Family pics

We finally got around in taking some professional pictures of our family! (the last time we had taken professional pics, Josefine was a small little fetus in my belly)
With such a beautiful kids, the pics turned out great!!!!
Here is a selection of a couple:

It has been a while..

Sorry it has taken me so long to update the blog! We have been busy!
Our trip to Chile went well! We had a great time and really enjoyed exploring a new country and speding time together, as a couple, just the two of us! However, we REALLY missed the kids! We constantly talked about them, remembered moments, looked at pictures online and called twice a day to check on them. The kids and Oma and Opa had a great time and everything went perfectly! We couldn't have been happier it all went so smoothly during the 9 days we were away. Josefine had settled nicely into daycare and both kids are now going there every afternoon.
Now, after 3 weeks we are finally into a nice routine: we spend the morning together (some days we have swimming, other days we stay home or go to Oma's house or find somehting to do), after lunch I take the kids to school, come home and start workting until 6:30 (since we got back from Chile, I've started working with Jason). At 6:45 we pick up the kids, together. It has become a fun habit and the kids are always so happy to see us. When we get home we start our evening routine with some play time, a snack, bathing, watching some tv or reading a book, bottle for Josefine and bed.
We have full days but they are so much fun!

fun quotes from Kaio!

As I have mentioned a couple of times, Kaio's vocabulary has expanded beyond believe and sometimes he goes on and on about things, telling (really or fictional) stories, asking us "por que" about everything, etc It is very entertaining see him chat away like that! In the past, I used to see other people's kids say or ask embarrassing/funny things and was curious when our kids would start doing that... well, with Kaio, it is in full swing! Below are a couple of "stories" from the last couple of weeks:
- "Mamae dormiu peladona" - when the summer started we had to make a big effort to convince Kaio to sleep in his underwear (he was used with his PJs) and we pointed out how daddy and I sleep with underwear and Josefine in nappies, so he agreed to sleep in underwear and often he would wake up and ask in what we had slept... a couple of weeks ago, Josefine was sick and in the middle of the night threw up all over me, I took of my PJs (and the rest) as it was covered in vomit! Since it was 3am I just went bad to bed naked. In the morning Kaio saw me without cloths (but did not say much). When our cleaning lady arrived, one of the first things he said was "Eu dormi de cueca, o papai dormiu de cueca, a Josefine dormiu de fralda e a mamae dormiu PELADONA!" (I slept in underwear, Daddy slept in underwear, Josefine slept in nappies and mommy slept naked!) It was hilarious!
- "Oma nao 'e burra" - the other day my mom was cooking (with assistent cook Kaio next to her!) and she put the wrong spice in the meal and said out loud "A Oma 'e burra" (Oma is dumb), at which Kaio, instantly and very spontaneously said " Tu nao 'e burra Oma, tu 'e a linda do meu coracao!" (you are not dumb Oma, you are the love of my heart!) You can imagine how happy Oma was!
- "Cuidado 'pilha'" - when Josefine is trying to walk or ready to fall over, I say "cuidado filha" (be careful daughter). The other day, Kaio was playing with her and they were rolling around, she almost bumped her head against the chair, at which Kaio said "Cuidado 'pilha'" (he pronounces the p instead of the f) (be careful 'battery')
Josefine is also increasing her vocabulary and says - daddy, mama, mano, Opa, belly, ball, aviao (airplane), baby, vrmmvrmm (car) and yummie yummie (food). When we say new words, she attentively looks at our mouth and tries to imitate the sounds. The other day, Kaio was screaming at her (because she had grabbed his toy) and she looked seriously and then yelled back in the same tone! (also very instantly and spontaneously)

In Chile

At the moment, Jason and I are in Chile. We have taken 10 days, without the kids, to explore a bit of the country! It has been great to spend some time just the two of us, but we constantly "catch" ourselves talking about the kids or looking at pictures.
Oma has been taking care of them and has had her hands full - I call twice a day and for two days I have not been able to talk to her, because she was either putting Josefine for her morning nap, giving her a bottle or putting Kaio to bed! Opa said it all yesterday evening - "you know how it is, you have your hands full with two little ones!". Luckily Josefine it all settled at nursery and they both go there from 1 until 6:30, giving Oma some time to breath.
I spoke on the phone with Kaio the other day and when Opa said that I could stay away as long as I wanted since the kids did not miss us (jokingly), Kaio jumped in and said "nao mamae, volta!" (no mommy, come back!) It also warms me all up inside when he says - "I love you" when he says goodbye.

