I forgot to add that I decided to join this club called Royal LaRasante. (www.royallarasante.be) It is about one year old and quite nice, apparently very "posh" and fancy but I really don't find it so myself. This is because, for Belgium standards it is new and awesome but for a spoiled North American like me, it is not outstanding in any way. Completely different standards. I would say that it is less "posh" than the Mayfair in Toronto just to give an idea but definitely better than Mademoiselle Spa.

I have joined because the pool is very warm and the kids lips don't go blue and their bodies don't shiver and the air around the pool is warm and the showers are any temperature you want. The public pools are cold period. I also tried an excellent yoga/pilates class and hope to attend again. Frunty asked if we could stay there forever, his words, and that also encouraged me to join. Some would say it is expensive but what is my physical and mental health worth to me? If I can find a club I am happy going to, where I will actually exercise and take time to relax as well, then it is worth it. On top of this, I am able to put Pit or Frunty in the creche together (or alone, depending if Frunty is in school of course) and I am right in the same building so can easily be retrieved. I tried the creche 3 or 4 times now and have been very happy with the women working there and the job they have done.

So that is that.

Pit really enjoyed the club pool today and was not whiney or scared at all. He enjoyed jumping into the pool as I always caught him in my arms and he laughed a lot when I kissed his tummy in the hydrotherapy pool full of bubbles. He also laughs a lot when he splashes me. This tiny little arm lifts up some water and pushes it towards me. You just can't get any cuter.

Pit enjoyed the Little Gym in the morning and although sleepy at first (since he fell asleep just before arriving in Daddy's car) he got into the swing of things and did somersaults and for the first time, was able to hang in the air with his little, tiny hands gripping onto the bar. He also likes doing the balance beam and is quite good though we obviously have to hold his hand.

After the pool, Daddy picked Pit up from the club and took him back to the Little Gym to do a make-up class and luckily, he had had a good nap in between the Little Gym seances. Pit slept at the creche at the club. I dropped him off asleep in his pousette and picked him up an hour later still asleep. During that hour, I enjoyed the steam room, sauna at 95 degrees celsius, sauna at 56 degrees with different coloured lights, and getting in and out of the 35 degree pool which has two hydrotherapy parts to it. What a day! With the wind howling outside and the rain pouring, I felt just fine inside and my friend and her baby joined us in the pool later.

While Daddy was doing the Little Gym seance with Pit, I picked up Frunty from school and took the tram to the L.G. Then we all headed to Ikea for dinner and playing. It was fun! But busy and I am tired now. The children are snuggling in bed together, fast asleep and snoring. Two nights in a row that they have fallen asleep together during story time. It is so hard to move them when they are all cozy and asleep so it looks like I am in the bunkbed again until probably 5 am, when Pit wakes up for a feed. Let's cross our fingers. Maybe he'll wake at 6.

Enjoying life!

Frunty is swimming really well with his water wings on and this afternoon, at the club, took them off to try without. He plays at the pool every Tuesday with his class but does not take formal lessons. He is teaching himself really and I saw him float for the first time last month as I take Pit to the pool to watch him and his class. Afterwards Pit and I would go swimming but it is too cold for both of us and now that we are thinking of joining a club where we are right now enjoying a trial period, we can consider enjoying the 35 degree celsius childrens' pool.

Frunty swam the very first time with his water wings on at the pool by Daddy's office. We took the train to Leuven afterschool one day to meet Daddy and go swimming at the beautiful complex by his work. That was on November 10th. I figure by the end of this year with all the swimming he is doing, Frunty will probably swim without wings! But there is no rush.

Life has been busy and we have been getting into a rhythm with the boys. Getting up for school in the morning is really challenging and I am happy when Daddy can help me. When he is travelling, it is quite challenging to get out the door and make sure the dog has been walked as well, especially on mornings when it is pouring rain outside.

Frunty loves his teacher and his class despite lots of "fights". There is a lot of punching, kicking and some biting going on but it has seemed to have settled down now. I guess they all have to jostle for position. Frunty likes his atelier class on Mondays at lunch during which he paints and his modelage class on Friday during which he makes things with model clay. Every Tuesday is pool morning, as I mentioned. We don't go to Spanish on Tuesdays anymore as everyone is pretty tired and the class starts and finishes too late for us. Wednesday afternoons there is never school so we either go on an adventure, like to a concert last week (a flemish couple performed music with instruments made from things in their kitchen) or to different play dates. Sometimes we have Chinese lunch and practice Mandarin with the Js.

Pit has a busy and fun schedule too but I manage to make time every day to sit on the couch with him and snuggle. He falls asleep in my arms for most of his naps and this makes both of us very happy. Monday he has psychomatricite, Tuesdays swimming and Fridays, the Little Gym which he loves. He has his first girlfriend from the Little Gym as Annya tried to kiss him last Friday and they sat together by the wall, alone, while the rest of us sat in a circle and then Pit tried to get her to come to the group. I wish I had had my camera! Sometimes we go on play dates or to the library for an organized reading time with other moms/tots.

I have a private French teacher now, from France, and we do an English/French exchange once a week. It is hard work and I am tired but happy afterwards. She puts her child in a daycare but mine is able to either sleep in my arms, sit on my lap or play nicely nearby so I am not going to put him in a creche for that exchange. I have also started a little French club at a nearby cafe called Lounge 81 which just opened up this fall. It's cozy and smoke free. I hire a native speaker each week as a facilitator. So far I have had 4-5 women each week attend and we practise French in a relaxed, informal manner with our tots. It's working out so far and the profits are going to go towards buying some games for the group.

