For about two weeks now the baby has been trying to snatch food and drink out of our mouths. Gusi has found it funny, but Papi and I have seen it as a sign: must feed baby solids. So, yesterday we started the baby on rice cereal. He's almost 5.5 months old and it just seems like the natural way things need to progress. (Solids can be started anywhere between 4 and 6 months depending on the baby.)
Yesterday the baby was all about eating breakfast with us though he was shocked that his cereal was COLD! It was cold because we have mice and EVERYTHING must be put in the freezer that isn't in a plastic box (including flour, rice, sugar, baking chocolate, etc). His rice cereal was in the freezer and my pumped breastmilk was in the fridge making for a cold first meal.
This morning I mixed the cereal and let it sit for a bit before giving it to him. He didn't seem all that interested today but he did eat a bit. He kept looking at Gusi's yogurt and Papi's Cheerios and giving me this look like I'm totally getting shortchanged here lady. Which he was, but we're doing baby steps right now. Soon he'll be gobbling up his breakfast like the rest of the family. Until then, it's about practicing moving food around in his mouth in hopes that it doesn't all dribble out of it.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Water Water Everywhere
You never know who's bathing who in our house. The baby starts beaming when you put him on the changing table and undress him--he knows what's next. Once in his little bath tub he is all smiles and kicks, kicks, kicks his legs like he's peddling away. The water gets everywhere.
Today Papi bathed the baby while I was finishing up baking some homemade chocolate chip cookies (very yum by the way, and so easy). When I went in to get the baby to nurse him, Papi was soaked, water was all over the floor and the baby just gave me this huge gummy smile that made me laugh. These are the moments that parenthood is all about.
Today Papi bathed the baby while I was finishing up baking some homemade chocolate chip cookies (very yum by the way, and so easy). When I went in to get the baby to nurse him, Papi was soaked, water was all over the floor and the baby just gave me this huge gummy smile that made me laugh. These are the moments that parenthood is all about.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
And the Beat Goes On
Mom is back stateside and we are slowly recovering from the hole her absence has left. The good news though is that we found an organization that met mom's interests. Village Pilote works with street children (both Talibe and runaway kids) across Dakar and tries to give them a leg up in life. We are very happy with the work they do at their centers and in the juvenile detention centers.
It feels rather strange to not have the holidays looming any more, but now that school is back in session lots of birthdays are around the corner. That seems to be our main means of social activity lately--someone's birthday party. Mom and I are already talking about what to do for Gusi's birthday. How big? What kind of cake? Cupcakes in lieu of cake or as well as? Whatever it is, I'll have to have lots since Gusi will refuse all other foods that day.
So, back to normal is how it goes...and the beat goes on.
It feels rather strange to not have the holidays looming any more, but now that school is back in session lots of birthdays are around the corner. That seems to be our main means of social activity lately--someone's birthday party. Mom and I are already talking about what to do for Gusi's birthday. How big? What kind of cake? Cupcakes in lieu of cake or as well as? Whatever it is, I'll have to have lots since Gusi will refuse all other foods that day.
So, back to normal is how it goes...and the beat goes on.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The New Year Promises Hope
It's amazing that the holidays have come and gone already. My mom is about to leave at the end of the week and we are trying to squeeze in all those things that we said we'd get to in good time. Of course, now is the time or else it doesn't get done.
One of those things is to find an organization that works with the Talibé to give a donation to. The entire story of the Talibé (Arab for student or disciple) is a long one but what it boils down to is that there are boys begging in the streets of Dakar. These boys are usually given to a religious leader, a marabout, by their parents for a free religious education. They are given away because their families cannot afford to feed them, because it was once considered a duty and an honor to have a son study with a marabout (back when actual learning took place), and because ignorance and poverty are the worst threats to childhood. So what happens is that these boys are told that begging for alms (alms is one of the pillars of Islam) will be a part of their studies; you see boys from 5 to 16 (?) begging for change all over town. If they fail to earn a certain amount each day (350CFA or 75¢ some say) to give to the marabout they are beaten or starved or worse. The older boys abuse the younger ones, stealing the money they've earned and sexual abuse is not unheard of in their "schools". I use quotes around "schools" since the boys don't really learn anything that they can turn into a profession--like literacy or arithmetic. It is an incredibly complex problem that faces Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. Boys robbed of a future.
My mom has taken it upon herself to make sure that someone helping these boys receives a helping hand themselves during the holiday season. Her motivation is altruistic and contagious. So, tomorrow we will go see a center that helps get these boys off the streets. I'm not sure how they do it since the marabout don't easily let their boys go--even the runaways are tracked down and brought back. I'm curious to see how it is that this group has been operating given the cultural, political and economic complexities. I hope that we have a good experience because I so want to believe that this can change. I hope that 2009 brings lots of hope to an otherwise hopeless group of children.
One of those things is to find an organization that works with the Talibé to give a donation to. The entire story of the Talibé (Arab for student or disciple) is a long one but what it boils down to is that there are boys begging in the streets of Dakar. These boys are usually given to a religious leader, a marabout, by their parents for a free religious education. They are given away because their families cannot afford to feed them, because it was once considered a duty and an honor to have a son study with a marabout (back when actual learning took place), and because ignorance and poverty are the worst threats to childhood. So what happens is that these boys are told that begging for alms (alms is one of the pillars of Islam) will be a part of their studies; you see boys from 5 to 16 (?) begging for change all over town. If they fail to earn a certain amount each day (350CFA or 75¢ some say) to give to the marabout they are beaten or starved or worse. The older boys abuse the younger ones, stealing the money they've earned and sexual abuse is not unheard of in their "schools". I use quotes around "schools" since the boys don't really learn anything that they can turn into a profession--like literacy or arithmetic. It is an incredibly complex problem that faces Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. Boys robbed of a future.
My mom has taken it upon herself to make sure that someone helping these boys receives a helping hand themselves during the holiday season. Her motivation is altruistic and contagious. So, tomorrow we will go see a center that helps get these boys off the streets. I'm not sure how they do it since the marabout don't easily let their boys go--even the runaways are tracked down and brought back. I'm curious to see how it is that this group has been operating given the cultural, political and economic complexities. I hope that we have a good experience because I so want to believe that this can change. I hope that 2009 brings lots of hope to an otherwise hopeless group of children.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)