In the News

You can learn a lot about a country from reading its newspapers.  The other day we picked one up and took a read through.

Some articles struck us as very similar to back home.

  One article talked about the nurses on strike who are demanding an increase in salary and reduction of nurse-patient ratios. They’ve asked for a 100 percent increase to their base salary which is a bit bolder than our unions in BC. The government is offering a 4 percent increase which obviously leaves a lot of room to negotiate.

  There was information on health care. For example, the government has launched a rotavirus vaccine in the country as a means to reduce deaths related to diarrhea for children under five. The WHO estimates that about 500,000 children under the age of five die each year from vaccine-preventable rotavirus diarrhea. Thankfully, Isaac was able to benefit from this new initiative.

  There were many articles on the government. Seems like corruption and anger about government actions are a world-wide phenomenon.

Some articles were very, very different from anything we would see back home.

There was a full page of advertisements for “doctors”. I’ve posted one below for your review:

Prof Opio Umal, the African traditional herbalist healer who can check your problems using a mirror is now in Zambia to solve problems like, lost lovers back in 24 hours, HIV/AIDS on symptoms, mental, penis and asthma, partners who can’t produce, financial, bad spells, cleaning houses and farms from evil, court cases, boosting business, quick buying and selling of property in 12 hours and exams etc for quick results. Pay after success.

  I have to say I do wonder what “etc” could refer to as Prof. Umal’s skills seem quite far reaching as he has already described. I also wonder how he makes any money if he only gets paid after success. :)

Here’s another one just because:

Dr. Anguzu – Treats more than 2000 deaseases, diabetes, TB, madness, B.P., inpotent, court cases, promotion, business problems, women problems, lost lover. Found in Kitwe.

  I do wonder about the need to find lost lovers. All of the ads referred to this as something the doctor could help them with. It made me wonder if there is a huge market for individuals looking for a lost love.

I should also note that while not in this paper, Canada has made the world-wide news. I’ve had two individuals here ask me about our mayor Rob Ford. Good to know we are making the news for all the right reasons. 

Adoption: Those without patience need not apply

  I’ve never considered myself a patient person. Probably the only exception being my patients at work. By their very label “patient”, I guess I feel like when I’m working with them if they can be patient, so can I. Usually, my patients put things into perspective. My bad day is nowhere near as bad as theirs. So aside from direct patient care, I would not consider myself to be patient. I would generally label myself as impatient in most situations. Traffic brings be to madness. Slow meetings make me crazy. Waiting makes me frustrated. I’m usually horrible with surprises – I’m so excited for the surprise that it’s difficult for me to keep it a secret. I like an element of control to my life. I’m a planner, an organizer. I like things to go as expected and when they don’t it can be difficult for me. So, dealing with infertility and then adoption was and is a huge challenge for me. Aside from the emotional grief, it’s the loss of control and the waiting which has and continues to drive me to insanity at times. Sometimes life throws things your way and you think, “Okay, this is a test for me, a lesson”. Well, this experience has been a lesson in patience. I’m not sure I’d get a passing grade though.

  When we started our adoption process, one of the huge draws to the Zambia program was the lack of a waitlist. In my mind, I thought, “why would I choose a 3-4 year wait, when we could get this all wrapped up in a year?” The efficiency of it all appealed to me. And relative to the world of intercountry adoption, our adoption process has been fast. I guess that’s supposed to make me feel grateful or give me a sense of relief, and I’m sure once we’re home and I can look at this with objective eyes, I will realize that this was a relatively short period of time. However, in the moment, I fully admit that I’m struggling with the wait. Yes, we are here in Zambia and Isaac is with me which is beyond wonderful, but there are still things that we are waiting for. Paperwork, immigration, visas. I will give you some examples of situations that have brought me to tears and made me want to pull my hair out.

Example #1: Canadian Immigration

  After sending an email with questions to the lovely folks at Canadian Immigration, this is the response I received:

 Your message has been received by the Immigration Section in Pretoria, South Africa. Our Service Standard is to reply to routine enquiries within 30 days. Repeat enquiries within this time frame will not expedite a response.