First days of school!

We started Josefine at the same school as Kaio. I need to admit I have been apprehensive about it as I have a slight feeling this is the 'end' of a very amazing phase in our life’s - me being a full time mommy! But, on the other hand I also feel I need to start being productive and working on my career! I am very blessed that I will be staying with the kids in the morning and they will go to school in the afternoon, while I work (with Jason)
The first day, Josefine only stayed for 30min and was not particularly trilled by the new environment. She settled once they took her to play with Kaio. Kaio was very proud of having his little sister at his school and kept saying to his colleagues and teachers – “esta e’ minha mana!” (this is my sister). She ate an afternoon snack and then I took her home. The second day I dropped her off and after 5 mins they called me saying she had a 39C fever! She had been feeling hot, but I did not think it was anything to worry.. so instead of settling in at school I took her to the Dr., who couldn't find anything wrong with her!!! (I hope she is not so smart at this age and had a psychological fever... ;-) On wednesday she stayed an hour and it went relatively well as they kept her entertained outside with buckets of water and toys. On thursday she stayed an hour and pretty much cried the entire time. Finally, on friday we attempted 2 hours and she also cried the majority of the time! It breaks my heart, but we need to go through this. There is no reason to postpone it or delay it. I had always been warned that settling kids into nursery after 8 months is more difficult, which is very true as Kaio's adaptation was much smoother (he was 7 months at the time).
Next week we will try again!

"Por que, mamae?"

It started suddenly, and I was very happy when he first said the "por que, mamae?" (why, mommy?) Thinking it is good for being curious and to want to know 'the world'.... well, now he asks "por que, mamae?" at the end of any phrase I say! Sometimes I have a perfect answer (why is there thunder? why can't Josefine walk yet?) but sometimes he leaves me speechless (why does Oma not live with us? why is the moon 'in half' today? why does 'our building' not grow, like us? why does the truck use gasoline but my bike doesn't?) It must be in the genes - both Jason and I were very curious when we are young... I just hope I can keep up with all his questioning!

Same parents.... but so diferent

I am often amazed to see the diference between my kidlets! Although they have the same parents and are only 26 months apart, there are many diference - both physically as their personality.
Kaio has always had a very atheltic body - slim and muscular! On the other hand, Josefine is a bit more chubby. Of course, she is still a baby and has the normal 'baby fat' but she has a more 'rounded' body. Josefine is also very white. Kaio is white also but he will probably tan nicer and Josefine will be as red as a tomato with a little bit of sun! Josefine has fine blond her and Kaio has thicker and darker hair (this can of course change a lot throughout their lives...).
Both kids are fairly easy going, however Kaio is much more cautious when he meets someone new (it takes him a while to 'warm up' and be comfortable with stranger) and Josefine throws herself and smiles at anyone! Kaio is also more cautious in new situations (new toys, sports or challenges) and Josefine is much more adventurous. (she has had many more bumps on her head then Kaio as a baby!)
Of course, there are several similarities - Both kids are just absolutely beautiful and amazing! Both have a happy personality and are, generally, very happy and easy going kids!
Kaio when he was around 13 months!

A recent pic of Josefine after she fell and got a big bump on her forehead!

2011 will be another great year!

Both kdis are doing great. They are really having fun together! Most of the time they play nicely and share well, although Josefine has started 'complaining' (very loudly) when Kaio takes a toy she has been playing with. In the past he could easily grab her toys or replace it with another toy, but now she knows what she wants and does not take 'no' for an answer. Something tells me she will be a stuborn, determined and strong willed little girl! Most of the times, Kaio gives in! (although I have been monitoring it closely to ensure he does not get to 'bullied' by her ;-)
Josefine started saying 'baby' and 'hello' this week. Her Hello is in portuguese - "Alo" and sounds like AOOO. She says it when she hears the phone ringing or she puts a phone to her cheek. She also does 'no-no-no' with her index finger when I say it to her! (it is hard to stay serious).
Kaio has started the 'why' phase and is constantly asking explanations of things he sees around him.. such as 'why is that house being build there?' (what can I say?!) to 'why does the apple have pits' (that one is fairly easy) or 'why does it make loud noises when it rains?' (that was very easy). I guess I'll have to refresh my 'general knowledge' about things to be able to have answers for him!

