Exhaustion - Hopefully on the Mend

Back from a brief sabbatical - it has been a rough week as John has been down ill with a high fever and stomach pains since Monday afternoon. I am hopeful that we are making an upward turn today and that he will be well enough to attend Kinder tomorrow.

Still being a relatively "new" parent to two three-year olds, the sight of my child burning up (como un fuego) and reeling in pain due to stomach cramping breaks my heart. He has slept (if one can call it that) in between Mike and me since Monday night. Need I say more? If there was an Olympic sport for doing flips and somersaults in your sleep...clearly John would be standing on the highest podium with a sparkling medal around his neck. Now I know where the saying "dog tired" comes from. How can one little body put out so much heat?

Finally yesterday, Mike, John and I took a 'tuk-tuk' (think of it as a little taxi/golf cart (I'll post a pic later) to the clinic in Santa Elena. A short wait and we were into see the doctor PDQ. Throat infection was the diagnosis and antibiotics and acetaminofen prescribed. We stopped off at the pharmacy in the clinic and without paying for anything (visit or drugs) we were on our way.

I could not have made it through this week without Goudy who has helped tremendously, watching Michael when we went to Santa Elena yesterday and keeping him busy while I tend to John. Again, we are blessed to have her.

The one thing that did not register in my mind last night when we broke open the medicine from the pharmacy is that there is no such thing as "children's flavor anything", no grape, no cherry, no nothing! The smell of the acetaminofen was enough to make/keep you sick. It took a good two hours before John agreed to take it. We tried making a concoction of it along with orange juice, honey and sugar but it was slow going. Two tired parents then resorted to bribing him with a chocolate chip "hey John, you can have a chocolate chip after you take your medicine" -- NOTHING! Go figure; that the sick child of the two is the one that is not the choco-holic! Finally, we reasoned with him and he took it (straight up) from a syringe and finally he went down. Of course in our frenzy to get out of Chicago back in July, we were frustrated on Monday night searching for the children's pain reliever only to find 1/4 of a bottle of Children's Ibuprofen in the trip kit.

I am weary and tired so will make this short today!
Peace,
Signed: S