#6 180 Degrees

The last couple of days Helina has changed so much. She is laughing and smiling all the time now, whereas before she was sullen and quiet. I don't know what has sparked the change but everyone is really enjoying the new Helina. She came up to me the other day and wanted me to hold her. this is very unusual for her...if she wants to be held she will go to Tesfanesh not me. Tonight she ran up to me and gave me a kiss. She found my hat and put it on all by herself in this photo. I lie I think you will be shocked when you come and pick her up.

#5 In Ethiopia It's Not A Big Deal

I hear that a lot from the Ethiopian nurse that comes to the house once a week. I went to Brook Hospital where she works today to pick up the medication for the children. I told her that I think I might have caught something from the kids. At first when I got it I thought it was a mosquito bite but after two weeks it stillisn't gone and the shape has become more defined. It is on the bridge of my nose where my sunglasses lie so it totally looks like a huge circle of zits but it's not...it itches super bad and is in an oval shape. The same shape that Ayana's face think was. Oh great. I asked her if I could take an anti-fungal medication we have at the house ahd her response was "in Ethiopia it's not a big deal". Heloo- it's on my face and obviously contagious. I told her that much in a nicer way...she said that if I really wanted to than to go ahead. I told her that I did and she just alughted at me and told me to paint my face (I think she meant with make-up). Seriously lady...I think you would to if you had some weird contagious fungal infection on your face...man that sounds horrible. It's not that bad really but it does itch.

#4 Burger King

You know how Burger King commercials have that famous jingle? Have it your way. Well, if I had it my way I would fire the cook. I've never wanted to have someone fired before but I kind of feel like Dwight from The Office who always wants to fire Jim...except I have a good reason. She is late every week...and this is a big deal at this house. She gets 24 hours off from Sat. at 3 pm. until Sunday at 3 pm. All the nannies made a deal that if the cook prepared food in advance for Sunday's lunch (which is injera and wot) than she could have 24 hours off. Most of the nannies don't get even 5 hours off a week so to have 24 hours is amazing. Most sundays she is late only 3 hours....I know that doesn't sound like grounds for firing but it puts tons of stress on the nannies that have to prepare dinner for the children as well as do the job they are being paid for. I have ended up cooking for them for the last three Sundays. Well two weeks ago she calls from her parents house saying she is sick...none of us believed her. Yesterday she called late at night and said that she couldn't find a ride because of the holiday...yeah right. Buze (Lily's mom) answered the phone and was told not to tell Tefanesh or I that she had called...please...everyone was so mad at her that they told Tefanesh she had mentioned Saturday, before she left, that she might not be able to find a ride home...I think they were suppose to keep it a secret. The kids didn't have dinner until 8 pm. lst night...they usually have it at 6:30 and are in bed by 7:30. She didn't come until 8 am Monday morning. One Saturday she refused to make injera before she left and Zoudie had to Sunday morning...but Zoudie was cunning and only made enought for that meal (if you make all the injera in one batch it wil last us three days). If I had it my way I would find a new cook. She is a sweet lady but come on enough is enough.

#3 The Results Are In

Sunday late afternoon (when I got home from church and lunch) I looked at the lab results from the stool samples. Tesfanesh still couldn't get Temesgen to poop so we have to go back again...luckily this hospital is very close to the house. There is only one child who doesn't have anything which surprises me because he was the one with really bad diarrhea for a couple of days. Four children have yeast in their stools whicg indicates a fungal infection, five have giardia and two have both. When I read the results I decided right then and there that things were going to be done differently around here concerning water. I told Tefanesh that we needed to go to Alembank to get some supplies. I bought one large (60L) plastic water tank and three medium (40L) water tanks. As soon as the store opens up tomorrow I am going to buy four facets for wach of the tanks. The large one is going to be for the children and boiled clean water in it...this way they will be able to have water whenever they want. Hopefully having this available for them will reduce the number of times they drink unclean water. The medium sized tanks are for wach of the nannies in their rooms. I think it will be easier to fill bottles using a faucet tan using a huge water bottle. We'll see if this works..I'll keep you posted.

#2 I Wish He Hadn't Been Sick

Temesgen had a fever for three nights stright-it would only start at 6 pm. and would quickly go down with children'd tylenol. Last night he had a fever of 101.5-not too bad but I gave him a sponge bath and tylenol anyways. I called Simegne and she said not to worry and that she would come by the next day. I checked it again 30 mins. later and it had risen to 104.2! Holy smokes that's high...dangerously high. I called Habtamu to come and take us to Brook Hospital right away. I gave him some children's ibuprofen...it wasn't working at all. He was just moaning the whole time especially when I would change the washcloths and it would be cold. We finally made it to Brook and there were an unusual amount of men in the waiting room. Then one man passed through the waiting room with a small read and gold casket. Habtamu asked the nurse when it was our turn about it and this is what he told me. A two year old little boy was playing in the living room on the third floor of his house when the ball went down the stairs...the little boy followed it down all three flights. He had a skull fracture and was bleeding with spinal fluid out of his ears. An hour later about ten grown men came out of the room carrying the casket. The father was crying so hard and so was another man. I covered Temesgen's eyes as they were passing us. I know he probably wouldn't have understood but no four year old needs to see that. All of the paretns that were in the waiting room with the children got this empathetic/horrified look on their faces. I couldn't look at the men as they left- all I could look at was the little casket. Outside of the waiting room I could hear the mother wailing as the little box was brought to her. Simegne told me today that the boy died right away but the parent's didn't know that and brought him anyways. I wish Temesgen hadn't benn sick because I can't get the picture of the little casket or the sound of his mother out of my head. Temesgen is on antibiotics and didn't have a fever tonight!!!

