Flower Girl

Arathena was asked to be the flower girl in our friends Pam and Aaron's wedding. We were super excited for her to be part of their wedding as they as such sweet friends who we care about a lot.

Their rehearsal was on Thursday night, so Andy and I got off work early to make it to the rehearsal which is about an hour outside of Pittsburgh. The location they picked was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Unfortunately, Arathena fell asleep in the car on the way there and was a wreck for the rehersal. We had to drag her down the aisle kicking, screaming, and crying. This is after she had been talking about being a flower girl for months. She even practiced when we were in Kenya. I was pretty worried to say the least, but Pam was so cool about it and not worried at all.

The rehearsal dinner was at 1844 which was amazing. I would drive all the way out to Leechburg just to go there again. Aaron's friend is a chef there and I think his family owns the place. Definitely worth checking out.

We decided we should stay near Leechburg since the wedding was at 4:30 pm when Arathena is usually napping, that way she could get a  good nights rest and be able to take a good nap on Saturday. One of the bridesmaids suggested a bed and breakfast so we made reservations. We didn't get there until 9 pm on friday night because of work and errands. To our dismay, it wasn't a cute little B&B like we expected. It smelled and we would be sharing a bathroom with three other strangers. It was also expensive so we decided to leave. Andy found another "place" for us to stay for only $40/night. That should have our first clue. It was a roach motel to say the least! But since it was 10:30 pm we were stuck, so we made the most of it.

Saturday we hung out, went to a diner for breakfast, and just laid low. Arathena's nap was interrupted by a phone call so she did not get a great nap. I was super worried that she would not go down the aisle, but she pulled through and walked down the aisle holding Andy's hand. The original ring-bearer fell through, so his 1 1/2 year old brother walked down the aisle before Arathena.

     

 her reward for making it down the ailse:)

 

Josh and Matt: 2/3s of Meeting of Important People (Aaron plays bass)

 

The beautiful couple

 

Stickers

So Aaron is in the band Meeting of Important People, just thought I put the link to their amazing music video for the song Brittney Lane

My First (kindof) Craft Show

Right after we got back from Kenya, my friend and neighbor Lisa from One Star Away asked me if I would be interested in making a few items to sell for the Bryant Street Festival in our neighborhood. It isn't really a craft show, but more of a gathering of local vendors and just a fun event for families. Since I have never done anything like this I was nervous, but in the end it was a great experience.

Things I made:

 

reversible headband

 

crayon roll

 

baby swaddlers

 

We also sold hot dogs and drinks for Haiti H2O which is run by our neighbors Jeff and Sarah Vandermolen

 

Andy, Scott, and Jeff grilling away

 

Our table:)

 

Things I learned...

1. Don't procrastinate 

2. Crayon rolls sell 

3. Baby stuff does not sell (or at least for me:) 

4. Don't procrastinate

I would consider doing it again...now that it is over

Yesterday (Tuesday) we had 6 Kenyan interns from the peds team and our friends Myeshia, Sarah, and Jenna over for dinner. I was pretty anxious about what to make and how to fit everyone. After much deliberation I decided to make pizza, pasta, sukuma wiki, pineapple, and brownies for dessert.

Our oven is small and can only fit one pizza at a time so I half-baked the crusts so it wouldn't take as long to cook, and pizzas would all be fairly warm by dinner time. I had everything prepped, all I had to do was turn on the oven and stove at 620 to warm eveything up and start the pizzas. Andy left to bring our guests to our house and I went to start warming/cooking the food. To my horror :) there was NO GAS. I panicked for a second then began calling every missionaries house I knew...No one was home. I ran outside and found Chuck who offered to let us borrow their small propane tank from their grill. After a short intermission we were back on track.

We had such a great time talking with the intern and learning about their families and how they came to Tenwek. It was interesting to hear their thoughts about their experiences at Tenwek. Andy has worked closely with all of them in the peds ward and will miss them.

24 hours later, and still have no gas! I called industrial in the morning and they said they had no gas, so they had to go to Bomet to get it. They took our tank, but they never did come back:) maybe tomorrow! Hopefully, we will need to cook soon, our leftovers won't last that much longer!

On a side note, it is funny the new words Arathena has learned while being here: Hand sanitizer and NICU

On Friday the Sawatsky's left for the states. We already miss them dearly, especially Arathena who asks for and sings songs about Eli, Christon, and Adam frequently. Since we were borrowing their computer we will be updating and checking our email less frequently. We will be back in Pittsburgh Saturday night just in time for the Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday morning.

Friday Arathena and I had the opportunity to go to Umoja Children's Home, an orphanage close to Tenwek. Arathena and I played with the kids, sang songs, learned songs, and played with bubbles. We got to see the chickens, sheep, and cows, and ate fresh eggs and chai. I feel very blessed for this opportunity to meet these sweet children. I am still processing it all.

