Happy Anniversary Luka

Dear Luka -

Can you believe that today it has been exactly two years that Mami and Papa brought you home? I can't believe how fast time has gone by. It seems like yesterday that I was looking at my 8-month old baby with all these questions and concerns and at the same time I had all this love in my heart that I couldn't believe was there just after a few days of knowing you. The day we brought you home we had known you for about 5 days and I swear when you woke up with us that first morning it felt like you had been with us for months and been growing in our hearts for even longer.

You are such a big, smart and beautiful boy. Who would have thought that our little tiny baby would have grown up so fast? I have a confession to make..the first couple of months you were with us I would do what every mother does, but shouldn't....I would compare you to other kids your age. Sweetie, you were so tiny and I would get upset when other people would say, "Oh, he is so cute...how old is the baby? Two months.." and I was like, "No, 10 months!!!!"

Well, you sure surprised all of us! Now at two years and 8 months you are blowing everyone away...including us and we see you everyday, but everyday you amaze us with your curiosity, intelligence and the way you see the world...not to mention your smile and great sense of humor (which I am sure you get from me...ha ha ha).

So today we celebrate your Adoption Day, Coming Home Day, Family Anniversary Day, Gotcha Day, etc. There are many things that we can call it, but it is the day that the three of us became a family. Adoption is a funny thing. If you haven't gone through it you can't imagine the bond you feel with this little person that you only met and had no idea was going to be a part of your life. It is truly special and Lukie this is something that we will always have just with you. Like I have told you before, your little brother/sis is growing in my belly, but you grew in my heart and when I saw you I knew you were my baby.

I love you Luka and remember this day (November 30) will always be Mami, Papa & Luka's special anniversary!

Mami

PS I know you were looking at these photos with me today and you were very surprised seeing yourself as a baby, but here they are for others to see. Here you are relaxing on daddy that first morning you woke up with us and the other photo is of you holding the bottle on your own the first week you were with us:

The video is really dark, but it was late and our lights are not that bright...But at least it documents this very special day and you can hear what great singers we are...NOT!

How I Survived My First Turkey

Yesterday's Thanksgiving dinner was a total success. The turkey was delicious and it was accompanied by home-made mash potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing (Thanks Laura!), butternut-squash pie (Thanks Paty!), salad (Thanks Ellie!).

Can I tell you I was a nervous wreck all day with the turkey?!?!? I couldn't imagine how this slimy ugly bird would turn into something delicious. For those of you that know me, well you know I am no iron chef in the kitchen. But I wanted to officially become an adult and make my first Thanksgiving turkey. Growing up I always thought that making the turkey on Thanksgiving or lechon for Noche Buena was for the adults. I had no idea how those things magically appeared on the table. Even as an adult living in Miami I only dared to contribute my homemade cranberry sauce for these family functions (damn good sauce by the way!), but never in my wildest dreams the turkey...the main event!

For those turkey veterans out there, you might be saying...come on it is not that hard. But trust me...I need a map to navigate my way around my own kitchen. Well, this will give you an idea of my culinary knowledge. Yesterday, as I was taking out my fresh herbs I ran into a problem. I took them out of the packaging...laid them all nicely on the cutting board...then as I started to chop and measure I realized that I wasn't sure which one was the parsley, rosemary or thyme. The parsley ok...I had a clue since at Denny's they always put a piece of useless parsley on your plate...but rosemary and thyme....NO FREAKING CLUE. I had to go online and look for photos. See I am totally useless and please try not to laugh.

But to make a long story just a little shorter, the Apple/Shallot (but I had to use red onions) Turkey was delicious and I think now I am confident and will offer to make the turkey at future Thanksgiving dinners. Rachel Ray watch out!

Oh, I mentioned what was on the dinner menu, but forgot to mention dessert. Oh, dessert! I made a pumpkin pie, my first as well, and boy was it good. It almost tasted like pumpkin cheesecake. I am actually enjoying a piece right now. Then we had traditional Dutch Apple Pie (that I ordered) and flan. My friend Laura made the flan and it was a special request from me since my mom always makes flan back home. Laura, estaba delicioso! Gracias.

