My Life

This morning Samara amazed us. When we were about to leave and I was ready to wera my shoes, she picked them both and refused to give them to me. I bet she gathered that as long as I don't have shoes, then I won't leave the house. I eventually got them from her, hugged her and we left.I think she is a very smart girl. I promised to share some pictures with you. Samara has been very helpful in the mornings and helps daddy polish his shoes. Samara offering to polish daddy's shoe  Note she is polishing the bottom side of the shoe  She has really polished that shoe Samara requesting for the other shoe, yet daddy needs to leave for work. The weather is beautiful here in Nairobi.Have a lovely day

The last few days have been quite busy but am not complaining. We are out to make SAS Impressions visible and hence I have been going to shopping malls and placing our adverts on the noticeboards. Thankfully the response has been good and we are looking forward to Saturday when we can interact with many parents during the Kindergaten and Primary School Expo and Family Fun day this coming Saturday at Splash that we are participating in. I thought this expo was timely because we are shopping around for a school for baby girl. Yeah she turns 2 in January and at 2&half she will need to join school. Talking of Samara she has been great, she has many words like see you, love you, good night. She got a flu that was going around in the house and I tell you having her nose blocked hasn't been fun. My beloved had traveled and I missed him much because he has the ability to suck out the mucus from her nose.I tell you Alex is just made for me. For me I tried, black pepper to make her sne...

As a family we were shocked to hear that Prof. Wangari Maathai had passed on. We didn't know her personally but she was a woman known to many because of her passion for environment. She stood for what she believed in  no matter what.We just pray for comfort and strength for her family and friends during this hard season. There is a story she liked sharing about a hummingbird. That little bird refused to fold its wings and resign to fate, instead it did its very best to make a difference. May we be the same today no matter the circumstances we are facing. Enjoy the story. Source http://youtu.be/eT98uQ74X1c

As a parent, I think you can never be prepared enough for the growth in a child. Last night, Samara caught me off guard by refusing to sleep in her playpen and instead preferring to sleep in her bed. Initially I thought she is calling her playpen bed but she actually meant the real bed. After breastfeeding her, she would say bed and as usual I was going to place her in the playpen but she refused twice. Naturally I got upset wondering why she was acting up and left her in the playpen and it was all tears which was unlike her. After afew minutes I went into the room asked her what the issue was..as if  at her age she can communicate like me..anyways I picked her, placed her in her bed and covered her and switched off the lights. She didn't cry she just slept peacefully. So I told myself that , once she falls asleep , I would transfer her to the playpen but I decided to leave her there. Of course I left her door and mine partially open just incase she decided to get out of the bed wh...

The cardiologist requested us to go see him 3 weeks before our departure date and its been a while since we were at his office. Anyways he just did a check up of the teeth and we expected him to do an echo which would straight away cost 12,000. He checked baby girls ears and throat and said all is well. He sent us for some lab tests that would include check on HIV status, Hepatitis B, Blood group and some stool test. He said it would also be good to deworm her. Well thankfully we paid on Kshs 2,000 and the lab tests cost about Kshs 7,000 that was a lower expense than we had anticipated but was very welcome. I hated the blood removal part. Sam had dosed off and was so peaceful and when the lab lady decided to prick her and I was holding her she moved and started swelling where she had been pricked. What that meant was that they would have to prick her on the other hand, Alex held her down, she cried her heart out, I have never seen that and they drew about 7ml I was so upset and on th...

Alive to God devotion-22nd September 2011 Verse:             Psalm 42:5 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I WILL put my hope in God! I will praise Him again - MY Savior and MY God! - We can get discouraged and disheartened. - But when we feel like this we must make a conscious choice. - Choose to put your hope and confidence in God. - God is your hope and your future. PRAYER: Lord, when I feel discouraged I will put my hope and confidence in You. You are my God and You will once again give me a reason to rejoice! Amen.

It has been a quiet season for me but all is well. This morning I listened to 'Be Still by Don Moen' and its quite a reassuring song.  The words emphasize that no matter the storms, fears or issues we facing in our lives, we can hang on to God who is Lord over all and who has our best interest at heart. Don Moen-Be still Hide me now Under Your wings Cover me Within Your mighty hand CHORUS: When the oceans rise And the thunders roar I Will soar with You Above the storm Father You are King Over the flood And I will be still And know You are God Find rest my soul In Christ alone Know His power In quietness and trust Be still and know That I am God I am the God That healeth thee More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/d/don_moen/#share

