Project 52: Breakfast

The "experts" who decided that kids shouldn't watch TV before the age of two were obviously never pregnant with a child under two. Or else, they were those people who think pregnancy is this beautiful, natural, thing because they didn't have a single pregnancy symptom. Let me assure you that it is the most definitely supernatural and I dare you to look up the symptoms and come back and tell me it's not an illness! Anyway, back to the TV issue. Here is what breakfast looks like these days:

Yep, eating in front of the TV. Mornings are sometimes rough for me and putting him in front of the TV is the only way to insure that he's going to eat long enough for me to eat. I'm sure letting kids eat in front of the TV is linked to obesity, but in our case it's linked to getting the kid to gain enough weight that he's in at least the 5th percentile! We've got a lanky one!

I'm nearing the end of the first trimester, but honestly I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I was MUCH sicker with the last pregnancy and it didn't disappear with the first trimester like all the books promised. It did let up quite a bit around that time, however. I just try to remember everyday that this is so much better than last time and when I have a rough day I listen to Christmas music!

We're also really looking forward to some R&R in the states. I get exhausted if I stand for long periods of time and there are lots of days when I just can't even think about fixing dinner, so Carson has had his hands full taking care of us! We are both TIRED and ready for fast food and babysitters!

Building

There has been, for some time, half of a building sitting in our yard. The plan is for it to house Carson's tools and be a place he can teach from. It's been on hold due to a lack of funds, but recently Carson has been able to start finishing it. The progress is going really well. Up until now his tools have been living in a small room in our house, but most he has to drag out in the yard and plug into an extension cord to use. We're excited to finally be getting this done. Here are a few pics of the progress. The bottom concrete section was already done and is actually made of sandbags that have been plastered over.

Last week- Some tools in the foreground and the building in the background. The brick section in the back will be a small tool shed and a bathroom. Next to them will be a house for the dogs to replace the current one which they break out of on a regular basis. It was intended to be temporary when we built it nearly 2 years ago!

This week-

Wooden framing for windows and roofing.

The dog house. They mostly just sleep in it.

The doors

On a separate note we get the most beautiful rainbows here. They are almost always complete arches, sometimes doubles even. Last week we were driving and were literally just feet from where the base of a rainbow was hitting the ground. Sadly, there was no pot of gold. Here's a picture of half of a rainbow, but it doesn't really do it justice.

Geita to Mwanza: Part 2

Here are the rest of the pictures. Make sure to scroll down and see part 1.

a truck waiting to get on the ferry

 vehicles loading onto the ferry

a goat hanging out by the lake

The building is a waiting area for people getting on the ferry. In front are all manner of dukas selling snacks and random other goods.

boats a the lake

getting closer

People and cars disembark the ferry simultaneously. This is NOT a good idea.

loaded and waiting to go

a dala dala, a major form of transportation and the reason I will never drive in Mwanza! They are crazy.

a gas station 

a futbol game (soccer- sorry guys the rest of the WORLD calls it football which makes sense if you think about it)

a cobblestone road. this isn't common. not really sure why it's there.

lawn ornaments for sale. forget gnomes and pink flamingos, we've got giraffes!

Lake Victoria

a gas station in town

downtown Mwanza

downtown Mwanza 

!e actually took this picture at a different time, but it is from downtown Mwanza and I had to include it. Check out those doors! I wonder why none of these people have any furniture on their back balcony!

Geita to Mwanza: Part 1

A couple of months ago (has it really been that long!) when my parents were here, my mom asked me to take a few pics of houses on our drive from Geita to Mwanza. I got a little carried away and took tons of pictures. I decided it might be a nice blog post, to show you the Tanzanian countryside and towns that we see when we make that drive. Even after carefully selecting which pictures to include, it's a lot, so I'm going to break this into two posts. Here's part one:

a house

witchdoctor huts

the concrete post is a mile marker

many buildings between Geita and Mwanza have been marked with red spray paint to be destroyed because they are too close to the road. Some now have a series of numbers on them. We're not entirely sure why.

laundry drying

bicycles are a major form of transportation

a mill

lumber yard

housing

cows and goats in the road

in the back there is a water hole where cows and goats are drinking

this sign indicates that you are leaving the town of Nyasenga

bicycles are used to haul EVERYTHING

this is the back of a truck we were passing

rock formations like this appear more and more as you approach Lake Victoria

the lake is visible in the back ground

Project 52: First Trimester Food

I had this post planned out. I was very excited to tell you how much better I've been feeling with this pregnancy than the last. Then last night, around 2 am, I threw up. That may be too much info for some of you, but there's just no other way to say it. Now, I'm much further along than I was when the sickness hit with Jude, so I'm still clinging to the idea that I'm not going to fall into the vicious "eat, throw up, eat throw up, cry, cry, cry" cycle of last time. Up until last night, I'd just been having very mild and occasional nausea. I'm trying to believe that last night was just a fluke and we will now return to how incredible I've been feeling. At the very least I'm thankful for an extra two and a half weeks of keeping down food.
Last week we were in Mwanza for my first doctor appointment which gave us a chance to stock up on a few special foods that really appeal to me. I've been having to eat basically all day, lest I feel like passing out. Here are the highlights of the shopping trip: cereal, pre-made pasta sauce (can you say easy), and cup a soup packets.

Yep, we paid close to 8 bucks for a box of Speical K. Cereal is a real treat here, and what better time to treat yourself than pregnancy. Now if only I could get my hands on some Eggo frozen waffles...
Just 9 weeks till we get on a plane headed for the land of frozen waffles!