Indian

Thanks to Sue/Mom and Dave/Dad, we had a great Thanksgiving meal that didn't include soup. (not that I mind Randy's soup. He makes the best soup on earth! And we are healthy and skinny because of it. Well, Randy is skinny.....)
It was a great day!
We decided to eat at our favorite restaurant in the whole world, Buhkara. Its Indian food, and man is it good.
We drove into Stellenbosch and parked on a road lined with purple trees. I couldn't get over how beautiful and.....purpley they were. The street was littered with big purple flowers (they were at least an inch long and flute-shaped). This next picture is proof that nature-made purple is so much more attractive than man-made purple. After our Chicken Vindaloo and Lamb Korma and Garlic Naan, we stopped by a little shop and bought our Thanksgiving deserts (oink).The women behind the counter were laughing at me. As if the only reason I was ordering so much chocolate was because of the big, fat baby belly.
Then we drove home and I decided this is the best time of year to visit this country. Late November. Its hot during the day, but the breeze is cool and the evenings are spectacular. The whole world cools off and the hills are green and the flowers are blooming. I wish y'all had all been crammed in our backseat to see the sights we saw. You would have loved it! (Of course, Randy's Chicken Vindaloo leaked in the back seat and that might have distracted you from the beauty....)

Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving. I think I have good memories of Thanksgiving because football was never involved.
>:)
This Thanksgiving is exciting for many different reasons.

There are the obvious things. I'm thankful beyond words for the baby. I'm thankful that I am married to my best friend. I'm thankful for our dogs (as you all know).Aside from these spectacular, weighty gifts, our little world is packed full of simple treasures.

These are things that make my eyes sparkle and my fingers wiggle.
Denise sent me all these buttons and I am so excited about them that I could do a flip! (Or maybe a leg-lift.....) I'll be working with these over the next few weeks. You'll see!

And how about all the cool greenery that grows right out of the ground around here? I took The Wump out last night and ran across this stuff. I think its beautiful. So I picked a bunch of it and now I'm hanging it to dry. Its just so.....fluffy. I love it!And then of course there are all the wonderfully foreign sights we get to see just by driving down the road.Or stepping onto our porch!Writing this blog has helped me to focus on these things and not let the hardships overshadow the wonder of our life here. Sometimes I want nothing more than to complain about our mattress, or the sewage backup in our yard, or our leaking radiator, or all the pinched nerves in my back. (See! There I go! The complaints are just so easy! Must....control....fingers.....)

Mostly, I am thankful for my Heavenly Father; the creator and shaper of my soul! All of these things, big and small, are gifts from Him. I am thankful to be called his daughter!

Hot Wednesday

I had some projects planned for today, and they would have made a far more interesting blog, but as Randy said this morning, "This is the hottest day of the year!" And I'm feeling it.
I think this picture pretty much sums up what I'll be doing today. Randy calls it "spacing out", I call it "resting my ability to interact and/or move".
So I'm about to put some shorts on and drink a ton of water and continue "resting my abilities". I still can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving........

Cute little Florence

How cute is this little girl? Her name is Florence and she works in the kitchen at the restaurant behind out house. I think she does everything; cooking, dishes, etc. She is 21 and due right when I am. She is also having a boy. Unlike me, she walks to work everyday in her only pair of flip-flops. And unlike me, she owns next to nothing. I can learn a lot from a girl like her.
I brought her a couple of baby things and she was so excited that she nearly started crying and said she is going to name her baby "Lucky".
I wanted to say, "I know that feeling!" I can't count the number of times over this past year that your generosity with me has overwhelmed me enough to name my firstborn "Lucky".

Even though we don't have much during this time in our lives, Randy and I are surrounded by people who have even less. That combined with all the support we get has really done a number on me. I feel richer and more blessed than I ever have in my life. God has allowed me to get a glimpse of His infinite love and kindness and faithfulness. It blows me away!Even though we couldn't be more different, Florence and I are two happy, "lucky" (i.e. blessed) girls! Thank you guys for all the giving you do which has allowed me to give to her. Its wonderful to be able to give and your generosity goes pretty darn far in this country!
:)

What the doctor said.....

(I have pictures but I can't get them to load! I'll try again later.....)
...the doctor didn't say that.......