30 Days!!! Deep breaths, find your center, focus on the positive. I couldn’t believe that it could take 30 days for a simple response to my questions. Then when it took more than 30 days and I had to email them again politely requesting an immediate response to my questions, my frustration level was through the roof. I really should be monitoring my blood pressure. I think when my mom kindly pours me a glass of wine at dinner or suggests that perhaps we should buy some gin to make afternoon gin and tonics that she realizes it’s perhaps been a bad day.

Example #2: The Zambian Immigration office on Cairo Road.

  First of all, to get to the immigration office, you must navigate Cairo Road. This is no easy feat. Once you have safely made it through the crazy traffic and have narrowly avoided hitting any number of pedestrians that questionably venture out into the road, you reach the parking area in front of the building. Cars here are double parked. There are parking attendants to help you locate a spot which is chaotic at best. I’ve had to politely decline some of the spots that they’ve offered as being way too small. I’m definitely getting used to driving on the left hand side of the road, but this area of the city definitely puts all my skills to the test. So, you arrive at the immigration office feeling slightly frazzled only to be met by the blank stare of the woman at reception. No amount of smiles or social niceties appear to be able to crack a smile from this woman. Every 30 days we go there to get a stamp on our passport for another 30 days. After 90 days in the country, you have to apply for a 3-month visiting permit. The last time I was there, I asked about this permit. The woman told me that yes, this is when I have to pay and then left it at that. It was only once I was back home and was speaking with Felix, our contact from the adoption agency who liaises with the social workers, that I was informed that in fact I needed to have picked up a form from the immigration office and that really I should be starting this process now because it’s a lengthy process. AHHHH! I was just there and despite asking about the permit I was not informed that I should be picking up a form. The next week, my mom went to the Immigration office to find out if her passport could be stamped early as we are going to be away next week when her 30 days expired. She also planned on picking up the form for me so that I could stay home with Isaac. Not only would they not stamp her passport telling her that she had to return in four days (still early, but I guess an acceptable level of earliness), but they would also not give her the form stating that they needed to see my passport. I’m unclear why it was not possible for them to give her the form when she clearly explained what was needed. It’s hard not to feel at times like the women at the immigration office are purposely trying to be unhelpful.

  When I first had to get my passport stamped I went to the old immigration office. I was informed there that that I needed to go to the new office on Cairo Road. After speaking with Felix, I had understood that this building was called “Patience House”. I almost laughed out loud when I heard this. What a perfect name for the building that houses immigration. I later found out that I had misheard my social worker and that it was actually called “Pension House”, however, to my mom and me, it will be forever known to us as “Patience House”. Do not enter without your patience. 

