busy weekend

A couple of weekends ago (already?) Francis came to visit us.  After his whirl-wind trip around the US (Michigan, Mass, Illinois) he needed to add NJ -- and NY, of course -- to his list.  He came in Friday afternoon, so while Dexter was in school, Kyalo and I scooped him up and whisked him off to a most important site-seeing spot:  Target!

Shopping done, we picked Dexter up from school, and then settled in for a quiet evening at home.  We had chai, and pizza, and I made Francis' favorite apple crisp (not my best offering of it, but its the thought that counts) in honor of his birthday later this month.  Kyalo LOVED having Francis around, and Dexter and I loved having someone else to entertain Kyalo.

Francis was a good friend to read to Kyalo, but was a little distressed when Kyalo said, "read 'gain!" after every book.  

And there was drawing, too. They spent lots of time working on masterpieces of Grandma, Grandpa, Papa, Mom, and so on.  There Kyalo is showing off their work.

On Saturday, we ventured into NYC.  This is embarrassing to admit, but Dexter and I hadn't been there since December when Jana was here.  So, you need to come visit so we can get across the river more often!  It was a beautiful, warm fall day, perfect to be in the 'big seety' as Kyalo calls it.  

Even though we lugged the camera with us, we didn't take too many pictures.  Here are some of the things we did:  Times square (where we saw naked ladies painted in pink which somehow had something to do with breast cancer awareness month), the rushing Bull over near wall street (smaller than any of us thought), burgers at the Shake Shack, the guys did the Empire State building while I went alone (bliss) to the NY Public Library and saw a children's literature exhibit (awesome), and the World Trade Center Memorial.  Having recently seen a documentary on the memorial we were interested to see it.  The lines and security to get in were INSANE (and I can't imagine what it must have been like in the summer) but it was worth it.  Very moving!

World Trade Center One (I think it is called) a neighbor of mine is the building 'super' of this building.  Cool job, huh?

A few years ago, we visited Matt & Erica when they were still living in Long Island (and our boys hadn't yet entered the scene) and made a trip to NYC.  I took some pictures of the area that day.

 July 2010

July 2010

October 2013

I'm not sure if these pictures really show off how significant the changes are, but it is pretty impressive to me -- the building was nowhere in sight in 2010, and now it is basically completed!  There will be a museum opening in the next year or so, and I hope we'll get to that as well.  Who will come with us?

The guys wanted to make the trek up the Empire State building which my fear of heights could not really handle.  So they went there (with Kyalo sleeping in the carrier on Dexter's back) and I ventured off to explore NYC on my own.  This meant getting lost in a subway station, and then spending time in the NYPL for the first time - something I'd wanted to do since that first visit to the city with Matt and Erica.  And lucky for me there was an exhibit on children's literature.  It was really well done, I was sorry I made it there so close to closing and couldn't really enjoy it.  Some of the cool things were:  the 'real' Winnie-the-Pooh and his pals (not at all what he looks like now!), original sketches by Beatrix Potter of Petter Rabbit, and really interesting set ups for the various themes.  Since I'd left the camera with the guys, thinking they'd take pictures from the top -- only to find out later about how they nearly lost the bag with all our valuables in it -- I don't have any pictures from my library experience. But I do have this of one of the lions on the outside of the library.

We met up, walked through Time Square, and then headed home.  I hadn't really thought about it before, but the electricity usage for Times Square is kind of out of control, especially when you consider how unreliable it is in a place like Kijabe.  Perspective!

On Sunday we had to take Francis to the CURE headquarters in Pennsylvania (another state!), so after another nice relaxed morning and time of bonding we headed off to PA.  After getting to PA, we needed to get dinner before Dexter and I took the three hour trek back to NJ.  So we went to Cracker Barrel, where there was serious solitaire game playing.

According to the game, Francis is a genuis

glad we got that confirmed!

And a few more photos, of course:

It was entirely too short, of course, but we're so grateful that have had the chance to share this part of our life with Francis.  We do hope to get back to Kenya one of these days, but it probably won't be for a while yet.  So in the meantime, we relish these moments with friends when we get them.

I'll leave you with my favorite picture of our visits together. This was up in MA in September.  

pals

30 months

2 1/2 - October 3, 2013

... don't let that smile fool you - this kid is Trouble ...