I am still running and now that I have semi-joined this gym/club I am swimming and will start some classes. I rode my bike there today with Frunty so that was 15 minutes of exercise right there. I am down to one run a week because my friend K babysits Pit and so that keeps me making a committment. Otherwise, I am in a really, lazy frame of mind. I think the school run several times a day plus playing with Pit give me enough exercise. It is really just an active lifestyle so running on top seems hard at times. I do want to get back into running more though as the benefits are so great.

Daddy is traveling more and more and more, almost every week now at least one long day trip and this past week, an overnighter. I am able to not only cope now but handle things quite fine although I get really, super tired. Daddy makes it up to me and then some by cooking gourmet dinners when he gets home, getting me my favourite movies and supporting and encouraging me to take time for myself especially re:exercise and hot baths.

We are really looking forward to our folks arrival in a few short weeks and have some surprises in store. Meanwhile, the nonni are wrapping up a wonderful trip to Hawaii. Life is busy for all of us but very productive and I am happy with my committment to a rest period each day on my couch with Pit and then some quiet play time and reading in French in the evening with Frunty followed by a nice chat with Daddy. The busier we are, the more we have to make time to be still. That's my new mantra! And instead of saying "yes" to all the invites, I now ask myself if I would rather be at home, snuggling with my kids and find myself now saying "no" more often to these invites and feeling great about it!

Today we had a lazy sunday afternoon and barely left the house. We'll eventually get around to filling in the events of the past month, but in the meantime, the daddy wanted to mention that tiny two legs calls his dog "bee-bo" and then throws himself onto the dog's neck and back. Very cute!

We were sitting at the table making a joint effort to get Frunty to eat his dinner. Meanwhile, Tiny Two Legs had finished his supper and was off in the front room being very busy shifting chairs. We eventually got up from the table to inspect his work and found a neat line of chairs. Very industrious little fella.

The daddy writes: Mommy is a good runner as shown in pictures from two different races. #90 was the 8km race from Sportcity where the healthy post-race snacks included sour gummy snakes and marshmallow hamburgers. #873 was the 10km race to raise money for the orphans in Tibet. The post-race treat was powerful incense. Mommy is so great for doing these races, keeping fit, setting a healthy example and doing some charity work too. Yoo-hoo for Mommy!

We got back from a weekend trip to London. I had to go for work on Friday and so the family tagged along. We took the Eurostar train very early Friday morning. On most mornings when we have to get Frunty up for school, he usually kicks and screams, but on this morning, the mommy said, "Wake up we have to take the Eurostar!" and Frunty's reaction was none other than a cheerful, "Yoo-Hoo!". We visited the shopping streets of Regent and Oxford streets, and went then went to Putney to meet our friends from Bruxelles, who now live in London area. We also took a "flight" on the British Airways sponsored London Eye, pictured here. We had great views from high up in our bubble. As enjoyable as it was, London is very "crowdy" to use Frunty's term and so there was a lot of jostling for space on the sidewalks. London makes Bruxelles look like a small country town.

This is the daddy again: I might as well add something more while I'm on a roll. Some mornings, we let Tiny Two Legs climb the stairs on his own. When he gets to the top, his usual first thing to do is say hello to his pet and make growling sounds. Tiny Two Legs sure loves his pet and frequently will grab that big pink nose and try to poke his fingers into those brown eyes. The dog tries to escape but knows it's hopeless and succumbs to the attention, wanted or not. He's actually yawning in this snapshot and not, as one might think, ready from some breakfast.

This is the daddy writing: it's been a long time since I wrote here but Frunty did something today that really merits writing down. After I picked him up from school, we passed by the usual waffle truck parked just by the exit. He wanted a snack and asked me for a waffle. But I didn't have any change in my pockets and so he was disappointed. But then I remembered that he usually nicks loose change from around the house and so I asked him if he had some "monies". He started to dig around in his pockets and produced a 50c. piece. I said that wasn't enough. But then he found a 1 euro coin: exact change for a waffle. I said he could have a waffle but that he would have to pay. He protested and said he didn't want to "lose" his monies but I made it clear that if he wanted the waffle he would have to give his coins. He agreed. And, we went back to the truck and before even saying hello, he stretched to reach the counter of the waffle truck and shyly plunked down his two coins. I handed him the waffle and he retreated like a turtle saying merci. Previous to this, I think he has always regarded his coins as toys. And, even though he has seen us buy things all the time, I think he realised that he too can buy things with his "toys". He's really growing up. After we got his waffle, he and I went for a sortie in the forest to look for mushrooms. I had brought a little bucket and we filled it with all sorts of collectibles from the forest floor.

I told Pitcht that it was time to go pick up his brother and he brought over a tractor and put it under the stroller! When I say, "a tavola" he usually goes to his high chair. He is such a darling, such a little sweetheart. He now sleeps through the night....finally, at age 14.5 months...so we are all starting to catch some more winks!

