Around Christmastime many of us see our waistlines expand with the plethora of food and goodies and yet it seems just natural to give in to our temptations each and every year. Last year around this time Gusi was just starting finger foods so sweets were easy to conceal and keep from him. Not so this year.
My mom brought this incredible kit to make gingerbread houses and this morning we set about to making one. Mom also brought all the gumdrops, marshmallows, candy canes and chocolates that one uses to decorate a gingerbread house. We had made the dough, cut the pieces, baked them and put them together while Gusi played outside and then napped. While he napped mom tried, in vain, to get the house decorated. She told me she wanted to wait for Gusi to decorate it; I advised against that so she began without him.
Of course, what happened when the child woke up from his nap? He wanted his grandma. So I take him out of his crib and walk over to see his father who was working on the computer. Uh-uh was all I got from Gusi. He didn't want his father; where's grandma? So, with great hesitation I took him to the kitchen to see his grandmother. And there my mom was, sitting with a shoe box full of candies to decorate the gingerbread house. I knew this would not turn out well. Immediately Gusi wanted to sit in his grandmother's lap. She was happy to have him there.
What occurred afterwards was videotaped for posterity. There my mother sat, trying to put icing on the roof with a butter knife with her arms reaching around Gusi. The icing acts as a paste that holds the gum drops, candy canes and other decorations in place. Mom would put a gumdrop on the roof, Gusi would take it off and put it in his mouth. Mom would put a candy cane around the door and Gusi would snag it. Mom would put the marshmallows and coconut flakes to look like snow and Gusi would be the snow plow. For every three candies that went on the house, Gusi managed to take two off. Gee, I wonder why he wasn't hungry at lunch time?
I knew his father would not be pleased, but it isn't very often that Gusi has his grandmother around these days. He's allowed to be spoiled I suppose. Our gingerbread house has little finger imprints here and there but it is something I will remember for many years to come.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Happy Tabaski!
In Wolof one says Deweneti, or Happy New Year, on the feast of Eid al-Adha (Tabaski in Wolof). (It was yesterday, but so much happened that I didn't have the chance to blog.) This celebration is held approximately 70 days after Ramadan and commemorates when God called upon Abraham to sacrifice his son. Depending on if you're Christian, it was Isaac, son of Sarah, and if you're Muslim, it was Ishmael, son of Abraham's slave, Hagar. The story ends with Abraham sacrificing a ram instead and so Senegalese Muslims buy rams that meet specific standards in order to sacrifice them to God on this day. The rams are not cheap, the smallest ones can cost $400 and the largest ones can go into the $1000s of dollars. Families get into debt around this time of year in order to have a Tabaski celebration. We gave our Muslim night guards some money for the holidays.
The nice part of this holiday is that it is about giving. Charity is one of the pillars of Islam and so on Tabaski Muslims are supposed to give away much of their meat to the poor. Our neighbors invited us over to celebrate with their family. Gusi wasn't interested in the food, just the children. There must have been a dozen of them running around all calling his name. He had a blast.
Yesterday was also the day my mom arrived from the US. She got to the house in time for Gusi's wake-up time. The three of us went into his bedroom but when he heard my mom's voice PapaGus and I became invisible. His arms were outstretched and he had his sights set on his grandma. It was so beautiful.
Even though my poor mom was jet-lagged Gusi didn't let her rest. In fact, he insisted that they take a nap together, which they did. Spoiled? Maybe just a little. But it's the kind that a grandson needs when he hasn't seen his gradma in 4 months.
The rest of her trip should be nice. I'm thrilled she's here and Gusi is exstatic. Now all I need to do now is get ahold of her ticket so she doesn't return.
The nice part of this holiday is that it is about giving. Charity is one of the pillars of Islam and so on Tabaski Muslims are supposed to give away much of their meat to the poor. Our neighbors invited us over to celebrate with their family. Gusi wasn't interested in the food, just the children. There must have been a dozen of them running around all calling his name. He had a blast.
