baby boom

On Wednesday, our Bible Study resumed after a little Christmas break.  It is always a wonderful time of fellowship, food, laughter, and {some} focus.  We alternate weeks - one week prayer & praise, and the next week going through a study guide. We decided to ease back into things with a prayer and praise night.   I thought it would be a good idea to have the group praying for the four women I know who are scheduled to deliver in January.  They are: sister-in-law Helen, sister-in-law Noelle, cousin-in-law Oli, and our good friend Sarah.  Three of the four have had serious complications in previous pregnancies, and so wanted God's protection and peace to surround them.

That night, as Dexter and I climbed into bed about 11 PM, we both commented about how tired we felt {yes, we're old. Shh} and about two minutes later, Dexter's phone rang: Helen was feeling the labor pains and wanted to come to Kijabe right then.  She was scheduled for a C-section on the 18th, so we were hoping we could get her to wait at least until the morning to make the hour + journey to the hospital.  But, it wasn't to be. That baby wanted out!  Unfortunately, Helen's husband Robert was in the Mara doing a game drive, and not able to be there that night.

Helen made the arduous journey from her house to the hospital after midnight.  The roads here are AWFUL, especially the 3-mile downhill stretch to the hospital. Pot hole city. At every bump, she had a contraction. Ugh.

Other than that little (uncomfortable) hitch, all went well.  And in the early morning hours of January 5, 2012, {also Helen's birthday!!} Nadia Kamy Ndeto made her appearance. 

 3.1 kgs, 6.8 pounds

{sweetness}

Dexter stumbled back into bed around 3AM and tried to get some sleep before a long day at work.  Because Helen had a C-S she was in the hospital for a few days, so we got a lot of time to visit with her and baby Nadia.

Helen came in a rush to the hospital, and didn't have time to pack her bag for the baby. She thought she had a few more days for that!  I lent her some of Kyalo's newborn clothes for the first couple of days. I can't believe Kyalo once wore this little star outfit. So tiny!

I love baby feet! So precious.

 big brother Aidan

ah, the beauty of a sleeping babe

love this photo!

*even though he looks like he's grimacing, Robert really is happy! :)

And in other news, our friend Sarah had her baby on January 6! A little girl named Imani.  I think Noelle and Oli should start getting things in order...the prayers of our Bible Study work overtime!

After spending a couple of days with such a tiny baby, I got a little nostalgic for the new born days of Kyalo. He was such a floppy little guy!

swimming

Monday was a holiday here...the last slow, easy day before Dexter had to return to a full schedule at work.  We had talked about going to a golf club for swimming with some friends, but that didn't work out. It was a gorgeous day here, so we improvised, taking a basin out in the sun and throwing Kyalo's swim suit on him. He had a great time splashing around in the sun. I think we were outside for six hours straight!  I told you this boy loves to be outside!  Not a bad way to end the holiday frenzy.

This was Dexter's idea, actually, and such a good one!  Kyalo really enjoyed himself, and it was truly relaxing.  Observe:

If only we could get him to kick back and relax a little, huh?

The sun was out and very hot, so we needed to protect his baby skin.  We're good parents like that!

not exactly a beach umbrella, but it did the job

We even had lunch in the shade outside, too. I made a chickpea patty thing (which was tasty, but a little more labor intensive than I would have liked), which I think Kyalo liked.  He got into, anyway.

I'm never sure just how much he eats since it seems to end up all over his face, his hair, his body, and the ground.  At least he's being exposed to lots of new flavors and textures - that counts for something, right?

After lunch we lounged around, enjoying the fresh air, sunshine, and slow pace.  And Kyalo had lots of stories for me.

I love holidays!

nine months

Are you as amazed as I am that Kyalo's clocked nine months already?  I don't know what's more amazing...that he is now nine months, or we only have three to go before he is one YEAR. yikes.  Cliche though it may be, the time really is going so fast. I was looking at some pictures of him as a newborn the other day, and couldn't believe just how small he was.  He's grown so much.

