Two Years Ago...

Two years ago this weekend, I had just given birth to a healthy baby boy. It was Saturday, September 3rd, 2005. Johnny entered the world and we got him bathed, fed, and swaddled. Then we layed in bed and turned on Notre Dame's home opener against Pittsburg and snuggled! Little did I know, how much fun was ahead of me! Happy Birthday my little one! We love you!

What The Heck Was I Thinking?

Was I trying to go for "Mother of the Year?" Who in their right mind would give a 2 and 3 year old 100 balls in a tent for their birthday. Especially, when they only have one room for the kids to play with them in! It would be WAY different if we had a playroom or a basement! I'm going to have dreams about picking up balls!

Driving

Since Erik has gotten sick, my driving in Holland has gotten much better and I've been forced to do it more often. Today, when Erik came home at 1pm, I put Johnny down for a nap, and loaded Curtis in the car. I decided to go to the Mega Stores with Vanessa and just one kid. The Mega Stores are an indoor mall, but with all funiture stores in it, a baby store, and Toys R Us. I needed to get bedding for my boys, now that the temperatures have dipped into the upper 40's at night.

So, it was my first time driving there. Vanessa navigated the way there, and it went pretty well, despite the fact that she was making me so nervous about looking for bikers! After we were done, I dropped Vanessa off at her house, about 10 minutes from the mall. On the way back, my adventure began. I thought I knew where I was going. I usually have a very good sense of direction. I started driving and recognized land marks. Eventually, I was lost. Now, I'm in the middle of an intersection on a busy road, COMPLETELY lost. I've got trams buzzing by the sides of me, bikes weaving in and out of traffic, and a 3 year old in the back seat, who is starting to do the "potty dance."

Bathrooms are a hard thing to come by in Holland when you are out and about. First you have to park your car, which you pay to do EVERYWHERE. Then, you have to go in places to see if they have restrooms. But, you can't go to the restroom, unless you pay to use it. I was in no place to pull over just that instant. So, Curtis started whining that he has to go "NOW!" (Why males hold it to the last minute is WAY BEYOND ME!) I told him I couldn't pull over this instant, but to wait a few minutes and I'd try to find a place. Well, a minute was too long and we had the first accident in his pants.

Anyone that knows Curtis, knows that he is a perfectionist. So, having an accident in his pants, is very upsetting to him. So, I started to sing funny songs that I was made up about going potty in the car and being in preschool . Just to distract him. He was laughing SO hard, that he had another accident in his pants! ( I wasn't laughing when I had to scrub the carseat out at home, I'll tell you that much!)

By now, we've been in the car for over an hour, LOST! I'm not even sure what city I'm in. I had to pull over to call Erik, as talking on cell phones is illegal in Holland, in a vehicle. Erik had to get out a map and find where I was. He says to me, "Oh, you ARE really lost!" I'm so lost, that I finally had to break the law, and use my phone to navigate me home! After some baths, and dinner, I'm going to sleep and dreaming about the TomTom I ordered and will have in just a few short weeks!

Family Update

Here is the low-down on everyone in the family:

Erik: He is back at work this week. On Monday, his boss's assistant had to drive him home after lunch because he got sick at work. (Headache and Nausea) The rest of the week, he has just worked half days. He will work half days this week and next week to fully recover and not have work related stress-Per, his boss's order! (MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE STATES!)This has made him feel much better, as he isn't worrying about feeling guilty about missing so much work this past month. He can be up more, and just pretty much gets motion sick when up too much, or moving around. So, it's slowly but surely getting better. You better believe that after watching him the past three weeks, if I have another baby, I'll think twice about the epidural. A spinal tap headache takes forever to clear up if it goes wrong!

Curtis: After a very defiant day, where I was thinking "What the heck happened to my NICE LITTLE BOY?" Curtis is sick with a 103 degree temperature. He's worn out, tummy aches, fever/chills, and very crabby! So, that's what happened to my boy! He starts school in two weeks, so I'm glad he's fighting this now, and not at the start of his school year!

