She is really getting into saying words. This week she has been interested in words beginning with "m" or with the sound "oo"in them. Of course, Moo was a natural starter but she has also started saying Broom, Room, Poop and Mole. Mole because I have a mole on my knee and she wanted to know (repeatedly) what it was. Then I showed her that she has one too and from there she just loves the word. Poop came from the large cowpats dotting the center recently and anyone who knows me, knows where broom comes from.
Most of her other "words" are sounds that are close to the word but the same sounds for a number of words.
"Ow!" for when she gets hurt and also "ow" for out.
"oh" for discovering something new and also for "open"
She has become far happier about letting me change her diaper and will even go into her room and climb up on the bed saying "Di" when I say it is time for a change. K yesterday told her that we would be going to Aunty D's house and she very excitedly said "Di!"
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Miscelleny
Chocoholic
I decided that the size of my belly needs massive reduction and so I banned chocolate from the house. This has been a massive failure the size of... well of my belly. As I sit here I have in my mouth an empty spoon. What was in it? Nutella. I have raided all forms of chocolate in our house to get my fix. I even baked brownies one night. This is a lesson to me. Give up something else. And please - until you have played ring-a-rosie with Emma sixty-eight times in a row, don't tell me to get more exercise.
Boo
There is a group of students studying at the Center at the moment. They are very young and make me feel very old. Things that they do that make me feel old include the boys throwing water balloons at the girls and the girls not wearing enough clothing on chilly evenings. (Or warm evenings) A few of them like to jog around the ring road at dusk, and it makes me tut-tut that they could get eaten or gored by some creature. But here is the thing. It brings out the evil in me. I really want to hide behind a bush and then LEAP out at them with a ROAR. Even thinking about it I am giggling in a mini-me kind of way. See, you can feel old and still be completely juvenile.
The African Jungle
Recently our dining chairs were re-upholstered with a lovely giraffe print. Our couch is currently covered in some hideous palm tree sort of thing and we are going to get it re-upholstered too. I really want to do it in a zebra print to go with the giraffe. It is a large couch and it could be REALLY bad. There is a part of me, (perhaps I have some Mob wife in my heritage) that just wants a zebra covered couch. Emma and I can pretend to look at it through the binoculars, or pet it like we are in a zoo. I could make some fluffy lime green throw pillows to go on it. OOooh, I LIKE that!
Progeny
I think our Dikdik has had a baby. There was another family around but they never responded to my calls. Today I saw a family of dikdiks and when I called the female took a few steps towards me but didn't come any closer. We did think she was awfully fat for a dikdik, but had put that down to the banana peels we had been feeding her during Emma's dinners.
I decided that the size of my belly needs massive reduction and so I banned chocolate from the house. This has been a massive failure the size of... well of my belly. As I sit here I have in my mouth an empty spoon. What was in it? Nutella. I have raided all forms of chocolate in our house to get my fix. I even baked brownies one night. This is a lesson to me. Give up something else. And please - until you have played ring-a-rosie with Emma sixty-eight times in a row, don't tell me to get more exercise.
Boo
There is a group of students studying at the Center at the moment. They are very young and make me feel very old. Things that they do that make me feel old include the boys throwing water balloons at the girls and the girls not wearing enough clothing on chilly evenings. (Or warm evenings) A few of them like to jog around the ring road at dusk, and it makes me tut-tut that they could get eaten or gored by some creature. But here is the thing. It brings out the evil in me. I really want to hide behind a bush and then LEAP out at them with a ROAR. Even thinking about it I am giggling in a mini-me kind of way. See, you can feel old and still be completely juvenile.
The African Jungle
Recently our dining chairs were re-upholstered with a lovely giraffe print. Our couch is currently covered in some hideous palm tree sort of thing and we are going to get it re-upholstered too. I really want to do it in a zebra print to go with the giraffe. It is a large couch and it could be REALLY bad. There is a part of me, (perhaps I have some Mob wife in my heritage) that just wants a zebra covered couch. Emma and I can pretend to look at it through the binoculars, or pet it like we are in a zoo. I could make some fluffy lime green throw pillows to go on it. OOooh, I LIKE that!
Progeny
I think our Dikdik has had a baby. There was another family around but they never responded to my calls. Today I saw a family of dikdiks and when I called the female took a few steps towards me but didn't come any closer. We did think she was awfully fat for a dikdik, but had put that down to the banana peels we had been feeding her during Emma's dinners.
The Ants went marching two by two... Hurrah! Hurrah!
For months we have been plagued, literally plagued, as in, like a plague on our house, by ants. So many ants, millions, nay gagillions of ants. They have even been coming in through the cracks in the walls and floors of the house.
This is how bad they have been:
- When Emma has a cracker and is walking around the house eating it - you can hear them chanting: Crumbs! Crumbs! Crumbs! Crumbs!
