'Twas the Night Before Christmas

It is amazing how incredibly fun Christmas is becoming again. Now that Gusi is a bit older he understands more what this whole holiday thing is about. He's been careful to make sure he's on the "Good Children List" and not on the "Naughty Children List" for weeks now and he's told us countless times that he wants trains for Christmas...lots and lots of trains. Rumor has it that he will indeed get trains, as well as books and puzzles.

The baby (who is still clueless about the holiday) will get a couple of infant toys that will help with the upcoming teething process. Yesterday we had his four month well-baby visit. He seems to be doing well, but the baby scale was broken so we don't really know how much he weighs, so we don't really know how well he's doing, so I feel a bit uneasy about things. Yes, he's made progress, significant progress since two months ago but still, I'm a numbers girl so I'd like to be able to measure how much he's progressed. Sigh.

But my mom is here, Papi is snoozing on the sofa, the boys are nestled all snug in their beds with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. I am not wearing a kerchief though. We had a nice dinner and I am listening to Christmas music with tears in my eyes as I hear each and every lyric. Sure it would be nice to have Grandma & Grandpa here with us, or be with my family in New Orleans, or have a white Christmas, but this is where we are and home is where you make it after all.

So, Merry Christmas to Grandma & Grandpa, to the aunties by the poolside sipping their cocktails, to our family in the land of Lincoln, to those in NOLA, to those friends in the Peach state and in the Big Apple, and to those near and far. We wish you the best for the holidays and 2009!

Lots of love.

Christmas Caroling

We had a few friends* over for a Christmas caroling party tonight and it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately since the four of us are still hoarse, we weren't the best singers. The baby went down early so I missed out on a chunk of the party, but Gusi had a good time with several of his friends from school--whose parents, coincidentally, are also our friends.

So. My favorite carols of the season? This year's list, in no particular order:

1. Sleigh Ride. I just like the imagery of being comfy and cozy on a sleigh; I've never been on one, but hopefully next year we can make that happen...right Santa Claus? Plus it's got a great beat.
2. Away in a Manger. With a little baby in the home this Christmas season, I can visualize this carol easily.
3. Silent Night. This is a perennial favorite. I sing it to the baby after his bath while I get his pjs on.
4. Jingle Bells. Because it's Gusi's favorite and one he sang at his school's Christmas party. It was also my very favorite when I was a little kid.
5. Little Drummer Boy. It gets me choked up every year. It was my grandmother's favorite carol and I think of her each time I hear it.
6. Up On the Housetop. I just love the chorus here, as well as the second and third verses which are a riot--talk about dated!
7. White Christmas. Because I am dreaming of a white Christmas for next year!
8. Let It Snow. Because it would be grand to see some snow right now!
9. Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon. This is just a great song.
10. Twelve Days of Christmas. There's just something crazy about what my true love sent to me.

*"We still have friends because they don't know about the germ theory of disease."--Papi after everyone left.

House Full of Germs

It started with yet another runny nose of Gusi's. It seems he is healthy for one week and then sick for two; the nature of the game when you have a preschooler. Yet now I've got a sore throat and headaches, the baby has a runny nose and watery eyes, and Papi is sneezing and feeling body aches. Whatever it is, it has been successful in contaminating the entire family. I hope we're all well by the weekend.

Our Busy Weekend

It is Sunday night and it would appear that both children are down for the night--but you never know with Gusi as he has this habit of getting up, walking to the living room and asking "what are you doing?" Ahem--go to bed.

Anyway, I said good-bye to my friend A who is going to South Africa with her family to spend the holidays. It seems like a lot of folks are clearing out for the holidays which makes me glad that my mom is coming. She is great about spreading the holiday spirit. But our weekend is certainly preparing us for that as well.

Yesterday we went to a company Christmas party and then a birthday party and today we went to another Christmas party where a special someone came to pay a visit. Gusi was the first one to sit on Santa Claus' lap. He was so excited. He didn't say a word, just nodded when asked if he had been a good boy. We snapped away. Later we woke the baby and got his first picture with Santa Claus. It was great to see all the kids get excited about the holidays. It is actually contagious; I'm really looking forward to the holidays this year.

Just Crazy

Ok, so I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I saw several things that I didn't expect.

