Saturday Night Live

Well Masseh had to go back to the clinic real briefly tonight- she instantly broke out in tears when she saw the Dr. so did I for that matter. She has a white film growing in her mouth and down her throat making it painful to swallow- probably contributing to her gagging/vomiting recently. The Dr. said it was a fungus and gave us a syrup- shes been on so many antibiotics recently- would she have a yeast infection or thrush(those are funguses right?) Would we want to get some good bacteria back in her system-yogurt type stuff? She should be fine but seriously that clinic has scarred me for life- let alone poor Masseh! Uganda Cranes national soccer team is playing Niger today- we are up 1-0 with a few minutes to go- gotta run.... Pray for good results on the passport and for Masseh to feel better. Love to all, especially my girls!

Awesome Night for Masseh

Masseh had an awesome night! No fever, vomiting, and her poopy diaper was more solid than runny. She ate a good breakfast this am and is feeling noticeably better. Janet we are already on bottle # 2 of the iron supplement and we are done with antibiotics and just taking a zinc supplement as well once daily. The embassy Dr. said Masseh was a sad and malnourished creature, and everyone who saw her before says she dropped alot of weight from being sick- so she should pick it back up again with time and good diet. Have you started checking on Insurance stuff and Adoption stuff? We were really hoping to get the passport Monday and Visa Wed. am and fly Wed. night so yes it will require a miracle! Even if we paid extra we cant change my ticket to anything but Wed. or Sun. huh? The Visa office is closed on Tues as well. Hmmmm. God will provide, lets pray for the best scenario for all involved and leave it up to Him. We have been diligent, now lets have faith and be patient. Please tell Kaya Daddy loves her soooo much and Masseh wants to ride in the wagon with her. I love you sweetheart- we are OK and will be home asap! And yes you will owe me for the rest of your life!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep On

We've just got to keep on keepin' on. As of today everything is in and applied for on the passport- we've expedited it and they have said they will do their best to have it Monday but no promises. Unfortunately Tuesday is a public holiday and no work will get done that day- patience is a virtue that is being forced upon me right now so I hope to learn something here. Following completion of the passport we must get Masseh a Visa from the US Embassy- hopefully a one day deal. I can then change my ticket and we can fly home! I love Uganda but having a sick child has taken alot of the fun out of it. Masseh is doing much better though, she still fights you on eating most things but will eat a few local foods with enthusiasm and is hydrating pretty well. She is keeping down her medicines and only vomited when I overfed her this morning trying to make up for a week of weakness with one big meal like an idiot. I've also never been so excited to see poop as I was this evening when it came out pretty solid rather than wet and runny(hopefully no one reads this blog while taking their breakfast) and I hope her system is working itself out finally. She walked a ton tonight and is getting stronger and more stamina. How I love that sweetheart and I know she cant wait to settle down with Mom and Kaya and feel secure and have a family who loves her. I love and miss Kaya and Janet and all of you so much- keep praying for us and especially Massehs health and a safe return!
Kye Kyo!!!!!!!

Its Official!

Its official! This afternoon we became legal guardians of Masseh! The written ruling was slow to be completed but it was heaven sent for our family. I told Masseh and she nuzzled her head into my neck so sweetly(I think she was wiping her nose on me actually:). She really wants to see Mommy again and meet Kaya, but a couple of things to finish first. The passport will be applied for tomorrow morning and we hope and pray it will be expedited and quick. The Visa is then a 1 day thing I'm told so we may be home for Davids reception. Masseh had a fever again late last night and we were at the clinic AGAIN for a quick injection which worked quickly and she spent the night with me. We were up at 6:00 am for our final US Embassy approved medical check (we decided to forego the immunizations for now) and we are both exhausted but happy with the written ruling news. She ran a low fever around noon as well but responded to the fever reducer syrup and had a good nap. She has been eating a little here and there and gaining some energy back- though she begrudges exercising around the compound with me its good for her. We need her to get strong for the trip home and arm-wrestling with Uncle Hoss. Thanks for all the prayers- dont let up now! Love to Janet and Kaya! The Lord is holding us in His hands, all will be well!