Well enough about the food...the company was also superb. Let's see...we had the following countries represented: USA, Mozambique, Holland, Mexico, Argentina, Gambia & South Africa. How is that for an international Thanksgiving! Some of my friends were celebrating their first day of thanks. We were nine adults and SEVEN kids! They actually behaved really well and we were able to fit in some adult conversation. Here is a photo of the little ones...Baby Magdalena is missing:

A sneak peak into our dining room and set-up...we had another table. I wanted us to have plenty of room to eat until our heart's content.

This look on Luka lasted about 20 minutes, but he wanted to wear his tie. I thought it was really funny that he picked it out himself.

There is Baby Maggie and Luka trying to feed her. He really loves babies. He wanted to totally take care of her. I think he is going to be a great big brother!

For more Thanksgiving photos click here.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving and today is the final day of sharing what I am thankful for and of course I have saved the best for last.

Today I am thankful for the two wonderful boys in my life. JJ is the best partner I could have asked for and Luka's spirit and smile makes each day a blessing.

More later on how my first Thanksgiving turkey came out...

Catching Up on My Pledge

I had promised to share something that I was thankful for everyday until Thanksgiving. Well I have been doing it, but posting it on Facebook. Here is what I have been thankful for:

On November 20th...I am thankful that it is Friday and I am looking forward to the weekend full of activities...photo show, Luka's first school party, catching on shows with hubby and who knows what else. I just hope it stops raining in Maputo.

On November 21st...I am thankful the rain stopped in Maputo by the end of the day. It had been raining for days.

On November 22nd...Today is Sunday and I am VERY thankful for my hubby that let me sleep in until 8 am. Yes, that is considered sleeping in when you have a 2 year old!

On November 23rd...I am thankful for my dad. Thank you for always being there for me whenever I needed you. Whether it was homework, making campaign signs, picking me up in SoBe after drinking too much or pretending to be awake when I call before 7am from Mozambique. I love you Papi!

Yesterday I was thankful that I found a good size turkey in Maputo. I thought I wasn't going to be able to find it.

Oops, I guess I skipped November 24th.

I am in FONT heaven

Okay, those of you that know me know that that I love fonts and I love to write. Some people say I have nice handwriting. I kind of owe that to my dad...he always had and still has spectacular penmanship.

But now everyone can have thier own font in their own handwriting....This is the awesome and the best part is that it is free. Thank you to my friend Susana for sending me the link.

Click here to access the program.

Happy typing! And you are so going to get emails written in my handwriting now...ha ha.

Elizabeth Rocks!

Today...Melissa van Herksen is thankful for Elizabeth (our empregada). This woman is amazing and she is a little older so she has been the one to give me the advice that my abuela/mom would have given me in Miami when it comes to kids. She is the best. Luka loves her and having her allows us to have lots of quality time. She rocks!

Luka's First School Picture

My first reaction when I went this morning to pick-up the photo was one of total disappointment. I mean come on...not for nothing, but if Luka is one thing...he is photogenic...and his first school picture!

Once I had a few minutes to mull it over I realized that school pictures aren't supposed to be fabulous, right. There is something inherently dorky and nerdy about them. Who ever said that blue was a nice background, and I can just imagine what they were trying to do to make Luka laugh...He was probably thinking this is totally silly and my mommy says that candid shots are much better anyway...ha ha ha.

Well, it is what it is and here is our son's first school picture. But if you want to see Luka in his photogenic glory you can click here, here or here.

This is his class photo. If you click on the photo you will see the larger version. Look at Luka...I think he is purposely trying to make himself not smile...pretty funny!

Thankful for My Mami

So far it is not hard to think of something everyday to be thankful for...the hard part is to just pick one thing...so here is what I am thankful for today:

Melissa van Herksen is thankful to her mom for all that she does. She manages to be a great mom and abuela even from thousands of miles away. I am especially thankful she convinced me to go on match.com after my 29th birthday or else I would have never met my husband, ended up in Mozambique and adopted Luka...talk about a chain of events. Gracias Mami, you are the best!

