Butternut, Balls, Biltong, and Bedtime!!

Not only is spring in the air, but the feeling that Deric is coming home is too!
Everything feels like its almost here. I hand my thesis and three other assignments in on Monday, then I only have one more to hand in by the end of next week… my exams start November 7th and I will be DONE by November 14th. About two weeks later Deric is here and our holiday begins.

On the Kailey front – she started to crawl last Friday. I was at playgroup and was just saying to the group ‘I am not going to rush her, she must do it all in her own time’ just then she got up and crawled to a ball she had her eye on! She is not rushing around using this newfound independence. I don’t think she quite knows how far she can go. I am glad however that I have implemented the word NO in her vocab, and it’s proving quite handy now.

I decided that at 8 months Kai must now start sleeping on her own. She can only fall a sleep in arms and although my most favourite thing to do is to put her to sleep, I felt my plans of weaning her when she is 16 might be a little far fetched. So I started controlled crying. It was not half as bad as I thought it would be she cried 30 min last Monday, Tuesday she just went to sleep after I put her down, Wednesday she cried 30 min and that was the last of it! Done no issues. My little girl is growing up!

Also some good news is Kailey got her SA passport – so basically the US passport took 14 days and this one took 6 months – not bad going.

I had someone say to me that I must have so much time since I am a stay at home mom, he basically insinuated that I am lazy and do nothing with my days! He is a bit of a prat, but I started thinking. A lot of people feel this way, and they feel that it’s a cop out in life if you stay at home to raise your children. BUT if I went back to work and hired a nanny to take care of Kai, would anyone call the nanny lazy?
This is the best job I have ever had, and I would not change it for the world!

A braai, jelly and ice!

I could not control my excitement, so naturally I had to blog.
Tomorrow Kai gets her very first certificate. She has successfully completed the first part of her swimming lessons (the ones that teach babies how to cope if they fall in to water). They are having a special day tomorrow with all the little swimmers up to age 6!

In SA News Today……

1) A pack of baboons have moved into a town and are ransacking the homes, cars and shops for food. People have been advised to close up all doors and windows and stay inside till they move on.

2) A man was arrested for drunk and driving today – his name was….. Hakuna Matata (for those out there who don’t know this … its time to hire out the Lion King movie)

I am having trouble attaching pictures on the blog, so Deric is dutifully attaching slideshows… now you know what happened the last time he got no comments!

Kai's September Adventures

In SA News today

Yip it happened – South Africa beat England in the Rugby World Cup Qualifier game and in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier game! Go Bokka!

In other news it was reported that four Lions have escaped from a game park and are loose in the town of Neilspruit. Authorities suggest that if you encounter the Lions not to show fear and not to run!

Only in Africa

I thought everyone would get a kick out of these pictures. One is of a …….. I have no idea what to call it other than a road side restaurant?. This picture was taken out side of where my dad works, and there are many of these………. ‘restaurants’ They build a fire and put a pot of pap (like oatmeal or grits) on it. The ‘guests’ bring their tin cups and plates and that’s lunch!



I also had to put in a picture of what the robots/traffic lights are like here in SA. Most robots have several beggars around them, but this one only has one. I just don’t like getting my camera out in those situations. What you don’t see on the picture is the family on the side of the road. They all take shifts to beg with the various babies’ that are there. Kills me!

Playgroup, Sinks, Ducks, Biltong and Camels?

Kai and I have been going to play group and swimming classes once a week! Its fun and she loves it. I find the swimming so hard as sometimes for a second you have to let your baby go!!!!!!AAAAHHHHHHHhhhhh. The class is to prepare babies in case they ever fall in water. They teach them to roll over (not sit up as instinct would have it) lift their chins, close their mouths and get to the side. I did not believe it was possible but some of the older kids in her class can do it completely without mom.






We have been enjoying the great weather too, going to the bird park with Aunty Claudia, we went to the country on the weekend and Kai got to see and feed some ducks at a lake. (a lake to us a pond to people in the US.... we don’t have much water here and our lakes are no where near to what Americans would call big)





It was so hot the other day I put Kailey in the sink. She loves water, hot or cold she is not bothered. I did go out and buy here a play pool for the summer - she can’t stay in the sink the whole time.




