Krees goes Dutch Kiwi!

Aggravation!

When I was a kid, this is what aggravation looked like:

Now that I'm a little older and my hobbies have changed, this is what aggravation looks like:

It's a hat. Or rather, it's supposed to be a hat. I do believe that in the near future it will become a hat. But right now it's just annoying.

Is one's first project using double-pointed needles always this messy and frustrating? Or is it because I ended up with DPNs that are freakishly long? (I was shown by the lady at the yarn store that Dutch women knit with their needles stuck in their armpits, so all the needles are really long.) You'll also note that there's a pair of circulars thrown in there for good measure -- because DPNs in the Netherlands are sold in packs of four instead of five. Bah!

The good thing is that I really like the way it's turning out. The beauty of this Koigu Premium Painter's Palette yarn is lost to some extent on projects worked in two strands like my Big Bad Baby Blanket. But working with a single strand you can really see how pretty it is. Or at least how pretty it will be. 

More pics when I finish it, and more pics (I hope) when Baby's big enough to wear it.

Great Baby Standoff: T-Minus Six Days and Counting

We're now officially in the last week before my estimated due date: May 20. So far the baby and I have been locked in a battle - not of wills, but of comfort. I've spent most of the pregnancy saying, "Yeah, I'm really lucky. No morning sickness, no nausea, no heartburn, no swelling...." blah blah blah. The baby, could he or she talk, seems to have spent most of the pregnancy saying, "Yeah, it's cool here. I'm just going to chill out and grow for a while. I won't even trouble you with any bleeding or spotting or anything. I might poke you sometimes, but come on, you know you like it. I promise not to kick too hard." He or she hasn't troubled me much, I've tried to be good to the baby and I've been blessed with a great pregnancy. It's like we're both lazing around saying, "I could go a while longer, how about you?" "Yeah sure, I could go a little longer. How about you?"

Until last night. I could NOT sleep. Part of it might be my own fault - I took an hour-long nap in the afternoon. (But really, shouldn't I be able to take a nap now while I still can? And it was only an hour!) But I could not fall asleep last night. I couldn't get comfortable. I rolled this way and that way. And once I did fall asleep, I woke up least every two hours and had difficulty getting to sleep again because my ribs were sore or my hips were sore or I was rolling onto my back and my uterus would cut off circulation to my head. I think I even kept poor Maui awake with my tossing and turning.

So yeah -- I'm still not miserable yet. Baby can cook for a little while longer if he or she wants to. But I hope last night isn't a sign of the nights to come, at least not the nights before the baby even gets here.

This post was written while listening to...a marching band go by? Diever has some sort of marching band?!?

Shopping spree!

We haven't done much shopping in the nine months that we've been here. There are a variety of reasons -- not the least of which is that we don't want to have to ship a lot of stuff back to the States in two years. And we don't want to buy stuff that we're only going to have for two years unless we really need it. That, coupled with Dutch style (as far as clothes are concerned), quality (of household goods), prices here and the fact that consumerism isn't shoved down our throats here the way it is in the States, means that we just don't buy as much stuff as we used to.

I have mixed feelings about this. Of course I'm thrilled to feel less of a slave to "the man." (The man in this context being the marketers who try to convince us that we need all this stuff that we really don't.) But at the same time, I can recognize my own materialism and the enjoyment I get out of new purchases. I tend to be a bit frugal anyway, so I don't usually spend money unless it's something I'll really like or get a lot of use from.

But Friday afternoon we had a mini and somewhat unexpected shopping spree in Groningen. Woo hoo! Charles wanted to go to the Media Markt (think Best Buy - only blood red instead of eyeball-piercing yellow) for a new external hard drive so that we can archive and serve up all sorts of baby photos with the new camera we just ordered. And he's also had fountain pens on the brain and wanted to see if he could find a place that sold some nice but inexpensive Lamy pens he'd found online.

Media Markt was sort of a bust, but we found a mid-level hard drive across the street at Computerland for a mid-level price. Cha-ching! Purchase #1!

The weather was sort of cruddy, we didn't know what stores were around that might carry fountain pens and, well, I'm nine months pregnant and not in much of a mood to be walking around a lot in the rain. So we almost headed home. But (again, nine months pregnant) I was also in search of a toilet, so we kept  on walking and considered getting a cup of coffee somewhere. And what did we see across the street? A stationary shop called Jacobs Kantoorboekhandel. Lo and behold, they sold fountain pens. Super lo and behold -- they had the Lamy's! Charles got an inexpensive clear one to play around with while he ponders other pens and refills of various colors. I got a pretty blue one with a nice weight as a pregnancy/birth gift, and I also got some note cards to use for sending thank you's for all the great baby stuff we've received. Cha-ching! Purchase #2!