Example 3: Waiting for paperwork

  I’ve been waiting close to seven weeks now for the paperwork to be completed for our adoption. The complete paperwork will be sent to the courts and only once they’ve received it can we begin negotiating a final court date. Obviously, I am motivated to have this paperwork completed as quickly as possible in hopes that we will be able to get an early court date. I would hate to wait around for weeks for our court date after our fostering period has ended. Well, when we first started the paper work process, I was told by Felix that it would take 4 weeks. I started enquiring on how things were going after 3 weeks. I was told that 5 out of the 6 documents had already been completed and that they were just waiting for a report from the police. After the four weeks was up, I enquired again. At that point, I was told that they were waiting for some documents from the lawyer and that the police officer was still on leave but would be back by the end of the month (I had previously been told that he was already back at work). In the fifth week, I was told that my paperwork would be ready on Monday and that it would be dropped off by the social worker for editing. On the Monday, I sent several texts to our social work asking when she would be by. She later told me that she was in court and would come by on Tuesday. Tuesday rolled around and I still hadn’t heard from her. I called her multiple times and sent multiple texts asking when she would be by. In the evening, I texted her to say that I could come by her office on Wednesday afternoon, but could she just let me know on Wednesday morning what time would be convenient for her. I heard nothing from her all day until late in the afternoon when she texted to say that she was at a workshop, the paperwork wasn’t completed, but that she would be able to get it to me by Thursday next week. Again – AHHHH! I’m unclear why I was told that the paperwork was completed only to find out that in fact it wasn’t complete and would take another week to be done. I spoke with Felix who kindly came by the next day. He was worrying that I was “panicking”. Of course, I’m panicking! I want this paperwork done so that we can get our court date and I’m confused as to why I’ve been told that it’s complete only to find out that it isn’t. Felix sensing that the problem may have been one of computer access (I found out there’s only one computer for 10 social workers), very generously lent his personal laptop to the social worker so that she could complete our paperwork and asked that it be done on Tuesday. I was feeling such relief after our meeting and incredibly grateful to Felix for his efforts to move things along. So, I was feeling really positive that all would be done on Tuesday this week. Well, Tuesday rolled around and I was starting to get nervous when I hadn’t heard from our social worker by 11am. She later phoned me to let me know that she had to unexpectedly go out of town on business. She left on Monday and would be back on Friday. She told me to not be disappointed as the paperwork was complete. I tried my best to calmly explain that the papers still need to be sent to Markus before they go to the courts and that I was really hoping this could happen soon. She again assured me that in fact the papers were complete and that she would come by on Friday so that we could do the editing. Yesterday (Friday), I waited around all day from her. I texted her twice with no response. I finally heard from Felix at 8pm to tell me that the papers were complete. I will believe it when I’m holding them in my hands. And so we wait…. and wait…. and wait….

  I can only hope that I finally get to meet with our social worker on Monday and actually start the next step in this adoption process. I feel like this has been a thorough introduction to African time. I knew going in there would be delays, but I wasn’t expecting the confusion, lack of communication, and missed appointments. I’ve been reminded by our adoption agency that timelines here are fluid and that everything will come together in the end. I can only hope that we have similar ideas about when that endpoint should be.

  I know once I’m back in Vancouver with my beautiful son that I’ll be able to see the big picture in all of this. In the grand scheme of life, these months are but a blip in time. However, in the midst of it, I have to say I’m having a difficult time seeing the forest for the trees, especially when it feels like these trees have lots of branches blocking my way.

Looking forward to when I can see the forest.

The Great Soother Debate

To cork or not to cork

That is the question.

Before we left for Zambia, my Nan kindly suggested that I bring a “cork” for the baby. Because as she put it, it’s a long flight back and you’ll likely want a cork. When we first brought Isaac home and he started having trouble falling asleep at night, I had initially tried the soother, but as he had never used one before in the orphanage, he promptly spit it out and continued to cry. I have to say that in the moment, I was disappointed that we wouldn’t have the soother to fall back on when the rocking and shushing just weren’t cutting it.

In the baby literature, there seems to be some debate as to whether to use a soother or not. In my opinion, within reason, whatever helps your baby to sleep is the way to go. So while I’m not going to use a little whiskey on the nipple a la Zach Galifianakis on Bored to Death (hilarious series), I really don’t see the harm in using a soother. Sure there’s always the possibility of a soother addiction which we’ve seen with Markus’s cousin’s little girl – they eventually had to resort to a nipple cutting ceremony when the soother started to disintegrate from overuse. But, as my mom points out, you don’t see adults walking around with soothers in their mouths (except for that horrible soother phase in the nineties), so the majority of kids will give up the soother at some point.

