I hear from Tris that the flight to Jakarta went well. We were both worried about that, Tris in particular of course, since she was the one left holding the baby. Things didn't go well on the way to the airport; we left home at 4.00pm for a 8.25pm flight and a 130km drive to Amsterdam airport, but we got caught in what was to become the worst traffic in Dutch history because it snowed in November, which was not expected. As a kind of natural hedge, bad weather delays airports as well, so we were late but did not miss the flight. KLM would not upgrade Tris, but she got an empty seat next to her. Xav slept nearly the whole flight; no crying due to low cabin pressure so we feel more optimistic about the long flight to Australia next year.
Meanwhile, I still had to return home, and at 3.30am I made it, through the moderately heavy snow and the real problem, sufficient Dutch drivers poorly prepared either with skill or equipment to drive more than 10km per hour. I have winter tyres, and driving was not too bad when I got the chance.
He's still a very happy baby and he still sleeps easily through the night ... mainly :-). In the morning he wakes up before me about half the time, and god bless him, he just plays quietly in his cot until I get there. He loves crawling around now, and shows amazing persistence when faced with problems like cupboard doors or shelves that are hard to open. We haven't done much child proofing yet, although I had to tie closed the whisky cabinet, which was his first successful cupboard opening. He also loves to stand on his two feet, although he can only do this by holding on to something. He is so proud when he is standing tall; so I can two characteristics which are essential for kids to learn: persistence and pride of independence. The later will see him grow all too quickly over the coming years, I suppose.
