Zuri's "Very Hungry Caterpillar" Birthday...My Baby turned 1

Daddy, mommy, and the birthday boy

I guess I should start this post by saying I do not consider myself a creative person I just love planing and I also love Pinterest!!! Although I have been pinning birthday things for a while (mostly as I saw them around) I guess it all really started when Marlon and I took Zuri to his 6-month appointment and the P.A. looked at him and said "it is time to start planning your birthday party." He was only half way there but, if you read my previous post, time sure flies. For me this was more than just a get together, this was a celebration of the anniversary of the greatest gift I have ever received thus far, therefore, I wanted it to be special. I wanted him to have a great time with his friends and family. Although he is probably not going to remember much, if anything at all, of what happened that day, I hope he remembers how much he is loved and how happy and grateful we all are that he is part of our lives.

I think the idea to use "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" book by Eric Carle as a theme came after Zuri's baby dedication when we received a packet from the Education Department of the Southwestern Union of SDA that contained a copy of the book. I confess that, growing up in another country, I am not familiar with most of the American classic children stories. I had seen little things about it here and there but after I read the book to Zuri a few times I started to get excited about the idea. Then, around Christmas time last year, our friends/valley-parents Paul and Elsie Weber (both teachers) gave Zuri a basket filled with props related to "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" book (a plush/cloth book, a board book, a puzzle, a stuffed caterpillar, and the basket itself was a caterpillar). That got me started. I should also say that this was the perfect theme for a very very VERY hungry little boy who hasn't stopped signing the words "eat" and "more" ever since he learned them a few months ago.

In case you are interested, here is a link to my Pinterest board with all of the ideas Zuri's 1st Birthday Board. I enjoyed planning almost as much as I enjoying making the props...

I tried to keep the decoration simple but colorful with streamers and balloons and lots of colorful plastic table cloth. 

"From Newborn to Now"...except we were missing a couple of pictures...I don't know what happened

The Welcome table

When our guests arrived, they were greeted at the welcome table where the children received a "bug catcher kit," their antenna headband, and signed our guest book. The kids marked their presence by leaving a hand-print on our caterpillar and the "older kids" (a.k.a. parents and friends) wrote a message in our guest book, a large print copy of "The very Hungry Caterpillar." I loved seeing how the hand-print caterpillar grew as the celebration progressed. My favorite part is that we get to save these in his memory box.


One of the things that I really enjoyed about this theme was all the fun arrangements we could do with the food. I tried to have a sample of all the food mentioned in the book with a few exceptions, we substituted all the meat products with veggie/veagan alternatives and we had grapes instead of plums because they were out at the local supermarket.

Drinks table

Sandwich table

Food on the cake table

The Cake

Ever since I saw a picture of a watermelon cake about a year ago I was in love with the idea.  Watermelon turns out to be one of Zuri's favorite fruits if not "the favorite". Since it is also one of the fruits mentioned in the book, I thought it would be the perfect addition to our celebration. I feel very blessed to have many friends with so many different talents.  As I was thinking about how I was going to make this idea into a reality, I remembered a very creative and talented friend, Diane Castle, who had made some amazing watermelon designs for our baby shower. It just so happened that I got a chance to talk to her that week and she said she would do it. I just shared my idea and showed her the picture I had seen and WOW.....just....Wow!!!! she even had grape caterpillars wrapping around the top tier, kiwi leaves, and an orange for the sun at the very top...Wow!!! That is creativity!!!

Going back to the activities... once our guests got past the welcome table there were several things the kiddos could do. We set up little booths around the hall each with a different activity based on the book.

This was the caterpillar hand-print booth. Not only they got to "sign" our "caterpillar guestbook" with their hand-print, they also got to take their own home. Zuri's is hanging on our refrigerator.

"Pin The Caterpillar on The Apple" and the "TP cocoon." After the kids broke out of the "cocoon" they got a pom-pom caterpillar to put on their bug-catcher kit that they got when they came in. 

Our friend Kate reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to her little brother 

Our friend Brandon helping the kids in the coloring booth. The kids could take the boxes of crayons home with them.

