As our Sun Baby enters his fifth month on Planet Earth, he discovers the joy of looking at his own hands (row below). He is also able to roll from his tummy onto his back and he is trying very hard to reverse this manoeuvre. Judging by the speed with which he is learning new things, it is hard to believe that he is only four months old, in the biased opinion of his "proud mama"!

Oma Alie and Opa Ben come over to help with the care of Luna and Lior once a week. Fortunately, Oma Alie's lap is big enough for Lior, Luna, and "Luna's baby" (far left). If kisses make one grow, this may explain why Lior is turning into such a big boy (middle left).

Lior and Luna visit Lenneke to congratulate her on her birthday and to admire her new digs. Lior loves to hang out on Lenneke's lap (right). He had serious withdrawal problems after having spent a week with Lenneke and her sisters and brother.

Lior and Luna also visit Aafke to admire her new housing. They love the garden and the boats that pass by (far left). After a fun-filled day in Utrecht, they are both sound asleep by the time they return to Nijmegen (middle left).

While in Utrecht, Lior and Luna visit the Dick Bruna Museum (row below). Dick Bruna is the "papa" of Nijntje (Miffy). Upon observing Luna putting on the headphones, Lior decides to give it a try as well. He seems quite surprised by what he hears!

After many viewings of The Little Mermaid II, the current DVD of choice in the Sent home is Babe, thanks to a generous gift by Aafke (middle right). Even Lior and Luna's baby join the nightly after-dinner DVD watching (far right).

Lior has been a bad boy, for he has waited way too long to pay a visit to Oma-Mama Spann (left). That is, his mom is really to blame for this delay. Oma-Mama Spann is the mother of Oma Naatje. She is very happy to welcome her 20th great-grandchild into her home. Believe it or not, Oma-Mama Spann is more than 100 years older than our little Sun Baby. In fact, she hopes to turn 101 in three months.

Our little baby is not so little any more, for he continues to grow rapidly (right). During his visit to the Youth Health Bureau, Lior weighs in at 6,640 grams (14.64 US pounds) and measures 63 cm (24.80 inches). After having received yet more vaccinations, Lior gets a two-month break from visiting the bureau and an eight-month break from getting vaccinations. Finally, some peace and quiet for our young man!

Tired of having to change diapers day in day out, Esther-Mirjam asks Ruben to come over to help (left). Just kidding! Of course, Ruben is welcome to come and visit without having to change any diapers. Lior loves to hang out on his lap (right).

Lior has acquired a new skill, namely grabbing and holding on to things (row below). He seems quite pleased with his achievements. In fact, Lior spends much of the day smiling at the world around him. And oftentimes he laughs so loud that he gets the hiccups. Sooo sweet!

We have a little problem, which is that Lior does not want to drink from a bottle (right). That is, he does do so on rare occasions, but most of the time starts crying as soon as he sees the bottle. This is a problem because Esther-Mirjam is going back to work full-time in a few weeks. If you have any suggestions, they are much appreciated! The irony is that Lior's sister Luna only wanted to drink from a bottle. Such worries one can have about little babies.

Thanks to Esther-Mirjam's relatives, Lior and Luna are a very well-dressed pair. Tante Marijke, Ome Jan, Uncle Dave, and Aunt Amanda sent them cute hats from Canada (row below, left and right). And Oma Naatje has rediscovered the joy of knitting, as witnessed by the beautiful socks her grandchildren are wearing (row below, middle).

Lior visits yet another amusement park when he goes to the Efteling (row above). He is very intrigued by the puppets he sees (left). Lior is accompanied by papa, mama, his sisters, and his brother (right). (Ruben took this picture, while Lior and Luna were already falling asleep in the car!)

Little Lior appears to be teething. He cries a lot (row below, left) and takes only very short naps during the day. In an effort to comfort her little brother, Luna brings lots of toys to him (row below, middle). Yet, in the end, Lior's own fingers appear to be giving him the most comfort (row below, right).

Lior is still unwilling to drink from a bottle (left), despite daily efforts at trying to get him to do so. Any advice is much, much appreciated! We have only a week left.... (right)

Since Michelle was in the United States for her birthday, Lior pays his mom's dear friend a visit after her return to the Netherlands. The two have so much fun hanging out (left) that they take a long nap afterwards (right). That is, Michelle's nap lasts only as long as the picture is taken, while Lior gets more snooze time.

The flow of visitors has turned from a steady stream into a slow trickle. Two of Oma Naatje's sisters, Riek and Ria, come from Millingen and Lent to admire little Lior (left). That is, our Sun Baby is not so little anymore. How different he looked on the laps of the first visitors!

Hip, Hip, Hurray!
Five months old!

In celebration of Lior's fifth Month Day, he gets to have a bath with his mom. Since she is by herself, she gently places her little one in a pile of towels afterwards so she can dry off herself before it is Lior's turn (right). That is, he also has to wait for her to take this picture. Fortunately, Lior does not appear to mind this all that much. Indeed, he usually rewards the attention he receives with a very grateful smile.