Back to Isaac, things had been going really well after our bout of sleep training. I was starting to feel some real confidence as a mom. I felt like I really had the sleep thing figured out. Sure, naps were a disaster and Isaac had decided that 4am was a great time to start his day, but he was only waking up once in the night for a bottle which felt like a huge success. Then he started teething again and everything changed. He started waking up on the hour again, but surprisingly he had long naps during the day – probably from exhaustion. I was back to feeling hung over again (sleep deprivation feels surprisingly like waking up after a bad night of drinking) and trying not to pull my hair out from frustration. I would rock and rock and rock Isaac to sleep and then slowly lower him to his bed only for him to wake up and start crying again. One night in a moment of weakness, I just lay Isaac down on my bed while he screamed and put a bottle of water up to his mouth. I thought to myself, I can do no more, it’s up to you kid. Miraculously, he quieted and fell asleep. At the time, it felt like a huge discovery to me along the lines of penicillin or electricity (when you’re sleep deprived, things tend to get exaggerated). Then next night, I tried the same tactic only to find out that once the bottle of water was finished, he was back to crying again. So as a last resort, I tried the soother again. And …. silence. Glorious, peaceful silence. It was absolutely wonderful. Isaac had fallen asleep in his crib without me rocking him. Our household and I’m sure those of our neighbours were all breathing a sigh of relief. Until the soother fell out and he started crying again. But, I’ll take it. It’s much easier to pop that cork back in than spend 1-2 hours rocking a baby to sleep.

My new motto for this week is when in doubt, put a cork in it. Thanks, Nan.

And Then The Rains Came

  Yesterday we had our first big rain storm of the season. Thunder, lightening, high winds, and sheets of rain. It was quite the storm. Our front yard became a small pond. Our power was also out most of the day, so there was not much to do but watch the rain come down. After the rain had mostly stopped, we went out to see how much water there was outside our complex. We stood there in utter shock looking at our flooded street. There was about 1-2 feet of water in the street. Brave people were still trying to get by in cars, on bikes, and on foot. It would have been very treacherous as you couldn't see where the pot holes in the road were. I had a moment of connection with the gate guard and gardener, Joe Sam and Justin, as we stared out at the water. Neither of them speak much English, but when I commented that the amount of water was "amazing", we all nodded our heads in agreement looking at our flooded street.

The pond in our front yard.

Watching the rain. Isaac likes water in any form so the storm was very exciting for him.

What used to be our street.

Justin, the gardener, making his way home. Brave man.

Finding Tranquility

  In Vancouver, walks with my dog, Gibson, are a twice daily occurrence. My afternoon walk in particular is a time for my brain to unwind and relax after a busy day. Living in the city, I sometimes feel like I just need to get away and there is nothing better to cure that feeling than a walk in the forests of North Van. Being here in Lusaka, I’ve been struggling a bit with not having that escape. My mom and I have been walking twice daily, but our route has been down a somewhat busy road lined with walls and gates. I’m not sure why we didn’t think to go the other way, turn left instead of right, but as creatures of habit, we kept up our well trod route. Except that one day we decided to find out what was in the other direction. Well, we’ve discovered the Shaughnessy of Lusaka. There are still lots of walls and gates, but the streets are tree-lined providing lovely shade and there are lots of beautiful gardens to look at along the road. Also, the gates and walls are a lot nicer with more variety. Sometimes, you can get a small view of what’s behind the wall which I always find really interesting. It’s been amazing what this has done for our mental state. To have a tranquil place to walk feels like an important discovery for us. One of the things I love best here are all the beautiful flowering trees. The bursts of colour are stunning. I thought I’d share some of the photos from our morning walk. 

Brilliant pink plumeria

I love the delicate leaves of this tree and the beautiful red flowers.

This plant is about 15 ft tall. Things grow big here in Zambia.

The smallest, but loudest guard dogs we've met so far.

A Day at the Market

   Isaac, my mom, and I had a nice time today exploring the market at the Arcades Shopping Center. The market sets up in the parking lot every Sunday and has a range of crafts, jewelry, fabrics, shoes, and clothes for sale. I was on the look out for chitenge fabric. Women here wear this piece of fabric around them like a skirt or fashion a sling out of it to carry their babies on their backs. We found the shopping experience much more relaxed than the other market we had gone to in Lusaka. You had to bargain, but there was much less pressure from the shop keepers. We've learned a bit now about bargaining. Enough that we're not going to get totally overcharged. We also do the latte test - "This costs about 3 Starbucks lattes". Usually this helps us realize that much of what we can buy here is really a good deal. For example, I bought a mobile today for above Isaac's crib at home. I absolutely love it, it was worth about two lattes, and I'll love it for much, much longer than the 20 minutes it usually takes me to down a latte. Nothing like a little retail therapy.

