Days 3 & 4 of 'Nathaniel's Blog' - by Judy Norman

​Day 3

Today was okay.  

Zeke and I went to Nelvus' house this morning.  I wished I was at my house to play with blocks.  Nelvus tried to make me happy so she let me watch Alvin and the Chipmunks on her lap top.  But best of all she took me to Cynthia's for fufu and jama jama.  I was so full I fell asleep on the way back to Baba and Iya's.  

Zeke moved next door this afternoon.  Mrs. Yvonne says she is going to miss him.   Zeke and I played in the yard while the grown-ups visited on the porch.  Some boys next door came over and played a bit.  A big boy kicked my green ball on the roof of the duplex and it didn't come down. I was not happy.  Iya said we would go look in the market tomorrow to see if we could find a ball.  One of the boys was eating leftover mown grass, so I tried it.  Iya told me to spit it out.  Then I tried some leaves.  Iya said not to eat the leaves.  Then I just put the leaves over my mouth.  Iya made me come to the porch for time out.   I'm thinking I'll sit awhile and not go back in the yard for now.  Seems to be a lot of trouble out there this afternoon.

Iya says I'm a good helper.  I have put forks on the table every meal of this vacation.  And I'm a good picker upper, too.  All my toys are in the basket before I go to bed.  Baba let me help him take the trash out.  I carried the empty trash basket all the way back to the house on my head.   

Iya gave me a soup pot to play with.  I packed all my clothes in the pot and told her it was a cake.  She liked my clothes cake!  

Tonight Dr. Emily and Amy came for pizza.  I wasn't really hungry.  I don't think I like pizza.  Or maybe fufu lasts a long time.  

Today was okay.  I think I'm missing my mommy and daddy a little. 

Day 4

​I sleep good in my big vacation bed.  But early this morning my stomach was not feeling good.  Good thing I had a diaper on.  Iya says I probably ate too much jama jama.  I ate a good breakfast this morning of eggs and toast.  Baba likes to see a boy eat good.  You can see my special chair at their house in the attached photo. 

I do pretty good with the potty but sometimes things get wet.  Iya and I took my dirty things to wash at my house.  Then we went to market to buy a ball.  I picked another green one.  Some ladies at the market asked for my ball but I hid it behind my back and said "no".  I'm not risking my new ball!  We went by the swing set for a minute and watched some guys build wire frames before we went to get the clean clothes.

Miss Debbie and Zeke took me on a field trip.  We went to the see the construction workers at the hospital.  We saw cement workers, people who hammered, and guys with yellow hard hats.  Iya made potato chips while we were gone.  I ate a whole plate full for lunch.  My plate was little though.

There was a really bad thunder storm  this afternoon but I was so tired from all my walking, I slept right through it.

Today I read a Fulfulde book about Jesus to Iya.  She said I did a good job.  It even sounded like another language.  Baba and I went to the hospital tonight to get his Jesus film and DVD that he let some Fulani people watch.  The people said the Fulfulde was very "sweet".  Why did they say that?  

Baba and I have played with my new green ball.  It works really good.  I can bounce and catch it.  If it rolls under the couches, I have to get a stick to get it out.  It's kind of scary under the couch - spider webs and all. 

Tonight, I finally reached my goal. I have sung the ABC song 1000 times in 3 days.  Baba sings it sometimes but he messes up the ending.  He says, "Now I've said my ABC's, won't my mommy be so proud of me."  Everybody knows it's, Now I've said my ABC's, won't, won't, won't you sing them again with me."  Tonight Baba asked me if I know any other songs.  Wonder why he said that?