Flight of the Butterfly...by Lolo Ben

Lolo Ben wrote on October 12, 2011 11:06 AM

Twelve months have passed and looking back snaps us to smile in satisfied admiration. The butterfly burst her cocoon.

She begun by opening her eyes, eliciting gasps all around. Then she learned to smile, bringing warmth to everybody. As time goes by she grunts, giggles, shouts, cries, laughs and talks her own language. She enjoyed her milk, then veggies, fruit paps, popsicles, ice cream, thumb, toys and toes. All digested making her sufficiently strong. Then she learns to play the piano, be a chef in her kitchenette, drive a tractor and travel with her trusty nijntje. But before that she perfected her own special way of moving around that no other child in this world has done, the Nina Dance. She hops around like a galloping kangaroo. There must be an Australian among her ancestors.

Her development today will not be possible without mentioning her knight in shining armor, Spiderman Niels: bodyguard, comforter, storyteller, pirate, entertainer, nurse, teacher and above all a loving kuya.

Now she can play with cousins, swim with friends, exchange pleasantries with Oma, Opa and even Moemoe, give comments on any topic of conversation or just look and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Go young butterfly, see the world and learn. Visit many flowers, collect nectar and build your future. Then later on flap your wings harder to a quarter of a globe away in a beautiful and friendly land. There you'll also find blooms of different scents and colors. Then meet a waiting young butterfly too, Makayla.

From your fans here in the Philippines, happy birthday.

Nina with K&G: 2 x Spuitjes!

Smiling, laughing, chatting in her own language...Nina entered the K&G room.  The assistants were able to get her weight (9 kg 370 gr) and length (74 cm) with no problem at all. 

She was so jolly until...

We entered the doctor's room...she has to lay down on the cushion...and then the examination of the doctor starts...and Nina also started....."WAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Even the measuring of her crown was too much....and again "WAAAAAHHHHH!"

As long as the doctor is touching her...she...."WAAAAAHHHHH!"

And then the injections were prepared.  She has to sit again on the cushion, Mama has to hold her arms tight...and then...."WAAAAAHHHHH!"  She was soooo angry at the doctor when the injections were done.

But as soon as I had her on my lap, she laughed at the doctor....like saying..."Im with my Mama now. Now you cannot touch me, na-na-na-na-na!"

And she laughingly, talkatively left the room...as if nothing happened. 

I dressed her back up and she walked around the room as if she owns the place...checking everything, nothing can stop her from walking around, saying hi to all the children and telling the assistants to go out of her way cause she want to go everywhere.  When we heard the next baby cry in the room of the doctor she said, "Baby!" and she wants to go back in the room...when the doctor opened, she stopped, looked at the doctor and turned back hahahaha.

But anyway, everything is A-OK with our little Nina, she remains to be in the 50% curve nothing more, nothing less.  With her 4 teeth, she makes the cutest smile ever!

Mama Neri

Nina’s 1st Bday party: 08.10.2011

Not her first party but definitely her 1st ever birthday party! 

Mama, Papa and Niels' most awaited feast (Niels kept on singing..."Waar is het feestje? Hier is het feestje!")...here in our very own house has arrived.

I promised myself I will give Nina a real children's party.  With the number of kids coming...5 is not many but 5 is also not a small number.  Cause I dont think I could keep them sitting down by the table eating a 5-course-meal...so I said to myself...*&"# off that loooong boring dinner and let's have real FUN!

So here is the result:

Her 1st Birthday Party Invitation



Pin the Donkey: Before

Pin the Donkey: After

Nina with her Bday hat

Our Smiling birthday girl

Opening the gifts, of course Kuya Niels may help

Hehe, Im ready for winter!

And ready for vacation to Philippines!

Bed for my dol Mieleke

And my new Huppel book!

And this is just the beginning...Let the games begin!

Ik schmink je...jij schmink mij

Our 1st duo: Papa & Niels

Our 2nd duo: Karolien & Ermina

Our 3rd looked-forced-duo: Celeste & Nonkel Danny

The Longest Domino race: Family Meerten

Ermina, Karolien & Dieter

Niels & Vincent

Balloon Decorating Contest: Niles & his balloon

Vincent & his balloon

Celeste & her balloon

Ermina & her balloon

And now time to show the birthday girl again...

My Peter Ronald & Ninang Chell helping me blow my candle

Yummy!  Smudging it everywhere is the fun part  and nobody is stopping me!

One of my 2 cakes, the other one was already cut...too late

Nina definitely had sooo much fun.  Seeing all the children running around, she wants to run around with them too.  She ate her cake like no one in this world can stop her...we definitely didnt stop her.  Its her day, its her cake, she could do whatever she wants with it.  She ate most of her slice, thats already a good thing cause in the beginning I thought she will not stop playing with it (hihi).

She loved the attention but only a little bit of the chaos and the noise.  But I think she knows its a party so she just let it all happen :-)

At the end of the party, Nina was sooo tired, she watched an episode of Bumba before sleeping, then drank her milk...and went upstairs.  She was sooo relieved when she got in her room...SILENCE.  And she slept soundly!

Happy birthday again our little princess and we all love you so!

Mama, Papa & Niels

Nina is 1! ...& its Opa's bday too!

"As if she grew a lot last night" I told myself this morning. 

As always, she welcomes me with a biiiig smile on her face when I entered her room this morning...and lately, she points to her book while saying "boosh" meaning she wants to read her book for a moment in her bed before she goes downstairs with me...so the book-before-sleeping-ritual is not enough for her...she wants to have it when she wakes up too :-)

Her favorite...The 3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf", was also Niels' favorite when he was her age.  In some things like this I could really see that they are brothers and sisters...totally alike in some aspects but also totally the opposite of each other in another.

When we got to Nic, her daycare Mama, she als said the same thing... "Wow Nina, you look bigger today!"

But of course she did for today she turned 1!

Everything is going so fast...I have to sit and take a deep breath to be able to catch on to everything happening around us and the kids...my little family.

Nina oh Nina...she is definitely not a baby anymore. Sometimes,  she already wants to take over her spoon and feed herself, she just wants to walk and walk and walk, and she likes playing outside with Niels' tractor and have a race with Kuya Niels' bike.

I cant imagine how it all went through from having given birth to her to today that she blew her first candle.  I cant.  It went too quickly that I only had time to remember and store the good moments in my head.  Good that we, in the modern world, already have digital cams and blogs, facebook, etc where I could sometimes just browse and see how it was a year ago, to look back to what happened during the months that passed, and view the hundreds of photos again and again...and not getting tired of it.

Nina, my little baby girl...you will stay as Mama's baby girl forever :-)  Just keep on giving Mama those sweet kisses, those cute hugs, and that big smile on your face and I am the happiest Mama in the whole wide world :-)  And on those times that you can't, Mama will :-)

I love you baby girl, Nina, we all love you.


Mama, Papa and Niels


PS: Look how she celebrated her bday today:

Nina's first bday cake

Hipperdepip! HOERA!

AND TO OPA...

GELUKKIGE VERJAARDAG ONZE LIEFSTE OPA!

van je schatjes,

Nina & Niels

Dominic’s Baptism

We were not able to get to the church on time but the party we will never pass!  We drove to Brussels to welcome Dominic into the Catholic world.