Johnny: My LITTLE Johnny is NO DUMMY! He has been curled up in bed all afternoon with Erik and Curtis. He's reaping the bennifits of sick people in our house. He's been watching WAY too many episodes of the "Wiggles" and sucking down milk shakes and popsicles like no tomorrow!

Me: I'm sick of people in our house being sick! I'm ready for it to go back to normal! I'm excited that fall is here! You can tell because the nights are chilly now! Wishing I was at home for Notre Dame's home opener this weekend! Will be a wierd football season without games on during the day! I'm sure my neighbor Jeff, who is a HUGE ND fan will cheer for me from his garage this fall! (:

Picture Above: When Vanessa heard that Curtis was sick, she made him his FAVORITE Dutch meal in her restaraunt, an Uitsmiter. An Uitsmiter is a piece of bread, with fried ham, egss, and cheese on top! She made it with extra cheese for him and brought it to him in bed as a surprise! It perked him RIGHT up. I've said it once, and I'll say it again! "You gotta love VANESSA!"

Froggy

Johnny LOVES frogs more than ANYTHING! He sleeps with 3 frogs and carries those frogs everywhere. He also loves toy frogs, and books about frogs. Pretty much anything to do with frogs makes him excited! My friend Lynn is leaving for vacation tomorrow and dropped off a birthday present for Johnny. She found this in Scottland when she was there a few weeks ago! I think the picture speaks for itself!

Only Child

On Saturday, Curtis slept over at a friends house across the street. This was the first time in a long time that we had just Johnny with us. He cried his eyes out when Curtis left, and was so glad to see Curtis when he returned. But in the middle he was LOVING being an only child! Here he is eating breakfast with me out on the balcony! Gotta love him!

Pole Dancing!

The REAL reason that Erik has been staying home from work for over a week now! This is taken from our balcony, and they have pole dancing shows every half hour all day long!

Vanessa

I'm always talking about Vanessa, so I thought I should put a picture of her on the blog. Here we all are a few days ago. This was taken outside our house at the Tarzan Broadway Show Exhibit. The boys were SO scared inside and screaming! It was great fun!

Monkey See, Monkey Do...

Monkey Get's In Trouble TOO!

Update...

I've had a lot of e-mails and calls this week asking about Erik's progress. So, rather than sending out a bunch of e-mails, I thought I'd just post it on the blog.

Erik has been home from work all week long. He's improving each day. His head still hurts and he still gets sick, but now it is mostly when he is standing, sitting, and up moving. If he lies down, then he can rest comfortably. That is a big improvement from last week.

We've been to the doctor a few times this week. They keep telling us the same thing. This could be a spinal headache from the spinal tap that they did on him in the hospital. It could take like 2-3 weeks to get fully recovered. It makes sense, since the headache is different from what he was experiencing last week. He is also probabally going through caffine withdrawl. So, I'm sure that has caused symptoms too. He hasn't had a cup of coffee for a week and a half now. He's converted to a cup of tea in the morning.

Anyways, it's been a tiring week for everyone! We are glad that he can rest comfortably, but frusterated that we can't get help for this lingering pain, like we would back in the good 'ole USA. We'll just ride it out. I'm not sure when he'll return to work, but he is itching to go back!

We've had a lot of help from our friends here. You really know how much people care for you, when an emergency situation comes up. My friend Vanessa and her husband Erwin have been a HUGE help, as I've mentioned before. Watching the kids, and picking up groceries for us. In fact, this morning, I was thinking about how many groceries I needed for the weekend and how much it would STINK to go to the store with both boys today. My stroller doesn't even fit in the checkout line. About 20 minutes later, our doorbell rang, and Erwin was outside with a TON of groceries for us. They own a shop outside our house, and go to a giant warehouse store to get groceries for it everyday. They loaded us up with cases of soymilk, juice, soymilk juice boxes, Gatorade, apples, banannas, ect. Pretty much all the heavy stuff! So, now I just need to go get the frest food! What a surprise and a treat that was for me! I can't tell you how much they both mean to us! The boys are crazy about them as well!

I'm hoping that Erik will be feeling like himself soon! Until then, thanks for all the e-mails, calls, and concern! We are sitting MUCH better than we were a week ago!