The "make your own butterfly station." In this booth our friend Dominique was helping the kids to pick from a variety of colorful fillings (all kids of gummy things, m&m's, or goldfish) to fill the wings of their butterfly. I am not a fan of gummy things, but I sure ate a lot of m&m's =D

The "Photo-booth." Here the kids got their picture taken and received mini Polaroid prints attached to a card with a magnet to take home.

After we sang Happy Birthday, Zuri had his cake smash. I should note here that Zuri had never in his life tasted sugar before and although I had made a special banana/applesauce cake with no sugar added...the frosting was definitely sweet (I think it was whipped cream and cream cheese..I need to ask Rachella on this one). Needless to say I was very curious to see what he was going to do. His cake was the head of the cupcake caterpillar. The expectations were high in the room and everyone stood around his chair to see what he was going to do...

After this we went straight to the bathroom and he almost took a bath on the sink =D

Overall Zuri had a lot of fun, I had a lot of fun and I think everyone else did too!

I cannot conclude this post without a special word of thanks to several people who made this celebration possible. First of all, I want to thank Kristen Jandusay for encouraging me to start planning ahead, helping me brainstorm and sort out ideas, making awesome suggestions, and designing the leaf part of the invitation. Ia Acebedo for dedicating her time and effort to help me hot glue various props, as well as the awesome help during the party. Sean Acebedo for the amazing pictures...wow! you left us speechless Joneen Wilson for her unfailing support and willingness to help anywhere she was needed before during and after the party. Jodi Wilson for the amazing mini vegan cherry pies (seriously the best I have ever tasted) and the help with so many different things before, during, and after the party. Dominique, Stella, and Gamaelle Colas for taking time out of their busy schedules to arrive 2 hours before the party to help set up and organize, for helping with the kids activities, letting us use their cool camera in the photobooth, supporting us until the end, and always having a smile on their faces. Rachella Pena for baking and frosting all the cupcakes and cones, frosting and decorating Zuri's smash cake, and helping during the party, as I said before, how can I ever thank you enough?!! Diane Castle for the beautifully intricate watermelon cake, the help buying the supplies, and cutting and organizing the fruit during the party. All I had was an idea for the watermelon cake and you made it out of this world AMAZING!!! April Gonzales for arriving early, helping with the decorations and organization, manning the "cocoon" booth, and helping with clean up. Kate Racoma for her enthusiasm and for sharing with us her story telling skills (I will let Omar know you can get that honor now =D). My husband and my Dad for setting up all the tables, helping with the decorations on the ceiling, helping during the party, and doing the heavy work in the clean up. My husband especially for bearing with my bossy "get things done" mode and loving me still ;D. Andrew Dordete, who despite being only 10 years old and a guest at my house did not hold back when it came to helping anywhere he was needed. Great job buddy! My mom and mother-in-law for helping make, set up, and organize things at home as well as take care of Zuri so that I could finish the final preparations. They did a wonderful job with the caterpillar sandwiches and the yummy hot dog sauce! Also for all the help during and after the party. I hope I did not forget to mention anyone...there was so much going on and I have been suffering from "pregnant brain" lately. You are all very special to us and this party would not have happened all of your help and support.

I should also thank all of those that joined us in our celebration...your presence made our day even more special!!!

Thank You!!!

Reflections on Zuri's First Year

I cannot believe I am the mother of a 1 year old! Where did the year go???!!! Although it feels like time has flown by, when I stop to think about all that has taken place, it is hard to understand how all of it could fit in only 12 months.
It is hard to imagine that it only took 365 days for my completely dependent 8 lb 2 oz and 20 in little bundle to become a 23 lb, 31 in, bright eyed, curly haired ball of energy that can get into mostly anything and everything without my assistance. Looking back at the his newborn  pictures, I realized that I can hardly remember what he looked like before... it is as if he was always this big. I am glad we have thousands of pictures stored and this blog to remind me of those "early days."
That is why I decided to write this post. I have a feeling that as the days, months, and years go by these days will be less and less clear in my mind and I will forget. Forget how complex and amazing this experience is and how, even on the difficult and dreary days, there was always a glimpse of sunshine.
Over the last month, as I was nostalgically browsing through our home videos from the last year, I had the idea to make a video review. The original plan was to make a condensed version of our best videos for myself and maybe show it at his birthday party. Well, turns out putting together a birthday party (more on that on a future post) is a major undertaking in itself and I had no time to get it ready. But, I could not let the idea go, so after things had slowed down a bit this week, I finished it. I had a lot of fun putting it together. Here it is in case you want to see it too.