Two Month Update

  Well, I’ve been in Zambia for two months now. In a way, it feels as though time has flown by, but at the same time it feels like I’ve been away from family and friends for a very long time. I have days when homesickness just hits me and there’s not much I can do to get over it. By the next day, I’ll be feeling better and determined to make the most of my time here.

  Isaac has been wonderful. He’s growing so much. In the past month, he’s gained 4cm in length and is now 20.5 pounds. My mom and I are sure feeling his growth in our tired arms and backs. He’s now between the 50^th-90^th percentile ranges for the various measurements. I am continually thankful for the care and good nutrition that he received at the House of Moses. Without their care, I’m not sure how he would be doing now. We went for a visit at the orphanage last week. Everyone was so happy to see him and to see how much he had grown. They also loved seeing a video of him swimming. I think it’s quite a novelty to see a Zambian swimming – there’s so many things that can kill you in the lakes and rivers here that many don’t know how to swim. Isaac was very excited to see the other babies, in particular, Jacob, the little boy that had his crib next to him. It brought a tear to my eye to see them holding hands and Isaac talking away to Jacob.

  Isaac has become fearless in the pool. He lets me fully dunk him and constantly wants to put his face in the water. I’m fearful that he’s going to get a parasite from all the water he drinks when I’m not paying attention. I’ve been sitting him on the edge of the pool deck and he leans forward and kicks his little legs to launch himself off the edge. I’m holding onto him the whole time, but I’m amazed at how brave he is. If he’s having a bad day, all we need to do is put him in the pool or the bath for him to feel better. The pool has saved us many a day.

Isaac and his hippo in the bath.

Isaac relaxing after a swim. All that kicking is tough work.

  Isaac has fallen in love with having his picture taken. He gets super excited every time he sees my iPhone or the camera. He squeals and waves his arms. He’s such a clown sometimes.

  We’ve been to a baby class a couple of times now. Isaac loves the songs and bubbles. I like that I get to see other moms. It’s made me feel better to notice that they are all yawning away just like me.

  I’m not sure if you remember me mentioning the large spider living in my bathroom from one of my earlier posts. I had named the spider, Bruce, but it appears that Bruce may have actually been a Brenda. There’s been a hatching of baby spiders that are all over the bathroom. Also, Brenda appears to be no more. It’s literally Charlotte’s Web being played out in my bathroom, without the farm animals, of course. I’m really hoping these baby spiders make their way outside. There are only so many huge spiders I can tolerate in my bathroom.

  My mom and I are loving all the lizards around our house. There have been a lot of baby lizards lately that make their way inside the house. Sometimes I find one sitting on my laptop while I email. I think they like the heat from the computer. The other day we found a particularly small one on our laundry basket. We named it Lizzy (original, I know). Because we were worried that it might end up in the wash, I moved the lizard to my bathroom. I’m hoping little Lizzy will help take care of my spider problem.

Lizzy the lizard

  We’ve had the good fortune to hire a maid three days a week. Her name is Beatrice and we share her time with one of our neighbours. It’s been amazing having the help around the house. It allows my mom and me to focus more on Isaac and on having some breaks during the day. This has been so important lately now that Isaac has decided that he really doesn’t want to nap for more than 45 minutes at a time. It’s difficult to get anything done in such a short period of time when you are trying your best to not make any noise. My mom and I have been so happy to give up all the ironing to Beatrice. She does a much better job than we do. All our clothes are completely wrinkle free and meticulously folded, even our underwear.

