Malaria Update: Sunday

So... I don't want to speak to early or jinx myself but this malaria hasn't treated me too badly so far.  NOTHING compared to what John experienced the two times he's had it or how others have responded to it (including: Emily, Deborah, Owen, Beth, Dave, and more!). 

I did start taking a 1/2 tablet of mefloquine 2 weeks ago which may have contributed to it not being as bad.  An adult dose is 1 tablet.  The reason I only took 1/2 tablet is I had talked to another missionary who lives in Guinea and she's been taking a 1/2 tab for at least 8 years and has never gotten malaria.  So either it just isn't enough for my body or I had already been bitten and had an establishment of parasites in my bloodstream and liver in which a 1/2 tab just wouldn't cut it.

I've felt very tired and weak today.  I took two naps... one for 1.5 hours, the other for 3!  Usually I'm a 20-45 minute napper so these were significant. 

John has taken up some Mr. Mom duties and has a new found appreciation for my role here (Score!) He has had to deal with spilled milk and Aden finding a poopy cloth diaper to play with as well as a few early morning wake ups (which are generally unusual for him).  While I do like that he recognizes the hard work of moms, I do recognize that I would be just as frustrated if I had to go dig wells when he was sick.

The evenings are usually the times when people start feeling lousy again so here's to hoping that my night passes as uneventful as my day.  To me, I have had flu symptoms that were worse than this so don't feel too bad for me! Also, I know that God has allowed this to happen in my life and I know there is some purpose in this... whatever it may be, may He be glorified in it!

Thanks everyone for their prayers!

I got the Malaria

Hey everybody that reads my blog... its finally my turn :(

Couldn't fall asleep tonight because I was so cold... thought "I didn't think it got this cold in rainy season"  And I was right... it doesn't.  Was the fever talking.

God really provided in a couple of ways:
1. We have been hosting a sweet girl from Oklahoma who had come down with malaria and because of that... Emily has IV's, meds, and meds in case I start throwing up/get nauseous
2.  Emily is here, she is a nurse practitioner that has had lots of experience treating malaria.

Thank you God!

Pray for me!

Birthday Party Part II

The day after Emily's family arrived we decided to have another birthday party with some friends of ours since Aden was actually 1 years old.  Here are some pics from the party.

The munchkin attendees

His betrothed...

His buddy Isaiah

Yes, he got cake twice but doesn't seem too happy about it this time around.

Tries to drink it

 Thank you Grandma, Sue, Elisabeth and Anna for our fun presents!

Aden doesn't really drink much out of a sippy cup... usually because he doesn't seem too thirsty after drinking the milk that he does... but once he saw Anna using one... everything changed :) I still need to phase out the bottles but that's after he gets used to 'cold milk.'

Aden Meets His Wef

So Emily's sister was due on the exact same day Aden was due... July 11th 2011.  But instead, Elisabeth had Anna 2 weeks early and I had Aden 1 week late.

Emily likes to joke around that they will get married.  Elisabeth and Emily's mom Sue came for a visit this week so we videotaped their first encounter.

Enjoy...

Happy Birthday Aden!

1 year ago today Aden was born.  Before some of our teammates left on furlough we celebrated a little early...

Some pictures from the evening as well...  Bandaid is for a fall he took a few days ago... tear :(

Happiest Mommy in the World

We love you Aden!

Love, Mom and Dad

Boxes

= hours of fun!

Aden Walking

Here are a few pics from the once a month 'International Church Service' we have.  We modeled it after a group of expats that meet in Freetown.  However that group truly is international because it has Americans, Englishmen, Germans, Africans, etc.  Our group (coincidentally) is mostly Arizonan and Texan with a midwesterner or 2 and one from the Pacific Northwest.

It was so cute... Aden would follow Isaiah around.  When Isaiah would sit down, Aden would crawl toward him and then back up butt against Isaiah.  It was the cutest thing!

Here is a video of Aden during worship...  Not only does Aden like dancing (as you have seen in previous videos), but he just loves music! And you might see a few steps in there ;)

Good News

Just wanted to share some exciting news (and no I'm not pregnant!)...


