Happy Easter

Today was Easter and to be honest with you....I felt like staying home and staying in my PJs all day (JJ and Luka were both very happy doing the same thing). So instead of bunnies, we were hermits.

I don't know if it is this 34 week belly or the heat outside, but it felt so cozy inside that we spent the day watching tv and painting Easter pictures. Yes, I am a horrible mother...there were no Easter Eggs to be found in my house, but where the heck was I going to get an Easter Egg painting kit in Maputo and last year I tried with food coloring and it was a "permanent" mess. The Easter Bunny did make a stop in our house to deliver Luka an Easter basket.

Here are the photos that Luka and I colored. Can you guess which one is mine? Look at Luka's Easter Egg...Look closely. He said it was a picture of mommy WITH eyebrows. He was very proud of the fact that he knew the word eyebrows and that he knew how to draw them. The eyebrows are in black and my eyes are purple...do you see it? If you click on the photos they become larger for a closer inspection.

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter wherever you are!

Message from My Dad

My father is hilarious. Look at the message I found in my email yesterday:

Dear Melissa & JJ:

We love the last sonogram of the baby. He looks really big and I know you still don't know the sex, but I can tell you its a BOY.

The problem is that people try to detect the sex looking the way the baby looks TODAY, instead of looking at how the baby will look as an adult. I took some artistic liberties, but I know for sure it's a boy.

See the attached sonogram (pictured above).

Love,

Pai

Thank You Ms. Rosa

Ms. Rosa was Luka's teacher at the Montessori School he used to go to. She really made an impression on him and he talks about her all the time. Well, last weekend Luka got a special treat when she showed up to his birthday party with her family. She also brought a great present - a CD with photos of Luka in action at school. Ms. Rosa, thank you for such a great memento of Luka's time in your class. We miss you!

To see the photos click here.

Scene from Xai Xai

Two weeks ago we spent the weekend on the beach in Xai Xai with friends. Here is a beautiful photo taken by my friend Paty Jimenez. You can see more of her photography here.

For more photos from the trip click here.

Our Baby @ 33 Weeks

Today we went for our 33 week check-up and got to see our little peanut. We are still trying to guess if it is a boy or girl...what do you think? I think that just by looking at the face it looks like a little boy, but sometimes by gut tells me it is a girl. So to tell you the truth...we have no freaking idea. But it is very fun to keep guessing.

During the visit the doctor had a really good time giving us the details on the baby. Here are some of the stats:

- The baby already weighs 2.2 kg (4.8 lbs). (How much bigger is this baby going to get..still 7 weeks to go!)

- "The baby has a big nose....Melissa, it looks just like you or maybe JJ." (JJ laughing, I didn't laugh so much)

- "Look at those big feet." (Mommy has a size US 12 (43) and Daddy also has a US 12 (47)....BIG surprise)

- "The baby has a big head...look at all those brains." (At that moment I thought it was a girl)

- "You have a really happy baby. His/her heart rate goes up and down...shows the playful side of the baby."

All in all it was a great visit and we are very happy that everything is going on track and the baby is growing....and the best part is that I am NOT growing. Can you believe I weigh less now than I did before I got pregnant. Let's hope I don't gain too much weight in the end...but only time will tell.

As far as the pregnancy, I still get nausea and morning sickness, but at this point I just think of it as a reminder of all the great things to come....or at least that is what JJ keeps telling me. Small price to pay after all the work it took to get this little one.

Luka is really excited about the baby. I hope this is a sign that he won't be too jealous. He loves to come to our room in the morning and shower my belly with kisses. He also changes his mind on a daily basis on whether he thinks it is a boy or girl, but to be honest he tends to lean towards having a brother.

We head to the doctor again at 36 weeks...so you know what that means...more pictures and I get to eat at McDonald's (hee hee hee). They recently opened a McDonald's in Nelspruit, South Africa (3 hrs from Maputo) where we go for all our medical visits. Yummy! It tastes so much better when you only have it once in a while.

Message from Luka on his THIRD Birthday

Today I am THREE years old! I woke up this morning and my mommy surprised me with a really cool t-shirt. I liked it so much I had to do the birthday dance before I headed off to school to show it off. What do you think of my moves? By the way the t-shirt had a really cool spider to celebrate the Spider & Creepy Crawly Party I will have tomorrow...can't wait.

