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?

a small problem

I have a slight problem.  In the last week and a half, I have baked: snickerdoodles, zucchini brownies, carrot cake (with and without nuts), and to celebrate Dexter getting his immigrant visa, a new recipe called "Angel Cakes."

Thursday seemed like a big milestone, one that couldn't go unmarked and uncelebrated.  My mom gave me a very fancy cupcake cookbook a few years ago, and I've always been intimidated by it.  I took a look through it and found a recipe that: a) looked manageable enough, b) I had all the ingredients on hand, and c) it looked like something Dexter would like.  The Trifecta!

They are a simple butter cream batter, dipped in melted chocolate and then dipped in shredded coconut.  They taste something like a Bounty/Mounds bar. Y U M. 

I had wanted to write "congratulations" on them, but did you know it has 15 letters? I had 11 cupcakes to work with (one broke, and I *had* to eat it; poor me) so I needed to get a little creative.

I had fun making this recipe, thinking about how much Dexter would like it. He doesn't love a lot of chocolate (I can't understand), so I thought this recipe would be just right for him.  I think he had four the first night, so I'd say I did pretty well!

{happy}

(Don't worry, Kyalo didn't have any).

And now I have an urge to play Scrabble.  Who's with me?

just like that

Today Dexter took the missing documents to the Embassy and, just like that, he was granted the visa!!!  He or I will go pick up his passport with the visa in it on Tuesday afternoon.  For all the stress, drama, confusion that this process caused (or, let's be honest, that I caused), the actual interviews seemed to be straightforward and much easier than I would have imagined. (Anyone seen the movie "Green Card"? I was anticipating all kinds of detailed questions like they dealt with!).  Thank you for your prayers, as always.

An interesting wrinkle in the story is that this morning Dexter received an email from UMDNJ saying that they would have to give away his interview spot because they didn't think he was getting his visa.  He responded immediately asking them to hold his spot, and I think we might even call later just to see what magic we can work.  But seriously.  UMDNJ sent that email eleven hours before he was granted the visa.  I'd call that cutting it close.  Pray with us that it will all work out.

We should also be hearing from University of Louisville today or tomorrow, so we're excited about the options ahead of us.

a good start

Today was the long-anticipated day!  Dexter was up and out by 5:45 this morning for his drive to the embassy.  I was snugly tucked in bed because I was not allowed to go to the interview.  I guess he had to be able to do it all on his own.

It was a long day of mostly waiting, but it went reasonably well. We had a lot of extra stuff (photos, letters from friends - thanks, friends - extra documents to show our relationship and our intentions for going to the US), which they didn't even really look at.  What they did want, though, was original copies of his birth certificate and our marriage certificate.  We had the required certified copies that the check list mentioned. Nothing was mentioned about bringing originals, so this is a tad frustrating. I'm also frustrated that I didn't think for him to bring them with him, "just in case."

Otherwise, it seems all is well! He will bring the originals back on Thursday and then. . . he'll get the visa? I'm actually not too sure at this point.  We'll live in hope. 

I will continue to keep you posted.  It seems really positive at this point.

Thank you for your prayers.