Water4, the organization that makes the well drilling equipment that John uses and paid for our car, is going to pay for us to come home!  After John's most recent bout with malaria, we both felt like we needed a break but didn't have the funds.  John told them our need and they said "You got it!"

We're hoping that its this November so that we can avoid the Sierra Leonean presidental elections as well as be home for my birthday, my dad's birthday, thanksgiving, Christmas, our anniversary, the New Year, and for the birth of another neice! wow! If not November than February or March! We will keep you updated on our return... should know by mid-September!

Unbelief

"Unbelief sees God through circumstances, as we sometimes see the sun shorn of his rays through smokey air; but faith puts God between itself and circumstances, and looks at them through Him."  
-F.B. Meyer

Play Date

We had Sada and Isaiah over to play last week.  Its so fun watching your kids interact with other kids! I love it!

Aden loves earrings and necklaces (and is precisely why I don't wear them very often!)

"Hey, where did you get that ball?"

Teething

Girl time with Robin and Emily joining us

Did I do that?

Aden has access to my lower cabinets and plays with everything while I am cooking.  I am constantly cleaning my kitchen floor after he leaves dishes in his wake. 

Independence Day

The Players

Alejandra and Pepe

Sada, Gabe, and Isaiah

John Barry, Chad and Robin

Anabelle, Owen, Dwight, and Aden

The Game:

On the menu:

• Hamburgers
• Hot Dogs
• Barracuda
• Salad
• Mac and Cheese
• Sopapillas 
• French Fries

We didn't have fireworks but Robin had some glow sticks that the kids (and some older kids  adults) broke open and waved them to their hearts content.  Nothing better than food, friendship, and fellowship!!!

Malaria Take 2: Part 2

So on the road to the hospital...

Well there is a nearby clinic called "Heart and Hand" about 2 minutes from our house.  I know a few people that went there and got good treatment and I knew they did IV's.  I knew the treatment probably wouldn't be quite as good as Choitram's Hospital (Plan B), but at least we'd get there soon and John would get treated quickly.  When we drive up, its closed! Ok, I guess God doesn't want us to go there.

So plan B, drive over the mountain rode about 20-30 minutes to Choitram's Hospital which is described as the best hospital in Sierra Leone.  The mountain road is the road that we take to get to town.  It is a dirt road and winds it way through a beautiful mountainous area.  Unfortunately it is under construction and it is also rainy season which means muddy gunk that people get stuck in. 

On the way there John wanted me to test him for malaria.  I brought a test kit and opened it but there was no syringe to suck up the blood.  So I took the one-time-use retractable 'poker' and poked him with it hoping I'd get enough blood to squeeze a drop onto the tester.  Sadly I couldn't! I felt like a failed as I was trying to squeeze his finger harder to eek out a drop of blood.  If it was positive I figured we could just start him on treatment right away.  Although we knew it was positive we decided to wait till we got there.

Just a few minutes from our house, we see an area that is blocked off by a digger except for one small area for cars to pass.  Unfortunately that small area is muddy and one taxi is stuck and one car is behind it and probably will get stuck also.  Abdul starts screaming at the window "I get patient I get patient." There happened to be tons of workers and people around because of the road construction.  John starts begging the people to help get them unstuck. It takes a few minutes and a John promising them money if they all pitch in and help get the car unstuck. 

With about 20 people pushing the taxi they are able to get it to move forward.  The whole process took about 5 minutes but it felt more like 15 minutes, particularly because of the way John and Abdul were begging and trying to impress on people the sense of urgency.  I had to hold back tears myself because I know John must have been feeling so horrible to be begging the way he was for help.  He handed someone 20,000 Le to share between the people.

On we go! Abdul was an AWESOME driver.  He was putting the pedal to the medal as they say.  He used to run a taxi service... Pastor by Sunday, and taxi driver by Monday through Saturday. We got there in probably 15 minutes.

