There have been some great developments while we've been gone. Remember I mentioned all the construction going on in our neighborhood? Well, it seems that one big project a bit down the road will be done before the end of the year--a new Casino. And no, it's not the kind of casino where you gamble, but a Casino as in a supermarket chain (from France?). Right now I have to go all the way into town to go to the big supermarket (where they also accept credit cards--few places here do) to do my weekly shopping. I don't get any produce or meats or fish there, just juices, milk, cheeses, rice, honey, marmalades--things like that. Still you don't always find what you need but it's the best one-stop-shop in Dakar. So, I'm really excited that we'll have one close by to the house.
Another bonus is that further down the road from the new Casino they've opened up a new gas station. It is a big deal because there are always lines here to fill up your tank. Hopefully the gas station will do well and we won't have to wait too long next time we fill up the tank. Oh, and in case you were wondering, here you don't get out of the car, someone pumps the gas for you.
The only other thing that I would like would be a nice, quiet coffee shop. Something close by where you can get some good coffee or tea and a small snack in a quiet atmosphere.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Cheeky Boys
I was looking back at pictures of Gusi when he was 7 and 8 months old to remind myself how big the baby will get in a short time, and I noticed that Gusi had the biggest cheeks you've ever seen on a child. Actually, he still has these incredibly squeezable cheeks. Now the baby is going down the same route. He too is getting quite cheeky as he finishes up his second month. Someone told me that babies who nurse develop their jaw muscles which helps the rest of their facial/cranial development somehow, but the effect is that they tend to have rounded faces with big cheeks. Perhaps it's the nursing, or maybe genetics, but one thing's for sure, both of my boys are quite cheeky.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
PEE-TAH
Earlier this week Gusi told me how his teacher at school had read them a story that day. This is how our conversation went.
Gusi: Mami, my teacher read a story today, she always reads two stories.
Me: Really sweetie, what was the story about?
Gusi: It was about a boy named Pee-tah.
Me: And what did this Peter do?
Gusi: No Mami, Pee-tah not Peter.
Me: That's what I said, Peter.
Gusi: No Mami, you said Peter but my teacher says Pee-tah.
Me: Oh, I see, well what did Pee-tah do in the story?
Gusi goes on to tell me the story where all the names have British accents. Amazing how he's learned to distinguish accents in English already; my American one is not as cool as his teacher's British one. I cracked up at the thought of this child knowing only a couple of words in English just a few short months ago and now he's going to learn proper English--nay, the Queen's English!
Gusi: Mami, my teacher read a story today, she always reads two stories.
Me: Really sweetie, what was the story about?
Gusi: It was about a boy named Pee-tah.
Me: And what did this Peter do?
Gusi: No Mami, Pee-tah not Peter.
Me: That's what I said, Peter.
Gusi: No Mami, you said Peter but my teacher says Pee-tah.
Me: Oh, I see, well what did Pee-tah do in the story?
Gusi goes on to tell me the story where all the names have British accents. Amazing how he's learned to distinguish accents in English already; my American one is not as cool as his teacher's British one. I cracked up at the thought of this child knowing only a couple of words in English just a few short months ago and now he's going to learn proper English--nay, the Queen's English!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Clearing Things Out
I'm in a funny place right now. I'm stuck between the cusp of true boy toys (trains, cars, dump trucks) and baby toys. We shipped over all of Gusi's old clothes and toys when we moved here last year and since our storage space here is limited, I am happy that the baby is starting to outgrow the 0 to 3 month old clothes. Actually, he's even starting to outgrow some of the 3 to 6 month old clothes! Him moving on to larger sizes means I can get rid of those clothes and pack up Gusi's 2T clothes since he's well into the 3Ts. But now, our house is slowly being taken over by baby bouncing chairs and activity centers as well as bicycles, fire engines and little red wagons. There are a few things that I'm keeping--cute outfits that Gusi and/or the baby wore, special little toys--and the rest I'm going to get rid of. I'm certainly not going to take all of this back with me to the US or on to our next post when our time here is over. We've accumulated a lot so I need to keep things balanced. I thought that I'd be leaving with less than I came with but I realize that that may not happen. We've ordered numerous things (especially toys) which means we'll have quite a bit amassed. I just need to stay on top of where it all is and what needs to go. It's too bad my cousin (she's having twin boys in December) lives so far away, otherwise she'd inherit the mother load of boy items.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
He Asked for It
Now that Gusi is going to school every morning our life is starting to find a rhythm. I'm using the mornings to organize the gazillion toys, baby items and toiletry products for all four of us that we brought back from the US into some coherent system--oh, and take care of the baby at the same time. I hope that two weeks from now I'll be able to get out of the house in the mornings as well.
