Congratulations America

Mark your calendars and remember this day! Don't forget what you were doing at this moment. It is such an important day in the history of our country. Just think...40 years from now when people are talking about this day you will want to remember what you were doing on the day Barack Obama was elected to be the 44th President of the United States of America.

I just heard Obama's speech from Chicago and it just assured me that he is absolutely the right person to lead our country at this moment in time. If you didn't listen to his speech, I urge you to get on youtube and take a moment to watch it in its entirety.

JJ, Luka and I were watching from our living room in Mozambique and we were all moved. Looking at all the faces in the crowd you could see how much it meant to those people and everything that was at stake. Even Luka was excited. I know that at 19 months he can't really understand the importance of this occasion, but he was pointing at Obama...saying "bababa" clapping and giving the Obama kisses. He must at least like him right!

As we were watching the festivities Elizabeth arrived to our house. She is our "empregada." She works at our home and watches over Luka. She rushed in and asked....DID HE WIN? It is amazing to see how the entire world was watching this election and Obama's journey. Realistically Obama's victory won't affect her day to day life here in Maputo, but somehow she was filled with hope and happiness. I explained to her how black people in America weren't even able to vote a few decades ago and she was shocked. Actually, I don't think she believed me. 

And for those of my friends that are reading this and not sharing in my happiness...being a Cuban-American from Miami I have many of those...I ask you to be patient and give Obama a chance. Our country has changed and we need a leader that understands the challenges that face this country and will motivate everyone to work together and create solutions.

Congratulations Obama! Congratulations America!

Election Day

Get up...go out and vote! I woke up today with the excitement I used to feel when working on a campaign back in Miami. I have been biting my nails all day and I can't concentrate. I don't know if it is because I am all the way in Maputo, Mozambique, but I am so excited and I can't wait to see the results.

Okay, so you know that I am a big Obama fan! So if you are not voting for Obama then stay home...just kidding. No, seriously everyone needs to get out and VOTE. We need to show the world that Americans care about their government!

Luka's First Halloween

Halloween in Maputo was a little hotter this year than usual. It was about 95 degrees and I really didn't think about that when I was planning Luka's 1st Halloween. I was a good mommy and ordered his Halloween costume early to make sure it would get here on time. But little did I know that his costume would make him sweat off all his baby fat. So in the photos from Halloween you will see that Luka has three different costumes:

1. Dragon - my favorite, but too hot to wear outside of the house where we had every air conditioner set to "eskimo."

2. Halloween PJ with Afro Animal - Not sure what that was, but it was damn cute and it was orange and black...perfect for Halloween.

3. Mouseketeer - I must admit this was pretty creative...I had to come up with something that wouldn't make him pass out from a heat stroke. This costume was actually worn on November 1st, when many of the American families in town got together for Trick-or-Treating and other Halloween traditions.

Maputo was full of activities for Luka to celebrate his first Halloween. First he hosted a Baby/Toddler Costume Party at home. He invited all his friends to show-off thier costumes and play some lego. Then it was off to the American School for Oktoberfest, where the PTA merged Beer, Sausages, Candy Hunts, Costume Parades, a Haunted House and a Mummy Wrap all into one event. Then on Saturday Luka and I went to an "American" neighborhood in Maputo to Trick-or-Treat and eat lots of yummy candies that you can't find anywhere in town like Resees Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers and Twix...okay, so Luka doesn't eat that stuff yet, but JJ and I really enjoyed it.

Make sure to click here to see ALL of the Halloween Photos of Luka and his friends.

PS Feliz Cumpleanos Paty!

Who is going to make the difference on Nov. 4th?

AARP 08 Video

Enter your name to see who can bring real change to Washington. First Name: Last Name:

Obamonos!

Even if are not planning to vote for Obama on election day, if you are Latin you have to watch this video. The song is really catchy and pretty honest. As most of you know I am 200% behind Obama and I am trying to rally as many absentee votes as I can for him here...all the way in Maputo! Luka has even helped his mommy spread the Obama fever. He has learned how to chant: "OBAMA, OBAMA!" and he proudly wears his Obama shirt.

PS My Republican mama is also voting for Obama...you will only get it if you watch the video.

Click on my Wordle...

I just "wordled" my blog and this is what I got. So basically it captures the words on my blog and creates this image. Funny how Luka, photos and musical pop out! You should try to wordle your blog or any group of words. Try it at http://www.wordle.net/.

Luka @ 18 Months

And the grammy goes to....LUKA

I think Luka might win a Grammy or a Tony award some day. Our son is very musical. JJ and I have never played any musical instruments or actually have any musical talent, but JJ does love music. His one trillion songs on his iTunes is proof of that. And although I am not blessed with any real musical abilities, I have been singing to Luka since the first day he was home. My repertoire consists of church songs (in Spanish), some country songs, the complete soundtrack from RENT and The Little Mermaid and when I am absolutely in need of it....Barney. I never said I was cool, but I can belt out a mean lullaby.

Over the last couple of months Luka's love of music has manifested itself many ways...first there was the humming along to all his favorite songs...now he mimics every song we sing to him. He also loves to play his piano, xylophone and tambourine. He knows all the instruments by name and loves to put on concerts. But by far the most entertaining showcase of his musical abilities is his singing and dancing...as you can see from the photos above.

I think he actually knows he is performing. There is one song in particular...it is in Spanish about a little boat that gets lost at sea for seven weeks...quite silly, but Luka LOVES it. He cracks up and starts singing and dancing every time he hears it...every SINGLE time! Gracias Mami y Papi por enseñarle esta canción. Es la mejor manera de ver la sonrisa de Luka!