Folks, we made it to two and a half. 2 1/2!  And if I had to sum that up in a word, I'd say, HARD.  These last few months - of toddler twoish-ness - have been especially trying for me. There have been days when I was sure I would lose my mind, and that I couldn't do this mothering thing for another minute, let alone an untold number of years.  As Kyalo is testing his independence he is testing my patience (nonexistent).  I did not expect or prepare myself for the fullness in every sense of the word of mothering.  There is no 'off duty' or 'vacation' for a mom.  And in 2 1/2 years I have not once been separated from Kyalo.  I continually say 'I'm ready!' and 'Send me to the Bahamas!!' but the truth of the matter is I would miss him terribly, and would feel incredibly lost.  Still, we look forward to a night away. . .some day. . .

This month has been wonderful, and challenging.  Kyalo's spending a lot of time in his crib in time out (for hitting me, for throwing something, for any number of reasons) and I always make sure he tells me why he was put in his crib, and have him say 'sorry, mom, for throwing' (or whatever).  Now, if only I could get him to stop doing these things in the first place.  The crib continues to be my go-to place for now, but it is only a matter of time before he can climb out of it. Then it'll be back to square one I guess.

The biggest milestone of this month is probably the potty training.  We got him his own 'unnerware' in Target and that really helped motivate him to pee in the potty.  Unfortunately, 'Homas the Train' is not 100% magical as we've yet to have a boo-boo in the potty.  He'll ask for a diaper for that still.  At only 2 1/2 I know we have time.  I just hope it isn't too much longer til he feels ready to make that leap.  He sleeps through the night most of the time now in his underwear, but there have been many changes of clothes and sheets in the middle of the night.

I've been having a lot of dental care done, namely involving crowns courtesy of my dental-student husband.  So we talk about it a lot, and Dexter is often looking into my mouth to check on things.  But, I think the Cutest Dentist award goes to Kyalo:

We're back to a full schedule right now - swimming, story hour, music class. I'm impressed by how much change I see in him, esp in the swimming class, which we hadn't done since June.  He now confidently jumps into the swimming pool without any hesitation.

Dexter and I both recently started a new workout routine, Dexter doing his at night after school.  Kyalo is always asking if Papa will exercise (how's that for pressure?)  and wants to get in on the action as well.

work it out

You might notice his hair looks a little shorter.  One night, after Dexter put him to bed, we could still hear him in his crib. Since he sounded distressed, I went to check on him.  He kept saying, "Mom, stuck. Stuck."  He had twisted his thumb so tightly into his hair that it was stuck - and losing circulation, so we had to cut his thumb free.  Since these pictures were taken, we've had to cut his hair again because he pulls his hair out. I would go to his crib and find clumps of hair in the bed with him.  Apparently, that's a condition of some sort, so we want to prevent it from becoming a habit.  I think making it shorter has helped.  Besides, it was time for the boy to get a proper trimming.

I mentioned last month that counting is not Kyalo's strong suit.  Here's the evidence:

(warning, this video - like this post - is long. just under 2 minutes. don't feel you have to watch)

OK, so, he may not be able to count exactly 1 - 10 yet, in English OR Swahili, I think it is impressive that he can count, 2, 4, 6, or 3, 6, 9. Maybe he just can't be bothered by such simple methods?  Also, "it sell down" means fell down.  I love it.  

Other things of note this month:

- a new tooth came in, leaving just the four molars to go. One of these days, we'll get to a dentist.

- He loves to read. He's recently discovered Clifford the Big Red Dog and is totally in love.  He also loves his Jesus Storybook Bible (although you wouldn't know it, since, in a fit of anger one day, he ripped the covers off!!), and especially the story of 'Golia-sh-sth"  we read it every.single.night.  I didn't love this children's Bible at first, but it has grown on me.  I think Kyalo connects to it in ways I can't fully understand, adult that I am.

His talking is really taking off right now, much to my relief, since he was slow to start.  Here are some of the cute things he's been saying:

"What making, Mom? Pasta?"  (yes) "Oh! YUM"

"No! Tcha-cho do it!" "Tcha-cho's turn"

(when giving him a cracker/snack)  "No, Want a BIG ONE!"