By the way-I'm wondering if anyone thinks it's ironic that Erik has a "Spinal Tap" headache! I've had a headache from listening to "Spinal Tap" all these years! It's about time that it's his turn!

TINKER SMELL!

A Day In the Life of Snow White and Cinderella...

When You Wish Upon A Star...

Curtis LOVES to go over to his little girlfriends houses to dress up in their princess costumes. In fact, he just wants a princess dress from Santa this year. He's a bit picky, he doesn't want a short one, he wants one that goes down to his ankles. His "WISH" came true today, when one of his girlfriend's walked over to our house with a 22 piece "Princess Costume Box" for him! His Daddy isn't happy, but Curtis is! Johnny doesn't think it's too shabby either! Now, if only his feet weren't too chubby to fit into the high heels all the way!

Glow Sticks...

Remember back when glow sticks were just about the COOLEST things you had ever seen! One of Curtis's Aunts sent some with us on our trip, and we pulled them out for the fireworks this weekend! He was amazed...

What A Weekend...

This is a weekend we will never forget. Last week, Erik got a headache on Monday night. On Tuesday it was annoying. On Wednesday, he came home from work sick and went straight to bed with a terrible headache. Thursday, he still had the headache, so I told him to go to the doctor. He left work, went to the doctor, got VERY sick- vomiting, ect. They gave him medicine and sent him home to bed.

As the afternoon went on, he continued to get sicker and in more pain. I called the doctor and they sent a doctor to our house, because now he couldn't get up. She told us it was probabally a migraine and gave him a prescription. Only problem is, that in the Netherlands, there are NO 24 hour pharmacy's. So, I had to get on my bike and bike to the hospital ER room to get the prescription. By the time I got back, it was 9pm, and I gave him the pill. They said, if it didn't get better in 2 hours, to call back.

Two hours later, Erik had the WORST headache of his life. He couldn't find ANY comfortable position, and was in the most pain of his life. He thought he was dying, and so did I. It was SO hard to see him like that and vomiting so much too! I called the doctor back, and they called an ambulance. The health care in Holland is SO much different than America. They don't prescribe drugs if they don't have to. They are SO laid back and slow! I called the doctor 3 times in 45 minutes to try to get the ambulance here. On the beach was the International Fireworks Festivle, and they said they were coming as quickly as possible. I wanted to get him in the car, and he was yelling at me to just get him to the hospital.

FINALLY, the amublance showed up. Two guys walked up, and had their hands in their pockets with NOTHING else! Erik had to walk down to the stretcher- 5 floors and was dying of pain. I followed in the car. Vanessa came to watch the kids over night. Thank goodness my cousin Eileen was still here...but she would have to leave in the morning for the airport.

We got to the hospital, and they gave him NOTHING for pain. He couldn't stand the pain at ALL. I was out crying, asking them "Just PLEASE give him something!" Finally, they walked in with a suppository, and opened it up and handed it to me, and walked out of the room! I was dying- ARE YOU KIDDING ME! So, I looked at Erik and told him that he asked for it, and to take it like a man!

He went in for a CAT Scan, and had a spinal tap, and blood work. All serious life threatening things were ruled out. They still don't know the exact cause of the headache. They got him resting more comfortably with pain killers- FINALLY. So, at 3:30am, they admitted him, and I went home to catch a few hours of sleep before my little ones were pulling on me!

The next morning, I met the Neurologist in his room, and they asked him if he drinks coffee. They asked how much, and he answered about 12-15 cups a day! Now I'm DYING of embaressment! I had NO idea he drank that much. They asked if he slept well at night, and he hasn't been since January. They said this could be a "Thunderclap" headache, and it could just come this once. It could be all the wear and tear on his body from the cycle of not much sleep, and lots of coffee to keep him awake. Whatever it was, it was a wake-up call.

He now is home from the hospital. He has been sleeping most of the weekend and resting. He still has a headache, especially when he stands. He will be going back to the doctor in the morning. He probabally now has caffine withdrawl. It's time to get him HEALTHY again! We are thankful for his Dad and his step-mom Deb being there for us on the phone the whole way through this ordeal. It was really scary happening in a different country, where health care is SO different! Four patients to a room in the ER, and two to four in the rooms on each floor...that is a HUGE difference from the US where you get your own room. So, consider yourselves lucky next time you go to the hospital or doctor.

