Motherhood Moments #23

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

a painting party for the ladies in our group. Sometimes motherhood isn't always just about motherly duties like diapers and 2 AM feedings - it is about being a woman who spends time away from her family for her sanity. The ladies in our MAF group got together today to paint, share lunch, and talk about ministry with one another. I was excited that I got to "adult" today! :-)

Motherhood Moments #22

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

The road to the right is a one way blocked by the police
who work for the ambassador who lives on that road,
otherwise people would utilize that road as well. 

a traffic jam. And not just any jam but one close to our home. There have been some recent road updates on a road that ties into our own, which means people get backed up on our road trying to get to where they need to go. Since we live up about 1/4 mile up the road, often times I find myself walking home with the kids, leaving Kevin (or whoever dropped us off) to wait in traffic. We always beat them home. The worst was when we were two cars away from our gate and had to wait 45 minutes (there is no "sidewalk" by our door that we could use).

Adah holding onto Papa Leopold as we walk home.

This is the spot right by our gate where we got stuck
that one time for 45 minutes
(the dark grey to the right of Papa Leopold's head is our gate). 

Motherhood Moments #21

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

broken glass and glass shards. Our main door is a sheet of glass with bars surrounded by a metal frame. The door is difficult to close at times. On Saturday evening, as I went to close the door behind me, it did not shut the first time. In my hurry to get the littles inside, I pushed it a little too forcefully and the entire glass plate shattered! I did not realize how weak the glass was until that moment. After an embarrassed stutter-filled apology to Kevin, he cleaned up the remaining bits from the house and called Pepe to come get it fixed. The next day, Pepe came to measure the door and by Monday we had a new glass.

Francy sealing the glass

We have a functioning door again!

Motherhood Moments #20

Sometimes motherhood looks like...

There are some days I miss the convenience of calling upon one of my barber buddies when my son looks like this...

Granted it only took me 20 minutes to wrangle him and trim it, but most of that time was spent holding him down. Here is the final product:

 But here's what my little man really thinks of his new hair cut...

Nostalgia and Perspective

Our little boy started toddling a while ago. I loved to just sit and watch as he circled the couch with his hand gently using the back for balance. When he came to the corner, he would take three steps to the storage box we use as a coffee table. He would circle the box carefully with his hand on top until he reached the corner. Then, he would take the three addition steps by himself to reach the other corner of the couch. He enjoyed circling the couch and would often do it many times while giggling or babbling.

When baby boy was taking these steps around the couch one day when I realized the passing of time. One night your baby goes to bed and wakes up a toddler. One night your toddler goes to bed and wakes up a child. Soon that child grows into a teenager who is then eager for college. And then you stop and wonder when did they grow up? I now have a a little girl who is no longer a toddler and I now have a toddler who is no longer an infant.

It was during this moment that I noticed Maman Cele (my worker) who had walked into the room. I turned to her and sighed audibly. I told her I was sad that our baby boy would no longer be a baby. Maman Cele gave me a confused look and said, “Don’t be sad.” I assumed she did not understand me. I explained I was sad that my baby is growing up. Again, Maman Cele gave me a confused look and said, “Don’t be sad, rejoice.” I must have given her a look that said I was still confused because she continued, “Be happy your baby is alive. Each day he grows, he is alive.”

It was at that moment that I was ashamed. I live in a country where the mortality rate is astronomical – 1 in 7 children die before reaching the age of 5, and WHO estimates put the rate as high as 28% . It should be noticed that an official census of the population has not been taken of the country in a long time, thus the mortality percentage estimates are based on the numbers reported which means the mortality rate could be higher or lower based on an unknown total population.

Here before me stood a woman who has lost a child and who loves my child(ren) as fiercely as she loves one of her own. She was not sad that our baby boy would no longer be a baby but she was rejoicing that he is alive each and every day. That was a tough lesson for (nostalgic) me but I was definitely thankful for the new perspective she gave me. 

Motherhood Moments #16

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

A morning filled with birthday party fun! I am grateful for the days of normalcy and I cherish the memories made with our friends here.

Motherhood Moments #15

Sometimes motherhood is yucky business and it comes in the form of this...

This my friends is a mango fly. It somehow managed to attach to our little girl's leg as an egg, hatch, and burrow down under her skin. (Feel free to research the process on your own since I am going to remain vague on details, leaving you to explore or not explore details yourself).

Luckily the internet is full of all things disgusting including videos and tutorials on proper removal to avoid infection. I quickly smothered it in jelly (Aquafor) for 30 minutes to let it die. Then I popped it right out with minimal complaints. I sprayed it with Bactine and used a decorative plaster to encourage sweet pea to not touch it. She was a good camper and it has healed all up with no lingering traces.

Now that this rite-of-passage is in my book, I wonder what will happen next in my adventures in motherhood?

Motherhood Moments #14

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

This is the witching hour. That dreadful time in the afternoon around 3:00 when the kids are hot, tired, and cranky. It is too late in the afternoon for naps and I should be starting dinner. Instead, sister has TV time and I have brother on my back. The battery fan is on full blast as we try to stay cool waiting for the electricity to return or for daddy to walk in and be a distraction. We do what we can to keep up morale and sometimes it requires a TV and snuggles.

Motherhood Moments # 13

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

I think this photo needs no explanation other than to say those WERE clean clothes and they are now on a dirty floor.

