The Night Before Kindergarten...

It's the night before Daniel starts Kindergarten and we just tucked him in bed. His new backpack is ready and we have his lunch prepared in advance too. Finally the day has almost arrived; I feel like we've been preparing and talking about this day for years! In the last few weeks we have literally been counting down the days with Daniel and this morning he was amazed to realize that there was only "one day left!"

 

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 am, we will make our way to the bus stop just at the end of our road (you can see it from our window). We will join the other kids from the neighborhood, many of whom we have met over the summer. Daniel already knows who he will sit next to (Raphael) and this has given him (and us) a lot of confidence. The bus is supposed to arrive by 8:50 am, but we plan to be out there early to enjoy the time and take lots of pictures. Once he gets on the bus, Jonny and I will do what apparently many parents of Kindergartners do the first day of school: we will drive our car and follow the bus all the way to school and witness his arrival there. Once he enters the school's front doors, that will be it: our son will have officially started the new "journey of school", one that will last many years.  

 

He knows exactly which bus to take back (the "red" bus) and I'll be at the bus stop at 3:45 pm waiting for him. We've talked so much about how I will be there waiting for him every afternoon and that once the baby arrives, his brother will be there too. Tonight he said "I can't wait to see my brother tomorrow when I get back from school!" I had to remind him that he will not be there tomorrow but probably in about 3 weeks. :)

 

So here we go. I have been feeling quite emotional these last few days with all these big changes coming our way. I wonder how I will handle seeing him go off in the school bus tomorrow (I'm sure there will be tears involved and a lot more prayer)...

But at the same time we do feel at peace. We visited the school again this past Friday and met his teacher (Ms. Graham) and some of his new friends and parents. We felt very comfortable with what we saw and the set up of his room. There will be a total of 22 kids in his class from many different cultures. Daniel was really excited about the "white board" (Promethean board) that is a large touch screen that he was able to drag his name to the right colored bus he will be riding on! All very interactive and high tech. And he got to choose where he will sit and put his name tag there. In all, we were happy to see his confidence and excitement. He seems really ready!

This last weekend Jonny took several cool photos of Daniel with his iPhone using an app called "Hipstamatic"; we now have a great record of Daniel's last weekend before starting Kindergarten, taken by his papai!

 



This is Daniel tonight, just before we went inside to start our bedtime routine. What a happy and excited boy!

36 Weeks Pregnant!

I'm officially today 36 weeks pregnant! That means that in one weeks time I'll be full term and the baby will be ready to come at anytime! I feel almost ready now to meet our little boy; just need to get a few more things done before he comes, like get some newborn diapers and pack the hospital bags. Everything else is ready: his room is set-up and all his clothes are washed and waiting for him. I can't believe that very soon, we'll be bringing home a little baby to officially join our family, to be Daniel's little brother. It's so very exciting! We can't wait to meet you little one!

We still haven't fully decided on a name, but I think we now have a couple of options... we decided to wait until we see him to make our final decision and announce it to all! :)

Back in April...

For some reason I didn't take many pictures in April and now what happened that month is a bit of a blur; probably because I was still experiencing nausea and was recovering from the difficult beginning of 2013...

 

But I found on my phone two photos taken back in April that made me smile:

 

1) My childhood friend, Adriana, came to the U.S. for a short visit from Brazil and we got to see each other for a few hours one day. It was so nice to catch up with her in person after not seeing her for a few years and Daniel loved meeting her. She brought him this really cool mosaic craft which he loved to do with her over lunch and while I had my midwife appointment. 

 

 

2) Jonny and I celebrated 20 years of being together on April 25th! Can you believe it has been 20 years since he asked me to "please be his girlfriend", at age 15, behind the bus transport building at the UWC campus in Singapore? It's amazing to us! We feel so blessed to have been together for so long, to have met at such a young age, and most importantly, to know that our marriage today and love for one another continues to grow stronger -- praise God, we don't take it for granted at all!

 

We celebrated by having a special dinner out at our favorite Italian restaurant which is very authentic and reminds us of Europe. The waiter took this one picture of us (not the greatest but at least records the date):

 

I love you darls -- more today after 20 years together than ever before!

 



Back in March...

The highlight of March was Daniel's 5th birthday! The actual day, March 3rd, was a Sunday and we asked Daniel where he wanted to have lunch that day after church to celebrate. Of all the places he could have chosen, he said he wanted to go to his favorite restaurant: McDonald's (a rare treat)! So off we went with some church friends and the boys had fun eating and playing in the indoor playground.

 

The following weekend, we had a birthday party for Daniel at BounceU, with his closest friends from school, neighborhood and church. They all had a blast and it was the easiest party to organize ever, since the venue literally took care of everything. All we had to do was show up and enjoy. It was perfect for me being in the first trimester of pregnancy and still experiencing a lot of nausea.