Our Not-so-New Home

Mom, this one is for you. For months (since August when we moved in) my mom has been asking me to post photos of our new home. I kept waiting for the house to be all picked-up, pictures hung, boxes put away...but the more I waited, the more I realized that this would never happen. So here it is...our house on a Sunday...with mess and all. To take the complete photo tour and get a sneak peek into our crazy life click here.

Luka Says Bye Bye

The actual date of this video is September 9, 2008. Since the video was taken Luka has added some new words to his vocabulary: ball, car, Max, Benthe, Barney, Ninjte and some others that I am still trying to figure out. But this video was taken when he started to say his favorite phrase: BYE BYE. He says it all the time. When JJ and I get home and grab him to give him a kiss...he looks over to the nanny and says Bye Bye...it is just priceless. He does the same thing when he is with one of us and wants us to leave the room. He is getting quite independent these days...much more so than what I want him to be...why do they have to grow up so fast.

I am trying to catch on all my photos and blog entries, but as you can see I am a little behind. Click here to see recent photos of Luka.

PS For some reason the video is NOT working. I will get back to you on that.

Better late than never...

If you have visited this blog before you know that Luka sometimes receives letters from his cousin - Maxwell. The letter below actually arrived before we left on holiday a couple of weeks ago, but between getting ready for the trip, finishing projects at work and running around after Luka I never got around to posting the letter. Now that things are back to "normal" and I found a few minutes to dedicate to the blog I thought I would add this letter. Max's letters are ALWAYS very entertaining and Luka really likes them. Here it goes:

Dear Luka:

I'm really happy you are coming to stay with us for 3 weeks. I understand , being older and wiser, you will be the flavor of the week for 3 weeks. I don't mind, you are a great kid and all that, but there are subjects I want to avoid during your visit.
 
First, do not talk about your teeth. You are almost a year younger than I am and you have more than double the number of teeth that I have. Everybody in Miami is always my mommy that maybe I have a problem. I don't chew hard stuff, or anything in chunks, but I still have more real teeth than Grandpa...I have four.

 
Also, don't mention your family portraits. I live in the country with the most photo studios in the world and you live in freaking Maputo and already have great professional family pictures. I think Mom and Daddy are waiting for me to get more teeth...just in case I smile at the freaking photographer.
 
I also know you are an international traveler like myself, but your Mom is telling people that you will speak five languages: English, Dutch,Spanish, Portugese and the native language of the people in Mozambique. Give me a freaking break!!!  Maybe you will speak those languages in the FUTURE...because you have so many teeth.

But let me tell you I have a problem with the Spanish, Yoruba and the freaking English with cuban accent everyone speaks here. After Grandpa's stroke I started going to a Day Care at an English speaking Baptist church to learn proper english. But I was surprised to see  all the freaking kids and all the freaking teachers are either cuban, nicaraguan or colombian. The only english word I have heard is "Pamper" and with a colombian accent. So I warn you, I think we will get along better if we use baby talk to communicate.  My baby gibberish doesn't have a cuban accent...I think.

I love you and hope to see you soon!

Your cousin,
 
Maxwell 

Luka Takes Off

Luka's First Steps

After 6 flights and 5 planes Luka didn't seem to be too jetlagged to take his first steps today. They were taken at about 6:30 pm today - Sunday, August 3rd. I think he was just waiting to get home and see daddy to show off his new skills. We are so proud of him!

Happy Birthday Mami

Happy 55th Birthday. Luka and I were very happy to spend this special day with you. We love you!!

Finally...Luka Says Mama

Finallly, yesterday Luka started saying Mama. He loves to repeat it over and over again. He will now switch from papa to mama...but he says it when he looks at me. I am so happy and proud of my little man. I will post a video soon.

Both Luka and I say hello from Miami. We will be heading back to Maputo next week. We both miss Daddy very much.

Papa & No Mama

At 10 months Luka started saying pa and the occasional ma...but never twice in a row and never in the context of calling either JJ or myself. But recently during our holidays in Holland Luka started saying Papa loud and clear and there I was left broken hearted as the syllable "ma" has seemed to disappear from his vocabulary. People tell me that the "m" sound is much harder for a baby to pronounce than the "p" sound...but so what...you still want to hear them say "mama." For now JJ will be the PROUD Papa and I will be the very proud (but a little jealous) ba, which is what Luka likes to call me.

Here is the video of the moment Luka first entertained us with his "papa" speaking ability...you can also hear him meow like a cat and throw some delicious kisses. Enjoy.

Luka's Blessing

Luka was baptized in Miami on February 24th (oops still haven't uploaded those photos), but none of his Dutch relatives were able to attend the ceremony. In celebration of his baptism and to welcome him into the family he was honored with a "blessing." His Uncle Henk, who is a member of the local Catholic Church arranged the entire thing. It was perfect! The family gathered at the church in the village (yes, it was really a village) and we sang, prayed and celebrated Luka! Most of the ceremony was in Dutch, but it didn't matter...you could really feel how special it was. Marielle, his other godmother, said a few words and both sets of Dutch grandparents read out their wish for Luka. JJ and I were also asked to say something....we prayed the Our Father in English and then the family sang a beautiful canon. Did I mention that JJ's family sing like the Von Trapp Family...except they are the van Herksens! The theme for the day was the start of his new life with us and as a Christian. The funny coincidence for the day was that final song...if you translate it...it roughly translates to the same song I sing to Luka every night before he goes to sleep. Above you can see some of the moments from the day, but for the rest of the photos visit our photo album.

