Yesterday Da-da was on tv again! The first time, he had to speak French and did an excellent job. He has also been in the newspaper. He is really doing well in this senior position over here! Baby is feeling a little bit better today but still not 100%. The doctor said it could take at least a week and it looks like this is going to be true.



Now for some nice quotes from Nonna!



"Life's precious moments have no value unless shared."

"You can't spread sunshine around without getting some of it on yourself."

Here is Baby with some other kids at Baby Time. What is Baby Time? It is a class that I teach in my home once a week. I teach English to little people and their Moms and we enjoy music, games, activities and crafts. I introduce them to the alphabet, numbers, colours and more. So if anyone has any great games etc. please send them my way. Thank you!

Baby Time was very hard yesterday as my own Baby was so under the weather and I felt he should have been in bed. But he had just woken up from a nap so I thought it would have worked out okay. I have never seen him sick like this before. He is asleep now and I am hoping that another day at home will help him. We did not go to French library today either or for lunch after with friends. I don't care about any of that stuff, I just want my jolly little guy back! We still try to have some amusement though and that has to do with trains. Do you know the minute he wakes up, he says, "choo choo" and wants to read his Thomas the Tank Engine book which is beside our bed. Then when we come upstairs, he says, "t, t" which means "tv" and he hands me the controls and wants me to put on the Thomas video. Baby really loves trains and as soon as Da-da gets home, they sit on the floor and play with Baby's train.



A day without laughter is a day wasted.



- Charlie Chaplin

Good news! Baby started perking up last night! And Da-da was on tv again today! The first time on tv, he had to speak French and did VERY well. He has been in the newspaper too. He is quite the expert over here in his senior position and we couldn't be more excited for him! The best part of today was seeing Baby start to run around again!

To all of you experiencing the snowstorm back home, here is a quote for you. Daddy noticed that the tulips planted by Nonna and Nonno have started sprouting in our backyard, neighbours have planted their pansies and we have seen more than one crocus. It seems like a different world here. Baby is still sick today so we will stay put. Doctor suggested giving him a bit of coke. He is the first child we have ever met that doesn't like coke, can you believe it!? Here is the quote!



One kind word can warm three winter months.



- Chinese Proverb

Baby has been sick for the last couple of days so we don't have much fun to write about. Poor little Baby, it is hard to see any baby suffering. Just hoping that he will feel better tomorrow.

We had our third Baby Time English class today and I have to tell you that I am really growing very fond of the children and their Moms and Baby is such a good helper by handing things out, waiting his turn patiently, clapping when I finish singing (he is my number one fan) and just being a real sweetheart. Right after we practise English, it's snack time and here is a picture of the group. They are a real bunch of cutie pies! They yell, "see you" when they leave!

New friends are great. Here is L trying to help Baby take his sweater off when we first arrived at a coffee morning yesterday.

We very much enjoyed this week's coffee morning as Baby had a better sleep than last week and there weren't any accidental flying shoes! Baby enjoyed playing with L and as soon as we arrived, L helped Baby take off his shoes and unzip his sweater. I will add a photo later. Very cute. Daddy is in Paris today but will get home in time for me to go for my massage. Will not join the women tonight for dinner out due to lingering cold. Smokey restaurants don't help the throat! Better get Baby to bed for nap!

We had a really fun weekend with steaks Friday night before shopping at Ikea, champagne and crepes on Saturday, Kangaroo Jack and The Transporter, running in the park on Sunday and catching up on relaxing in between! Sales are on so we also went to A.S. Adventure and bought some clothes! Baby loves his new train set and says choo choo all the time.

Just added some photos from last weekend in London. Our hotel near Sussex Gardens, one of Trafalgar Square's big lions, Baby playing with trains at Hamley's on Regent and our very own Paddington Bear!! Check out the blue sky! Like I wrote before, we have never seen London fog!

We went to our weekly BCT get together today but Baby spent most of the time crying. A bad night's sleep (teething?) lead to quite a bit of grumpiness and if another child took his toy or hit him accidentally in the head with a shoe, lots of tears followed. Baby did enjoy the tram ride to and fro but all in all, it was the kind of day where it would have been better for everyone to stay in bed and order room service!