Today I am thankful for...

I have pledged to give thanks for something different everyday until Thanksgiving. This is what I am thankful for today:

Melissa van Herksen is thankful for her "Maputo" family. I don't know what I would have done without our friends here these last two years. You know who you guys are...some have gone off on other adventures, some will stay and some of us will go soon...but I love all of you.

What I am thankful for...

Recently on Facebook I started to notice that everyone was saying what they were thankful for. I was like...did everyone get together or is it a coincidence. Well I must have missed the status updates of one of my friends from high school when she said she was going to list one thing she was thankful for everyday until Thanksgiving. She also said that it would get harder as the days would go on. I don't think so...do you? Well, I am going to try it. From now until Thanksgiving I will post something I am thankful for in Facebook and I will also try to post it on the blog. This was today's entry:

"Melissa Vigues van Herksen is thankful for her growing family. God blessed us with a pregnancy. Do u know someone trying to have a child...tell them not 2 give up. It happened 2 us after 3 yrs of trying and the doctor telling us it would prob never happen. We just had to embrace parenthood and let go of the idea of getting pregnant. We adopted Luka and I think he was truly our lucky charm with this last attempt."

So yes, we are preggers. I am 14 weeks now and so far so good. The picture above is from 12 weeks or so. I have every symptom possible according to What to Expect When You are Expecting and as my doctor so eloquently put it when I told him I was having every symptom in the book...he said, "Well then stop reading the book." I have and I am starting to feel a little better. Now JJ reads it and updates me on any pertinent and vital information....ha ha ha.

I will try and keep you updated on the pregnancy and this incredible journey. Here are some picks of the earlier scans:

This was the scan we had right after we found out the IVF really worked. It was taken when the baby was 5 weeks...well sort of a baby...you can see the gestational sack. He/she is just a bubble at this point. On this day I still couldn't believe I was really pregnant.

This picture was taken at 8 weeks. Okay, on this day we heard the heartbeat and God was telling me, "Melissa, you are freaking pregnant....for real."

Some of Luka's Latest Creations...

Dad, this is for you. My father has been asking me to see Luka's latest creations at school. As you can see there is a big Halloween theme going for October. The ghost above was put on a little stand and he was able to display it when his friends came over for the Halloween Cookie Party. He was extremely proud!

Here is the Halloween Card he created at school for JJ and I. He especially wanted to show us the inside with the spider. He is obsessed with spiders at the moment!

He also colored this plane in school. Luka loves to pretend he is flying. I think it is from me telling him about our upcoming trip to the states in January. He actually puts his car seat in the middle of the living room and pretends he is buckling his seat belt on the "avion." In this drawing he said the black lines were clouds...

Luka & His Ice Cream

Luka recently discovered ice cream. I can't say that he loves it, but he loves to ask for it...take a couple of licks and then give it to mommy. So I guess it works out for everyone...Luka doesn't overload on sugar and I get an ice cream cone!

Thank you Paty for the great photo!

Happy Halloween

This year Luka dressed up as a Lion. He was really into character scaring everyone with a big roar. Thank goodness the weather behaved and he was able to wear this "warm" costume. You see, it isn't fall in Maputo. It is actually supposed to be pretty hot these days, but I guess we just got lucky.

This year's Halloween festivities started with a Halloween Cookie Party at our house on Friday, October 30th. Luka's closest friends came over and they all made delicious cookies in the shapes of ghosts, pumpkins, witches and moons. After that fun (it lasted about 20 minutes) they all played and showed off their costumes and ran around the house eating all the candy in sight (except Luka of course, he just had cheetos).

Here you can see Luka the Lion...

Luka helped mommy make each one of his friends a personalized Trick or Treat bag...

On Halloween we went to the American compound for a Trick or Treat extravaganza. This is Luka's 2nd Halloween with us, but it was the first time he actually sort of got into the Trick or Treating. He managed to say the words, but was a little scared by the mob of older kids running from house to house as if they were grabbing the last pieces of candy left on earth. We found a group of toddlers going door to door and Luka enjoyed that a little better.

