to arrange the schedule so I don't have to teach then. Thursday and Friday were full of teaching, but the lessons went really well. I was even able to organize my space and hang up some posters. A much better start than last year.

The babies are doing quite well. Gaining weight and changing fast. They already look much different from when they were born. Mom was able to take over my nighttime duties on the days before I needed to teach, and this along with all the other help she is able to provide makes the start of the school year seem manageable. Things would be pretty rough if she wasn't around!

We were even able to go to the Cottage for the weekend. It was some work setting things up there for the babies, but we did have time to relax and enjoy it too. Even had the time last night to watch an entire movie on our new couch! This coming work week will be a lot heavier, so we will see if the positive spirit continues...

Sleep...?

This week has been all about establishing the routine. Abigail and Amélie are doing great. We are figuring out how to deal with all the different tasks and the lack of sleep. The tasks have been falling away though. No more recording data - they got back up to there birth weight in half the expected time, so that is good news. Last night was also the first time that we didn't help them out with hot water bottles. This means they are better able to regulate their own body temperatures now.

We have been having more visitors lately, so that is nice, but also a bit draining. Naomi especially was sad to see our helper go, but we learned a lot from her. Now my mom is here, so thankfully we are not on our own. It is hard to imagine doing this by ourselves!

School starts tomorrow for me. It would be nice to have more time, but I think I have done what needed to be done this summer, and I don't think it could have gone much better. We shall see how things change as work starts up again...

Bath time.

Nap time.

Food time.

Weighing time.

Sister time.