The new development in Gusi's life right now is that since I told him that he would only take a nap if he asked for one, he has begun to ask for it. Rather, he tells me that he's tired when he gets home from school and when I ask him if he would like to sleep after lunch, he agrees and goes to sleep on his own. Actually, I think he's physically and mentally tired from school when he gets home. They do lots of activities including running around the yard so I'm finding the school well-balanced in learning, play and physical activity.
The other thing I like is the fact that he takes a snack to school, so every night after the boys are asleep I pack his lunch bag with a healthy snack. Today he's got halved grapes (had to cut them to get the seeds out), a bag of Annie's cheddar bunnies (he would live off of these things if given the opportunity), a juice box and two gummy bears. I just love the idea of packing him a snack pack, it's like he's really growing up now what with wearing underwear, going to preschool, taking a back pack (stuffed with several changes of clothes in case of an accident) and a snack. From now on he'll be in school for many years to come. I'll be packing lunches in a few years, not just snacks and then there will be the bus and carpool. Wow...and the baby will be at this point in the blink of an eye too. It just blows my mind how fast time flies when children are around to mark it for you.
The new development in Gusi's life right now is that since I told him that he would only take a nap if he asked for one, he has begun to ask for it. Rather, he tells me that he's tired when he gets home from school and when I ask him if he would like to sleep after lunch, he agrees and goes to sleep on his own. Actually, I think he's physically and mentally tired from school when he gets home. They do lots of activities including running around the yard so I'm finding the school well-balanced in learning, play and physical activity.
The other thing I like is the fact that he takes a snack to school, so every night after the boys are asleep I pack his lunch bag with a healthy snack. Today he's got halved grapes (had to cut them to get the seeds out), a bag of Annie's cheddar bunnies (he would live off of these things if given the opportunity), a juice box and two gummy bears. I just love the idea of packing him a snack pack, it's like he's really growing up now what with wearing underwear, going to preschool, taking a back pack (stuffed with several changes of clothes in case of an accident) and a snack. From now on he'll be in school for many years to come. I'll be packing lunches in a few years, not just snacks and then there will be the bus and carpool. Wow...and the baby will be at this point in the blink of an eye too. It just blows my mind how fast time flies when children are around to mark it for you.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
School and Coo
Today was Gusi's first day of preschool in Dakar. He did really well. I dropped him off and took the baby along. We put his backpack and lunch bag in his cubby, he went over and checked in*, he gave me a kiss good-bye and off he went to work on a train puzzle. I took the baby and walked out the door. No big deal, like he'd done it a million times before.
When I finally got home the baby and I had some alone time. Since early this morning he has been very into communicating with me--the most I've ever seen him do. When he woke up around 5:30am (yes, that early), I nursed him in bed half asleep but he (for the first time) reached his little hand up and kept caressing my face. I could barely make out the eye contact he was trying to make with me, but it was incredibly touching. So when I got home and had some time to dedicate just to him he was cooing with excitement. He was such a happy baby when there was quiet in the house and he had me all to himself.
Later Papi came to pick me up and we went to pick Gusi up at school. The baby was fine up until we took him out of the car and into the heat--he really doesn't like it, he fusses all the time. Gusi was all sweaty from playing outside. He had had a good day. His teachers told me that he jumped right into things and wasn't a bit shy. He managed to sit down on the potty before snack time but nothing. Then later when he was running around the yard he had an accident of the wet kind. (He's still learning this potty thing, but he is wearing underwear instead of diapers. We're only doing diapers at night now since that dryness tends to take a bit longer.) As we drove home I read the syllabus his teacher had left in his cubby (he's starting about 6 weeks later than the other kids) and asked what activity they had done with circles today. He told me that they had made smiley faces and talked quite a bit about his day in a very positive way. He obviously liked it so he'll go back tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how he does going to school 5 days a week vs 2 as he did back in the US. At least he knows and will socialize with all his classmates outside of school so that will make the experience more enjoyable. I know half the parents in his class and there are three other children who speak Spanish as their first language so I'm sure he'll feel some comfort in that.