First and foremost I am so thankful to God for entrusting us with the care of this kind, loving, smart, and incredibly strong-willed little boy. I can't say everyday is easy but God has given us strength and an extra amount of patience to get through the difficult ones.
There is always lots of kisses and hugs going on in our house but a few days ago Zuri climbed up on my lap gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek (I am talking about a real kiss too! Not the previous open mouthed slobbering kind)... My eyes filled with tears. I will treasure that moment forever.

Talking about tears, there have been plenty of those throughout this past year (and I am not just talking about Zuri).
There was the time when we first got home from the hospital and I developed a very MILD fever and thought I was going to die because I was certain I had acquired some sort of infection at the hospital (oh those crazy hormones). There was also the time when my husband was away at a meeting and Zuri got sick (it always happens that way too) and I had to drive the car alone with Zuri for the first time, and then we both cried at the doctor's office when they had to take a blood sample. The pediatrician must have thought I was crazy.

There were plenty of reality checks too.
Breastfeeding is one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life, but also the most rewarding.
Although I found it silly when I heard of parents checking their kids breathing while they were asleep (prior to being a mom), I still do it after 1 year.
Working the night shift did not prepare me for the many months of sleeplessness; but one does get used to it, and after a while, 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep feels like 12 hours.
The stories about parents who drive to calm their kids down do not apply to every child, especially not mine.
One year later and we are still waiting for him to grow out of his disdain for the car seat.

The happy moments far outweigh the others though. Zuri is a very social little guy who loves to see others smile. He has no problem sharing his toys and usually doesn't mind even when another child snatches a toy out of his hands, he just picks up a different toy. He also loves giving things to others. At home, he is always finding something to hand to me even if it is a piece of his bread or one of his rice puffs (which he loves). If you ask him for it he will hand it to you. Such a precious little boy! He is very adventurous and curious. He likes to make noise by hitting things together (i.e. his wooden blocks) and enjoys listening to music. He is now learning to copy the actions for the action songs we sing during worship and is enjoying it much more. His latest game is hiding toys under his legs (when he is sitting on the floor) or under the couch and making his "where is it" motion (see video). He then proceeds to get the toy out with a happy squeal. Sometimes when I put him down for a nap he takes a little while to fall asleep. When that happens I check on him once in a while (I am waiting for the day he is going to attempt to climb out of the crib). Many times I have fond him playing peekaboo with himself, he will cover his face with the blanket, make his "where is it" motion and pull it off. He also talks to himself before he naps. Very interesting conversations indeed.

There are so many memories and lessons I have learned from this first year that I never want to forget. My prayer as I conclude this retrospective is one of sincere gratitude with only one request, that God will give us the wisdom we need to lead Zuri in the "way he should go" (Proverbs 22:6)

Week 12 and the gender is....//Semana 12 e o sexo do bebe e....

This last Monday we had our first trimester screening which included ultrasound and labs to check on the development of our little peanut. Baby seemed fine, sleeping for a good portion of the ultrasound, which the tech was very happy about. We could see and hear the heartbeat (~150 bpm) and overall just enjoyed the opportunity to see the little one again. It was very interesting to me that throughout most of the exam, the baby kept his/her little hand close to the face just like Zuri did when we saw him on the ultrasound... One thing we did not realize is that we could request to have a "Jack and Jill" test as part of the labs at no additional cost to us. Basically what this test does is that it screens the mothers blood for the presence of Y chromosomes... if they are there you are having a boy, if not you are having a girl. Needless to say we were very excited to be able to find out so soon since we were really not expecting it until at least week 20. We definitely do not want a repeat of the last time (If you are not familiar with the last time, read some of my earlier blogs =) and we were in no hurry but, according to them, this is "99% accurate" (watch us be part of the 1% ). The results are in but neither Marlon nor I know it yet. A good friend of ours has graciously offered to host a gender reveal party this coming Monday so we will have to wait until then. We won't know the results of the other measurements until we visit our OB on Monday also. Although we are hoping for a girl this time, I have this strong feeling we are expecting another boy.... oh the anxiety. Monday could not come sooner.

