Picnic on the Scabies Carpet

As I type this, sleeping Mtoto rests in sleeping Jeff's arms in the chair next to me. Apparently they both needed an afternoon nap. Jeff's flights were uneventful, the way flights should be, and he had an easy go through the airport and very little traffic coming to our guesthouse, so he arrived mid-afternoon yesterday. Unfortunately, he arrived so early that Mtoto was still sleeping, so their first meeting was delayed a bit. Mtoto was a bit unsure what to make of Jeff, who he has seen and heard many times over the last few weeks via a fuzzy skype connection. He had his confused eyebrows (he has very expressive eyebrows...oh I am dying to post pictures) for the first few minutes, but soon relaxed and let Jeff hold him for most of a nice long walk inside the guesthouse compound. He still prefers his mom…since I am more familiar now, but I am hoping and praying that he will adjust well to being with his dad.

Mtoto is teething, judging from the copious amounts of drool spilling forth from his mouth, and thus he is a bit fussy and uncomfortable. Jeff brought some teething rings, and he has enjoyed having those to gnaw on, but it still seems uncomfortable. I don't know which teeth will be next. He currently has two half teeth on the bottom (which were just little nubs when we first met- he's growing up so fast), so maybe these will be the matching pair on the top?

And, now it's later. My bags are packed and waiting for me to weigh them on the awesome 1950s doctor's office scale here at the guesthouse. We are only forty minutes from losing power/internet because we are on generator power right now- so it looks like my last night in Africa will be an early one. It's been a nice evening. We ordered takeout and had a picnic on the scabies carpet, which we believe is now scabies-free. I was thankful to skip the guesthouse fare- Wednesday night's menu item is not the worst, but it isn't really the food I want to remember my son's country by. It was fun to have something different than the usual, and it was more celebratory.

I'll be signing out for a few days, I'll see if I can persuade Jeff to update you all in my internet absence. Please pray that I will have make it through the airport in one piece and have uneventful flights home. Pray for Mtoto as he adjusts to yet another new caregiver, and for Jeff as he begins this new parenting adventure. I am so looking forward to seeing Tommy, and I really want to make it home when I promised I would be home.