Photo Moments from Our Trip

Van Herksen Family European Vacation

I apologize for the lack of communication and postings on the blog, but we have been on the road in Europe. We started off in Holland then went to the south of France, made a quick stop in Luxembourg, then it was back to Holland. Now we are still visiting other parts of Holland. I promise to post some photos and videos soon! We haven't had continuous access to email, but I will try and get everyone up to date in the next couple of days. JJ will be heading back to Maputo next week and Luka and I are headed to MIAMI!

Our Family Portraits

Okay, so when I think family portraits I think sitting in Sears or Zayres (do you remember that store!!!!) infront of some funny backdrop. At least those are the portraits I remember taking growing up and I wasn't really fond of them. Now that I have my own family I was in search of the perfect photographer to take modern family portraits. Sounds easy, right....yes, if we were back in Miami or Holland. But in Maputo it was a bit challenging and then I met Solange - a mom at the school I work at....I got really lucky. She just opened a photo studio in Maputo. She is great and really captured what JJ and I were looking for. So here they are....our first family portraits. I hope Luka likes them when he is older. But who knows...by then the wacky background and posed shots might be back in style. Click here to see all the photos from our "shoot." Enjoy!

Happy "Kissing" Anniversary Mom & Dad

So our family is kind of quirky and we celebrate things like the anniversary of my parent's first kiss. Yesterday my parents celebrated the 36th Anniversary of their first kiss and if you average it out...that means that my parents have kissed close to 26,280 times. Probably TMI (too much information) for most people, but I am in the mood to share today.

Felicidades Mami y Papi...although it is not the same type of kiss I am sending you a big fat besito from Maputo. CONGRATULATIONS and I hope you have many more kisses to come.

Guess Who?

Can you guess who's mouth that is? If you guessed Luka then you are right. His teeth just appeared out of nowhere. Now let's see if he will actually start chewing. He hates to put anything solid in his mouth. I have tried everything. I think we just have to go at his pace. But aren't those the cutest crooked teeth you have ever seen. I know he is adopted, but I think he might have inherited mommy's gap! Enjoy.

Luka Gets Advice from His Cousin

Dear Cousin:

I heard from grandpa that you are starting to stand up on your own and also crawling forward. I'm not jealous, but he told everybody in Miami. I know it's important, but he made a very big deal of it and was very emotional about it. I can tell you that he didn't get like that when I started standing up on my own and crawling forward….I never crawled backwards like they do in Mozambique. As your older cousin, I have been walking on my own for a while so I have decided to give you a few tips regarding this new important "step" in your life (did you get the joke.)

Learning to walk is a very important part of your life. Walking you will be able to go places and reach things you can't do now at floor level. You will, like I did after I started walking, drive your mom, dad and grandparents crazy…going to places you are not suppose to go and reaching things you are not suppose to touch.

Here are my tips:

1.DO NOT TOUCH ELECTRIC OUTLETS. My mom covered all the outlets in the house with plastic covers and made grandpa do the same thing at their house. Every time I get close to one and grandpa yells NNNNOOOOO!!! At me I start crying. For some reason electric outlets are not good for babies, so stay the hell away from them.

2. LOOK UP WHEN YOU STAND. Many times I have tried to stand up under a table or a chair and hit my head badly. I know you have a bigger head than mine, but be careful just in case. LOOK UP and try to measure if there is enough space for you and your big head standing up. And remember to do it slowly.

3. LOOSE SOME WEIGHT. I know everybody is saying you are strong and beautiful, but cousin you are fat. Try to loose some weight. Fat people have more difficulty walking. I see this everyday with grandpa and grandma, they are nice and all, but I run faster than them any day! Try to enroll at the local Mozambican Baby Weight Watchers or any other group like that.

I hope you learn from my experiences and my mistakes. See you soon…hopefully in July and then we will see who can run faster at that point.

Love,

Maxwell

Happy Mother's Day

I would like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there....especially my mom. This year is a very special Mother's Day for me. As most of you know it is the first time I will get to celebrate this holiday as a mother.  I can't tell you how much I love being a mom. It is unlike anything I could have ever dreamed of. I know that everyone says that but it is true.

I want to thank my mom for being such an inspiration and role model for me. She is not perfect, if she was she wouldn't be any fun.  All I know is that she is the best mom I could have asked for. So instead of drowning this blog with yet another photo of Luka, I thought I would celebrate Mother's Day with a picture of my mom that was taken the first year she celebrated Mother's Day with me (that is me in the baby carrier). That silly man with the really cool glasses and hip outfit is my dad...don't laugh too much it was the 70's after all.  I don't think the photo was actually taken on Mother's Day, but it was taken the same year....close enough, right. I thought it was an awesome photos of my young super cool parents on South Beach.

Happy Mother's Day y Feliz Dia de las Madres. To see photos of JJ, Luka and I on Mother's Day please click here.

Our Family Goes MacCrazy

Okay, it is official...the van Herksen family is now running on Mac. Here we are the three of us playing around with our new super computer and its camera. I am still trying to figure everything out, but I think I am really going to like it. I just have to get over having to learn a whole new system. I think Luka likes the iMac too....look at him smiling!

Five Month Anniversary

Today marks 5 months since Luka became part of our family. Time has gone by so fast and he has grown so much! These photos show you the progress he made over the last couple of months. The change is amazing. He went from 3.5 kg to 10.5 kg in weight and he grew over 10 cm!

Last Friday was another milestone...Luka started to crawl forward and stand up using the furniture. Now we need to watch over him 24/7. Up until now I thought this parenting thing was so easy. He was such a good baby, but now he wants to touch everything and explore. I know this is a good thing, but boy is it hard work. I am not complaining. It is actually quite amazing to just watch him and see how he interacts with the world.