When we arrived they came out with a wheelchair which I was impressed with and quickly wheeled him back to the 'emergency area'.  I was so thankful they had bed for him.  They laid him down on a bed and prepared to give him an IV.  John was trying to tell them that he couldn't feel his hands or his face.  The nurses ushered me back to registration to fill out some forms.      

Ten or so minutes later and I was back and John seemed to be a lot better.  He was joking and talking with the nurses.  At that point a wave of relief fell over me as I finally felt like everything would be okay.
________________________________________________________________________

Well that's it for the in depth story of events of last Thursday.  The short version of what happened in the time that followed is:

-He was treated and on an IV for most of Thursday but the Dr. did send him home that evening (Yay!)
-He still felt weak, feverish, and achy for 3-4 more days after that  The day after we got home we had to go back to the hospital to get his tests results.  His hemoglobin was at 13.2 which is awesome.  Last time it got down to 8.5 or so.  He did throw up quit a bit on the way home though :(   
-We lounged about the house watching one of the seasons of Quantum Leap, Sherlock, and started watching Battlestar Galactica (courtesy of fellow missionaries the come with hard drives full of shows that we dump onto our hard drive)
-John left today to go back to the well site to check on things (... Just for the day... even though I was on strict orders by several people to chain him to a bed till further notice)

I am so thankful to God that He provided for John's care and that he is all right now.

Also, Tuesday on the way into town I had my first manual driving lesson.  I stalled a few times but John said I did better than he thought I would do.  I know that I need a lot more practice to feel comfortable driving manual especially since most of our cars are now manual and I NEED to know this for emergencies.  (John had been trying to get me to learn since we got here, and I resisted until last week happened.  Now I have been the initiator of my lessons. :)  

Malaria Take 2: Part 1

As many of you know, John contracted malaria again last Thursday.  It was quite scary at the time, but we caught it much earlier and he's nearly fully recovered as of now.  But here are the nitty gritty details of what happened last Thursday:

So John called me from upcountry at about 7:30 am and said he thinks he has malaria.  He felt okay other than a little achy and feverish and was going to make the 3.5 hour trip home.  He hadn't brought any tests or treatment with him on the trip (which we will ALWAYS do from here on out).  Since it had been over a week since I had seen him I was thinking "yay! He's coming home!"  I knew the recovery would be a bit rough, but I thought it wouldn't be as bad since we caught it earlier.

Two hours later I called to check up on him and he said he wasn't doing very well, feeling worse.  I asked him if he needed to pull over and take a break.  He said he'd rather just try and make it home.  About 45 minutes later I called to check on him again.  I thought it was a bad connection as to why I couldn't understand him, but I later found out that he was in a bit of delirium and wasn't making sense.  Apparently at that time, he had told me to meet him at the gate when he got home.  I didn't hear him, but got a test out and some water to take the medication. 

On his drive home, he picked up an OSD (military type officer) who he had to beg to come with him and take the wheel if he passed out.  He said he was nearly in tears because he felt so horrible and they were giving him a hard time about paying them for helping him. (Breaks my heart thinking about it now!)

I was in the house when I heard him honking honking honking away for Ernest to come open the gate.  I pictured him being able to make it up the steps to our house though.  Boy oh boy was I wrong.  Next thing I hear is Ernest pounding at my door saying "Kaysie come quick John e sick" Then I hear Robin come running up to my house saying "Kaysie I'll watch Aden"  At that point, it came to me that John must be really bad. Later I also found out the John was trying to get Ernest to get me quick but Ernest kept thinking John was joking.  Finally he was like "Ernest, I am going to die.. GO GET KAYSIE!" 

Our house is situated up on a hill and our house is at the top with the Courtneys' and Gonzales' houses below.  I ran down the many sets of stairs as fast as I could.  As soon as I see John I could see that his face was as bad as it was last time and I was scared.  He could barely muster the words that we needed to go to the hospital.  Then he called for water.  Escarlet was there so I said "agua, agua, rapido!" and she ran to get water from her home and I was flying up the stairs back to the house. 