Daniel was so excited and wanted to wear the dragon outfit from Malaysia -- definitely no shyness in our 5 year old that day! He had so much fun and really enjoyed his party.

 

 

Daniel was so happy and at ease he got up in his chair and started to sing and dance to: "I'd like to move it move it!"

Back in February...

Hi Loved Ones,

So I've been putting off writing this post...I was diagnosed with borderline anemia over two weeks ago which helped explain why I had been feeling so utterly exhausted most days... but now that I have been taking extra iron supplements, I have started to feel more energetic (though of course still very tired some days, due to being in the third trimester). And of course, juggling family life, Daniel's busy summer program, work, etc. has kept me busy. However, the truth is that I have been reluctant to write this post because of the heartbreak our family experienced this past February. But  I can't just ignore what happened in February, in fact, I want to record what happened so that I will always remember. 

My aunt Nena (Maria Helena, who made several appearances on this blog over the last few years) passed away the evening of Valentine's Day. So appropriate that she died on "the day of love" because she was truly one of the most loving people I have ever met. The way she loved me, and our family, was so special, so unconditional, so real, so pure, so giving, so selfless, that I consider it a true blessing from God to have experienced.

 

And we miss her... SO much. She has left a huge void in our lives. Now that it's been over 5 months since she passed, it feels like it's even harder than when she was first gone... I know that with time I will get used to her not being here, but it is still very recent. In 2012, we spent so much time together... she used to spend at least a week a month at our house and had her own room. She used to call me almost every day, just to check if I was OK. She was our only family here in the U.S. and just such a special person, truly one of a kind.

Nena had gastric cancer but in the end, she died of complications from a surgery to remove a recurring tumour. She went to the hospital for her surgery confident that she would be out two days later, but God had different plans... The day we arrived back from Malaysia was the day of her surgery and for almost 4 weeks, I spent many of my days at her side. It was an emotional roller coaster as she was in and out of the ICU, some days doing better and others much worse... It was hard, very hard. I was just a few weeks pregnant and experiencing terrible nausea and the hospital smell just made it all worse.

But, about a week before she passed she was doing much better and we had a wonderful conversation. I was able to share with her that I was pregnant and showed her the 8-week scan photo of our baby. When she looked at it she opened her eyes widely and said "Hi baby! Oh, you will be gorgeous!" She was so happy I was finally pregnant since she had been praying for a long time that I would have another baby. When I told her the miracle had happened in Malaysia, she said: "I told you going on vacation would be a good thing!" There she was, on her hospital bed, very sick, but still making me laugh, still loving me so much! I will never forget that last conversation. She told me she loved me and was so thankful that I was at her side...

Though Nena had never married or had children, she didn't spend any time alone in the hospital. Some of the nurses actually got annoyed that there were so many people visiting her every day. And others were amazed at how many friends she had. We heard a few times that there were patients in the hospital that didn't have anyone visit them, despite having family in town. The fact that she was constantly surrounded by people is a testimony of who she was to many and of her love for others.

The evening she passed, she was surrounded by thirteen of her closest friends. I held one of her hands and kissed her many times as she went Home to be with her beloved Saviour. How she loved Jesus! He was her everything and He used her to touch the lives of many. We sang some of her favorite hymns and prayed. It was hard, very sad, but God gave us peace and courage to let her go.

 

We now live in the comfort knowing that she is Home and no longer suffering and that our time apart is only temporary... She lived for only 63 years and she had a hard life. But she made the most of it, always tyring to see the positive in everything, making the most of each day she was given, especially to serve and love others. It was time for her to go, as much as it is hard to accept...

 

Nena, thank you for your love. Thank you for being such a good example of how to love others and of generosity. I still have a lot to learn from you, but your example will always live in me. May I love Jesus and be faithful to Him as you were until your last breath. May I continue to look for the blessings in everything despite the hardships. May I not let the trials of my life make me feel sorry for myself or give up. May I love and serve others more and think of myself less. Thank you for everything you taught me. I love you and miss you so much. I miss your laugh, your endless stories, your accent, your encouraging thoughts, your phone calls, your singing, watching TV next to you, your delicious food, your presence... I look forward to being reunited with you again when Jesus calls me Home and we experience true joy and peace together. I will always remember and love you Nena, you will always be a strong part of me.

Photos from December 2012:

The last photos we took of Nena before we traveled to Malaysia

She asked me to take photos of her next to her Christmas tree and nativity scene. She mentioned she thought it could be her last Christmas...

She always had several presents for Daniel...

She loved her baby Jesus and let Daniel hold him -- very special!

A Christmas dinner together at our home...

I love this hug...

My last photo with her...

She was so excited to give Daniel a circus tent...

And he loved it!