The last several weeks have flown by. Grandpa and Grandma came for a visit, I got medevaced, Auntie Megan came, we took a family vacation around Senegal, we celebrated Gusi's birthday, the family left and now life is getting back to what it was before.
Our family vacation ended up being quite an adventure. We went to St. Louis, the old capital of Senegal for a few days. Our car ended up getting vandalized while it sat parked RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE LOBBY all night. They tried to steal our diesel by cutting the tube that leads from the spout where you fill up your tank to the actual tank under the car. We found the hose wrapped around our back tires early one morning, but after smelling the hose we knew they didn't get anything. Still, it didn't occur to us that they had CUT the tube; we thought they tried to jimmy open the door to siphon it off from the outside, not underneath the car. It wasn't until we were on our way out of St. Louis filling up the tank that we realized it was spilling and not going into the tank. That meant driving back to St. Louis to find a Toyota dealership to see if they had the part. Everything ended up being closed for a long weekend, but a mechanic came by on his moped and clamped on a metal pipe onto the cut tube and off we went. It was an exercise in patience for all of us.
Of course, the fun didn't start or stop there. The day we went to the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary was unforgettable. We had hired a guide and a car to take us there. We piled into a 7-seater Peugot. In case you've never had the pleasure, the car looks like a station wagon from the 1980s with a small third row seat. About 2/3 of the way there the car breaks down. Actually, something happens to the "tree-frame" (that's all we can get out of the translation) and we're stuck in the middle of nowhere but on a well-traveled road at least. Everyone gets out, Grandpa risks his life trying to stop a car coming down the road, Auntie Megan takes pictures of animals, Gusi plays race car driver with the steering wheel and I just roll my eyes at the luck we've drawn. Finally, someone takes pity on us and gives us a ride to the park in their pick-up truck; our guide meanwhile orders another car from St. Louis to pick us up after the bird park tour is over. We go on a boat ride, see thousands of birds, get a lot of sun and find our ride waiting for us when we return. Then we stop for lunch and continue on our journey. The suspicious part of all of this is that the same 7-seater Peugot now has an extra person that has tagged along with the driver. Hmm. This person seems to be telling the driver how to drive. Hmm. Why the hell are we squeezed in like this with no air conditioning and windows with no handles on them? We end up getting to the point where our first car broke down and stop. Uh, why has this guy been sitting in the same exact spot for 5 hours now? Our guide then informs us that the two drivers want to tie the broken-down Peugot to the one we're riding in and tow it all the way to St. Louis--another hour or so without the extra weight. NO WAY! Papi is adamant. The guide agrees with us and says we should continue and the first driver must wait for someone else to come. But the drivers are buddies and the second driver won't leave without towing his friend. Gusi is fast asleep through all this. The arguments occur outside the car in Wolof and get translated to Papi and I in French through our guide. NO WAY are we towing the car, it's not safe. So the first driver tells us to get out and wait for a car so his friend can tow him--he's tired of waiting. The second driver tells us to get out of his car and starts to tie the two cars' bumpers together. Papi tells him in no uncertain terms that if he ties the cars together or dumps us here (with two seniors, a sleeping child and a pregnant woman in the bunch) in the middle of nowhere he will go directly to the police in St. Louis where these matters will be settled the hard way. The second driver relents; the first driver curses and our guide shrinks with embarrassment. As luck would have it, a tour bus full of French tourists slows down as it approaches us. Our guide and the tour bus guide are friends and have room to give us a lift back to St. Louis so we climb in. When we get back to the hotel our guide tells us that in 8 years of doing this, nothing like this has ever happened to him. We tell him it wasn't his fault but Papi reflects on what would have happened if we had taken our car? As it turns out, with the cut gas tube, it could have been extremely dangerous.
So, we were all a bit happy to finally leave St. Louis and Murphy's Law behind us. From there we went to Sine Saloum to a small resort. We relaxed and had a nice time, chatting, swimming and taking boat/kayak rides.
It was kind of a relief to get back to Dakar. I'd traveled around Africa before for work and had these types of encounters of the African kind and realized that I was glad I didn't have to deal with this anymore. It was good to be home. But (what was I thinking?) the next day I had planned Gusi's birthday party so we were in full party-preparation mode. The party went well. Gusi was sung "Happy Birthday" to in English, French and Spanish; he stuck to his cupcake diet quite well and the families that came seemed to enjoy themselves.
Then Auntie Megan left. Tears were shed by Gusi since he grew close to her during her short stay. Then we had a series of Easter parties. Then Grandma & Grandpa left. Gusi kept saying that he was going on the airplane to Arizona too and would take his backpack.