Esta segunda-feira passada tivemos o nosso exame compreensivo do primeiro trimestre, que incluiu ultrassom e laboratórios para verificar o desenvolvimento do nosso pequeno amendoim. O bebê parecia bem, dormindo por uma boa parte do ultra-som, o que fez a operadora do ultrasom muito feliz. Pudemos ver e ouvir os batimentos cardíacos (~ 150 bpm) e, em geral estavamos mito felizes pela oportunidade de ver o/a pequeno(a) novamente. Foi muito interessante para mim, que durante a maior parte do exame, o bebê manteve a pequena mão perto do rosto, assim como Zuri fez quando o vimos no ultra-som. Uma coisa que não sabiamos é que nós poderíamos solicitar ter um teste "Jack and Jill"  como parte dos laboratórios, sem nenhum custo adicional para nós. Basicamente o que este teste faz é analiza o sangue da mãe para a presença de cromossomos Y, se eles estão presente, sera um menino, se não, uma menina. Ficamos muito entusiasmados com a possibilidade de descobrir tão cedo, uma vez que realmente não estava esperando por isso ate pelo menos 20 semanas . Nós definitivamente não quereremos uma repetição da última vez (Se você não estiver familiarizado com a último vez, leia alguns dos meus blogs mais antigos =) e nós tambem nao estávamos com pressa, mas, segundo eles, este teste tem "99% de precisão "... (espero qe nao sejamos parte do 1%). Os resultados ja sairam mas nem Marlon nem eu sabemos ainda. Uma boa amiga nossa se ofereceu gentilmente para peraparar uma festa para revelar o sexo do bebe nesta próxima segunda-feira, por isso vamos ter de esperar até então. Nós não saberemos os resultados das outras medidas até a nossa proxima consulta na segunda-feira também. Apesar de estarmos esperando que seja uma menina desta vez, eu tenho um precentimento forte que sera outro menino.... oh a ansiedade...

Week 9// 9a Semana

Yesterday we had another of the "regular" appointments to check on our little peanut. I was very eager for this one because this would be the first time we would hear the baby's heartbeat with a Doppler. In the last appointment we had, about 3 weeks ago, we had heard a heartbeat and seen our little baby on the ultrasound, however, the heart was still beating a little slow (112 bpm) and we were measuring a little smaller than I expected. None of these are necessarily a reason for concern (especially not that early) the measurements can vary by fractions of millimeters, depending on how the baby is presenting, and the heart starts beating at a much slower pace and then picks up speed as the days go by. So, for this anxious mother here, the time it took for the doctor to find the heartbeat with a Doppler felt like an eternity..I might have been holding my breath. But...it was there beating strong at 168 bpm. Marlon and Zuri were there and they both got to hear it too. How exciting!!!!

Ontem tivemos mais uma das consultas "regulares" para confirmar que tudo esta indo bem com o nosso amendoim. Eu mal podia esperar por essa consulta porque esta seria a primeira vez que ouviriamos os batimentos cardíacos do bebê com um Doppler. Na última consulta que tivemos, cerca de 3 semanas atrás, ouvimos o coracaozinho e vimos o nosso pequeno bebê no ultra-som, no entanto, o coração ainda estava batendo um pouco lento (112 bpm) e estava medindo um pouco menor do que eu esperava . Nenhum destes são necessariamente motivo de preocupação. Naquela fase as medidas variam muito e por frações de milímetros, dependendo do lugar onde o bebê está localizado. O coraçãozinho tambem começa a bater a um ritmo bem mais lento e pega velocidade como o passar dos dias . Mas, para esta mãe ansiosa aqui, o tempo que levou para a médica encontrar o coracaozinho com o Doppler pareceu uma eternidade .. Acho que ate segurei a minha respiração. Mas ... estava lá batendo forte a 168 bpm. Marlon e Zuri tambem estavam lá e ambos puderam ouvir. Como estamos felizes!!