Motherhood Moments #12

********************Warning: Yuckiness factor is high********************

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

Diaper duty. But not just any diaper duty. This is the "quarantined" pile from the past weekend. When you suspect your kid(s) may have developed worms/parasites, you must check. The easiest check is to take a sample and let it sit for 12+ hours. After that length of time, you must check your samples for any living parasites. If negative, you must wait a little longer, up to 24+ hours.

We were very lucky and had a negative test for the past 72 hours. So we are worm free (for now). Some other missionary families were not quite so lucky this round. They will de-worm their kids and check again to make sure everything has passed.

Isn't parenting fun? I told you this post was yucky!

Motherhood Moments #11

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

Today was the first day of school for our little girl. This year, she will be attending the International Belgium School. She is in the first level of "maternelle" which is equivalent to the "preschool" level in the U.S.

Sweet pea is no stranger when it comes school and when we walked into the room, she went right to her favorite toys...

DINOSAURS! ROAR!

After exploring the room, she then focused on the kids in her class. We were very lucky that one of her friends, Ruth, is in her class. We were a bit sad that her other friend Abby was in another class, but they were able to play together at recess so all was well in the world again.

Adah and Ruth playing with doll accessories

 After school, we all went out to ice cream together to celebrate our fun day!

Adah, Abby, Elijah, Ruth, and baby Joel

She had so much excitement at school, she came and crashed. Typical three-nager!

Mother Moments #10

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

I believe this moment needs no explanation. The "three-nager" years have been rough for this little boundary pusher. Some days it takes every bit of grace and prayer to make it to bedtime. Often times I just want to giggle when I catch the things I end up saying to her:

"Don't ride your brother! He's not a horse!;
If Solomon wanted you to lick his face, he'd tell you so!;
Sweetheart, mommy can't walk while you are hiding under her skirt.;
Stop growling at your friend - she is scared of dinosaurs!"

I must be doing something right if I have to laugh at the things that come out of my mouth!

Motherhood Moments #9

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

an impromptu Sunday school class. The kids were getting restless at church and since it is "summer break," Sunday school classes have not started back up. So we let all the kids play together outside this particular morning. Having many children close together in age truly is a blessing.

Motherhood Moments #8

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

A trip to the grocery store can turn into an episode of "Fear Factor." Our little girl's expression is one of sheer joy because the electricity just came back on! Nothing like grocery shopping in the dark to make your toddler want to sit securely in the cart so she can feel encompassed. Brother is safely strapped to my back in the carrier. Luckily I try not to leave the house without my phone, which has a flashlight.

Motherhood Moments #7

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

But then again, it also quickly turns into this...

Sister has decided that being cute and posing for photos is not nearly as fun as wrestling with a squirmy baby brother. I think she has been watching her daddy too much. It is hard to tell who won since he almost outweighs her!Oh well, c'est la vie!

Motherhood Moments #6

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

What's so special about a big pile of laundry? Well, when we start our washing machine, it locks the door. So, when we lose electricity, our laundry is locked. I cannot open the door to hand wash them. I must wait until the electricity returns in order to continue, and our generator is not strong enough to support our machine. What you are looking at is one load of laundry that was started at 6 AM and the electricity cut soon after. It is now 6 PM and I am waiting anxiously for the electricity to return with two more loads just from that day. I have been known to get up in the middle of the night when the electricity returns to continue washing laundry. Yes, I have been that desperate!

Motherhood Moments #5

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

Sitting on the floor watching the boy explore and play peek-a-boo. I love simple days like this where the house is a mess and all I do is enjoy what God has placed before me. With a never-ending "to do" list, it is a constant (internal) struggle for me to sit instead of keeping myself in constant motion all the time.

The other day when Kevin and I were doing our devotionals, he found this verse and it immediately struck a cord with me:

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22

Sometimes, sitting on the floor enjoying those baby blues staring back up at me is the perfect way to have a more cheerful heart!

Motherhood Moments #4

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

I often ask myself why I don't work out often enough and then I try to work out and I quickly remember why...clingy toddlers. Do you know how hard it is to transition from Chaturanga to upward dog with a toddler on your back? No? In this photo I am attempting a down dog with a high leg but little girl is riding the leg that needs to go up. She knows how to turn basic yoga into a Crossfit workout!

Motherhood Moments #3

Here we are on week 3 of Motherhood Moments. In case you missed week 1 or week 2, just click on the highlighted week to catch up.

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

Boiling water for baths. During dry season there is no rain for a few months (June - September). Because we don't have rain, we tend to have less water flowing from our taps. Often, there is no water coming out of our faucets upstairs because there is no water pressure. So, I have to fill up buckets/pails/pots/pans of water from the kitchen sink and boil it for bath water for the kids and then carry it upstairs for their bath. Lucky for me, they only bathe once or twice a week! And yes, the water is not clear. We do not have the privilege of having treated water (fluoride, chlorine, etc.), thus our water is filled with pollutants, dirt and sediment, rust, and parasites. This is why we do not drink the tap water and use only filtered water for cooking, brushing our teeth, and drinking.

Which is why every morning, motherhood looks like this...

I have to fill up our bottles every morning or we will get behind. Since it is so hot and humid here, we tend to drink on average 3L per person, or two of the bottles in the photo above. Phew!

Motherhood Moments #2

Sometimes motherhood looks like this...

Sister absolutely could not wait for me to get her homeschooling supplies ready for the day and promptly sat down and began devouring anything presented to her. In the meantime, Brother was anxious for playtime, so I handed him a pile of toys which he immediately spread out like a hot pancake breakfast.

It was a messy moment but one filled with happy kids!