Yesterday was also the day my mom arrived from the US. She got to the house in time for Gusi's wake-up time. The three of us went into his bedroom but when he heard my mom's voice PapaGus and I became invisible. His arms were outstretched and he had his sights set on his grandma. It was so beautiful.
Even though my poor mom was jet-lagged Gusi didn't let her rest. In fact, he insisted that they take a nap together, which they did. Spoiled? Maybe just a little. But it's the kind that a grandson needs when he hasn't seen his gradma in 4 months.
The rest of her trip should be nice. I'm thrilled she's here and Gusi is exstatic. Now all I need to do now is get ahold of her ticket so she doesn't return.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
I'm Not From Ohio
This is the song that has been running in my head all day long today: Fire by the Ohio Players.
Why this song you ask? Because we had a small electrical fire today in the house. Yes, a fire. And no, thankfully no one was hurt.
We were hosting our play group get-together today so before everyone arrived Gusi, the housekeeper and I were in the kitchen getting snacks ready. As I peeled mandarins I noticed this strange smell in the kitchen. It was definitely coming from the water distiller but since we had just had it cleaned a few days before, I thought this was that same chemical-type smell and continued to peel more mandarins. Finally, the smell was getting worse so I walked over to the distiller and saw a small fire growing inside the big metallic box.
We've had problems with getting our chemicals to properly clean the distiller and when we finally did it had already started to leak. The technicians came by and promised to fix it but about two weeks went by and nothing was done. When it did get done, it was obviously bad work since the thing went up like a Roman candle.
I quickly turned one of the electrical switches to the distiller off, told the housekeeper to unplug it as well, and ran to get the fire extinguisher. Gusi, however, had other ideas. He knew something was up but wasn't sure what so he ran after me crying to pick him up, trembling. I managed to get him in one arm and the fire extinguisher in the other but as soon as I got back the fire was dying down. I let it put itself out and then called PapaGus who called the maintenance people and gave them a piece of his mind.
It was a crazy morning but I hope that tomorrow is much easier. One should be so lucky!
Why this song you ask? Because we had a small electrical fire today in the house. Yes, a fire. And no, thankfully no one was hurt.
We were hosting our play group get-together today so before everyone arrived Gusi, the housekeeper and I were in the kitchen getting snacks ready. As I peeled mandarins I noticed this strange smell in the kitchen. It was definitely coming from the water distiller but since we had just had it cleaned a few days before, I thought this was that same chemical-type smell and continued to peel more mandarins. Finally, the smell was getting worse so I walked over to the distiller and saw a small fire growing inside the big metallic box.
We've had problems with getting our chemicals to properly clean the distiller and when we finally did it had already started to leak. The technicians came by and promised to fix it but about two weeks went by and nothing was done. When it did get done, it was obviously bad work since the thing went up like a Roman candle.
I quickly turned one of the electrical switches to the distiller off, told the housekeeper to unplug it as well, and ran to get the fire extinguisher. Gusi, however, had other ideas. He knew something was up but wasn't sure what so he ran after me crying to pick him up, trembling. I managed to get him in one arm and the fire extinguisher in the other but as soon as I got back the fire was dying down. I let it put itself out and then called PapaGus who called the maintenance people and gave them a piece of his mind.
It was a crazy morning but I hope that tomorrow is much easier. One should be so lucky!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
New Skills
Gusi is learning so many things each day. Here's a brief list of what he's most into these days.
1. Kicking. Especially soccer balls or things that could be mistaken for a soccer ball, such as a lime.
2. Jumping. If there's a step, he'll try to jump down from it. Ditto if he's on the couch.
3. Counting. This can go along with the jumping on some occasions as he counts to three and then jumps. He also knows his numbers up to 10 in three languages.
4. Singing. Favorites include "Baah, Baah Black Sheep", "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "A, B, C", "Frère Jacques", "las Mañanitas" and "Do, Re, Mi".