And just because Kai is half South African and half American I thought it was time she got a taste of the foods here .... She had her first Biltong (similar to jerky) and loved it. She uses it for teething since we are on tooth number 9! She loves SA food and the only cereal she eats is Krimel Pap, and of course her day is not complete without her daily Rooiboss tea!



She is still just too divine and I look at her everyday and can’t imagine what I must have done right to have a person like this in my life. She has started clapping and has just added baba to her very small vocab!

As for me - I have been working on my thesis lately. I am 90% done and about 90% on all my assignments. That 10% just takes so long to do! I start exams in November and will be DONE by the 30th November ready for Deric to arrive a few days after that. I miss him terribly, but Deric is doing well and will be home before we know it (Yay). He is going back to Fayetteville for 5 weeks and will be relaxing, getting the house baby proofed and seeing his family. I also will be sending him his ‘Honey Do’ list just in case he gets bored!

South Africa is all about the Animals

Beauty, Frustration, Sadness and Joy

Rich vs Poor

I was speaking to my friend Rachel the other day and she convinced me to write about what its like in South Africa, brace yourself some of it you wont believe…

I think there are four main faces to SA. Beauty, Frustration, Sadness and Joy

Beauty: Even though its winter, there is a sight that you only see in Africa. Red sands, dry hard grass, and trees that all look like they turn upside down roots up in winter. There is a haze of smoke over the horizon, again only seen in winter. This is from the fires in the townships and the veld (bush) fires that are renowned for this time of year. We have not had rain for months now so everything is dry and brittle.

Frustration: Here time is known as African time for a reason. Everything happens when it happens. There are 3 phrases used daily in the context of ‘I will do it…….’ …now – meaning you will do it this instant. …….now now – meaning you will do it in the next 15 or so minutes. Lastly…… just now – meaning soonish (if ever).

My frustration has been never ending. Since I have arrived I have had issues with things getting done.

The passport I applied for four months ago, was going to take 6 weeks is still not ready. I tried to call for weeks now, but the complaints/help department keeps putting the phone down on me. I then tried a whole lot of other numbers that I found and they all tell me to phone the complaints/help line.
I had a lucky day on Monday and I spoke to six people who told me I couldn’t get a passport – with no reason of course. Eventually I spoke to angel sent from heaven who helped me. She found my application form still in the out box – it had never been processed. So now I wait six weeks… again.

Two weeks ago we had petrol distributor strikes. Petrol stations ran completely out of petrol and everyone only had what was in their tanks. We were told it could last up to two weeks, but thank goodness it only lasted 5 days.

Then my University teachers all went on strike for three weeks, since I am part of the arts campus and artists never strike, so my classes were only cancelled for one week. But this Tuesday I went in and after being there for 5 minutes we were all evacuated. We were told any cars caught on campus would be ‘beaten on’. Needless to say everyone left!

We have had post office strikes, metal workers union strikes, hospital strike.
Everyone here has a union even the SA Army has a union and they are known to strike too!

I will just leave you with this last experience. I went to the post office to post a box to Deric. On the address section at the end I wrote USA – the post office clerk, weighed it and then asked me if the USA was in England!

Sadness: The poverty here is desperate. On one side of the city there are shantytowns, made up of tin shacks and roofs kept on with tires. No toilets, no running water. Children running around playing in the dirt.
On the other there is beautiful homes, with large walls around them. On Wednesday mornings men walk the streets and go through the neighbourhoods dustbins, looking for food and recyclable goods that they can sell for recycling. So on Wednesday I make breakfast for the man who has claimed our dustbin. I can’t see him eating what we have discarded – I make him enough for breakfast and lunch. At least he is eating well for two meals of the week!
Its here you truly understand the saying ‘eat all your food on your plate, there are children starving in Africa!’ If you are not grateful here for what you have you will never be. The phrase HAVING NOTHING has a real meaning here for me. I think this will affect the way I raise my children.

