It's no secret that our sleeping patterns are quite different from that of a small baby. Nora sleeps pretty well at night, but of course wakes us up at early hours.
Still, when you hear her cry it is great to look forward to a warm hug.
Sometimes when I'm waiting for her to fall back asleep, I have a few moments to read. I'm reading The Great Gatsby, which is a nice, easily readable novel I had on my list with Books To Read.
I have a list with classic books I want to read, and The Great Gatsby is one of the few that we own at home that I hadn't read. While waiting for Nora to wake up or fall asleep I often have a few minutes, and I found this book a perfect companion during those moments.
It is a very readable, entertaining story, and it drew me into a different world -- a great quality for a book. The book is "magic realistic", taking some liberties with basic chronology but wonderfully dreamy.
The edition I read came with a chapter on the history of the book, as well as an extensive explanation from the editor on how this text was derived (from the many drafts that the author wrote).
Sasha bought this book, and saw a ballet of The Great Gatsby last year in the Kennedy Center. I just found through Google that a new movie adaption will be released this year.
Nora is now 39 days old; time flies. We take her for walks every now and then, she likes that. The moment we leave the apartment her eyes become big, as if she soaks in the new environment. Ten minutes later she'll be asleep.
Nora's birth announcement was placed in the bi-weekly Windmill Herald, a newspaper for Dutch people in North America.
Most of the announcements are by second or third generation Dutch immigrants in areas such as Sioux Center, IA or Orange City, IA. It's nice to see Nora's name in print again.
One of the headlines on this edition of the newspaper is "Rutte Cabinet wants to get rid of dual nationality" -- something that will impact Nora and me.
Last week, within a few days of each other, Nora received two beautiful gifts from her Oma and her Tante. Two embroidered wall decorations, in Nijntje and Fabeltjeskrant style.
We will find a good place for them in Nora's room!
Nora received her first official letter last week from the Social Security Administration with her social security number.
Nora is an American citizen and because of her parents' nationalities she is also a citizen of Bulgaria and the Netherlands.
Unfortunately, there is a proposed law before Dutch parliament which would eliminate dual citizenship. It will require Nora and me to give up our Dutch nationalities when I choose to become an American.
It's no secret that our sleeping patterns are quite different from that of a small baby. Nora sleeps pretty well at night, but of course wakes us up at early hours. 
Last week we took our first family photo. 
Nora's birth announcement was placed in the bi-weekly 
Last week, within a few days of each other, Nora received two beautiful gifts from her Oma and her Tante. Two embroidered wall decorations, in Nijntje and Fabeltjeskrant style.
Nora received her first official letter last week from the Social Security Administration with her social security number.