Jasmine van Zoesttag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2008://12008-06-16T01:01:41ZMovable Type 3.32World's Best Dadtag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2008://1.1422008-06-15T22:21:58Z2008-06-16T01:01:41Z (No father's day pictures yet.... Like two peas in a pod!) Excerpt of an interview with Jasmine on 12th June 2006: Me: Jasmine, do you like Papa? Jasmine: No Me: Hmm... Jasmine: I looove Daddy! Me: Oh, you love...Thanh
(No father's day pictures yet.... Like two peas in a pod!)
Excerpt of an interview with Jasmine on 12th June 2006:
Me: Jasmine, do you like Papa?
Jasmine: No
Me: Hmm...
Jasmine: I looove Daddy!
Me: Oh, you love Papa
Jasmine: Yes! I loooove Pappa!!!
Me: Is your Papa the best dad in the world?
Jasmine: Yes, my papa is the best daddy in world
Jasmine: There he is! Papa coming to me
Happy Father's Day to you, Sander, beloved Daddy/Papa/Ma-Pa.
Yours always,
Jasmine and Pearl xOx]]>
Valentine's Daytag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2008://1.1412008-02-21T23:27:44Z2008-02-24T21:37:16Z Valentine's recap: Jasmine and Pearl spent a day decorating a heart-shaped valentine's day card for their Daddy. They both enjoyed it very much, especially Jasmine. Jasmine also helped decorate the dining table, although it was easy for her to...Thanh
Valentine's recap:
Jasmine and Pearl spent a day decorating a heart-shaped valentine's day card for their Daddy. They both enjoyed it very much, especially Jasmine. Jasmine also helped decorate the dining table, although it was easy for her to get side-tracked as she has difficulty resist eating the chocolate hearts she was to lay on the table top. Still, she persisted and left us ample chocolates for us to enjoy.
At the moment, Jasmine and the rest of us are preparing to return back to our hometown. It has been hectic and trying time. We needed to ask for all their medical records, and in certain instances we had to continuously follow-up with phone calls after phone call. With persistence we are able to obtain Jasmine's and Pearl's development charts and notes from the Consultatiebureau -- although they cooperated and sent the records to us without any follow-up. Today, is the first time we got to see a third person's assessment of Jasmine's and Pearl's development.
According to the score sheets they were quizzed in the following areas:
Jasmine exceeded their expectations and passed the 3 years old boundary for all of the above tests.
As for Pearl, she meet all their expectations for a baby of her age level. The test sheet did not indicate that they tried to test her beyond her age limit. The results from the Consultatiebureau does reassure me and I can sleep better knowing that they both are doing well.
In this series are pictures of Jasmine and Pearl celebrating their first Valentine's day and spending time with each other.
]]>
新年快乐;恭喜发财; - Happy Chinese New Year tag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2008://1.1402008-02-07T18:09:31Z2008-02-08T00:57:53Z No matter where we are, no matter what we do, I will always wish for you: Happiness Wealthy Luck In the coming year and always! Happy Chinese New Year. Below is the 2008 forecast for Roost in Earth Rat...Thanh
No matter where we are, no matter what we do, I will always wish for you:
Happiness
Wealthy
Luck
In the coming year and always! Happy Chinese New Year.
Below is the 2008 forecast for Roost in Earth Rat year:
Ratings
37% (2 favorable, 1 neutral and 9 unfavorable months) In general, none of the Rooster's traits appeal to, or are well tolerated by the Rat. After the Horse, the Rooster is the sign most likely to have a challenging year. There will, nevertheless, be a few opportunities. A cooperative attitude, and winning allies. are likely to be keys to your success. On the other hand, if you succumb to the Rooster propensity for arguing and quarrels, you could have a very difficult time. It is up to you to minimize the damage by displaying the right attitude.
Career
Progress may be a little slow on the career front this year. Do not dismay when plans go astray and be especially careful not to over-react to your coworkers when they do. Take time to understand the roots of your problems and use your sharp mind, not your tongue, to resolve them. If you wish to be successful in a more challenging year, you will need the support of your co-workers and your superiors. This is definitely not a year to go it alone. Mental stimulation is high this year, so be sure to seek out training opportunities.
