Mid-week break to De Haan, Belgium

Again bags were packed and the 3 of us headed off to the Belgium coast for a bit of R&R. As per usual the same amount of luggage was packed and jammed into the car. The only things we took but did not use during this time was the blender and the night light. The trip there went very smoothly. We left just as Owen was due for a sleep so we were all relaxed. De Haan is a beautifully kept seaside resort which heaves with tourists in the peak season. We chose off-peak. Our "villa" at SunParks was about 3km from town and equipped with the basic necessities. The park had an indoor recreational centre -kids play area, squash, tennis, spa and swimming pool with a wave pool. Owen loved the pool and found the jets of water, splashing and other little people much fun. We bought him a tube he could sit in, with our help. He did not enjoy going under the water so he just bobbed about on top with us. We did take him in the jet propelled channel that meandered around part of the pool. He went twice with both of us and then once on his own with dad but was not very pleased that I had disappeared and when I saw him again he had a bright red face and turned down mouth! The poor little sausage.



Our time was not only spent at the resort. We visited beautiful Brugge & Damme and stopped in at a couple of coastal towns. It was great to see a bit of Belgium that we had wanted to for so long.



In Oostend we went on the beach. It was windy & cool in the morning but by lunch the sun was out and so were the people. Owen was fascinated by the big seagulls, and so were we by the fact that they enjoyed our calamari dipped in a cocktail sauce! Owen was not the only one in a pram on the promenade that day. An old lady was pushing her Corgi in a pram too! Alas we were not able to get a photo of that but we had a good laugh. All too soon the car was packed and we were back on the road. Owen smiled at everyone and sundry at our stops along the way back home. He really is a bundle of smiles & joy.







Owen is sitting up in his pram really well now and enjoys the scenery as we go out and about. Since the trip the 1st stage maxi-cosi baby seat has gone into storage. He found it very uncomfortable and restricting and kept arching his back to get out. He now cruises around the streets of Breda looking at dad driving, listening to his tunes and peering out the window as the world goes by at a different angle - the right way up.

Today Owen has dined like a real Dutchie

Today we went to the clinic so Owen could be weighted, as he is almost 7 months, and to get answers to some of my questions I had. He now weighs 9.7kg's. That is 100g per week. They are still very pleased with his progress and the nurse who first came to see Owen at home commented on how small he used to be and how good he looks now.
Whilst we were there she also made a suggestion of moving to bread with a cheese spread (boterham met smeerkaas). A real Dutch lunch. So Owen got brown bread and natural cheese spread instead of meat & veg. Of course, like all his food except green veg, he loved it. He kept smacking his gums together for more. What a delight & great variation for him.

The day time sleep problem is becoming less of a problem. We have figured out that he now prefers to sleep on his side with his feet up on the side of the bumper. I could not imagine this being so comfortable but it works for him. So he normally fusses from 5 to 15 mins and then is in dreamland. When he wakes I sometimes find him the other way around in his cot. Feet where his head was and head where his feet were. He seems to "walk" around the cot with his feet.

He no longer goes for walks in his carseat attached to his pram but now just sits in the pram itself, holding onto the bar that goes across the front. He has become increasing curious and now looks at his shadow on the wall when he has breakfast in the morning. He cranes his neck to look at everything on his walks, no wonder he is a tired little boy at 6pm each night.

On Monday we load the car again and head off to the Belgium coast for 5 days. A nice break for all of us as Brendon has done a lot of travelling lately. Also we have preferred holidaying outside of the European summer holiday season as places become so busy and packed and in fact Holland becomes so quiet. There will be an indoor swimming pool with all the bells and whistles which we hope Owen will enjoy. Day trips to Damme & Brugge are also on the cards as well as some reading & DVD's.

A very long week!

A week hopefully not to be repeated too soon. Owen has been an unwell little boy. He had a high temperature from Tuesday night to Friday night and was quite grizzy. On Friday he slept for 3 hours straight in the day and I had to wake him up otherwise when bedtime came he would not want to sleep. I phoned the doctors rooms and was informed that I should only bring him in if he had a temperature of 39.5 and above for 3 days. I was not too happy about that so kept a close eye on him. By Saturday he was on the mend so Brendon & I decided not to enforce operation "having none of that" if he was still unwell/had a high temp. So before daytime sleeps he would have his temperature taken. If all was well we would proceed with the plan. Needless to say I did not leave the house but Brendon was the one who had to take strain of putting Owen to sleep. It took 30 mins in the beginning but slowly he began to sleep on his own again. Brendon was jetlagged and I was exhausted from the week, so we were very happy to see out beds each evening. Sunday afternoon saw us all at Asterdplas. Owen dined out which was a nice change.

I thought today would be very difficult for me to put Owen in bed on my own and not want to pick him up. But he has been to sleep twice now all on his own. I am very proud of my little boy. Today Brendon has the afternoon off and so Owen will be very pleased to have dad at home again. We are off to the travel agent this afternoon to check the options of a European week away for families.

The Honeymoon period is OVER!

It has been said that parents often decide on child number two during the blissful months 5 and 6 (often called the honeymoon period). Little do they know what is in store for them from month 7 to 18 years. Alas, the period of bliss is over for the Morris household. Owen is now 6.5 months old and showing signs of independence & frustration - sometimes at the same time. The transition has been like day and night. One day he would fall asleep in his bed quite happily on his own and the next not without lying in my arms. I knew this was the start of manipulation so I used all my tactics, my new found internet & book knowledge as well as a bit of Jo Frost initiative to stop this phase. To no avail. One day it took 45 minutes of Owen trying out every position possible in his bed including feet through the cot bars, intermittent crying, dummy throwing, soft toy waving about and biting but still no sleep. The minute that I picked him up in my arms he was fast asleep like a little angel. This has been the routine at most sleep times every day. This weekend Brendon & I will have decided to introduce some "tough love" and break this cycle. There is now way it will continue. So operation "having none of that" will start by mom leaving the house (as agreed by dad) so that there is no way that the little sausage can wangle his way. It is also an emotional defence mechanism for me as I do not think I can take the torture of hearing him cry whilst being assured that he can do this on his own again. Mmmmm.......Saturday.


Owen sits up nicely in his highchair and on the carpet (still surrounded by lots of pillows) now. His interest in the trees and flowers is still high and he notices the birds chirping and flying around. He has been practicing sitting in his next stage car seat while Brendon & I do laundry and it will not be long before he makes the move to this new seat.

The teething stage has now started. I feel very sorry for Owen having to go through this but lucky he will have no memory of the pain & suffering. Only I will remember the wailing - from both of us. Temperatures, runny nose, interrupted sleep, smelly nappies. Ahhh the joys. It would happen while Brendon is away in Australia. Thank goodness there is only one more day until the parent army is reinforced. The past 2 nights I have had to have Owen sleep in our bed as he really has been restless & niggly and by the time it was 11pm I had already gotten up at least 10 times to check on him. I was beginning to think he thought he had a new toy camped next to his bed - a bleary-eyed jack-in-the-box (aka mom). Amid a mountain of pillows he slept better and I was able to just reach out and touch him when I needed to. The disadvantage was that I had very restless nights as my concern was that I would smother him. Like clockwork when 5am came his little eyes would open and there would be a constant babble coming from his mouth. I would give him a toy and talk to him with my head still making a dent in the pillow and my eyes tightly shut. I secretly hoped he would drop off to sleep.

But having said all this he is still a wonderful little person and I would not put him back for anything in the world, not even at months 1 & 2!