- K, after cooking dinner one night, said to me: with all these ants around it's best just to cook with a lot of black pepper.
- They were in the fridge!
- anything left in the kitchen not immersed in water became immediately black instead of green/yellow/etc.
- We have not been able to give Emma milk at night because the ants climb INSIDE her bottle or sippy cup.
- If Emma spills food down her front, we have to change her clothes because the ants will climb her to get to it.
I instituted some house rules. Emma eats outside or in her chair and nowhere else. Dishes are immersed in soapy water immediately. All food products go into tupperwares. The drain in the back of the fridge where the ants were coming in is corked and released only periodically. All cracks in the house are gummed up with caulk.
Then at last some rain came. Oh blessed heaven, the ants have left! But, don't heave a sigh of relief yet! They have been replaced with beetles! Thin ones, thick ones, black ones, red ones. Ones as fat as your thumb! Beetles that click, beetles that clack and beetles you find in your bed! Also... beetles you find in your food. It's much harder to pretend; "oh my, that was a crunchy piece of black pepper dear!"
This is how bad they have been:
- When Emma has a cracker and is walking around the house eating it - you can hear them chanting: Crumbs! Crumbs! Crumbs! Crumbs!
- K, after cooking dinner one night, said to me: with all these ants around it's best just to cook with a lot of black pepper.
- They were in the fridge!
- anything left in the kitchen not immersed in water became immediately black instead of green/yellow/etc.
- We have not been able to give Emma milk at night because the ants climb INSIDE her bottle or sippy cup.
- If Emma spills food down her front, we have to change her clothes because the ants will climb her to get to it.
I instituted some house rules. Emma eats outside or in her chair and nowhere else. Dishes are immersed in soapy water immediately. All food products go into tupperwares. The drain in the back of the fridge where the ants were coming in is corked and released only periodically. All cracks in the house are gummed up with caulk.
Then at last some rain came. Oh blessed heaven, the ants have left! But, don't heave a sigh of relief yet! They have been replaced with beetles! Thin ones, thick ones, black ones, red ones. Ones as fat as your thumb! Beetles that click, beetles that clack and beetles you find in your bed! Also... beetles you find in your food. It's much harder to pretend; "oh my, that was a crunchy piece of black pepper dear!"
Sunday, March 27, 2011
And a good moo-ning to you too Sirrah!
It has been so dry around Mpala that the ranch's cows have come down to the Center and our house to graze. This has been a fabulous opportunity for Emma to learn about cows and she is fascinated and excited each time they come through and has even learned to moo in a deep voice just like they do.
Yesterday they came through the yard slowly, crunching the grass and lowing almost mournfully. Emma and I dashed out as we do and sat in the comfy chairs to watch them go by. Presently the Askari who tends them came past the front of the porch where we were sitting. He was startled by us and looked askance in our direction but kept going. He collected the cows around the side of the house and while doing so kept looking our way. Then he moved across the driveway to the cows there but still kept looking at us. I was starting to wonder if perhaps he had not seen many mzungu (white) women and children and what was so fascinating about us.
Finally the cows and the staring Askari moved off and Emma and I sat in silence for a while looking at the view. Then it hit me. We were sitting in silence. For about half an hour we had been mooing in ominous tones, at the tops of our voices and with great gusto! The poor Askari - never mind mzungu... maybe just nuts!
Mmmmmmmmmmooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Yesterday they came through the yard slowly, crunching the grass and lowing almost mournfully. Emma and I dashed out as we do and sat in the comfy chairs to watch them go by. Presently the Askari who tends them came past the front of the porch where we were sitting. He was startled by us and looked askance in our direction but kept going. He collected the cows around the side of the house and while doing so kept looking our way. Then he moved across the driveway to the cows there but still kept looking at us. I was starting to wonder if perhaps he had not seen many mzungu (white) women and children and what was so fascinating about us.
Finally the cows and the staring Askari moved off and Emma and I sat in silence for a while looking at the view. Then it hit me. We were sitting in silence. For about half an hour we had been mooing in ominous tones, at the tops of our voices and with great gusto! The poor Askari - never mind mzungu... maybe just nuts!
Mmmmmmmmmmooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Belly Buttons and Umbilical Cords
Recently Emma has become even more obsessed with belly buttons, lifting everyone's shirts to see if they have one, what shape it is, and how fast they can suck in their belly when it is exposed to view. She also lifts her shirt to show you she has one too and pokes her bony little finger in as far as she can to whichever button is closest.
She still likes to put her finger in mine as she nurses to sleep. This slight discomfort gives me more than ample time to contemplate something I really would not think about at all. And truly, it is possible that belly buttons are in fact profound.