Another year goes by....

I am still amazed how fast this year has gone by. I still remember at the end of last year, 2009, we were adjusting to being a family of 4 and also organizing our move to Brazil. It was very hectic but I do remember looking at my 2 kidlets (Kaio was 2 and Josefine a couple of weeks old) and thinking how great it will be taking a year off with them. I confess that there were moments I thought of going back to work (because I felt a bit insecure not having a income, which was unfound and Jason helped me through it) and there were days I felt all I did was run after Kaio, change Josefine’s nappies and fed them both, days that I wasn’t able to take a shower or even get out of my PJs due to being so busy with them, there were some long nights when both kids were sick and there was the ‘dealing’ with Kaio’s terrible twos! But then there were the days that I spend all day with a smile on my face in seeing my kidlets play together, there were the great moments where we would spend hours playing together, exploring the city, taking baths, going to swimming classes, reading books, picking up Kaio at school, going together to the store or mall, going spend the weekend at Oma’s, ah… so many moments… amazing moments. I have absolutely no regret in taking this year off with them and enjoying them fully.
We have such a great kids and they bring so much joy in our life. Every moment with them is just absolutely priceless!


We had a great Christmas. The kids got several toys, including 2 sets of Lego’s. (one for each) and now they spend hours playing with the 4 sets they have. It is amazing how Josefine plays with the Legos by looking at Kaio. Kaio can spend hours playing by himself, creating his own stories but often he asks – “vem brincar comigo” (come and play with me). Kaio has been so loving and polite. He often, very spontaneously, says – “voce ‘e o amor maior do mundo” (you are the biggest love of the world) to me, Josefine, Jason or Oma! He often grabs Josefine for a big kiss or to give her ‘carinho’ (she mostly is happy with it, but recently she has ;learned' to "complain" and pushes him away - although this is only 20% of the time!). He also tries to stop her from crying by giving her some of his food (when she is impatiently waiting to get her food) or a toy for her to play.
Josefine has mastered sign language (she says food, water, more, all done, bird and milk). Today we were in the store (more precisely in the tool department, away from food) and Josefine looked at me and did the food sign. I then realized I had forgotten to give her a snack and she was hungry! Kaio was as well and did the food sign to see if it worked for him too, clever boy! She is saying some words, like ‘agua’ (water), ‘mano’ (brother, referring to Kaio), ‘dada’ (daddy), ‘mama’ (mommy), and Oma. Last week she started ‘dancing’! (obviously this is beyond cute) and starts shaking her shoulders when she hears music or we say ‘dance’. She continues eating well and now we have to be careful what we eat in front of her, otherwise she does not want to eat her own food. This week she stopped eating her food and gesticulated (very eagerly) she wanted some french fries and corn on the following day!

Kidlets!

Josefine is becoming such an amazing toddler! She waves 'bye-bye' when someone/anyone says 'Oi' (Hi) or 'Tchau' (Bye). She does "Muuuuuuuu" when we point to a cow or when she sees any animal that looks like one, she also goes "uauauauau" when he sees a dog or any animal that looks like it.
She gives kisses (with her mouth open) to anyone. This week at swimming she 'kissed' all her baby classmates.... Very cute!
She has also started mastering the signing language. The same one Kaio did very well and helped us to understand him before he could speak. She does 'food', 'all done', 'birdie' (she does this when she sees a bird or hears one) and 'milk'. She started 10 days ago and hasn't stopped since!

Kaio has become a much easier toddler (touch wood, but I think the terrible twos might be getting behind us!) and he understands the situations, he is more patient, he cries less and is overall a total joy! I think he also has fully taken on the 'bit brother' roll and is very protective, sweet, patient and proud of her. Of course, he also knows he can easily take toys from her, place them away from her reach or persuade her take another toy! He is doing really well at school and has been sharing, spontaneously stories about his classmates and his day at school. He loves to spend time at Oma's house and he has even spend some nights there. (and opted to stay there when I wanted to take him home!)

1 year!!!

Our little girl is one today! She is not a little girl anymore, she is a proper toddler. She is a sweet, smart, precious, interesting/interested, beautiful baby girl!
She is a great little sister to Kaio and is an amazing daughter to us! She makes us all smile and we giggle together! She has gone from 3.3kg to 9.4kg and from 54cm to 74cm in 12 months!
Josefine has brought us so much happiness, she has completed our family perfectly!
HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY JOSEFINE MAIA!!!