We left the shop and what was next door? Schlaman Bonbonatelier. Cha-ching! Purchase #3 was a small handful of ginger covered in dark chocolate, chocolate truffle cups and mocha creme filled chocolates. Nummers! Because who am I to argue with science? Chocolate makes for happy moms and happy babies!

After that we headed back to the car, but what did I see in the window of an outdoor/activewear store? KEENS! I have a pair of Keen shoes that I bought on our last trip to Chicago when my feet were killing me and I was getting blisters. Not only did my feet not get any worse while wearing them that day, they actually felt BETTER at the end of the day. Although Charles calls them my "liberal's shoes" (because only liberals would wear things that looked like this on their feet), I am an ardent fan. And since I know I'm in need of casual summer sandals, I decided to look in the store. Cha-ching! Purchase #4 was a pair of RED Newport H2 sandals at Waterborg Buitensport. Woo hoo! Liberal's sandals for me!

And last but CERTAINLY not least, we passed a pet food store selling -- what? They have it?! Beer for dogs! Charles insisted. Cha-ching - Purchase #5: we bought beer for our dog. Maui didn't seem to care for it much, though, so I'm not sure WHO'S going to drink the remaining three bottles.

This post was written in sweatpants while laundering the only pair of maternity jeans that still fit.

Sexy beast

Charles might be getting a little carried away with this klompen thing. He's turning into an international man of mystery crazy.

Witness his attire for a recent outing to walk the dog:

1. Authentic Stetson hat
2. Hawaiian shirt
3. North Face shorts
4. klompen

Even Maui looks like he doesn't want to be seen in public with him.

This post was written while listening to Michigan Radio online.

Dutch birth traditions

It seems (not yet having actually given birth here) that the Dutch really know what they're doing with some aspects of childbirth, and really don't with others.

One set of things I think they get right is treating childbirth as a natural process and understanding the importance of being in a comfortable place. Here, women have given birth at home with a midwife for so long, that they've incorporated that into the hospital birthing system. The birthing center at the hospital we will go to is staffed first and foremost by midwives. If complications arise, then there will be medical staff also on hand to help.

If all goes well, if the baby and I come through without any complications or health problems (knock on wood!), we'll probably be sent home from the hospital in a matter of hours to recover in the comfort of our own home. This is a pretty frightening prospect for first-time parents who haven't a clue about breastfeeding or caring for a newborn baby. So for the first eight days there will be a kraamzorg to come look after us, make sure we're recovering well, make sure breastfeeding is going well, show us how to bathe and diaper the baby and help around the house. Minus any time spent at the hospital after birth, she'll come seven hours a day the first four days, then four hours a day the last four days.

To me all these things are fine and dandy. But another nice thing I've heard about the kraamzorg is that she can help keep visitors at bay when we need to rest. That's right, apparently everyone and their mother who knows us is supposed to come visit during that first week so that they can meet the baby and eat the traditional biscuits with butter and muisjes (candy-covered anise seeds, blue for boys, pink for girls).

The Dutch go so far as to have their birth announcements printed and mailed within 24 hours of birth (and they often note a resting time when the parents prefer not to be disturbed). Additionally, when we register the baby with the gemeentehuis (within three days of birth), they notify the local paper of the birth so that an announcement can be included there.

This does not seem right to me. This may be fine and dandy for people who are already established in a community and who have friends and neighbors whom they've known for a long time who want to visit. But already we've had people who live down the street, with whom Charles and I have each spoken to only once, who have asked to be notified when the baby's born so they can come visit. I'm pretty sure that word will spread quickly (this is a really freakin' small town), and everyone will know right away and think it's a good opportunity to come meet us and meet the baby.

I'm sorry, but in the first week of my child's birth, I don't want strangers to pop by. I don't want to have to entertain them. I don't want to have to try and make small talk with them. I'm bad enough with that under normal circumstances! I'm going to want to bond with my baby. And attempt to breastfeed (potentially 24/7). I expect to be sleep deprived. I expect to be a nervous wreck. I'll be lucky if I'm out of my pajamas. Luckier still if I'm showered. I don't want you, unknown person, or your germs, or your unsolicited advice, coming into my home and interfering with my new family.

Our current plan of defense is to ask our neighbors Rudy & Agaath and friends Harro & Yvonne (who are welcome to come over) to not tell others that the baby's arrived, or to let people know that it's not a custom we're used to and we prefer that people not come over. I think we can also ask the gemeentehuis not to report the birth to the newspaper. I guess we'll see what happens.

This post was written with my feet up. My dogs are barkin'!