It was an interesting test. Would he take the bottle or not. After 2 months of breastfeeding the chances were that he would not like the bottle. But after 3 seconds it was cristal clear: he would take anything as long as it contained my milk.


And that after his first two vaccination shots he had had just in the afternoon. And he almost didn't cry. He is a tough guy.

Look who is growing

Yesterday I was two months old. Tomorrow I will start the 10th week of my life. Let's see if I am making 'lengthy progress' .........

My first sleeping-bag

Is this the way it is supposed to be. Here I am, in my first sleeping bag and I get the feeling that my arms are a little too short..........

Another " For the very first time"........

Today was the day! Antonio and his crew went to sail in the winter competition of the 'GrevelingenCup'. So this morning at 07.45 Antonio went to the boat(Altopana).
The berth of the Altopana is in Zeeland, a one hour drive from our house.
Gaizka and I (especially I, or is it just I) don't like the early morning hours, but in the early afternoon we were ready to go on a trip. So we went to the docking place of the boat. And we arrived just as they finished this cold, but sunny competition day.

Everybody in the competition (100 boats) were there and quite a few of them took their chance to admire our son.
The son of the famous skipper of the Altopana (3 women in the crew, but all of them pregnant......mmmmmm and the skipper is a south-american macho.....).
So the very proud father took his chance to show his son to his fellow skippers in the competition.

Today was a boat-day and today was the very first time that Gaizka 'set foot' on the Altopana!!!


















And he was not the only one. Charlotte also had her first visit on Antonio's boat.

The Dunstan-baby method

Last week I got a telephone call from a journalist from a Dutch Newspaper, the 'Algemeen Dagblad' .
She was looking for a baby in Rotterdam that was just a couple of weeks old. She wanted the parents to study two DVD's that explained the 'Dunstan-baby-method'.
And then the parents had to act according to the Dunstan-baby-method. This method is badsed on the fact that you can identify 5 different sort of baby-cries. Each cry is the pronounciation of a small word.
For instance you have the 'Neh'- word (I'm hungry). When your baby cries you can identify the word 'Neh' in his or her cry.
The same thing is possible for the word 'Eh'(I want to be burped) , 'Owh'(I am tired, put me to sleep),'Eairh' (I have stomach pain) and 'Heh' (I am uncomfortable, too warm, too cold, dirty diaper....).

















So I studied the dvd's and by now we can identify the 'Neh' en 'Eh' sound and sometimes the 'Eihr' and 'Heh' sound in the cries of Gaizka.
And yes we can practise enough........

Next week I will get an interview and they will make some photo's of Gaizka. 'His first 15 minutes of fame' !!!!
Someday in the next months this will be an article in the newspaper in Holland.
We make sure you will be notified.





Our soon to be famous son Gaizka

how do you know if your grandfather is happy?

That's very easy.
Gaizka's grandpa Antonio Paiva Reinoso has a peculiar way of expressing his joy and his pride.
When I started my architecture studies at the university in 1985, my father told me that he had told his university students early in the morning that he was very happy and proud that his first son had started at the university the very same day.
When I got my PhD in Utrecht in 2003, my father told me that he had told his post-graduate students that his son was getting a PhD diploma in Holland!
And when Gaizka was born last september, my father told me that he had told his post-graduate students that the day before his dutch grandchild was born.
So, Gaizka, grandpa is very, very happy. You can tell.

good scissors, good house

Long time ago, in the time of José Luis, my brother, and much earlier, in the time of Mariana, my sister, I had to manicured the babies.
My mother could not always do it. Sometimes she had not enough time or she was afraid of hurting the baby with sharp scissors.
Anyway, I have resumed my duties as official manicure guy for Gaizka. I got the right tools of course, a pair of baby scissors with rounded blades at the end and no sharp points. It cost you money I must say. I bought the scissors right across the street at the ETOS drugstore for almost € 15,- .... Ok, ok, but they are made in Germany and come from the famous Solingen. A friend of mine, René, was also at the drugstore at the time, and when I commented: "yeah, expensive, but they are made in Germany" he said: "right, just like BMW's cars"
So, we are thinking to start a manicure service for all the babies in the neightbourhood, circle of friends, family, etc. We have to get the most out of those €15 euros!
But on the other hand, you can also think that it is a investment in your house, your family, your babies. A good household always has good scissors...
And with our purchase we help the economy of the Ruhr area a little bit...(do we really believe that?)
Gaizka has beautiful hands, and no scratches on his face. Good. That's the idea!

Almost 6 weeks in the world

This coming monday Gaizka is 6 weeks in our lives.
It was only 6 weeks ago that he was born and so much has happened.
Most of our family and friends have visited us to welcome our little guy in this world. Even Moravia and Dedier were here to say hello to Gaizka.

Almost everybody that visited us has written a little note to Gaizka. And I keep track of the little things that are mayor steps for us.



Like when he had his first tear and when he had his first smile and his first laugh and his first bath.

















And when he went outside for the first time (with Moravia and Didier).


His first time to Krommenie and his first time in the city center.
And this week his first sleep over in Amsterdam with Annelies.





And all this information will be saved in the silver book "notes", so that over 20 years he can take a look at his first years on planet earth.