Getting these monthly pictures is quite the ordeal now. Him sitting serenely on the couch is a thing of the past.  I do my best to catch him in the seconds he sits still.  That didn't work so well yesterday, so I cheated (shhh) and took some more today. I'll give you a selection of both. Hope it isn't too much!

First, the photos from yesterday, his actual 9 month birthday.

Is it wrong that this photo kinda makes me think of a puppy? This is a fairly common sight in our house: Kyalo crawling around with something (usually a clothes pin) in his mouth.  Hilarious.

He was weighed yesterday - 8.6 kgs (18.98 lbs) and measured 70 cms/27.5 inches (we hope). He also got his measles shot, which he handled fairly well. The worst part about that was the nursing student who jabbed him about five times before a nurse took over and did it in one clean jab.  Whew.

The shots from today:

 {chubby}

Kyalo continues to bring us so much joy.  He is generally happy and easy going...no sense of stranger danger yet.  He's easy to please and entertain.  This last month didn't seem to have as many milestones in it, but he did have his first fever on Christmas day {awesome}, which meant for a couple of sleepless nights for us.  I had a bit of an exhaustion-induced meltdown one night, but other than that, we survived!  He has no teeth yet (I thought maybe the fever was a precursor to a tooth breaking through. I thought wrong), and still does not sleep through the night. Other than that little hiccup, he's perfect.

And we love him no matter what!

last one

I forgot one photo in my December recap yesterday, and I just can't resist sharing it.

You may remember that Kyalo's favorite toy has been the clothes pin.  This continues to be the case, so much so that I have given him a handful of his own to keep around the house so that I don't have to hunt for the main supply when hanging laundry.  The other day, he found that main supply, and couldn't have been happier.

note the clothes pins strewn about. . .

At least he's easy to entertain! He has been happily playing with an empty plastic container the last couple of days. Who needs fancy stuff?  

Again, Happy New Year.  Here's to a fabulous 2012!

December happenings

Just like that, 2011 is coming to a close.  I really can't believe it.  It has been a full and wonderful year, even if a bit on the sleep-deprived side of things. 2012 will be a year like no other for us with a big move to the US, school for Dexter, and experiencing life again in the US for me.  I am not sure who will have more culture shock - me or Dexter.  In the meantime, we enjoy the slow pace of things happening in Kijabe.  Here are a few glimpses into December.

 {our happy guy}

There has been a lot of standing going on in the house. And a lot of happiness and excitement about it.  I think Kyalo can't really believe he's standing, even though he's been doing it now for a few weeks. He still giggles and laughs a lot when he's stands up.

We've been making a lot of pizza around here...and it just keeps getting better and better.  My brother makes some serious gourmet-type pizza, which he grills and puts fancy toppings on.  Ours is in a whole other category from that, but we love it and it is quickly becoming our Friday tradition.  I continue to look forward to trying lots of different toppings when in the States. 

These are my favorites, I think. First, Kyalo is just so cute in these fatigues. Too bad he's not doing his army crawl thing any more.  But I love how he's trying so hard to get to the books on the little cushion there. So determined! 

We have been having a lot of fires around here.  The rains have slowed down but the evenings are still cool.  Of course, Kyalo wants to lend a helping hand!

{I guess it is time for us to get some new stockings, and add one for Kyalo}.

Now I'm off to sit by one of our many fires and enjoy a few moments before Kyalo wakes up. 

Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas in Kenya

This was Kyalo's first Christmas!  Kind of hard to believe that last year, he came to the festivities like this:

 "Baby Mulandi" December 25, 2010

and now he looks like this:

 barely a baby any more - December 25, 2011

What a difference a year makes!  Even though it was his first Christmas, we didn't make a big deal about it. Like, at all.  He must have been extra naughty this year, because Santa brought him 0 gifts. Or perhaps Santa just got lost?  This is actually one of the things I like most about Christmas in Kenya: no gifts exchanged, which makes for a stress-free (and cheaper!) holiday experience.  We still gathered together with Dexter's whole family and had a big meal, enjoying the time together, but without the pressure of finding the "perfect" thing for each family member.  Next year, when we have Christmas in the US, it will be much, much different.  Grandma is totally dismayed at our lack of parenting in giving no gifts, so will probably feel the need to make up for this serious oversight. I bet she's shopping already! :)

We hosted Christmas here in Kijabe again this year, but we made it a simpler affair than last year.  I tried to bring in a lot of the traditions I started last year.  Christmas eve, we had my vegetable chili with cornbread and cheese.  It was a little spicier than I intended, but it was good!  I made cinnamon rolls on Saturday and popped them in the oven Sunday morning.  They turned out even better than last year!

Sadly, I had to share this ooey-gooey goodness.  Though, maybe that's a good thing!

We weren't intentional about getting group shots like we were last year.  I was too busy actually working in the kitchen, unlike last year when I had the "oh, I'm pregnant" excuse.  I really wish I'd managed to get a family picture of Dexter, Kyalo and me. It may be Kyalo's only Christmas in Kenya for a while!  At least we got these pictures. . .

 Kyalo, Dexter's mom (sho sho), Andrew (10 months)

Victor, Andrew & Kyalo

:cousins:

There were lots of cookies, and decorating sugar cookies again.  Ice cream, and home made chocolate sauce. And this was in addition to the Christmas lamb and three chickens we cooked up. No one went home hungry!

I should probably think about eating a salad or two one of these days.

All in all, (and even though we don't have the pictures to show for it), it was a great day and a success.  I really do love hosting people here, even with all the work involved. I'd do it again in a minute!

a big deal

Dr. Henry Ndasi, Dr. Francis Mbugua
Newly minted Orthopedic Surgeon Consultants

See these guys?  They have both just completed an arduous five year residency program in Orthopedics. Dr. Ndasi, who is from Cameroon, did the general surgery part somewhere other than Kenya, and joined in the third year.  Francis, who has appeared here on this blog many times, did all his training in Kenya.  Annnndddd....he is the first Kenyan Orthopedic Surgeon to be entirely trained in Kenya. The first!  All the other Orthopedic Surgeon Consultants have gone elsewhere to do their training...Uganda, India, South Africa, etc.  There's a doctor who is based here in Kijabe who did the training with him, but he went to South Africa for six months, so Francis lays claim to the title alone.

Ndasi has already returned to Cameroon, to be with his wife and three children, and to be one of ten Orthopedic Surgeons for the entire country. (And the only one in his town). He's setting up an Orthopedic department at the hospital in his town.

It is entirely possible that I think this a bigger deal than they do.

But come on, it IS a big deal. They have worked long and hard to get where they are.  Thankfully, Francis remains in Kijabe for many years to come (another reason to be sad about leaving, sigh).

This is one of the reasons I like CURE International -- they train local doctors to be specialized in something (orthopedics, nuero) and then have them STAY in the country (or go elsewhere within the CURE network).  The doctors here in Kenya who work for the government just went on strike because (among other things) they work long, hard hours and earn roughly about $6,000/year.  Who can blame them?  The strike is over now, but they didn't get close to what they were hoping for, and many are threatening to leave, and my guess is that fewer people will become doctors if things don't change.  So, in the meantime, CURE is there, treating the untreated, and training doctors to be specialized and encouraging them to stay put.  It seems like a win-win all around.  

Am I gushing too much? Can't be helped.  I'm proud of the work that CURE does, the work that Francis & Ndasi have done (and continue to do), and for their significant accomplishments.  And it helps that Ndasi is in Cameroon, and Francis is off celebrating five years of marriage with Evelyn (another accomplishment!) so they can't do anything to me!  They won't brag, so I will on their behalf.