When I got to school my teacher Ms. Maria made me a silly hat and all my friends sang me Parabens (Happy Birthday in Portuguese) many times during the day. I had to wear the silly hat all day, but it wasn't all bad...everyone kept giving me hugs and kisses and treating me very special.

When I got home my mommy and daddy said I would have some friends come over for cake and coffee. What is that all about...I was like I don't drink coffee or eat cake, but they said that the adults would bring the kids (my friends) if there was something for them to eat...go figure. I was just happy my mom opened a bag of chips. Chips are my ABSOLUTE favorite thing in the world.

When they came over they sang Happy Birthday to me in four languages - English, Spanish, Dutch & Portuguese. I won't subject you to the video of all four, but here is my favorite version - the Portuguese. I really love to sing and blow out candles!

For all the photos from today click here.

Names, names & more names

As you know JJ and I are excited about the surprise regarding the sex of the baby. But that means we can't really pick a name yet and the endless possibilities has us in a tailspin. I found this really cool site - Nameberry. Check it out and let us know if you have any suggestions...you won't find out what we picked until the baby is born...we probably won't even know. But it might be fun to come up with some different and unique names.

Feliz Dia Do Pai

Did you know that March 19th was Father's Day in Mozambique? Well, we didn't either until Luka came home with this present for his daddy. Isn't it cute? He was so proud of his painted shirt and tie and couldn't wait for his father to see it. Feliz Dia do Pai my love!

Broadway in Maputo?

It wasn't quite the same as seeing it on Broadway, but Luka and I had our first Theater Date yesterday. We went to go see Peter Pan. The show was at one of the local theaters in town, but it was put on by the American High School. It was hard to get Luka to actually go into the dark theater. He cried hysterically and would not stop. We went outside and I calmed him down and told him all about Peter Pan and that it was just like the book we read at home. Well, after 20 minutes he agreed to try the show. So we went in late, but did get to see most of it. In the end he said he liked it and he has been telling everyone about it...but you would have never guessed from the holy hell he screamed at the beginning.

Mommy and Luka on their "date"

Bring on the Rain

This past Sunday we went to our friend's house for a dip in the pool. Luka was very excited about going for a swim. Well, we got there and it started to pour...but that didn't stop the boys from playing in the rain. They had a blast and Luka asked for rain today so that he could go out and play :)

Thank you Ellie for the photos!

Say Hey...I Love You

I had never heard of Michael Franti & Spearhead, but here they are singing my new favorite song. I saw this video (thanks Jackie for sharing on facebook) and it made me think of all the joy and happiness that I sometimes see walking around here in Maputo. This was done is Brazil, but it could be anywhere in the world where you see people that you think might not have much, but they still have this zest and joy for life that is simply contagious.

The song also talks about traveling all over the world and it states the more you see the less you know...that is so true. But the learning process is so much fun and really I am blessed to have the kind of life where I will be able to see many corners of the world. By the way, this week we find out where our next "corner" will be.

Anyway, this is dedicated to all my friends and family...I LOVE YOU!

PS Maybe I just overly sensitive due to the rush of hormones, but the song is catchy, huh!

PSS By the way if this guy is super famous and you are thinking...why hasn't she heard of him. Well let's just say that I don't have the most evolving taste in music. I listen to the same music over and over again. It drives my husband INSANE :)

Who is Michael Franti? Here you go...what a cool guy! I also heard he is an ambassador for CARE...loving him!

Daddy & Me Time

Just feeling the love for my boys today....aren't they cute? This photo was taken on our last trip to Miami. As I have mentioned before Luka is in love with planes at the moment and this was the perfect way for JJ to bond with his son over jet engines.

Feliz Dia Da Mulher

Today is the International Day of the Woman...well, at least that is what they told me at Luka's school when I picked him up today and he enthusiastically greeted me with this beautiful painting. It is the first bouquet I receive from Luka ♥

In celebration of all the special women in Luka's life I wanted to share the painting with all of you. He sends a special hug to all his omas, abuelas, tias and aunts!