5. Dancing. He is really into his Baby Loves Jazz music but also rips up the carpet to Johnny Cash, Brazilian samba, Frank Sinatra and African salsa.
6. Saying "No". He's a toddler, it comes with the territory.
7. Climbing. He's gotten particularly adept at getting onto chairs and sofas.
8. Talking on the phone. Real conversations and pretend ones are incredibly interesting.
9. Christmas spirit. There are lots of "ho, ho, ho-s" going around, especially each time we see a Christmas tree in a store window or when I turn on our Christmas lights at home.
10. Slides. For the longest time he just wanted to play on the swings at the play ground, but now he digs the slides.
1. Kicking. Especially soccer balls or things that could be mistaken for a soccer ball, such as a lime.
2. Jumping. If there's a step, he'll try to jump down from it. Ditto if he's on the couch.
3. Counting. This can go along with the jumping on some occasions as he counts to three and then jumps. He also knows his numbers up to 10 in three languages.
4. Singing. Favorites include "Baah, Baah Black Sheep", "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "A, B, C", "Frère Jacques", "las Mañanitas" and "Do, Re, Mi".
5. Dancing. He is really into his Baby Loves Jazz music but also rips up the carpet to Johnny Cash, Brazilian samba, Frank Sinatra and African salsa.
6. Saying "No". He's a toddler, it comes with the territory.
7. Climbing. He's gotten particularly adept at getting onto chairs and sofas.
8. Talking on the phone. Real conversations and pretend ones are incredibly interesting.
9. Christmas spirit. There are lots of "ho, ho, ho-s" going around, especially each time we see a Christmas tree in a store window or when I turn on our Christmas lights at home.
10. Slides. For the longest time he just wanted to play on the swings at the play ground, but now he digs the slides.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Play Ground Kiss
PapaGus is out of town for a few days on business and I am looking for things to do with Gusi. Today we went out to buy some veggies and fruit across from the gas station. Yes, it sounds weird even to me, but there are kiosks set up all over the city, especially around gas stations. Why? Because people who frequent gas stations usually have cars and people who have cars usually have money.
After procuring our groceries we went to the American Club to visit the play ground. Granted this is the kind of play ground that most Americans would never take their kids to in the US, much less here, but since it is one of three (?) play grounds in the city, beggars can't be choosers. When we got there I recognized one of the cars parked outside as that of my friend Katie's. She's got two little girls, a 3-yr old and a 1.5-yr old. We found them inside the bar having just finished a class, along with a Turkish mom who's also in our play group. So, we decided that we would all go to the play ground together with the children.
Not two minutes after going, one of the dad's in our play group shows up with his son. There are now three boys and one girl all around the same age, plus a 3-yr old girl, running around and everyone is having a blast. The kids are running, jumping, getting dirty and the parents are chatting and sharing parenting tips. As it turns out, Gusi starts saying Katie's younger daughter's name over and over again. He always asks about her even though he is usually charmed by older kids more than their younger siblings, even if they are his same age. So he keeps saying her name and then he says her name followed by the word jolie (pretty or nice). I tell this to Katie and we both laugh. About a half hour later, after Gusi is still mentioning Katie's younger daughter's name, Katie's older daughter starts calling after Gusi. I suspected she might be jealous but just watched to see what would unfold. Gusi was oblivious. Every time the older daughter called his name, he looked around for the younger daughter. Finally, the older daughter walked right up to Gusi and planted one on him. Right there on the play ground. Now, Gusi has had cute encounters with little girls where a peck was given or received in complete innocence, but this was much more. This was a deliberate attempt to get Gusi's mind off of the younger sister. I asked Katie if her daughter had just planted one on my son and she laughed and said yes. Then she asked her daughter, "did you kiss Gusi?" She smiled and said she had. Then she went and did it again. Gusi was confused. I was astounded! She really didn't want him thinking about the younger sister.
