In the Christmas Spirit

First, let me just say that I'm so annoyed everytime I log into Blogger to write a post, and everything on the welcome page is in Flemish. I keep trying to tell them I'm an english speaker, but it just doesn't hold my preferences. It's so annoying to have all these French and Flemish pop-ups, and to have big banner ads for applying for the U.S. immigrant lottery. Enough already! I can't even watch clips on NBC, since they can "tell" I'm outside the U.S. Argh!

But on the plus side, we're one step closer (and a big one!) to being free from diapers. Jack and his friend Jacqueline seem to be having a little "who is bigger" competition, and the parents are the happy recipients. Jack started it by tossing the pacifier. Jacqueline followed a few weeks later. Jaqueline is pretty good about pooping on the potty (sorry, all). Jack was clearly concerned that he wasn't as "big" as she was, so he declared the other day -- out of the blue, and with no prompting -- that he was going to go poop on the potty. He did -- that was 4 days ago, and he's gone each day on the potty since.

HOORAY!

Of course, it's not always easy being diaper-free. Twice yesterday, we had to expose Jack's nether regions to freezing temperatures so he could take care of business behind a truck at the Woluwe-St. Lambert Christmas market.

But we're very proud of him. Just goes to show you that they'll do it when they're ready, and not a moment before.

Field Trip
The kids took a field trip on Friday to a Chocolate Museum (near the Grand Place) and to the Dinosaur Museum (near the EU). Those who were watching the news on Thursday may have heard about the 16 terrorism-related arrests made in Brussels on Thursday, and they were concerned that a suicide bombing attack may have been planned to coincide with an EU meeting that was occurring thursday and friday.

I agonized all night about sending the kids on their field trip, since both locations were in or near either crowded areas of a purported target. In the end, we let the kids go. Mostly because they arrested the person who had gotten the green light to go ahead with the bombing, and partially because the kids wouldn't be right in the center of where an attack might occur. I did worry all day, though. I think I was by far the most anxious parent.

But apparently not anxious enough, however, to stay away from the Grand Place and the Christmas Market downtown. Luckily, it wasn't very crowded, and after a glass of hot wine, I forgot (a few of) my worries.

Spinning is Hazardous to Your Health
I took the kids to the playground today, and Jack wanted me to spin him on this pole. He sits on the seat, holds on to the pole, and I gently spin. And spin, and spin. I kept asking him if he wanted me to stop, but he eagerly shouted "More." So I continued to spin, slowly. finally he got off. Promptly declared, "My tummy hurts." Then threw up.

He might not have a future in the space program. Which is fine, since he wants to be a fireman anyway (he gets lots of practice carrying around my vacuum cleaner hose while watching the fireman video cousing Andy gave him last year).

We're looking forward to our visit home for the holidays. I need some midnight shopping at the mall. But it was big news here: SOME of the stores were actually open today. Wow!

And finally: only in Belgium. Our good friends recently moved from their townhouse right off Place Dumon to the 'burbs. I rode my bike by their old place yesterday (in the snow, no less), only to discover that they've turned their house into a pharmacy. In a day! Pretty funny. It will be strange to go into the pharmacy when it opens. They even left a little spider sticker on the window that one of the kids put up...