Down Under with Jan Mikaela Nora and Ella

Hip hip hip hurray. Our little girl turned ONE today. And what a day it was! We went up early to video-chat with Holland and Sweden. Pake, Froukje and Susan were all singing for the birthday queen. It was wonderful picnic weather so we had a party in Kensington Gardens with many of Nora’s little friends. And Mummy made a great (gluten free) birthday cake. And we had presents: lots and lots of them. Nora found it just wonderful. Why can’t it be a birthday every day? Our girl is now officially no longer a baby, but a toddler. Mum and Dad were reflecting on this last night and realized how fast this first year went. The images of Nora’s birth are still fresh in our memories. Can you picture the early bruises on her head caused by the forceps? So many things happened since; the months have just been flying by. Think of the Owl that was posting in our patio the first weeks of her life? And the first time she did a rollover? And how she charmed everyone on her first grand Europe...

Not yet walking, but its going really fast now. Next week it's Nora's first birthday, and how much has she developed in just one year?!? The latest thing is that our little girl insists on climbing up the stairs. Nothing can stop her on her way to the top ! (if you cannot see embedded video above, just follow this link )

Another big step in the life of little Nora: she’s going to Child Care. Since Mum will start working again in the handbag shop this week, Nora is playing with her new friends at Child Care for two days a week. We first tried for a couple of afternoons, and last week she completed her first full days. Nora did really well. She's been eating well, she slept a couple of hours every day, and most of the time she is playing already in the toddler room, with the older kids.  We’ve been waiting for a while before we got a spot, but we are very happy with this one. The staff is really caring, flexible, and there is a happy atmosphere that affects everyone around. And they were well aware that leaving behind your child for the first time is often much harder for the parents than for the baby. Yes, there were some goodbye tears, but not for Nora. She just jumped into the action straight away. Funny enough she only cries when we pick her up again at night!?! The minute she sees...

Daddy is celbrating his first birthday as a daddy. For this special occasion Mummy made a real nice birthday cake. In fact she made it twice: the first one without flower, and the second one with flower! Guess which one was best ?!? We went to the beach, our favorite place in summer. I was soo cool with my sunglasses! Later tonight Dad will be out in town with his mates. I bet he's trying to be just as cool as me ...... Happy Birthday Daddy !!!

..... now nothing is safe anymore ..... (if you cannot see embedded video above, just follow this link )

Nora made the trip of her lifetime. We went back to the homelands: Christmas in Sweden and New Year in Holland. And what a great experience it was. Europe was covered in snow. Not just for a couple of days, but for the complete duration of our trip we were looking at the most beautiful white winter scenery you could imagine. And despite the cold, the entire trip felt like one big warm bath of cheerful reunions, with our little queen at centre-point of attention. A 32-hour trip via Singapore and Amsterdam dropped us from +36°C in Adelaide to -8°C in Borås, Sweden . Fortunately Mikaela’s best friend Susan was waiting on the airport with warm clothes for all of us, including a ski-suit for Nora that turned her into a little snowman. We stayed at Susan's mother’s place, where we spent the first nights waking up with Nora, who was coping with a major jet-lag. Main mission in Sweden was celebrating Christmas, which we did no less than three times, all with traditional dinner and presen...

Summer is here and Adelaide is struck by insane PANDA-mania: two Giant Panda’s have just settled into the nearby Adelaide Zoo . Thousands of visitors are expected every day, so there goes the peace in our little neighbourhood. High time to go on a holiday … Dear people, we are taking our summer break. It’s been one special year, with the arrival of our little girl. We wish you a wonderful Christmas and a very good New Year. Take care!