  I feel like we’ve slowly been developing a bit of a rhythm to life here in Lusaka. We’ve learned where to go for groceries – each store has slightly different things available, so you have to plan your trip to make sure that you can get what you need. We’ve found a couple good places to get coffee – very important to Vancouverites with our coffee addictions. Our day is scheduled by Isaac’s naps, but usually consists of a walk early in the morning (we’re often out the door before 7am), an outing mid morning, a swim late afternoon, Skype conversations, an evening walk down our block, and then the bedtime routine. I’ve found that it’s important to keep things moving through the bedtime routine or the “7 B’s” as I like to call it – bath, brush teeth, bottle, books, ballads (I think Isaac is the only one who can tolerate my horrible singing), bunny, and bed. You have to keep things moving or else Isaac just deteriorates into a fussy mess as I’ve found out the hard way. While it’s nice to have a routine, some days I feel like we are getting a bit of cabin fever. Lusaka is described in the guide books as a place that you fly into and then quickly out of again. It’s a busy city, but there seems to be limited things to do here with a baby. There are no parks, community centers, or libraries that we are aware of. Things that you imagine yourself doing with a baby just don’t seem to exist here. Heat is also a limiting factor. The afternoon sun is very hot and I just don’t feel comfortable taking Isaac out in the heat. With him in the baby carrier, we generate a lot of heat together and end up a sweaty mess. I just don’t think it’s healthy for either of us. My mom and I have realized that it’s important for our sanity to get out of Lusaka every few days. There are two cafes that we have been going to on the outskirts of the city that give us the feeling like we are out of the city. We’ve also been making plans to venture a bit further and explore some of the small game parks and farms outside of Lusaka. We’ve also booked a trip to Livingstone and Victoria Falls for the beginning of December.

  We’ve met a couple of our neighbours in the complex that we live in. The pool has been a great meeting place. It would have been difficult to meet anyone without the pool because even though our place is surrounded by a huge wall, each individual house in the complex has a wall and gate. It feels very closed off. At the pool, we’ve met one family with two small boys. The husband is Norwegian and the wife is American. We’ve also met another woman, Isabel, who works for the French Embassy. Isaac really likes seeing the two boys, Lukas and Alex, at the pool. I think he really misses being surrounded by children.

  We’ve had the opportunity to entertain a couple of times since being here. We had our social workers over a couple weeks ago. Isaac is now in a stage where he does not like to be held by anyone other than me or my mom. I hear that separation anxiety and stranger danger develop at this age. Although it was too bad that the social workers were unable to hold Isaac without him crying, I think it was a great way to demonstrate his attachment to me as he stopped crying the minute he was returned to my arms. The lunch was a success – both of our social workers asked for the recipe for the couscous salad that we made. They were very interested to know what was in it and had never had couscous before. We also had Isabel over for dinner last week. It was so interesting to hear about her life working for the French Embassy and the different places that she has lived. 

Our table. I bought the table cloth at the market in Kitwe.

  Although I left behind Burnaby Hospital when I got on that plane, my skills as a Speech-Language Pathologist have come to use here. The nurse at the orphanage has a friend who had a stroke in May. She was able to receive physiotherapy after her stroke, but unfortunately, there are no Speech-Language Pathologists here. I did an assessment with her last week. It kills me that she has not received any therapy as her speech and language ability is quite impaired. Although, I’m across the world in a different culture, I was struck by the similarity of what individuals go through after suffering a stroke and being faced with chronic aphasia. In Canada, adjusting to a life with aphasia is incredibly difficult at any age, but particularly for younger individuals. There are limited supportive services available and often individuals with aphasia end up isolated from community.  Here, the situation seems to be even bleaker. I’ll be doing some pro bono work with my new client weekly while I’m here. Hopefully we can make some gains and I can set up a program for her when I leave. I’m used to working with interpreters at Burnaby Hospital, but I think this will likely be the first and last time, I’ll need an interpreter for Tonga and Nyanja.

A proud Nana.