Seems like its a season for babies . The past two weeks, 2 couple friends have been blessed with the new arrivals. Babies are such a blessing and nothing in the world can express the joy of a parent to have a safe delivery,a healthy mum and child. Parenthood is an amazing journey and its packaged with so much grace ,provision from God and looking back afew many months, many will ackowledge that indeed God has a way of blessing each family with what is required. So I say congratulations to our friends and we pray for wisdom, grace, provision for whatever is needed as they venture into parenthood. The 24hour job that is trully rewarding. Blessings to you

I never knew that a flu can put one down like it did to me. There has been a flu going around our home since Monday. My beloved was the first to be hit then the rest of us except baby girl. Am truly amazed at how she has been spared from flus. This is the second time am getting a bad flu but she has been well, thank God. However the mother hen I am , I have given her Piriton just as a precaution they say prevention is better than a cure. Well on Tuesday evening we hardly slept because beside the flu, I had fever, body aches and a headache...what a terrible combination. My beloved could hardly sleep as he kept checking on how I was doing. At some point he borrowed Samara's thermometer and when he saw 38.9 he was not amused but somehow we made it through the night. The next day, I dragged myself to work, went to a pharmacy and was given some syrup that has really helped. I just thank God that we are able to afford medicine, I know of people who can't afford medicine and hence h...

This is bad, very bad: 12 September 2011 Long ago in a little village in ancient China lived a very old man and his one son. The man was very poor. He lived in a small shack on his tiny plot of land. His son was his pride and joy, as well as his only hope of care in his old age. An old work horse was his most valued possession, since it pulled the plough and also the wagon to take crops to market.One day the horse ran away. When the villagers heard about it, they came to lament the man’s poor fortune. “Oh! This is bad-VERY BAD!”, they mourned. The old man looked up from his bench outside his door and responded, “How do you know it’s bad?” Time passed. Now the son had to pull the plough himself and the wagon as well. Work was harder and they struggled more than ever to survive. Then one day their horse returned home bringing with him a whole herd of wild horses! The son was able to corral many of them. Now the neighbours came to rejoice in the man’s good fortune, for...

 A cold and wet morning it is here in Nairobi. Everyday before I blog, I like to read other blogs that I follow. This morning, I came by the story of a little boy called Bowen who was born with a broken heart. His parents didn't know whether he would leave hospital and his dad wrote a song just to express his mixed emotions. His was not sure whether to love this child or not because he was scared that when he starts loving, the  son may be taken away and his heart would be left broken. Yet again he knew that his son needed all the love and all of him. I think only God can give that strength and grace. Below are the lyrics and a video. Despite the cold weather, this song has warmed my heart. All of Me (lyrics) by Matt Hammit Afraid to love something that could break Could I move on if you were torn away? I’m so close to what I can’t control Can’t give you half my heart and pray He makes you whole You’re gonna have all of me You’re gonna have all of me You’re wo...

I haven't listened to the song 'No charge by Shirley Caesar' for years. But when it played this evening, I could now identify with it as a mum and as a child of God. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXFBYrRIeNw My sister's little boy came in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper and he handed her a piece paper he had been writing on and after wiping her hands on an apron She took it in her hands and read it and this is what it said: For mowing the yard $5 And for making up my own bed this week $1 For going to the store $.50 And playing with little brother while you went shopping $.25 Taking out the trash $1 And for getting a good report card $5 And for raking the yard $2 Total owed $14.75 Well she looked at him standing there and expecting And a thousand memories flashed through her mind So she picked up pen and turned the paper over and this is what she wrote: For the 9 months I carried you holding you inside me $ NO CHARGE For the...

This morning we took baby girl for a vaccination that was long overdue. Somehow she was never given when it was meant to and I don't know how that happened,only last month did a nurse notice that she didn't get the jab. When we arrived at the clinic Samara was her normal happy self , saying hi to other children but I think after hearing another child's shrills, she knew all was not well. When you get to the vaccination room the child's weight is taken then the jab. We requested Samara to step on the weighing scale and the nurse was somehow unable to interpret its readings. She said Samara was 8.5kgs then 9kgs then again said 8.5kgs and I told her that I disagreed with her readings and requested we use a different scale.  For us, weight has been an uphill task but baby girl has been doing well in the past few months and hence the nurse stating she has lost a whole kilo was not going down well with us.Anyways,we used a digital scale and it read 9.2Kgs which was fair eno...

