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Motherhood Notes from a Kenyan Mom in the Diaspora: Lema is Now Crawling!

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Kenyan raised mom Nabubwaya Chambers told us about her pregnancy and birth experience, and more recently, about weaning him. Today, she lets us know how her son’s mobility is coming along. Nabubwaya lives in Texas with her husband and her nine month-old son Lema.

“August was a wonderful month for my family. Lema finally turned 9 months. He is cruising and crawling at neck breaking speed. This speed has dramatically increased to the point of me having to run after him after he sneaks past my watchful eye. This is usually my regular work out session. No need for the gym.

Lema is Crawling!

I have noticed that Lema has adapted two different crawling styles, which he professionally unleashes every time he is on the move. When he is playing and crawling on the carpeted area of our home, he crawls on all fours. On the other hand, when he moves to the hard floor, which I am sure is colder than the carpet, he raises his left knee and adapts the leapfrog crawl.

This one is a new one to us. We asked each other, “is this a new developmental phase?” Baba Lema and I have never seen any baby crawl like this before. We all have an idea of what a curious mama does on a daily basis. She googles and bings away at every new revelation. I googled for hours to ensure I had access to all the latest research findings of the leapfrog crawl. I didn’t know it was called the leapfrog crawl until I read my findings.

Separation Anxiety

We have also noted that separation and stranger anxiety that are common at this age have clearly been redefined. They have been taken to a whole new level. Lema is very attached to us so when our friends come over to visit, he clings onto both of us and seems a bit apprehensive. It takes a few tries of persuasion speech for him to warm up to our friends and allow them to carry or play with him. Amidst all these newfound milestones, Lema has made good friends and is certainly aware of his environment. He is very observant and seems to soak in every moment of the day that passes by. His favorite word of the day is Mama. We have been trying to get him to say Baba but he persistently repeats Mama. How about we just let him develop at this own pace?

I celebrated my birthday in August too; the very first one as a mother. Since one of the things that has been very elusive since I became a mom is sleep, my two boys  ensured I got extended hours of sleep during my birthday week, which was so wonderful and I enjoyed the surprises that filled that warm, lovely week.

Returning to School

I will soon be resuming my studies again, which will be my first time in school as Mama Lema. I am undertaking studies in Public Health, and I know that I am in for a life-changing process for sure. While the rest of the world sleeps at night, I will be busy juggling everything else like study time, part time work, and research. My days will definitely be spent with Lema and I know I will take his nap times very seriously. The proverbial nap and all the advices I was given by anyone who has gone before me will be faithfully applied.  I will nap when he naps. Even Dr. Oz’s 10 minute power naps will be observed. No jokes!

As we approach a new season, we anticipate God to guide us and see us through it. We are taking it a step at a time. I don’t think there is a manual outlining clear steps of how to raise your baby day by day. Nine months into parenting has allowed us the chance to fully realize that there is grace enough for everything we need. Cheers to all the hard work and persistence that parents employ globally.”

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Maryanne W. Waweru is a Kenyan mum raising her two sons in Nairobi. A journalist, Maryanne is passionate about telling stories and hopes that through her writing, her readers learn something new, feel encouraged, inspired, and appreciative of what they have in their lives. Maryanne's writing focuses on motherhood, women and lifestyle. "Telling stories is the only thing I know how to do," she says.

1 COMMENT

  1. Mothers learn very quickly to be a joyful giver! Being a parent is a twenty-four hour mission gifted to us by God. He selected YOU to be your childrenÆs mother, so that means we have all the grace we need to make the right decisions for and with them. Have confidence! Do you remember the Gospel passage with the woman and the alabaster jar full of perfume (Luke 7:36-38)? The woman breaks the alabaster jar full of oil and bathes Jesus in it- all while the apostles were grumbling! She breaks the jar so she can get every last drop. You can see the perfume as her love. She is the only one making a personal connection with Christ. At that moment it didnÆt matter what everyone else around her said to her or was thinking about her. As women they are like that with their children. The next time you feel like you canÆt persevere go back and read that passage.

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