We had a very nice day, she woke up in a great mood and we sang happy birthday to her. She looked very happy and started clapping her hands too! I was going to take Kaio and her to a park before lunch but she decided to take a 2 hr morning nap! When she woke up we went to have lunch and she feasted on french fries and some pieces os steak (she loves to chew and suck on them and then spit them out). In the afternoon Oma, Josefine and I went to find her a nice birthday cake and we had Oma, Opa and titia over for some cake and champagne.
Kaio was extra nice to her (letting her play with toys, hugging and kissing her) because it was her birthday!

"Olha s'o" (Kaio)

As mentioned before, Kaio has been chatting a lot and sometimes I get dizzy with his constant 'blahblahblah'. It is absolutely adorable and amazing in how well he has taken Portuguese! It's also very funny when he imitates us, like when I reprimand him he says - "nao faz assim, eu nao vou te dar um presente" (don't do that or I won't give you a gift) or "Nao comeca Josefine" (don't start Josefine) or "mamae, estou muito feliz contigo, tu esta te comportando muito bem" (mommy, I am very happy with you, you are behaving really well!)
Recently he has started saying "minha maninha tem um barrigao/bochechao" (my sister has a big belly/big cheeks) to other people, he then inflates his belly and pushes it forward and says he has a big belly too!
Kaio continues to eat very well, he loves his veg and fruits but has also acquired a sweet tooth and loves sweets!
Sometimes he likes to pretend he is a baby (like Josefine) and crawls on the floor and asks for a bottle of milk. He does not express jealousy towards her though!

BAAAAA (Josefine)

Josefine has been kissing us for the last couple of weeks. It's very cute! We ask her for a kiss (or a beijo) and she opens her mouth and places it on our cheek. It is mostly followed by her saying "BAAAAAAA" (I think she is trying to say beijo!) She also gives hugs!
She has been very attached to me and some days she follows me around in the house and clasps on my legs when she gets me! She has been very firm on her legs and can easily stay for 30secs without support. She also walks fast when you give her two fingers to support her.
Luckily she is no longer constipated and seems to eat everything we offer her. She also does not like pureed food as much, she prefers pieces in them (so she can use her 5 teeth to bite on them!) And to make Oma proud, she loves french fries!
One of her favourite activities at the moment is to get my wallet and empty everything that is in it, follwed by trying to put everything back. It's cute and very entertaining, although I have lost a couple of credit cards in the process ;-) Another toy she has been enjoying is lego. She sees her big brother play with it and tries to fit the pieces. If the pieces are together she loves to take them apart.
I still can't believe she will be 1 year soon! I started my maternity leave on the 27th of November of 2009 and am so happy and grateful I have taken a whole year off with my little kidlets!

Kaio has become a very fluent little boy. The other day he even told me a story. In the past, he asked me to tell stories and I would make up random stories about police officers, horses, dogs, etc but the other day I motivated him to tell me a story and he made up a cute little story about a mommy cow and a baby cow who lived in a little house and mommy cow made the baby cow some dinner after he played outside! He also does a condensed version of the 3 little pigs and the bad wolf. He is also very attentive to our conversation and often asks what we are talking about. (like it is his business ;-)
On the other hand, Josefine has started to use the sign language and can do "all done" very nicely. She has 5 teeth now and is eating a lot of new foods. She really likes cubes of cheese, raisins, chicken and beef (I give her a entire chunck and she sucks and bites on it), cherry tomatoes, whole potatoes, peas,..., and we keep trying diferent things all the time, which she always accepts. (although she first takes a lick to see if she opens her mouth). She is a fast crawler and goes and gets what she wants. She particularly likes the bathroom (maybe because we always stop her) and the other day she threw my armband in the toilet!

Swimming...