At this point, our little peanut is actually the size of a peanut =) He/she has hands and feet, fingers and toes, and all the major organs should be in place by now.  I am very much looking forward to the next ultrasound sometime in the next 2-3 weeks when we will get to see all the movement and confirm that all is going as it should. In the meantime, the last three weeks have been very slow for me. I have had very little energy and all I wanted to do was sleep. Marlon has been very helpful, getting up early with Zuri, (which sometimes can be as early as 5 am) preparing his breakfast, feeding him, and changing his morning diaper, so that I can get an extra hour or two of sleep in the morning. He is the best!!! With regards to food...bleh...I have been very picky and even when I am hungry certain things (or anything I make) do not go down. Just the smell of the rice I make (any kind of rice I make...) makes my stomach turn...other people's rice...no problem -__- my latest craving was lettuce wraps two days ago. I have lost about 4 lbs over the last few weeks, which sets my weight back about 4 lbs from when I was first pregnant with Zuri. Needless to say, I can't wait til this first trimester is over...I want my energy and appetite back.

Agora, o nosso amendoim esta realmente do tamanho de um amendoim =) Ele/ela tem mãos e pés, dedos das mãos e pés, e todos os principais órgãos ja estao em seus devidos lugares. Estou muito ansiosa para o próximo ultra-som que faremos nas próximas 2-3 semanas, quando veremos todo o movimento e teremos comfirmacao de que tudo que está funcionando como deve. Enquanto isso, nas últimas três semanas têm sido tudo muito lento para mim. Eu tive muito pouca energia e tudo o que eu queria fazer era dormir. Marlon tem me ajudado muito, levantando cedo com Zuri, (que às vezes pode ser tão cedo como 5:00 da manha) preparando o desjejum, alimentando-o, e tracando a fralda, para que eu possa ter uma ou duas horinhas extras do sono pela manhã. Ele é D++++! Com relação a comida ... bleh ... eu tenho sido muito exigente e mesmo quando eu estou com fome certas coisas (ou qualquer coisa que eu faça) simplesmente não descem. Apenas o cheiro do arroz que faço (qualquer tipo de arroz que eu faça ...) faz meu estômago revirar ... arroz de outras pessoas ... sem problema -___- Meu desejo mais recente foi eroladinhos de alface dois dias atras. Eu perdi quase 2 kg nas últimas semanas, o que me faz 2 kg mais leve do que quando e fiquei grávida da primeira vez. Eu mal posso esperar pra este primeiro trimestre acabar ... Eu quero a minha energia e meu apetite de volta.

To end I have added here a link to the video of when we announced to our parents we were expecting baby #2. What an exciting day that was....A special thanks to my sister for the video footage and for making it happen better than we planned.

Para terminar acrescentei aqui um link para o vídeo de quando anunciamos aos nossos pais que estavam esperando bebê # 2. Foi um dia emocionante para nos .... Nao posso deixar de fazer um  agradecimento especial a minha irmã pela filmalgem e por ter feito tudo acontecer melhor do que nos planejamos

=).

Family day at the Zoo// Dia em Familia no Zoologico

After planning and cancelling several times for many different reasons, this Monday we were finally able to enjoy a family day at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX. The Zoo is about an hour's drive from our house and the weather was just perfect (70's with a nice breeze). This was Zuri's first time at the zoo and I was very excited to see his reaction to all the different animals he was going to see.

Após o planejar e cancelar várias vezes por diversos motivos, nesta segunda-feira, finalmente,  conseguimos desfrutar de um dia em família no Jardim Zoológico Gladys Porter, em Brownsville, Texas. O Zoologico é cerca de uma hora de viagem de carro da nossa casa, e o dia estava perfeito (por volta de 21 graus com uma brisa agradável). Esta foi a primeira vez que levamos o Zuri ao zoológico e eu estava muito animada para ver a reação dele a todos os animais diferentes que ele iria ver.

