Today, Fred went to the hospital first thing in the morning. They gave him medicine to help with his fever, ran some tests, and told our nanny to bring him back if he gets worse. He was up and around today and eating. So thank you all for your prayers!
As for me, I spent a large portion of my day in bed still sick. Kez stopped by today to check on me. She said all my symptoms sound like malaria. If so, by tomorrow evening the medicine should kick in. Let's hope so because I have been pretty miserable.
Lauren got out our costumes box to play with the kids today. I laid out on the couch so that I could watch and take pictures. It was hysterical, and I promise when I'm feeling better I will upload pictures! Since we mostly have dresses and girly costumes, we had LOTS of little boys in pink, sequins, and sparkles. I never thought I would see Wilson in a leotard!
Thank you all so much for your prayers!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Please pray
Hi friends. Tonight has been stressful. One of our little boys with AIDS, Fred, has had a high fever all day. It topped out at 103.6 and we can't get it to go down below 103. Lauren has been truly a God send tonight holding Fred and helping me to care for him. I know that I would not have been able to do everything tonight alone because I myself have a fever of 102.6. It has now been going on two weeks that I have been sick like this. By recommendation of others, I started treating myself for malaria tonight despite the blood test being negative. I guess we will find out in three days if I start feeling better.
Thank you in advance for all your prayers.
Thank you in advance for all your prayers.
Generator Trouble
A friend, Lauren, arrived here yesterday afternoon to stay here for a week. So, as always, it was a VERY busy day of picking her up getting her settled in, and introducing her to everyone. We were both so exhausted, her from traveling and me from being sick, that we were sound asleep by 8 PM.
Today, I realized that our generator was not working. I could not get it to turn on so I called the company to come service it. They promised that they would be there right away in the morning. So, naturally I knew that it would be late afternoon before they would come (Haitians have a different concept of time). Sure enough, I was right they came some time around 2 PM! They changed the oil and replaced some filters and informed me that it would not work until I replace the battery. However, they do not sell nor install the batteries....go figure. So, I paid $182 US dollars and it still does not work. The Haitian man that we used to always rely on to help us with problems like that unexpectedly died a week ago. I have no idea where to buy a new generator battery, how much they cost, or how to install them. Pray to God that EDH city electricity stays on for a long time or we are in BIG trouble. Typically, EDH is terrible and VERY unreliable. With inverter batteries that do not work and a generator that is temporarily out of commission, EDH is our only source of electricity...scary thought. So, should you not hear from Lauren and, I don't worry we mostly likely have no power.
Please pray that we find someone to help get a new battery installed in the generator!
Today, I realized that our generator was not working. I could not get it to turn on so I called the company to come service it. They promised that they would be there right away in the morning. So, naturally I knew that it would be late afternoon before they would come (Haitians have a different concept of time). Sure enough, I was right they came some time around 2 PM! They changed the oil and replaced some filters and informed me that it would not work until I replace the battery. However, they do not sell nor install the batteries....go figure. So, I paid $182 US dollars and it still does not work. The Haitian man that we used to always rely on to help us with problems like that unexpectedly died a week ago. I have no idea where to buy a new generator battery, how much they cost, or how to install them. Pray to God that EDH city electricity stays on for a long time or we are in BIG trouble. Typically, EDH is terrible and VERY unreliable. With inverter batteries that do not work and a generator that is temporarily out of commission, EDH is our only source of electricity...scary thought. So, should you not hear from Lauren and, I don't worry we mostly likely have no power.
Please pray that we find someone to help get a new battery installed in the generator!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Funny Kids
The kids constantly keep me laughing, and I wish I could share every silly moment with all of you. Hearing/seeing it in person is just so much better. Here are a few of their latest sayings/antics:
- When playing with our toy food Chacha said, "Miss Katie, do you want some french skies?"
- While the kids were watching a movie on my computer, I told them not to touch the screen. In response, Claudine asked, "Miss Katie, if we touch the screen will we get cholera?!"
- Lately, Richardson has been obsessed with the idea of snow. He has asked everyone in my family and my best friend Deana to bring him some snow. After finding some small plastic lampshades in my room (spares from my lamp) he asked, "What are these for? Are they for snow?" When I told him that we are going to have another visitor come stay with us for a week, he asked, "Is she going to bring me some snow to eat?"
- Yesterday, I was attempting to clean the small window in my bathroom. It happens to be inside my shower. If you know me, you know that I am not very tall. So I was on tippy-toe trying to reach the window. Because my shower does not drain well, there was a little puddle of water still in the shower. I ended up slipping in the water, losing my balance, and then falling backwards out of the shower and onto the floor. Yes, it was both embarrassing AND painful. Of course, Chacha was right there to witness the entire thing. He continued to laugh about it for at least ten minutes and repeatedly say, "Nice try! Nice try, Miss Katie." Then, later in the day when Mich got home from school. I overheard Chacha explaining (in Creole) had happened to me. Then I heard him say, "I told her "nice try"!" For some reason, they think that is the funniest saying and they both had a good long laugh about it.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Miss Katie, ou malad?