  Overall, I’m proud of all the progress we’ve made during the two months I’ve been here. Isaac is happy and well adjusted and we’re settling into life here. My mom has been an amazing support and I feel lucky that Isaac gets to spend so much time with his Nana. We’ve been able to explore the country a little bit and have plans to do more traveling coming up. I’m almost halfway done my stay in Zambia. I have days when this feels more like a glass is half empty situation and the time ahead of me seems long filled with frustrations of having to navigate the adoption bureaucracy. Other times, I can see that the glass is half full. I’m getting to spend amazing time with my son in his country, experiencing a new culture and way of life.

Love

The “Four P’s” of Sleep Training

One of the things I love best about my job is looking at a process and working with a group of people to find ways to make it better or more efficient. In a leadership course I took, we learned that one of the best ways to communicate and implement change is to use the “Four P’s” – purpose, big picture, plan, and parts to be played. I sometimes find that Managers start sounding the same after attending these leadership courses. I’m not sure how many times I’ve heard the phrases, “My ask is…” or “What I’m hearing is that…”. I usually find this “corporate” language funny and somewhat robotic, but I found the Four P’s to be actually really useful when discussing proposed changes with my department or other departments in the hospital. So, as I was rocking Isaac to sleep today, I started thinking about applying the “Four P’s” to the sleep training that we’ve been attempting. Here it goes:

Purpose: To implement a sleep-training plan for Isaac allowing him to self sooth himself to sleep and stay asleep for longer.

Big Picture: To achieve a well rested baby who has nice long naps and sleeps through the night (I actually think this might be a myth, but I’m still putting it down as my end goal).

Plan: Using the “Sleep Lady” strategy, start with the chair beside the bedside for three nights. Put Isaac to sleep while drowsy, but not fully asleep. Use “sh-sh” sounds and pat back as needed. Only pick up if he is hysterical. After three nights, move the chair halfway to the door and then finally right beside the door for another three nights. Continue “sh-sh” sounds and taper off back patting.

Parts to Be Played:

            Mommy: Follow plan with patience and understanding. Try not to pull hair out in frustration.

            Isaac: Fall asleep (apparently, a very difficult task). I’ve tried explaining to Isaac that never again in his life will he be allowed to sleep so much and that he should take advantage of the opportunity now. He just looked at me and made a raspberry. I don’t think he was convinced.

As I was rocking Isaac to sleep, I also thought about another “P” that really should be included when discussing change – unPredictability. People, especially babies don’t always behave as expected. Patterns that you think are developing can change at a moments notice and you have to adapt. My mom and I were relishing the two hour naps that Isaac had for two mornings in a row several days ago. We hoped that it would continue, but unfortunately, we’re back to 45 minute naps now. Somehow, I think that when I return to work, implementing change within healthcare will seem like a breeze after motherhood. 

A well rested baby equals a happy baby.

Seven Month Celebration

  Isaac turned seven months today! We celebrated by going to Sugarbush Farm on the outskirts of Lusaka. What a difference 12 km makes. It was so nice to be out in the country side and in a garden. It was like a little oasis away from busy Lusaka. We had a nice lunch at 10:30 am, but I guess when you start your day at 4:30am, lunch needs to come a bit earlier. That being said, Isaac had a pretty good sleep last night, only two wake ups in the night. Lots of things to celebrate today.

 After the farm, we did a seven month photo shoot. Isaac was very patient with his mother through the three costume changes.