Relationships
The energies of the year are not as conducive to relationship success for you. The single Rooster needs to take care not to rush into anything new this year, as things may not always be quite what they seem. Your social life will be fun, although you must be careful not to do anything too crazy and get yourself caught up in a situation you do not want to be in. The Rooster in a relationship needs to take care and avoid missteps, as small problems have the potential to erupt into larger, uncontrollable ones this year.
Health
As it is not the best year for relationships, you must be particularly careful when the added stressed caused from relationship problems could be detrimental to your health. The best thing for you to do this year is stay active and use the physical activities to reduce the added stress levels you are experiencing. Remember, the mindset of the Rat can be particularly aggravating to a Rooster, so take care of yourself.
Wealth
If you have not already created a budget for the year, now is the time to do it. When you do, make sure to plan for the unexpected as heavy expense may occur and have you dipping into your hard earned savings. Take care when shopping and spending, as the temptation for something new could come back to bite you down the road.
by Chinese Astrology
]]>
"In a little bit"tag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2008://1.1392008-02-05T01:38:44Z2008-02-05T02:08:04Z A brief conversation between mom and Jasmine: Me: Jasmine, it's bed time... Let's go to sleep Jasmine: No sleep Me: It's bed time now Jasmine: In a little bit We are in the process of moving back to the...Thanh
A brief conversation between mom and Jasmine:
Me: Jasmine, it's bed time... Let's go to sleep
Jasmine: No sleep
Me: It's bed time now
Jasmine: In a little bit
We are in the process of moving back to the States. As for now Jasmine, she is enjoying pointing out 'ABCs' on her daddy's t-shirt. She is starting to recognize her ABCs. She also loves being an older sister to Pearl. She will ask for Pearl once home from the playground if Pearl does not greet her at the front door.
This series contain pictures of Jasmine painting her Daddy's face and her own as well. Her wearing her shirt backward, and having her hair braided. ]]>
Getting Ready for Chinese New Yeartag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2008://1.1382008-01-29T16:24:37Z2008-01-29T16:48:17Z We are getting ready for Chinese New Year. Our home needs a little cleaning, and we don't owe any debts. I think we are almost ready for the New Year. This Chinese New Year is the year of the...Thanh
We are getting ready for Chinese New Year. Our home needs a little cleaning, and we don't owe any debts. I think we are almost ready for the New Year.
This Chinese New Year is the year of the Rat. In this series, Jasmine is shown wearing a Chinese outfit and with painted face. It is my first attempt at painting her face for the new year festivity.
]]>
ABC - I Can't...tag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2008://1.1372008-01-23T00:43:48Z2008-01-25T23:24:41Z A conversation between Jasmine and her Papi: Dad: How old are you? Jasmine: Dad: Jasmine, are you two years old? Jasmine: Nooo Daddy, you are two years old Dad: So, how old are you? Jasmine: I am three! Dad:...Thanh
A conversation between Jasmine and her Papi:
Dad: How old are you?
Jasmine:
Dad: Jasmine, are you two years old?
Jasmine: Nooo Daddy, you are two years old
Dad: So, how old are you?
Jasmine: I am three!
Dad: No, Jasmine you are two years old
Jasmine: I am not two. Daddy you are two
(Jasmine looking at her fingers and started to count, "1 2 3" and then looked at Daddy with three fingers up at his eye level)
Jasmine: I am THREE!
When asked "how old are you?", Jasmine typically answer would be that she is older than her actual age. The highest she has ever answered us is 7. Although the first couple times when we started to ask her about her age, she did tell us she is two. But in the last two weeks, Jasmine has grown from a two years old girl to 3 or 7 years old girl. She wish she was older...