Both kids are taking swimming classes. Kaio goes on Monday and Josefine on Wednesdays. On both days I take both kids, which is very busy but lots of fun (which seems to be my 'life' the last couple of months/years....)
On Monday, we head to the swimming class where I get Kaio ready. Josefine and I watch him swimming. Josefine loves being "out and about" and getting lots of attention. When Kaio is done swimming I put Josefine in the babybjorn and give him a shower and dress him. Because Josefine loves her brother, she just 'hangs' in front of me and stares at her brother, although she is starting to get big and heavy to keep using the Bjorn. We have a snack before we head home.
On Wednesday I give Kaio the option to stay home and watch some TV (Jason is working from home and can watch him) or come with us and he always chooses to come with us. He picks a book or a toy to take along. We go to the swimming class where Kaio watches us getting ready and then sits next to the pool while Josefine and I take the class. During the class we sing several songs and do activities... Kaio always has a big smile on his face to see his sister splashing, diving and grabbing toys. He hardly touches his book or toy, he just watches our class. The teachers are the same and they always comment in how loving the kids are to each other! (Kaio always has a smile when he sees Josefine and the other way around is also true!) When we take a shower and get ready to go, Kaio gets his book and toy and entertains him.
Kaio still needs to get a bit more comfortable in the water and gets a bit "nervous" when diving, but he is getting much better. He loves his swimming classes and loves being in the water (head above water) Josefine on the other hand wants to constantly throw herself in the water and I have to pay attention since she always wants to go under water. The teachers comments in how great she does when we dive together (yes, she goes all the way under for several seconds and several times during the class)
It is becoming a fun and great "routine" on Monday and Wednesday morning. And we all love it!

Home "alone"

This week, Jason had to travel for work and was gone from sunday to sunday. My parents also went to Belgium, which resulted in me having a very busy (but fun) week - The days just flew by. As usual, we spent the morning together (which tends to be easy going with a nice family breakfast, getting dressed, playing downstairs or going to the store or for a walk, then we have lunch) and in the afternoon Kaio went to nursery (which he continues to love), the 'hectic' part is after Kaio gets home from nursery: most of the time I need to feed both kids, get some play time in, bath them, get them ready for bed (give Josefine the bottle, read a book to Kaio, brush his teeth, etc) and put them to bed! With Jason's help the bathing and putting to bed is done in 45min, by myself it is more like 1 1/2hrs. However, Kaio is such a big boy now that he is able to undress, help bath Josefine and dress himself! (and he quietly watches TV while I give Josefine the bottle)
When we went to the airport to pick up Jason, both of them had huge smiles when they saw Jason. It was very cute and showed how much they missed him. (as had the same feelings!)
Kaio had a Halloween party this week and really enjoyed getting dressed up! I got him a mask and a cape and he really loved being all dressed up to go to school.

I was explaining to Kaio our family "structure" and his last name. So now, when someone asks him what his name is, he says - KAIO BERNARD HALLLLLL! (before he would say Kaio Bernard). So then I asked him what Daddy's name was and he said - "Jason Lewis HALLLLL" and Josefine? - "Josefine Maia HALLLLLL" and me? - "MOMMY HALLLLLL"
Josefine has 4 teeth already and completely masters crawling and standing up (with the help of furniture, my legs, toys, etc)


She is also very good in finding her balance and is able to stand, without support for several seconds! She is sleeping very well and is very comfortable with the bottle (although she still has no interest in pacifiers). She is eating all kind of foods and most of the time she accepts them well! She started pointing at things when they catch her attention - like a bird, at books, when the TV is on - she uses her middle finger though!

We are so blessed!

Often I catch myself thinking of the great family I have! At random moments of the day I am just overwhelmed with the happiness that my husband and kids have brought to my life. Just a couple of examples:
- When I hear the giggles from my two kids from the backseat of the car. Giggling at each other!
- When Jason and I grab one of the kids each and dance to Dave Matthews and we all laugh and enjoy the moment
- When Kaio and Josefine take a shower together and then Jason and I get them ready for bed
- When (random people and friends) people comment in how beautiful, sweet and great kids we have
- When we all have breakfast together (Kaio is the first to get his plate and the last one to finish)
- When Jason and I wake up to Josefine and Kaio babbling (in their individual rooms, at the same time)
- When Jason and I talk about our kids while having dinner or on holidays (we just can't get enough of them!)
- When I go into Josefine's room in the morning and Kaio comes running to say goodmorning and kiss her!
- When we all play together and make a big mess!
- When we take the kids for a walk in their double decker buggy!

And she is off......

