“Sometimes you hear a child crying, then you rush in and it turns out to be a false alarm.” In less than a month, the Candle Maker in Middelbeers has had four new residents, which leads to funny situations: “In the middle of the night during feeding times, at half past two and half past five, you hear the neighbors walking down the stairs at the same time .”
“Hey, another one!” passers-by shout laughing when they see all the birth plates in a row. In barely a month, four girls were born in one block of houses in Middelbeers: Fiene, Noor, Saar and Lou. Our reporter spoke to the proud dads.
Fiene, born on August 3
Father Jeroen (32) has to laugh when he thinks back to the period in which the pregnancies were announced in quick succession. “The story got better and better. Every time one was added. And then it turned out to be all girls!”
“Fiene is doing well,” he says happily. “We get a lot of nice reactions. Passers-by react very surprised: ‘Hey, another one and another one! That is very special.” Together with Fiene’s mother Ilona (30), he regularly sits outside in the garden in this warm weather. “You sometimes hear a child crying, then you sprint inside and it turns out to be a false alarm!” he says laughing.
Noor, born on August 16
“Noor is a happy girl. It was a quick delivery,” says father Ruud. His other daughter, Lot, who is 1 year old, has become a big sister with the arrival of Noor. Parents Ruud (33) and Lia (32), just like the other dads and moms, moved to the street five years ago. “We built these houses together, collectively. As a result, we already had a special bond. And then it turned out that we all had a daughter at the same time. Very special.”
Four babies in one row of houses not only means more crying, but also different sounds. “It is not noisy here, but during the fixed feeding time at night you occasionally hear the neighbors. At half past two and half past five in the morning you hear someone go down the stairs to make a bottle,” says Ruud.
Sarah, born August 17
Saar, the daughter of Mark (32) and Lotte (29), is doing ‘very well’ according to her father. “It immediately felt familiar.” Just like the other parents, Mark also mentions the special bond with the neighbors. “We are almost all boys and girls from Middelbeers who built their houses at the same time. When we found out that we were all pregnant, it was extra special.”
When coming up with the name, the brand new parents did think about the arrival of the other three babies. “But we didn’t worry about it. Saar was really our favorite name. We thought: if one of them also takes that name, we’ll keep it.”
Lou, born August 19
Little Lou took a little longer. Mother Floor (29) was due on August 9, but Lou was born ten days later. “It’s going very well now,” says father Dennis (30) proudly. “The first night was very tough, but last night we were able to sleep again.” Yet those sleepless nights are secretly also a bit special: “That moment of realization that if you are awake in the middle of the night, the neighbors are also awake…”
Lou’s parents regularly see passersby stop to admire the birth plates. “They are really watching and laughing: what happened here? All so close together and then four girls. Really funny.” One of the recurring jokes: “The soil is very fertile here. I used to always say we had a neighborhood party,” Dennis chuckles.