Ruth Michael's birth story

Ruth Michael, this was written by your Papa soon after you were born:

The birth of our first daughter: Many people have tried to describe to us what it feels like when your own child comes into the world. Even though people gave very vivid descriptions, the feeling is undoubtedly unexplainable.
Ruth Michael entered this world at 10:48 on August 23rd. I realize that most people think their child is the most beautiful, but I happen to think that it's our child. Sarah started having good contractions around 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon. The contractions started somewhat mild and maintained 10 minute intervals from 3:00 to around 8:30 p.m. During these contractions, Sarah, her parents and I were staying in a small guesthouse called the Menonite House. This one room guesthouse made for a very intimate setting for Sarah to labor in. God even gave us a very experienced American OB/GYN a few doors down to consult with; huge blessing.
Around 8:45 p.m. Sarah's contractions became very intense. Her contractions quickly went from 10 minutes to 5 minutes to 3 minutes and many of her contractions lasted over 2 minutes long. At about 9:15 we made the decision to head to the hospital. I had prepared the route from the guesthouse to the hospital on Google maps. Let's just say that Google has not done the best job at updating their Kenyan maps. After a few wrong turns and Sarah moaning loudly in the backseat I whipped into a parking lot and grabbed a taxi. Sarah and Maurine hopped into a taxi and made the trek down some very bumpy roads. I can only imagine the panic the taxi driver was feeling as he rushed Sarah to the hospital as she made such unique sounds in the back seat.
We finally got to the hospital at 9:45 and made our way to labor and delivery. It took Sarah a while to get upstairs because she had to keep stopping for contractions. They put Sarah in an observation room and quickly realized that she should probably head to the delivery room. I urged the nurse to please call Sarah's doctor and in Kenyan fashion she sweetly just said, "well let me just take a look and see if she's ready." To our surprise she said, "Well you are ready to push... we better call the doctor." By 10:15 the doctor had arrived, and 38 minutes later Ruth Michael arrived. We had finally met our American-African, and she was more perfect than we ever imagined!
We loved the hospital, loved our amazing doctor, and were thankful every minute that we went to Nairobi!

23 October 2018

Ruth Michael, the other day you told Papa, "I love Jesus, I just don't like church that much." haha! I can't really complain about that. I have always wanted so badly for you to love Jesus, so that makes my heart happy. The fact that you don't like church... well, can I blame you? Either it looks like an African church where you don't understand the language, can't eat your snacks, have to sit on hard benches, and have a million little kids staring at you, or it looks like a big, scary church in America that you aren't familiar with where mom and dad may or may not try to force you to go to Sunday school where you don't know anyone, or it looks like watching kids church on our TV which is much less entertaining and "lower budget" than any other show you have ever watched. There is nothing about church that conjures up good feelings in you. I hate that! When I think of the church of my childhood I think of potlucks and friends and playgrounds and worship nights and puppet shows and animal crackers. I have no doubt that, if you were experiencing that, you would like it, too. But right now, I just don't have the ability to offer that to you, so, as long as we can hang on to "I love Jesus, I just don't like church that much" I'm gonna be one happy mama!

When Dan and Mel were here we were joking about the way people still signal to role down the window in a car using the old fashioned, crank-style role-down gesture. Of course, it's not much of a gesture to just push an imaginary window button. You said, "Well we role down our window like this!" and you pushed and imaginary button with one hand and used the other to pull the window down manually! haha! we really laughed about that one... That is the way windows go up and down in the beast!

Sofia, the Italian girl in your class, used to cry every morning when she came to school. She didn't speak any English at first. One day, when she was crying, you talked to her about how it was okay, and how you used to cry at school, but now it's okay. The teacher told me about it later and said that talk had really helped Sofia. When you were swimming one day there was a little girl that looked funny (I don't really know the situation exactly- I wasn't there- but you said she looked funny). Some of the boys were making fun of her, but you went and got the teacher and told her, so she made the boys stop.

One night JJ got super sick and his parents had to rush him to the hospital. Nora was crying unconsolably, and we had kept her with us at our house, so we needed to calm her down. You talked to her very calmly, telling her everything would be okay. You told her you had gone to the hospital before and you were very scared, but it had been okay. You went over to the dinner table and fixed her a plate of food. Then you asked if we could turn on a show for her to watch to distract her. She calmed down very quickly. (Iddy helped with this a great deal, too). I was a proud mama!