Pitcht likes to feed me and when he hands me something he says, "there!" I guess his first word was da-da and then he said "ma-ma" the day before Mother's Day for the very first time! What a gift. But because Frunty calls me by my first name, Pitcht is no longer calling me "ma-ma". He pushes around his little push-toy which is still our number one favourite toy ever and this morning, Frunty was pushing it around too.

Daddy took Frunty on his business trip to Paris yesterday and they enjoyed the Eiffel tower and a pasta lunch. One of the other highlights was taking the Thalys there and back. Frunty called from on top of the Eiffel tower and was so excited to tell me what he could see! I stayed home with Pitcht and took the day to tidy up and re-group after a weekend of partying...actually, a few weeks of parties what with the birthdays, the going away lunches/dinners and the soccer game fetes as well.

Hope you're all having fun and nonni, please phone or email!

June has been an incredibly busy month. We started off by going to a cousin's wedding near Torino at the beginning of the month. We flew into Bergamot for 74 cents and had a few wonderful days around Lago di Como staying in Bellagio. Gotta go, that's it for now!

Pit loves poking belly buttons, making funny faces, pinching his own nose, throwing his head back and now sticking out his tongue. He claps his hands and still slaps things to make sounds. He sleeps on Daddy's shoulder during the night. He still sucks his bottom lip especially when getting upset. He still pulls his brother's hair when play fighting and especially loves pillow fights on the bed. Pit has 7 visible teeth and a few more just poking through. This is his eleventh month update. He kisses and hugs and is a joy. Finally, Pit, for whatever reasons, cannot handle the car. We are thinking he feels car sick because when Daddy goes around a corner or speeds up or down or makes any kind of change, the screaming gets worse. Maybe when he is forward facing, he will feel better, at least we hope so.

We have had a very busy and fun couple of weeks with two sets of visitors from Canada. L and B were here for a few nights and then J and family arrived with our precious God daughter, H. They came one day earlier which meant that we could all go out for dinner near the Grande Place! The following day, on the way to the train station, we stopped at a couple of chocolate shops as well and then Daddy drove L and B the rest of the way to Gare du Midi so that they could continue their European adventure.

J and I were fortunate to enjoy an evening out as well as a lunch date and tons of great chats. We took the kids to a play date at A's as his Mom set it up prior to her trip to Africa. We also took them to a birthday party at our Scottish friends' home. Sightseeing downtown, visit to Brugges and just hanging around our home with the kids playing in the garden were all highlights. Our last night's dinner was hilarious and will "go down in history"!

This past weekend we went to Quickos upon request where we bumped into Frunty's school mate and his family and so we all ate lunch together and it was fun. On Sunday we took the kids to Chez Leon for lunch downtown followed by old tram museum ride to Tervueren and finally, after three years, visited the African museum. It was interesting. The best part is always watching the kids in these situations and seeing what they get a kick out of. Frunty put his ticket on an air vent and watched it fly up into the air "like a helicopter" over and over. Pit thought this was funny too. Frunty put a tiny sea horse into a flashlight back home and when Pit opened it, the sea horse flew out. That got a lot of chuckles! They played that over and over again.

Pit has a new name which is "Geluk" pronounced "Hu-look" but said very quickly by Frunty. We don't know where F keeps getting these nick names but they are really cute.

Updates: Frunty has now used the big toilette three times and we are thrilled that the diaper stage is finished! I read him nursery rhymes and that does the trick. No diaper at night still means some clothing changes throughout the night. Last night he didn't complain of being cold so that probably means he is dry!

As for Geluk, he is doing really funny faces more and more and throwing his head back when he wants to be dramatic. He sometimes puts his teeth together during the funny face. He has now stood up twice without holding onto anything. Once with Grampa, the first time, and once two days ago. He likes walking behind the "Locopouss" and still just hangs around mostly in the Jolly Jumper but at least doesn't scream anymore while in it. Car trips are still mostly avoided due to a very unhappy baby. We have the dvd player ready for really tricky parts.

This weekend is a four day holiday due to a "bridge" and we want to go somewhere but not with the car. But then with luggage and dog on train and all the rest of our kit and kaboodle, the car may be easier. We shall see. On the 31st we leave for the wedding in Italia of our cousin, E! We got plane tickets for 74 cents. They were originally 14 cents but we weren't sure at that time if we would go. If you don't believe these crazy prices, check out www.ryanair.com Can't wait til they fly to Canada!

Yesterday I ran the second annual Brussels Breast Cancer 10K run in Tervueren, dedicating the race to my friend in remission, C, the mom of Frunty's friend at school who also lives on our street. Despite her "angoisses", as she puts it, C is seemingly strong and inspiringly positive.

I ran the race last year while 8 months pregnant and was really happy when a woman came up to me and recognized me as the pregnant runner. I pointed to sleeping, baby "Pitcht" and Daddy took a picture of us in front of the massage tent where I had just finished a pre-race treatment. (heaven, except I felt kind of sleepy for a bit!) I definitely felt lighter this year and didn't have to nip into the forest even once during the race! I also shaved 20 min. off of my time, completely in about one hour and 3 minutes! This is thanks to hooking up with Tracey, from the States, who kept me going at a "good klip" as she referred to it. The conversation was interesting and the time went by quickly and without her, I am sure I would have been way at the back again, "smurfing along" as Daddy puts it. But I knew that we wanted to get to Uncle M's bbq as soon as possible, as they were waiting for me, and so I really pushed myself. Bottom line, I can run that fast, for 10K, just didn't know it.