In all it was a great to see my big boy starting a new chapter in his life and see my little baby begin communicating with me. Quite a day.
* Gusi's teacher has all of their names laminated in extra large font which she places on a table next to the wall. They also have a large envelope on the wall with their name on it. Each morning the children have to find their name from the group of names and put it in their envelope. It teaches them the beginnings of letter recognition as well as making them feel special to have their names up on the wall and helps the teachers keep track of attendance.
When I finally got home the baby and I had some alone time. Since early this morning he has been very into communicating with me--the most I've ever seen him do. When he woke up around 5:30am (yes, that early), I nursed him in bed half asleep but he (for the first time) reached his little hand up and kept caressing my face. I could barely make out the eye contact he was trying to make with me, but it was incredibly touching. So when I got home and had some time to dedicate just to him he was cooing with excitement. He was such a happy baby when there was quiet in the house and he had me all to himself.
Later Papi came to pick me up and we went to pick Gusi up at school. The baby was fine up until we took him out of the car and into the heat--he really doesn't like it, he fusses all the time. Gusi was all sweaty from playing outside. He had had a good day. His teachers told me that he jumped right into things and wasn't a bit shy. He managed to sit down on the potty before snack time but nothing. Then later when he was running around the yard he had an accident of the wet kind. (He's still learning this potty thing, but he is wearing underwear instead of diapers. We're only doing diapers at night now since that dryness tends to take a bit longer.) As we drove home I read the syllabus his teacher had left in his cubby (he's starting about 6 weeks later than the other kids) and asked what activity they had done with circles today. He told me that they had made smiley faces and talked quite a bit about his day in a very positive way. He obviously liked it so he'll go back tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how he does going to school 5 days a week vs 2 as he did back in the US. At least he knows and will socialize with all his classmates outside of school so that will make the experience more enjoyable. I know half the parents in his class and there are three other children who speak Spanish as their first language so I'm sure he'll feel some comfort in that.
In all it was a great to see my big boy starting a new chapter in his life and see my little baby begin communicating with me. Quite a day.
* Gusi's teacher has all of their names laminated in extra large font which she places on a table next to the wall. They also have a large envelope on the wall with their name on it. Each morning the children have to find their name from the group of names and put it in their envelope. It teaches them the beginnings of letter recognition as well as making them feel special to have their names up on the wall and helps the teachers keep track of attendance.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Snappy & Harry in Africa
A few things must be said about our transition back to African life.
1. I forgot how hot it gets and the baby doesn't like it. When we go outside he wiggles and complains. Glad we missed the bad part of the summer; it's supposed to cool down in the next few weeks.
2. Gusi is officially off the nap list. The second day we were here was the last time he napped. He just doesn't seem to need it and if I force it on him he doesn't get to bed until nearly 10pm, so no naps unless absolutely necessary.
3. Gusi is also really into snapping lately. I mean, he snaps all day long. If his hands aren't busy with his trains or cars or trucks, he's snapping. He even snaps as the cars or fire trucks "stop at a red light". He learned how to snap when we were in the US but he was never quite so into it.
4. The baby is trying to adjust to a new routine. He's slowly getting over the jet-lag. Some nights he wants to go to bed at 7pm (like last night) and other nights (like tonight) it doesn't happen until 10pm.
5. The baby is routinely swaddled in his miracle blanket. (It was recommended by our pediatrician and really did the trick. I wish we had gotten this with Gusi--it would have saved us so much pain.) However, if we don't put him down soon after swaddling him, the wrap comes a bit loose, just enough so that when you do put him down and think he's asleep, he'll wiggle one leg out and cry until you come get him. So, we try to swaddle tightly, bounce, bounce, jiggle, sway and into the crib. If we bounce too much or sway too long our little Harry Houdini will get out of his baby straight-jacket and wail so hard you'll have to start the bouncing all over again.
6. I miss our free range, reasonably priced chicken. Here I'm shocked, again, to pay $10 for one midget bird. I spent $80 at the butcher's the other day and the expensive parts were the chicken--the beef fillets were cheap at 4 for $10. It's just mind boggling at how expensive life is here for your average Joe...or better said, your average Mamadou.
7. I haven't told too many folks that we're back. I just need some time to adjust before everyone starts stopping by to see the baby. I think I can buy myself about another two to three days before people start finding out and calling me up offended that I didn't tell them I was back. Plus, they'll all find out as Gusi starts preschool here in Dakar later this week and a lot of my friends' children go to the same school.