Of course our entire being exists because of our Mother and her body's ability to grow a human being, complete with passions, happinesses and toenails but here on each of our bodies is a very specific spot that, if we take a moment, reminds us of all that.
No matter your relationship with your mother or how grown you are, you can always put your finger in your belly button and remember that you reverberated with her heartbeat, bounced in each of her steps and had her love flowing down the umbilical cord and into you.
She still likes to put her finger in mine as she nurses to sleep. This slight discomfort gives me more than ample time to contemplate something I really would not think about at all. And truly, it is possible that belly buttons are in fact profound.
Of course our entire being exists because of our Mother and her body's ability to grow a human being, complete with passions, happinesses and toenails but here on each of our bodies is a very specific spot that, if we take a moment, reminds us of all that.
No matter your relationship with your mother or how grown you are, you can always put your finger in your belly button and remember that you reverberated with her heartbeat, bounced in each of her steps and had her love flowing down the umbilical cord and into you.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Emma update
I taught her how to play ring-a-rosie today and she loved it, especially the part where I fall down. It's a slippery slope though, because, as with all things energetic, she wants to play again and again. So I have to get up and fall down about a hundred times before we can move on to another game.
Her words are increasing but mostly she babbles in a language indistinguishable to anyone except her. She can say the following though:
Mom, Dad, cow, cat, there, hi, bye, where and an impressive array of animal noises. These include pounding her own chest and hooting like a gorilla, raising her fists like a boxer and growling like a lion and going bltthhhttt like an elephant.
She loves to play hide and seek, and likes to make you hide with her. This sometimes means that it is she and I hiding behind a door with no-one looking for us. We usually stand for a while, looking through the gap between the frame and door and then jump out at no-one. We were doing just this the other day when I heard her going blthtt like she had something in her mouth that was bad. When I looked down she had her finger on her mouth and was trying to say shhhh. Too cute!
Her words are increasing but mostly she babbles in a language indistinguishable to anyone except her. She can say the following though:
Mom, Dad, cow, cat, there, hi, bye, where and an impressive array of animal noises. These include pounding her own chest and hooting like a gorilla, raising her fists like a boxer and growling like a lion and going bltthhhttt like an elephant.
She loves to play hide and seek, and likes to make you hide with her. This sometimes means that it is she and I hiding behind a door with no-one looking for us. We usually stand for a while, looking through the gap between the frame and door and then jump out at no-one. We were doing just this the other day when I heard her going blthtt like she had something in her mouth that was bad. When I looked down she had her finger on her mouth and was trying to say shhhh. Too cute!
Look around, this is your hometown
Driving around Nakuru I felt I was in a surreal time-warp. Knowing that these were the roads my parents (and I) travelled over 30 years ago. Each building held a possible conversation, a possible meeting, each grocery store could be a place where my mother chose what she would make for dinner. I had few details of where and what they did in Nakuru so the possibilities for connections were endless.
In a way this was good, it allowed me to just absorb the town, to revel in the feeling of strangeness and to try and imagine my parents as young adults with a new baby living in this place.
As a town it is no different from any of the others we have seen in Kenya with terrible drivers, red dust and brightly coloured advertisements every which way you look. So I allowed my imagination to roam free. Here was a clothes shop where Mom got the red and white nightgown she wore 'til the holes in it were so big it no longer provided warmth. Here were the offices that Dad went to visit clients in. Here was the Chemist my grandfather worked in, etc. etc.
It was in the midst of one of these reveries that K and D got very excited and pulled off into a neighbourhood, following signs for the Nakuru War Memorial hospital. We passed a funeral procession, and parked. Here was something I did not need to imagine. Here I was born. Here was a piece of me, of my lore. Perhaps it was my imagination run amuck but I did feel something, something like home, something like the comfort of a place well loved. I also added something new to who I am, here I visited the place of my birth with my husband, and child and best friend.
In a way this was good, it allowed me to just absorb the town, to revel in the feeling of strangeness and to try and imagine my parents as young adults with a new baby living in this place.
As a town it is no different from any of the others we have seen in Kenya with terrible drivers, red dust and brightly coloured advertisements every which way you look. So I allowed my imagination to roam free. Here was a clothes shop where Mom got the red and white nightgown she wore 'til the holes in it were so big it no longer provided warmth. Here were the offices that Dad went to visit clients in. Here was the Chemist my grandfather worked in, etc. etc.
It was in the midst of one of these reveries that K and D got very excited and pulled off into a neighbourhood, following signs for the Nakuru War Memorial hospital. We passed a funeral procession, and parked. Here was something I did not need to imagine. Here I was born. Here was a piece of me, of my lore. Perhaps it was my imagination run amuck but I did feel something, something like home, something like the comfort of a place well loved. I also added something new to who I am, here I visited the place of my birth with my husband, and child and best friend.
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