I only decided to run the race the day of...I thought I'd wake up in the morning and see how I felt. I ran a short run the day before and felt fine. This is after a one month hiatus due to terrible sinusitis, traveling and both feet with cuts from the ocean rocks. Although I still had some cracks, they didn't bother me too much during the run. Now I am hobbling a bit this morning as the cracks re-opened but it was well worth it to participate in a really nice, low-key event, full of great spirit. I am surprised that my muscles don't hurt, they are just a bit tight especially going down the stairs!

Pitcht slept through the race (Bellyfete means, by the way, in French "funny foot"!) and Frunty collected snails, one of which was taken to Uncle M's, released into the wild (a log pile) but found again, by Frunty, just before leaving and now lives on our back porch temporarily, in a beautiful little home. The bbq was silly and the boys were great, as usual...we really can bring them anywhere and the day is now starting so I have to run! That one month break, by the way, from running was the longest since 2003 only beating the three weeks after the birth of Pitcht. I feel renewed energy though and interest in the sport and so it was worth a break for that reason alone.

Pet is now "Pit", according to Frunty and he also says, "Pitch", which doesn't sound as good when you might hear something else instead. So we encourage the "Pit". I actually prefer "Pet" but what can you do?!

We are finally enjoying some summer weather. It seems that Brussels skipped spring this year. Frunty goes to the school in the mornings as usual and is preparing for his school's "spectacle" this Saturday. According to friends, he does get up on stage during rehearsal and dance. Whether he gets up on stage on Saturday, dressed as an eel, will be an entirely different story! I can tell you this...NO PRESSURE. We will gently encourage him but if he doesn't want to grab his partner, the snake's, arm in a strange and slippery reptile jig, fine with us! It's all too much!!!! The whole school thing was supposed to be for fun and to learn French, not to be terrorized!

Pit loves to hug his brother in the morning and coos with joy, watches everything with hawk eyes and is such a sweet, little bunny. Daddy holds the shape ball while Pit puts each shape into its appropriate slot which he started doing a couple of days ago. Four teeth are almost all in on the top and three on the bottom. He is just exhausted from many interrupted sleeps.

Daddy has taken over the night shift and I couldn't be more grateful. There is the midnight cuddle followed by the early morning drink of baby soya milk, just a little. Pit loves all kinds of foods, mostly what we eat, and I continue to cook everything without salt or other spices. Keeping it simple is best for them and Daddy and I can jazz up our plates at the table.

After we pick up Frunty from school (Daddy still drops him off) we either go directly to the park to play/have picnic lunch or come home for lunch and then afterwards, we enjoy a play date here or at someone's home, go to the park, or relax with crafts or even just play. The boys play really well together and although they have started arguing a bit!, Frunty is great at remembering to get his brother another toy to placate him.

Since Gramma and Grampa just left on Monday and friends are due here next week, I need to catch up on laundry and prepare some meals for the freezer so that when they get here, we can relax and enjoy their company. It is hard to stay on top of everything and I choose a messy house and time with my children at the park or dancing or goofing around. I also got a stack of magazines to try to go through and deliver to various doctors' offices as well as travel brochures to research future trips. Pit is asleep right now and I have some errands. This seems more like a group letter today but I am jsut trying to give a quick update. Hope whoever is reading this is doing great too!

Gramma and Grampa are here and we are having a fabulous time. They have gone off with Daddy to buy geraniums to fill our flower boxes front and back. Frunty is at school, enjoying being back after an almost one month holiday. (sick and then Easter holidays, then trip to Turkey) Pet is sleeping. Doggie is recovering from a liver problem still to be determined. So I have a moment to try to catch up.

Gramma and Grampa enjoyed a one week holiday in Germany before joining us here in Brussels. The day after their arrival we all flew down to Bodrum, Turkey. We were supposed to leave Easter Monday but the flight got canceled, not enough travelers. So we left on Saturday and were thrilled with the extra days which we wanted anyway. A few days before our trip, we found out that our hotel was not ready. Later we visited it and found it to be in unprepared for guests. We were very lucky because we ended up being upgraded to an amazing, five star resort called Samara in Torba. They tried to give us another resort at first but we researched and discovered it to be stroller unfriendly. Then they tried to put us in an excellent hotel but in the middle of the city of Bodrum. After many phone calls and sticking to my guns, I got them to give us Samara which was beautiful.

When they say here, "ce n'est pas possible", they cannot be believed. If you keep to a friendly way of asking, you generally receive! So anyway, we had a fantastic time. Highlights were the day trip we organized ourselves to the ruins of Ephesus. We also really enjoyed relaxing by the ocean while receiving massages by a wandering masseus named Doctor Oz. Grampa and I made daily trips to the Turkish bath in the latter part of the afternoon while Gramma and Daddy bathed the kids before dinner. Besides being scrubbed, we were massaged during and after the Turkish bath. It is an experience everyone should try...if you like steam and having cold and hot water poured over you and bubbles splashed onto you and someone scrubbing you with a rough glove!

Baby crying gotta go!

Since I last wrote, Peauteau's nickname has changed twice. Frunty started to call his baby brother "Bellyfete" which he said was French for something. I forget but will ask him tomorrow. Then it became and is today, "Pet" which Frunty says is French for "bone". It is very cute and the thing is, Peauteau answers to these names.

