Wanted : Sleep

Zakaria is about 6 weeks now and has been keeping me from sleeping too much.

I don’t have much to write about as I have been struggling to keep Zakaria happy which at times hasn’t been easy. He has been spoilt these last few weeks as his tummy was aching and we couldn’t stand him crying.

That’s getting better. I have started to “unspoil” him which is very hard because he has learnt how to cry to get a lot of attention, especially from his Dad who thinks that when he makes the weakest of cries he is hungry or in pain. The training is very successful when Dad is not home.

Zakaria’s grandmother (my mother) has come over for a few weeks, another “spoiler”, but she understands babies better and is able to make the difference between crying for attention and crying out of hunger or pain.

When Zakaria is in a crying mood, it is not possible to visit family. The locals interpret a crying baby as a hungry baby. Even when I tell them he just had his bottle, they insist he is hungry. I understand why the babies are so big here. They get food every time they cry and in-between.

My baby who was a tiny thin baby at birth has grown a lot. He has put on weight, but still the locals find him too thin. I don’t and European campers coming by don’t, so let’s say he is thin compared to the local babies.

He is fine. His big feet and hands indicate he will grow a lot more. He pushes himself around using his strong legs and is already able to raise his head by himself. Soon I will have to keep an eye on him all the time and take everything off the floor, as he is showing signs of wanting to crawl around.

Being active when he is awake is what he needs, I believe. It will keep him busy and make him tired and sleepy.

The hottest is over

We have not been well the last few days, Zakaria and I. These 3 weeks have been too much for us. We are getting better again. It is a matter of getting stronger, so eat and rest a lot.

Zakaria needs to put on some weight. He is still very thin. Since a few days, he is getting extra food/powder milk in a bottle. He drinks it very fast and then wants to be breastfed. It saves me time, but he is still a demanding baby, ad he finds it difficult to sleep after being fed which is probably due to the fact that his stomach is getting a bigger quantity of food. I hope to see the difference in a week’s time. Then we will assess whether we made the right choice.

Luckily, it has got less hot (still very hot for Europeans). Dutch campers told me summer is so bad in Europe that people have been putting on the heating. That’s something we don’t need for another 3 months.

Ramadan has started on the 1st of September which makes it very quiet in the village in the afternoon. The first week is the hardest one. After that, most people seem to get accustomed to the change in drinking and eating pattern and get back to their normal way of living.

I am trying not to neglect the garden too much. Until now I’ve succeeded. There is some cleaning up to do. Some weeds that are picking and indestructible have been let to grow. I usually cut them down each month. It is not so bad, though. Under normal circumstances, a few days work, not more.

The chickens have not been fed regularly. Even though they have been having food and water regularly, they do feel neglected and don’t provide eggs. Last week I got out into the garden late in the afternoon and all the chicken and 1 of the tortoises were waiting for me at the back door, hoping to get something to eat.

There are 2 tortoises living in the garden. 1 is still tiny, not more than a few years old. Each morning, they both travel from the back of the garden to the front and return at night. The bigger one likes to be with the chickens and does not like to be picked up. When I do pick it up, it immediately withdraws its paws and head into its shell and makes a hissing sound. Sometimes I am obliged to pick it up. Like last week when I found it on its back in front of the camping showers.

The latest addition to the garden is a hedgehog we “saved” from the street. I can hear it sometimes.

And those are the visible ones. There are so many hiding, as soon as they hear or feel someone coming ;-)