Truly Inspiring

I just discovered that one of my close friends, Wendy, has started a blog for children's books. Just at two "posts" old this blog is truly inspirational and it is 5:30 am and I wish Barnes and Noble was open so that I could rush over and buy the first two books she has reviewed.

If you have young children take the time to click on her blog, you won't be disappointed.

http://thereadingteepee.blogspot.com/

Wendy, where do you find the time? Wendy is an architect, professor at the University of Miami, photographer, graphic designer, excellent party planner and A+ mom...well I could go on with her many talents....and now this blog. Thank you Wendy for taking the time for making us part of your literary world. I don't know how you do it.

Neneca

Neneca is what they call it in Mozambique when you carry a baby with a capulana (fabric tied around your body.) Well, I had to leave Mozambique to finally get it right.

Today I learned how to carry Sam "neneca" style. He was so cozy and really loved it. I have three baby carriers...a sling...an ErgoBaby and a Baby Bjorn and this is his favorite! I used an old black scarf and just like magic I had a baby carrier. Just goes to show you that I am a sucker for baby products and you don't really need so many things for a baby. I mean if all the women in Africa don't need a Baby Bjorn why do I?

Day of Male Bonding

Today JJ, Luka and Opa Jan Erik (JJ's dad) spent the day in Schiermonnikoog. It is an island and a national park in the northern park of the Netherlands. You can click here to find out more about this island.

It was a relaxing day of biking and laying on the beach. Here are some photos from their male bonding day...

Luka & Papa on the beach

Luka & Opa on the boat to the island...look at how Luka looks at Opa....what a cutie!

Luka on the beach sporting his Elmo underwear...JJ, did you take a proper bathing suit in the backpack?

Typical Dutchmen riding their bike.

Luka wiped out with all the "male bonding."

Our 12 Week Traveler

Sam is 12 weeks today and he has basically been travelling since he was born. He was born in South Africa...then we drove back to Maputo packed up our house...then we moved into a hotel for a couple of weeks...packed up again and traveled to Holland. We are here now...in a couple of days we will head to Miami. Then FINALLY to our new home in Bolivia. I think Sam will have more stamps in his passport at 3 months than I did by the time I was 18.

Sam is doing great...growing by leaps and bounds. He has really started to interact, play with toys hanging in front of him and discovering his hands and feet. It is really cute to hear him try to talk. And just today I noticed that he can move around on his own. If I lay him on a mat he will use his legs to move his whole body up. I didn't know he could do this and I layed him on a playmat and went to the kitchen...when I walked back into the room Sam was on the floor. He must have really strong legs!

He is also doing a good job still sleeping through the night...thank goodness.

We love you Sammy!

Babies & Buggies on the Bus

We met Marinke (JJ's cousin) Evert and their new baby Quinten (same age as Sam) today in the city. We had a delicious lunch at a bagel cafe (yummy!). Here we are in the bus riding along with the babies in the buggies. JJ couldn't hold the camera still, but you get the idea.

Here is photo of the two boys...

Good Friends, Good Food, Great Sunday

Today we spent our Sunday in Bedum with some special friends. JJ has been friends with Niels and Ted since college and it is always great to see them together. It was also fun to hang out with Ines and Khadija. Ines and Niels are expecting a baby in October and Khadija and Ted will be getting married soon.

Although, I think that Luka will put up a fight for Khadija. Those two get along so well...he even wanted to go home with Khadija today. She is wonderful with him. You can see thier mutual admiration in all the photos.

In addition to the great company, JJ's dad made delicious food. I am always in awe of him and his cooking skills. He is so relaxed. The food is always delicious and he always makes the EXACT amount for the number of people. How do you do that? Thank you Jan Erik. Today's menu was Groningen Mustard Soup & Jumbalaya....Yummy!

Here are some moments from today...Mommy & Sam:

Sam & his aunt Marlotte

Sam with Oma Coby & Opa Jan Erik

Look at that face...almost 12 weeks old now.

