Eid is here!

Its the last day of Ramadan today and I couldn't be more excited. Not just because tomorrow I will not have to fast, but also because tomorrow is Eid!
I have always loved Eid and celebrated it with much fervor and zeal, but this Eid is extra special, because it is Mr Baby's first Eid!
Coincidentally, this Eid falls on a hot day in Amsterdam, where the temperature is expected to raise up to 30 degrees! That is really hot for Netherlands. Trams and metros become extremely suffocating, buses however, are air-conditioned.
Considering this hot weather I went to buy some special summer clothes for Mr Baby. To my dismay, all the summer stock has finished, even the ones on sale. Maybe the Netherlanders were not expecting to have such a long summer this time, or maybe everyone just bought the summer stuff early on.
I already had a nice shirt for Mr Baby from Zara, which I originally thought he could wear with pants and shoes, but now I was looking for shorts and sandals. For sandals I went to Crocs, but the only shoes they had in Mr Baby's size were pink! Hush Puppies were too expensive, H&M only had brown. Finally I ventured into Zara and found nice looking sandals and affordable too, but they were either too small or too big. I bought the too big one. Mr Baby doesn't walk yet, so the shoes are just an accessory rather than a necessity. However, he does look like he has enormous feet in these sandals.
For shorts, I went through a similar dilemma. The only few places that were selling shorts were either not the right size or not the right color to go with Mr Baby's shirt. Finally, I walked into V&D but in their sale rack I found a pair of shorts which didn't look too bad with the shirt.
Atleast I had some clothes now, but I wasn't really satisfied. I showed them to S who liked them and that gave me a little contentment.
S and I are both very excited to give Mr Baby his Eid presents. I bought a ring stacking toy for him, and S got him a drum set. I can't wait for tomorrow to see my baby dressed in his clothes and playing his Eid presents!
Happy Eid everyone!

Ergo replaces Babybjorn

In a previous post http://myamsterdamlogue.blogspot.nl/2012/05/baby-loves-babybjorn.html I described my purchase of the famous babybjorn carrier and how much my baby loved it.
Well, three months and 2 kgs later the story has changed. While my baby still loves to be carried around in babybjorn where he gets a higher perspective on things, my back has been complaining from the weight it has to carry around. The result was that I had stopped carrying Mr Baby around for more than ten minutes distances.
However, my will for baby wearing hasn't died yet, in fact it has increased. I looked into buying these wonderful long cloth wraps to carry my baby in, but I concluded that these are not meant for lazy bones like me. It takes a good amount of time to put these on. S would surely never try them on, and I didn't want to spend so much money on a carrier that only I can use.
So then I was introduced to the Ergo. It was suggested when I had bought babybjorn, but at that time I refused it because it doesn't allow the baby to face outwards. After using babybjorn I came to realise that with the baby facing outward the back of the parent is much more strained, thus, these carriers like Ergo, Boba and Manduca only have the option of baby facing inward.
They are meant for older babies, weighing from 7 kgs upto 18, which basically means you can even carry you 3 year old in them if you want. Out of these 3 I chose to go with the Ergo because it has been around for a long time and has a lot of accessories to offer (not that I have bought any of these yet). There is absolutely no price difference, but I did get the Ergo slightly cheaper from www.amazon.co.uk
For newborns and babies less than 6 month old Ergo has come up with an infant carry insert. These carriers also give you the option of carrying your baby in three positions - the classic front position, hip carry position, or the back pack position, ideal for toddlers.
When I received my Ergo I tried it on with Mr Baby. It is a completely different feel from babybjorn. To me Ergo felt like I was naturally holding my baby, just with some extra support. I also tried the hip carry position, which I enjoyed even more.
Now the only issue was, will the baby enjoy it. Its safe to say that he loves it. He cannot face outwards, but he can still see side ways. He can look at mama, and if he is sleepy he can doze off and I can cover his face with the little attached hood.
I love baby wearing and I also feel that my baby is much happier and relaxed in the carrier than in his buggy.
Hence, Ergo was a good purchase!

New job!

Yes, I have found a new job. It is voluntary, so no money :( but the work is great and I am loving it.
I have joined the amazing team of volunteers at www.amsterdam-mamas.nl as their Social Media person. My job basically involves tweeting about Amsterdam Mamas, make sure they are known out there, and maybe attract some nice business and followers for them.