Now that you are learning to spell, you like to try to spell things to me that AJ won't understand (I can't blame you here, we have done this to you for so long). AJ also really likes to tell the same stories over and over or repeat the same ones that you have told. She was doing this at dinner one night, and you looked at me and Iddy and Papa with a knowing look and said, "She thinks we don't already 'n-o-e-t.'" You were trying to spell out "know it." That one gave us a good laugh, but I was very proud of you for using your newly found love of words and letters and phonics. You are doing great with reading, and the more you practice in every day life, the faster you will learn!

One thing I love about you is that you are color blind when it comes to race. One day you asked me if it made Iddy feel bad when people talked about him being adopted. I didn't want you to talk to him about it too much, so I said it didn't bother him but he probably didn't like talking about it a lot. Then you asked if other people even knew that he was adopted. I just smiled and said, "Well, it's not a secret." ;)

Papa wanted to go on your school camping trip with you, and you didn't want him to go at first. I asked you why, and, tearfully, you explained that your dad was different than the other dads. I asked what was different about him, and you said, "All the other dads are American and they speak English!" I couldn't help but chuckle a little at this. I asked about Sofia, and that she probably felt different, too. But you just said that there were several other Italian kids in class, too. Then I said, what about Eliza (she is a Kenyan child being raised by an Italian mother), don't you think she feels different than the other Italians? You said, "No, why would she feel any different?" You know you are different, but skin color still hasn't come onto your radar, yet. I reminded you that you didn't want me in your classroom at first, but then you were okay with it. You said, "That's different because you just told me you were going to do that, you didn't ask me if I wanted you too. Papa is asking me if I want him to go." You are so smart, you already recognize the difference between something that happens to you, and something that is your decision- you carry the weight of that decision. So much for such a young child! You amaze me!

16 October 2018

Abby Jones, baby girl. You are still teeny tiny with little feet and adorable little hands and curved pinky fingers. But you are becoming a big girl at the same time! You have freckles on your nose and a head full of beautiful blond crazy curls. You like for me to braid your hair now, which turns into a tiny braid lost in a sea of curls, but you will hold it up high above your head so that you can see it in the mirror. You like to play with my "toncats," and you will get my contacts case and say, "Are these your toncats?" When you want to do something you will say, "Will you may hold my hand, please?" or "Could you may get me some water?" Last night you prayed a precious prayer at supper where you thanked God for your family and for the food and that school is so fun! You never want to be alone, and you will wait patiently for me to make myself breakfast so that we can sit down and eat together. You would much rather wait and eat with someone than eat first but alone.

You are really good friends with Cooper. The other day he told his mom that he loves you all the way to Pluto! When he cries at school you will tell him, "I'm your friend."

You love to talk on the phone, and you are becoming a pretty good conversationalist. The other day you talked to Oscar. You asked him about his school and he asked you if you wanted to come and go to school with him. You said, "It looks like your school is very hard work, and I don't have a diary." You said this in a perfect Kenyan accent. You asked if his school had a playground. He said if it did he wouldn't be able to play because you wouldn't be there to play with him. You told him Erin's new baby is named Graham, and you rolled the "r."

You like smelling my oils, you accidentally touched your nose to the Christmas one and it burned you so bad! Now you say, "Can I smell your oils but I WON'T TOUCH them?" You eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast. Your school had a field trip to the hospital last week and you were so afraid! You thought you would have to be checked up by the doctor. For some reason, you are really afraid of doctors and hospitals. Erin went on the field trip with Cooper, and she was there with you, too, when you were leaving the school, and that made you more comfortable. Papa was there with you when you were touring the hospital, and you really liked that.

You love chocolate ice-cream and always get it all over your face, but it makes you so happy! You and Papa are so much alike in your personalities. Both of you love to have fun and to laugh and make others laugh. You love people and activity and don't need much sleep. You can go and go and go. I have a more melancholy personality, but you and Papa are like rainbows and sunshine.