Gusi and I still can't believe it happened. Really, what does one do in this situation? If we were Senegalese and the children were older, we'd be talking about how big of a goat was needed for the wedding ceremony. Given that we're not Senegalese I can only propose we talk about how many boxes of Annie's Cheddar Bunnies we should bring to the next play date.
After procuring our groceries we went to the American Club to visit the play ground. Granted this is the kind of play ground that most Americans would never take their kids to in the US, much less here, but since it is one of three (?) play grounds in the city, beggars can't be choosers. When we got there I recognized one of the cars parked outside as that of my friend Katie's. She's got two little girls, a 3-yr old and a 1.5-yr old. We found them inside the bar having just finished a class, along with a Turkish mom who's also in our play group. So, we decided that we would all go to the play ground together with the children.
Not two minutes after going, one of the dad's in our play group shows up with his son. There are now three boys and one girl all around the same age, plus a 3-yr old girl, running around and everyone is having a blast. The kids are running, jumping, getting dirty and the parents are chatting and sharing parenting tips. As it turns out, Gusi starts saying Katie's younger daughter's name over and over again. He always asks about her even though he is usually charmed by older kids more than their younger siblings, even if they are his same age. So he keeps saying her name and then he says her name followed by the word jolie (pretty or nice). I tell this to Katie and we both laugh. About a half hour later, after Gusi is still mentioning Katie's younger daughter's name, Katie's older daughter starts calling after Gusi. I suspected she might be jealous but just watched to see what would unfold. Gusi was oblivious. Every time the older daughter called his name, he looked around for the younger daughter. Finally, the older daughter walked right up to Gusi and planted one on him. Right there on the play ground. Now, Gusi has had cute encounters with little girls where a peck was given or received in complete innocence, but this was much more. This was a deliberate attempt to get Gusi's mind off of the younger sister. I asked Katie if her daughter had just planted one on my son and she laughed and said yes. Then she asked her daughter, "did you kiss Gusi?" She smiled and said she had. Then she went and did it again. Gusi was confused. I was astounded! She really didn't want him thinking about the younger sister.
Gusi and I still can't believe it happened. Really, what does one do in this situation? If we were Senegalese and the children were older, we'd be talking about how big of a goat was needed for the wedding ceremony. Given that we're not Senegalese I can only propose we talk about how many boxes of Annie's Cheddar Bunnies we should bring to the next play date.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Proud Moment
Today was a hectic day with no real dinner time to be heard of. We all kind of ate in shifts as other things needed to get done. So it was a complete surprise to me when I was getting Gusi ready for his bath that he said he had to go poo-poo. I asked him if he wanted to go in his little toilet (which upon its arrival has become a very interesting object) and he said yes. So, since his clothes were off already, I just took his diaper off and sat him down. He was so happy, smiling and even laughing. I wondered if he would do anything, so I kept asking him if he had to go. Yes, he said and proceeded to go. I was so happy that I clapped and gave him kisses and said what a clever boy he was. That positive reinforcement did the trick and he kept going until he had finished. Then he told me that he was done, I wiped his bottom and called his father to show him. When his father saw, we congratulated him again and again and again.
Incredible! I didn't think he would be ready for potty training but I guess if I just let him take the lead it might work out after all.
Incredible! I didn't think he would be ready for potty training but I guess if I just let him take the lead it might work out after all.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Ho! Ho! No!
I had been building up the anticipation for a few days now: Gusi would meet Santa Claus again. Last year he did really well and sat on Santa's lap long enough to give him his Christmas wish list and take a picture. We had practiced our HO HO HOs for days but it would not bear the fruit I had wanted.
The embassy was having a Christmas party and even though it was quite sunny today, Santa Claus came by in full get-up and took pictures with all the kids. We got there a bit late but were able to see Santa eventually. Gusi had seen the dessert table--with chocolate cake sitting on it--while waiting in line and was upset that we were passing it up to wait even longer. So, finally, when we got to see Santa an abrupt NO! came out of his mouth. No Santa, Mami! I squatted down with him but still No Santa, Mami! was all I heard. All anyone heard actually. The photographer snapped a picture and that was that. Gusi got a Christmas tree lollipop and ran off to play with the turtle and the other kids, all the while saying No Santa.