Getting Stronger

Well Masseh had a good nights sleep- no throwing up and only one little diarrhea diaper before bed. She is keeping her medicines down and also hydrating well and eating some easy to digest foods. Her appetite is slowly coming back and her spunk should follow. Shes giving me the stink eye quite a bit because I was the one forcing her to eat and drink in the hospital and holding her tight while they inserted IV needles and in general torturing her for her own good, she remembers Dad as a big bully. I did get one little half smile out of her so she is feeling a little better for sure. We have her first of two Dr. appointments with the embassy this afternoon-still no word on the written ruling so we can roll on passports. Will keep posted. Patty I gave Dennis all your contact info per your request-good luck with that:) Hugs and Kisses to Janet and Kaya!

Derrick, so good to finally hear from you. This has been a stressful few days. Luckily the Mckenzie's have been keeping me informed. I'm so glad that Masseh is feeling better. I can't believe how hard it has been for both her and you. Yesterday Kaya looked at the picture on the fridge of Jesus holding an African child and said, "look mom, Masseh, Jesus is holding Masseh". How true that it is. Thanks for all you are doing for our family. How I love you and can't wait to have the two of home.

Pearl of Africa

The Pearl of Africa is a Pearl of Great Price it seems. There have been much blood, sweat and tears shed and it aint over yet. Masseh had a horrible night Sat, threw up all over both of us and had 5-6 diarrhea diapers several of which leaked out onto the bed and required showers. She was back at Wentz Clinic Sun. and I stayed with her and she slept at JOyces that night where she also had diarrhea and vomiting. So they admitted her on Monday and she just got released a few minutes ago, its late Tues night! She has no more fever her diarrhea and vomiting seem to have subsided and she has tons of fluids in her and 3 different types of antibiotic seem to have wiped out the bacterial infection in her stomach. She is weak/anemic but a sweet lady from my guest-house staff has been helping me forcefeed her and get her up and walking otherwise she just wants to lay down. We will pump some iron into her as well as lots of oral rehydration salts and she should rally. The blood I mentioned before was for Masseh(imagine how many needles she has been poked with in the last week-its not easy to find a vein on those skinny little wrists), the sweat is for all of us fool enough to be living under the equatorial sun, and the tears are mine as I pled with the Lord to preserve my daughters life. She just doesnt have the reserves to be this sick for very long- kids in Africa die every day from the after effects of malaria. The treatment is essentially a poison that kills the parasite but leaves the bodys immune system weakened and if they get sick shortly after they dont have the ability to fight it. Plus it is about a months salary to have a child treated for malaria so most get a partial or no treatment at all- meaning the parasite stays in their body and just attacks over and over. God bless these little ones! We made a lot of friends in the clinic everyone is very supportive and offers prayers on your behalf. We thank all of you for your continued prayers to get and keep Masseh healthy and complete this process and get her safely home. Court was predictable in its unpredictability- we showed up at 9:00 and at 10:30 were told we had waited in the wrong area and had missed our queue -they told us to come back at 2:30 Hmmmm. We did and were told he had not reviewed our case yet but that Tues he would-he also said that David and I didnt need to come back the next day. Our lawyers interpreted this to mean that we basically had our ruling and they hoped he would sign the written on Tues.-not sure if this happened. If so we shall proceed with passports Wed am! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. Much love to Kaya and Janet we cant wait to have our complete family together! Musula Burungi!

Great News!

Derrick went to court this morning and the judge granted us guardianship of Masseh! The written ruling should be ready tomorrow and then they will proceed with the passport and visa. Unfortunately, Masseh is still very sick. Her fever is doing better but she is still vomiting and having diarrhea and refusing to eat or drink. She will be in the hospital overnight tonight. Hopefully she will show some improvement tomorrow. I will keep everyone posted.

I haven't heard from Derrick but the McKenzie's emailed to let me know what is going on. Masseh is back in the hospital. She was up all last night with vomiting and diarrhea. She does have an infection and will be on an IV for hydration and antibiotics for the next two days. The hospital isn't much fun so hopefully Derrick is doing okay. We should get our court ruling in the morning so hopefully that goes well. Pray that Masseh will get better and Derrick will get some rest.