As in the title, Jasmine knows her ABC from the letter 'A' to 'Z'. She can recite it all the way through without missing any letters. Jasmine took Mama by surprise one day about several weeks ago when we were out at the playground by her Daddy's office. Jasmine rode the swing and she started to recite her 'ABC' as she swung away. Once she was done, she started to count from 1 to 10. As she was on the swing for a long time, Jasmine also started to hum songs that she likes as well. I guess she was happy to be out.
Aside from knowing her ABC, she has developed likes and dislikes of her own and is expressing them with the word, "I can't". For instance, Jasmine, Pearl, and I were home. Jasmine was circling the couch in the living room counting,
One, Two, buckle my shoes, Three, Four, Shut the door
Because the apartment was a little cold, I went to get a sweater for her. With the sweater in my hands, I asked Jasmine to put on her sweater, but she said,
Mama I can't do it
And when questioned, "why?" she answered again,
I can't put sweater on
. Or When her dad asked her to give him a kiss and she replied to him,
Daddy, I can't kiss
, and gives him a hug instead.
I cannot wait for her to outgrow the "I can't" phase. ;-)
]]>
2nd Year Well-Child Visitstag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2008://1.1362008-01-16T00:18:03Z2008-01-16T00:44:30Z Jasmine had her well-child visit on the 11th of January in which her weight and height were recorded. At the checkup we found out that Jasmine is standing 34 and 1/4 inches tall, and weights about 26 pounds. The...Thanh
Jasmine had her well-child visit on the 11th of January in which her weight and height were recorded. At the checkup we found out that Jasmine is standing 34 and 1/4 inches tall, and weights about 26 pounds. The doctor also announced out loud, that she is perfectly healthy.
In this series, you'll find pictures of Jasmine playing with the ball-track set she received for her birthday. She loves it so much that she plays with it first thing once awakened from her sleep or nap. Hence the messy hairdos.
Well, it seems like Jasmine likes toys that allows her to build as she also loves the Lego that her "Pappi" gave her for St. Nicholas. ]]>
Many Happy Returns of the Daytag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2008://1.1352008-01-08T07:58:59Z2008-01-13T23:31:19Z Thank you everyone for coming out to help celebrate Jasmine's second birthday. Jasmine really enjoyed her time with you. We appreciate all the well wishes including from all of those on the other side of the world. What does...Thanh
Thank you everyone for coming out to help celebrate Jasmine's second birthday. Jasmine really enjoyed her time with you. We appreciate all the well wishes including from all of those on the other side of the world.
What does it mean for Jasmine to be two years old? She can be cantankerous, but she can also be very captive, cunning, inspiring and exuberant. She is learning the basic rules of grammar... although not from me, since I am terrible at it. She imitates our mannerisms and activities, as she spends hours pretend playing with her dolls in the dollhouse, with cardboard boxes, and her wooden horse. Last week when an audiologist came to visit us at home as Pearl needed to have her hearing tested and because of our busy schedule and the cold winter, the consultatie bureau sent an audiologist to our apartment. At the time of the test Pearl seemed uncomfortable with the OAE microphone over her ears and was restless. So Jasmine remained next to her and was extremely watchful. Finally, at some point the audiologist announced out loud,
she passed
. As soon as Jasmine heard this, she looked at Pearl and said,
It's alright. It's done now. You're okay
And gave her a kiss.
She then turned towards the audiologist and said,
bye-bye now
Jasmine does love being an older sister and is very caring towards her baby sister.
]]>
Newborn to Terrible Twotag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2007://1.1332008-01-07T13:24:57Z2008-01-06T22:12:54Z Jasmine turns 2 on the 7th of January. We have compiled pictures of Jasmine from the first moment she was born to date in the above slide show. We would like to dedicate this to our dearest daughter....Thanh
Jasmine turns 2 on the 7th of January. We have compiled pictures of Jasmine from the first moment she was born to date in the above slide show. We would like to dedicate this to our dearest daughter.]]>
Looking Back - 4 Months Oldtag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2008://1.1342008-01-03T17:55:30Z2008-01-04T03:56:57Z Above is an image of Jasmine when she was only 4 months old. It has been an adventure and will continue to be. It's difficult to tell but in this picture Jasmine, in her 5th month, started to learn...Thanh
Above is an image of Jasmine when she was only 4 months old. It has been an adventure and will continue to be. It's difficult to tell but in this picture Jasmine, in her 5th month, started to learn to sit on her own without support. She tumbles two to three times, and at the fourth try she was about to tumble again, but placed her hands on the floor to stop herself.