24 September 2018

Iddy, you have started your last year at Light Academy Malindi. I wish I could make time slow down. You are studying so hard and doing your best so that you can get a good grade on your final exam this year. Sometimes I help you with French or Chemistry or Math, but mostly you do everything on your own. Just last week you got the award for being number 2 in your class for your grades in year 10. We are so proud of that, especially because Uncle Daniel and Aunt Melanie and their kids and Mimimo and Beepops were all here while you were doing the exams. You play football quite a bit and seem to enjoy that. You play in school and also for a local team. You are also trying to teach yourself to play guitar, and you play basketball with Papa a lot. You pick up Ruth Michael from her class after school because she is still struggling with the transition into year 1, and it helps her to know you are coming to get her. Your school started offering elective tutoring after school for year 11 students, and you decided to go 4 days of the week. I can really see you working hard, and I know it will pay off. Of course, we are very proud of you and your performance at school, but I'm prouder still of the way I see you loving people- you greet everyone you see, no matter who they are or where they come from. You ask people questions that show you genuinely care about them. You are always willing to help me or Papa or your sisters. I see your willingness to serve, like when you picked up trash on the beach or helped Dina with her math homework. You have a strong desire for social justice, and when you talk, it is very clear that you see everyone as equals, with no amount of money or status or position or education making anyone better than anyone else. I love seeing these incredible qualities grow in you!

31 August 2018

Ruth Michael, this is a time of transition for you. My heart is bursting with pride over who you are becoming. I have shed a few tears over the baby that you will never be again, but most of me is just in love with the person that you are right now, and I can't wait to see the beautiful woman you will grow into. You LOVE to be read to, you love to do art, you love to play outside with your friends. You are responsible, and very much able to express how you feel. I'm so thankful that I always know what you are thinking and how you are feeling. You don't keep things from me. Sometimes you will take my hand and say, "come draw with me, mama."

One day recently we were talking about bad dreams. You said that when you have a bad dream you pretend there is a library in your head and the librarian is a mouse. You tell the mouse, "Can you give me another story? I want a nice story."

You had a swim meet on 30 June. You got one silver and one bronze medal. I was so proud of you for competing and doing your best. You are an excellent swimmer! And you were so proud of your medals, I didn't think you would ever take them off:)

You call cupcakes "pupcakes".

You can say the whole Lord's Prayer and 23rd Psalm. We were laying in bed after reading I love You Forever and you asked if I would be the grandmother of your children. I said, "Yes." You said you thought I would make a good grandma. Then you told me I was a really good mom. That made me cry! AJ was getting sad about me getting old because of the I Love You Forever book, and you said, "That's just the way it goes. We all get old one day, and that's just the way God made us, and it's okay." You are so intelligent!

9 August- You lost your second top, front tooth! You were wrestling with Israel. He knocked it loose. Then Papa pulled it out. You look adorable with your front teeth missing.

You are kind-hearted, conscientious, and detailed. This morning when you were waking up, you put your hand over on Abby Jones' stomach and she put hers on top of yours. You and your sister are very close. You like things done the right way, and everything in it's place. When you come home from school, you tell me exactly how things should be (white socks up to the knee, books not covered, name on the front page of the books, two different snacks, swimming clothes in a separate bag, etc.) When your teacher tells you to do something a certain way, she can be 100% sure that you will do it. And this morning, you led your whole class in a song in front of the whole school assembly! I was so proud.

You turned 6 years old on 23 August this year. We were in Nairobi and took you to Java house for breakfast. Then we rode back to Mombasa on the train that day. We had a birthday party for you on the 25th. We had Dina, Naomi, Nora, JJ, Amber, Cooper, Erin, Keith, Katja, Sven, Maila, 3 little girls that were staying downstairs at the time, Perla, Mama Perla, Joyce, Elizabeth, Suleiman, Walid, and Ahmed. It was A LOT of people (and I think it was too much for you). You kept fretting over what we would do next, when we would eat the candy, how long we should wait for your friends, etc. I finally told you that I was in charge and I would figure all those things out and you should just go have fun. After we did the beads and ate hotdogs and samosas and sang happy birthday and had cake, you seemed to finally relax. Some of your friends left and some stuck around for swimming. Overall we had a great time, and I think you felt celebrated. Me and Papa got you an easel that we had made locally with some new art supplies. Maila gave you a book where you design shirts, and you have loved that. You use it with your easel and new art supplies. She also gave you a couple of new dresses and a new shirt and skirt and a new purse. Perla gave you a new purse. Elizabeth gave you and AJ Dora/Sofia the First t-shirts. Nora gave you a new skirt and top. Cooper gave you a new coloring book, exercise book, play dough, and beaded purse.