So after all this, we are trying to settle down. I realize that it will be short-lived because in just 10 weeks we will be going home to the US. I've got a lot to do before then. A LOT. And so the rat race continues.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Bump-itty-Bump
When I was pregnant with Gusi, my friend Natalie warned me that one day you fit into your clothes and the next morning you wake up and don't. I didn't really believe her until I experienced it for myself. Now I can say that from last week to this one I feel my body growing incredibly fast--expanding in ways I had forgotten. Looking back on it, it was also around this time that I felt my body morph when I was pregnant with Gusi.
It has gotten to the point that people who haven't seen me in a few weeks and didn't know I was pregnant, are surprised to see me. Today I saw a Franco-German friend of mine who I hadn't seen in about 3 weeks; she widened her eyes when she saw me and I knew at that point that it was visible to everyone who knows me that I've got a bump. I'm just happy to have a healthy bump, so the fact that it's now visible just makes me even happier.
It has gotten to the point that people who haven't seen me in a few weeks and didn't know I was pregnant, are surprised to see me. Today I saw a Franco-German friend of mine who I hadn't seen in about 3 weeks; she widened her eyes when she saw me and I knew at that point that it was visible to everyone who knows me that I've got a bump. I'm just happy to have a healthy bump, so the fact that it's now visible just makes me even happier.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Take Your Vitamins
The good news is that Grandpa is better, just like new. The bad news is that we had a scare last week.
I haven't said too much about my pregnancy on this blog because I think that deep down (or perhaps not so deep down) I am a bit superstitious about counting chicks before they hatch. I will only feel comfortable once I can count all the fingers and toes for myself, and that won't be for a while yet.
On Monday I had a prenatal check up. Part of it entailed getting blood drawn for an AFP test. The best part was that even though Papi was traveling, Gusi came into the examining room with me and we both heard the baby's heart beat. Gusi was thrilled! So was I. Since then he's reminded me several times that he heard the baby's heart. How happy it makes me to see him participating in the pregnancy this way.
On Wednesday I got a phone call from the embassy doctor. The alfa-fetal protein test that had been done came back five times the normal level. This was not good. I knew from my earlier trip to London that Down Syndrome had been ruled out for this baby, but the doctor informed me that I would have to go back to London to rule out any neural tube defects. Since the AFP test is just a screening tool and not a diagnostic one, more tests had to be done especially after these types of blood results. I was terrified but I packed my bags anyway. That same night I caught a flight to London.
Thursday was spent running around without a compass. I barely spent time at the hotel, just enough to drop off my things and shower. Then I was off to the specialists. He did a high definition ultrasound and checked the baby from head to toe. They checked to see if the skin was closed over the spinal column, if the spine was a good shape all the way down, if the cerebellum was the proper shape. All was fine. Great in fact. The baby looked absolutely healthy from all angles. I told the sonographer that if she could find out what the gender was I'd like to know. Unfortunately the little munchkin was sitting cross-legged with the umbilical cord in between the legs so we could see nothing. Oh well, I thought. Then as I was getting up from the table, she remembered that she had forgotten to take some head measurements. I hopped back on the table and she took the measurements. This time the OB walked over. They both smiled and said "there's the willy". It's a boy? Yes. It's a boy. And he's healthy? You're positive of this? Yes, he's perfectly healthy, go home. I was so relieved. I called Papi and told him the news and then I got ready to go home the next morning.
So why does this blog title mention vitamins? Because the folic acid found in prenatal vitamins can prevent the vast majority of neural tube defects, but only if you take it before you get pregnant. In fact, once you find out you are pregnant it is usually too late to change anything. What's high in folic acid aside from prenatal vitamins? Leafy greens, fortified cereals, oranges, strawberries, liver, eggs and beans. But diet alone is not enough for women of reproductive age; supplements are necessary in the form of prenatal vitamins.
If it's one thing I hate it's taking those horse pills called prenatal vitamins, but it is such a small sacrifice of comfort in the end. We do so much for our kids already, this is a piece of cake.
I haven't said too much about my pregnancy on this blog because I think that deep down (or perhaps not so deep down) I am a bit superstitious about counting chicks before they hatch. I will only feel comfortable once I can count all the fingers and toes for myself, and that won't be for a while yet.
On Monday I had a prenatal check up. Part of it entailed getting blood drawn for an AFP test. The best part was that even though Papi was traveling, Gusi came into the examining room with me and we both heard the baby's heart beat. Gusi was thrilled! So was I. Since then he's reminded me several times that he heard the baby's heart. How happy it makes me to see him participating in the pregnancy this way.
