Even though we live in London, and our son will no doubt grow up to be a Londoner (provided we stay here), we are, of course, a Dutch family. We speak Dutch at home, eat stamppot when it gets cold, and import our hagelslag (yes, grown men eat this on their toast for breakfast) by the boatload.
Another Dutch tradition we chose to honor, was sending out a geboortekaartje after Jacob was born. I think the correct translation is 'birth announcement', although I've been met with many blank stares by my British colleagues when talking about these cards.
I created the design months before Jacob actually arrived (as soon as we'd decided on the name) and then after my c-section I just had to fill out the few missing details like his birth weight and time. The illustration was inspired by Mr. Floor's love of sailing, our shared love of travel, and the obvious symbolism of life being a journey. The design was based on modernist illustrators like Charlie Harper. The poem on the back (in Dutch) is a poem by a Dutch comedian, singer, and writer Toon Hermans. It stresses the importance of dreaming a little in life.
I had the cards printed by Moo, as I've been content with their quality in the past and they're local to London (and I actually have visited their offices and printing presses for work a few years ago). I wanted the card to be something special and heavy; something people might hold on to for a bit, and the thick 'luxe' card stock with colored seam were perfect.
I'd written all the envelopes beforehand (mat leave, y'all, it's a precious thing), and we sent out the cards a week after Jacob was born. The stamp on the back is from The English Stamp Company (who create lovely bespoke stamps, I can recommend them).
So that's the story behind Jacob's birth announcement! Much better than a Facebook post, no?