Went to the doctor today. I really like my doctor, but he's a little intense (like a lot of Afrikaaner men). They don't have the English vocabulary to beat around the bush, and they don't cushion any of their statements. We did another sonogram (the 8th one!) and he was very surprised at how much the baby had grown. By his estimation, it now weights around 6 pounds when it should weight a little less than 5. Yikes. All the measurements are at least a week ahead of where they should be.
He sat us down and in fast choppy words told us that this would be a difficult delivery and then talked about C-sections. C-sections are very popular here, so I was expecting him to pitch that option. Anyway, made me a little nervous, but I'm still feeling good about doing it the old fashioned way.
Anybody else out there had a big fat baby without major complications? I'd just love to hear about it!

Saturday Blog

If that is the title of my blog, you can bet that its going to be inane. And this one is.

So, last night Randy and I were sitting there playing cards and I put my feet up on the coffee table, complaining that they felt weird. Both of our eyes nearly bugged out of our heads when we got a glimpse of the pufferfish that used to be my feet.
My once bony ankles are completely invisible and I am now endowed with cankles, neither calf nor ankle. Its one thing to have huge, size ten feet, and its another thing to have huge, size ten water balloons.
Why must they do this?
Why?!!

Mostly finished

Despite a heat wave that has nearly melted my face, I pretty much finished the paintings.
They are simple. And me. I like painting birds, and when it comes to the details, y'all know I'm all about precision. So here are my scientific, technical bird paintings. (PS-These are the worst photographs in the history of the world. I just couldn't get enough light!)

First, the Starling and her young.
Next, the Robin

One of my favorites, the Parakeet.

And finally, the Canary
I'm thinking of making frames from bundled twigs, but we'll see how strong my motivation is when its time to go outside and forage for sticks......

Projects

I have a mighty big list of things I need to get done before B-Day. The crib was numero uno, so I'm glad I got that out of the way. I've also had 4 canvases sitting here for about 6 months. All they're doing is cluttering up the house. I started painting on them and then (as anyone who has lived near or with me knows) I quit. I was doing 4 African landscapes, not because its fun but because I wanted to HAVE them. This is about as far as I got. If I've learned anything about myself, its that I wont finish a personal project unless its fun or useful. These paintings are number two on my list, just because the canvases and all my painting equipment take up an enormous amount of space on top of the fridge. Plus, I have another painting waiting in line for friends that I'm HOPING to get to.
I decided to ditch the idea of landscapes and paint something fun. Something a little more my style. So even though my back feels like one giant cramp, and my ribs are threatening to collapse, I am having a blast hunching over these paintings. I should be done tomorrow and you'll have a full unveiling.
Other goals on my list include repairing and cleaning all the upholstery, scouring the fireplace and the dog kennels, organizing the closets so there is room for baby-head things, and many other things that are bound to make me complain. :)

The Fluffy Ones

This morning I was reflecting (once again) on all it took to get here and how scary it was moving to a continent where we knew no one. Selling everything, flying to Johannesburg, driving across the Kalahari. When I think back on our time here, there was some anxiety and there has been bouts of loneliness, but nothing insurmountable. And nothing that would ever make me change my mind about being here. I often wonder how I've escaped massive culture shock and I know its all about God having mercy on me. I've said it before and I'll say it again. My doggies are a gift from God. I was looking through all our pictures and I realized that I am never alone. If I'm in a picture, so are the dogs. There are two personalities with me at all times when I'm at home during the day. They have definitely changed this experience for me. I love them with all my heart.

Poupek

Which means "belly-button" in some weird language.

Apparently my belly-button, the inniest inny in the world, has finally decided to make an appearance.How thrilling is that? Wumpy is pretty excited about it.
And, well, thats about it for my day. I'm doing laundry and finishing up a project (which will make an appearance very soon).

Slump

Hi y'all.
I've been in a slight funk this past week, hence the lack of bloggity-blogs. Its not a bad funk, but more of a subtle, non-pin-pointable funk. I think there might be a dash of loneliness in there mixed with a little snippet of raging ligament pain. But I have so much to look forward to that I don't feel sad, just temporarily disgruntled. Luckily, Enkidu has enough joy and enthusiasm for all of us combined.
Randy has been taking the dogs out every night for a walk in the vineyards and the moon has been spectacular. You know when you try to take a picture of the moon it ends up looking like a weak flashlight in the distance? Well, look at this. No special lens or anything. Just a point and shoot. That is how bright this moon was, and its only gotten bigger all week. Pray for us this season as we go through our holidays without friends and family. I definitely miss you guys this year! Pray for Randy as he gets into the meat of his dissertation. Its scary and daunting at this point. Pray for our whole little household as we get ready for the Baby-Head. Pray that God gives us the perseverance and wisdom to do it by ourselves and to do it successfully!
We love you!

