Hans's oldest daughter, Lenneke, has moved into her own apartment. Luna comes over to visit not only Lenneke, but also her rabbit, Ollie. And she loves to hang out on Lenneke's couch (left).

For the first time in her young life, Luna gets to travel by train, from Apeldoorn to Amsterdam. She does everything she can to attract the attention of her fellow travelers (left). Once she grows tired of them, she entertains herself by reading her touch-and-feel animal book (right).

Once in Amsterdam, Luna enjoys the merry-go-round on the Dam Square. And she gets to spend time with her mom's friend Kerry again. Unfortunately, time flies and the visit goes by way too quickly. Hopefully Kerry will come to the Netherlands again soon (right).

And here are a few of the pictures Kerry took of the Amsterdam outing, with Luna and Esther-Mirjam taking a break (left), Luna enjoying the merry-go-round (below), and mama keeping a watchful eye on her daughter (right).

When Luna and Esther-Mirjam move out of Hans's house in Apeldoorn, Luna has fun unpacking while her mom is trying to pack! She finds a hat and Esther-Mirjam finds her daughter so cute in it, that mom takes a picture without noticing Luna's runny nose (left). Uh oh! The nose is cleaned quickly so Luna looks better cared for (right).

Mom and daughter divide their time between Opa Tano & Oma Naatje's and Oma Alie & Opa Ben's until they are able to find a new home for the two of them. Unfortunately, this is not an easy task nor one that can be completed quickly. At Opa Tano and Oma Naatje's, Luna discovers a dandelion, is not sure what to do with it, and finally figures it out (row above). Luna helps Oma Naatje clean the donkeys' mess (top left), after which Opa Tano lets his granddaughter ride on the back of one of the donkeys (bottom left). Luna also has fun moving around in the wheelbarrow, giving Opa Tano some strenuous exercise (top right, bottom right). All in all, Luna does not seem to mind her new living arrangements. Her mom, though, is quite sad about having had to make the decision to leave, is missing Hans's children, but is looking forward to building a new future with her Moon Baby. This is not the first time they have had to face it together, and they are very fortunate to be able to count on the support of many friends and relatives. Besides Luna's grandparents, Tante Daan, Ome Geert, and Ome Arno deserve a special thanks for helping with the move.

When Oma Naatje celebrates her birthday, Luna enjoys cuddling with her grandmother (top left), eating goodies with her mom (top middle), and exchanging jokes with Opa Tano (top right). Lucky for Luna there are many family members and friends present who are willing to cart her around (left and right).

Luna and Esther-Mirjam spend two nights a week at Oma Alie and Opa Ben's. At their place, Luna has her own table of toys at which she can spend hours and hours pretenting to be a mom herself and kissing her baby (top row). She can also be found playing on the ground and practicing the flute (left). Luna loves to sit on Opa Ben's lap and have him read books to her. When she manages to esscape her grandparents' attention, Luna plays with Oma Alie's bear collection (right).

When "Sinterklaas" is about to arrive, Luna sits down to make a drawing for him. In the Netherlands, in the evening of December 5, Sinterklaas brings presents to every child who has been good in the past year (in practice to all children). Each year in November Sinterklaas arrives by steamer from Spain, and is then paraded through the streets of the town in which he arrives. The children welcome him by singing traditional Sinterklaas songs. Sinterklaas also visits schools, hospitals, and shopping malls. On November 26, Luna gets to meet Sinterklaas at her mom's university.

If there is one person who is especially excited about Luna's new living arrangements, it is the neighbor girl Victoria. Whenever she can, she comes over to play with Luna. She is even willing to hang out in our Moon Child's play pen. Lucky Luna!

On November 5, Oma-Mama Spann celebrates her 100th birthday! The whole family is present and the marching band comes by to give the impressive lady a serenade, while Luna sits on Tante Astrid's shoulder (top row). Back inside, Luna loves to play with the balloons and show them to Ome Geert and Tante Daan (left and right).

Luna loves to sit on the couch and read a book, whether it be by herself (below left), with her friend Victoria (below middle), or with her doll, right after coming out of bed (below right). If you look carefully, you will notice that Luna is not really reading. The book on the right is upside down, but looks interesting nonetheless!

Luna likes to spend as much time as possible outside on Oma Naatje and Opa Tano's "farm." Oma Naatje takes Luna for a stroll in the wheelbarrow (far left) and Luna helps her feed the chickens (middle left).

Perhaps most of all, Luna enjoys making music, singing songs, and listening to music. She forms a small orchestra with her girlfriend Victoria (middle right) and gets to play on Oma Naatje's guitar (far right). Esther-Mirjam would not be surprised if a musical career were in store for her daughter at some point! However, what matters is what makes Luna happy.

Hip, Hip, Hurray!
Twenty-three months old!

The celebration of the wonderful presence of Luna in our lives continues. Luna is a real trooper during this transitional phase in the lives of her mom and herself. She spends the drives with her mom singing songs and greets her grandparents with lots of smiles. When she sleeps in the same room as her mom, she wakes up Esther-Mirjam in the morning with a sweet voice. Esther-Mirjam is a very lucky mom indeed!