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!!