Our day started very early (as it usually does in this house...around 5:30 am). We got everything ready so that we could leave right about the time for Z's nap-time  We timed it just right because as soon as we were in the car, and Marlon turned on the scripture song lullabies Zuri likes, he was asleep. This made for a very easy drive and even I took a nap. We arrived at the Zoo around 11 am and met our awesome friends, the Perea family. We are so blessed to have been able to spend the day with them, we had a blast!!!

Nosso dia começou bem cedo (como tem sido nos ultimos meses ... o nosso despertadorzinho que nos acorda cerca de 5:30). Aprontamos tudo e nos organizamos para sair por volta do horario do cochilo do Zuri. Nós programamos bem, porque logo que estávamos no carro, e o Marlon ligou o CD de cançoes biblicas de ninar que o Zuri gosta, ele estava dormindo. Assim tivemos uma jornada tranquila, e ate eu tirei uma soneca. Chegamos no zoologico em torno de 11:00 e encontramos os nossos bons amigos, a família Perea. Nos sentimos muito abençoados por poder passar o dia com eles, aproveitamos bastante!

Seifert's and Perea's missing Gabriel who was the photographer// os Seifert e os Perea faltando o Gabriel que estava tirando a foto

Zuri seemed to be in a bit of a daze while we were there. Maybe it was too many new things all at once...we don't know. We do know he enjoyed watching the birds, especially the ones in the aviary that we could walk inside, as well as a baby deer we saw at the end. He looked at the other animals and smiled sometimes but didn't seem very interested. Maybe when he is a little older...

Enquanto nós estávamos lá, Zuri parecia estar sonhando. Talvez foram muitas coisas novas todas de uma vez... não sei. Ele gostou de ver as aves, especialmente os do aviário que entramos e elas etavam soltas, tambem um bebê cervo que vimos no final. Ele olhou para os outros animais e sorriu algumas vezes, mas não pareceu muito interessado. Talvez quando ele for pouqinho mais velho...

Watching the birds// vendo os passarinhos

At some point during our walk we came across this awesome playground with lots of slides and other fun areas for the kids to play. Zuri seemed to really enjoy this part. He could crawl around a bit and go down on the slides with us, as well as watch the other children play.

Em um ponto durante a caminhada, nos deparamos com um parquinho maravilhoso com vários escorregadores e áreas divertidas para as crianças brincarem. Zuri pareceu realmente gostar desta parte. Ele pode engatinhar um pouco e descer nos escorregadores com a gente, assim como observar as outras crianças brincando.

watching our stuff =) // vigiando as nossas coisas

Daddy teaching him how to go down on the slide// papai ensinando a descer no escorregador

We took lots of pictures of the animals too but i didn't think anyone would want to see those here so I didn't post them...in case you are wondering...

Nós tiramos varias fotos dos animais também, mas eu acho que ninguém ia ter paciencia suficient para ve-las entao eu nao postei... caso você esteja se perguntando...

It was so good to be able to spend time as a family cherishing each other's company and having lots of fun. 

Foi muito bom poder passar este tempinho juntos como familia e desfrutar da companhia uns dos outros. 

As for me...I think I spent all of my energy for the week on Monday and now I feel like I am moving at a snail's pace...I just want to sleep, sleep, and sleep some more, and not eat anything I cooked myself... I am so grateful I have a loving and caring husband who has helped me tremendously over the last few days despite his busy schedule. 

Quanto a mim ... Eu acho que eu gastei toda a minha energia da semana na segunda-feira e agora eu sinto que estou me movendo a passo de tartaruga... Eu só quero dormir, dormir e dormir um pouco mais, e não quero comer nada que eu mesma cozinhei... Eu sou imensamente grata por ter um esposo amoroso e carinhoso que me ajudou muito ao longo dos últimos dias, apesar de sua agenda lotada.