On Wednesday I got a phone call from the embassy doctor. The alfa-fetal protein test that had been done came back five times the normal level. This was not good. I knew from my earlier trip to London that Down Syndrome had been ruled out for this baby, but the doctor informed me that I would have to go back to London to rule out any neural tube defects. Since the AFP test is just a screening tool and not a diagnostic one, more tests had to be done especially after these types of blood results. I was terrified but I packed my bags anyway. That same night I caught a flight to London.
Thursday was spent running around without a compass. I barely spent time at the hotel, just enough to drop off my things and shower. Then I was off to the specialists. He did a high definition ultrasound and checked the baby from head to toe. They checked to see if the skin was closed over the spinal column, if the spine was a good shape all the way down, if the cerebellum was the proper shape. All was fine. Great in fact. The baby looked absolutely healthy from all angles. I told the sonographer that if she could find out what the gender was I'd like to know. Unfortunately the little munchkin was sitting cross-legged with the umbilical cord in between the legs so we could see nothing. Oh well, I thought. Then as I was getting up from the table, she remembered that she had forgotten to take some head measurements. I hopped back on the table and she took the measurements. This time the OB walked over. They both smiled and said "there's the willy". It's a boy? Yes. It's a boy. And he's healthy? You're positive of this? Yes, he's perfectly healthy, go home. I was so relieved. I called Papi and told him the news and then I got ready to go home the next morning.
So why does this blog title mention vitamins? Because the folic acid found in prenatal vitamins can prevent the vast majority of neural tube defects, but only if you take it before you get pregnant. In fact, once you find out you are pregnant it is usually too late to change anything. What's high in folic acid aside from prenatal vitamins? Leafy greens, fortified cereals, oranges, strawberries, liver, eggs and beans. But diet alone is not enough for women of reproductive age; supplements are necessary in the form of prenatal vitamins.
If it's one thing I hate it's taking those horse pills called prenatal vitamins, but it is such a small sacrifice of comfort in the end. We do so much for our kids already, this is a piece of cake.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
No Great Bienvenue
For those of you that have never had the pleasure of being so sick that you have to take oral rehydration solution (ORS), consider yourself lucky. Many times, during my travels across Africa, I have had to force myself to drink this for my own health. For an adult the quantity is 1 liter and it tastes a lot like salt water, so drinking 1 liter of it seems almost impossible when you are sick. The trick, I've now learned, is to drink it when it's ice cold.
So, I bring all of this up because Grandpa has fallen ill. Africa often bestows her bienvenue in the most inhospitable ways. This morning Gusi and I found out that Grandpa had had a rough night, and consequently so had Grandma. Gusi immediately suggested medicine to make Grandpa feel better. I agreed with him, so with ORS, some fever reducers (since he had a high fever) and a course of antibiotics, Grandpa is hopefully on his way to recovery. But what really cracks me up is that when he sees his Grandpa not feeling so well, he tells me to give him some medicine. At one point he told me that Grandpa would be very brave if he took his medicine--something that we always tell him when he takes his anti-malaria medicine. I guess he's paying attention to our advice after all.
But the cutest part of the day was when it was time to give good night kisses. He didn't want to leave anyone out (PapaGus is traveling so he didn't get a smooch). Gusi jumped out of his chair and said that he had to give Grandpa a good night kiss, so he jetted down the hall to their room, woke the poor man up, gave him a kiss and zoomed back to his room. There he gave Grandma and I kisses and said I love you Mami to boot. I hope Grandpa gets better soon.
So, I bring all of this up because Grandpa has fallen ill. Africa often bestows her bienvenue in the most inhospitable ways. This morning Gusi and I found out that Grandpa had had a rough night, and consequently so had Grandma. Gusi immediately suggested medicine to make Grandpa feel better. I agreed with him, so with ORS, some fever reducers (since he had a high fever) and a course of antibiotics, Grandpa is hopefully on his way to recovery. But what really cracks me up is that when he sees his Grandpa not feeling so well, he tells me to give him some medicine. At one point he told me that Grandpa would be very brave if he took his medicine--something that we always tell him when he takes his anti-malaria medicine. I guess he's paying attention to our advice after all.
But the cutest part of the day was when it was time to give good night kisses. He didn't want to leave anyone out (PapaGus is traveling so he didn't get a smooch). Gusi jumped out of his chair and said that he had to give Grandpa a good night kiss, so he jetted down the hall to their room, woke the poor man up, gave him a kiss and zoomed back to his room. There he gave Grandma and I kisses and said I love you Mami to boot. I hope Grandpa gets better soon.
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