Sunday, 17 January 2016

Sophia's first Christmas

We had a quiet Christmas, with Hazel (Sophia's Godmother) and her partner Roshan joining the three of us for Christmas dinner. After visiting 4 supermarkets and a local market, I was able to find a chicken, pigs in blankets and most of the traditional British vegetables for Christmas dinner. You will see from the photo that we had a rare opportunity to use candles for aesthetics, not necessity!

Thanks to lovely family and friends from home, we were able to make a festive table with crackers and chocolate coins:

We ate slightly later than planned as the  buttons on my oven do not display the temperature any more so I had to guess, and in true Barnecutt fashion, was worried that the bird wasn't cooked. So, an hour late, and we sat down for dinner. As soon as we did, another couple turned up a - good job I over cater! No chicken left for the next day but everyone was able to eat their fill and especially enjoyed the Baileys desserts (which caused the 4 supermarket stops in preparation). 

Sophia had very few gifts, which we hope will continue to be the case as we don't want her to be overwhelmed with toys and 'stuff'. And the irony is that, despite this, she still enjoyed playing with the empty wine box best of all! Kids will be kids!

Holidaying with a baby

We headed to Gisenyi on Lake Kivu for a few days during the Christmas holiday. Having been there a number of times before (and blogged about it previously), I was looking forward to some nice sunshine and relaxation by the lake. Little did I know that holidaying with a mobile baby is far from a relaxing experience, especially when the tourism industry here provides next to nothing for babies...no baby bed, highchairs, food options etc etc.

We did have a lovely time but I was somewhat relieved to return to the comforts of Sophia's cot, her safe play area and all her toys in our house.

Highlights of the trip included Sophia and Collin trying kayaking for the first time in their lives (Sophia stuck to dry land), enjoying delicious fish from the lake and sharing a bottle of bubbly with friends to celebrate Collin's belated birthday. Sophia was very entertained by the champagne glasses and enjoyed joining in with one (full of water!).