8. Before we left it was the constant yelping of the peacocks that we heard. Now that I'm back I haven't heard them once. Instead after sunset, we hear loads and loads of toads. Gusi hears them most at bath time and isn't sure if he should be afraid or not. It's only when I start to sing songs about frogs or recite rhymes about toads that he settles down.
9. The potholes have gotten bigger. If you haven't visited us in Dakar yet then you don't know what I'm talking about, but if you have you're saying to yourself: how is that possible? Well, I didn't think it was, but it has happened--the rainy season was so incredibly long and strong that there are craters everywhere. I don't even think they'll be repaired, at least not while we're living here.
10. A lot has changed in our neighborhood since we left. Construction sites have advanced, new ones have started, stalled ones have recommenced. In a city that is constantly shifting, it will be interesting to see what exactly has stayed the same.
1. I forgot how hot it gets and the baby doesn't like it. When we go outside he wiggles and complains. Glad we missed the bad part of the summer; it's supposed to cool down in the next few weeks.
2. Gusi is officially off the nap list. The second day we were here was the last time he napped. He just doesn't seem to need it and if I force it on him he doesn't get to bed until nearly 10pm, so no naps unless absolutely necessary.
3. Gusi is also really into snapping lately. I mean, he snaps all day long. If his hands aren't busy with his trains or cars or trucks, he's snapping. He even snaps as the cars or fire trucks "stop at a red light". He learned how to snap when we were in the US but he was never quite so into it.
4. The baby is trying to adjust to a new routine. He's slowly getting over the jet-lag. Some nights he wants to go to bed at 7pm (like last night) and other nights (like tonight) it doesn't happen until 10pm.
5. The baby is routinely swaddled in his miracle blanket. (It was recommended by our pediatrician and really did the trick. I wish we had gotten this with Gusi--it would have saved us so much pain.) However, if we don't put him down soon after swaddling him, the wrap comes a bit loose, just enough so that when you do put him down and think he's asleep, he'll wiggle one leg out and cry until you come get him. So, we try to swaddle tightly, bounce, bounce, jiggle, sway and into the crib. If we bounce too much or sway too long our little Harry Houdini will get out of his baby straight-jacket and wail so hard you'll have to start the bouncing all over again.
6. I miss our free range, reasonably priced chicken. Here I'm shocked, again, to pay $10 for one midget bird. I spent $80 at the butcher's the other day and the expensive parts were the chicken--the beef fillets were cheap at 4 for $10. It's just mind boggling at how expensive life is here for your average Joe...or better said, your average Mamadou.
7. I haven't told too many folks that we're back. I just need some time to adjust before everyone starts stopping by to see the baby. I think I can buy myself about another two to three days before people start finding out and calling me up offended that I didn't tell them I was back. Plus, they'll all find out as Gusi starts preschool here in Dakar later this week and a lot of my friends' children go to the same school.
8. Before we left it was the constant yelping of the peacocks that we heard. Now that I'm back I haven't heard them once. Instead after sunset, we hear loads and loads of toads. Gusi hears them most at bath time and isn't sure if he should be afraid or not. It's only when I start to sing songs about frogs or recite rhymes about toads that he settles down.
9. The potholes have gotten bigger. If you haven't visited us in Dakar yet then you don't know what I'm talking about, but if you have you're saying to yourself: how is that possible? Well, I didn't think it was, but it has happened--the rainy season was so incredibly long and strong that there are craters everywhere. I don't even think they'll be repaired, at least not while we're living here.
10. A lot has changed in our neighborhood since we left. Construction sites have advanced, new ones have started, stalled ones have recommenced. In a city that is constantly shifting, it will be interesting to see what exactly has stayed the same.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Two Little Angels
In a rare moment of quiet I rejoice by logging on. Both Gusi and the baby are sleeping.
The trip over wasn't too bad. It wasn't easy, but we managed. All of our luggage got here so that's always a plus. The heat when we got off the plane was intense. I forgot how hot it actually gets here. Since we got here at the crack of dawn we had the whole day to unpack and acclimate ourselves--Gusi more than anyone. Papi and I were tired, the baby was jet-lagged (nursing on his old schedule which meant he didn't go to sleep until mid-night) but Gusi was confused. He didn't know where his bedroom nor his playroom were. He played with his toys like he had never seen them before.
