From the last week ...

Apologies for the blogging delay! I blame blogger. They were redoing their website and so I've struggled with uploading and posting. Oh well, it seems better now. So here's a quick catch up.

Last weekend we had SUNSHINE!!! So we rode our bikes down to Vondel Park, and Calvin LOVED it! He has become increasingly interested in animals the last few weeks and all the sounds they make, especially (and specifically) puppies. When I say, "that's a puppy!", he smiles. When I say, "that's a puppy like Henry!", he squeals with excitement. Adorable. Anyways, here we saw TWO puppies, hence the double pointing (he's a genius, what can I say?)

This was the hit of the day. It's a large, ankle deep pool for kids in the middle of the park. We've been back since this day and he absolutely loves it. The little dutch kids run around in it naked. Calvin, however, can not run. But he sure loves it. He crawls around in his diaper and splashes and has a gay old time.

This may be the coolest swing we've ever seen. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it ...

So I sat with him and Matt pushed - what fun!

After that we went exploring a bit through some other sections of Amsterdam that weren't nearly as cool as the park, but still pretty. Calvin was a trooper!

Taking in the pretty canals.

So, here are more random Amsterdam observations for you.

* There are two different prices for coffee in cafes - one price if you want to stay and drink it, and one price if you take it to go. The price to stay is higher, and one drink per table is not acceptable. If you sit, you must order something.

* The toilet paper rolls are incredibly small ... in fact, EVERYTHING is smaller. Toilet paper, paper towels, seasoning cases, shampoo bottles, everything. Buying large and in bulk to save money does not exist here. Already wondering if Costco ships internationally ...

* There are mosquitos at night and no screens on the windows. I am being eaten alive, but they don't seem to like Matthew, the person whose dream it is to live here. It's like they know ...

* We have a cute little brown mouse in our kitchen, forcing me to sterilize our countertops every morning. He's smart. We've set traps but he manages to get the cheese without getting dead. Dutch mice are smart.

* The garbage system is genius. There is an underground dumpster on our street. There's a hole above ground. Twice a week the garbage truck comes, lifts the entire unit out of the underground hole it is in and empties it. Calvin always watches in rapt amazement. I think it's his favorite thing so far ... thus increasing his little boy love of trucks, lights, and loud noises.

* Getting around here is an odd thing. Biking is the fastest. But once you arrive somewhere, then you have baby to haul around. Stroller is nice, but not easy to take everywhere (and our Bob is just enormous compared to the little strollers here). The tram is ideal but a little pricey. So, in the end, we usually walk. I'm still trying to figure this all out.

In other news ...

Calvin and I took a tram, a train, and a bus to visit a friend of Calvin's last week in Haarlam for a playdate. We made it there and back on our own. I was very proud of myself and Calvin had a great time playing.

Calvin can stand pretty well all on his own now. He's very proud of himself when he does it and for some reason he thinks that he needs to throw his hands up in the air when he does it, which is hysterical and pretty freaking cute. He has also started "mama", which melts my heart. Additionally he LOVES to read picture books - his two favorites right now are one full of animals and another that has fruits and vegetables in it. The words "banana" and "puppy" seem to get the biggest reactions from him. Darling, darling child.

Matthew has been hard at work on two paper commitments he had made before we came here and the last of the two is due this Wednesday. After that he will be working full time on his dissertation. We are all excited for that!

We went to a local church here called Amsterdam50. It meets at 4pm on Sunday afternoons, which is different, but kind of nice. It's made up of mostly 20-30 year olds. We were warmly welcomed and really liked the spirit of the church. We'll go again, and are hoping a good community will develop from there.

I turn 30 tomorrow!!! Yikes!!! We're planning to go out for a latte and pancakes in the morning and then see what happens! (really, Matthew has to write tomorrow, so perhaps we will pretend that my birthday is Saturday ...)

That is it for now! I will do better at the blog ... I blame blogger for thrwaring my past attempts.