On Saturday Andy had his first day off after working 12 days straight. It was nice to enjoy the day as a family. The Bemm's let us borrow their back-pack carrier and we went on a hike. We got lots of smiles and a few laughs as men do not usually carry children on their back, that is left to the women. After Arathena's nap we headed into Bomet, a nearby town to get a few items. It was interesting and a little scary to have drivers fighting for us to go with them. On our trip home we had 11 people in our little car including Arathena on my lap and Andy in the trunk:) After dinner we got to spend some time with the Bemms which is always a wonderful time of fellowship.

Today I did a feeding evaluation on a 7 year old with cerbal palsy. I felt like a real OT because when I went home I grabbed 2 of Arathena's take and toss sippy cups and modified them with a kitchen knife and gas stove to make a cup that will hopefully work better for this child.

Please continue to pray for us as we enter our last week here at Tenwek. We have had a wonderful time here and are looking forward to seeing you all when we get home!

Well, I experienced my first 48hr call weekend and I am exhausted. Over the course of 48hrs I lost 6 patients to multiple illnesses. Even with only 8 hrs of sleep over the weekend, the amount of death was the thing that was truly exhausting. The emotional roller coaster of talking and praying with families as we do everything to help their dying child and then praying with them after that same child dies is unexplainable. The thing that got me through was the two kids that should have died but are still alive by God’s mercy. The first was a 2 year boy with severe pneumonia who was placed on the ventilator “breathing machine” as a last ditch effort. Most patients here do not survive to come off the ventilator. All weekend I would just walk by to check on the child only to find some catastrophic disaster had occurred. Every time, God gave me clarity to figure out how to get the child stabilized. By Monday morning the child was breathing on his own and off of the ventilator. He is now out of the ICU and on the regular ward. Only by God’s grace will I see this child go home before I leave Kenya. The other child is a 1 month old baby with severe bronchiolitis. Bronchiolitis is an infection when fluid fills the lungs and makes them became stiff like a metal balloon. Unfortunately we do not have ventilators for infants, which could have easily supported this child until his lungs healed. But as he worsened, the last maneuver I could try was endotrachael CPAP in which a breathing tube is placed in his throat. Oxygen and pressure is delivered through the tube into the lungs to allow the baby to breathe easier and not have to work so hard to breathe air into his lungs. This baby is a true fighter and he would ripe the tube out of his throat which was keeping him alive. After multiple re-insertions of the tube he was still alive and thriving on Monday. The most sobering reminder of why we are here was when I read the nursing note in his chart that said “may we continue to observe God’s miracle at work in this child.” Thank you God for the grace we experience on a daily basis.

In medicine we often feel that our decisions and action are responsible for the life and death of patients. We feel like we must do things under our own strength to save lives. But what I am reminded here is that God is in control and I can only make it through another decision or another moment by His guidance and support. I only want to work as a physician if He is the one guiding my mind and my heart as I practice.

I got a message from our friend Tara that they prayed for us at church yesterday. It is so wonderful to know we have friends back home praying for us while we are here. Yesterday we really needed prayers. Andy was on call Saturday and Sunday and I believed he got a total of 5 hours of sleep over a 48 hour period. There are many sick kids in the NICU and pediatric wards. He has a lecture he is presenting today for the residents so if you read this, I am sure he would appreciate your prayers.

On Sunday morning Arathena and I went to church at Bethesda African Gospel Church, the church on the hospital’s campus. It is similar to a western church service in that it is about 2 hours long apposed to an all day event. I really enjoyed worship, especially the Kiswahili songs. There is nothing like hearing other brothers and sisters in Christ sing in their own language. Especially Kiswahili, it is so beautiful. There wasn’t a Sunday school class for Arathena’s age so we tried to make it through as much of the service as we could without being a disturbance. We ended up leaving at the beginning of the message.
We walked up to the pediatric ward to see how far along Andy was. He had been called to the hospital around 2am and had been there since. We got to meet some of the kids on the ward and some of the babies and mothers I have been working with for feeding. It was nice to have them meet Arathena.

We are hoping to go to a local Kenyan church before we leave for the states, but not sure how we will fare with Arathena. When we went to a village church last time we were here, the service started 2 hours later than we were told and lasted 2 hours longer than we expected! My favorite memories though are of the heart felt worship and their offerings to the Lord. Even though many were not able to give monetarily to the tithe, they gave their first fruits of their labor whether it was their crops or animals. Others who had money would purchase these items and then the money raised would go to the church. It was a beautiful site to see.

Glimpses of our day

Arathena searching for chameleons with her friend Anna

NICU babies

Reena assisting a mother feed her baby who has an unrepaired cleft palate

Andy and the team rounding on patients