Surprise Surprise!!!!!!

Hello Everyone!!!! After a 4 month leave of absence from the blog, now is definitely the time to come back! And what better way to do it than with the exciting news that WE ARE EXPECTING OUR SECOND LITTLE ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Olá a todos!! Depois de uma ausência de quatro meses do blog, agora é definitivamente a hora de voltar! E que melhor maneira de fazer isso do que com a boa notícia que NóS ESTAMOS ESPERANDO O(A) NOSSO(A) SEGUNDO(A) PEQUENO(A)!!!!!!!!!!!!

The 7 on the sign got a bit slanted and might look like a 1 but it is definitely a 7 (seven) =)

As soon as we decided to have children, Marlon and I already knew we wanted them to be relatively close in age. So, we placed our plans in God's hands and waited...now here we are! With Zuri turning 10 months on Thursday (3/21), we are confident that the timing is just right.

Assim que decidimos ter filhos, Marlon e eu já sabiamos que se dependesse de nos seriam relativamente perto em idade. Então, nós colocamos os nossos planos nas mãos de Deus e esperamos... agora aqui estamos nós! Com Zuri completando 10 meses na quinta-feira (21/3), estamos confiantes de que o momento nao podia ser melhor.

To me it is all still a bit surreal. I guess the reality of it all will set in when I actually post this announcement.  Although I definitely feel pregnant. With Zuri I had absolutely no symptoms other than sleepiness, not this time. Over the last couple of weeks I have craved all kinds of weird things...one of these days all I wanted for lunch was a salad with lettuce, kale, spinach  tomatoes and kiwi...that is right KIWI....with an orange on the side. I have not been able to stand the sight of rice, and tonight I had to have a "few" bean burritos from Taco Bell. I have also had a few mild episodes of nausea and once again I am very tired and sleepy (I guess this last part is not too different from the current usual). But I can't complain...we are all healthy and very happy!

Para mim, tudo ainda parece um sonho. Eu acho que a ficha so vai cair quando eu realmente publicar este anúncio. Embora eu definitivamente esteja me sintindo grávida. Com Zuri Eu não tinha absolutamente nenhum outro sintoma fora a sonolência, não desta vez. Durante as últimas duas semanas eu tive um monte de desejos estranhos ... um destes dias tudo que eu quiz para o almoço foi uma salada com alface, couve, espinafre, tomates, e kiwi ... isso mesmo KIWI... e uma laranja. Eu não aguento o cheiro de arroz, e hoje eu absolutamente "tinha" que comer "alguns" burritos de feijão da Taco Bell. Eu também tive alguns episódios de náusea e, como da outra vez, estou muito cansada e sonolenta (acho que esta última parte não é muito diferente do habitual atual). Mas eu não posso reclamar ... estamos todos saudáveis ​​e muito feliz!

We have been to the doctor a couple of times and our little peanut seems to be doing fine. I heard a heartbeat on the last visit and according to the doctor it had just recently started. Our due date based on the last ultrasound is estimated to be 11/2/2013. We are praying for  a healthy development and a healthy pregnancy...we welcome your prayers!

Nós fomos ao médico duas vezes e nosso peqeno amendoim parece estar indo bem. Eu ouvi as batidas do coração na última visita que, de acordo com o médico, tinha começado apenas recentemente. A data prevista para o nascimento com base no último ultra-som é estimada em 02/11/2013. Estamos orando para um desenvolvimento saudável e uma gravidez saudável ... Contamos com suas orações!

The little man is doing great! He is very tall for his age and a happy little guy. He just started saying mamma this past week. Once in a while he says pappa and duck =P He has been trying to copy a lot of the sounds that we make and the other day as I finished a phone conversation with "ate" (later, in Portuguese) he repeated it. He does not seem to be in a hurry to talk. He likes to point at things a lot and his favorite object is the ceiling fan. The other day we were at Lowe's and I took him to the ceiling fan section and held him so he was facing up...he was so happy I wish i had taken a picture of his face...He is quite the fast crawler and also likes to cruise around the furniture. He loves to eat whatever he can feed himself like rice puffs, blueberry halves, grape quarters, cooked brown rice grains (yuck =P), cut up whole wheat spaghetti....