In her 5th month, Jasmine has also discovered her loves for white shoes, miffy, and the "aap" (monkey).
She has grown up way too fast.
]]>
7 days left 'til her birthday!tag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2007://1.1312007-12-30T15:48:22Z2007-12-31T13:47:18Z A video of Jasmine when she was 6 months old. Aunt Jenny and Aunt Nancy were baby sitting Jasmine and captured this video. Looking at this video, we realized how much Jasmine has grown. Jenny, thank you for creating...Thanh
A video of Jasmine when she was 6 months old. Aunt Jenny and Aunt Nancy were baby sitting Jasmine and captured this video. Looking at this video, we realized how much Jasmine has grown.
Jenny, thank you for creating this video of her. ]]>
9 days left 'til 2tag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2007://1.1322007-12-29T21:20:40Z2008-01-03T18:07:40Z Conversation between Jasmine and her Daddy from two weeks ago: Dad: Jasmine, do you want to sit in the stroller? Jasmine: No Dad: Are you sure you don't want to sit in the stroller? Jasmine: Yes Dad: Why not?...Thanh
Conversation between Jasmine and her Daddy from two weeks ago:
Dad: Jasmine, do you want to sit in the stroller?
Jasmine: No
Dad: Are you sure you don't want to sit in the stroller?
Jasmine: Yes
Dad: Why not?
Jasmine: Uhmm.... Diaper!
Dad: Do you need a diaper change?
Jasmine: Yes
Jasmine has definitely left her babyhood behind. In the last two months her language development has grown rapidly. She can make full sentences and has a much more extensive vocabulary. She can communicate her needs and feelings so much better now in both Dutch and English. She has also understands how to use pronouns quite well -- such as when she said, "I am cold!"
Lately, she has also started to categorize things. She likes to line her toys up in a straight line and organized it by size. She can take a DVD disc out of the player, so she can watch her favorite movie. She is also quite good at understanding descriptive categories such a "big" and "small" or "short" and "tall".
Jasmine is also able to count to 10. For as long as she does not feel pressured, she can count straight to 10 without skipping numbers. 1 month ago, she was not able to count to 5 so well. She would skip the numbers 2, 3, and 4. She has also started to ask lot of questions. She asks us "How many?", "Why is that? "or "What was that?" on a regular basis now.
In this series are pictures of her wearing her holiday dress. She looked über cute, but we were unable to take good shots. She wouldn't let us!]]>
Because we think you are wonderfultag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2007://1.1302007-12-17T18:49:09Z2007-12-17T21:52:29ZDear Daddee, You do so many thoughtful things that show what a caring person you are. You have a wonderful way of making others feel good about themselves. Whenever help or encouragement is needed, you are right there. Your enthusiasm...Thanh
You do so many thoughtful things that show what a caring person you are.
You have a wonderful way of making others feel good about themselves. Whenever help or encouragement is needed, you are right there.
Your enthusiasm makes it a joy to be around you.
So at Christmas time, we are sending you our love and thanks for being someone wonderful who has made our days happier and our life richer.
We hope your Christmas is wonderful and merry, as ours is because of your love.
Merry Christmas with love,
Jasmine and Pearl
]]>
Merry Christmas to all! tag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2007://1.1292007-12-13T18:11:04Z2008-01-01T22:48:43Z (Long wavy hair) Since her last birthday, a lot of things have changed. For one, Jasmine is much taller than she was last year. She is 87 cm -- 34 inches -- tall. She will be celebrating her birthday...Thanh
(Long wavy hair)
Since her last birthday, a lot of things have changed. For one, Jasmine is much taller than she was last year. She is 87 cm -- 34 inches -- tall.