We went to our friends' today for a play date and two things happened. Pet tried to go up the stairs so I took pictures of his first attempt to climb stairs and secondly, R was talking to me and Pet turned to look at her and she asked him a question and he responded, "yah". It was very clear and very adorable.

Yesterday Frunty tripped in our home while carrying his wooden boat from the movie "Madagascar". It is really from Hema, the Dutch shop. Anyway, he knocked his tooth...again. (when he was 1.5 he broke it at the shopping mall while running in his oversized boots bought in Luxembourg.) This time, no shoes or socks or running but unfortunately, bonk. We took him a few hours later to the dentist, our wonderful Dr. Michiels, and the tooth is loose and may fall out in the next few weeks. We will go for "controls" at the beginning of May to see how things are going. Hopefully no damage to the adult tooth or to the roots...Frunty is walking around with a fat lip as well and over top, he holds a little cloth for drooling on. It is a pretty sad sight. He has been sitting most of the day on the couch watching Bob the Builder and I was quite happy when he agreed to go to R's to play. He's calling me, gotta go.

Peauteau loves putting things into a bag or box and then taking them back out again and then putting them back in...over and over. It is so fun to watch him do this and the little mouth he makes, so full of concentration. He also likes to shake his head indicating "no"...we don't really know if he knows what it signifies or not but it looks cute and we all start shaking our heads too. He loves watching his brother too and playing games with him and if Frunty tries to push him a bit, Peauteau will squeal and stand his ground very well. They don't fight yet but sometimes try to grab the same thing.

Peauteau loves eating little pieces of food and only wants me to feed him applesauce. I have done a lot of experimenting, let me tell you. I really enjoyed the puree stage though! He will let his brother feed him though and it is adorable to watch. Frunty does a great job. Peauteau loves pulling Frunty's hair and Frunty rubs his head on P's stomach making him laugh so hard. Yesterday Frunty threw something down the stairs outside. Although I don't agree with throwing things, Peauteau laughed so hard, it was worth it. I mean, it was such a fantastic and beautiful chuckle. Hard as I try, I can't get him to laugh like that. Only his brother can!

The woman with the cats moved out so our backyard is no longer a toilet. I can't make it into a play area though because it is so wet that it looks like a trench. The cigar-smoking man moved out too complaining of humidity. He only lasted a couple of weeks though, thank goodness, as those hideous cigars were stinking up our home too. Now they seem to be doing something to the roof back there which only bothers our dog. I wonder who will be silly enough to move in there next and I wonder why these people don't try to ask us questions before signing a 9 year contract. You'd think they'd ask neighbours/tenants questions...

Last week, Peauteau started spitting out his purees. Well, he didn't spit out the homemade applesauce I guess because it is too yummy to have dribbled down onto his bib. I thought that he didn't like his "dinner" purees but cut up some steamed veggies and discovered that he wanted to feed himself. I didn't really think much of it until I read a mom's comment below and then realized that Peauteau has reached a milestone...at 8.5 months old. Tonight he had sweet potato/reg. potato/fish/banana/apple all in little chunks which he really enjoyed eating. He does not use his "pincers" all the time, sometimes he just grabs it and puts his fist(s) into his mouth. He is so cute. He lets me feed him yogourt though but often tries to grab the spoon which he has been doing for more than a month. I guess we are moving along then really well and he wants to feed himself which is fine with me.

"As early as 10 months, my son would reach for the spoon as I fed him. By 11 months, he refused to be fed by spoon, and would only eat if he could pick up the food with his fingers (or make a lucky attempt with a spoon himself). I take all this as a sign of his independence, and am grateful for the help at mealtimes!"

I took the boys to a music class today run by a Polish woman which was fun and I will continue to take Peauteau when we are in the city. Frunty had the day off from school and that is why he joined us. He really enjoyed it and so next time he has a school holiday on a Friday, I will take him as well. Afterwards we stopped by our friend's for a chat before coming home to finish working on our gingerbread house to take to our afternoon playdate at our French friend's home. S is Frunty's classmate at school and her mom invited a few other moms/kids over. It was a lovely time.

I realized just now that I haven't written for about two weeks or more, actually. Well, we have been enjoying Nonno's visit and went to Aachen, Germany to the Carolus Thermen and had fun at a mardi gras parade. Now Nonno is in Italy and will visit us again in two weeks.

Peauteau got his second tooth today. Frunty ran over to me in the kitchen and told me about it. He was very excited for his little brother. I had been checking often and wondering why the naps were short lately. The tooth broke the gum and now Peauteau is having a really long, afternoon nap...he must be exhausted!

I got a new (barely used) stroller today! I have been wanting a double so that I can easily get around with my two, little guys. I know that Frunty can easily walk but in certain situations, I want them both strapped into a stroller together. (ie. airports) So now I have a nice, new, light stroller, and I am thrilled about it. Yes, that takes my fleet up to 5 so I may try to get rid of 1 although I am not in any rush because each stroller serves a purpose although the three wheel Bebe confort is a bit heavy. (it was good though when Peauteau was tiny because of the attachable bassinette.)