When we look at him now it is hard to imagine how tiny he was when he came home at 8 months weighing only 8 pounds. I remember looking at other 8 month old babies and thinking...oh, my gosh my son is never going to catch up. Luka was the size of most newborn babies we saw. We were very worried and decided to take it one day at a time. As new parents we didn't realize what the power of love and good nutrition could do in such a short time. We can hardly believe it ourselves!

Join me in congratulating Luka on his anniversary! For more photos click here.

What have computers have done to relationships...

Bald is Beautiful

Today we cut Luka's hair for the first time...well, shaved it is more like it. Luka's hair was not growing evenly. He had a big bald spot on the back of his head and we were told that if we shaved his head it would grow back nicer and evenly. Luka didn't cry at all. Everyone at the salon was amazed that he didn't even make a sound. But as you can see he had a very serious expression throughout the process. I think he was a little sad, but in the end he likes his bald head now and kept rubbing it right after they were done. I kind of miss his hair, but the good news is that it will grow back. He looks good either way!

Celebrating with Luka's Friends

Today we went back to Primero de Mayo (orphanage where Luka is from) to celebrate his 1st Birthday. The kids really had a great time, but I think Luka was a little upset that almost none of the kids recognized him. Nobody could believe how big he was! There are about 60 kids at the orphanage and they are all so beautiful, but they need so much love, attention and good nutrition and unfortunately the resources just aren't there. Now I look at them and think how much they could grow and flourish if the found a loving family. Luka is a completely different little boy than what he was 4 months ago. While we were there we met three families that are adopting and it was good for them to see Luka and talk to us about our experience. I hope you enjoy the photos from today. Click here to see them.

This boy still has another birthday party coming on April 27th. I think that will make five birthday cakes for him! One in Miami before we left, two on his real birthday, one today and one next week and his OFFICIAL birthday party that his mother planned really late...ha ha ha. Till the next birthday party.....

Happy Birthday Hubby

Well, today JJ and I are only one year apart...yes, my hubby is still younger than me. Please join me in wishing JJ a Happy 31st Birthday! And if we were in Holland you would be wishing me a Happy Birthday too and I would be also saying congratulations to everyone that is related to JJ. That is one of those "Dutch" traditions that I am still getting used to. Thank goodness you just have to say congratulations and not buy a present for everyone!

It is JJ's second birthday in Maputo and my gosh how time flies! Who would have thought that last year when we were drinking tequila and jumping in the pool at JJ's Birthday Party, that we would be waking up for midnight feedings just a year later. Life has definitely changed, but we can honestly say that we are so happy and are blessed with everything Mozambique has given us....especially Luka. He is so darn cute!

JJ, I love you and I hope that all of your wishes came true today, mine already have!

Happy Birthday Luka

Yesterday Luka turned 1! We want to wish our son a very happy birthday and may all his wishes come true! We are so proud him! Pictures from his special day are coming. This week is just a little hectic.

Our Trip to Miami

Our family made its first trip to Miami as a threesome. The holiday was anything but boring. We took Luka on his first airplane ride...he was baptized...we went to Disneyworld...he went shopping at Ikea for the first time...he met his family and tons of friends...and let's not forget his emergency hospital stay. Yes, Luka likes to keep us on our toes. Oh and did I mention that Grandpa also went to the hospital for a while. Thank goodness that everyone is now safe and sound at home and recovering. We hope our next trip to Miami is full of relaxing days on the beach with the whole family and less hospitals. Although the trip was a little crazy, we loved hanging out with Luka and all of our friends and family. Thank you to everyone that made our trip special. I am still working on all of the photos, but here is a video of Luka's first flying adventure from Maputo to Miami.

Luka's Attempt at Standing Up

This video was taken last week. Luka really likes to stand up in his playpen...although it only last a little while before he goes into a complete straddle...he sure has fun doing it.

Another Letter to Luka

We will be heading to Miami on Thursday..llook how excited Luka was when we told him the news. The three of us can't wait to get there and see everyone. This trip home will be extra special with Luka. I think Luka's cousin - Maxwell - is getting really excited with his arrival. Grandpa recently sent us another letter Maxwell had written for Luka...enjoy.

Dear Luka,

I wanted to write this letter to you to discuss our grandparents here in Miami. I know you are the last baby in the family and the flavor of the week. Grandma and grandpa are crazy printing pictures of you and making calendars with your picture on it, sending boxes with presents to Mozambique, etc, etc, etc.

Grandma even says you are very "photogenic". I dont know what the hell that is, but I know its good, because she smiles when she says it. Lets make one thing clear. You are my cousin and I love you, but I'm older than you and there are things to know and certain rules you are going to have to follow:

1) Grandpa is crazy, but that is good. He is the one you want to call if you want to play and do crazy stuff. He has some kind of early dementia, so he lets you play with water, food, toys and even tools. You can call him "abu" or "pepe" or "yeyo", but he will respond to any sound you make. Also, he can only see from one eye, so stay on his right side, so he can see you better. Make sure when he feeds you, you open your mouth wide, because lately he is pointing the spoon to my nose or my left ear.

2) As soon as you get here you will meet Grandma. She is very sweet and gentle, but she is TOTALLY deaf. If you want to make yourself heard make sure you yell your lungs out and make noises. You will be the one answering the phone and telling her that someone is kicking out the front door. Also I know you dont see that in Mozambique, but you will become adicted to "General Hospital" and the Food Channel.