Hey Derrick, just wanted to let you know that Patty and I made it home safely. It was a long flight but not as long as it will be with a 1 year old :) Kaya was sure excited to have me home but is a little edgy. That's our girl. How is Masseh doing? Were you able to get her to the clinic? Is she on an antibiotic? How is your new hotel room? I'm really wanting to know so write back soon if you have a chance. I hope you are safe and doing well. Love you lots!!!
Janet

YIKES!

So Derrick and Masseh are on their own now- Janet and Patty left at 7:00 last night and are probably departing Amsterdam anytime now for the states. Thats where the YIKES comes in- Derrick can barely take care of himself on most days- but he will rise to the occasion. Masseh had a rough night, even though the malaria parasite is gone she is still running a pretty constant fever and Daddy spent the night lying cool wet cloths on her head and torso while the AC cooled them off. She was so tired it didnt even bother her- and she is pretty strong minded so if something bugs her she will let you know right away(alot like Kaya). The oral fever reducer didnt seem to help at all but the wet cloths brought her temp down to a safe place and she actually got a good amount of sleep- Dad not so much. This morning the fever is still there so even though its possible its just a malaria after-effect we'll probably go to the clinic and get some antibiotics in case the fever is due to infection, etc. I would LOVE to see my little girl healthy and happy and at her best again. The guest house we will be moving to later today is walking distance from the McKenzies and near the clinic as well. Not quite as classy as the Speke Resort but nowhere near as bad as places I lived when I was in Uganda the last time around. Anyway we are safe and trying to get healthy. Please continue to pray for us to get through the rest of the guardianship process with speed and positive results. Love to all!
DJ Fraz

safari

We were up at 4:00 this morning so I will make this short. The safari was just okay so nothing to be jealous of. The best part of the trip was seeing hippos and a couple of crocodiles. For some reason our driver said there were a lot less animals out than usual. Good news with Masseh, her malaria is gone. She did, however, run a fever this afternoon at the Mckenzie's so we may have to have her checked to see if she has an infection of some sort. Poor girl. I can't believe I leave tomorrow night. I'm so excited to see everyone especially Kaya!

hospital

So, we were hoping that Masseh could be released from the hospital this morning after 3 rounds of treatment but her malaria levels were so high yesterday that she is requiring 3 more rounds. So another day in the hospital. She actually did a little better today but we left her with the house lady tonight screaming hysterically. I think her IV is extremely painful and she cries so hard when they hook the medicine up. I really really hate it. They are using an adult IV needle because they don't have pediatric. Pray that none of us get any communicable diseases. It is pretty bad there although I'm told it is actually really nice comparatively. I keep forgetting to tell you guys that she weighs about 18 lbs. So she is really really small. She is also really anemic so they have started her on iron. Derrick wants me to write that he played pick-up basketball at Kampala Univ. and his team never lost. Also, Uganda is unbelievably beautiful. So green with lots of trees, red soil, and flowers. With the exception of the malaria, it has been great. We leave for the safari at 5:00 in the morning so time to go to bed. Hope the crocs and hippos don't eat us :) Don't worry mom, it's perfectly safe.

thanks everyone

Thanks for all the comments and the update on Kaya. I'm so glad she is doing so well. Thanks to Derrick's parents for watching her and everyone else who helped. I am more than a little surprised that she is sleeping so well for you Sabrina. You really must have the magic touch or she is afraid she won't get to stay and play if she doesn't do what you say :) Mom, we use the Gentle Naturals baby eczema cream cream. Should be upstairs in the bathroom or by her hair stuff. I also put a dab of cortisone cream on any red or very dry spots. She hates it for some reason so if she gets upset don't worry she always does. Also, if you are at a loss of things to do, you are welcome to buy some flowers and plant them out back :) Just if you're bored that is. We are getting ready to get breakfast and go to the hospital now. Thank heavens the house lady could stay with her last night. She's the same lady who watched her for the week she was at the Mckenzie's so Masseh knows her. Hope everyone has a great day!!

