Category: Familie en vrienden

  • Hand-eye coordination

    Alex grabs - Part 1!
    A few days ago we celebrated Alex’ third month. These were three months where Alex has changed a lot. He is growing impressively fast and he is already aware of things near him.

    Alex grabs - Part 2!
    Since a couple of days Alex is even capable of grabbing a little bear that is hanging near him in the air. He grabs the little bear and moves it to his mouth in order to give it a good licking.

    Alex grabs - Part 3!
    As fresh new parents we are of course very proud.

  • Gallstone

    In the hospital!The past weekend was pretty stressful. Ana has been suffering from a strong pain in her back for a while. The pain seemed to be caused by stones in her bile. After her last medical examination she was immediately hospitalized and connected to a bag of antibiotics. She even gets her food from an IV.

    Last week I was a full time father. With a little baby and my wife in the hospital I had my hands full. Ana is placed in the department for infectious diseases, so little Alex cannot come by and visit. This makes it very hard for me to pay Ana a visit, resulting in quite a bad situation.

    We expect that Monday and will be send home. Probably with some special diet where she will need to avoid everything containing fat. Afterwards she will need to make an appointment for an operation where they will probably remove the entire organ. Tomorrow we hope to know more about Ana’s treatment.

  • Lineage holder

    Lineage holder Berg!A lineage holder is the oldest son of the oldest son. This is the one that will keep the family name alive. Recently I found out that in my family this title referred to me and because our child is a boy this title also applies to him.

    Here a nice picture of the three lineage holders of the Berg family.

  • Finally routine

    Alex not so pleased!Finally at home. It was great arriving home. For Alex it was the first time and that almost two and a half months after being born. Finally we escape the fuss and can relax a bit.

    Alex seems to like Las Palmas. After his cold experiences in Holland he was clearly agreeing with the warmer climate. He still makes himself being heard every now and then, but still. Thanks to the mild climate there seems to be a blanket of peace covering our family right now.

  • Reunion

    Today is the day!Finally! My holidays start today and I’ll be going to Madrid to be reunited with my family.

    Because of the early birth I was forced to miss out on the first month of life of my son and although I kept up to date through photos and phone calls it was a very strange situation. But now this strange situation has come to an end. While I was separated my son has grown from 3 to 4 kilos. A growth spurt of 33% that I have missed.

    From tonight on we are a family again. Tonight my life as a father starts. A life with a little color and I’m looking forward to it. First we will be some time in Madrid, and then, if the kid is alright well be visiting Holland for 10 days. After our Dutch visit we’ll finally be going to our home in Las Palmas.

    First Madrid. Accompanied by some toys, a Jip and Janneke book and our own book. If only my son will recognize his father.

  • Flying visit

    Alex sandwich!
    This weekend I made a quick visit to Madrid. Just to have a look at Alex and hold him for a while. It was very nice to see him again and be able to hold him. His weight is now 3700 grams. He is no longer a thin baby and his dark blue eyes are getting lighter. A beautiful baby.

    Sadly I could not stay long and right now I’m already home again. The little one will have to take care of his mother for the next two weeks and then I will go and help him with this task. I hope these two weeks pass fast.

  • The whirlwind of paper

    Red tape!!I was shocked. After Alex’ birth they gave me a little book. The book contained all the steps I needed to follow to report the baby and register his as a Spaniard. Following all the steps should eventually result in a Spanish identity card.

    Well, I really found out. The two weeks I got off from work right after Alex’ birth were completely spend in traveling between various agencies. In Alcala, the birthplace of Alex. In Alcorcon where we were staying. In Las Palmas we we needed to register Alex on our address.

    Today the little one is exactly one month old. He is registered in the town hall and is entitled to medical care. Ana got a few months off and I was able to justify my two weeks off. The only thing that still needs to be done is a few trips to the city halls in Las Palmas and in Alcorcon to get his identity card. This should be the last step and then we finally have the possibility to fly. First we’ll fly to Holland and then towards our home in Las Palmas.

    In Holland we’ll try and get the Dutch citizenship for Alex. The procedure is explained on the website of the Dutch embassy in Spain, but it did not really clarify things for me. In October I’ll be in Madrid and I will pay a visit to the embassy to find out more, and if that does not do the trick I’ll try again when we are in Holland.

  • Blue Steel

    Alex is growing a lot and I’m happy that Ana send me some pictures every now and then so I can keep up to date of recent developments while being separated from my son this month. Here is a picture of Alex’ version of Blue Steel.
    Alex - Blue Steel!

  • Jack Robert

    Jack!Our branch of the Berg family tree is growing like a cabbage. Two years ago it all started with the little Annabel and now… now we have a huge increase in the number of sons. Three weeks ago our son Alex was born, and today in the early morning little Jack Robert was born. Beware, the Berg dynasty is coming!

    Jack was born at 3:19 and weighs an impressive 3750 grams! We congratulate father Bert, mother Sally and big sister Annabel!!!

  • The old shoebox: 36 years later

    Then: Father Kees and son Adrie
    Father Kees and baby Adrie!

    Now: Grandfather Kees and father Adrie