Our baby girl is now 20months. Am I a normal parent? Do other parents get surprised at how fast our kids grow? Yesterday we got home a bit late  but we Samara in high spirits. She was just running around with her beautiful smile and it was just good to be home. Of course I worried about her using up all the energy from the food she had just eaten.   This morning as we were having breakfast, my phone was ringing and it was in my handbag. Baby girl decided to look out for the phone and I told her it is in my hand bag which I had closed. I thought that the best she would do is struggle to bring me the handbag but no, she opened the zip, removed the phone and brought it to me. I was totally impressed, we have a little helper in the house. These days she carries her diapers if asked to, throws dirty dishes into the sink (so we dare not allow her to take any dirty glass utensils to the kitchen). She has quite a number of milestones and she amazes us daily.  Baby center this mor...

Have you ever had a mum ask these questions? Why did this happen to me? I ate healthy, I took my vitamins and folic acid tablets as instructed and why did my child have to be unwell? I never smoked, I never drank, I exercised, went for my antenatal clinics and then this? These are some of the questions a mum was asking other mums in an interactive blog yesterday. One thing I loved from the responses was that some mums made deliberate decisions not to become victims but victors. Some said they chose not to pity or blame themselves but instead were grateful for the lives of their children no matter the health issue they had. Some even thanked God for allowing them to be in a country where their children can access the best medical care and live normal lives. Another mum said she never asked 'why me' but instead asked 'why not'. She said God knew that she is storng enough to handle the situation at hand and would take her through. I liked those responses of courage and a...

Have you ever had a mum ask these questions? Why did this happen to me? I ate healthy, I took my vitamins and folic acid tablets as instructed and why did my child have to be unwell? I never smoked, I never drank, I exercised, went for my antenatal clinics and then this? These are some of the questions a mum was asking other mums in an interactive blog yesterday. One thing I loved from the responses was that some mums made deliberate decisions not to become victims but victors. Some said they chose not to pity or blame themselves but instead were grateful for the lives of their children no matter the health issue they had. Some even thanked God for allowing them to be in a country where their children can access the best medical care and live normal lives. Another mum said she never asked 'why me' but instead asked 'why not'. She said God knew that she is storng enough to handle the situation at hand and would take her through. I liked those responses of courage and a...

One evening last week,my beloved put our wedding dvd for us to watch. It was a special moment because this was the first time we had sat down as a family i.e including Samara to watch. It was so good to hear her recognise and call out mummy and daddy as she watched. In the middle of it she got sleepy and tired but what captivated me was, three years ago on our wedding day, it was just Alex and I and today we have been blessed with a daughter. I think God is awesome and just has a way of blessing us beyond what we can think or imagine. I was no ordinary girl or so I thought. Girls dream of their wedding day and  fantasy about their wedding dresses. Girls dream of having their own families. For me, I never thought I would get married, I had never pictured myself in a wedding gown, or married to a lovely man and having kids. That was just me. So much has changed in those three years. We have had our fair portion of achievements and struggles but its been God who has got us here....

Two weeks ago, one of my mum's sisters passed on. It was difficult for the whole family because she had been sick for  a very short time and the last two times we had gone to visit us in hospital she was fine. Infact she asked us, the second time why we had gone to see her yet we were there the Sunday before? Little did we know that was our last time together. The day before her funeral, we were at the mortuary and her youngest daughter got to see her. Of course we were all overcome with grief but my cousin really called out to her mum and asked many questions. She asked her mum, why she had left her and whom has she left  her with? The question that stunned me most was ' where have we gone wrong?'. Am not sure whether she was asking her mum or asking God. But I guess death is not some form of punishment from God. God loves us so much and He doesn't delight in inflicting pain. We tried to answer her questions as she cried and reassured her that God was there with her ...

On Friday morning, I went to a nearby salon to do a treatment and because I needed to braid my hair, I wanted to schedule an appointment for today Monday. A lady friend of mine called her colleague who does the braiding and we agreed on the pricing and booked an early appointment for this morning.I had made arrangements at the shop for someone to stand in for me this morning. I called before going to the salon and was told the lady was there and when I went she first looked at me like she has never seen me. I was 15minutes early and she had another client whom she was doing a manicure and pedicure. I know that would take another 40/50 minutes As I sat there, she came and started to explain that I should come back at 1p.m. because she had that particular client  and there was another on the way before she could get to me. I was clearly not amused. I asked what was the purpose of  booking an advance appointment  if one was to come and be given stories and asked to resched...

This morning, we had breakfast with the gals. We are six of us all married with kids,one coming soon and belong to the same couples group. Our  monthly breakfast meetings start at 7a.m. to 9a.m.  Many times one maybe tempted to sleep in but these meetings are so worth it and the sleep fades away. We come  together ,share breakfast and just hang out. As we sit together for a moment its just about us and its refreshing especially after a hectic/hard week. We learn a lot from each other and am blessed to have friends whom we can walk this life together. Have a great weekend