We all took a morning nap in our bed yesterday--the four of us--with the two children in the middle. By the end of the day Gusi was exhausted. After his bath, we put him to bed without the usual story reading because he was so tired. He wore some cute moose pjs that my mom got him because they were new and he saw them in his drawers. The moose pjs are long-sleeved and that combined with me not setting the a/c cold enough meant he woke up screaming in a pool of sweat three hours later. It didn't take much to get him back to sleep and now I've learned at what temperature I need to set the a/c.
The baby did well, but it does seem to me that he is a bit perplexed as to where he is. The swaddling blanket I use is the same so that seems to be comforting to him. I hope he gets over his jet-lag soon and starts going to sleep around 9pm again. He is such a good baby, sleeping quite well for several weeks now, crying only rarely, nursing like a champ and growing like a weed. I'm already putting away the 0-3 month old clothes because he's outgrown them before even hitting 2 months old. Good thing I kept all of Gusi's old baby clothes and brought them with me to Dakar. No need to spend another small fortune.
I must admit that it's quite nice to have Vivane and Tony back in our lives. Our housekeeper/cook and day guard/gardener are a huge help around the house. Yesterday Vivane entertained Gusi in his play room while I unpacked. Today Tony took him to our neighbors house to see their dog (that dog and the dog's ball are the only thing Gusi remembered about Dakar). He came back exhausted, ate a bit and is taking his nap. I'm mostly taking care of the baby, but considering he's nursing it's hard to hand him off to anyone for an extended amount of time. In any case, it's good that Gusi's getting some one-on-one attention.
I will admit, I miss the US. It is a much more hectic lifestyle than here, but I know the system over there and there's comfort in that. I'll get back into the swing of things here soon enough though. I need to get serious about potty-training Gusi, get him involved in school and see what other activities he can be signed up for, like soccer? It will get easier, that much I know. If it didn't, people would only have one child and that doesn't seem to be the norm.
The trip over wasn't too bad. It wasn't easy, but we managed. All of our luggage got here so that's always a plus. The heat when we got off the plane was intense. I forgot how hot it actually gets here. Since we got here at the crack of dawn we had the whole day to unpack and acclimate ourselves--Gusi more than anyone. Papi and I were tired, the baby was jet-lagged (nursing on his old schedule which meant he didn't go to sleep until mid-night) but Gusi was confused. He didn't know where his bedroom nor his playroom were. He played with his toys like he had never seen them before.
We all took a morning nap in our bed yesterday--the four of us--with the two children in the middle. By the end of the day Gusi was exhausted. After his bath, we put him to bed without the usual story reading because he was so tired. He wore some cute moose pjs that my mom got him because they were new and he saw them in his drawers. The moose pjs are long-sleeved and that combined with me not setting the a/c cold enough meant he woke up screaming in a pool of sweat three hours later. It didn't take much to get him back to sleep and now I've learned at what temperature I need to set the a/c.
The baby did well, but it does seem to me that he is a bit perplexed as to where he is. The swaddling blanket I use is the same so that seems to be comforting to him. I hope he gets over his jet-lag soon and starts going to sleep around 9pm again. He is such a good baby, sleeping quite well for several weeks now, crying only rarely, nursing like a champ and growing like a weed. I'm already putting away the 0-3 month old clothes because he's outgrown them before even hitting 2 months old. Good thing I kept all of Gusi's old baby clothes and brought them with me to Dakar. No need to spend another small fortune.
I must admit that it's quite nice to have Vivane and Tony back in our lives. Our housekeeper/cook and day guard/gardener are a huge help around the house. Yesterday Vivane entertained Gusi in his play room while I unpacked. Today Tony took him to our neighbors house to see their dog (that dog and the dog's ball are the only thing Gusi remembered about Dakar). He came back exhausted, ate a bit and is taking his nap. I'm mostly taking care of the baby, but considering he's nursing it's hard to hand him off to anyone for an extended amount of time. In any case, it's good that Gusi's getting some one-on-one attention.
I will admit, I miss the US. It is a much more hectic lifestyle than here, but I know the system over there and there's comfort in that. I'll get back into the swing of things here soon enough though. I need to get serious about potty-training Gusi, get him involved in school and see what other activities he can be signed up for, like soccer? It will get easier, that much I know. If it didn't, people would only have one child and that doesn't seem to be the norm.
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