I've spent the majority of the past three or four days in my room sleeping/resting and keeping myself quarantined. Whatever Haitian flu I've had basically wiped me out. Yesterday, our power went out in the afternoon and did not come on until over twenty-four hours later. Although that is not uncommon here, it is still an inconvenience. It is especially unpleasant when you have a high fever, hot sunny weather, and can't turn on fans. Thank God that we only have cold showers here...I really appreciated them this week.
I have to say, this is a difficult place to be sick. It is rarely ever quiet and someone is constantly knocking on my door for something. I think that I have really been confusing the kids (and probably the nannies too). As soon as I tell one child that I'm sick, it spreads like wildfire throughout the house. Each time I would leave my room to get a drink or check that everything was okay, the kids and nannies would all ask, "Are you better? Are you still sick? Do you have a fever? Does your head hurt?" I would explain to them that I was feeling a LITTLE bit better, but I was still sick. I probably really confused them when I would try and help out in the kitchen or tidy up the house only to get worn out within an hour. The kids just don't get the concept of "feeling a little better at the moment but still sick". The kids must have asked me twenty times a day, "Miss Katie, do you have a fever?" After I would respond, "Yes, now let me rest!" They would always have to feel my head first to make sure I wasn't lying.
Today, I thought that I was finally better. I woke up with only a mild fever and generally feeling much better, and I expected it to be gone by the afternoon. So, I made the mistake of telling the kids that I was better. Throughout the day, I played with the kids a little, helped out in the kitchen, and even went to a prayer meeting down the street. However, By late afternoon I felt terrible again and my fever was over 101. Of course, that really threw the kids off and they didn't believe that I was still sick. The only way that I could get them to give me some peace to rest was to let them into my room while I took a nap. Picture this if you can: me curled up in a ball with a cold compress on my face, five children huddled around my tiny net-book computer watching "Despicable Me", and two dogs all on one twin sized bed! Not exactly the most restful situation. And I wondered why it has been taking me so many days to get over this bug?
Thank you, God for children, nannies, and animals that love me, but PLEASE help me to get some rest! :)
Other news, there was a small earthquake here sometime around 4AM this morning. It did not wake me up, and I didn't even realize there had been one until the nannies told me later in the day. Most of the nannies said that it really shook their houses pretty bad and they were scared. One nanny, Leonne, was afraid because she lives on the bottom floor of a building. So, she got up and tried to get outside, but was knocked over (or tripped and fell...I'm not totally sure) and she scraped her arms and hands up. I'm just glad that it was very minor!
PS, thank you so much to all of you who have been praying for me!!!!
I have to say, this is a difficult place to be sick. It is rarely ever quiet and someone is constantly knocking on my door for something. I think that I have really been confusing the kids (and probably the nannies too). As soon as I tell one child that I'm sick, it spreads like wildfire throughout the house. Each time I would leave my room to get a drink or check that everything was okay, the kids and nannies would all ask, "Are you better? Are you still sick? Do you have a fever? Does your head hurt?" I would explain to them that I was feeling a LITTLE bit better, but I was still sick. I probably really confused them when I would try and help out in the kitchen or tidy up the house only to get worn out within an hour. The kids just don't get the concept of "feeling a little better at the moment but still sick". The kids must have asked me twenty times a day, "Miss Katie, do you have a fever?" After I would respond, "Yes, now let me rest!" They would always have to feel my head first to make sure I wasn't lying.
Today, I thought that I was finally better. I woke up with only a mild fever and generally feeling much better, and I expected it to be gone by the afternoon. So, I made the mistake of telling the kids that I was better. Throughout the day, I played with the kids a little, helped out in the kitchen, and even went to a prayer meeting down the street. However, By late afternoon I felt terrible again and my fever was over 101. Of course, that really threw the kids off and they didn't believe that I was still sick. The only way that I could get them to give me some peace to rest was to let them into my room while I took a nap. Picture this if you can: me curled up in a ball with a cold compress on my face, five children huddled around my tiny net-book computer watching "Despicable Me", and two dogs all on one twin sized bed! Not exactly the most restful situation. And I wondered why it has been taking me so many days to get over this bug?
Thank you, God for children, nannies, and animals that love me, but PLEASE help me to get some rest! :)
Other news, there was a small earthquake here sometime around 4AM this morning. It did not wake me up, and I didn't even realize there had been one until the nannies told me later in the day. Most of the nannies said that it really shook their houses pretty bad and they were scared. One nanny, Leonne, was afraid because she lives on the bottom floor of a building. So, she got up and tried to get outside, but was knocked over (or tripped and fell...I'm not totally sure) and she scraped her arms and hands up. I'm just glad that it was very minor!
PS, thank you so much to all of you who have been praying for me!!!!
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