Hanging Art with Hangers....Genius

After almost 3 months of not checking on my favorite blogs this morning I found some time to browse....I forgot how much I love them and how much inspiration I get from them. Here is a photo of a great idea....isn't it a cool way to hang up posters or maybe art from the kids. It has such a great vintage feel. The fabulous orange couch also adds to the whole style.

Our Baby - 29 Weeks

Well, we are officially in the home stretch now. There is no denying that I am pregnant and at 7 months and 1 week I am officially into my third trimester. I am feeling okay, but the nausea and food aversions are still there. I was not one of the lucky ones where those symptoms disappear after the first trimester. But I feel 100% better than the first couple of months...thank goodness.

We still don't know if it is a boy or girl and hopefully we won't find out until the big day, but there are many people that have their own scientific theories about what it is. A co-worker of JJ saw me today and she asked me a couple of questions about my freckles and skin and she said she knows. She claims she had a genetics teacher that taught her this "method" and she has never been wrong. We asked her not to tell us, but write it down and seal it in an envelope...so we can see if she was correct. In Miami people were always looking at my belly and saying it is a girl. What do you think? Isn't it fun not to know!

I will leave you with these photos of our "baby face" that were taken yesterday. They are not super clear, but if you stand back and take a look you can see our baby. Isn't she/he cute?

Luka's Drawing of His Grandparents

A few weeks ago JJ and I had to go to the bank with my parents. Luka came along for the ride and we had to keep him entertained so I asked him to draw a picture of Grandma & Grandpa. Well this was his interpretation and he was very specific about who was who. It was very cute....what do you think? Better yet...what do my parents think?

Happy Anniversary Baby

On February 19th JJ and I celebrated our 4th Wedding Anniversary (Yeah, I am a little late on the post). I can't believe how time flies....but I guess that happens when you are having fun...or at least that is what they say.

These four years have been amazing and I can honestly say that they have been an adventure! I love you baby and I can't wait for the next four years, and the ones after that, then the ones after that. Who knows where our "adventure" will take us, but there is no one else I would want as my co-pilot.

Aren't these pictures cute? Well, there is a story to them...ever since I can remember I have been trying to get JJ into a photo booth with me and take these type of tacky photos. Finally on February 19th this year we were at the museum with Luka and I spotted one. I think he indulged me because it was our anniversary. I don't know about you, but I love them.

Thank You Joey

I have this wonderful friend that is a very talented photographer - Jose Chambrot. He took the photos at our baby shower and they are beautiful. You can see them if you click here. For those of you that attended there are many gorgeous photos you might like...especially of some of your little ones.

If you would like Joey to photograph your next party or event send him and email at me@josechambrot.com.

Thank you again Joey for capturing the day!

Say Cheese

Finally....the photos from the trip have been sorted and organized. Since I didn't take too many photos I had to gather them from friends and family. We ended up with some really great photos that captured most of the things we did on our trip.

From going to the beach with family to build sand castles to shopping at Best Buy with Luka and let's not forget Luka's passion these days....watching for planes at MIA. This boy is really obsessed with planes, so much so that when we landed in Mozambique (mind you, the 3rd plane in 40 hours) he exclaimed, "Mami, I want to go on ANOTHER plane!"

Click here to see all of our albums.

Enjoy!

PS If you click on the image above it will become larger and you will be able to see that Miami is spelled out with all of our photos. Pretty cool, huh. Well it is very easy to do with a FREE program called Shape Collage. Click here to download it.

We are heading home...

Currently in transit from Miami to Maputo. We had a great time in Miami, but after 6 weeks we are looking forward to landing in our own beds in about 2o hours. I can't wait to catch everyone up on our trip....

I apologize for the lack of posts, but we didn't have a very reliable internet connection while in Miami. We were using the free wifi from the City of Miami Beach and it seemed like there we only a couple of hours a day when it would actually work.

More to come on the trip soon...

The Perfect Afternoon Lunch

My friend Wendy is the ultimate host and I have always been in awe of her parties. Well, this past weekend I was able to experience one her events first hand. She hosted a lunch in honor of....me! Thanks Wendy. The party and the details were amazing.

I also want to thank all the girls that went. We really had a great time catching up and making our own jewelry. Here are some of the pics and details:

Here you see Wendy at work...

The beautiful cake...

The beads for our jewelry making...

One of the bracelets we made (Lina's)...

When Luka arrived he joined in the fun too...