Just a few days later, on the 28th, you had your first day of school... first grade! You didn't cry or get upset, even though we couldn't get you the right skirt for your uniform on the first day. You wanted me and Papa to walk you to class so we did and you went right in and sat next to Perla. Your new teacher, Mrs. Angeline, is so sweet and very attentive to you. Your class is big, about 20 students, and they are almost all boys! But you are doing fine and getting used to being a big girl. You seem to feel a little anxious about school, but Papa and I talk to you about it a lot, and we are keeping a close eye on things... making sure you are okay!

30 August 2018

AJ buda buda buda buda buda bo! We all love you so! You started KG 1 on Tuesday this week. I thought you might cry and cling to me but you didn't. You were a little hesitant because you were the first one to arrive, but then another little girl showed up and you were okay. You take your jammies to class and take a nap every day. You are full of fun and laughter, and still love to pull down your pants and your panties and stick your naked bootie out at me and giggle. You talk with a lot of expression, and you also talk a lot. You ask questions about everything you see and offer constant commentary for everything that we do. Whatever makes people laugh, you will do over and over again. When Papa is singing to you at night sometimes, you end every line of the song with the word "face" and then you laugh and laugh.

You are definitely in the "potty" stage. You call a boy's private part a "bullet". Where on earth did you get that from? One time Iddy sneezed so loudly (as he usually does) and after you said, "Iddy, was that your bless?"

A few weeks ago I was looking for you and I found you downstairs playing with Nora. She was reading a story to you, so I just waved and closed the door and walked away. As I was walking away you ran up to me, gave me a hug and went back. A few days ago you were playing in Dina and Naomi's house. I saw you from a distance, waved at you, and headed up the stairs to Keith and Erin's house. You came running out to get me and gave me a big hug and a kiss. I told you where I was going and you said you wanted to go back to Dina and Naomi's house. After turning around and walking away, you came back and said, "Wait! I want to give you one more hug!" So we hugged and kissed again and you went on your way.

You LOVE your red Minnie Mouse dress, and would wear it every day, if I would let you. You had a lot of fun at Kikal's birthday party, but you DO NOT want your own birthday and you have told me that many times. You don't like it when everyone sings happy birthday and looks at you. One time Kikal was trying to tell you that birthday's are fun and she finally said, "Well, you will get lots of presents." And you said, "Yeah, that'll help, I guess." Ha! You really want to do ballet in Mombasa again and ask me about it often.

I love you, my little sweet pea!

29 August 2018

Iddy, yesterday you started the first day of Year 11 at school. I can't believe we only have one year left with you at home. I told Papa today that I feel like our time with you is ending before it began... it's too soon! I'm going to try to soak up every moment of our time with you this year. You have been so sweet to me lately. You are always sweet, but I feel like you have been making a special effort. You always ask me how I have been, what I have been doing, how was my day. When I took on my first writing project you asked me about it a lot. On the holiday you would always go with me to the store, even though I know you hate grocery shopping, and you would help me with the girls and carry the groceries and just be with me. It meant so much to me! Now that school has started, we have started our nightly reading again. I really love this time that we can have together. A few weeks ago you and I went to get ice-cream together at shakes and cakes. I love having time just the two of us, although it doesn't happen often enough. You seem happier at school this year, like you are becoming more comfortable in you own skin. You are very aware of the feelings of others (like Suheilly and Israel), and don't like for anyone to feel left out our hurt. You are still figuring out who you are, but you are more sure of yourself now and very thoughtful of others.

Here is a memory you shared with us not too long ago: You used to live in row houses, and there were manholes on your street with no covers on them. Once you heard that a goat fell in one of the manholes and died. It made you so afraid that you always walked very far from them. Also, you had a finger infection once and someone told you to soak it in battery acid so you did.

4 August- Yesterday was your birthday...16! You got an Xbox 1S. You seemed really excited about it. You had friends over for burgers and cake and to play Xbox. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Then you all went outside to swim. You had Israel, Ismael, Fabish, Burhanudin, Suheilly, and Musa. You also did beach clean-up in the morning with Burhanudin. You had to be there at 7:20. There were no adults there, it was completely done by teenage boys. I was so impressed!

You have been involved in a soccer tournament this past holiday. You got injured early on (jammed your toe very badly) and didn't get to play as much, but when you played you did really well, and your teammates all loved you. You noticed if someone on the team was feeling down and needed encouragement.