I have to GO!!!

Hubby, baby and I went for a drive this past weekend. It was beautiful seeing all the development on the roads (Thika Road, to be precise) it's actually a little scary driving and having to keep up the speeds. I don't know how i'll manage when i go back to school in May.
So, anyway, we drove past USIU, Kenyatta University, JKUAT in Juja, went into Thika town for a quick look see, as we left Thika town, we saw many beautiful yummy pineapples by the roadside, all i could do was wish we could stop to buy but we didnt! Hubby promised we would on our way back though:) We drove for a bit and had to stop at the Kenol-Kobil at Makuyu because Fifi suddenly didn't want to sit in her car seat anymore. I jumped in the back with her to keep her company and also feed her.
We drove past the Murang'a turn and headed towards Makutano, i was amazed by all the fresh vegetables available, and the prices were good too!
As we got into Makutano, mama had to pee. Where to go was the big question? Hubby promised to take me to a hotel where he had lunch one time when working in the area. Trusting him with my life i said, i could hold till we got there! He drove into a little roadside "motel". I dont want to sound judgemental but sleazy would be an understatement. However, I didn't say anything as I was pointed into the direction of the toilets which were in an open area/ parking lot:) Grabbing my wipes, i headed towards the toilet and stench overcame me, but i soldiered on! I got to the toilets, opened the door and saw that it was a pit latrine....and it was full to the brim. I turned and hobbled back to the car. I couldn't GO!
It could have been a number of things that put me off; maybe it was the stench, or the human faeces that were starring back at me, or maybe it was the fact that when you have a prosthesis, squatting is next to impossible. I don't know. All i know it made me think about the difficulties that disabled women and girls have to go through in Kenya.
Going to the toilet is the next easiest thing for an able-bodied person (unless they are constipated, of course!) but when you have a disability, you have a lot to think about.
The limitations are countless. Today, for me it was the pit latrine, last week was the number of steep stairs i had to climb to get to the toilets, last month it was the slippery floor ( i have fallen before in a supermarket, so i am very wary of slippery floors!)
Interesting to point out that some of these things have quick-fix solutions, while others need to incorporated in building laws/policies. Either way, these are not impossible-to-implement solutions and do not need extra finances etc. more like common sense and consideration.
Back to my needing to go, we drove on and i went in a bush against our car. All in all, the drive was a welcome break and we got some pretty decent bounty from all the sellers by the roadside and not to mention local rice from Mwea.
My only regret was not taking pics...aaahh well, there's always next time!

Lets Talk About S.E.X

Talking about contraceptives with other moms at playgroup yesterday got me thinking. First of all, i didn't know about the various options out there. There's the pill, mini pill, a 3 month injection, spermicides(that i didn't know you have to use with condoms), a vaginal ring(not a diaphragm) which acts like the pill apparently, condoms, and finally, the stick thing that is inserted in your arm....its a bit much but all good info!
This was an important discussion for me as we try and plan our family but it may not be everyone's reality especially if you're disabled.
Society has this warped notion that the disabled don't have SEX, why you ask? I don't know! More so women than men, maybe it's easier to assume we don't have any sexual desires than to have to include us in the general majority.
Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be a blame game, i just wanted to reiterate how important social inclusion is, and how targeting disabled women and girls in order to better educate them on sexual matters and their sexual health may not necessarily involve any major changes or big budget adjustments.
We are no different from you; we feel, we hurt, we love:)

Dont Judge Me

So I take my little girl for playgroup every week, where she gets to play with other babies and i get to socialize with other mums. Sounds good, right? In theory its a dream but this is my reality.

What will i wear?

Anything that wont attract too much attention would be perfect! a sack, perhaps? 

LOL. I'm still a woman and i want to look good. I want to be able to keep up with fashion trends...BUT I unlike the majority I have to consider my prosthetic leg. Its been with me for 13 years, its a part of who i am:)

Anyway, my prosthesis limits my dressing so that i cant wear skinny jeans, short skirts, shorts, leggings...the list continues! Thankfully, i am quite the creator and i have come up with pretty designs to not only disguise my flaws but also keep me looking good.

This is a skirt i made from an old pair of jeans:)

OMG, I AM DIS-ABLED!!!!

Having been born "normal", its a hard transition when your life suddenly changes and you find yourself incapacitated as a result of someone's recklessness. Thanks to the awesome support around me, my family in general and my mother in particular i rose above my "situation" and here i am.
1999 July 28th, wow, 13 years and i can only now finally refer to myself as disabled. I guess being a wife and mother has a lot to do with that.
Its strange though, i look at myself in the mirror and marvel at how much God must love me, i have been so blessed. I may have lost my leg but He gave me so much more. And i THANK HIM!
Thank you to my wonderful hubby and daughter for accepting me with all my flaws, and loving my incapabilities, and surrounding me with so much happiness.