Luka doesn't eat candy (not that i don't let him, he just doesn't like it), so going Trick or Treating with the Americans was mommy's master plan to score some real candy. You see you can't buy real candy in the store here...well, at least not the ones you are used to back home. My American friends can order Halloween candy in the mail...so I knew there would be some winners. I scored Skittles, Reese's, Starburst, Sweet Tarts, Tootsie Pops, Kit Kat....I think JJ and I will have to visit the dentist next week.

For more Halloween pictures click here. I didn't have my camera this year...thanks to my friends for sharing their photos.

Opening Night

Here is a photo of Kupfula - our photography group. We opened Mocambique Ao Vivo this night. We had a great turn out. For more photos from the night click here.

Photography Exhibition This Week

My photography group Kupfula will have its 4th exhibition this week! If you are in Maputo I hope you can make it....

Luka Visits Orphanage with Grandparents

This month Luka's grandparents came to visit from Holland. While they were in Maputo Luka took them to his orphanage and we made a special delivery. Read all about the delivery here.

The Whole Family Heads to Kruger

We just got back from a three day trip to Kruger National Park with JJ's dad and stepmom. They came to South Africa and Mozambique for a holiday. After spending a week in Cape Town with JJ they headed down our way and the whole family headed for a couple of days of safari adventure.

Truth be told....Luka wasn't allowed to go on the safari. Young kids aren't allowed to ride the open air vehicles. It is kind of dangerous for a two year old to yell, "LOOK MAMA A LION." And since Luka doesn't really know how to contain himself yet it was a good idea for him to stay at the house with Elizabeth.

It is a good thing he stayed home...we saw about 15 lions in one day...and some elephants, wild dogs, crocodiles, zebras, monkeys, a leopard...it was a great viewing day. But don't feel bad for Luka he got to see his own share of animals right outside the house we rented. The house was in an area adjacent to Kruger National Park called Marloth Park and he saw elephants, implala, warthogs, zebras and baboons.

So I think everyone had a great time. You can see all the photos from our trip here.

Here is a sneak peak at some of the snapshots....this lion was right next to our "open" vehicle. I was so freaking scared.

This was the house that we stayed in...

Luka Gone Wild

Yesterday was Luka's first night in a big boy bed. We were so proud of him. It went great. He didn't cry and slept all night...until he woke up and came straight to my bed.

But the FUN happened at nap time. I guess he wasn't that tired. He totally faked falling asleep and everything was VERY quiet in his room. About 1.5 hours into his nap Elizabeth (our empregada) came to see me and said we should go check on him because she thought it was TOO quiet...well this is what we found.

He managed to take every book of his shelf, toys, clothes, shoes and baptize himself with the butt cream you see all over him. You know how greasy that stuff is....not easy to take off. Oh, and he also opened his bathroom and stuffed the toilet with paper.

Seriously, where does he get these ideas! I almost killed him...but it was really hard to keep a straight face.

Things that make you go hmmmmm...

Funny video that really didn't leave me laughing...check it out.

Living in a country like Mozambique has given me a different perspective on things happening back at home. It is totally insane that in the "most powerful" country in the world people go without doctors, medicine or procedures because they can't afford it or they can't fight their own insurance companies that don't want to cover things. We need a system that will help everyone meet their medical needs.

Mozambique is the 14th poorest country in the world and here you can walk into the central hospital and you will receive care. Okay, the care is bleak at best, but in this country you can't expect much. People, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. I am not arguing the quality of care...it sucks. But the fact is that you can get a $1 malaria test or free birth control pills, a chest x-ray if you need it. If you can make it to a health facility you are the right to be seen by a doctor. Again, I wouldn't want to be sick in a hospital here, but what i am trying to say is that even a country that has nothing knows that its citizens have a right to health care.

I don't get how in the "best" country in the world health care is not a given. You have to be able to afford it...the US is paying billions and billions of dollars in aid to meet the basic needs of the people in other countries, but back home it is a different story. Please someone explain this to me...

