What's New Since Terminal 4

European winters aren't known for being especially fabulous, and Dutch weather has a particularly poor (and well-founded!) reputation in that department. The nights have been remarkably clear, giving way to drizzle or rain by morning. Sigh. Yesterday, we caught a break! Saturday morning offered sunny skies, so we ignored the cold and cycled to the playground on the Mother Ship. What is that, you ask? My new bike, of course! The Dutch are serious cyclists! Someone told me there are more bikes in this country than any other but China, and I believe it (almost). I'm actually really amazed and impressed with the bikes for parents. I've seen people cycling with three kiddie seats on a bike (with three kiddies in those seats)--wow! My bike is called "the Mother Bike." It has specially designed handlebars to extend well around a front-mounted child seat. I had to change the name to "the Mother Ship", and off we went!

("stock photo" of the Mother Ship on its maiden voyage)

Jennifer and Ellie on Saturday, whizzing through the woods


Although I'm sure there are many playgrounds in The Hague, there is a small one near our first, temporary apartment that is sized well for toddlers. The steps leading up the slide are perfectly Ellie-sized, and she loves it there. We've even met a few new friends. Although we don't speak the same language, the kids don't seem to care. A 2 year-old boy named Maurits was VERY excited to meet Ellie and talked to her incessantly in baby Dutch while Ellie just stared in wide-eyed wonder.

At the recommendation of an American friend, we went out to lunch on Saturday at an Italian-Greek restaurant in town. Dining out, though a favorite with us, has been a bit tricky here. We find Dutch restaurants are not overwhelmingly receptive to children, and Dutch restaurant patrons often less so. Ellie is (blessedly!) well-behaved when we're out, but no one knows that when we step in the door and we often feel (and are) unwelcome. This has resulted in our repeated patronage of two family-friendly spots. In search of variety, we tried a new place this weekend, one that our friend had said was not only open to families, but also where the owners brought their own little boy from time to time. We couldn't have been more pleased with the place! It was a nice setting, the food was delicious, and our server, Sanem, LOVED Ellie so much that she took her to see the fish tank and a movie and Ellie felt no need to return to us and the table. Sanem even said we should have the owner call her if she's not working the next time we come, and she will come play with Ellie. Hooray!



Other than that, we don't have much else to report. We have enjoyed relaxing more into a family routine. Ellie's sleep patterns have finally settled down after the move, and things are returning to normal around here...at least for another month. In the second week of February, we will head back to the US for Ocean Springs, New Orleans, and Mardi Gras! Muses rolls February 15th, everyone!