3) I dont want to sound jelous, but remember they are my grandparents too. Make sure they still keep an eye (in the case of grandpa) on me during your visit. I can't wait for your arrival so they can see you in person. I'm happy because I will see you for the first time, but also because grandma and grandpa will stop talking 24/7 about the new grandson, how beautiful, how happy, blah, blah, blah.

I love you -

Maxwell

Letter from Maxwell to Luka

Dear Luka,

Your day will come soon enough. I actually liked my hair how it was. It was always calling attention and people loved to touch it. It was lots of fun! Mommy and daddy decided to cut it after everyone saying it was long enough.

Yeah, I didn't want to cut it...but I knew it would grow back. I pretended to cry and be very upset, so they took me to this really fun place where I they cut my hair and I get to sit on an AIRPLANE. So when your mommy and daddy say, "Okay, today we are going to cut your hair," just start crying like crazy. They will take you to the really cool airplane place and might buy you a toy afterwards.

I can't wait to see you in person. You look really small on the computer screen, but I am sure you are much bigger. Either way we will play and I will show you all my "tricks" with grandma and grandpa.

Love,

Maxwell
"Your Cousin"

Happy Birthday Luka - 10 months

Yesterday Luka turned 10 months. It has been 2 months since his arrival...where does the time go? We spent his 10-month birthday going to the park, a bbq and seeing friends. He loves to spend time with other kids and is really social. He will strike up a conversation with almost anybody...sounds like somebody I know....hmmm.

Here is a photo of him yesterday at the park. It was his first time wearing a baseball cap...isn't it a great look for him?

Luka's First Passport Photo

I don't know if it is funny or absolutely adorable. What do you think? Doesn't he look like a little man. Enjoy!

Just for Fun

Happy New Year

Our 1st Month Anniversary

Can you believe that today it makes one month since Luka's homecoming. It is hard to believe to see how much our lives have changed in just 30 days. We celebrated our one month anniversary by taking Luka to his 1st pool party. You have to check out the photos and videos...not because he is my son...but damn is he cute!

Luka & Daddy in the Pool


Luka & Mami in the Pool


Luka Learns to Flirt

Our First Christmas Together

We had a great Christmas this year. We started off with the traditional Cuban Noche Buena feast with 13 of our closest friends here in Maputo and then on Christmas Day we went to mass with Luka for the first time. He behaved very well...his favorite part was the music. After church we went to visit his friends at the orphanage and take some Christmas cake for the kids. The ladies could not believe how big he was getting. One of them didn't even recognize him. Mass was a 8 am so we didn't open any presents in the morning. When we got back home we put his Christmas pj's back on and opened some presents. He had some gifts from friends and a couple from mommy and daddy. He wasn't really amused with the presents. His favorite thing BY FAR was the paper. You should see the photos of him enjoying playing with the Christmas wrapping. I think next year I will just wrap the wrapping paper. Here are some videos for you to enjoy.

Getting ready for Noche Buena - Christmas Eve Dinner

Luka learns to sit up on his own:

I will work on uploading all of our photos today. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Luka Keeps Growing

It has been three weeks since Luka's arrival and he is growing like weed. Yesterday we had a doctor's appointment and he weighed 5.22 kg (up from 3.6 kg). That means he is weighing 11.5 lbs! What an improvement from 8 pounds and you can definitely tell in the pictures from our album. I swear I have never been so happy about seeing a double-chin and cellulite in my life! He also grew from 55 cm to 57 cm. That is a good growth spurt for a month and it was only three weeks. Even the doctor was impressed when he sat up on his own and started grabbing things from her hand...something he wasn't even attempting on his first visit.

Life as a mother and father has been interesting to say the least. JJ and I are taking turns waking up early and at night since JJ is home on "daddy leave." He is here everyday and Luka is starting to recognize us as his parents...well I think he is.

I think the hardest thing about having a new baby is that you have to learn to do things fast or in sections. He eats almost every two hours and it takes anywhere from 30 -45 minutes to feed him. So if you count prep time you better be done with your task in about 55 minutes. Shopping is a challenge. I have become a very quick shopper. But I have noticed that most of the personal things (phone calls, emails, bills, etc.) get done when he is down for the night. You would think that I would be dead since I have been up since 5 am, but somehow you find the energy to finish what you need to do and then wake up early the next day. I would have never believed you if you told me I would be up till 12 - 1 am and up at 5 am AND function well enough to carry, change, feed a child and pop in a Barney DVD.

Today was our first walk down to the park and use of our "borrowed" stroller. I don't know if he enjoyed it. To tell you the truth he looked kind of scared...it might have been daddy's driving. The picture above was taken today.

I promise the next entry won't be about Luka....I surely must have more to talk about than my son!

Happy Holidays from Mozambique

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the three of us in Maputo, Mozambique! This has turned out to be a very good year for our family and we have many things to be thankful for.

Christmas is almost here and I still can't get used to having Christmas in the SUMMER. You might say, but aren't you from Miami where it is summer all year round! But if you are from Miami you hope that on Christmas you can at least wear a sweater and if you walk outside on December 25th you can sometimes feel a cool winter breeze. Well, not here...we are in the middle of the summer. The cable channels are promoting their summer Christmas movies and holiday line-up..."summer Christmas"....does this sound strange to anyone else?

Okay, okay...so I know that half of the globe is also in summer right now...but i just can't get used to it. I mean if it is summer then does Santa wear a big fluffy suit or is it more like bermudas and a Hawaiian shirt?

Maybe I am just really homesick or maybe I just miss the notion of sitting by the fireplace, drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas carols. Again, you might say....fireplace in Miami...well, every Christmas my parents would turn the air conditioner the coldest it could possibly go and make a warm fire in our fireplace...it was GREAT!