The nearest hospital is about 20-30 minutes away and the car that John was in was manual (which I don't know how to drive) All the possibilities were running through my mind of how to get there, and I remembered Robin's car (automatic) was still here so I could use that and she could stay with Aden.  I was also thankful I weaned so he wouldn't have to be with us and I could be there for John. 

On my way up I start telling Robin all the instructions for Aden's bottle, food, and anything else I could think of. I am sure I wasn't making sense.  I was really worried for John and that we wouldn't make it to the hospital in time. Robin saw my fear and anxiety and says "Kaysie, calm down, its going to be okay"  While she was right, I saw the suffering John went through last time at the hospital in the states and I was worried that he wouldn't have the same care, or the hospital wouldn't have enough beds and would have to turn him away (like they did for a friend of ours here who had a stroke and died)

I stuff my purse with water, a malaria kit and treatment, and a few fruit/nut bars.  I run back down stairs expecting that I will have to move John to Robin's automatic car and I see John already in the passenger's side of his car and Abdul (a pastor that we work with and who is teaching the Gonzales family Krio) ready to drive.  I thank God right there that Abdul is there.  I found out later that Abdul had to carry John to the other side of the car.  I jump in the back of the Land Cruiser and we are on our way...

To be continued...

Aden's First Haircut

Last week I gave Aden his first haircut.

It wasn't like he needed it, but the back was getting slightly too mullet-like for my taste.  It was accentuated when he was sweating (which... is all the time here)

Here are some pictures (Sorry I didn't take any 'before shots')

I noticed once I uploaded this photo that it was a little uneven on the right so I cut a bit more off...

 Much better...

 

Weaning Part II

So while Aden was putting his foot down, so was I! Our parenting style is what one might call "parent-centered".  Aden always slept in his own crib, he took naps when it was time, we took away the paci cold turkey, we have done 'cry-it-out', etc.  I definitely don't think there is anything wrong with co-sleeping, demand feeding, or any of the attachment parenting concepts, its just not our style. 

There was one point where we realized that Aden had 'forgotten' how to take a bottle.  Well, it was the bottle or nothing.  He lasted about 2 hours and finally gave it.  I thought that the frozen breastmilk would be a similar situation.  Monday... Tuesday... Wednesday... and finally Thursday came and went and I gave up.  And its not that Aden wouldn't drink it, he just didn't drink much in the morning (~1 oz) and then by the afternoon he would finally be thirsty enough to drink some (~3-4 oz).  But each time he would take a sip he would stick out his tongue like he didn't like it.  As I would try and force it, there would be tears (from us both, lol!)

By Day 4 of putting my foot down, I made a bottle of formula and he drank it right up!  So I decided that I would just give him that the next day.  I would rather Aden be getting the calories he needs rather than making sure it was breast milk.  That night at my women's bible study, the women prayed for Aden.  And what do you know?, the next day was a turning point!  I made a bottle of frozen breastmilk and a bottle of formula, and he had a little of both!  In the afternoon, he had some more breastmilk and also some of our goats milk.  At that point I was happy with the situation... I would continue with offering breastmilk as well as goats milk (when he had it) and formula.  Little by little Aden has been drinking more and more of the breastmilk! yay!  Since Monday I haven't supplemented with goats milk nor formula!  God is good!

(Side note:  Many of you mind find this weird... but a good friend of mine has a 15 month old son.  She weaned him around a year but was over at our house for dinner and didn't bring any milk for him.  She asked me if I had any pumped milk and I said yes! I personally would be one of those people who donates breast milk to a donation bank, so I was excited to do that here.  I was also complimented that she deemed me worthy to provide milk for her son, because my list of people I would let give my son milk is quite short!  Well, that night at bible study I offered a frozen bag to my friend and asked her if she would see if her son would drink it.  I wanted to know if Aden was just picky or if other kids would like my breastmilk.  I also thought that she might be a person we could give the milk to if Aden just refused it.  She texted me a few days later and said her son gulped it up without stopping to breathe!)

Well, that's all folks! I'll keep you updated as time progresses and we have to do the final weaning of the morning and evening feeds!