I have a new found appreciation for Western medicine. I also have a new found appreciation for parents of sick children. So Masseh's fever is not just a little virus. She has a bad case of malaria. Her blood count was very high and they immediately admitted her to the clinic. It is possible that she never fully recovered from her last bout a month ago. So today was spent holding Masseh for hours while she screamed at the hospital. They couldn't get a vein for the IV so they just kept trying and sticking her which unfortunately led to blood going all over me and the floor. No wonder she was traumatized and screamed the rest of the time and kept trying to get off the bed. She will have to stay until tomorrow but hopefully will be feeling better soon. The Mckenzie's houselady gets the overnight shift and we will go back in the morning. It's was a stressful day but hopefully she will completely recover this time. We will bring back malaria medication for her just in case. On a positive note, we found a safari that is only about 3 hours away so we are going to do that on Thurs. Should be lots of fun. How is everyone at home doing? How is Kaya? Is mom staying with her in Riverton and or in Jerome? Thanks for all the comments. I feel that some of you are slacking off and could really take 5 minutes to respond :)
Please pray for Masseh, she is really sick.

Court

So this is how the day went: Masseh woke up with a bad fever and felt very yucky and wouldn't eat or drink anything. We got ready and the Mckenzie's picked us up. Court was to be at 9:00 and it took us until about 10:30 or so before we were called in. Masseh was very fussy and spent most of the time crying. She has a hard time being around Esther because it confuses her and she becomes fussy and clingy to her. When we finally went into the judges chambers, Masseh began screaming loudly and the judge actually asked her to be taken out by Esther. The lawyers then read the different points of our case which took approximately 5-10 minutes. Everyone then stood up and we were assured a positive ruling by our lawyers and told we could leave. The judge said he will not issue the ruling until Mon. the 26th at 9:00. The week wait is typical. The lawyers said they will type up the written ruling so it can be signed on the same day. That would be very good because it means we could start the passport and visa next week. Also, Masseh took a great nap with Derrick and is eating and feeling much better tonight. Thank you for the prayers. We were told that the judge usually asks questions and can make it very difficult on the family so we were very blessed. We loved the comments yesterday. Thanks to all those helping with Kaya. I can't wait to see her. Continue Lynette, to let me know how she is doing. We fly in at 4:45 on Sat. We will spend the rest of the week passing out books to the school, maybe some shopping and other touristy activities. Nothing else for the adoption can be done until after the ruling. We love and miss you all so much.

Hi Everyone!! I hope this works. The Mckenzie's were nice enough to bring a computer to our room so we could contact you. Turns out that the internet is a bit tempermental and it has taken me an hour to get this far. Anyway, we made it safe and sound. The trip was not too bad but we are very tired. Most importantly though, we met Masseh and she is a beautiful little girl. She has quite the little personality and we love her already. We are keeping her with us starting tonight. She is also not only not big but actually quite small for her age. So much for me worrying about her being heavy she is very light. Should have packed smaller clothes. Her age is a bit of a mystery. Her aunt told us yesterday that her b-day is Nov. 1 st. Hmm not sure where Jan. 14th came from. She is adorable and very sweet. We have our court date tomorrow so pray all goes well. By the way, nothing came of the religion concern. Her aunt is wonderful and she was well cared for. I'll try to write again if I can. Doesn't look like we'll be able to call. How is Kaya doing? Someone please check and let us know in the comment section. Thanks!

The time has come

We leave in the morning. I can't believe the time has actually come. We fly out at 6:00 in the morning and will be in Uganda Friday night at 8:00. Should be interesting considering I think a 3 hour trip to Jerome is too long. We are hoping everything goes smoothly with Masseh's aunt and uncles. We did just learn there may be a small (or major) religion issue. Seems a bit late to be finding that out but we are praying that it all works together and that Masseh will be our daughter soon. I will hopefully write on Saturday after we meet with the family and the lawyers and should know more then. Please leave messages if you can. Everyone in my family, have fun at the wedding. Wish I could be there!!