To see more photos from today click here.

Sunday Morning Treat

Luka enjoyed a pamper morning with his Oma Coby this morning. He was loving soaking his feet in the water, exfoliating and the foot massage. I think Oma was having fun too.

Pancakes for Dinner

In Holland everyone for the most part eats very healthy. When I walk around town I see very tall thin people. But they do have some food traditions that I find very interesting...and very yummy. For example...

Did you know that it is very common to eat french fries for lunch when you are on the go? You can buy them at stands on the streets with a big glob of mayonnaise. They also like bread with butter and chocolate sprinkles for breakfast. I really like that one.

But my favorite has to be pancakes for dinner. Yes, you read right...pancakes. Well, they are a little different from the pancakes you get at IHOP. You can eat them with syrup, sugar, Nutella or something salty like cheese, ham, salami, etc. They are delicious....

Luka loves them as well and he made them with Oma for dinner. He ate three pancakes that night!

Happy Birthday Grandma

The four of us want to wish my mom a Happy Birthday today, but Sam as the newest member of the family wanted to say Hooray and Happy Birthday Grandma! See you soon...

Family Time in Holland

We have been in Holland a couple of days and I have lots of stories and photos to share, but I am not sure where the time goes. We wake up in the morning and before I know it it is time to put both of the boys to bed. Where does the time go? I promise to update the blog soon with some of our outings and adventures in Holland. But for now we are enjoying the time with the Dutch familia and Sam is busy meeting everyone...

Here is a photo of Luka and his cousin Benthe the day we celebrated Oma Joke's Birthday (JJ's mom).

Napping in Daddy's Arms

I just couldn't resist posting this photo of Sam napping in JJ's arms...doesn't he look delicious?!?!?!?

McReunion

Yes, that is JJ & our good friend Bastiaan at a McDonald's in Den Haag. No, we are not really excited to be at the golden arches....we were really excited to see our best friends from Maputo. They left Maputo in mid-June and we had really missed them and will miss them in Bolivia. But we got the chance to meet up with them for a couple of minutes before they embark on thier Brazilian adventure. They will be moving to Brasilia (close to Bolivia.....yeah!)

Paty, Bastiaan, Max and Nynke have been a constant in our lives the past four years. We would see them everyday (sometimes twice a day). They were our neighbors in Maputo and Luka and Max played together all the time. Check out Luka's reaction when we surprise him:

Happy Birthday Oma Stolk

Today it was Joke's (JJ's mom) birthday and we were in Holland to celebrate it. We started off the day at Neenord (a kid's park) and then we had lunch at a restaurant on a nearby lake. It was a great day. To see all the photos from the day click here.

Happy Birthday Joke!

Happy Birthday Maxwell

We missed Max's party at Chucky Cheese...Luka is really upset about that. But we will be in Miami soon and Luka and Max will have time to celebrate. Here is a photo of him at his birthday extravaganza.

Thank you Dad for sending me all the photos.

Farewell Mozambique

Today we said goodbye to our home of four years. So many wonderful things happened for us in Africa. It is a posting that we will never forget and I have a feeling we will visit often so that Luka can always feel close to his country.

It was a very strange feeling to leave Maputo and know that we won't be back after a holiday. It was our home, the place where we began our lives as a married couple, had our children, had our family and made some of the best friends we will ever have. The friends we made in Maputo became our family and I am not sure what i will do without them, but I know that we will see each other very soon....actually we have already planned a Maputo reunion in Brazil next year.

I will also miss Maputo the city. The day I found out I was moving to Mozambique...I am not going to lie to you I was afraid and didn't know what to expect. As an American never stepping foot on the African continent I had no idea what was in store for me. Little did I know that I was moving to one of Africa's best kept secrets. Mozambique is considered a "hazard" post according to the Dutch Foreign Ministry....but I think the only hazard is that you won't want to leave after four years.