On our way home I kept asking Gusi what had happened with Santa. He laughed and said No Santa. I said, "but Gusi, I thought you were going to say Ho, Ho, Ho Merry Christmas to Santa." He looked at me from his car seat and said, "no Ho, Ho, Ho Mami, no Santa."
He was quite content to just hang out and have fun at the party. The Christmas tree was actually a bigger hit than Santa. Go figure.
The embassy was having a Christmas party and even though it was quite sunny today, Santa Claus came by in full get-up and took pictures with all the kids. We got there a bit late but were able to see Santa eventually. Gusi had seen the dessert table--with chocolate cake sitting on it--while waiting in line and was upset that we were passing it up to wait even longer. So, finally, when we got to see Santa an abrupt NO! came out of his mouth. No Santa, Mami! I squatted down with him but still No Santa, Mami! was all I heard. All anyone heard actually. The photographer snapped a picture and that was that. Gusi got a Christmas tree lollipop and ran off to play with the turtle and the other kids, all the while saying No Santa.
On our way home I kept asking Gusi what had happened with Santa. He laughed and said No Santa. I said, "but Gusi, I thought you were going to say Ho, Ho, Ho Merry Christmas to Santa." He looked at me from his car seat and said, "no Ho, Ho, Ho Mami, no Santa."
He was quite content to just hang out and have fun at the party. The Christmas tree was actually a bigger hit than Santa. Go figure.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Diagnosis
Now we know. The lab results from the stool samples came back. Salmonella. I'm just glad to know what it was he had. Oddly enough, this bacterial disease doesn't respond well to antibiotics so he'll just ride it out. He's doing better today but he still isn't 100% Gusi. I hope he gets back to normal soon.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Slow Recovery
Gusi seems to be doing a little bit better today. He hasn't had a fever so far and he had some yogurt and a banana this morning. And after a crazy night of sleep deprivation on all our parts, I hope he gets some rest today at nap time.
When I'm not thinking of Gusi--which is rare these days--I'm giving thanks that we have the means to take care of him. We have access to well-trained medical staff, we have money to buy medicines and we are two educated parents who know how to help him get better; so many children here in Africa don't have that.
I'm starting to count my holiday blessings already.
When I'm not thinking of Gusi--which is rare these days--I'm giving thanks that we have the means to take care of him. We have access to well-trained medical staff, we have money to buy medicines and we are two educated parents who know how to help him get better; so many children here in Africa don't have that.
I'm starting to count my holiday blessings already.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Who Would've Guessed?
Apparently blue and yellow suit me.
How about you?
How about you?
| Your Inner European is Swedish! |
 |
Here We Go Again
I'm sick and tired of my son being sick and tired. Gusi got up last night after I finished the previous blog entry. He was crying for me. I let PapaGus know and asked him to help out. When he walked into Gusi's room he yelled for me to come. What did I find? Vomit everywhere. EVERYWHERE. The scene was ugly. We ended up doing a large load of laundry (a bit of a hassle because the laundry room is outside of our house in the back towards the garden), cleaning Gusi up and trying to get him some fluids. He vomited a few more times then started running a fever. He eventually managed to sleep a few hours only to wake up with diarrhea. He has had leaky diapers all day today, but the vomiting has stopped. We have an appointment to see the embassy nurse tomorrow though I suspect we'll hear that he has a virus--what a surprise. In any case, we should get him checked out in case it's something worse. This is just the pits. I want off this roller coaster.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Unpacked and Ready To Go
It's been just over a week and we are finally getting out of a mountain of boxes. (I will say that it is less painful to unpack than to pack.) We could have finished sooner but mentally, I just needed a break from figuring out where to put things and realizing that I have more junk than I need.
