Friday, August 18, 2006

The Horrible Unexpected

This was not the phone call that I was expecting today. Our little Minow was taken to the hospital today for a respritory infection and Gail wants him to stay through the weekend. Which means that Gail will most likely not get all of his paperwork filed at the Embassy on time for our appointment on Wednesday. They would like us to postpone our trip one week. We can't. My brother left today and my MIL who is traveling with us is unreachable--she is on an Alsakan cruise. So we are still going. He should be out of the hospital by Monday for us to get him then, and we will stay another week. Of course this is difficult because now we have to be gone 2 weeks, we will have to board the dogs that much longer, find someone to feed our cats and fish that much longer, and have to pack that much more stuff--not for us, but for the baby. I can't even think now. I was not prepared for this. I am happy that hubby plans to stay with me, I don't know that I would want to be by myself.

The agency rep assured me that Minow is okay and that it is common during the rainy season for little ones to get respritory infections and need to be rehydrated. I don't know where to start now with more preparations. I need to push the house cleaning back, I need more cat food, I need more dog food, I have so much to do, but I can't leave the house until I hear back from AAI and know what is up and that we can get a place to stay. I just want to cry but can't focus enough to even do that....

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm so, so sorry to hear about Noah's illness! And talk about throwing a wrench into your plans. I'll be thinking of you and sending him lots of healing thoughts!

HUGS

writex3 said...

Oh my goodness. I just got done posting a tribute to little Noah on my blog and expected to bop on over here to read that everything was ready and set to go. Poor baby boy! Poor mommy and daddy!

He's going to be ok, Dawn, he's very strong and it sounds like you're getting there in the nick of time. In terms of staying longer -- we loved the Guest House, felt lots of support, if that helps with needing extended accomodations. Gail, Nate, and volunteers were always right there. And you can have your meals made so you're not scurrying about for dinner. Just an idea for you.

I'm so sorry for this happening. But I'm sure he's going to be fine. Teeny has a respiratory/fever thing going on, too. Bring baby tylenol & ibuprofen - find baby doses before you go since they're not on the bottles (I go to askdrsears.com)

Hang in there. Keep us posted if you can. You won't be able to access blogger in Addis.

5KidMom said...

This stinks!!

I am sorry to hear that Noah is sick. To tell you the truth, I don't think it's just during the rainy season that the kids pass this junk around. Everyone was sick when we picked Grace up in April too. It is just too hard to get rid of the germs with all those kids in one place. For what it's worth, Grace also spent time in the hospital when she was at Layla, and they took marvelous care of her. I have all of the hospital records, and I really believe that she would not have been treated any different here. The main difference is that you all will be there to hold and cuddle Noah while he heals. That is SOOO important!

We found that a nasal aspirator (bulb syringe) was indispensable. We also used Gerber Liqui-Lytes to help keep her hydrated. The force of the coughing would cause her to vomit. Our doctor also prescribed Zithromax (antibiotics). It only has to be given once a day, and it made all the difference in how she felt during our trip. She did have to follow up with a second course when we got home, but she was in much better shape than when we picked her up. After that, I would just suggest extra clothes, blankets, diapers, etc. and lots of love and cuddles. That's what we need here at home to get well. It's not any different in Ethiopia.

Try to make the best of your extended trip. I know it is crazy right now, but once you get the chaos handled at home, you will be on your way to get your baby. That is wonderful stuff. The silver lining in all of this is that you will have an extended opportunity to gather experiences and memories about Noah's home country to share with him later. That will be a blessing!

You all will definitely be in my thoughts and prayers. I would love to stay updated if you find a spare moment. 8^)

Anonymous said...

Hey, we're thinking about you! It's time to get over there and be thrust into the role of mommy! Someday, you will look back and think of all this craziness and smile. Someday...(far far in the future)
:)

Maya said...

Ugh! Poor baby - I was just thinking "Oh, Dawn and her guy must be SO excited- they're leaving!" Don't worry, you'll still be meeting/hugging/kissing him really soon - and that's what counts, right?

PS... Did you read my posts when I was sick? I had hand, foot and mouth disease (something kiddies Noah's age get, not adults) - try and keep yourself healthy, ok?

PastormacsAnn said...

Aww. Poor Minow and poor mommy & daddy. You'll get over there and just having mommy there will help, I'm sure.

Praying for your trip; can't wait to hear that you're back safe and sound, blogging with one hand and holding your precious little guy in your other arm. Go get him!