Coming from Miami I was very happy to live on the ocean again. It was great to be able to see the ocean every single day. Either when we woke up in the morning (when we lived in our apartment) or in our daily drive around the city.

I also am going to miss Elizabeth & Clotilde. They became part of our family and Luka developed a close bond with them. Elizabeth was Luka's surrogate grandma and my surrogate mother at times...always giving me advice. I was a little lost sometimes when it came to the kids getting sick and she was always there to calm me down and answer all of my questions. When we left they each wrote Luka a letter and I will save the letter that I will read to him again when he is old enough to understand where he comes from. He will always have a tie to Mozambique through them. After all they are his Mozambican family. To see photos of them with the boys click here.

Some things I won't miss from Mozambique...everything taking so freaking long and all the red tape and bureaucracy in the government. After all a place can't be perfect. Mozambique still has a long way to go as far as these things go.

But our time in Mozambique will always have a permanent space in my heart...it gave me the most precious gift of all...my family.

Luka's Last Day of School

Luka was able to celebrate on the last day of school with his friends and teachers. We took cake and chamussas for his schoolmates and they sang songs and wished him well on his new Bolivian adventure. Here is a "silly" photo of his class and teachers (Ms. Maria & Ms. Rita).

To see all of the photos from his special day click here.

Bath Time

Every night we have our routine. Luka takes a bath first....then he is put in bed. Then it is Sammy's turn for a bath. JJ and I do it together and it has become a little ritual. For the last couple of night's Luka has wanted to join in on the fun. He really gets a kick out of helping us with Sam. And from the looks of Sam's face in the photo below he seems to enjoy having his big brother around as well.

One of Sam's Favorite Poses

Doesn't it look like he should be saying, "Hmmm, one million dollars."
From Austin Powers....

Los Tios Cubanos

Luka was lucky enough to have sus tios Cubanos in Mozambique. We met Mirtha and Yudel a couple of years ago and they have been a constant in Luka's life in Mozambique. This couple is amazing. They volunteer 100% of their time in an orphanage in the outskirts of Maputo and live on donations from the church. They are wonderful with the children and even took in Deborah as their own. Here she is in the photo. She was teeny tiny and very ill when they got her and with them she has flourished and keeps getting better everyday.

Luka loves his visits from his Cuban aunt and uncle. We will miss them!

The Two Tinhikos

Today we said goodbye to our very good friends Sergio, Salut & Tinhiko. We met them a month after we adopted Luka and they have been there for the rest of our adoption adventure. They have become a very special part of our lives with Luka, and now Sam as well.

We met Tinhiko in the hospital a couple of weeks before we adopted Luka and visited her daily. She was just a tiny newborn baby and we loved her very much. We wanted to adopt both of them but they wouldn't let us...so we were very excited to find out that Tinhiko had been adopted by a Spanish couple and they had kept the name we gave her...same middle name we gave to Luka - Tinhiko (I think they spell it differently, but in the end it means the same thing - GIFT.

These two children have been the greatest gifts anyone could have given us. Tinhiko and Luka are beautiful children that are so animated and full of life and this really comes through when you are with them (and in the photos). Those two are inseparable and really love each other.

The times we have spent with Tinhiko and her family are moments that Luka (and we) will never forget. I know that we are only saying goodbye for now because we will see them very soon in the near future.

I don't think these two can stay apart for long....

For all the photos from that day click here.

Other uses for the Vuvuzela

If you have seen at least two minutes of the the World Cup you might have seen, but certainly heard the Vuvuzelas. At first I couldn't believe that FIFA would allow them inside the matches. I mean they are freaking loud. But some friends that went to the World Cup said they totally made the atmosphere. It was electric. We had one here at home for a couple of days and Luka was blowing that horn and he loved it. They do have a very unique sound! Here is a cartoon on some "other" uses for this very interesting horn....ha ha ha.

We have our very own photo booth!

I just love my Mac!

Just because...

I have no particular reason to post this photo other than I love it and I was playing around with one of my photo editing programs.