Okay, I am tired and it is time to go to bed, but I came across this video and I couldn't resist to share my thoughts.

Happy Birthday Moqui

Well little sis, you are officially into your thirties now. I can't believe my little sister is 31 today. Here we are with our boys about a year ago. She has a new addition to her family (Evan) not pictured here....so now the total is 3 boys in the family. When are the girls going to start arriving?!?!?

Sometimes I stop and think and I really can't believe that my little sister that was prone to every kind of accident (stitches all the time), had the bangs of all bangs (mom really didn't know how to cut bangs did she?) and had a pretty decent collection of Transformers.... is now an attorney, married and has two gorgeous kids. Where does the time go? Sorry to broadcast about your Transformers fetish, but at least now we know where Maxwell's obsession comes from. Like mother like son.

Moqui, I hope you have a great birthday today and celebrate all the wonderful things in your life. I know it would be even more wonderful if your big sis was in Miami, but for that we will have to wait. I hope to be there soon, but not quite in time to blow out the 31 birthday candles.

Frani's Pink Party

We had a great time at Frani's Pink Party. She turned 5 and although the weather was not ideal (darn wind) the kids had a great time. Luka also wanted to get his face painted for the first time. He asked for Spiderman. I have no idea where he learned about Spiderman. We have never seen it at home, but even at 2.5 kids manage to tell eachother what is cool and hip. Crazy huh!

But doesn't he look cute with Max. They had a good time posing in the pink photo booth. Oh, this photo captures my favorite smile...but I think it is time I cut his hair.

Here is Frani's personlized birthday banner.

And look at the candy bar. The kids were all over it and I think it lasted like 15 minutes and all the candies were gone.

Coloring never seems to disappoint. Kids of all ages were having fun coloring a page for Frani.

Frani and the rest of the Spear Family, thank you for a wonderful party!

You can see more photos from the party here.

Our Buzzzzzzy Bee

I know I am being ridiculous at this point. But we are so proud of our little guy. You should see him when he arrives at home with his works of art. He loves to see them on the fridge, but with this one in particular he loves to grab it and buzz all around the house. By now the bee has lost a wing, but that is the great thing about scanning and "preserving" Luka's art work...it doesn't matter if the original gets damaged.

Also at some point when it gets to be too much paperwork I can toss the pieces and make a book or portfolio from the scanned images. Wow, I just came up with that one right now. But yeah, wouldn't that be great...better than having a box and having it all turn yellow by the time he is older and able to appreciate it.

Luka's Latest Additions to his Portfolio

As you know Luka started school a couple of weeks ago. They have been learning about insects and here are two of the art projects he brought home last Friday. I love the butterfly made out of his hand prints...so cute! He is crazy about bugs these days and loves to repeat the words fly, bee, ladybug and of course BUTTERFLY!

But as far as school goes I think his favorite thing (by far) is hanging out with his teacher. It might be his first official "school boy" crush. Everyday I pick him up and I ask him, "Luka, what did you do at school today?" and his response is always, "Ms. Rosa, Ms. Rosa." And if I ask him who are his friends at school Ms. Rosa is always first on the list followed by Amelia, Mario, DooDoo, Yannick (all names of his classmates).

Interview with Alcides

I am very curious to see this film now. So far I can't find any information about a screening in Maputo. Did he find his brother? Where is he now? What can I do to help? Maybe I will write to BYKids - the organization that help Alcides make this film. I will let you know what happens...

Maputo Through Their Eyes

In August 2007, children orphaned by AIDS living in Maputo, Mozambique spent time with American photographers and filmmakers to produce a body of work that documents the joys and challenges of daily life.

In this web video, experience highlights from the children's photographs. The images are set to a song performed by the kids, their friends, and their neighbors at a local community center on August 7. For more images and stories, visit the project website.

I wish I could say that I was part of this project, but I am just a big fan of This House is Small but the Welcome is Big. Today I came across it again on the internet and I wanted to share it with everyone. When you look at the photos keep in mind that they were taken by children who had never held a camera before in their lives. They were given this tool to communicate with the rest of the world and I believe the photos convey a powerful message.

