Home again!

We are home again in Tanzania!  It's good to be back in our own house and although we're not quite in a regular routine yet, we're getting there.  Zarya seems very happy here and has adjusted well to her new life.  We are just now starting the hottest time of year here, and it does indeed feel pretty warm to us.  I had forgotten what it's like to be kind of sticky all day.  I am frustrated that the hot weather makes me not want to cuddle with (or feed, for that matter!) Zarya, since we end up with a layer of sweat between us.  Of course I still give her food and attention, but it's not as much fun as it was in a cold climate where we'd snuggle together to stay warm and cozy.

We're all over jet lag, which was an interesting experience with a baby.  It took a little longer than usual to get our bodies to adjust to a new time zone this time around, since we couldn't just sleep as we were able during the night if she wasn't asleep, too.  But after a week we were all well-adjusted and Zarya started sleeping through the night simultaneously, so we're pretty happy.  It's hard to complain when you have a wee one sleeping eight hours at a stretch at night!

Some things are a bit of a surprise all over again after being away for six months.  I'd forgotten just how dirty everything here gets.  I have to clean all the dust off my computer a couple times a day, and the chairs on our back porch are continually covered in dust.  Wiping off the dining room table is once again a daily job or else we get brown streaks where our arms rest on it while eating.

All in all, we're happy to be home again, despite the little annoyances that take some adjustment.  Our highlights thus far have been the fruit and friends.  We like our bowlfuls of tropical fruit and seeing folks we have missed during the past six months.

I'll leave you with a picture of happy Zarya on her playmat and one of me and her on our first morning back.