Yesterday we went to Brupark for the grande opening of the newly made-over Atomium, Belgium's Eiffel Tower. Apparently famous all over Europe (though we had never heard of it until we moved here) it is shiny and new but not at all people or children friendly. But at least it is a no-smoking building...wow, what a miracle, finally something in Belgium that is completely no-smoking! We enjoyed a picnic up top looking over the city and could see mini-Europe down below. Frunty wanted to bring his binoculars and it was fun watching him use them. Someone took our picture for his school newspaper. Afterwards, we played on the pirate ship and had a little picnic. Frunty had fun playing tag with some kids from Malaysia. A nice day all in all followed by a wonderful dinner of champagne and oysters, Daddy's duck a la apple/walnuts and a brownie with cream cheese icing that Frunty and I made together after Atomium. Kids in bed by 8 pm, we watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
Better late than never!

On Friday night we took dinner over to K and E's and watched some olympic sports, namely skeleton. Great for Frunty and we were able to put Peauteau into their bed to sleep which was a first ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What do you do when your child wants icecream for breakfast? You give it to him/her, that's what!

Puree 1 cup yogourt (low-fat, plain) with 1 cup mixed, frozen berries. Add honey or refined cane sugar to taste. Scoop onto a cone and make your child smile first thing in the morning! Frunty made it the other day, ate two scoops and was so happy.

Nonna gave us a recipe for "breakfast cookies". Frunty and I made them this afternoon while Peauteau played with oranges. They were really good and when they were cool enough to touch, Frunty started pushing pumpkin seeds into them and ended up eating 3 or 4. It is so fun to bake together and especially something very healthy. And what kid doesn't like cookies? Next time we'll add raisins and nuts to these wholewheat/orange cookies to make them even tastier and healthier.

Peauteau and I went to a market today with friends while Frunty stayed at school for lunch. We found a Moroccan stall with excellent dried fruits/nuts at half decent prices. Despite the horrible weather, we had fun!

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Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Last night Daddy and I celebrated by going to Brasserie St. Georges, quite a swanky place and it was fun to dress up. Nonna babysat and the boys were greata! Today I found some chocolate from my secret admirer. Hold on while I grab some! Just came back from a run. Very mild here. Didn't go running in Turkey. It's the first break I have had from running since June when I took three weeks off after Peauteau was born. Have a great day!

Beware the barrenness of a busy life.

-Socrates

Last night we returned from an excellent holiday in Turkey. Nonna and I got last-miinute tickets from Tui Travel and flew down there with the kids while Daddy worked in Dubai/Saudi Arabia. We were able to enjoy the children very much without worrying about market/cooking/cleaning and also had lots of fun at a snake park, Phaselis (Ancient Roman ruins, incredible) and the "hamman". Have you ever had a Turkish bath? I had always thought that it was just a steam room. But it is an entire experience which includes being scrubbed/washed/massaged and then it starts all over again. Nonna treated me to a 1 1/2 hour treatment and I thought I had gone to Turkish heaven! If only I could have one treatment like that a week! I will go back to Turkey just for that alone.

We had some awesome rain/thunder/lightening storms and power failures in the hotel and at other times, we had sunshine and enjoyed a warm breeze by the ocean. We drank in the sea air as much as we could. Our hotel was surrounded by mountains and we could see the snow. We took the bus here and there on our adventures and experienced some of the local comings and goings.

The Turks in the hotel really love children and made a fuss over ours everyday and helped us with the stroller when there wasn't a ramp. Frunty made friends with the animateur, Becko, who in turn called him "Sharky" because Frunty wore a shark shirt.

Frunty and Peauteau enjoyed a bath tonight...Daddy is in Milano/Torino. I looked at these two little guys, splashing away, laughing, sharing toys...I am still in awe that they are mine. Then they ate dinner and went off to bed without almost no complaints. I think they know that they have to help me even more when Da da is away. Before bed, Frunty told me that I have to like pink because I am a girl. I really laughed. Where did he get an idea like that? I asked him and he said, "I think you told me that. I heard you say that yesterday." Well, I definitely don't remember ever saying that but it was just too cute for words.

We enjoyed a nice visit with Daddy's sister who visited us for the weekend. We went to the city of Spa and Daddy babysat while Z.E and I soaked in the hot springs, enjoyed the saunas and hamman. I liked when a worker, looking a lot like a maori, came into the sauna and poured water on the rocks. There was an orange scent that followed which was very relaxing. My whole body felt relaxed afterwards even though I was quite tired. The night before, we enjoyed a 4 course, gourmet meal at the hotel by the hot springs. It was delicious and we took a picture of the bottle of red wine so we would remember the name to purchase it again. It was excellent. And the dessert was exquisite...a chocolate brownie-type cake on the outside but when you cut into it, warm, melted chocolate oozed out. What a wonderful weekend and with snow all around, we got a little taste of winter too.

A major shift is occuring in our daily family life. With Daddy always at home, I could easily take Peauteau to bed for naptime or bedtime and stay with him as long as it would take for him to settle down and fall asleep. I knew that Mr. Two Legs was safe with his Dad. This week though has been quite challenging as Daddy has been out of the house first thing in the morning and hasn't returned til very very late at night. I no longer can stay with Peauteau while he falls asleep because Mr. Two Legs might get into trouble. The risk is way too high. Yesterday our friend was here when I took Peauteau down for his nap. Luckily because Mr. Two Legs went and got a pair of scissors. Not his usual little ones but the big, kitchen pair. As my friend was here, there was no problem. She helped him with the scissors. But had she not been here, there may have been an accident.

