Bipitty-Bopitty-Boo

I'm looking for my fairy godmother... I need to de-princess-ify myself.
I have come to the stark realization that I am no longer a Muzungu Princess, but my old self again at my own house where I need to take care of myself.  In Uganda, there were maids who made the food and the beds and washed and dried and returned the laundry to us ready to wear as well as cleared and washed the table and the floors and bathrooms everyday.  I never had to thing about what to buy or prepare for food or if there would be clean clothes to wear the next day.  The most domestic thing I have done in over a month is microwave a cooling cup of tea. OK reality check.  I have noticed already in 2 days that if I leave things out, they are still there when I come back later...what is up with that?  Do you have that problem at your house as well?  I suspect you probably do.  This is a bit tricky.  Too bad I didn't sneak one of the girls home in my suitcase!  Well I have managed to do some laundry today and prepare food for the boys.  I'll call that a win.  We took the boys out to Perry's Nut House this morning and had a great time!  I'm glad my Sheesh is coming to see me [and take care of me I hope!] tomorrow night.

"This Johnny's house!"

All along we have been calling our house "daddy's house" when we looked at our family and home book with them in Uganda. so yesterday we were starting to say this is  OUR house Hayden's and Garak's and Mommy's and Daddy's house.  Early in the morning when I took him to the bathroom (specially designed by my friend, Becky, who also painted the giraffe on the boys' wall) he exclaimed enthusiastically "Momma! Ditch one ijz niy-tch!" [This one is nice]  Late in the morning, we were outside playing and he ran his hand along the side of the house and said "Dady's houch ijz niy-ch" [Daddy's house is nice].  Later in the afternoon, Hayden climbed up onto the couch and said "Momma! Ditch ijz niy-tch" [This is nice] Ditch Johnny's Houch! [This is Johnny's house!] LOVE IT!  In essence:  I'm home, we finally made it. Thank you Jesus!

"I am meh-chi"

So we received a Christian kids songs sing-a-long CD and one of the songs on it is the classic oldie "I am a C. I am a C-H. I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N." If you were raised going to Sunday School, chances are you are singing it in your head as you read this.  So my son, Hayden, who loves to clean, knows the word "Messy" in English very well and uses it a lot!  "Mamma, cho-co-la-bey, meh-chi!" [Mommy come look at this it's messy!]  So when he heard the aforementioned song, he heard "I am messy."  So now he walks around singing to the tune of "I am a C" "I am meh-chi" and laughing about how funny it is to have a messy song.  Pretty cute stuff.  Daddy is giving them a bath right now, much to Mommy's delight, which allows me to have a moment to type this.  As the boys headed up for bathtime w/o me Hayden asked, "Mommy no coming?" but from the giggling I hear, I don't think he minds after all.  Also to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle little star" they have been singing "Wange Wange wange momma. Wange wange wange daddy." [wange= mine/my] gotta love it. more later...

the park at midnight

So being the cruel parent that I am, I woke the boys from a deep sleep to take them to the park for the first time.  For their body clocks it was midnight-ish and I got them up and dressed still half asleep. They were confused and grumpy, crying etc.  I want them to get on American time as soon as possible.  I will let you be the judge if it was the right decision.

Welcome to America tired babies

have visas: will travel

read'em and weep...that's what I did

okay daddy. here I come!!

bye bye, Mamma...

Okay today was a great day. It was just as it should have been. Sad and hard and beautiful and powerful and lovely and sweet and emotional.  How else could the last time you will ever see your biological family be?  Well, we woke with anticipation becuase they knew before bed that they were going to see their guardians.  We were picked up at 9:30 by Alex who had driven us once before.  The boys and I headed out for a big day.  It was a wonderful, beautiful day.  Our driver was very skilled at finding all the back roads with no or little traffic!  We arrived in Mukono at Elizabeth's house. Hayden was excited and Garak was nervous.  I hugged and greeted Elizabeth and Elize (her husband).  THe boys were curious, nervous etc.  Garak would NOT greet either of them.  He was growing more and more upset by the minute.  We waited about 10-15 mins til Garak's gramma arrived and he didn't want to greet her but did gingerly and then went outside.  Johnny greeted her and asked where his Momma was.  A few minutes later she arrived. I thought they would have taken a boda boda but I found out that they walked! with both babies! Garak's "Mommy" came too.  She is the one from the first day (Easter) photo of them waving goodbye to us.  Garak would not greet any of them. He would not look at them. He started sucking on his shirt, hiding his face and wimpering etc.  I picked him up and explained that he was going back home with me and not to worry and just have a nice time with his family, but he could not bring himself to do so.  I sat him with Elizabeth and she explained the same thing but he was beside himself with fear and dread of being left behind again and was not thinking rationally.  I set him on his gramma's lap and he just started to sob pathetically.  I scooped him up and he clung to me in a death grip buried his head in my chest and sobbed.

Hayden, on the other hand, was SO glad to see his family!  He had the opposite reaction.  He enjoyed every minute with his auntie and baby cousins.  He sobbed when we said it was time to say goodbye.  Just before we left, Garak's gramma wanted to pray for the boys and I so we all sat and she started to sing a beautiful Hallelujah.  She got a bit choked up and all the other ladies joined in. I joined in as well after hearing the tune a few times, choking back tears. After the warm up worship she broke into a very emotional and heartfelt prayer for the boys lives and futures in Luganda which I barely could make out but I kept peeking at Jamilla (Hayden's auntie) and she was quietly sobbing and wiping her eyes with the baby's blanket.  Then Elizabeth prayed in English a beautiful moving prayer over the boys and our whole family and the travel etc.  It was so sweet.  I cried a little. We all hugged with the sound of Hayden sobbing as our parting music. They thanked us so much and we all got into the van to leave the compound.  As we exited the lane, the guardians all got out of the van and Hayden lost it completely. He came completely unglued.  Luckily for me the driver strong armed him back into the van and shut the door so he couldn't run out after them.  After less than 10 minutes of screaming and wailing he was fine and wanted me to hold him and we were back to normal.  Hard. sad. done.