During this time, Vanessa was a great help too. She stayed at our house for 3 nights, and I'm SO thankful for all the grocery shopping, and watching the kids she did for me! We would have been lost without her and are very lucky to have her as a good friend! She had the hardest job of anyone....dealing with a TWO year old! Man, oh MAN...I think I didn't notice this age with Curtis b/c i was so busy dealing with a newborn and because Curtis wasn't talking much at two. Johnny is SO stubborn. Here are some examples of what he said this weekend:

• "No, I don't want to go to the hospital to visit daddy."
• "I dont WANT to wear shoes ANYMORE!"
• "No I CAN'T do that." (Whenever I ask him to do ANYTHING!)
• "No Curtis! Don't DO THAT!"
• 'NO, NO, NO!!!!!!"

Tonight he threw a whole set of checkers pieces over our balcony....and they all fell five stories down! Thank GOD no one was below him. So, as Erik spent his weekend in the hospital, Johnny spent most of his in Time Out! I know this is just a faze, but it really got to me this weekend! I'm glad everyone is home now...and I'm sure this week will be better!

Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head...

I asked Eileen if she wanted to run to the mall with me tonight below our house, just to quickly grab something. I usually ALWAYS carry my purse with my camera in it. But, since this was just a trip to buy cleaning supplies, I just grabbed my wallet. We decided to get some ice cream on our way back home. Johnny was with us, and got a little umbrella in his ice cream and carried it above his head the whole way home. Of course, without a camera, the picture above had to come once we were in our apartment.

Anyways, wouldn't you know it, on the way home was a PICTURE moment. There was a full rainbow that was BEAUTIFUL next to our house, and then it turned into a double rainbow! We was DYING that we didn't have our cameras. By the time time we got upstairs, it was too late, the rainbows were gone. It was a great memory we'll always have!

Theme...

There seems to be a theme on Eileen's vacation and I'm ALL about it; Scenery, shopping, and coffee drinks! All we need are those three things, and we are good to go! Went to Delft and really enjoyed it! Eileen is in Amsterdam today by herself. I'm sure she'll be back with lots of stories tonight!

The Mad Scientists...

The boys at the aquarium armed with their bug kids, and magnifying glasses...DORKY!

Eileen's Shadow

Little did Eileen know that when she came back to Holland with me, she'd gain a BEST friend! Eileen doing her daily stretches, and Curtis joining her.
Curtis was scared at the aquarium today, and HAD to have Eileen carry him!
Eileen and the boys jumping on the trampolines down on the beach! Who do you think is having MORE fun?

Good Bye Ireland...

HELLO HOLLAND....

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling...

What a weekend I had! It started out on Thursday when Erik took vacation and I flew out of Amsterdam and met my cousin Eileen in Dublin, Ireland- BY MYSELF! I got to the Schipol Airport in Amsterdam early so I could start my vacation out relaxing. Rumor had it that they just opened a Starbucks up a few weeks ago...first place like that in Holland. So, I got some good gossip magazines, a mocha (extra large) and sat and relaxed!
I got to Dublin to a sleeping cousin who was recovering from jet-lag. We went out to dinner the first night at an American restaruant called "Thunderbird" to get caught up, and to get me some REAL food! We walked around the streets scooping out the action, and where we will want to visit.

Friday was a great day. We woke up and had bagels and more mocha! Yummo! (Can you tell I haven't had a mocha since MAY 19th!) Then we went on a "Wild" Ireland tour of the country side and places less visited. This was the highlight of our trip for the two of us. We saw the sea, cute towns, the country side, lakes, and small mountains. We ate a a cute pub for lunch, shopped at cute little Irish shops, and hiked on trails. Our bus driver was a HOOT and we had a few great couples from the USA that really added to the trip.

