baby model

My mom thinks that we should put Kyalo and his good looks to work to help us pay for school.  Sounds like a good plan to me!  Here he is in a (enormous) 3-6 month Gap sweater, which was handed down from a friend (thanks, Brooke!).

What do you think?  Should we put the boy to work? I think it is about time he start pulling his weight in this family. . .

picture stories

Seems time to update this blog with some photos!  Here's a random assortment of what's been going on in Kijabe the last few days.

Obviously, the most significant thing is the fact that we're heading to New Jersey in March (exact date TBD, but we think school will start the first week of April...) so Dexter wanted to do a fun little announcement:

{it is really happening...might take a while for that to sink in}

Kyalo spends a lot of time on our floor. Usually he's sitting happily on a blanket and this little "tummy time" mat.  But now that he can roll over I have to watch him more carefully because rolling is apparently a good form of locomotion!  The other day I looked over to find him like this:

{hello!} 

(note the clothes pin, always close at hand...)

I've mentioned before that we're giving Baby Led Weaning a try as we introduce solid foods to Kyalo.  It has been a fun - but also slow - process.  I must admit, sometimes it is easier, faster, cleaner to breastfeed.  But Kyalo likes to gnaw on the various things we've given him, and it becomes a nice activity for him as well.  Recently, he had his first sips of water (he was reaching for my cup of chai which is a no-no, so I did a quick switch on him and gave him water. He was none the wiser.), and I think he liked it.

Sure, most of it ended up dribbled down his shirt, but he liked it! 

Yesterday, he had his first taste of spaghetti.  This was a hit as well.

Look at that face of happiness! He really does enjoy tasting new foods.  And we still give him rice cereal from time to time. He generally takes the spoon from me so that ends up as a huge mess...but it is all about learning how to eat and use utensils, so I'll go with it for now.

exciting things ahead

Things are happening at breakneck speed around here.  Dexter returned on Friday night to Kenya, after his two days of interviews and exams and two days recovering at my parents' house in Essex.  After the interview on Monday he felt so good.  The interviewer was from a town about 30 minutes from Essex, so they had that to bond over, and he said he felt relaxed and comfortable the whole time, not nervous or on edge.  Tuesday was the clinical which meant doing a filling and preparing a crown.  He did not leave that time feeling very confident; he struggled with the filling of all things!  He even told one of the examiners that he wished he'd done better!  So, he didn't really know what to expect or think.

He was told that he would hear within two weeks about his results, and so we planned on waiting until the end of the month to make any life decisions.  But then, on Friday night, just hours after landing back in Kenya, he got word that:

He has been accepted to New Jersey!

WHOA.

In my previous post I had said we would go to Buffalo regardless of the results of the NJ interview.  Well, we've scratched that and have just decided to go to NJ.  Any program that he gets into will offer what he needs:  a refinement of his skills, and the ability to be licensed in the US, and since Buffalo is double the costs of NJ, we decided that being less in debt is probably the way to go.  Plus, we have extended family in New Jersey, friends Matt & Erica will be in Long Island for the first few months we're there, and my parents will be a 45-minute plane ride away.  I really can't get over that -- that's the closest we'll be since I moved to Oakland in 2000.

We're so excited. . .and overwhelmed. 

The funny thing is that Dexter decided at the last minute to apply to New Jersey, and then we were so close to even losing his interview spot. Clearly, God's hand is upon us!  And we know that it will continue to be in the months and years to come.  Lots of decisions ahead.

Thank you, again, for your prayers and words of encouragement, and for being with us in this journey, even from so far away.  I'll post more details when we have them.

Now, who can tell us anything about Newark, New Jersey?

one down, one to go

Dexter is now finished with his interview and clinical exam in NJ and is relaxing in MA at my parents' house {lucky guy}.  From the sounds of things, they went well.  Of course, he thinks the clinical was tough, but that's what it was supposed to be. The first day was the interview/tour/information day of the two days. His interviewer was a woman from Marblehead, MA, about 30 minutes from my hometown! That was a nice connection for him to make.  We should know, I think, by the end of the month the results of his time there.

Chances are good that, even if accepted at UMDNJ, we will still go to Buffalo in November for the interview there {and so we can be home for Thanksgiving}.  Might as well keep the options open, I guess. The problem with Buffalo is that it is $175,000 for the first year.  We'll be accepting donations of kidneys, partial livers, cash, etc, if we do end up deciding to go there! Geesh, we can't quite figure out why it is so expensive.