"Carry you" (when he wants to be carried)

"Tcha-cho share Eyen!!" (Kyalo share Ellen - I bring snacks with us to the various activities we do with Ellen.  Kyalo will ask for something, and immediately announce he'll share with Ellen)

"Tcha-cho likes chockit"  or, more recently, "Tcha-cho likes DAT!"  (This can be about food, about a book, about just about anything)

(putting underwear on) me: "such a big boy, wearing underwear!"  Kyalo:  "No! Kyalo a MAN."

And that, folks, is a wrap.

special visitor

September, and into October, is a special time for us.  Our friend Francis, from Kenya, is IN the US.  He's here for about five weeks doing some medical conferences and other things like that. He's mostly in the midwest, but is planning a trip to us in October.  At the last minute he decided to go out to MA to see my parents, and so, of course we did too.

The main reason he wanted to go there was to see my dad who has had FOUR surgeries this year on his leg, which he broke several years ago.  He had his first surgery in February and there have been major complications since then.  There have been many frantic emails to Francis these past months!  Dad's last surgery was just a few weeks ago, so it was especially fitting that Francis would come out.  Thankfully -- and finally -- he's been given the all clear on his leg: infection is gone, healing is really happening now.  It isn't all perfect but it is on the mend.  PHEW.

consulting

working

Francis spent some time talking with my dad about his medical journey, and giving him advice on how to move forward (keep that foot up, take it easy! etc).  In these pictures Francis is actually applying a honey salve that someone gave my dad.  Then he wrapped the leg and sent my dad on his way.  I'm sure the bill is in the mail.  The nice part about this (beside the obvious) is that Francis gave my parents much more attention and information than they've gotten from the doctors here. It is so nice to have important friends!

Medical duties out of the way, we set out to explore the area.  Basically this was just driving around, showing him the hot spots, searching out potty locations for Kyalo (ah, potty training) and catching up. We stopped at the ever-popular Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, which is, apparently where we take everyone.  No matter, it is a cool place to see!

 a spot of history for you

 obligatory photo at the foundation of the US government

 and on top of that big boulder

 even though it was a cool, cloudy fall day, there was time at the beach skipping rocks

 And since he made Evelyn do it, Francis had to get his feet in the Atlantic

tough guy

We drove around some more, and once Kyalo fell asleep in the car, decided to let the guys go do some shopping.  :)  Of course, that's when the sun came out and the day turned beautiful. We ended the day with dinner at a restaurant in Essex, with Francis having his first clam chowder and fried clams.  Next time, lobster!

He had an early afternoon flight back to Michigan on Sunday so we didn't have too much time together in the morning.  There was just enough time for breakfast and chatting, a quick walk to the farm (of course) and more photos.

this is happiness

perfection would have been if Evelyn and Lisa came, too

This was, obviously a whirl-wind weekend.  Did I mention that we picked Francis up at the airport at midnight on Friday?  But let me tell you, this was 36 extra hours with such a dear friend (and a very unexpected trip back to MA!) which was very welcome.  We miss Francis and Evelyn so much, so it is fun to have Francis just a phone call away.  And we still have the weekend in October to look forward to.  NYC, here we come!

first hike

We decided to spend Labor Day, our only holiday until Thanksgiving, exploring a bit more of this great  state.  I'd recently heard about Hacklebarney State Park, and thought it worth checking out.  When I learned that Jenny, Dave & Ellen were thinking about going for a picnic I suggested we join forces.

Even though the day dawned cloudy, we set off early afternoon for our grand adventures.  Unfortunately, it was raining the whole way there, and for a bit after getting there, so we hung out in our cars for a bit, til it slowed enough to brave.  This was the first time we've done anything like this with Kyalo, and it won't be our last!

looking professional!

 Dave and Jenny were way more prepared for hiking than we were

Hiking with two toddlers -- active tho they are -- proved to be slow going.  That, plus a lot of over grown/untended trails (we thank Hurricane Sandy for that, we think) meant that we did a lot of back tracking.  Fortunately, it was pretty!