For more pictures from the day's festivities click here.

Happy Valentine's Day

This morning I woke up next to my two favorite boys in the world and with a kick in my belly and I couldn't help but think that this is the best Valentine's Day I have ever had. I didn't go on a romantic date with JJ or open a box of chocolates, but I spent the day with my favorite boys and some great friends.

We went to the zoo and got really close to some giraffes. It was amazing. I mean we have seen tons of giraffes in South Africa, but we have never been this close and have them feed from our hands...not to mention have them lick our hands and arms! Luka's face was worth every penny we paid to go to the zoo...PRICELESS.

We shared this zoo date with our friends Wendy & Brandon and then Wendy made a fabulous dinner. She even made felt hearts for everyone to wear...alla Julie & Julia...did you see the movie?

The Happiest Place on Earth...Even with the Rain

We spent the day at the Magic Kingdom and we had a great time despite the non-stop rain. Luka really got a kick out of all the characters and some of the rides. His favorite rides were Alladin's Carpet Ride and Dumbo. I think he rode those rides a combined 5 times!

But by far the highlight of the day was meeting Minnie & Mickey. He couldn't believe it. He was totally smitten with Minnie's kiss.

For more photos from our Orlando visit click here.

Baby van Herksen @ 25 weeks

Here is a photo of what our little one looks like at 25 weeks. I still think he or she looks like JJ...

We have come a long way baby!

OMG. I usually delete forwarded emails...but this one I had to take a moment and breathe...then laugh...then get a little angry...then laugh again. Can you believe this is an actual article from Good Housekeeping (May 1955)? It is amazing to see how far "we" have come in the last fifty years, but it just goes to show what kind of craziness women had to tolerate and deal with. My favorite ones are "his topics of conversation are more important than yours" and "a good wife always knows her place." Oh, but "take 15 minutes to relax and put yourself together before he gets home to look refreshed" is also a pisser!

I hope JJ doesn't get any ideas...I know you won't honey! But some of these things I already do, right?...ha ha ha.

If you click on the image above you will be able to see a larger version of the article.

Scenes from Miami

Photo: Luka at Annie's house....yes, this is at a friend's house. She has a professional playground at home!

I have been in Miami for over one week, and things have been a whirlwind. Running after Luka 24/7 has left little time for photos or downtime to catch up on the blog. He is asleep right now and I am awake...which is rare these days.

We have spent most of our time with family and friends in home, parks and the beach. We are saving all the extra special outings like the zoo, Disney, etc. for when daddy arrives in 8 days!

I have not taken out my camera once since I got here...yes, I know that is bad...but I haven't had the time or the hands for the camera. Luckily some friends have sent me photos and my father took some photos yesterday.

Here you see Luka at the St. Francis (my uncle's church) FunFest...he really wanted to get his face painted. He thinks it was a Spiderman...we didn't have the heart to tell him it was a baseball. Note: Luka had never seen a baseball.

This is Evan...my newest nephew! He is such a good baby:

Here we all are trying to play bingo...word to the wise...not a good idea with two toddlers. They just wanted to punch all the numbers and I couldn't keep track. It was very funny!

Help Haiti

Everyone can help. Please remember how lucky you are if you are reading this. There are thousands of people that are not as fortunate as us that are in dire need of our help:

To donate to the Red Cross click here.

Beware of the Lions & Poop

Recently a friend of mine traveled around Mozambique and came across this warning in his travels. I found it quite amusing and a little scary. Thanks Bastiaan for the photo!

I can't believe they referred to lion "shit."

If you click on the photo you can see it larger and read the memo.

21 Weeks

This week I went for check-up at the doctor and we took some pictures of the baby. We wanted to make sure we were both doing okay for the long flight ahead of us in just a couple of days. Luka and I (+baby) will be flying to Miami to visit la familia.

Well, here is Baby van Herksen. We still don't know if it is a boy or girl. I had to keep reminding the doctor NOT to tell me what it was. He knew right away...but I kept closing my eyes just in case I would see something that gave it away. JJ and I are really excited about the surprise. Do you think it looks like a boy or girl? Everyone keeps telling me they think it is a girl..but we have NO idea.