#1 Those Who Poop Together Stay Together

That's my version of "A Family that Prays Together Stays Together", in case anyone didn't get it. Yesterday I was walking upstairs on the balcony to the kid's room and I noticed that Melkamu and Tamirat were sitting next to each other poopoing. (The kid's have little potties that are outside the downstairs bathroom). Tamirat was reading a book and Melkamu was reading a piece of paper. Then Tamirat showed Melkamu something in his book. Iwent to my room and grabbed my camera but when I got back Tamirat was through with the book. Too funny. Today I took all the older kids to Bethel Hospital to get stool samples. Since they have been sick I decided that it was worth paying $1 USD per child to know if they have a parasite or bacterial infection. After explaining to the lab technician what I needed he gave me 12 little cups with each's child name on it and 12 little sticks. When it was Tamirat's turn he couldn't go so I moved him to the side of the toliet and Helina joined him on it. She was terrified of falling in so it was hard for her to relax and go. I moved her to the other side and Temesgen sat in the middle part of the seat. I was impressed that three little butts could fit on one toliet. After what seemed like forever none of them could go so they all got down. Tesfanesh had Helina squat on the ground to try and go and she did. We tried that with Tamirat but he still couldn't go. I even got out my ipod to distract him but that didn't work either. I had to bribe some of them to push hard and try to go and they would get candy! It worked. We got 9 out of 12 children to poop. We are going back tomorrow for the other three.

I Thought He Was Dead

Kenesa has been really sick the last couple of days. On Monday Philipa (the nurse who checks in) was playing with the little kids outside and noticed that he was sleeping…which is really unusual. All of the sudden he threw up twice. He had a fever of 102.4 but with children's ibuprofen it was soon back to normal. He stayed with me all day and slept, colored and watched movies and had some bread and tea - which he threw up. He slept in my room that night and didn't throw up any more. Tuesday morning he said he felt sick again after breakfast but didn't throw up nor did he have a fever. Again he stayed with me throughout the morning but after lunch he was back outside playing with the other children.

Tesfanesh (the nanny) asked him that night if he felt sick and he said no. Wednesday morning I went in to get the kids ready for the day and he was still sleeping. I thought that since he didn't have a nap yesterday he was probably still tired and let him sleep on. I put his clothes on his bed and took the little ones to get clean clothes. I told myself that after they were dressed I would go get him but I forgot about him. After every one was dressed, the babies bathed and fed I remembered. I rushed to his room while burping Yabsira and he was still sleeping. I felt his forehead – he was burning up. I felt so bad that I had forgotten him. I rushed back and put her down and grabbed my thermometer…103.6 and it wasn't even done – I didn't wait. I stripped him of his clothes and we ran back to my room – literally ran. He was so hot and he wouldn't wake up. I grabbed some wash clothes, pedialyte, children's ibuprofen, water and water basin. I gave him the medicine and pedialyte and took his temperature again – 103.8. I nearly cried as his naked little body with a huge distended stomach was lying on the spare bed in my room. I don't think I have ever prayed so desperately. It seemed like as soon as I would lay a cold washcloth on his body I would have to take it off because it was hot. I got him to wake up and drink some diluted crystal light.

His temperature was finally back to normal after an hour and a half of constantly wiping him down with cool wash clothes. I put some clothes on him and he fell back to sleep. I went downstairs to get some breakfast and when I came back Yabsira was crying so I went and fed her. I went to check on him he was cold and damp…very very cold. I thought he had died. He wasn't moving or waking up to my calling his name or gently shaking him. I frantically searched for his pulse – he still had one! I sent up a quick prayer of thanks and took his temperature again – 96.6. I sat him up and tried to get him to drink some more but he fought me. He wasn't awake or speaking English but he was refusing to drink. Right now he is in such a delirious state. He is sweating so profusely and mumbling and refusing to be moved let alone touched. I wipe his head off with a cloth every couple of minutes and he barely lets me do that.

I called Philipa to see if there was anything else that I should do. She said there wasn't much else because it is most likely a virus. Hiwot came in and said that it was malaria because he is from that region but I know it's not. His cold sweats have finally stopped although his temperature hasn't risen past 97.0. He keeps dry heaving. He vomited once before when I sat him up to give him more medicine and it was just bile. Now there is nothing left in his stomach to throw up. He is in such pain every time I touch him he cringes…his body aches. I made him scrambled eggs for dinner because he was hungry…he threw it up after 5 bites.

He is the most precious four year old I know and it hurts to watch him. He comes up from behind me and hugs my neck and then leans around and kisses my cheek when I am outside playing with the kids. He tried to do my hair the other day with Hannah and Tamirat…he just thought it was the strangest thing…I don't think he has ever touched non-curly hair before because he was just giggling the whole time.

It is Thursday morning. I did not sleep at all last night because he was throwing up the entire time. I felt so bad as I held his little body while he was dry heaving. When I left he was still throwing up anything he drank. Thank the Lord we have pedialyte. I hope this flu virus doesn't hit anyone else.

Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers.
Emily