Josefine started crawling this week. She had been taking the crawling position before but would not move and this week, with a bit of motivation (my mobile, which she is fascinated with) at a certain distance, she started moving. The following day she went a bit further and now she scoots around to get what she wants. She still does not come after us but she is slowly but surely getting around! She also can easily go from the crawling position to sitting.
Kaio is really enjoying the fact she is crawling, however he could not help it and giving her a little push while she was crawling, which resulted in her falling face down on the floor and some tears.... I don't think he will be trying that again!
Josefine continues eating well and a bit of everything. She loves to chew on a piece of sausage when we have a barbecue (most of the times she spits the "juice less" piece out after chewing and sucking on it for 15mins!). She certainly loves to chew on things now that her two top teeth are coming out!
She continues to struggle a bit with constipation and although I have introduced lot's of ingredients that should be helping to loose her stools and removing several that make it worse, we still have tears every time she needs to poop!

"Dave Matthews..."

Bathing has become a fun adventure, as Josefine does a lot of splashing and Kaio loves to play for hours in the shower! But we all love it and is a great bed time routine! Since Kaio loves music I suggested we listen to some music and make it a dance shower.... while setting up itunes on the laptop I offered:
"Let's listen to Fruity Tunes"? (the music class we used to go to in the UK and which he loves)
and my little boy, very spontaneously said:
"Eu gosto de Fruity Tunes... mas eu quero Dave Matthews... eu gosto de Dave Matthews, papai tambem gosta de Dave Matthews. Dave Matthews e' legal!!! Tu tambem gosta?"
(I like Fruity Tunes.. but I would like Dave Matthews... I like Dave Matthews, daddy also likes Dave Matthews. Dave Matthews is cool!! Do you also like him?)
I almost cried!! SO CUTE! When the first song started playing he said:
"Eu j'a vi Dave Matthews, ne mamae?!"
It seems that the concert we went to in Colorado is clearly engraved in his memory... in ours it certainly is!!!!

Last weekend we 'dared' to leave the kids with Oma and Opa and went for a mini holiday of 4 days in Rio.
A couple of months ago we bought tickets to see Dave Matthews in Rio and thought we would be able to wean Josefine until then. Unfortunately she was not accepting the bottle. Since we realized there was no way we could take her we decided to 'bite the bullet' and we started weaning her a week before our trip. She fought it but after a couple of days of not giving in and showing that the bottle was all she would get, she started accepting it, from me! Then Jason started trying, and again, she put up a fight and was only accepting the bottle from me. After another couple of days of not giving in, she finally accepted the bottle from him and now she is taking the bottle from anyone!
Our mini break was great. We spend 2 days in Buzios (a beach city in Rio) and 2 days in Rio with some friends. On our first days we thought of staying up late since we could sleep in, but both days, by 10pm we were asleep and at 8am we were bright awake!
Josefine did great at Oma's house and slept through the night without any issues (from 8pm until 6am, for a bottle and then until 7 - 8am). Kaio also did marvelously and both Oma and Opa were very happy with how great both kids behaved!
All in all it was a great experience (for everyone) and we might repeat it in the future!

Rest in Peace....

A couple of months ago my dear grandmother, Josephine, passed away. And although she was 90 years old, her death came unexpected and has been very painful for our family! She was an amazing woman and gave so much of her to our family and others. She was very giving, caring, loving, supportive, funny, compasionate, and was a second mother to me!
Although our little Josefine never personally met the amazing woman she was named after, I am so happy we choose Josefine as her first name! I am also very happy my grandma knew I named my daughter after her (she kept joking she had to be the godmother since they shared the same name!) I am also very happy Kaio got to meet her several times and we have some great pictures!
I love my grandmother and she will always be in our minds! I am proud to be the granddaughter of such an amazing woman!

Happy Birthday!

Kaio turns 3 today!!! It seems like it was yesterday when we brought him home form the hospital! It is amazing to think that the little bundle we brought home that day is now a sweet, smart, bi-lingual, athletic and amazing little guy!
We have been planning his birthday for a couple of weeks now. He decided he wanted a pirate themed party. Unfortanetly there are not many birthday items with pirates, but we looked everywhere and believe we pulled off a great party! I have been involving him in the purchases and planning and he seemed very excited! Several times I joked we were having a 'Sherk/pilot/fireman' party and everytime he 'corrected' me saying it was a pirate party!
He had a fabulous day, was surrounded by friends and family, received lots of gifts and was exhausted at the end of the day!