Into the Wild

  We just got back from our safari in the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. We stayed at the Flatdogs Safari Camp. The experience was absolutely amazing, one of the best in my life outside of my wedding day, meeting my son, and graduating with my Masters. We took a plane to Mfuwe the town near the camp. Isaac was an absolute superstar on the plane. It was a very small plane and the ride was quite bumpy. He fell asleep for part of it and we fed him for the rest of the ride. I’m hoping that this good behaviour continues when we make the long journey back to Canada. The camp itself is 1km away from the park. As we drove in, we saw three elephants just hanging out by the entrance to the camp. Our introduction to the camp included detailed instructions on what to do when encountering an elephant and how to best avoid having your food stolen by the monkeys and baboons. We had definitely entered the wild. My Mom and I had “prepared” for the safari by reading one of our guide books that had instructions for what to do when for example you are charged by an elephant (if the ears are flapping, it’s just a mock charge, but if the ears are back, good luck) or if you come across a hippo (you won’t be able to outrun it and best not get between the hippo and water). We had laughed at all the tongue in cheek descriptions in the book, not realizing that we might actually have to use that information. After getting checked into our chalet at the camp and getting settled, Isaac, my Mom, and I went for a swim in the pool. Our view included two elephants 20 feet away eating the leaves off a tree and three giraffes about 30 feet away. The camp was truly unbelievable. There were monkeys and baboons all over the place. The workers treat them like pests and use sling shots to keep them away from the restaurant. In my first morning walk to the restaurant, I encountered two monkeys with babies holding onto them, both carrying toast in their hands. The excursions into the park are organized in two four hour drives per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening. The first day, I went out in the morning and my Mom went in the evening. As we entered the park in the morning, we were greeted by multiple giraffes with babies, several hippos and crocodiles lazing around in the water, and more impala and puku than you could count. We also encountered multiple warthogs, one with three babies, zebras, beautiful birds, and elephants. A highlight of the day was when we came across a pride of lions with a kill. They had killed a small hippo and were also attempting to pull a large, already dead hippo out of the water. Our guide said that this pride, the Mfuwe Pride, was very successful as they had many young lions and were going for big kills. He said they didn’t bother with the impala as they would simply be a small snack. While we were watching, one of the males mated with a female. It lasted all of about 10 seconds. Apparently they do this about 40 times per day. The female didn’t look impressed which I thought was completely understandable.

Elephants welcomed us to the camp.

  In addition to the animals, we also had “interesting” experiences with large insects. The first night on the walk to the restaurant the watchman and I came across a very large spider which he promptly stepped on. Returning later in the evening, I came across a scorpion in our place. I almost stepped on it with my bare foot – a lesson to wear your sandals inside. I called the watchmen to find out how to deal with it and again, he stepped on it. So, later when I came across a huge stationary moth that had been pestering me the night before and a very large spider in our kitchen, I decided that it might be best to follow the advice, “When in Africa…”, and dispatched of the two offending insects in our place. The moth met its end with the sole of my Haviana and the spider with a sharp slap of the spatula in the kitchen. I did feel a bit guilty as usually I try to save large insects in our house, but when they are larger than the diameter of a cup, it makes saving them difficult.

    Our good luck continued over the next few days at the camp. My mom and I both had amazing encounters with animals, some closer than others. I never expected to be five feet away from two sleeping lions, a male and female, or seeing lions stretched out on their backs like our dogs at home. My mom may have been a bit closer to the action than she would have liked. One day, she was pooed on by a baboon and also had a water buffalo attempt to lift up their safari jeep with his horn. We were both amazed by the amount of animals we got to see, even the elusive leopard. The landscape was incredibly beautiful as well. The only thing we probably could have done without was the 45-50 degree weather. It was hot. It made Lusaka feel like a pleasant summer’s day. Always good to have things put into perspective for you. 

You can see his teeth marks on the highchair. Sorry, Flatdogs!

  Isaac enjoyed his stay at the camp. Although he didn’t really seem all that interested in the animals that were around him, he loved the pool and the fact that he got to swim twice a day. He also developed a taste for wood while at the camp. The poor highchair did not come out unscathed after a meeting with Isaac. Apparently, gnawing on the back of the highchair was better than any teething toy we could have provided him. My mom and I felt that we didn’t even need to leave our table to be in the presence of our own little wild animal. I think he would give a beaver a run for its money.

This is Isaac's new surprised look. We're not sure why he's begun doing this, but

 it's pretty cute.