Amsterdam Mamas is a non-profit organistaion, which started just as a small facebook group and has turned into something extraordinary in just over a year! It claims to change lives of mothers in Amsterdam, and from personal experience I agree. It provides you a space where you can learn, interact, ask and most importantly even cry on. All the mamas run to give you free advice, consolation and even their lightly used products!
They arrange meet up events for mamas with and without children and have gained immense popularity in Amsterdam.
My new twitter account representing Amsterdam Mamas is AMS-Amal.
See you there!

My Breastfeeding Journey

Read on my article on breastfeeding published in www.amsterdam-mamas.nl
http://www.amsterdam-mamas.nl/stories/parenting/babies/my-breastfeeding-journey

In Westerpark

Today to celebrate Mr Baby's half year birthday I dressed him up really nicely and set out to meet a bunch of ladies from a meet-up group. The location was Westerpark, one of my favorite places in Amsterdam.

I have never met these ladies before, but I though it should be quite easy to find a bunch of ladies picnicking in a park. They said they would be in the east side of the park. So I went to what I thought was the east and ran my eyes around for some ladies. 

All I could see were families and children, gathered along a canal, using it as a swimming pool, rather as a beach. I looked at the time, I was already half n hour late, and who knows how long it would take me to find them. Thus, I decided to have a picnic of my own in this fun-filled area. I took off Mr Baby's nice clothes and took him in the shallow water with just his diaper on.

My six-month-old was absolutely ecstatic. He didn't hesitate a bit in befriending the water. His feet were already in it but he wanted to reach it with his hands too, so I carefully sat him in the water. He played for a long time and also enjoyed watching all the kids around him. 

I was so excited to see my baby having fun that I completely ignored my surroundings. It was really one of those special moments in which nothing else mattered. My eyes, ears, arms and mind were all only for Mr Baby. 

It was a really warm day, I could have jumped in the water myself if I had some extra clothes maybe. I just dipped my feet in that cold water and even that worked wonders in providing some relief from the bright sun.

I took him out, which I am sure was a little disappointing for him and went back to our red blanket, where he had his lunch - half a pot of french beans puree.

The exit from Wester Park wasn't very happy as for some strange reason Mr Baby kept screaming in his buggy. I thought he was tired and will go to sleep on the way back home, but that didn't happen.

I have had him for 6 months now, still can't figure this boy out!

Half a year

Half a year has gone already.
My baby is today 6 months old.
He can sit unsupported for quite a while.
He loves playing with anything and everything.
He loves eating almost everything mama offers him.
He rolls over and even tries to crawl backwards.
He goes round and round in his walker.
He smiles when he sees his mama and daddy.
He enjoys going out.
He loves watching nursery rhymes on youtube.
He sometimes smiles for his khala and oma on skype.
He has grown up from a tiny little baby to an active little rug rat.
He has given mama all the joy in the world, along with sleepless nights and many hours of tiredness. But he is worth it all... motherhood is worth it all. 

In Vondel Park

Today I decided to take Mr Baby to Vondel Park. Before hitting the park we made a few short stopovers. All this time, he was really happy, enjoying his buggy ride. However, by the time we reached Vondel Park he became a little irritable.
I couldn't believe how crowded Vondel Park was today. I kept on walking looking for a place which is not too crowded, but not too secluded at the same time. I decided to sit myself in front of the huge fountain in the middle of the park. There was a woman with a small stand selling ice cream, hot dogs and drinks. I bought a choc cone and spread my red blanket under a tree shade.
Mr Baby was quite fascinated by the fountain and also by my icecream. He hasn't been eating much today. I tried to feed him just before we left, but he didn't seem interested. And now, even when I became a naughty mama and offered him some icecream, he didn't want to eat it. I thought he might be thirsty form all the sun so offered him a little water I had took with me. I let him hold the bottle, he played with it more than he drank it. His whole shirt got wet, but that's the best part about summer, I didn't have to worry about wet clothes, the sun can dry them out. I wanted to take Mr Baby to one of the play areas of the park, but he started becoming agitated. 
I thought he might be hungry, so I set off in a search of a quiet spot in the park where I could sit and feed him. But alas, it was very hard to find such a spot. Instead, I found the exit, and decided to head home. Park time is no fun with a wailing baby. Thankfully, he calmed down in the tram, and my little wallet kept him occupied too.
As soon as we got home I offered him some milk. He jumped to it excitedly, but just after a few minutes he started smiling and babbling and didn't want to eat anymore.
Wonder where his appetite has gone...
Vondel Park - I shall visit you again, hopefully if the weather continues to be as beautiful and sunny as it is these days.