She will be celebrating her birthday in the Netherlands and will miss out on Christmas. Apparently Mr. Grinch stole our Christmas this year. He took everything, and then he stuffed the tree up the chimney. The last thing he took was the log for our fire, and the wall he left nothing but hooks and some wires. And the one speck of food he left in the house was a crumb much too small even for our mouse.
We hope to make it up to you, Jasmine, next Christmas when we will be back in San Diego. We hope by then, that our home in San Diego resembles Christmas. Christmas will always be Christmas just as long as we have we.
Merry Christmas to all!
(This series contain pictures of Jasmine avoiding the minus 2 degree winter outdoor by staying home and keeping herself busy with her paint brush and more!)
]]>
Jasmine and Liefietag:jasmine.vanzoest.com,2007://1.1282007-11-30T20:52:33Z2008-01-01T22:50:49Z Loving Sisters Jasmine with her baby sister Pearl whom she calls Liefie. Liefie is pronounced as:\ˈlē-fē\ . She adores her little sister. Nothing new with Jasmine. She got over a nasty fever that lasted a week. Now, she is...Thanh
Loving Sisters
Jasmine with her baby sister Pearl whom she calls Liefie. Liefie is pronounced as:\ˈlē-fē\ . She adores her little sister.
Nothing new with Jasmine. She got over a nasty fever that lasted a week. Now, she is working on recovering from the cold. She is feeling fine and is eating well. Her favorite food is still chocolate. She has also managed to infect the rest of the family too. Mama and Liefie are almost over with the cold, but her Papa who caught it last is still feeling under-the-weather.
Tomorrow Pearl, Liefie, is going to have her picture taken for her passports. So, Jasmine can visit the house of Saint Nicholas with us afterward. We hope to get some good pictures of the festivity.
]]>
(No father's day pictures yet.... Like two peas in a pod!)
Excerpt of an interview with Jasmine on 12th June 2006:
Valentine's recap:
Jasmine and Pearl spent a day decorating a heart-shaped valentine's day card for their Daddy. They both enjoyed it very much, especially Jasmine. Jasmine also helped decorate the dining table, although it was easy for her to get side-tracked as she has difficulty resist eating the chocolate hearts she was to lay on the table top. Still, she persisted and left us ample chocolates for us to enjoy.
At the moment, Jasmine and the rest of us are preparing to return back to our hometown. It has been hectic and trying time. We needed to ask for all their medical records, and in certain instances we had to continuously follow-up with phone calls after phone call. With persistence we are able to obtain Jasmine's and Pearl's development charts and notes from the Consultatiebureau -- although they cooperated and sent the records to us without any follow-up. Today, is the first time we got to see a third person's assessment of Jasmine's and Pearl's development.
According to the score sheets they were quizzed in the following areas:
Jasmine exceeded their expectations and passed the 3 years old boundary for all of the above tests.
As for Pearl, she meet all their expectations for a baby of her age level. The test sheet did not indicate that they tried to test her beyond her age limit. The results from the Consultatiebureau does reassure me and I can sleep better knowing that they both are doing well.
In this series are pictures of Jasmine and Pearl celebrating their first Valentine's day and spending time with each other.
]]>
No matter where we are, no matter what we do, I will always wish for you:
Happiness
Wealthy
Luck
In the coming year and always! Happy Chinese New Year.
Below is the 2008 forecast for Roost in Earth Rat year:
Ratings
37% (2 favorable, 1 neutral and 9 unfavorable months) In general, none of the Rooster's traits appeal to, or are well tolerated by the Rat. After the Horse, the Rooster is the sign most likely to have a challenging year. There will, nevertheless, be a few opportunities. A cooperative attitude, and winning allies. are likely to be keys to your success. On the other hand, if you succumb to the Rooster propensity for arguing and quarrels, you could have a very difficult time. It is up to you to minimize the damage by displaying the right attitude.
