Happenings

Here are some of the random experiences I've had in the last few weeks:

• Day Trip to Jinja: As I mentioned before we took a day trip to Jinja to pick up Zoe our new puppy. Jinia is a very touristy town compared to Mbale. We saw lots of Mzungus (white people). There is a neat market where you can buy African souveniers like carvings, jewelry, etc. We ate lunch at a western style restaurant called "The Keep" where we enjoyed milkshakes and burgers with fries - a special treat. We also visited a western style coffee shop call "The Source" where you can order a cafe latte. Jinja is a fun town to visit that is about 2 hours away.

• Day Hike to Sipi Falls: Our friends the Robinsons were taking a visitor of theirs to Sipi Falls and we decided to tag along. It was up a mountain about an hour away. We drove down to the falls until the road ended and then got out and hiked. I had Molly on my back and Chad had Graham on his shoulders. It was a pretty intense hike, but totally worth it when we got to the falls!

• Saturday Sewing Ministry: This past Saturday I joined my teammate Jill to the women's sewing ministry. They have about 10 treadle machines that they were using to make uniforms for a Juvenal prison. They also often make blankets and other items for the poor. There were several women hand sewing (I joined them) and a few cutting fabric. Later we had a light lunch of fresh mandazi (fried dough) and a short devotional. I enjoyed it very much and hope to attend as much as I can. I hope to learn how to sew with a treadle machine. 

Molly 8 Months!

Lots of firsts for our girl this month!

Molly is wearing size 12 month clothes and size 4 diapers. She is not quite as chubby now that she is crawling. :)

She is nursing 5-6 times a day and eating solids 2 times a day. New foods: broccoli, pumpkin, pears, and gerber puffs. She is a great eater, as always. And I am making my own baby food now, out of necessity. 

She is taking 2-3 naps a day that are 30-60 minutes long (rarely longer, if I'm lucky). She sleeps 12 hours at night but I usually have to attend to her 2 or 3 times. We are still adjusting to a new country, house, etc. We are not really on a new schedule yet. 

She is CRAWLING! Molly started crawling about a week after we arrived in Uganda. She is all over the place.

She can now transition from laying down to sitting up on her own. 

She traveled internationally for the first time! Molly did so well, we were extremely proud. She slept a good deal and cried very little. She has now been on 3 continents. :)

She loves to walk in her walker that I bought here in Mbale. She is surprisingly fast! She likes to follow me and our houseworker Betty around in it.

She has a tooth! Molly's first tooth broke through the day she turned 8 months. *Graham's first tooth came in at 8 months as well.

She has hiked to Sipi Falls in her ergo carrier. She slept quite a bit of the way.

She is nuts about her big brother! He is not crazy about the fact that she can crawl anywhere now, including towards him or his toys. But he can always get her smile and giggle.

We are crazy about our easy-going girl! She wants to be wherever the people are, wherever the action is. I think that's why she naps so poorly, doesn't want to miss a thing! Unlike her big brother, she seems to be fine with her schedule changing at the drop of a hat. She loves to be held and cuddled and fussed over, but she's fine playing on the floor by herself. Our new teammates have all fallen for her. We are thankful for every moment!

Our New Family Members

Meet the newest members of our family:

Chapstick (guess who named her)

and Zoe

Chapstick was only about 4 weeks old when we got her. We decided to get a cat in an effort to cut down on the appearance of vermin. After much debate we decided to make Chapstick an inside cat. She learned to use the litter box in about a day. So far she is still just a tiny baby who only drinks milk. But the kids, especially Graham, love her to pieces. 

We knew when we got here that we would be getting 2 or 3 puppies to train as guard dogs. A couple weeks after arriving we heard about some German Shepherd puppies in Jinja that were very reasonably priced. When we called there was only one puppy left and we said we'd take her. So we drove up to Jinja with some of our teammates (which was a really fun day trip) to pick up our puppy. It was love at first sight for our whole family. She was 8 weeks old and just adorable, with one ear that sticks up and one that lays down. Zoe is an outside dog, since her job will be to guard our compound and bark at intruders. We are going to get 1 or 2 more German Shepherd pups in a few weeks, because we found another breeder in Jinja.

Taking care of 2 baby animals has been challenging but fun! They give us all so much joy and laughter, its definitely worth all the trouble. I'll keep you updated on any more new additions.

Highlights From Our First Week in Uganda

Well, we've been in Uganda for a little over one week, and we are finally recovered from our jet lag! I never expected that the time change would be so hard for Molly. And if she's awake, I'm awake too. Here are a few highlights from our first week:

• Trip to the Market: My teammates Jill and Joy took me to visit two of the supermarkets here in Mbale, without kids. It was culture overload for me! We first visited a coffee shop (not what you're thinking). It was just a small shop where you can buy local coffee beans. We then visited "Bam" and "Mbale Shoppers." I was encouraged by seeing all of the things that are available. Among the imports I saw were Hines ketchup, Pringles, and name brand cake frosting.
• Hiring a Cook: We have inherited Darin and Stephanie Northam's cook: Betty. She is very quiet and sweet. She does the shopping, cooking, and some cleaning. Having household help will take some getting used to for me, but I really like Betty, she is a great cook!
• 4th of July Party: We attended a 4th of July party at a British man's house....ironic? I am discovering that there are a lot of other ex-pats here living in Mbale doing all sorts of aid work. There were a lot of people at this barbeque, we met lots of new friends.
• Becoming Part of a Team: This is by far our biggest blessing so far. Our teammates have been helping us in every way. We really appreciate their help in getting repairs done on our house, getting rides here and there, and advice on just about everything. Graham loves playing with his new friends!

That's about it for now. We are excited about being here and anticipating what will happen in week 2. However we are desperately missing our friends and family!