Rainy days

The much hyped el nino rains have started and most people are excited, others like the IDPs are not happy the rains are a disaster their makeshifts shelters of polythene and no proper drainage, I feel for them.


Yesterday it rained, before it become so heavy I thought let me show Chi some real rain not the shower I keep on showing him and my was he not excited. Trying to catch each drop as it comes down. It was cool. But come evening the thunderstorms and lighting started and as it is always common, the lights went off. I have never got used to lighting, thunderstorms and blackouts.

When I was about 9-10 years we had this house boy called Sam. Sam had a habit of telling us scary stories especially when the rains came accompanied by a black out. But there is one story that has never left my memory and every time it rains and blackouts, the memory comes back of ghosts (we called them majini back then) who had a liking for rains and dark nights and would wait on people who are walking outside way lay them and suck on their blood like Dracula and turn them into bats, or they would hide themselves in dark corners in the house and pounce on you. No one dared not go anywhere alone in a dark house, if you had a need to use loo, the whole house took you and chilled for you.

The lights went off while taking a shower and those old memories came back, I froze, thinking of all the majinis lurking in the darkness waiting to pounce if I moved, but the scream from Cas jolted me. muuuuuuum!!!!!!!! God have the majinis got to my baby, Stay still and don’t move from where you are I called back, am coming. Said a quick prayer ‘God this is it’ (if that’s a prayer) navigated my way out of the bathroom, got to the window sill where I keep an emergency candle and matchbox, lit it and made my way to Cas bedroom who met meet halfway and clinched on my towel saying mum am scared- that’s makes two of us. Where is Chi? In the sitting room Cas says. Alone? I ask, so we made our way there and there he was the winner of the night, sitting on the carpet totally oblivious of anything and all he did was give me that toothy smile when he saw me.

Growing up

It is almost hard to believe that Chi is almost one year old and Cas is seven. Baby boy is growing up fast or is it that the days are moving very fast? It seems so recent that Chi could not hold his head up and now he is banging that head so viciously. The cries have turned to shrieks and screams but I am glad, I don’t mind them – they are music to my ears as compared to when he was 1-4 months.

I think we have tried all sorts of methods in calming Cas and Chi. Got advice from friends, Mum, internet, books, Paediatrics etc. From buying anti colic medicine, changing my eating habits- no acidic and dairy foods, clothes, noise levels, lighting the list is endless but nothing seemed to work on them. These two would have won awards for crying. Sometimes I think it’s a conspiracy. Why not cry and wail at day time when we could take them out for walks, why wait till night time. I used to freak when darkness comes- the nightmare begun at 9 pm and the transformation to a zombie started and ended some where between 3- 4 a.m and by 7 a.m, they are fully awake again! The cycle continued for a full four months. Some nights were good- good in that we would sleep at mid night. Slowly they snapped out of it, guess the surrounding started looking interesting to them or they realised hey, am not going back in mummy’s tummy, am in this world to stay so better get used to it.

Now, it just fascinating to see Chi trying to balance himself for a few seconds before he stumbles down- that he can move across the room holding on to furniture. His small fingers trying to grasp a ball or him checking himself out in front of the mirror trying to catch his reflection, chewing on a piece carrot, being totally mesmerized by adverts, swinging his head from the sound of rock music. Cas playing teacher and Chi being her student, strutting her stuff and walking an imaginary runway, dressing up in my threads and shoes and applying lipstick.

Gosh, it is a joy to see them grow.

The Birds and the Bees

On sunday, cas and I went to our local kiosk to get some  sugar and on or way we met with dogs mating- its not a pretty sight, wanted to go back and use another path hoping that cas had not seen the dogs..too late I think she noticed them before me, eyes were wide open. Mind is going please baby don’t ask me what they are doing, pleaseeeeese. Huh even before my fingers are closed, cas blurts , “mom why are the dogs shoving each other from behind…aaah baby why at this time, am feeling so tired….so I casually tell her they are making babies. Please no other question. She goes quite. Phew! Thank God that’s over, lets just get the sugar and head back home. We definitely don’t use that path again.

Home we go and go on with our daily lives, matter forgotten. Monday….. Tuesday… Wednesday we are doing English homework and cas is asking me how to spell the word tailor. Then out of the blue she asks me “mum is making babies and sex the same?” blank mind…baby your only 7 how did you bring those two words together. No definite answer at that time.  So I ask what she thinks, she says I told her that the two dogs were making babies while some kid in school told her that they were having sex. Am totally dumbstruck.

I knew that at one time I will have to explain to her what sex is but never did I think that it would come this early. My ideal age was 11-12, but at seven all she needs to know is that she should not talk to strangers and no one should touch her body even if it’s someone she knows, to scream and run if confronted by one. But if her classmates are talking kissing and sex I might just as well start telling her the truth, instead of her getting some fabricated stories out there.

Market Day

When I was young, I loved market days for two reasons one is that I will get my self something new mainly threads and occasionally teddies and dolls and other colourful stuff, the other, I was the sole decision maker on what stuff to buy with my weekly savings from allowances.

Market day was on Saturday, my friends and I would get ready for the day and so we made sure that by 2 pm we were totally free- no pending house hold chores and definitely no baby sitting, too bad for you if you were left with the baby- market day was a no go zone for toddlers, they were unwanted distractions as they will slow us down when hopping from one stand to the next.  Can’t concentrate on shopping for good threads when one eye had to be on the baby and the other on the threads- good threads would pass you by and the possibilities of buying some thread with a missing button or some tear etc were high.

Fast forward… Took my kids with me to the market this weekend baby gal was so excited, there she was she preparing herself, counting her money, added up to 250/- put it in her small purse, got her shopping bag and off we were. Got to the market and we made a deal that I first buy my stuff then we buy her stuff. It was not easy shopping with Mr. Chidi trying to balance him and avoiding his small fingers from spilling the veggies and fruits is no easy task, I somehow manage. So finally am done its Cas time to shop, we head to the stall where they sell dolls and accessories, I ask her if she wants help in selecting and she says she can manage on her own, so I sit with Chidi on my lap and watch her select her doll clothes, turns them inside out, check the buttons, zips, tears or any imperfections, keeps the good ones aside and tosses the bad ones back. After about ten minutes she is done, she brings her merchandise to me and they are only four pieces all dresses 2 pinks and 2 flowery. I ask her why she four from the big pile and she says that those are the only ones she liked…hands up, it’s her choice and am not to interfere. She pays the lady 200/- and off we go, her carrying her shopping but the look of excitement on her face… can’t wait to get home to try them on her dolls  brings back old memories my Saturday shopping sprees with my friends.