Some Splaining to Do.

So, I've always called our friend's babies "Baby-head". I do it without even thinking. And now I'm calling my own baby "Baby-Head".
Yesterday Randy said, "Why do you call him baby-head?"

"Baby-Head" is yet another term (like Tate!) that I picked up from my youngest brother Adam. He was a very expressive and enthusiastic child, especially when it came to insults. He tried to be creative with them, but more often than not, he was so mad at Alex that he would resort to looking furiously around the room and scrambling for the perfect word. And after finding that "perfect" word, he would simply attach the word "head" to it.
Alex was a "dog-head".
Alex was a "carpet-head".
Alex was a "dirt-head".
Alex was a "remote control-head".
But mostly, Alex was a "baby-head".
You could hear it echoing throughout the house. "Alex!!!! You're a....a.....a...big fat baby-head!!"I wish I had better kid pictures here to post. I miss my siblings. This picture was taken between my Junior and Senior year. When I had friends over, the kids would come knock on the door and ask if they could come in and look for pennies. I wish I could kiss them on their enormous Raiford-Heads! I sure do miss them!
Anyway, Adam is all grown up now (18) and I'm sure his insults have developed over the years.I, however, am stuck with his childhood vocabulary (that he doesn't even remember).
I still love baby-head. Its my all-time favorite.

Randy and The Doon

We've been so lucky with our dogs. They are so good and sweet, and they have each attached themselves to one of us, so nobody is left out. I think you see pictures of Wumpus more often because he is attached to me. But whatever attachment Wumpy has towards me, it doesn't hold a candle to Enkidu's obsession with Randy. Randy is Enkidu's special toy. Even specialer than his slimy, hairy, nasty duck. He is EVERYWHERE Randy is. If Randy takes a shower, Enkidu is curled up in his clothes on the bathroom floor. If Randy is reading, Enkidu is sitting on his lap. At night, before we go to bed, Enkidu sits up by Randy's pillow and licks the side of his head to show how much he cares. It cracks me up.
He is a sweet little monkey.

Crib

When our landlord brought the crib over for us to use, I decided to get it painted and sew all the bedding before it got too hot here and before I got too big to sand, scrub, paint, measure and sew. I'm done, and I think I finished just in time. It was a lot of work but I love it!
I know this crib will look dangerously tiny to the American moms out there who have babies, but its just a European size. (Tiny, in other words). All the cribs here are this size (as they are in England, Germany and France). And mattress is about 2 feet off the floor. Weird design.....

Anyway, I started out with a bunch of remnants from Me & My House in San Antonio. I lugged them back with me on my last trip (for the future adopted one. Had no idea I was pregnant).
I had to sew all this by hand, so it took a LONG time! But it was fun (and I could do it while sitting on the porch)
When I got the crib it was a light brown color, with paint splatters and bird poop all over it. So I scrubbed it down and sanded the paint blobs off and then did a black rub over it. I wanted it to look like it had been a dark color a long, long, long time ago, but has since faded. The "Z's" are simply part of my wishful thinking......And for those of you who are "guessers", his name will start with a "W" (in case you're wondering why its there.....)The lighting in these pictures is a little off. The colors aren't quite this....pukey.
The "nursery" is in the living room, so I used some of the same fabrics that I used on our chairs. Our bedroom is too small for a crib, so the baby-head will be right outside our door. To give you an idea of our set-up, here is a drawing for your viewing pleasure....