I should explain that Dexter is applying to the Internationally Trained Dentist program at all of these schools. This means that he enters dental school in the third year, not the first, so it is an accelerated program.  Going to dental school in the US is a requirement if he wants to be licensed to practice in the US at any point, and it will make getting into an orthodontic program (preferably a paid residency) sometime down the line easier {we think}. 

Things on the home front are generally good. I was hoping to get Kyalo back into a bit of a routine while Dexter was gone but that is not working.  I have not successfully figured out a way to get him to sleep without either nursing or letting him fall asleep in my arms.  We used to be able to do that, but then went to the US and somehow lost it all.  I don't like letting him scream because he doesn't just scream, he screeches and hollers and flails around.  The Ferber method (from what I hear) says to go in and pat the baby on the back to calm him down. This does NOT work for Kyalo.  He is crying now as I write this, as I'm trying to see what happens in five or ten minutes.  But he does not calm down or relax, he has spit the pacifier out, and when I go in he won't be any happier to see me.  Perhaps I've just put myself in a bad situation, and I need to be stronger than I seem to be about it.  But it is just SO HARD to listen to him cry. . . If someone would like to come and Ferberize him, or do something else to get him to sleep, you are most welcome. You do that, I'll take a nap.

Otherwise, things are good.  I don't like being alone, but we had to do it.  I look forward to having Dexter home on Saturday.  We'll have lots of decisions to work through in the coming days!!  More adventures ahead of us, I think.

random things

It is a little after 7 in the morning in the US, and Dexter will be heading shortly to UMDNJ to start his day of touring, exploring, interviewing, learning, etc. at UMDNJ.  I feel so very far away and removed from this momentous event, and so I need to distract myself.  I've got monster cookies baking in the oven for a game night tomorrow night {another distraction} and I figured while they bake, I could post some random pictures that haven't yet been seen.

In no particular order. . .

This elephant quilt was made by a friend and given to me at my shower in November.  My mom and I looked for a rod to hang it from when she was here, but the cheapest we could find was for $100, so we opted to wait. She found this rod at Bed Bath and Beyond, and I brought it back with me.  We finally hung it in September. I love it.  Kyalo loves it too, as he's always grabbing for it. {Perhaps we hung it too low}.  And, if you look closely in the corner of the changing table there are some wooden animals that were my brother's when he was a baby.  30+ years old!

You may remember that the borrowed Johnny Jump Up was a huge hit while I was home, so Mom insisted I take one back with me.  This, too, took a while to hang.  We don't have moulding over the doorways, so needed to be creative: Dexter had to chisel into the door frame itself.  It has been up about a month now and has been a great place to plop Kyalo. He's recently learned how to walk as far back as possible and let go and swiiiiiiing.  Not a bad $20.00.

Now that we're in the eating-real-food stage of life, we whisked out this chair that was given to us by the Riches.  It is great because he sits right next to me while munching on (and making a mess of) the things we give him.  I love that middle photo.  So far, he's eaten:  {baked} sweet potato, broccoli, banana, watermelon (seeds removed, of course), avocado, tomato. I think his favorite thing so far is the apples I let him suck on.  I do give him cereal every now and then, but that doesn't seem to fare any better than the other stuff, so I just stick to the real food as much as I can.

The best toy that we have for him at the moment, is my little basket of clothes pins. He loves to dump them out, play with them, chew on them, etc.  Not a bad toy to have around!  Also next to him is a book "Going on Safari" that we got at Amani Ya Juu, made by women who have survived conflict (Rwanda, Congo, the post-election violence in Kenya, etc). It was a good investment as he likes that, too.

We had a few days last week of many wake up calls in the nights and abbreviated naps, which made Kyalo very fussy all.day.long. After two or three days of this, I was at my wits end, and so Dexter took him out for a bike ride.  They didn't go far (or fast) but it was enough to lull Kyalo to sleep, and to give me a much needed break.  Dexter enjoyed it and will likely do it again, we'll just make sure Kyalo is better bundled up for that.

This was another hand-me-down from the Riches, and it has been sitting in his closet all this time. I was excited to pull it out yesterday, because we really don't have that many toys, and I thought he'd like to see something new...something that lit up and played music.  Boy was I wrong! I think it must have scared him. Twice.  Because both times I gave it to him, I got the same reaction.  Which was this:

Yep, I took pictures of my kid screaming. Is that wrong?  I actually found the whole situation hilarious, if I'm being honest.  I've put the toy away for another day. Maybe it is more of a 9-month-old toy.

