Changes!

Today little buddy is 8 months old! His baby days are going by so quickly. I enjoy seeing all the new things he's learning- saying mama and dada, giving five, and getting into anything he can scoot himself to. But it's also sad to see my baby grow so quickly. Before long he'll be running around at top speed with the other three, and I'll have no baby left.

As I write I can hear he and Laney (who are supposed to be napping!) chattering away to each other. She yells "Buddy!" He then shrieks in delight, encouraging her to do it again... so, of course she obliges. Maybe they'll get some sleep eventually, but for now it's sounding like a big party.

Kira has just discovered the joys of paper dolls. As we were punching out and cutting a new set yesterday she said "Mom, this is the first time I've gotten to do this! We read about it in Betsy-Tacy, but I didn't get to play them before!" This is a treat reserved for naptime, when her wrecking crew youngest sister is not around. Paper dolls wouldn't stand a chance against "hurricane Laney." =)

Brynn has lately taken over Kira's title as "drama queen." Playgroup was an adventure this morning for her. First she got "a blood spot," (a pinhead sized drop of blood on her leg) causing much wailing. Then she managed to swallow a piece of chip that was still too large. More wailing. I wondered if she would survive the morning with all its tragedies, but she made it home in one piece, much to her surprise.

Another change in our lives is that Emilie, our house helper, will be going on maternity leave at the end of October. She has brought in a friend to work for us while she is gone. Terese is a Christian Togolese woman from Emilie's church. This week she has been working with Emilie, so she can show her what needs to be done- how to bleach the vegetables, how to fill the jug with purified water, what to clean with, how to heat the water to wash dishes, etc. This saves me from having to teach her everything, which is wonderful. There are so many "new" things here that she doesn't know about, and it can be frustrating when things get ruined or broken due to lack of knowledge. She has never seen most of the appliances I have in my kitchen. Mixer, blender, bread machine are all new things to her! I don't always think about telling details like "don't wash the blender base under running water!" Emilie is doing a goob job showing Terese the ropes. Terese seems like a neat lady, and we'll see how things go once she is here alone. I think she will be easy to have around.
It's an interesting struggle, this having house help. While it's a great deal of help, especially with the extra workload Niger, it's hard to have someone around so much. Five days a week she is here, watching me playing and doing school with the kids, and just being in my space. If it's someone I'm not comfortable with, I'm not sure how comfortable I would be in my own home with her here so much! Plus, I have to try to be patient with things that she breaks or misplaces, or does in a way that I would not do... On the other hand, if all she ever did was dishes I would probably love her forever. =) With no dishwasher, cooking totally from scratch, lots of company, and a very small kitchen, I could easily spend half of each day washing dishes and nothing else. And I have to admit, that is my least favorite chore. But then she also hangs out my laundry, cleans my vegetables, and cleans my very dirty floors. So all in all its worth it. That's one huge blessing about living here! I just need to remember that when I have to search every cupboard in the kitchen just the find the one utensil that I need... =)