The look in this photo captures Luka perfectly at this stage. He is still the same sweet Luka, but he is loving being really naughty at times and he loves to constantly challenge me at the moment. I think being a big brother has stirred up many emotions for him. He is crazy in love with Sam, but he is still three years old and acts like it sometimes. The excitement never ends...

We love you Luka!

Say Cheese

A couple of weeks ago when Sam was 5 weeks we went to take some photos. I thought it would be the perfect time to capture Sam's "teeny tiny" stage and also to take some photos with Luka. The photos were taken by Vanessa Kruger - a South African photographer here in Maputo. The package was such a deal. If you are in town and need to take family photos I think she will do a great job.

Click here to see the rest of the photos from our session.

The Best Team Won

Our household was a little sad after the outcome of the World Cup...but the best team did win. Congratulations to Spain! If another team had to win I am glad it was Spain. Viva Espana!

Holland, it was a great ride and you did an amazing job. We are still very proud to wear orange!

Happy Birthday Sam...Sort Of

Dear Sam:

Today you are two months old. Although it has only been 8 short weeks it seems like so many things have happened. You have changed so much since the day you arrived and I have also changed, or should I say I am feeling normal again. Everyone said it would take about 8 weeks, but at the beginning you don't believe anyone...but it is true. And now that I am feeling better I get to have a lot more fun with you.

You managed to find your rythym at night and only wake up once for a feeding. You sleep MOST of the night....I know that you don't realize how great that is...but mommy and daddy are very happy.

You are also breastfeeding like a champ and grow about 300-400 grams per week. I wonder how long that will last. You are already wearing 6 month clothing and I am running out of clothes since I sent all the larger clothes to Bolivia thinking that you would be wearing the 3-6 month size until we got there...silly mommy. I guess we will just have to do some shopping.

You smile at us everyday and I think now you almost have a real laugh. Daddy is much better at getting you to laugh than I am. Luka also makes you laugh sometimes.

You are really good at holding your head up and enjoy our daily tummy time. You don't like being left alone to sit...we still need to work on that one.

We love you and are having so much fun with you at the moment!

Love,

Mommy

PS This is a photo of you today, to see more photos from your second month click here.

Early Mornings on the Weekend

Luka is up at 6:15 am everyday no matter what. He doesn't change his routine for the weekends. So lately I am up with Sam anyway so I try to entertain him. Luka loves to dance so he is very happy when I play music on the computer. He particularly loves music videos on YouTube. Here he is jamming out to one of his favorite songs.

I apologize for the dark video, but it was very early in the morning and I wasn't ready for the bright sunlight.

Mozambique in The Economist

I came across this article on Mozambique and I thought I would post it on the blog. My friends and family always ask me about Moz and this article gives you a peek into the economy and how Mozambique ranks in terms of other African countries.

Did you know that in 1992 Mozambique was the poorest country in the world? The article also says that Mozambique is "one of the best examples of post-conflict recovery in Africa." Well living here I find it hard to believe and I often wonder how success is measured, but then again I have never lived in other post-conflict African countries...so I don't have much to compare with. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Mozambique, but I often get frustrated at how things are run here and as an outsider it seems that many of these "donor" programs don't necessarily benefit those that the programs are intended for.

Click here to read article.

Happy Birthday Peter

Today our good friend Peter celebrated his fourth birthday. Luka and Peter are buddies and he had been looking forward to the party all week...especially since it was a "superhero" party. We found Luka a "Superman" shirt (adult size, so it looked more like a dress) and I managed to find a hankerchief in red, white and blue so that was the perfect cape. He thought he looked really cool....I thought he did too.

Peter is the one under the Spiderman mask.

Thank you to Laura, Peter and the rest of the Spear Family for a wonderful time!

To see more photos from the party click here.

HOLLAND GOES TO THE FINALS!!!