8:30 am in NJ now, and Dexter should be getting started!  Kyalo's awake from his nap, and the sun is shining {we've had some much needed rain the last few days, but I'm glad the sun is back}, so we'll go for our afternoon walk. Then I'm home to come up with something other than popcorn for dinner. I'm sorry this is such a long post...but I needed the distraction! 

an escape

Last Saturday, Dexter and I took a little jaunt away from our hectic and somewhat stressful life to Lake Nakuru.  After fighting with the customer service rep for his plane ticket to the US for about 8 hours on Friday, getting away from the computer, the house and civilization was just what the doctor ordered!

Plus, we've been talking forever about how we want to be going places throughout Kenya.  After all, Kenya is a huge tourist destination and we are here already we should be taking advantage of it! Especially if we'll be leaving soon.

Lake Nakuru is closest park to us, and is famous for the millions of greater (I think) Pink Flamingo that dot the shoreline of the lake.  They're my favorite part of the lake, and possibly of the destination spots I've been to in Kenya.  From a high vantage point the edge of the lake looks pink. . .except that there were NONE.  What?  Turns out they travel down to Tanzania to have their babies.  Punks.

We took over 200 pictures from the day.  I'll spare you all of them.  But here are some of the best from the day...



















Kyalo was prepared with his safari outfit and sunhat...looking like a mini Ranger. He was the most prepared for the day.

Well, there was this girl, who was totally prepared for picture taking in a game park.  I mean, seriously.

Yes, we really did take pictures of a stranger and her amazing lens.  And yes, I totally lust after it.  But, maybe I should really learn my camera first.  :)



So, on to the animals.

{rhino...and if you look real close, a bird!}

{Ranger Kyalo checking out the rhino}

 baby buffalo

 giraffe and buffalo

injured buffalo (can you see the wound there by the tail?)

There were no flamingos {cry} but there were lots of pelicans

 impala or antelope or gazelle - I can't remember which

the view from the top

{the guys looking on}

 little guy was into it!

zebra

these are the best pictures from the day, I think.

and yes, we really were that close!

And now for my favorite photo of the day:

love these guys

It was a great -- and much needed -- escape from reality. 

and he's off!

Dexter left a few minutes ago to catch his flight in Nairobi!  It has been a long, long journey to get us to this point, but the end is finally here.  It is hard to believe that at this time last week he didn't even have a ticket to the US yet. (And, it took ten hours to book that ticket. Drama.)

On Monday he has his interview at UMDNJ, and on Tuesday his Bench Test which is a clinical test of his skills.  Fortunately they told him exactly what he'd be asked to do, so he's been preparing and practicing. There are about 16 people total who will be interviewed and tested those days.  I don't know about him, but I would be a nervous wreck!  He is fortunate that he has been doing dentistry for a long time now, and has worked with an American dentist for most of that time...he's already familiar with the American equipment, which I think gives him a leg up on the others.  Please continue to pray that all goes well and smoothly for him those two days.

UMDNJ starts in March which, in case you are not aware, is in five months.  If we get accepted we'll have a lot to do in a short period of time!  I can't quite wrap my mind around it just yet.

Kyalo and I are home alone for a full week. We have some activities planned to fill the days, but the evenings can be quite long (and lonely!) so pray for us that we get along, and that it all goes well.

baby week: baby gear

My friend Erica had decided that this should be "Baby Week" where mothers chime in with what they found helpful to have when the baby came home. Obviously, I'm a little late in joining the game since it is Wednesday, but I thought I'd chip in with my ideas.

This is my list of "essential" baby gear to have for when coming home from the hospital (or soon there after) and for the first few months. Living in Kenya means I had to stock up when I was home in November, order things online for my parents to bring in January or April, and then just live with what I had.  I do feel very fortunate that I was give a ton of stuff for our baby as either gifts of hand-me-downs.  We hardly spent any money preparing! :)

In no particular order, here's what I had and loved:

Soothie Pacifiers:

I wasn't planning on getting a pacifier - it wasn't one of the things I stocked up on or even really considered. Erica sent me a two-pack of these Soothie Pacifiers which came with my parents when Kyalo was about 4 days old.  I figured, "what the heck" and gave them a try.  They ended up being such a huge life saver...especially when out: shopping, in church, in the car, etc.  I could also give them to Kyalo to help him fall asleep.  Love them.  He doesn't use a pacifier nearly as much now, but those first few months were really great.  I wish he hadn't kicked the habit quite so soon...

