Photo Diary: Sas & Annabel
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Saskia de Zoeten; responsible for Marketing and PR at Noppies.
Saskia de Zoeten; responsible for Marketing and PR at Noppies. Lives in Amsterdam with Maarten and daughter Annabel. Enjoys the good things in life such as eating out, sociable drinks, shopping, cheese, Netflix and exploring the city with her husband and daughter. Saskia gives us a peek into her life.
Meanwhile, seven months have passed since a tiny, crinkly baby girl, obviously the most beautiful in the world, turned our lives upside down. Love and joy have new meaning, but fatigue, anxiety and time management have also reached new levels. The clichés have all proven true, especially: it goes sooo quickly! The phase when she would lay on top of her parents sleeping all day has long gone and nothing is safe from those grabbing little hands. She discovers the world around her by rolling, sitting is the new lying down, and she tries to tell us what she wants and, especially, what she does not want, in her high pitched, shrill little voice.
What madam does not want is to sleep at the nursery. For over three months now, this mum has been travelling by car with sweaty armpits several times a week from Noppies headquarters in Lelystad to Amsterdam to collect the little girl on time. On arrival, madam appears to be in fine fettle, to have eaten reasonably well, but to have slept only half an hour to a maximum of an hour (on a good day).
I take her home happy, well cared for, but so exhausted that she dozes off on the way. The lovely ladies at her nursery have tried everything, but she starts crying as soon as she sees the mattresses, afraid she might miss out on an adventure with her group during a nap. It is far more boring at home, so sleeping there is no problem. All tips from mums familiar with this problem are welcome. Or perhaps I should not be too concerned!
Fortunately, what she does enjoy is to accompany her parents into town for a drink and a tasty cheese platter. On the weekend, it is glorious to drop in to a welcoming hotel lobby or grand café after a brisk walk. Annabel gets her bottle or a bread crust on which to snack. Mum and dad enjoy a well-deserved glass of wine. Sometimes just the three of them, sometimes with friends (and their children).
What do you mean no social life when you have a baby?! It may require a few changes in respect of time and venue, but you can still enjoy an indulgent lifestyle. And yes, we have also had to flee with a screaming baby after a little accident when the nappy offered insufficient protection and we had forgotten to pack clean ones. Oh well…shit happens!!