This Week

I have vowed not to let more than a week pass without updating the blog but alas we had drama in the house. I was just finishing up my work week where I work 5 out of 6 days in a row. Mimi and I went for a walk on day 5 which was Monday. So we are walking down the canal bank with Milo in tow and we come across a little dog wandering aimlessly. Well the pup began to follow us and so I let it. This is where David believes the mistake occurred. Well David and my dad. But really it just followed us home. Okay so yeah I called it most of the way and asked it to come because really am I suppose to leave this dog soaking wet from the heavy rains the night before out on the canal bank? Apparently yes. So Mimi and I bring the dog home. At first David banned the mut from entering the house but the dog slowly grew on him. We made signs and posted them around the neighborhood. I had plans on Tuesday to take the dog to the vet to see if he had a microchip to find his owners because really the last thing we need is another dog. Although this dog was sweet sweet sweet and never barked. And slept through the night. A new criteria for any dogs or children entering this home. A joke people. Sort of. So here he is. We named him "Puppy". Even though he's not.



Milo is nothing but disgusted that we would allow another living thing into our home. I am sure he thought we should be done for a while after the children came home 7 months ago.



Well on Tuesday morning I wake up to find my son struggling to breath. This has happened plenty of times before but it looked worse this time. We make a doctors appointment. We show up and the doctor tells us to go immediately to the ER. So we go and Abraham gets admitted to the hospital overnight. He hated it. He screamed if any one other than David or I even looked at him. He was the talk of the ER for a while with all his crazy screaming. So the hospital(which I work at and is 5 minutes from our house) had no pediatric beds and so we get shipped via ambulance to a hospital about 30 minutes away. This is a picture of him in the ambulance which David describes as a horrific bumpy ride.



It sucked being there overnight. The nurses and doctors were great but he got woken up various times for oxygen treatments and IV stuff. And of course every time he got woken up I did too. I know I know it's not about me anymore but it stunk none the less. The worse though was the nurse leaning over me at 2 am trying to wake me up to ask me if my son is circumcised. Really? As a nurse I wouldn't do that, but whatever I was zen about it and I guess the chart had to be filled out. Sometime around 3 am I was really regretting not bringing a flask with something to relax me in it, but figured the nurse would smell the alcohol and CPS would be called. That wouldn't be good. A half of benadryl did the trick instead.

So those 36 hours felt like 5 days at least. Dragged on and on. And that was with David and I taking equal turns being in the hospital. I hate hospitals. They make me nauseous and I hate the smell. Yes I realize I work in the hospital and no I'm not nauseous when I go to work, but when someone I love with all my heart is there it makes me sick.

So one of us was either with Abi or at home with Mimi trying not to disrupt her routine or life. She did constantly ask about her "Bubba" over and over and knew he was with the "doctor" but of course she doesn't get it. And of course I am ever grateful for my mother, father and sister Katie who helped out with Mimi watching the last 2 days. I don't know how people do it with really sick children. In and out of hospitals all the time. I hope that will not be us. I guess it is fine if you only have one child but wow it is just so tough with another child at home. I didn't want to leave my son, but my girl needed me too. Here is Miss thing being sweet as pie with Aunt Katie today. I have to do a post about her sometime but did I tell you this child is phenomenal? She is what I would call potty trained now and is just such a little lady. She is so so easy when it is just her. She doesn't need constant attention. She doesn't get jealous or fight. You can talk to her like an adult. She minds her manners. She is just too much that girl.



So now our little man is diagnosed with "asthma" and we are diving into a whole new world of steroids, inhalors, and who knows what else. I imagine there will be more ER visits in our future. I know too much to know there won't be. I am grateful for being here, where we are, and that he can receive the medical care he needs. I have felt guilty now and again about my children being here, away from the land they were born. I feel sorry that they won't know their culture, language and birth family as well as if they were still there. But last night I was so grateful my sweet boy was here in the United States. In Ethiopia who knows what would have happened. It makes me ill to think of all the mothers over there watching their children suffering and unable to take them to a high level acute care hospital, have a few breathing treatments, and go home pretty healthy and happy like we did today. It's just not fair.

So we are home now. And Abraham is happy and doing better. He went to bed at 5:30 pm b/c he hasn't slept well in a day or two. I plan to be up with him around 4 am when he will no doubt be ready to start his day. Whatever. He can wake me up any damn time he wants. As long as he is here, I don't need to sleep through the night ever again. Some final pictures of our boy in the hospital.




And just an FYI I took "puppy" to the vet today with Mimi to see if he had an owner. He had an ID chip! We called the numbers listed. Both numbers were disconnected. I figured he was ditched and would be living with us from now on. I started thinking of names to name him. But we had an address as well. David went over there without puppy to investigate. I suggested he bring a knife and pepper spray, you know, just in case, but he declined. The family with little children had lost their "Jay Jay" and were so happy to hear we had him. David quickly came home and picked up "Jay Jay" and took him back home. I'm not gonna lie. I was a little sad to see him go, but he was going home where he belonged.