Our favorite memory was when we got to the top of this huge cliff. The bus driver pulls the bus over. He gets out a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey and shot glasses for everyone. He told us that we could get out and take pictures of the lake and cliffs, pick blue berries, and take a shot of whiskey. We were NOT allowed back on the bus until the whole bottle was gone. Eileen and I experienced our first shot of Irish Whiskey on the top of a cliff in Wicklow, Ireland! As you can tell from the pics on the left, it was an experience that neither one of us will forget. Was totally disgusting...but we can say we did it! Saturday night ended with us going to dinner at the Arlington Hotel where we stayed. They are known for the best Irish Pub music and dancers. We had reserved seats and since we were guests of the hotel, we were on the "50 yard line". Entertainment was amazing and it was SO fun to watch the crowd! I tasted my first Guiness Beer (Can't say I went to Ireland and didn't try it.) It was Awful...as I was 0 for 2 on the day with drinks, but again, I had to at least say I tried it!


Saturday started off slow, as Eileen was recovering from jet-lag still, and I was enjoying my time in bed with my gossip magazines and NO one waking me up! We went out for our bagel and mocha at our "hang-out" in Dublin. Then it was a day of Dublin! We went to Trinity College, shopped, and ate. Then we went St. Patricks Cathedral, shopped more, had more coffee and visited the St. Thersa's Church and Ha' Penny Bridge. We shopped some more, drank more coffee, and then went to church which was a really cool experience. The night ended with a GREAT meal at an Italian restaraunt ( We'd HAD it with potatoes and beef!)


Finally, on Sunday, it was out for our daily coffee...but we had to opt for Mc D's, as all other places were closed on Sunday. We went to the airport early and THANK GOODNESS we did. There was a soccer game starting in the Dublin Stadium and we missed the HUGE traffic jam by 20 minutes. We got to the airport and we were too early and they wouldn't let us check in. I had NEVER heard of that. We were only about 3 hours and 10 minutes early. So, we had to sit on our bags outside of check-in and wait until 2 1/2 hours before our flight was to leave.


We were going through security and people were driving me CRAZY! You are NOT allowed to bring more than 3 oz. of liquid, make-up, ect. in your bag. People were at the gates of security throwing away OJ bottles, Coke, ect. I always wondered who the idiots were that brought liquids through security and slowed it up. So, I buzz RIGHT through and had to wait for Eileen. (She is travelling back with me to Holland for the week.) Eileen gets stopped and they ask her if this is HER bag? She told them it was. They asked if she had anything liquid in it. She told them she didn't. Now I'm getting a bit annoyed. So, I go back and say, "Eileen, you can't have any cosmetics on these international flights...do you have lip stick or anything like that in your bag?" She says, "NO!"

So, the guy opens up her purse to check it, and he pulls out an 11oz. FULL bottle of Johnson and Johnson's Stress Melting Lotion! I was DYING! I mean, it's one thing to accidentally bring a tube of lipstick or perfume through security. But an 11oz bottle of lotion is OUT OF CONTROL! We were dying of laughter and the security guy says, "Sorry ladies, but now your stress isn't going to MELT away...this has to go in the rubish bin!" I still can't believe she fit that WHOLE bottle in her purse!

Now it's back home! I was glad to see the boys....and I'm sure we'll have more stories as the week goes on! What fun it was to take a four day weekend trip to Ireland!

Weekend Recap

This weekend we finally welcomed SUMMER in the Netherlands. The temperature was in the 90's, close to 100. Friday night we spent on the beach with dinner, swimming, and fireworks. Saturday morning we all went biking in the Dunes to a great park for the kids, that you can only get to by bike. We had a few barbaques at friends houses .(OH HOW I MISS THE GRILL!) Kids were able to play in their gardens, and splash in pools, just like back in the States. It's amazing how much you miss the hot weather with a yard after a few months!

A few odds and ends that I thought would entertain you:

• We were at a friends house eating dinner and were all out on the patio when she started to yell, "Curtis Stop!" I looked over, and Curtis had pulled down his pants and started going to the bathroom in the grass, almost hitting her and her kids. I was DYING and everyone was laughing. As you can guess, I didn't teach my son this trait, but the guy who did was regretting it! Curtis just looked up at us and said, "What, dat's what my daddy teached me to do!" Crazy Americans!
• We were biking back from dinner at another friends house. Erik's bike was making noise and he kept looking down to see what the problem was. As he was doing that, he ran into a pole. (Crazy American!) Good thing the kids were both on MY bike!
• Both kids slept through the night and stayed in their beds ALL night long all weekend! Not without bribing...They should have done that about a year ago...but I'll take it!