Career
Progress may be a little slow on the career front this year. Do not dismay when plans go astray and be especially careful not to over-react to your coworkers when they do. Take time to understand the roots of your problems and use your sharp mind, not your tongue, to resolve them. If you wish to be successful in a more challenging year, you will need the support of your co-workers and your superiors. This is definitely not a year to go it alone. Mental stimulation is high this year, so be sure to seek out training opportunities.
Relationships
The energies of the year are not as conducive to relationship success for you. The single Rooster needs to take care not to rush into anything new this year, as things may not always be quite what they seem. Your social life will be fun, although you must be careful not to do anything too crazy and get yourself caught up in a situation you do not want to be in. The Rooster in a relationship needs to take care and avoid missteps, as small problems have the potential to erupt into larger, uncontrollable ones this year.
Health
As it is not the best year for relationships, you must be particularly careful when the added stressed caused from relationship problems could be detrimental to your health. The best thing for you to do this year is stay active and use the physical activities to reduce the added stress levels you are experiencing. Remember, the mindset of the Rat can be particularly aggravating to a Rooster, so take care of yourself.
Wealth
If you have not already created a budget for the year, now is the time to do it. When you do, make sure to plan for the unexpected as heavy expense may occur and have you dipping into your hard earned savings. Take care when shopping and spending, as the temptation for something new could come back to bite you down the road.
by Chinese Astrology
]]>
A brief conversation between mom and Jasmine:
Me: Jasmine, it's bed time... Let's go to sleep
Jasmine: No sleep
Me: It's bed time now
Jasmine: In a little bit
We are in the process of moving back to the States. As for now Jasmine, she is enjoying pointing out 'ABCs' on her daddy's t-shirt. She is starting to recognize her ABCs. She also loves being an older sister to Pearl. She will ask for Pearl once home from the playground if Pearl does not greet her at the front door.
This series contain pictures of Jasmine painting her Daddy's face and her own as well. Her wearing her shirt backward, and having her hair braided. ]]>
We are getting ready for Chinese New Year. Our home needs a little cleaning, and we don't owe any debts. I think we are almost ready for the New Year.
This Chinese New Year is the year of the Rat. In this series, Jasmine is shown wearing a Chinese outfit and with painted face. It is my first attempt at painting her face for the new year festivity.
]]>
A conversation between Jasmine and her Papi:
Dad: How old are you?
Jasmine:
Dad: Jasmine, are you two years old?
Jasmine: Nooo Daddy, you are two years old
Dad: So, how old are you?
Jasmine: I am three!
Dad: No, Jasmine you are two years old
Jasmine: I am not two. Daddy you are two
(Jasmine looking at her fingers and started to count, "1 2 3" and then looked at Daddy with three fingers up at his eye level)
Jasmine: I am THREE!
When asked "how old are you?", Jasmine typically answer would be that she is older than her actual age. The highest she has ever answered us is 7. Although the first couple times when we started to ask her about her age, she did tell us she is two. But in the last two weeks, Jasmine has grown from a two years old girl to 3 or 7 years old girl. She wish she was older...
As in the title, Jasmine knows her ABC from the letter 'A' to 'Z'. She can recite it all the way through without missing any letters. Jasmine took Mama by surprise one day about several weeks ago when we were out at the playground by her Daddy's office. Jasmine rode the swing and she started to recite her 'ABC' as she swung away. Once she was done, she started to count from 1 to 10. As she was on the swing for a long time, Jasmine also started to hum songs that she likes as well. I guess she was happy to be out.
Aside from knowing her ABC, she has developed likes and dislikes of her own and is expressing them with the word, "I can't". For instance, Jasmine, Pearl, and I were home. Jasmine was circling the couch in the living room counting, 
Jasmine had her well-child visit on the 11th of January in which her weight and height were recorded. At the checkup we found out that Jasmine is standing 34 and 1/4 inches tall, and weights about 26 pounds. The doctor also announced out loud, that she is perfectly healthy.
