Some South African Adventures

We have been in South Africa for over a week now. I honestly can't believe that time has gone so quickly. Just like that there are four of us. Our court date was on Thursday and things went really smoothly...so this sweet girl is really truly and Ehmann now. The next four weeks we will just be processing her citizenship documents and passport for our return home. Please pray that this goes smoothly. There has been some new changes to immigration law this month that might cause a few hiccups. We are praying they don't though. 

Our little girl is finally getting over her cold....her momma and big brother have a bit of one but seem to be trooping through it. Dad has dodged the bullet....for now. She is definately coming out of her shell. Lots of giggling and smiling, chasing her big brother around, and singing.....she loves to sing just like our J. It took until Saturday but she finally let Tim hold her...and feed her a bottle. She goes to him now no problem and for the first time he was able to change her this morning.  He was pretty excited. So was mom....takes a bit of the pressure off now and allows some Mommy and J time....which was much needed.

Tim's first chance to feed our little girl.

With the relief of court finished and our sweet girl with us forever, we have had the opportunity for a few adventures. Tim braved it and we have rented a car. He has done a great job of navigating on the other side of the road, dodging pedestrians crossing at random on the highway and driving alongside people with no particular standard of driving. There was a brief moment of concern today when the GPS failed to find the address to our B and B on the way home from the beach....but we managed to figure it out.

The rental car has proven to also be a great source of play. This "driver" is getting ticketed for driving too slow today.

Our little A has come with giggles, some particular food preferences, a beautiful smile and a gorgeous head of hair.....LOTS OF IT! Navigating the ways of her curly mop has been a bit of a challenge. One of the workers at the B and B has been incredibly helpful, providing us with the right comb and multiple suggestions on how to quickly and painlessly detangle in the morning bath. So after many tears and half a bottle of conditioner (in four baths) we now have a system. This morning went considerably smoother and I was able to get two braids in to keep the tangles down for the day.

This picture is entirely deceiving...looks as if this is the best part of her day....don't let it fool you!

Little lady with her locks all combed out.

J has been such a trooper through the last week and a bit. He has had his challenges adjusting to a new sibling, being away from home, and being stuck on the property for a few days. We really are quite proud of how he has done on the whole though. The first few "outings" we have had have been to malls. We have had what has seemed like a constant supply of things to pick up (hair products, passport pictures, groceries, a few items of clothing for Miss A). Even Tim admitted that going to the mall was a joy after being "stuck" on the property for almost a week.....to a preschooler the mall is not a joy.....but he has taken it in stride. While it seems like South Africans love their Nescafe.....we have welcomed a trip to a coffee shop for some real brew. The last one we visited gave both our kids "babyccino's" (i.e. steamed milk)....J thought this was great. Thankfully for the whole Ehmann clan (all of whom do not really like shopping) we have ventured beyond the realm of shopping and visited a local park and zoo (Mitchel Park) and headed to the beach today. It was a beautiful winter day (about 26 degrees celcius)....we saw everything from speedos to wool trench coats (it is winter after all :-)

J and two babyccino's ....Miss A shared hers :-)

No wool coats for this family. Tim and J riding on the water slide at the paddling pools by the beach.

 

 

 Daily life continues to be a hybrid of our normal routine and what has become normal during our stay in South Africa. Getting used to a toddler again has been wonderful but has kept us on our toes. Our little lady is not yet walking independently but she can move fast. J has proved to be helpful in keeping tabs on her in our "cottage". We are served breakfast daily in style and our laundry is done and folded whenever we request it. I might have a hard time coming home.

Miss A is coming out of her shell....and getting into everything!

 

 

I like to pinch his cheeks too....but I am his Momma :-)

I must admit it is taking some getting used to to adjust to some of the cultural aspects in South Africa. The one that has caused the most distress is the more "hands on" approach when it comes to children. J gets pinched on the cheeks on a daily basis (which he hates!) and has even been picked up by a stranger....who was trying to help but sent our preschooler into hysterics! It is hard to explain that they are just being friendly.

 All in all we are adjusting well. Sleeping lots (we often hit the hay shortly after the kids), and starting to explore the world around us. We are loving those sweet moments of bonding as a family and working hard at navigating those more challenging moments of adjustment. We are thankful for this time and the two beautiful children God has blessed us with.

J reading his little sis a bedtime story....it's the one we made for her. He has it memorized :-)