Finally, I have a story that happened to me this morning. I was debating about whether or not to put it on the blog...but thought it was too good not to share. This morning, I had to go to the hospital in town for an ultrasound of my ARMPIT! It's nothing serious, just a clogged gland. They wanted to make sure it wasn't anything more. So, I go to the hospital. You get a card like a library card. On it is your name, address, insurance, ect. Once you have one, you carry it with you all the time. So, when you show up, you just go to the desk and hand the card to the receptionist and she scans the card. That is how you check in. Nothing else. If your info changes, then you are in charge of getting a new card at the hospital info center. There are NO lines in the offices, and no paper work. It is a very fast process and I quite like it.

So, I check in and go have a seat. Within minutes I get called back. They bring me into the ultrasound room and tell me to take off my clothes. I asked, "What exactally I should take off?" They told me everything from the waist up. So, I take it off, and there are two techs and the radiologist in the room. Now, standing there topless like a stupid American, I ask, "Ok, now what!"

They told me to come lay down. So, I had to walk ALL the way across the room topless to the table. I lay down, and the doctor comes over and shakes my hand and is talking to me like it's NOTHING that I'm topless. I can't remember a word he tells me...I just keep thinking in my head- "You've got to be kidding me...all this for an armpit ultrasound!"

So, they do NOT cover me up one bit during this whole time. Then when he finishes with the ultrasound, he gives me a tissue to wipe off my armpit. It's full of goop and no one takes it from me. So, I say, "Where should I put this?" He tells me there is a rubbish bin across the room. I have to get up- TOPLESS mind you, walk across the room, then he comes to me and shakes my hand again. I say goodbye, and go get my bra and shirt on. He stays in the room with the techs and starts his dictation. I'm standing there trying to figure out what is the best way to put my bra on. I kept missing the hooks and couldn't get it. I really wanted to put it on in the front and swing it around...but felt that wasn't very "Swave" looking. After a few missed attempts I thought, "Screw it!" and just did the front method. I put my shirt on and was out biking home. Just another experience that made me smile and think of many people back home who would get a kick out of it!

Like Father, Like Son!

Fireworks!

Every Friday night for 6 weeks in July and August there is a fireworks displays right outside of our apartment! We have company over, Erik stocks the fridge with beer, and kids all take long naps in anticipation of the late night! It's easy to forget how excited kids are ALL day waiting for fireworks! Here are a few pictures I took from our balcony.

My Little Dutch Boy.

Curtis was begging for these clogs- PIRATE CLOGS- for weeks. Finally, I was a sucker and caved in. Where else can a little boy where wooden clogs, but Holland!

News

Our hearts were heavy when we woke up this morning to the news of the bridge collapse in Minnesota. Can't believe it happened, and we have been glued to the TV and internet all morning. It made all the internataional English speaking news channels. Very sad, and the families will all be in our thoughts and prayers.

The second story on the news this morning was about Fisher Price and Mattel recalling toys. This is the second recall since we've moved here. First Thomas Trains were recalled and we had quite a few of them. Of course, with two boys, we have many of the Diego products that were recalled. I bought a lot of toys in May, before the moved, to ship over here. Just another worry to add to the list. I think Johnny has spent half his life sucking on toys with excess lead in them.

On a GOOD note- I am getting very use to biking in the Netherlands. In fact, I might classify myself as HALF DUTCH! I LOVE the biking and so do the kids. In the past two weeks, I've used the bike to go just about everywhere. Each day I'm working up more and more confidence. Just yesterday I "Ding'ed" six people in one day- who were in the bike lanes in my way. (Stupid Tourists! Ha!) Today, I had Curtis in the back, Johnny in the front, crossing tram tracks, talking on my cell phone to Erik. Now if that doesn't make me half dutch, I don't know what will!