In this series, you'll find pictures of Jasmine playing with the ball-track set she received for her birthday. She loves it so much that she plays with it first thing once awakened from her sleep or nap. Hence the messy hairdos.
Well, it seems like Jasmine likes toys that allows her to build as she also loves the Lego that her "Pappi" gave her for St. Nicholas. ]]>
Thank you everyone for coming out to help celebrate Jasmine's second birthday. Jasmine really enjoyed her time with you. We appreciate all the well wishes including from all of those on the other side of the world.
What does it mean for Jasmine to be two years old? She can be cantankerous, but she can also be very captive, cunning, inspiring and exuberant. She is learning the basic rules of grammar... although not from me, since I am terrible at it. She imitates our mannerisms and activities, as she spends hours pretend playing with her dolls in the dollhouse, with cardboard boxes, and her wooden horse. Last week when an audiologist came to visit us at home as Pearl needed to have her hearing tested and because of our busy schedule and the cold winter, the consultatie bureau sent an audiologist to our apartment. At the time of the test Pearl seemed uncomfortable with the OAE microphone over her ears and was restless. So Jasmine remained next to her and was extremely watchful. Finally, at some point the audiologist announced out loud, 
Conversation between Jasmine and her Daddy from two weeks ago:
Dad: Jasmine, do you want to sit in the stroller?
Jasmine: No
Dad: Are you sure you don't want to sit in the stroller?
Jasmine: Yes
Dad: Why not?
Jasmine: Uhmm.... Diaper!
Dad: Do you need a diaper change?
Jasmine: Yes
Jasmine has definitely left her babyhood behind. In the last two months her language development has grown rapidly. She can make full sentences and has a much more extensive vocabulary. She can communicate her needs and feelings so much better now in both Dutch and English. She has also understands how to use pronouns quite well -- such as when she said, "I am cold!"
Lately, she has also started to categorize things. She likes to line her toys up in a straight line and organized it by size. She can take a DVD disc out of the player, so she can watch her favorite movie. She is also quite good at understanding descriptive categories such a "big" and "small" or "short" and "tall".
Jasmine is also able to count to 10. For as long as she does not feel pressured, she can count straight to 10 without skipping numbers. 1 month ago, she was not able to count to 5 so well. She would skip the numbers 2, 3, and 4. She has also started to ask lot of questions. She asks us "How many?", "Why is that? "or "What was that?" on a regular basis now.
In this series are pictures of her wearing her holiday dress. She looked über cute, but we were unable to take good shots. She wouldn't let us!]]>
(Long wavy hair)
Since her last birthday, a lot of things have changed. For one, Jasmine is much taller than she was last year. She is 87 cm -- 34 inches -- tall.
She will be celebrating her birthday in the Netherlands and will miss out on Christmas. Apparently Mr. Grinch stole our Christmas this year. He took everything, and then he stuffed the tree up the chimney. The last thing he took was the log for our fire, and the wall he left nothing but hooks and some wires. And the one speck of food he left in the house was a crumb much too small even for our mouse.
We hope to make it up to you, Jasmine, next Christmas when we will be back in San Diego. We hope by then, that our home in San Diego resembles Christmas. Christmas will always be Christmas just as long as we have we.
Merry Christmas to all!
(This series contain pictures of Jasmine avoiding the minus 2 degree winter outdoor by staying home and keeping herself busy with her paint brush and more!)
]]>
Loving Sisters
Jasmine with her baby sister Pearl whom she calls Liefie. Liefie is pronounced as:\ˈlē-fē\ . She adores her little sister.
Nothing new with Jasmine. She got over a nasty fever that lasted a week. Now, she is working on recovering from the cold. She is feeling fine and is eating well. Her favorite food is still chocolate. She has also managed to infect the rest of the family too. Mama and Liefie are almost over with the cold, but her Papa who caught it last is still feeling under-the-weather.
Tomorrow Pearl, Liefie, is going to have her picture taken for her passports. So, Jasmine can visit the house of Saint Nicholas with us afterward. We hope to get some good pictures of the festivity.
]]>