Just got in from a fabulous long weekend in London! We really had fun and they forecasted rain for the whole weekend but guess what, it rained only a tiny bit today, not even half an hour! Highlights? So many! We enjoyed shopping on Oxford Street, playing with Thomas Tank at Hamley's on Regent, chasing pigeons at Trafalgar Square, following Princess Di's Memorial pathway past Buckingham Palace, eating Indian, Pret a Manger and Marks&Sparks, sipping on a pint or two, watching a bit of BBC, zooming around in a little black cab and on a double decker bus, on the tube and finally just being together, the three of us! And that was just day one! No, just kidding. We stayed at a nice little hotel called Lancaster Court at Sussex Gardens near Paddington Station. Baby was a peach as usual and took in all the sites with great interest. We met another little guy, also 18 months old, and it turns out, having the exact same birthday and wearing the exact same Gap winter coat! We also saw lots of horses since we stayed near Hyde Park and Baby liked making horse sounds and putting his finger in the air and pretending to be on a horse. We saw the changing of the horse guards by chance and Baby was enthralled. Didn't hook up with auntie as # was out of service but did hook up with another aunt which was great. Lots of fun! Will add pictures later!

Daddy came home at lunch time with Chinese food and tickets to London! Surprise! We are leaving tomorrow and will stay til Sunday. What fun and can't wait to show Baby all the sites. Maybe our aunt is in London right now? That would be an added bonus but perhaps she is still in Asia. Stay tuned for pictures of Baby in front of Big Ben!

Last night we took Baby out for a walk after we went to a Japanese restaurant near Ave.de Louise. We showed Baby the moon and he was in awe. He could not take his eyes off of it and kept saying, "moon". Clouds were moving fast and from time to time the moon was covered but Baby kept waiting for it to reappear. Seeing the wonderment in Baby's eyes was amazing.

This is our home in Brussels, Belgium. (the first two floors, plus garage/driveway)

Baby may be having fun in Europe but he is still very much a Canadian!

Mowgli in Tervuren on New Year's Day. We had a beautiful snowy Christmas season! But mild, just at freezing.

Baby loves taking the tram!

On Dec. 27th we celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary.

Today was a very rainy day and quite mild so I put the Baby in the jogger and went running in the park and with the plastic shield, he did not get wet. Mowgli followed us the whole way. Pushing a big boy in the stroller is a workout in itself. Doing it while running is super hard. We were going to get together with E and baby but my Baby kept sleeping and waking him would have been unfair. We'll get together another day. Baby has almost got both eye teeth now! Little fangs. Talked to my folks a couple of times together. They love the reno job that was done while they were here this past month. They'll send photos soon.

Gramma took Baby for a looooong walk today and they fed the ducks at Woluwe Park. Meanwhile, the runners enjoyed a run followed by a sauna. Yesterday we also went to the park on a hike with E and her Mom and baby. Afterwards we came back home for tea/cake and the babies played. At one point, our baby sat on E's baby and they both got scared and cried a bit. Very cute. E said let's do something fun on Monday! Tuesday is coffee morning at C's and I really have to get back to my book and take Baby to the pool.

The weather has been very beautiful with clear, blue skies and snow on the ground and hovering at zero. Looks very Christmasy. Didn't think we would have a white Christmas in Belgium. Meanwhile, everyone had a green one back home. Folks are now packing to leave tomorrow. It'll be hard to say good bye but we'll look forward to the next adventure with them.

Happy New Year everyone! It has been a very busy time. On the 27th, our 6th anniversary, we enjoyed going to LOTR while Baby was babysat by his grandparents. He was good as gold. Afterwards we went for a short time to the Cables of champagne and crepes. On the 28th, we had part two with a dinner out at a Thai resto on Wavre. Now as I type this, our entire backyard is full of snow. It is quite a Winter Wonderland which we never expected. Meanwhile, Toronto had a green and mild Christmas. We had flurries on the 23rd which was charming. On New Year's Eve we had a seafood bonanza to write home about. And yesterday, we took a tram ride from the Woluwe St. Pierre Park through the forest to the town of Tervuren where we enjoyed a short hike followed by some Corsendonk beer at a Christmasy pub. Baby loves going on trams/trains etc. and looked out the window. What a beautiful ride! And in the pub, as usual, Baby played with the beer coasters. This particular beer was not fabulous but it is still fun trying! Baby just got up and so I gotta get cracking. What a beautiful wintery day.