Nothing fabulous to say

Today is cool and windy, so we are inside doing various things.Actually, the dogs are doing the usual things and I am painting the crib. I'm almost done and I can't wait. Its not so easy to hunch down over a project as it used to be. I do a lot of whining and grunting and "Ay-yie-yie-yiying"
Wish somebody was here to eat Strawberries with me. Or sit on the porch with me. Or slave over the crib while I dish out instructions from my well cushioned chair......
>:)

Way too early

Randy and I have started this thing where we wake up at 4 in the morning and can't get back to sleep. Its often earlier that we find ourselves wide awake, but we both wait a while to make sure the other one is really tossing and turning before we say, "You awake?"
Randy has always had a hard time sleeping, but for me, I think its just the 3-4am head-butting and hiccuping and kicking and punching. You'd think Randy would have better control of himself at that early hour...... (jk. Its the baby!)
So as soon as there is a hint of light outside, I'll get up and make breakfast and then we'll go sit on the porch and drink coffee and watch the sunrise. (notice the shoe/socks, Mama? I LIVE in them!) OUR duck is the first one up and he just won't put a sock in it. Maybe he is the culprit of our bad sleeping.....
At first its pretty dark out but then the sun comes up from behind our house and hits the hills in front of us.Enkidu is usually a morning dog, but not an EARLY morning dog. He makes it as far as the livingroom. Just far enough to see what on earth we're doing. He sure is cute when he's out of it. On weekdays, this is the only time of day when the workers aren't out with their saws and sledgehammers. Its nice and quiet. Here is the old shed that they are turning into a cottage. Its coming along slowly.

The Garden Party

On Friday night we went to a dinner party at Randy's advisor's house. It was to celebrate the end of the term and the end of his Aramaic class. There are only 4 other students in the class, and two of them are older (with PhD's).
So Dr. Cook invited us over to his house for Braaied Lamb. Braai is the South African version of BBQ, and from the way they tell it, they INVENTED BBQ.
However, this is only because they have never seen a fully-loaded American BBQ grill.
;)
Their grill is a flaming metal cart. Period. Like a medical cart that your dentist would wheel around and put his tools on. Only this one is full of flaming wood.Professor Cook did have some grilling accessories, however. There was this metal grate to put the lamb in.And a wheelbarrow (complete with handy shovel) full of flaming wood to add to the pile in the cart.
But man, it was good! I love meat.This guy that Randy is talking to was only in the class for part of the year. Then he left to work as a journalist in Dubai. Not an easy profession in a strict Islamic country. After 5 months he returned for fear that his articles would eventually get him arrested.
I sat next to a Jewish man (from South Africa) named Larry, probably in his 50's. He is a big-wig at a large corporation here and he travels all over the world (he is retiring to do a PhD). I asked him if he'd ever been to Petra (in Jordan) and he said, "Oh yes. I fought in the Israeli army for 4 years. Petra is beautiful."
How'd you like to have that doozy under your belt to throw out there at dinner parties? He was a very interesting person. And Cook is hilarious. Very animated.
So we sat out in the garden at this long table and ate lamb and exotic salad and fruit and fresh bread and then we had cheesecake for desert. When the sun went down they lit about 40 candles. It was nice and relaxing and I had a great excuse to stuff my face.
:)

A quick one...

I'm posting late in the day so I thought I'd just do a short one. I don't know why.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning an we did another sonogram. Andrew and Cristin will appreciate what the doctor said when he measured the head (because they are also a Raiford/Gauthier combo). He was measuring everything and suddenly he goes, "Woah! Who has the big head?"

So, we don't know what he looks like, but we know he has a Raiford head. For everyone else's information, the Gauthier's have nice, compact, brilliant heads, and the Raifords have enormous, heavy, creative heads. I can hardly squeeze Randy's sock hat over my head and when I do, it cuts off all the circulation to my scalp. And my brother Andrew, well, lets just say that his head fits him perfectly because he's so tall, but if you put it on a shorter man he'd look like a Tootsie Pop.

Everything else measured long as well. Long legs, long arms. I'm sure if he could have measured the nose it would have been in the 90th percentile as well.
>:)
2 months to go!

Porch Monkies

I've always called myself a porch monkey but now that I'm writing it out, I hope it's not some kind of slur.....
Anyway, on Saturday Randy and I were both zonked. We had stayed out late at a dinner party at his advisor's house (see blog tomorrow....) and we just wanted to chill out. randy had a ton of reading to do so he and Enkidu read in the bedroom while The Wump and I retired to the porch (along with ALL the chair cushions). At first the sun was out and it was blazing hot. I was mostly in the shade but still I was pretty warm. I was just thinking about going in when the clouds came out and the breeze picked up. Wumpy and I immediately fell asleep. For two hours! Heaven!