He/she was feeling a little social...in the photo you can see the baby sort of waving its hand. The doctor did say that it was a nice size baby and that I shouldn't expect a tiny baby at delivery....oh goodness! But we are both doing great. The baby passed all the tests we got an "okay" to fly.

My next post will probably be from Miami....

Luka's "Shape" Period

Many artists go through "periods." It is defined a phase in the development of the work of an artist, groups of artists or art movement. Well, I don't know if this is an art movement....But just as Picasso had his Blue Period, Luka is going through his Shape Period.

Recently we started learning and practicing shapes at home with games and on the chalkboard. Last week he wanted to paint the shapes and this is was the result. Isn't it great? In the first one you can see his attempt at making squares and the second painting is Luka's interpretation of circles. I think in this one he really let his creative juices flow and the result was an abstract face. Do you see it?

Well, we are very proud of our budding artist. Dad, this is especially for you since I know you love to see Luka's work.

For the record, Luka did EVERYTHING on his own except writing his name Luka on the paper.

New Friends New School

Luka started a new school this week. Due to scheduling issues we had to find him another school. We got lucky and he was able to join some of his friends at Nyoxani - a Mozambican/Portuguese Pre-School. One of his friends that goes there is Tendai. We met Tendai a couple of weeks ago and they are like two peas in a pod. Tendai is a little younger, but I think Luka likes acting like his big brother.

Here they are strutting their stuff and their backpacks.

Don't you love Tendai's boots?

For more photos from Luka's first days at this school click here.

Sunday Afternoon Bliss

What more could a girl ask for on a Sunday afternoon....Her two favorite boys napping and I get to watch The Audrey Hepburn Story on the Hallmark Channel. Don't you love this photo?

What Happened in 2009?

I can't believe that 2009 has gone by so quickly. It seems like yesterday that I was celebrating Christmas with my family in Miami last December. As I look back at this past year I can't help but think of some of the moments that shaped my year (or just fun things that happened) and laid the groundwork for some of the things to come in 2010!

- Going to Obama's Inauguration in DC with Luka, Moqui, Wole & Maxwell.

- Luka's Turns 2 and we throw him a proper Mozambican Birthday Bash!

- Switching to Mac...JJ was so happy I did this...I wasn't at first...but I would never go back now.

- Both Oma & Opa from Holland come and visit us in Mozambique.

- Driving through Europe with JJ & Luka. We went to France, Holland, Luxembourg & Spain. What a trip!

- Going to Mallorca for the first time and meeting my grandmother's family.

- Some of our other MAC purchases: my new MacBook and JJ's iPhone...what would we do without these toys!

- Start two new projects Maputo Infant Nutrition Program & Maputo Yard Sale...a girl has to keep busy. Thank you to all my family and friends that donated to the orphanage.

- Becoming an aunt again...twice...Evan & Olin join our family.

- We finally bought the chairs I have always wanted for the dining room - six white Eames chairs. They are gorgeous! We will have these chairs FOREVER.

- JJ and I find out that the IVF finally worked and we will have a baby next year.

- Luka starts school for the first time.

- Luka and I can hold a decent conversation...he cracks me up.

- Luka's uses the potty...we are still working on this one...but almost fully trained!

- Surviving my 1st trimester...it was a doozy...I am looking forward to enjoying the pregnancy in 2010.

- Luka understood and got excited about Sinterklaas & Christmas (Santa Claus & Baby Jesus) this year. He still asks if they are going to visit again soon.

- Seeing our new baby on the ultrasound and feeling the baby kick in my belly for the first time...it is surreal to think that there is a living person inside of me. I can't wait to meet him/her.

These are in no particular order and I am sure I will think of more as soon as I post this to the blog, but reading back on the list I can't help but think how lucky I am...someone pinch me.

My Belly @ 20 Weeks

What do you think? Baby bump or just too many donuts? I wish we had donuts in Maputo!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from Mozambique! I can't believe that it is January 1, 2010. Growing up I thought 2010 would be a little different. I think I saw one too many episodes of The Jetsons, but I totally thought we would have cars zipping through the air and I might have a robot washing my dishes. Well, we aren't there yet...but I can talk to my family through video whenever I want and the Internet has completely changed the way we live and interact with the world. Between you and me I don't think the flying cars are too far into the future.

Happy New Year and may 2010 be full of blessings and new adventures!