Sve za Beba~All for Baby Traditions in Serbia 1

When I came to Serbia so many years ago,  I was in awe of the different traditions. Having wet hair and going out in any weather is inviting death as well as opening two windows at once that will bring the dreaded draft or promaja.

Enter the Bumbo Seat (Used worldwide…. but probably not in the Balkans) An infant seat that looks like it should be used in Bars from drunks who tend to fall off their stools.    But then, babies are like little drunks. Think about it!  They pee themselves, spill their drinks, vomit without warning, and there is no reasoning with them.

Photo Credit http://www.babyguygearguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/bumbo.jpg

A month or so after my entrance to the Balkans I was taken by surprise. Visiting a friend who is a nurse in Serbia she fretted a bit when I sat her infant on my lap. She told me, Babies must not sit up or their hips can be damaged. I was so shocked. I had never heard this before. Not to mention, I had lots of experience in caring for infants from birth and none of them had ever had hip problems.

I questioned myself for a while wondering if I had lost my marbles and maybe this was a thing in the west and I was just unaware. But no, that wasn’t the case.  And in fact, they have seats called Bumbo made specifically for babies to sit in. !!! For real! Here is proof!

Photo Credit http://www.mommybrown.com/public/album_photo/a3/5b/5b48_34bd.jpg?c=3d1a

The hip problem is such a worry that mothers put a clothe wrap around the diaper that serves as a little brace to keep the babies hips secure.  That is worn til they are 6 months old.

NEW INFO!!! added 3/10/15 a day after the initial posting.

Here is the reason for the care of Serbian baby hips, and it is all in regional genetics. I had pondered this so many times.Finally answer that makes sense!

A kind reader was generous to share this info with me!

Former Yugoslavia had the second highest incidence of dysplasia of the hip in the world. It’s most probably genetic. Almost 10% of all babies in the 1970’s had hip dysplasia, mostly girls, so people are quite freaked out about it. It was not until the mandatory sonograms were introduced that this number was reduced.

Here is an online bit of research I found after having that helpful comment.

http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0370-8179/2009/0370-81790908402S.pdf

That was probably my first shock concerning what is thought  to keep babies healthy here in Serbia. The next one came along not too long after.

I will write about that one soon!

Advertisement

That’s What’s Up

I had an unintentional week off from blogging. Since it is cherry season, and the harvest is in about a month we will be busy with that and all the other village work. There will probably be other lapses in writing.

The village has had us most of the last week. Weeding, pruning, planting, and even avoiding snakes! Just a little one, he was less than 3 feet long.

Just a little constrictor

He was sunning himself on the road when the little munchkin and I were returning from the Greats. (The Great Grandparents.) Fortunately, the neighbor lady I was walking home with saw him. I was busy driving a new kiddie contraption that needs a little adjustment. The steering was a little off…. but we avoided the slithering sunbather by a few feet. He or she was so happy to feel the heat, the stones I threw to shew it away were not headed. not a few minutes later, the hubby came alone in the tractor and a stick at his back side made him move reluctantly on to the side of the road.

In my blogging absence I have come across lot of things to share, most of which I cannot recall. But one that does stick out is the load pop I heard yesterday. I was in the apt with Mama and the baby. The loudest bang you can imagine out of now where startled me. Now, normally I am not unnerved by such things. But, since our first trip to Serbia 5 years ago, when a bomb went off in our building at 6AM, I am now a little weary of loud bangs and pops!

Mama said it was a car tire popping because of the heat. Another new thing to learn about in Serbia. Apparently, it is not uncommon for tires on old cars to pop on hot days. Interesting…

We have had a few summer type thunder showers in the past week. The lightening show was fierce on the the earliest. and the sun cam out while it was raining on both. There is a saying here when the sun shines during a rain storm here in Serbia, they say bears are getting married. 🙂  Cute, huh?

On our day in town of “rest” we had coffee with a friend on his rooftop!  The view from the top of the bank at sunset was stunning!

I love sunsets!

Plants and so many chimneys covered the roof for the myriad of wood stoves that heat so many rooms.

This was the coolest chimney I saw.

 

The little monster ran around the roof with joy at finding a new place to explore. Avoiding the many hands of friends, she laughed, giggled and fell a few times too. Eventually all the running and laughing turned to fussing and we had to get back home to put the munchkin down for the night. I love how excited she gets when she is tired and she sees the bed. It is just how I feel sometimes.

Our slava, Sveti Nikola

Today is our families Slava. I am not looking forward to it. It is a fasting slava with fish and beans. I hate the fish, and the beans are made with no oil. so they stop up the plumbing. I am going now to eat some non-fasting food so my body doesn’t lead a revolt later that will put me in agony!

The early morning tradition for the day of slava.

Wish me luck!

I will post about the slava  when I can.

Dobar Dan!

Srecan Bozic or Merry Christmas 365-8

Today is Serbian Orthodox Christmas. If you are Greek or Russian or any other Orthodox Christian, today Christmas! Best wishes to you all!!

This is a popular picture circulating around my Serbian community on Facebook, wishing all a marvelous holiday.

Virtual Serbian Christmas Card

Here people are greeted with  the saying Christ is born or Hristos se rodi (Cyrillic spelling Христос се роди).

Phones were buzzing all morning with friends and family calling each other exclaiming Hristos Se Rodi!

The car seat view on the way to Grandma’s

Today was a family day. The way Christmas should be. Mama and Papa played with the baby. The munchkin learned how to pet the kitty. carefully.

Loving on Tomo

Auntie and Papa vied for the little one’s attentions while we all waited for the yummy food to finish cooking. It was worth the wait, I assure you.

Deda and Tetka with our little wiggle worm.

Deda was in hog heaven as the Milster played happily in his lap. It didn’t last long enough, she always wants the mommy so soon! I did get quite a nice break today. Longer than normal, so I got to help in the kitchen. I even had enough time to make the cabbage salad and later I washed the dishes, a welcome break from the little love.

There is always salad to start, fresh bread, and gibanica. YUM!

We had many of the same salads from yesterday with the addition of the cabbage. There was soup, then Rimfleish. This is a German dish normally served with beef, but our family eats it with Chicken primarily.  Boiled carrots and potatoes accompany this dish. As always it was served with gibanica, a filo dough with egg and cheese pastry. Super yummy. I love making it!

Rimfleish made from the bad rooster (One of my stock fotos) forgot to take a pic today

Next there was smoked meats from the turkey and pig we just killed. Plus meatballs. After all that there was the turkey. But, I didn’t have any room left, believe it or not. 😉

Half the Turkey is still a huge!

The special bread was cut after yesterday’s pick and pull tradition. Almost none is left. Most families put a coin in the bread for a lucky person to find. I can imagine as a child that would be thrilling! Who am I kidding, I would be tickled to death now to get a coin in my bread.

Mama out did herself again. We were all stuffed to bits at the end of dinner. I didn’t even have room for the sour cherry desert. I will have some later… I brought it home with me!

As usual, we all had some coffee. Serbian style. so it was Turkish. 🙂

Turkish coffee on a tray. That’s just how we roll.

After dinner it was back to relaxing with the family. What and excellent day!

*Regretfully, only the only food picture from today was the one with the broken bread and the turkey, I was too busy eating to take pics!