Joy: The joy can be summed up with the positivity everyone has. Both back and white have such hope and so many dreams. Everyone is so excited to be South African. They understand the quirks of the country and love it with everything they have. Its got a wonderful vibe of western ways combined with African traditions. People all speak more than one language at a time in one sentence. Even the SA TV has 3-4 languages on one show.

Sport seems to bring people together. All the teams are given African names. The Rugby team our bokka (bucks) are called Ama book boko. The soccer team is Ama Bafana Bafana, the swimming team is Ama Glug Glug, and the paraplegic team is called the Ama Kroko Kroko. Its all fun and I guess that’s the best part of SA, the country really laugh at themselves and have a great time doing it.

Kailey's New Playgroup!

Last week I was in our local shopping center when I bumped into a friend who had a baby as old as Kailey. Her baby went towards Kai with open arms to hug and touch her, but Kai looked at her like she was made of cheese, and then to me as if to say ‘What the hell is that!’ I realized then that she has not spent much time with other kids.



So today we went off to a playgroup! I am not sure who had more fun, her or me. I got to speak to other moms (something I don’t get to do much here) and Kai got to play with other kids and learn about texture (today’s lesson)

Next Wednesday we start swimming lessons for 6-9 month olds. Apparently it’s a good idea to teach your child at this age water safety before they start crawling. Our class is for 12 weeks, for 30 min and yes I have to get into the pool with her. I now have to get a costume and my mind right for that moment…..

Jo and Kai July Photos

Kailey's Number Game

0. The number of times Kai has rolled over
1. Number of teeth currently coming through
2. Number of capitals she has been to. (Washington DC/USA & Pretoria/RSA)
3. Naps a day
4. Time of the day Daddy calls
5. Bottles a day
6. The number of teeth Kai has at the moment (3 on the top – 3 on the bottom)
7. The number of butt pats to get Kai off to sleep
7.5 Kg.Weight she is at the moment (16.5lbs)
8. Number of piano lessons she has had with Nampa
9. Nappies a day
10. How many months she will be when she sees Daddy
11. How many months she will be when she flies home
12. Number of hours she sleeps a night.

Kailey's July Adventures!

Tribute to Cecilia O’Niel

Tribute to Cecilia O’Niel – The most wonderful Grandmother!
November 1906- June 2007

Can you imagine living 100 years? What she must have seen? World War 1 and 2. Motorcars, moving pictures, movies, colour photographs, air travel, television and so much more. How many presidents did she see being sworn in?

She was born in Chorley England one of 9 siblings. She met my Grandfather at age 6. They were married for 59 ½ years but knew each other for 82 years before he died. They had 2 children, 6 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren.

My only wish before coming home was for her to meet my Kailey, and she did – it was such special visits we made and so wonderful for me to see them together. Her only wish was to get her letter from the Queen (something Queen Elizabeth does to all citizens who turn 100) She was so excited when she received it.

In 1935 her and Granddad moved to South Africa since work was scarce in England and South Africa offered a new world of gold mines and better opportunities.

She was part of a generation we don’t know anymore. A strong and selfless generation. Where hardships from the wars, depressions, and ever-changing world made them know what was important in life.

She saved everything! Even the sheets on her bed were cut in half and sewn together on the outside. I remember her saving bath water in buckets to flush the toilet during the drought times. She knew how to conserve. She was so good in fact that she was happy to help you with your sherry or brandy if you did not want it! (Nothing went to waste)

She respected so many people and always gained the respect of everyone around her. She never complained, even if she had reason to. I always remember her saying ‘no one wants to hear my complaints’.

As for being a Grandmother – she let us do all the things we weren’t allowed to do at home. We could have ice cream after breakfast (I really remember that one very well) She walked faster than anyone I had ever met – and that was at 90! She was a wonderful role model and was very aware that a lady was always a lady. Her whole life she wore stockings and a skirt, and of course never went anywhere without a handbag. (Even just walking around the old age home) She always remained a lady and left every situation with such class and style.

I will always remain in awe of this wonderful woman who was a asset to her community, a necessity to her family and the worlds greatest Grandmother……

Rest in Peace Gran, I hope your dancing!