The week that was set aside to get many extra things done ... uh. yeah.Not so much. Unless tomorrow has a lot of extra hours in it- we failed.
We did manage to get the DNA done and we picked up Beth's chairs. Other things came up and we got nowhere on Super-V's room or immunizations for the little girls. Oh well. There is always 2010.
Paige got to ride horses two days in a row. She is jumping very high now. I try not to think about what exactly will happen if she falls off.
On Wednesday about 30 special needs kids from an orphanage were there, at the Equestrian Club, riding. It was awesome to see them have that opportunity. The kids were all so sweet and fascinated with Lydia. She was not so thrilled with all that attention and touching. They kept asking if the ti blan (little white) could talk. I told them she spoke Creole (she does!) and they howled at that. After enough minutes of questions and touching, we finally ran away into the grass to get a break from so much kind curiosity. (Grass in Port au Prince is a rare treat.)
Jn Peter gained about 7 ounces this week. Not quite
what I had hoped for, but a start. Paige helped me reiterate all the instructions and encouraged his mom that he will grow fast if she follows the dosing on the Peanut Butter. It seems he has asthma so he may be in for lots of years of respiratory issues. The poor guy. We hope to see a better gain during week two on the Mamba.Today's Pre-natal class was incredibly busy and more than a little heavy. We saw 13 women in the clinic room. Most were routine checks but at the end of the day we had to share the difficult lab results with one beautiful 23 year old girl in the program. She is our 7th woman with HIV. Beth shared with her, Paige translated, I sat watching her face carefully and tossing in an occasional encouragement. About five minutes into our talk the tears started rolling down her face as it began to settle on her. Within seconds of that Paige, Beth, and I were all crying with her. We stopped to hug her and pray and cry. Tomorrow she will go to be re-tested and enter a program that will offer her free meds each month. She is about five months pregnant with her second child. I cannot imagine all that she is feeling and processing tonight. We'll be praying for F.P. if you'd like to join us. She has never been tested before and does not know if she has had the disease for years or only a short time.
Renald hit 20 pounds this week. A big accomplishment for a little man. 20 pound sounds like nothing on a boy who will be four in November ... but - taken in context it is a 53% increase in weight in two months. Yay Renald!!!! He is sporting a pretty round gut these days.
Baby Amelia (below with Paige) is the newest babe at the Maranatha Creche. She was born Sunday and is being cared for by Jess Mayhew for the next three weeks. She is a tiny little peanut.
Tomorrow morning the alarm will ring at 4:45am - coffee - powerbar- water and a prayer ... Then 16 miles will be attempted along Kenz Oktobe. Troy is bringing water after 10 miles. Tuesday was probably the most humid running day yet this summer and I am really hoping tomorrow is not quite that humid, I was soaking wet by mile 5 on Tuesday. Running in dripping shorts is totally disgusting. Troy will bring a costume change to be safe. Beth is going to join me around 6am. Hoping the legs cooperate.Happy Friday!