Until this week, there have always been two adults tending to these two children. I am soooooooooooooooo lucky to have had seven months of this...but now, to keep them safe, I have to make some changes and it is not easy. And I cannot go back. Even though Daddy will be home next week as usual, I must continue the new regime since in Feb., he will go to Dubai for a week and I must remain consistent.

So...Peauteau has to get used to falling asleep on his own after a good feed. I go in every 5 minutes to give him comfort and positive reinforcement but basically, in a nutshell...HE HATES IT! Last night, alone with both boys, I ran up and down the stairs comforting them both while the other started back crying again. (each boy in a different room since their crying would wake the other up again!) Needless to say...I am a bit frazzled but hey, I enjoyed almost seven months of a kind of closeness that I will always treasure with these boys. With Mr. Two Legs, I obviously enjoyed 3.5 years of it and with Peauteau only nearly 7 months but guess what, safety does have to come first in this case. Mr. Two Legs could get into anything...it's just too dangerous.

So it has been a very challenging week, to say the least because not only am I all of a sudden alone with both boys after 7 glorious months of non-stop support, but I am also trying to teach them how to fall asleep on their own. What a challenging week. And it isn't over yet! They are just such cutie pies and during the day, are sweeter than ever...which makes it harder to see them upset at naptime/night time. But again, I can't be cuddling up to Peauteau all afternoon while Mr. Two Legs tries to make an omelette on the stove. Oh my goodness...now that it is in writing, I see how crazily dangerous it could become if I don't take the tough approach.

And since I go in every 5-10 minutes to cheer them on, telling them what a great job they are doing, making sure they haven't fallen out, I don't think they are being completely traumatized, hopefully. I mean, cold turkey is not my style personally. I prefer to ease them into this gently. Since our home is rather small, I do have the liberty of doing that as I can easily hear what's going on...but I will not take anymore risks like the scissors. And that is that.

If anyone has been through this, please email me with encouraging stories! Thanks!

We really enjoyed the twins' birthday party yesterday. H did an amazing job with crafts, games, a clown "spectacle" and then fruits and sandwiches followed by chips and cake. Loot bags, individual cakes and balloons to go. Very impressive. She even had time to scoot off and express milk during the clown show! Peauteau loved the clown show. Frunty said his favourite part was receiving the balloons but he seemed to enjoy all of it especially the face painting, which I almost forgot to mention. He wore his spider man shoes and shirt and had his face painted red with a web and a little spider with silver sparkles. What fun! Peauteau dressed as a teddy bear. We took tons of pictures so we could give them to the girls as an extra present but our main gift, from the boys, was a goat. See www.oxfam.com We hope they like it as well as two home made cards with pictures of the boys on it. They will be moving back to the UK in August but that's Brussels for you! The motto for Brussels is "the heart of Europe". It should also be "Enjoy the moment!" Well, that should be the motto for anywhere, I guess. Anyway, we had a lot of fun. Daddy took us and then met us on our walk home. During the party he did chores and also took off in his car to scout out our next adventure! Now that Peauteau is used to the stroller, perhaps he'll tolerate time in the car?!

Today the Js are coming over to make a thank you lunch since we hosted J, from China, and found her a new home. I wonder what they will make?! Frunty wants to make dumplings again but I think they have something else in mind!

Today we are going to a birthday party for our friends, the twins! They gave us really specific gift-giving outlines and it got me thinking. I know Ann Landers really frowns upon this but I would like to say the following given that we already have some friends and family who are coming to visit us in 2006! First of all, just your visit is a wonderful gift in itself. But some of you are way too generous and want to bring gifts and that is ever so kind. Secondly, we have so many dvds, books and clothing. What really reminds us of home are food products that we can't find here or that are very hard to find here. Since we like making treats and snacks with Frunty, good gifts are edible! And Peauteau enjoys watching and will join in on eating soon! For example, we love making rice krispy squares together and marshmallows are hard to find. So here is our list of edible products.

Marshmallows (mini or large)
Maple Syrup
Dried Blueberries (great for eyes on cookies)
Dried Veggies
Ready made icing tubes (different colours, fun for cookies and cakes)
Brown sugar (the kind used for butter tarts)
Heritage O's cereal (Frunty loves this organic version of "cheerios" with or without milk, great snack for Peauteau)
Fruit Loops (not the most healthy but we like making necklaces/bracelets)
Organic baby cookies (it's hard to find something here without hydrogenated oils)
Red Licorice (we love it and can only find black here which we don't like!)
Kit Kat Peanut Butter bars (yes, it's the land of chocolate but they don't have these!)
Any chocolate bar with caramel (they don't seem to have caramel here either!)
No MSG added chicken broth powder or beef powder (Frunty loves helping me make soups)
Pumpkin seeds (Frunty adores, without salt if possible)

We would be so happy and grateful to receive these gifts. Even if you think that they don't sound special, they really are to us! A taste of home, they make cooking lessons and craft time lots of fun! Thanks for your consideration!