We finally settled on a trail that led us to the river, by way of a little play ground/picnic area.  If everything weren't wet, it would have been a great place to rest. Instead, we just let the kids play on the structure for a bit, and to give Dave and Dexter a break from carrying them.

spider!

Once we got to the river, I took the chance to take some family photos.

and the first photo of Jenny and me together!
we've only known each other a year a half.

sweet face

throwing rocks into the river

and leaves, of course!

Perhaps it wasn't quite as we'd envisioned, but I'd say it was a worthwhile venture.  It was certainly nice to be out surrounded by so much nature, and the sound of the rushing river.  Nice to remember there's more to New Jersey than Newark and Belleville, which is where we spend 99% of our time.   Since the hike Kyalo's been asking to "ah-go, hike?" and to, "draw! hike!" (any ideas how to draw a hike would be welcome).  Needless to say, there will be more hiking (or meandering, as it may be) in our future.

Also, I'd like to thank our friendly Mystery Mailer for the sweet package of hiking pants and new t-shirt.  Kyalo's all the more prepared now.

friends

I mentioned once before our good friends Bill and Keziah, who live near my parents' house.  Every time we're back in MA, we get together.  And every time, I mean to get a picture of them, but it doesn't happen. So this time, when we were out for ice cream, I made it happen.

This is a driving range-ice cream stand combo, to keep everyone happy.  We just stuck to ice cream this time, but Dexter has hit some golf balls in the past.

happy

he's looking especially angelic here, but don't be fooled - he literally just came out from crawling under the bushes. In church clothes, no less.

This was a quick visit, after church, we were trying to squeeze it in before Dexter left for his two weeks  in that clinical rotation.  We thought it would be our last visit with them for the summer, but we managed to get another breakfast in before leaving for NJ for the school year.  Certainly getting visits in with them make getting up to MA that much sweeter.

Thanks, guys, for hanging out!

29 months

Kyalo hit 29 months this week - almost 2 1/2!  Who can believe it?  Will I say this every day, every month, until he's 21? Probably.

As I say every month now, these pictures are becoming downright impossible to get!  Now, even before I've actually taken the picture, Kyalo is up and running over to me to, "See! See!"  Oh, the curse of a digital camera.  So, needless to say, most of my pictures are blurry messes.  I even tasked Dexter with getting some that evening, but he didn't fare much better.  If I can keep these up til he hits three, I'll be pleased - and surprised.

 those eyes!  they melt me

This was a busy month for Mr. Kyalo...with a trip to CA, lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa, and quality time at a variety of farms this summer.  I think by the end he was glad to be coming home to "New Jesey," and to get back into the rhythm of life here. We've had lots of visits with Ellen, the park, the library etc.  

While we were in MA, he seemed to be boycotting nap.  He would declare, "All done nap," and then proceed to make good on this word. I would find him in the crib, 30 min - 1 hour later, naked, having thrown his clothes, animals, books, sheets, and mattresses (!!) all around the room.  I figured it was just the excitement at being at Grandma's house, and all would be well upon our return home.  I was wrong.  And I was not ready for him to be "all done, nap".  There were a few rough days, but I've figured that if I tire him out, and then put him down later, he'll sleep pretty well. PHEW

Since spring/early summer, the ice cream trucks have been out in full force, casing the neighborhoods for customers.  Since I like the sugar he eats to be from something I've made, and since we don't usually have cash on hand, I was trying to avoid dealing with the whole "ice cream truck" potential drama.  So, every time it came around, I'd call it the "truck that plays music."  When we got back last week, right on schedule, one went by, and Kyalo ran to the window screaming, "musik tuck! musik tuck!"  Mission accomplished!

if only he were expressive. . .

Some other things:

- we're working on counting, but perhaps it is time to kick that up a bit.  When he counts it is usually something like this, "eiiiiiiigggggght, niiiine, fooooourrrr, eiiiiiight"  so, he's got the concept, not so much with the execution.

- if you ask him a "why" question -- why did you throw that/why did you make that big mess, etc, his answer is always, "Me."  

- it took a while, but he can finally say his name.  He says it, "tcha-cho"  which is pretty close (CH-Ah-lo).  I should get it on video, because he won't say it like that forever.

We have some exciting things lined up next next few weeks and months!  Fall/winter is shaping up to be pretty great.