It is way past my bedtime, so for now I will go to sleep and dream about a White Christmas!

One Week and Counting...

It has been a week since we became a family. Luka is a completely different baby than when he arrived home just 7 days ago. Just in that time he has learned how to grab things with his hands, he puts them in his mouth, he grabs his bottle, holds his head up when he is on his tummy and has discovered his feet. These are just some of the many things he couldn't do last Friday. It is amazing what love, attention and good nutrition will accomplish.

Our first week as parents has been interesting. You know getting used to having this little human being that depends on you for everything. For us it was strange...on Thursday we are a married couple with no kids and on Friday we are carrying around a baby bag. On Friday night I kept waking up and pinching myself to make sure that it was real....we finally had a son!

We can't really say it has been hard...Luka is such a great baby and at eight months he has survived an orphanage so he doesn't complain much. I predict that after a few more weeks of mommy and daddy spoiling him he will start asking for more things.

We are still getting to know him, but just after a week we have developed a routine...Boy does this child like to nap! He naps at 10 am, 3 pm, 7 pm then he sleeps from 10 pm - 6 am. I know that other parents reading this must be jealous. But I think that prior to living with us he wasn't able to rest quietly. He has also grown a lot in one week and the doctor says he is sleeping more due to his rapid growth and the greater amount of food he is getting. He already up to 9.59 lbs!!!!

What else can I tell you about Luka Dario...well, he loves his bath time as you can see from the photos above. You can see more bath time photos here.

I think I am going to sleep and wait for my 6 am wake up call. Come back to hear more about Luka and our holiday season in Mozambique. The Christmas tree went up today...Luka's first Christmas photos will come soon.

Luka Dario's Birth Announcement

Making a Mess

Luka Dario has been home with us for 5 days and he is thriving! He has learned how to hold himself up on his tummy. He also started grabbing things with his hands and today we went to the doctor and he gained 500 grams since his arrival. We are so proud of him!

We are even proud of the BIG mess he makes when he eats. Please don't pay any attention to my jibberish in the video. I was trying to get him to laugh so that you can see his beautiful smile. I hope you can see it behind all that baby food.

Meet Our Son - Luka Dario Tinhiko van Herksen

Okay, so our journey to parenthood has been a bit of a whirlwind. We became parents on Friday and we are still in a bit of daze. But we wanted to share pictures of our little guy with the world. As soon as I get my bearings I will tell you the entire story of how we met our son - Luka Dario Tinhiko van Herksen. Dario was his name in the orphanage and Tinhiko means "gift" in the local language here in Maputo. He is 8 months...a tiny little guy for 8 months, but watch his grow after a couple months of love, attention and lots of FOOD!

Check back later for more info on our son...we need to take a nap now. I know they told us we would get less sleep, but no one said anything about NO sleep.

For now you can see more pictures here.

What is Kupfula?

Most of you know that photography is a hobby of mine, well now I can share my "hobby" with all of you. A couple of weeks ago I told you that I was part of a group of individuals that had formed a photography club - Kupfula Photography. Well, after a little organization we have created a website to share with the world. Be sure to visit www.kupfula.com and let us know what you think. Our remaining exhibition photos are online for viewing and they are also for SALE. The money collected from these prints will go to charity organizations here in Maputo. At our recent exhibition we raised over $2,000 USD for a local orphange. I hope you enjoy the photos and welcome any comments.

Halloween in Maputo

It is not quite Halloween yet, but the festivities in Maputo started last night. Okay, so there won't be a lot of festivities. Halloween is basically an American holiday. No one around here really gets into it...including my husband as you can tell from the photo. But I LOVE Halloween. Ever since I was little my mom would always dress us up in these fabulous costumes...so I guess that tradition has stayed with me. Well, this year I didn't have any costume shops to go to so I had to get creative. I hope you can figure out from the photo above that I went as Carrie.

Luckily the US Marines hosted a party last night and my fellow Americans were into the Halloween spirit. Click here to see some of the costumes from the party. You will notice from the photos that JJ was feeling a little left out and as the night progressed he started taking pieces of other people's costume and morphed into the "Flying Dutchman." Happy Halloween!

My First Exhibition

I am a member of the Kupfula Photography Club and we have our very first exhibition in two weeks. This is all very exciting for me since it is the very first time my hobby has been displayed for everyone to see. I hope people like the photos and we raise money for the local orphanage that we have selected as our charity. For all of us in the group....i think....it is our first exhibition. Wish us luck. I hope you can make it if you are in Maputo.

My the way...kupfula means "aperture" in the local dialect here in Maputo.

Our House Guests

I guess you can't really call it babysitting...they aren't really babies. Celine & Michelle stayed over this weekend and we had a blast. On Friday the girls went to lunch, Michelle (the small one) had her own pizza and Celine and I shared. Then it was home for manicures, pedicures and a make-over session. JJ is sorry he missed that. On Saturday we were awaken at 7 am...seriously did I wake up that early when I was little? What could possibly be fun about waking up that early? But we were up and had breakfast. By the time it was noon I felt like it was 6 pm. I guess that is why their bedtimes are earlier. We really enjoyed our time with them...now we take a nap.

Our Holiday Weekend in Maputo

This weekend started off with a holiday on Friday...Signing of the Lusaka Agreement a.k.a. Dia da Victoria....peace agreement between Portugal and Mozambique to end the Mozambican War of Independence. School was closed and I was OFF. I mean really off...no checking emails...no going into the office to catch up.

