#25 More Soft (Toilet Paper) Please

There is a really bad virus going around….or maybe it is food poisoning…I’m not sure. Most of the older kids have diarrhea and by most I mean all but four. Sunday Matthewos, Melkamu and Helina stayed home from church because they had such bad diarrhea. Hiwot was going to take them but when I told her they were sick she changed her mind. Sunday night Tamirat had extremely bad diarrhea…I mean really bad. Within the span of 10 minutes he probably went 10 – 12 times. He would say to me, “Emily caca.” We would go to the bathroom he would poop and then we would go back and he would have one sip of Lem Lem (oral rehydration salts) and then it was, “Emily caca,” all over again. He was getting so tired that he actually dozed off while sitting on the toilet. He was so miserable…he said he had to go but when he got to the toilet there was nothing left. I knelt down and was hugging him because he was tired and in pain…I heard him gag…that’s when I knew he was going to vomit. I quickly reached for the trash can and he vomited in it. I called for Messiyay (the new nanny that is here while Tesfanesh is gone) to help me. She held the trash can while I wiped him…although there wasn’t a need to because he couldn’t go anymore. He slept in my room that night.
Last night Mastewal came in at 5:30am. She was just creeping in to get some soft (toilet paper) but I woke up. You know the feeling of someone watching you…I think that’s what woke me up. She said, “Emily soft.” I gave her some and told her to go in Zoudie’s bathroom. Then I noticed that she woke Temeskgen up so she wouldn’t be alone. I went in to check on her and she had really really bad diarrhea. I sent Temeskgen back to bed and told her that I would get her medicine – unfortunately the door was locked. I helped her wipe (I probably didn’t need to help her but she was tired and not feeling well) and put her back to bed. She climbed in my bed this morning and stayed there for a couple hours while Lily’s mom and I folded the new clothes.