Auro loves taking all of his toys out of the bag and throwing them around. And in the end he still wants a mobile phone or some keys to play with...
Auro on his uncle's shoulders... for sure the highest place he has ever sat!
The fact that we are relaxing in Turkey, does not mean that Auro's physical and mental development has taken a break. On the contrary! Here are some numbers.
The other day, my father needed to catch up on some lost sleep, so tante Els, Auro and I took the car and went out for lunch. We drove to a nearby restaurant where we ate on of my favourite Turkish dishes:gözleme. Gözleme is a hand made and hand rolled pastry, filled with feta cheese, potatoes or spinach (these are the 3 most common fillings), and then cooked over a griddle. When the gozleme is cooked, little brown round eye-shaped spots appear on the pastry and this is how the origin of the name for the dish is explained: 'göz' apparently means 'eye' in Turkish.
Two days ago, my father, Els, Auro and I took the rental car and drove to Adrasan (about one hour to the west of Kiris). Whereas the beach here in Kiris consists of little (and sometimes bigger) pebbles, Adrasan has a little inlet with an almost sandy beach. Also, to walk into the sea requires less of an acrobatic effort in Adrasan, as the beach doesn't i
mmediately drop from ankle-shallow to waist-deep (though this does occassionally provide some amusing and entertaining sights!). Anyway, after a good (and cheap!) lunch, we swam in the sea, had a walk in the excrutiating heat (so Auro could take a nap in his stroller), had another refreshing swim and finally went to a 
nice restaurant on the river (extra nice because it's a place where my mother has not been forgotten). Amazing how the heat disappears near a river under the cover of green trees! A great place to end a surprisingly tiring day.
Last Friday (July 24), my father, Auro and I took the plane from Brussels to Antalya in Turkey. We are staying in my mother's favourite place in Kiris. Since we've arrived here, we haven't really done anything noteworthy. Except for swimming, sunbathing, going to the market, drinking and eating of course! And always in good company! (see picture of my father drinking the local beer in company of our Belgian neighbours)
ally it is THE national holiday of Belgium. On July 21, 1831, Leopold I took the oath as king and Belgium officially became an independent country. All of this happened after the Belgian revolution, during which the Belgians declared their independence from the Dutch.
ng her pears from the garden, which she kept throwing away and he kept coming back with new ones). Also Auro was completely charmed by my Dutch friend... or was it by the big leather (and therefore extremely chewable) belt she was wearing?
The day Auro turned 10 months, my friend Pascale picked us up with her car and drove us all the way to the Belgian coast (for Belgian standards 2 hours is a very long drive!). The coastal town of Blankenberge is very well known among Belgians and on a hot sunny day the beach is ususally packed with people. Luckily it wasn't that hot, nor that sunny, so we could enjoy the sandy beach to our heart's content. Especially Auro was impressed with the 'sandiness' of the white sand, because he wouldn't stop touching it. He took some in his l
ittle fists, then let it slip through his fingers, only to pick up some more. Of course there was also the occasional sand-tasting going on, but I think he quickly understood that sand is not meant to be eaten. Smart little boy!
Tomorrow, Auro will be 10 months old, but today, while he is still 9 months old, his 6th tooth came through! And I can assure you this one is just as sharp as the other five.Two teeth on the bottom and four on the top: his mouth is in balance again... at least for now ;-)
eople. The whole family gathered here for a barbecue, friends came to visit and we went to visit friends. He has been surrounded by people who, for almost 5 months, have been looking forward to seeing him. Unfortunately almost none of those people have been able to hold him without setting of a siren of loud and persistent crying, audible probably even to his father who is on the other side of the world in Japan!
moment we have arrived here in Belgium it seems he has completely abandoned the idea of ever socializing with people who are not his 'mama', his 'papa' or (luckily) his 'opa'. To be quite honnest, I don't know how to help him feel more relaxed with other people, but I'm afraid I can't force it much. I suppose I will just have to trust Auro and give him the time he needs to master his social skills...
take credit for it since it wasn't me, but Els (my brother's girlfriend) who made it. She discovered that we have a tree in our garden that bears cherries. At least we think that's what they are. They look a little different from the ones we are used to, but they have the same sweet taste. My parents bought this house when my mother was pregnant with me, so I actually grew up here, but I never noticed that we had a cherry tree. What a strange but amazing discovery, wouldn't you say?
Yesterday Auro woke up with one more tooth! He now has 2 on the bottom and 2 on the top. High time to try that toothbrush that's been sitting in the diaper bag since Auro was 4 months old! 
And the good weather continues...
ay outside! This morning I've prepared his little play-corner (plastice sheet with a blanket on top) on the lawn, from where he can see the fountain sprouting water in the pond, Kazan (the dog) running after his ball and us walking in and out of the house! And if that doesn't keep him entertained, there is always the mountain of toys on his blanket! 
We have been in Belgium for 6 days now and I think Auro is finally over his jetlag. The flight from Beijing to Brussels was long and Auro didn't sleep very well. He woke up screaming almost every 30 minutes, so by the time we arrived in Belgium, both Auro and I (I breastfed him maybe 10 times!) were pretty exhausted. The time difference between China and Belgium (6 hours) made it extra difficult to recover from the trip, but after a couple of 'irregular' nights, Auro is himself again.
