ANNA - UP TO 1 YEAR
After our holidays in France and Spain, we went back to the Netherlands,
were we stayed
for another 5 weeks. To weeks we rent a saling boat, and
sailed up and down the
Ijsselmeer. Of course,
again, I saw almost nothing, since the noise of the water made me sleep all
the time. Unlike my mother, I did not suffer from seasickness. We also
stayed some weeks in Leusden and Putten, in the house of friends, and had a
very nice summer. The time to go back really came too fast. Once I returned
to Uzbekistan, I started to cough. My parents first thought a cold, but it
got worse and worse. The doctor thought asthma, but when I started coughing
horribly every 20 minutes, it appeared to be whooping cough.
I
contracted the disease in the Netherlands, where apparently vaccinations
don't guarantee immunity any more against the disease. I was really ill, I
drank little and slept l
ittle,
as you can see I looked awful. My parents were still wondering whether they
should go to the Netherlands with me, when one day later
Elodie broke her arm. So that was it,
the three girls went back to the Netherlands.
I was admitted to hospital for three days and luckily it appeared that
everything would turn out fine. My mother, who also had the disease,
recovered just as fast as I did. The doctors made a lovely pink plaster for
Elodie, and we went off again to Uzbekistan. After this, I grew with twice
the normal speed and as you can see, in no time I looked again like a happy,
healthy baby.
In the meantime it was October and autumn coming. So I made my first trip to
the mountains, and we made a long walk. The weather was so nice,
more than
20 degrees. But still, every time Uzbek people would stop us
and tell my
parents that they were bad people, not dressing me well with winter coat and
hat, in October.
I would catch a cold like this. Touch on wood, but I never as much as
sneezed during my first year, apart from the whooping cough. But my parents
are very obedient people, and that is why next time we went out, they
dressed me really well. With hat, mittens and long underwear. I cannot say I
really like it myself.
I am a very happy baby and what I most like is to play with my
brothers
and
sister. They are a trio of clowns and they know how to make me scream with
laughter. I also like to take a bath every day, preferably with one of
them. I want to participate in all activities, even if I am too small. I
am sure I can do everything they do. I also like our dog Tobias very much,
and this is mutual.
In
the beginning of spring, I learnt how to manage my little car. The first
month, I did not like it too much, since I only could drive backwards. This
is very frustrating, if you are targeting something but instead you
get further and further away from it. I also learnt to stand up and sit, as
all babies do. My parents had mixed feelings over this. They were very proud
of me standing, but they resented the fact that I could know reach
everything, like hot coffee, nice magazines, earrings, the telephone, remote
control, you name it.
There
are so many interesting things for me in our house. And I have to learn,
haven't I? Experience is surely a very important thing in a
baby's
life. So I don't understand their concern. My most favorite place is the
kitchen. I am a very intelligent baby,
and to prove this, I open
all doors and lids. There is this nice bucket, full of flour (my parents
always bake their own
bread). Well, I cannot make bread, but I can make a flour-shower, and I do
it over and over again. Furthermore, I am a women so I must know what
kitchen utensils are behind the closed doors and I have to examine them
closely, even if they
sometimes do not survive the operation. I am sure one day I will participate
in developing the Worldcook page. For now, I am just eating and trying
everything that comes from the kitchen, and I don't break my head over the
question if it is edible or not.
At the moment, I like mud from shoes just as much as a nice baby cookie. I keep my parents also occupied in the kitchen. In Uzbekistan the supply of baby food is very limited. There is only carrots, carrots and carrots. that is why my parents are cooking and pureeing for me everyday nice vegetables, potatoes, preparing yoghurt and fruits. If your mother is a nutritionist, you have to suffer a lot of health food!So that was my first year in a nutshell. Read on to see how I bring all my nasty plans to life.