Burp Cloths:

This is probably a no-brainer, but I really did use a lot of burp cloths. I'd recommend getting cloth diapers and using those as they seem to work well.  I used them for everything.  They worked as a nice little pillow in the carrier, a rag, something to protect my clothes from spit-up, and an easy solution to the mess that he made regularly.

Baby Carrier:

I really, really wanted an Ergo because they're supposedly the best, but they're also over $100, so when I was home I found one in Marshall's for about $15.00.  This was an infantino front pack.  I don't think they make that particular kind any more, but I loved it.  Since Kyalo was 8 pounds at birth I was able to use it right away.  Afternoons were dicey around here, so I would put him in it and we'd walk the Kijabe hills.  When I was home this summer I got another infantino carrier - one that has the weight down on the waist.  I love it. I got it at Target for $35.00 I think. 

Cloth Diapers:

They're not for everyone, I know, but I'm glad I got a pack of cloth diapers.  I agonized  for months over what to get - there are just so many options nowadays.  I finally settled on bumGenius diapers because they seemed easy enough.   I have 18, which last about a day and a half...then I wash them and hang them out to dry (no dryer here) and so I have to have some disposables on hand as well.  I like knowing that I'm doing a little to keep the baby footprint down a bit.  Maybe I'll get more some day, I don't know.

Car Seat:

I wanted to get a really good car seat because I live in Kenya where road traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death here.  The available seats here are pretty expensive and not that sturdy. I wanted the best!  I stumbled on a friend's Facebook page once where she was thinking about getting this car seat: the Britax 55 Roundabout.  It is a convertible car seat - can go up to 4 years old or something. I liked that it meant only buying one car seat, and that it would last a long, long time.  Plus it has very high safety ratings.  It took Dexter a day to install it before we went to the hospital.  That baby is not going anywhere!  Now, while I was home my mom borrowed the infant car seats (the kind that you can take out while the baby is still sleeping) and that was very nice, too.  But for our situation, I'm glad to have this one.

Baby Cot:

A friend lent us their baby cot (which was actually a part of their stroller) and that was a huge help, too.  The first night home from the hospital I put Kyalo in his crib and he just looked so small I couldn't bear to leave him in the room alone.  I put him in the cot between us for a couple of weeks - which was nice since I was recovering from the C-Section.  We took it to friends' houses so Kyalo had a place to sleep, and put him down for naps there for a while, too.

Musical Mobile:

This was a gift at my baby shower, and it turned out to be a hit with Kyalo.  It plays music, and turns around, and he was fascinated by it. I loved it because it gave me about three minutes to do something (run to the bathroom, heat my tea, change clothes, check email), and because it helped him to fall asleep. We used it so much that one day it broke!  I'm trying to figure out how to get a replacement of the piece that broke.

Vibrating Chair:

 {4 days old}

According to Fisher Price, this is an Infant-to-Toddler Rocker.  But it vibrates, so I call it the vibrating chair! This was a gift from my mom and it continues to be a great place to plop Kyalo.  He doesn't always love it, but it could give me 5-20 minutes to get things done. It has a detachable piece that has hanging things on it. I attached that around 3 or so months and he enjoyed hitting at the things. One even has a pull down piece that plays a bit of music - it felt like a bit accomplishment when he figured out how to do it himself.   It is nice that it will grow with him for a while.

Baby Monitor:

Another gift that I'm glad to have! Our house is fairly small, so I didn't think I would need a monitor, but it is nice to have when I'm doing things in the kitchen to be able to hear him right away.  It helps to have it at night as well because when I'm really really really tired it helps me to hear him.  The base in his room has a night light, and the part that I carry around has a wave-meter type thing so I can see just how forceful he is. I'm fairly sure the one I have is British, so I won't put any links to it. But I think they're a great piece to have.

Prayer and Patience:

You can't buy those, obviously, but you need them, more than anything I think!  Patience comes and goes for sure.  Prayer seems critical, too. I like to pray over Kyalo while nursing (esp in the middle of the night as it helps me not be so bitter :) ).  You can really never have too much prayer and patience.

And that's my list. It probably isn't all-encompassing, but it is a start.  What would you tell someone? What did you have?