I was especially looking forward to this long weekend to get acquainted with my new friend - Mr. Nikon D80. He is a little complex and I needed some time off to figure out what all the buttons are for.

On Friday JJ and I started off the day by sleeping in. We woke up and went for "lunch" at the local coffee shop that has real bagels! Who knew I could get so excited over bagels...but Cafe Sol just opened a couple of months ago and it has been such a treat to be able to order a latte and a bagel....yummy! This is the first coffee shop of its kind in Maputo. The rest of the day was spent driving around and lounging at home.

On Saturday we went for a walk in the city & market with our friends Dan & Danielle. Then for lunch at a new restaurant on the waterfront - Zambi. Later JJ and I walked over to the Holiday Inn and the beach...the Holiday Inn in Maputo is the best hotel in town. A four star Holiday Inn...not like back home. Saturday night we had dinner at the local Brazilian steak house - ALL you can eat picana!

On Sunday we headed out of the city to visit our friend's banana farm. Lance & Maria Laura started this banana farm less than 2 years ago...what an operation! It is amazing to see how it all works from start to finish. Did you know that a banana tree only produces ONE bunch of bananas per year? I didn't. A whole year....needless to say they have a lot of banana trees.

They invited a bunch of us (friends from the Latin Group and families) over for a BBQ as well. Maria Laura is from Argentina and a friend of mine through the Latin Group...I love to hear her speak Spanish it sounds so much nicer than my Cuban talk! We had many Spanish conversations going on at the BBQ (Mexico, Miami (Cuba), Argentina & Paraguay). I never thought my Spanish would improve so much by moving to Africa...go figure.

You can see the photos I took from our day on the banana farm and pictures of all the kids that were there. There were some very cute children....and TRIPLETS! Yes, my friend Charis from Argentina has 7-month old triplets. I don't know how she does it.

Well, our holiday weekend is over now and it is back to work tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Dad

Today is my father's 55th Birthday...please join me in wishing him a very Happy Birthday. Papi, I miss you so much...please accept this online birthday wish from Mozambique. Hopefully JJ and I will be in Miami soon! Felicidades.

Happy Birthday, Feliz Cumpleanos & Eku Ojobi to Maxwell

Here are some pictures from Maxwell's First Birthday Party. Isn't he handsome? It is hard to believe that a year has passed since he was born. I will never forget that day! Monica and Wole gave me the best present ever - allowing me to be there when Maxwell was born. It was such an amazing experience...one that I will not even attempt to put into words...but one that I will never forget. It was the perfect day.

Not only was it Maxwell's Birthday, but JJ arrived in Miami and we were reunited after months of being long distance newlyweds. I wasn't able to greet him at the airport like a proper wife, but I had a job to do at the hospital.

Maxwell, I am sorry that I can't be there with you today...but I do get to see you almost every day on Skype. Good thing you are at abuela's house during the day and with the six hour difference we get to chat all the time. I think you will be a Skype expert by age 3 and be able to call me on your own. All ready last week, you learned how to hold the phone on your own and I think you know now that the crazy lady on the monitor is your Tia Melissa.

I hope you know that your uncle JJ and I think about you all the time and love you very much. We want to wish you a very Happy Birthday on your special day. Don't eat too much cake!

2,190 Kisses & Counting

It was three years ago today...July 15, 2004 that JJ kissed me for the first time. We are not really sure who kissed who first...but we are sure on the date. So that makes about 2,190 kisses when you average about two kisses per day. But being an optimist, I hope it is a lot more than that...we will stick to 2,190 for mathematical purposes!

Do you know how many times you have kissed your sweetie? Most of you are trying to figure it out right now...aren't you. But maybe you don't remember the date. I have my parents to thank for the "Kissing Anniversary."

Growing up every May 30th was a kissing celebration at my house. My father always got my mom a "First Kiss Anniversary" present & card calculating the number of kisses they had shared. My parents are a little romantic to say the least. Now after 34 years they still celebrate it. Let's see that means that my mom and dad have kissed a minimum of 24,820 times! That is a whole lot of kissing...

So that is the story on the anniversary we celebrate today. Remember to kiss someone special today!

Another letter from Maxwell...

This letter from Maxwell is a little dated. He actually wrote it to me on March 6, 2007, but I never got to share it with the blog. His letters are always so entertaining. Although he is getting older I think he still gets a lot of help from his grandpa (my dad). Since he wrote the letter he has learned to walk and this month he will turn one year old! Boy, how time flies.

Enjoy the letter and I hope I get another one soon:

Dear Auntie and Godmother Melissa:

I have not seeing in a while, so I suppose you have gone back to Maputo with the tall blonde guy. You were only here a few weeks, but I remembered you right away, because you look beautiful, a lot like my mommy. The thing I didn’t remember is how loving and caring you are with me. You are going to be a great mom one day. You have the ability to be patient, loving and caring. You are the only member of my family that does not mind changing my poopoo diapers!

I know I will see you soon. Don’t worry...even if I'm growing real fast according to the experts, I will never forget you and I will keep track of you thru Skype so I can see your pretty face and JJ's big head too.

I was crawling when you were here, but now I'm so fast that nobody can catch me. I like crawling better than walking. Walking is too hard, I don’t think I'm going to be able to master it in 5 months, like they said. I have no idea how to stand, unless I grab something or someone grabs me. Walking is not really a big deal. Crawling is better. I can go faster, I can get under the furniture and see how dirty it is under the sofa. The only adults that like to crawl with me are mom, dad and grandpa.

Grandpa looks funny when he crawls, I'm a lot faster than him, but he grabs my legs when I get to far ahead. He has a very hard time getting up, so I told him to stay down like me, but he apparently didn’t know what I was saying and got up.