1. A huge Christmas tree at the entry way with a black Santa Claus sitting on a folding chair underneath it. Bizarre. I didn't see any photographer, so maybe it was just for kids to see him and sit on his lap...under the a/c vent.
2. Christmas trees! There were small trees and large ones, though they will probably be gone by tomorrow since it's the weekend. No matter, we have our own plastic one that we already paid too much for. The fresh trees looked like one of those Charlie Brown Christmas trees, but I suppose if you want to pay about $25 then you can get one.
3. Ben & Jerry's ice cream. They had Chunky Monkey, Cookie Dough and something else. I went to pick up a pint and froze when I saw the price tag. 6990CFA which equals roughly $14!!! For one pint! I said outloud (in English) that I was glad I wasn't pregnant with the baby right now, otherwise we'd be going broke. An American family of five nearby laughed. $14!!! Besides, we've got N'Ice Cream downtown which has really good ice cream. It even has a new flavor called Barack Obama--chocolate with a nougat-type crunch. Yum.

Sheer Exhaustion

Gusi seems to be getting sick--again. He's got yet another runny nose and cough. When they told me that kids always get sick I thought that mine wouldn't since I make him wash his hands endlessly, but he gets sick just the same.

So three nights ago as I was putting Gusi to sleep he told me he needed medicine for his cough--which was non-existent by the way. I told him no and sent him back to bed. He got up again and again. Still, no medicine. No symptoms, no medicine. Then he did the same two nights ago and again last night when I finally saw some symptoms. I think he's getting a cough and sore throat confused. He probably had a sore throat to begin with and now I hear the cough. Poor thing.

So, I was up with Gusi last night at 2am when he woke from what appeared to be a nightmare, then again at 5am when all his noise woke up the baby. So between nursing the baby, getting us all dressed, changing diapers, going potty, etc, well, it was a miracle we were able to get out the door. It appears the boys are napping right now. I've got just a few precious minutes before they wake up so I'll go ahead and run a quick trip to the supermarket to prepare for the weekend.

Oh, and did I mention that I'm flying solo these days? That my dear, dear husband is off in the grand ol' USA? No? Well, I just have to say that when the baby is weaned it is my deepest desire to go to a spa resort for a long weekend with nothing but books--that's it. No children, no cooking, no cleaning, no grocery shopping, no packing a diaper bag, no cleaning spit-up or poop off of my clothes, no picking green paint out of hair--none of it, for three days. Insh'allah it will happen.

Roll Over

What is it that those luxury SUVs have that keeps them from rolling over easily? Well, whatever it is, I need it for the baby. These days he seems to roll straight to one side or the other and then whoops! onto his tummy. Then he's stuck. He's managed once or twice to roll back but usually he can't, and of course, he always rolls when he is put down for a nap or bedtime in his crib.

This of course has disrupted his sleep. Ugh. He'll get up around 3am because he's face-down and can't get on his back. He gets so worked up about it that he can only calm himself down by nursing. So, I let him, then burp him and take him back to his crib where I know I'll be back in two hours time doing the same thing all over again.

These are tough times because Papi is on a business trip to New Orleans. Yep, he's getting to see my city, my family and eat the food that I grew up on and he's getting paid to do it! So I'm flying solo on this gig for a while and the early wake ups are tiring me out. I hope he figures out how to do this roll and roll back thing soon because I'm slowly withering away from exhaustion.

Oh, and yes, A and I are becoming friends. She and I shared how difficult it was to make/keep friends here in Dakar and even though she's leaving town for the holidays we hope to pick up where we left off after the new year.

Another update: Gusi is being a great big brother these days. I thought with his dad out of town things would go haywire from his end, but he is being a real trooper. He helps by streamlining a lot of the whining, actually brushing his teeth when told to do so and making it to the potty on time almost all the time. We're even one of the first kids to make it to school in the morning. It's just been a lot more planning and organizing than when Papi's around. All I need now is a full night's sleep. Ahem! I hope the baby is listening???

My New Friend?

This is the kind of lifestyle where you think twice about making a new friend. First of all, people are so transitory that you never really know who will be sticking around for how long, so that leads you to either be very superficial with your acquaintances or to have just a few.