If you like this video you should also check out this link to see a new documentary from one of the kids in this project. It has been accepted at numerous film festivals and won many prizes. The story is very touching and it gives you a glimpse into the life of an orphan in Mozambique. Oh, look I found the trailer on youtube....brilliant!

Happy Birthday Papi

Happy Birthday Papi....I think you must be around 7 years old in this photo (my dad is the one on the left). I really love this photo. You look really happy and it seems like you are celebrating something, so I thought it would be fitting to share it with you on your birthday.

It is now about 50 years from the time you took this photo (yes, folks my dad is 57 years young) and you still look almost the same....just a little taller and the belly is a little bigger. But more handsome than ever.

You know I was remembering today how crazy and silly you are....

When I was a teenager/young adult my dad always used to introduce himself as my brother. It used to drive me insane and he thought it was very funny because most of the time it worked. I thought, "How in the heck are these people going to believe he is my brother...I mean we are 22 years apart." Okay, dad I must admit that now that I am 34 and Luka is 2 I realized that I will NEVER be able to pass as his sister and I am a little jealous. I didn't realize what a blessing it was to grow up with such "young and cool" parents. I didn't think so at the time, but we did have a lot of fun.

I will leave you with another story of how my father liked to fool people...

When I was in 11th grade I went on a school trip to DC. We had roommates from other schools across the country. My roommate was from California. I noticed that all week she left everything locked up and was acting very paranoid when I was around. I just came to the conclusion that she thought all Cubans from Miami were thieves. Finally on one of the last days of the trip the phone rings and she says, "It is for you. He has been calling all week, but you haven't been here. It is your parole officer." No, I didn't have a record. It was my father trying to perpetuate the stereotype that if you are from Miami you must be a criminal. Now I laugh when I think of the story, but I don't remember laughing at the time.

Happy Birthday Dad and thank you for always being a great brother..I mean father.

Lazy Sunday at Laura's House

My friend Laura lives in Naamacha or close to it...right outside of Maputo. She has a nice and open house where the kids can run around and have a great time, while the adults relax and lounge around. A group of us spent our Sunday there. It was great to catch up with friends and eat...a lot. Lau, thanks for making my favorite guacamole dip. It was delicious.

Thank you Paty for taking this great photo of Luka. I love the antique look that you gave it. If you would like to see more of Paty's beautiful photos click here.

Who says Ikea has to be boring?

I am a big fan of Ikea and mixing and matching with other furniture lines. But I always think....how many other millions of people have this same armoire or bookcase? Well, today I was in one of my internet surfing moods and came across Grippiks. This company sells these great surface accents that you can peel, stick, take off and reposition if you would like...perfect to decorate those Ikea purchases. Genius right. I thought so...take a look here.

I think this would be perfect for a kid's room! Enjoy.

i heart this camera

Okay, so it might not take as good photos as my Nikon D80, but isn't this the most precious camera. I have a weakness/obsession for wooden toys (my sister thinks I deprive Luka). But they are perfect and the best thing about it...no batteries.

Well, just wanted to share this find from one of my favorite blogs.

Luka's First Day of School

Today's was Luka's first day of school and we couldn't be prouder. He woke up at 6:15 am this morning yelling, "School Mami, School, School." I think he was very ready to start today. I was so nervous and it was all for nothing. Luka was practically sending JJ and I home when we arrived at the school this morning. When we said goodbye...he kissed us and kept waving "Bye, Bye," so that we would leave.

If I am being totally honest, I kind of wanted him to miss us a little bit. I didn't want a full on cry...but a little pout would have been nice. I am only joking. He was great!

Here are some photos from Luka's big day. Here is a going out the door, ready with backpack and all.

He was walking ahead of us and couldn't wait to get there.

This is taken inside the classroom. He started exploring some of the stations when we got there. We got there a little too early. We are such nerds...well, I am really.

Of course I was worried so I snuck in early and peaked through the window as they did the last activities of the day and lined up to leave. Luka rushed to the front of the line.