The last few days, Peauteau has been trying to feed himself. When I put the spoon near his mouth, he grabs it and puts it in himself. He is also trying to pull himself up and has been doing that for the last few weeks. He likes saying "ba, ba, ba" and sucking his bottom lip in too and today, I heard "ma, ma" too. Peauteau whips his head around when I leave the room to see where I am going and gets upset if I disappear. He also gets upset and tells you about it if you take his toy. Just ask Frunty who is really good at quickly replacing it. Peauteau likes looking at our dog now and gently caressing his ears and rubbing the fur on his head. He is no longer afraid of our dog. He used to cry. Peauteau and Frunty remain excellent friends and still a favourite game is for Frunty to let his brother pull his hair. They sit and play trains and Frunty pulls his brother around in a wagon. Gotta go!

Today Peauteau and I picked Frunty up from school, as usual, but jumped on a bus to go on an adventure! We met Daddy at Gare Centrale and walked to Hong Kong Delight for lunch! What a nice surprise. Then we went shopping at Kim Yuen supermarket and bought lots of great stuff. It was fun to do something different after school. Frunty said he enjoyed the "spectacle" at his school today which was about "les loups".

Frunty started school again today and last night wanted us to get his Spiderman shirt and shoes ready! We made rice krispy squares so we could pack them for his snack time. Frunty also said that he wanted to stay for lunch with S sometime. We wanted to get the details from Madame C but this morning, we were side tracked with some sad news that one of Frunty's best buddies, D, will not be returning to school. He and his family went home for Christmas in Ireland and his Dad unfortunately died very suddenly. D was part of the "English club" which had fun during break time playing "Star Wars" game and "Throwing Frunty's baseball hat in the muddy puddle game". We had enjoyed a nice evening with D and his parents at the Chant D'Oiseau Christmas market evening and had made tentative plans to get together in the new year. So we are all very sad and feel sorry for D and will miss him.

We will also miss J very much since she will be moving to her "permanent" home tomorrow. I say permanent but in Brussels, I guess as in life, there doesn't seem to be anything permanent! We had fun make dumplings with her yesterday and today, while we picked up Frunty from school, J cooked us up a nice lunch with noodles, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms and tofu. We've enjoyed her stay very much and she is an excellent guest though always wants to work...clean/cook/etc.

Took Frunty to the doctor yesterday and he was great...not scarred from earlier "poke" as he calls it. We are all feeling better though not 100%. With school starting up again on Monday, I wonder when the next round of colds/flus/sinusitis/rashes etc. will start up. Daddy is trying to train Peauteau in the car seat in the living room right now. The minute you put the straps on, he starts complaining and struggles to get free, arching his back. He still screams everytime we are in the car. For some reason, he did not scream in Gramma's car. We are a little frustrated because we have a super nice car, are in the heart of Europe, and are kind of homebound with colds and screaming baby! Oh woe is me!!!!!! We are getting really really itchy!

Found a home for J the other day and are really happy about that. Today she made dumplings and we enjoyed a great lunch together. We will miss her. I wish we had a bigger home so that she could stay and Daddy agreed. Oh well, we will see get to see J when she picks up J from school. Frunty may have lunch at school once a week so that I have enough time to take Peauteau to the Little Gym but have not looked into it yet. Frunty says he wants to try eating lunch with his friend, S. We shall see what happens and it is worth a try. Back to the car seat training! Cheerio!

Going to the doctor has always been so fun for Frunty and whether it is an appointment for him or for one of us, he has had an amusing time. The doctors/dentist, as mentioned before, are really kind to him. But today we went to Medecis for a blood test and although the woman was very kind, the appointment was no fun. Having blood taken was scarey and Frunty was very brave. Afterwards, he was given a speculoos cookie. During the most difficult part, I told Frunty that sometimes Grampa has to have blood taken during a check-up and he was instantly calmed. We are trying to get to the bottom of Frunty's skin problems and have to go again on Friday. We hope that he will look forward to going as he has in the past and that today has not scarred him too much!!

Peauteau is fast asleep in his stroller...first time. On Monday, I carried him in the snuggly and just about broke my back and still have a strained neck today. That is it for carrying him so long unfortunately. It was a good run but now he will have to get used to the stroller. Peauteau is a big boy now and all bundled up, he must be close to 20 pounds though we haven't weighed him lately. Soon we'll be visiting the doctor for a check-up for him. And as I write this, Daddy is at a Chinese doctor perhaps having some acupuncture for his sinusitis. It feels like we go to some doctor at least once a week.

Last night, J from China moved in and we are looking for a permanent home for her. So never a dull moment around here. We enjoyed a very nice dinner at the doctors upstairs although not feeling well with our colds but determined not to cancel again. We had hoped to meet friends in Rome this coming weekend but unfortunately will not be able to do so...once we all get our health on track, we can think of adventures again!

Happy New Year! We were happy to celebrate last night with our friends from New Zealand who are traveling around Europe right now and spent 4 days in Brussels. We enjoyed a Japanese dinner of miso soup, rice crackers, sushi, sashimi, Asian chicken, broccoli and soba noodles and for dessert, a New York Dense Chocolate Cake I made with berries on top and powdered sugar making it all look very festive. L and I enjoyed a spa-like experience, doing our own feet, which was the closest thing I could think of to an "onsen" experience. L and I lived close to each other in Japan hence the whole Japanese theme! Today we just took it easy after a late night last night and watched Dodge Ball with L while A went touring around Leuven. We would have taken them touring but A was the only one who was gung-ho enough to zip off.

We hope you all have an incredible 2006 with great health and happiness!