Last weekend Gusi was outside quite a bit with the gardener, but this weekend he was inside "helping" us. Ok, so he bowled a few rounds with my decorative candles, but he generally did quite well. All that was old seems new again, so his toys have become new sources of enjoyment. He's even taken to sleeping with his stuffed tiger, fish and monkey. The tiger is affectionately called a "meow meow" and no matter what I say to dissuade him that it's a "grr grr", he insists that it's a cat, so a cat he is.
His old/new books are also a welcome relief for both of us. For Gusi it means new stories, for me it means no more Tintin for a while. It is so violent! The characters hit, spit, fight, get drunk, smoke and do all other sorts of bad behavior. Not appropriate for a toddler, not at all. And yet, Gusi loved seeing the vignettes and following the storyline so if he didn't get Tintin as a bedtime book, I got an earful. I would try to skip over the really bad parts but still, he learned how to say "don't hit" (in English) because that was my moral to Tintin's story. So, I'm much happier now that we've got our Baby Loves Jazz series. Miles the Crocodile and Ella Elephant don't kidnap, poison or steal, thank goodness--they scat and be-bop.
All that is really left is a bit of organizing here and there and hanging up our art and pictures. We have a lot more room here in Senegal than we did in the US so the trick is using all of this space so that it shows off our pieces in the best way possible.
Oh, and I realized that one of the benefits of living in a tropical climate is that my son's clothes last a bit longer. Last year I remember that even though his clothes may have still fit him, the weather had changed meaning I had to get all new clothes anyway. Here, I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. He's still wearing short sleeved shirts and shorts, though occasionally he'll wear long pants. The shoes are a different story. Shoes here take a beating. They're washed a lot more, they're left outside in the hot sun, they're used for rock climbing at the beach--shoes just don't last as long here. I've ordered Gusi his first pair of online shoes. His feet have grown so I'm guessing at the shoe size but the internet is the only place I can get sandals in the middle of winter, so lucky me that I have internet. What would I do without it? Suffer probably.
Last weekend Gusi was outside quite a bit with the gardener, but this weekend he was inside "helping" us. Ok, so he bowled a few rounds with my decorative candles, but he generally did quite well. All that was old seems new again, so his toys have become new sources of enjoyment. He's even taken to sleeping with his stuffed tiger, fish and monkey. The tiger is affectionately called a "meow meow" and no matter what I say to dissuade him that it's a "grr grr", he insists that it's a cat, so a cat he is.
His old/new books are also a welcome relief for both of us. For Gusi it means new stories, for me it means no more Tintin for a while. It is so violent! The characters hit, spit, fight, get drunk, smoke and do all other sorts of bad behavior. Not appropriate for a toddler, not at all. And yet, Gusi loved seeing the vignettes and following the storyline so if he didn't get Tintin as a bedtime book, I got an earful. I would try to skip over the really bad parts but still, he learned how to say "don't hit" (in English) because that was my moral to Tintin's story. So, I'm much happier now that we've got our Baby Loves Jazz series. Miles the Crocodile and Ella Elephant don't kidnap, poison or steal, thank goodness--they scat and be-bop.
All that is really left is a bit of organizing here and there and hanging up our art and pictures. We have a lot more room here in Senegal than we did in the US so the trick is using all of this space so that it shows off our pieces in the best way possible.
Oh, and I realized that one of the benefits of living in a tropical climate is that my son's clothes last a bit longer. Last year I remember that even though his clothes may have still fit him, the weather had changed meaning I had to get all new clothes anyway. Here, I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. He's still wearing short sleeved shirts and shorts, though occasionally he'll wear long pants. The shoes are a different story. Shoes here take a beating. They're washed a lot more, they're left outside in the hot sun, they're used for rock climbing at the beach--shoes just don't last as long here. I've ordered Gusi his first pair of online shoes. His feet have grown so I'm guessing at the shoe size but the internet is the only place I can get sandals in the middle of winter, so lucky me that I have internet. What would I do without it? Suffer probably.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)