Last year I had several "friends" many of whom ended up leaving Dakar to go to points beyond. A few friends remain, but for a variety of reasons we don't see eachother much. One has started working, another now has both of her kids in school and is out and about quite a bit, and a third has only one son Gusi's age so she thinks that I can still keep to the older boys' schedule but she forgets that I have to deal with the baby's. Sigh. So, I don't feel like I'm connecting with my friends much. Until (hopefully) now.

I had heard through the grapevine that A had to meet me because we have so much in common. She speaks Spanish (she's from Central America), she has a little boy a few months younger than Gusi who shares the same name (yeah! Gusi 2) and she just had twin girls two weeks before my baby was born. Lots in common. She came here with her job, met a wonderful man, got married and had kids, all in 4 years. Yeah, she's been here longer than most.

So, we're on the same page when it comes to dealing with two year-olds and infants. We're going to try to get together at least once a week and will certainly do a lot of chatting on the phone and text messaging each other. And to impress her I've ducked into my secret stash of frozen cranberries to make a delicious cranberry pecan bread to have with tea tomorrow. The baby will have his first date--with twins! Boy this kids moves fast! I hope to have fun and start a new friendship as it does seem we have lots in common, plus she's not moving in the next year or two so I feel that I can actually invest in getting to know this person. We'll find out.

Just Thinking Out Loud

Why do infant clothes have pockets? Really? They seem a waste of fabric and thread to me.

And "exclusively breastfed"...does that include the dirty bath water that they'll end up swallowing at some point during those first six months of life? I'm just wondering if I'm being hypocritical if I say the baby is exclusively breastfed if every night he toasts with a different kind of bubbly.

Why do babies' diapers leak the most when you need it the least? Like say this morning...in our bed...number 2 all over my side...

Why does the big brother decide to check-in on his baby brother just as we've put him to bed? Like tonight...when he walked out of the kitchen and into his brother's room, turned on the light and tried to climb up into the crib to ask his brother why he was crying.

What's the Name?

Last night, after the baby was down, Gusi, Papi and I had some dinner and a lively conversation.

Me: The Lebanese lady who works at the restaurant where you got yesterday's food congratulated me on having another boy. She also told me that she had a secret recipe for having a girl and she'd give it to me if I wanted it. I told her no thanks.

Papi: The one with the dentures?

Me: She has dentures? Anyway, I told her I just wanted two healthy children and I had boys who are healthy so I'm happy. No need for a girl, we're just fine the way we are.

Papi laughs.

Gusi: What are you talking about?

Me: The Lebanese lady wants to help me have another baby.

Papi: Do you want another baby?

We both look at Gusi.

Gusi: What's their name going to be?

Me: Who's name?

Gusi: The new baby, what's the name?

Me: No Gusi, there's no baby, just you and your brother, that's enough. Mami's done, you two are keeping me busy enough.

Gusi: Mami, what's the new baby's name? Can I hold him?

Ugh. I just hope it's not on his Christmas list for Santa Claus...

Unemployed Papi Needed

Our car is in the shop getting some body work done (don't ask--it just gets me all worked up) and will probably be there all week so Gusi is getting a ride from a friend/classmate who lives up the road. He and his dad came by this morning to pick Gusi up for school and dropped him off at noon.

When he got home, he scarfed down his turkey and cranberry sauce sandwich (ok, so the bird does taste better when you smother it in sauce) and asked to play outside. When I saw that it was getting toward his nap time, he had to come in and a tantrum took place. I put him in his little chair that appropriately says "time out" at the end of the hallway. He cried for his father almost the entire time. After he calmed down we went to his room to read a book before his nap. Through the sniffles he told me that he had been crying for his father while he was in time out. Yes, I told him, I know. I explained that his father was at the office. He then told me that he didn't want his Papi to go to the office, he didn't want Papi to work. I explained that Papi needed to work so he could have clothes, toys and food. He said he didn't want any of that, he said he wanted a Papi that didn't have a job so he could play with him all day long. Obviously his Papi not taking him nor picking him up from school made an impact on him. Ugh and later this week Papi will be going to the US for a conference...Gusi is in for a tough time as am I. At least when Papi returns my mom's arrival won't be too far behind and then it will be Christmas! So, somethings to look forward to.