I got a new swing at grandpa and grandma's house. When they put me in the swing for the first time, they hook the seat belt and THEY LEFT ME ALONE AND THEY PUSHED ME. It really got me by surprise, I didn’t know I was supposed to be alone on the freaking flying chair. I panicked and started crying and grandpa took me away...thank goodness! I heard they were going to try it again next time I'm at grandpa's house. I want to see someone sitting with me at the same time. It was really high and fast, even for a smart baby like me.

Well enough for now....I missed you, but I know you are thinking about me. Tell JJ I love him too. He is not handsome like Dad, but I guess he is lucky enough to be married to the second prettiest woman in the planet (after my mommy). Don’t tell any of the grandmas this because I tell them all the time they are the prettiest one!

Love,

Maxwell

Cape Town...add it to your LIST

Quick...get a pencil....write this down..."I need to go to Cape Town, South Africa some time in my life!"

We just returned from an entire week of total relaxation. I have never really had one of those vacations....you know those vacations where you don't have any plans or expectations, did I mention plans. For those of you who know me, you know that I am BIG on planning. But for this getaway I left my Lonely Planet at home. (I must confess it wasn't on purpose, but thank goodness I did).

JJ and I were due some R&R and we couldn't really go far, but my husband managed to surprise me with two direct tickets to Cape Town...I love my hubby! Well not only did he book the flights, but he reserved a room at the Cape Heritage Hotel. Trust me if you ever make it to this town, there is no place you would rather stay. They make you feel like you are the only guests at the hotel....this is in addition to the wonderful beds, gorgeous rooms. Did I mention they put rose petals and champagne in the room! Okay, I will stop making you jealous. Oh, they even sang for us when we left...yes, that sounds a little kooky...but it was cute...you had to be there. And don't think it is really expensive...what a bargain!

Well, back to Cape Town. With no plans, we explored the city and its surroundings. There were some incredible drives along the coast, walking in the clouds, hanging out with penguins on the beach, visiting Cape Point and looking towards the South Pole, catching HAIR the musical, whale watching of the coast (we really didn't see any whales), delicious restaurants and so much more. You can see photos of all of these things by clicking here.

So yes, I survived a week without any plans and it felt great! This "no planning" thing is starting to grow on me. I haven't made ONE list since I got back from Cape Town (a grocery list doesn't count, right?).

I will probably go back to making lists as soon as my vacation high wears off. It can't last forever. Just make sure that you don't forget to put Cape Town on your LIST.

32 and counting...

Yesterday I turned 32! Thank you to all of you that sent birthday wishes. A special thank you to Nina and company for the wonderful Pancake Birthday Breakfast. That was the first birthday breakfast party I attended, but what a great idea! For those of you that are not in Maputo, a pancake breakfast is hard to come by, so it was a very special treat to have my own pancake breakfast.

JJ spent the day spoiling me yesterday. It was the perfect quiet birthday! Thanks baby.

For pictures of the Pancake Breakfast click here.

Now back to reality...I am late for work.

So Much to Say...So Little Time

I really don't know where my time goes. I have been a really bad blogger lately. But the good news is that the summer (well winter here) is around the corner and I will have a couple of months of VACATION....finally. This is supposed to be the dairy of a Diplomat's wife...but lately I am a workaholic. But I am looking forward to a summer...there I go again saying summer. I can't get used to it being winter in May...what is up with that.

Anyway, I am looking forward to a SUMMER of rest and adventure. There is so much to do here in Mozambique, but JJ and I work so much we don't really have time to explore!

Back to the summer thing...it is so strange. This will be the first time I celebrate my birthday in WINTER. That is so strange. Actually this week has been full of firsts:

1. First time I was so cold a May morning that I had to go back upstairs for a jacket.

2. First time I was face to face with a card-holding Communist leader. The Cuban Ambassador came to speak to our 11th grade History class this week. It was very freaky for me to listen to her speak and go on and on about Fidel and how great things are in Cuba. Just to see how proud she was to be a communist was strange. I mean I am from Miami, where being called a communist is the worst thing you can call someone. It was confusing...her Cuban accent was somewhat comforting (I miss it) but the things that she was saying was just blowing me away. My family left Cuba for good reasons, so obviously I don't agree with most (anything) she was saying. But imagine she grew up her entire life in Castro's government....for her there is no other way of life. And then there is me...who grew up in a capitalist and FREE society. We are world's apart. I am still trying to digest everything that was said. But she did end her talk inviting the students and the director on an educational trip to Cuba. She asked if I wanted to go? Can you imagine: "Si Mami y Papi...me voy a Cuba y Fidel me esta pagando el ticket." Ha ha ha. Sorry I just have to laugh. No, I won't be going to Cuba anytime soon...but I have to figure out what I do about the dinner invitation for congri....do you know how much I love congri!

3. This week also marks the first time I am alone in Maputo :( JJ left to Holland for a training, but the good news is that the 10 days are almost over. He is back on Sunday!

4. This weekend will be the first time I build a traditional African house. Tomorrow I wake up a 6 am and go with a group of kids from school to build homes with Habitat for Humanity. Will talk more about that later.

Okay, now that i have rambled for a bit I really should get ready for a party. Today is the 10th Anniversary of Maputo's Latin Club...whew hoo!

Promise to be a better blogger in the future.

PS At the top is just a random fun picture I took last week. Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there...but especially our moms...Isabel & Joke. We hope you take the time to celebrate today. Being a mom is one of the hardest jobs in the world...so pat yourself on the back and enjoy this special day just for you.