Holland has made it all the way to the World Cup Finals! We can't believe it. Hopefully now people will know where Holland is. You know that people still ask me if JJ is Danish....it happened just this Sunday! Come on people.....

Now everyone will know that Holland has a great soccer team in addition to windmills, cows and clogs!

Sam's Many Faces

A couple of people have told me that Sam is starting to look like me? What do you think?

But the majority still think he is a mini JJ. Most people see him and automatically say he looks like his daddy. We should start calling him Sammy JJ Jr!

Happy Birthday USA

I was trying to explain to Luka what the 4th of July was and the easiest way was for me to tell him that today was the USA's birthday. He still wanted to know "who" the USA was....I tried to explain but I don't think I was doing a good job on that one. Nonetheless we sang Happy Birthday to the USA and were off to the 4th of July picnic sponsored by the US Embassy in Maputo.

The festivities were held at the American School and they did a really good job. The decorations were great and I felt like if I was in a fair somewhere in the USA. I also loved the music...especially when I heard God Bless the USA by L. Greenwood. I am not a very patriotic person, but man I love that song and every time I hear it I stop and ponder on the fact that I am an American. It is one of the few songs that really make me stop and think about all the lyrics. It is so cheese, but I can picture myself traveling all lover the US. I guess that makes me a little patriotic...at the very least proud to be an American. Please tell me that someone else out there has the same reaction to this song...

The day was full of activities for Luka and JJ and I had a mediocre hot dog...but it was either that or Thai food and I thought the hot dog was more "4th of Julysy."

Here are some photos from the day and above you can see the whole family celebrating "Sam." No, not Uncle Sam...our new baby Sam.

Luka was very proud of his tattoo.

Awwww...the new family of four!

Yummy....blue ice cream!

To see all the photos from the 4th of July please click here.

Happy 4th of July

Today we will go to the Fourth of July Family Day at the American School. I am really looking forward to it and spending the day with my three boys.

July 4th is a day that I always spent with my family and many times we spent it on the beach. I am feeling a bit nostalgic today and I am missing them terribly, especially knowing that my mom, dad, sister and her family are renting on Miami Beach this weekend. They must be having so much fun with the kids. But we will see them soon enough and it will be perfect beach weather when we arrive in Miami, barring any hurricanes from appearing.

This video has nothing do to with my family or 4th of July, but I came across it this morning and I was looking for Luka's favorite music video on YouTube. I had never heard this song during his campaign...but I guess it is as good of a song as any to jam to on the 4th of July. Luka really liked it as well...

P.S. OMG, if they have sparklers at the picnic today it will really make my day.

Way to Go HOLLAND!!!!

Way to go Holland! I can't believe they beat Brazil...and one of the favored teams to win! Now we have to beat Uruguay or Ghana. I am rooting for Ghana tonight when they play Uruguay, but I think I will be wearing orange if they get to play Holland.

Lucky 7

It is incredible to see how much babies change just in 7 weeks. Here is a photo of Sam at seven weeks and one the day he was born! Amazing...

Let's see...this week he started to have somewhat a routine at night...Bath at 8 pm then some milk...then bedtime at 9 pm. He sleeps till 2 am then some more milk...then up at 5 am for some mommy and me time. This is such an improvement from the marathon of feeding him every 1.5 - 2 hours. Thank you Sam! He still hasn't had a bottle, but seems to love mommy's booby juice.

He is a champ at lifting up his head during tummy time and every time we hold him up straight he has to lift up his head to see what is going one. He is really observant.

His smiling is all the time now and I think he recognizes JJ and I and can tell us apart. I guess that is not too hard, since I am the one with the milk on tap...ha ha. But he responds to our voices with slight differences and he also stares at Luka all the time. I wonder what he is thinking about his big brother...probably "please stop counting my fingers and toes" since Luka is obsessed with that. I think he wants to make sure Sam doesn't loose any of them.

Luka has become very overprotective of Sam. If he cries he yells, "Mommy, please help him...he is crying." It is pretty cute.