Well, it’s not really her bike, but it’s for her, as you’ll see.
We bought a second bike today, this time a bakfiets, our second purchase from the Fietsfabriek. A bakfiets is a bike with a large trough or box at the front, traditionally for transporting goods, but these days more fashionably for transporting one’s children. It feels a bit long and unwieldy to ride, but Eloïse’s car seat can be belted into the trough, allowing us to carry her all over town.
Even if the bike were to jackknife, the idea is that Wiesje would remain snugly secured in her car seat. That’s the theory, anyway. Let’s hope it never comes to a field test.
Wiesje also had her first visit to the consultatiebureau today. This is roughly equivalent to visiting a paediatrician in the US, but in the same way that healthy pregnant women in The Netherlands see only a midwife and visit an obstetrician only if referred to one in the event of a complication, young babies see only a district nurse (wijkverpleegkundige), visiting a paediatrician only if a problem is found and a referral is issued.
The nurse didn’t agree with our decision not to vaccinate Wiesje against the usual suspect diseases, but we were prepared for that. Happily, though, she didn’t try to convince us to change our minds.
We had the opportunity to weigh her, which was a welcome event, as she hadn’t been weighed for some time. She tipped the scales at 5820g and measured 60cm. Her head circumference is quite large at 41cm. She gets that from me, I’m afraid; I have a bloody big head.
Anyway, the happy conclusion is that she’s growing nicely and is close to the 50th percentile for her age, which is interesting, since this measurement is by Dutch standards. In the US, too, she was close to the 50th percentile and people aren’t as tall there. Whatever, the main thing is that there’s no cause for concern.
We’re going back to the consultatiebureau tomorrow, where Wiesje will visit the doctor. I’m not sure what tests will be done, but all will be revealed in about ten hours. The consultatiebureau gave us this lovely little growth book, which is full of handy information and advice about child development. It also has space to note down what happens at each appointment. There are growth charts, dental charts for marking down the new teeth as they arrive, eye tests, etc. I wish we’d been given one of these back in the US.