Some 'comparison' pics

I was browsing some pics (it is just impossible not to take pictures of these little ones)... Can you see the similarities between the pics?
- Both like to eat and coincidentally have/had highchairs with dots!


- "jumping chair" - in the beginning it entertains them only for 3mins.. but after a couple of months - let the fun begin! (the pics were taken after 3mins during the first atempts in the chair)


- Same green outfit! (and 2 happy babies!!!)


- Both showing off their thighs...can you see the diference in the leg size, folds, etc?!


- And to finish - two cute faces!

A new Belgian in the family!

From now on we will have 10 passports between the 4 of us! This past week we went to Sao Paulo to sign the documents so that Josefine is now officially a Belgian! With her beautiful blue eyes and blond hair, she definitely deserves it!
Kaio stayed with Oma and Opa while we were away. As usual, he behaved very well and barely asked for us. It was also the first time I had a nice conversation over the phone while we were away. He told me he was playing with Opa and Oma and that we would return soon ("no outro dia" - the next day)! His vocabulary is great and he builds sentences really well.
Josefine continues to accept all foods very well and it impresses me that she pretty much eats any of the food I offer her. Like a mixture of collard greens and potatoes, or soggy rice with beans, etc. The other day when Kaio was helping me make her food and saw the puree of potatoes and colored greens he said he also liked potatoes but in the 'french fries format' - I don't blame him, the puree did not look appetizing!
Josefine has two teeth now and her hair is getting long. We constantly get so many complements on her good looks! This week we even had someone encourage us to sign her up for a competition a brazilian company is running to pick their new "model" for their advertising campaign...

9 month check

Kaio and I went with Josefine for her 9 month check up! They both behaved really well. Kaio was very protective of her and very curious when the dr. examined her. Josefine is now 8.5kg (18.7lbs) and 70cm (27.6inches). Which is exactly 1 kg and 1 cm bigger then Kaio at 9 months. Josefine has been struggling with another cold (I have lost the count of how many she has had!) and has not been sleeping well. She is also constipated and we need to give her some extra fiber and lactulose to help loosen her stools as it has been very painful for her the last couple of weeks! But, overall, she is developing brilliantly!
I have been explaining to Kaio where the beverages and food go when we consume them. Now he started saying things like:
Este suco vai all the way para down (This juice goes all the way down)
We have been called to Kaio's school due him hitting his classmates and although he does not hit us much at home, they believe it is becoming more then normal. They mentioned it might be a delayed reaction to all the huge changes that happened in the last 6 months/1 year - moving to Brazil, new home, new school, new culture, new language, new sister, new 'big boy bed', potty training, etc. If you get to think of it, they are indeed HUGE changes that Kaio took very well! We now need to ensure we emphasis his good behavior, his lovely big hugs, his kisses, when he is gentle with Josefine, etc. He is indeed a great little boy and just needs some support to get over this phase.

They finally arrived...

...her teeth that is! We always thought she would have teeth early since she has had red cheeks and chewed on toys since she was around 5 months. But they never came... until last week when we saw her lower gums go all red and a couple of days later her first tooth cut through!
Josefine is eating very well and we have been trying different foods, including french fries, avocados, corn, bread, etc. Kaio loves trying to give her his food! Today I was in a rush, making lunch and getting the kids ready and asked Jason to give Josefine her lunch, Kaio promptly offered to help. I thought that allowing him to give her a couple of bites would not harm and delay us too much, but instead he gave her entire lunch without much assistance. As she adores him, she was all smiles throughout the entire meal!
Kaio is making a big 'soup' of languages.. he constantly mixes both languages and clearly understands them both! Yesterday we asked him what he wanted for dessert and he said - Ice cream and sorvete!
Josefientje has become VERY attached to me and everytime I leave a room (even for a couple of seconds) she cries instantly!
She does not seem to have much interest in crawling but does want to stand and she can spend hours sitting and playing (on one side it is good that she is not mobile yet, as it will require double attention as I can no longer leave her seated playing... she will be all over!)
Jason recently started working again (after 7 months of sabbatical)and it has been very busy for me... before Jason would help me feed, dress, clean, entertain, etc one of them and often I had time to myself to run, read, etc (he took both of them) but now it is very busy trying to 'juggle' both. It is extremly rewarding and I LOVE being a mommy, but it is a whole diferent experience of motherhood and the days are just flying by....