Nosso homenzinho está indo muito bem! Ele é bem alto para a sua idade e uma crianca feliz. Ele começou a falar mamma na semana passada. De vez em quando ele diz pappa e "duck" (pato) = P Ele vem tentando copiar varios sons que fazemos e no outro dia, quando eu terminar uma conversa por telefone, e falei ate, ele repetiu. Ele não parece estar com pressa para falar. Ele gosta de apontar para coisas e seu objeto favorito é o ventilador de teto. No outro dia estávamos em ma loja chamada Lowe's e eu o levei para a seção de ventiladores de teto e segurei ele virado para cima ... Ele ficou tão feliz, mas tao feliz....eu queria ter tirado uma foto da cara que ele fez ... Ele é muito rápido para engatinhar e também gosta de andar se segrando nos moveis. Ele gosta de comer coisas qe ele consegue por na boca sozinho como cereais de arroz,  metades de mirtilo, quartos de uva,  grãos de arroz integral,  e pedacinhos de macarrao integral.

One of these days I was reading through my previous posts and I was so glad that I taken the time to write them....I am not one to journal but I was sure happy to have these memories. At the same time I felt really guilty I had not written for a while, so I am making a promise to myself to write more regularly.

Um dia desses eu estava lendo meus posts anteriores e eu estava tão feliz que eu tomei tempo para escrevê-los .... Eu não sou uma pessoa que mantem diarios, mas eu estou muito feliz de ter essas lembranças. Ao mesmo tempo, eu me senti muito culpada por nao ter escrito ha bastante tempo, então eu estou fazendo uma promessa a mim mesmo de escrever mais regularmente.

Zuri's reaction when he finished "The Lapsnatcher"// A reacao do Zuri quando ele terminou de ler "O Ladrao do Colo"

P.S. If you have not guessed yet, the name is a secret =P
P.S. Se você ainda não adivinhou ainda, o nome é um segredo =P

Wall Art DIY

Let me start by saying I love Pinterest!! I do not consider myself a creative person so much as an easily inspired one...when i see something i like I just cannot contain myself. This idea is one of those. I had seen it on Pinterest and was just waiting for the perfect picture to make it work. For this, I need to add here a special word of thanks to Paula Perestrelo for the amazing job she did. I think the best part about this project is that, it not only looked amazing, to me at least, but that it cost less than $10 to make!!! We wil definitely be doing this again...maybe change the picture every few months. the possibilities are endless.

Here are the step-by step instructions of how we put it together.

1. pick a picture you love
2. download a free software called PosteRazor from http://posterazor.sourceforge.net/index.php?page=about&lang=english for free!!!! This is the secret of it all...this program will take your picture and print it to a pdf file with multiple pages...you can choose how big you want it
3. print the picture...we had it printed at Office Max on regular 8.5 X 11 paper for 10c/sheet...thinking back on it, we could probably have printed on their thickest cardstock paper for a little bit more money and skipped the next step (next time...)
4. buy foam sheets and cut them to size (they usually come in 9X11).. these were on sale at Michaels for $4...a package of 40 and we used the paper cutter at Office max for free to cut them to the size we wanted. I wish we could have found a package of them all in the same color..maybe black or white...all we could find was the assorted colors bag...maybe if I searched online.

5. modge podge paper to foam...make sure to cover the entire surface of the foam with the modge podge or you WILL get bubbles...I learned the hard way. I also tried modge podge on top of the picture but i did not like the glossy look so I only did a few of the side panels (which I will be replacing soon). The personally liked the non-shiny look better for this picture (it also made my life so much easier).

6. Assemble your picture on the floor or a table...so you can put it up right
7. we used pre-cut foam mounting tape from michaels on the 4 courners of the back of the foam
8.pick a wall and put it up!! We used a piece of yarn and tape to start, then we used a book to make sure the spacing was consistent.

9. we left a few panels out on purpose...be creative!
10. enjoy!!!