Improving

Here's our patient at one week, opening a care package:

We've come quite a ways and have 4 weeks to go! He is back at school with the help of a wheelchair and seems to be getting around okay. His cast is quite colorful with signatures now. I'll have to get a photo of that as well.

Hungry Ghosts

It's Hungry Ghost Month again in Singapore.

This is a time when Buddhists believe that the souls of the dead roam the earth and can be mischievous, cause troubles, and generally be cruel. It begins in the 7th lunar month at the Full moon and lasts until the next full moon. During this time, people burn offerings of "hell money", food, paper cars and houses to their ancestors to appease them. It's generally thought that the ghosts who cause misfortune are the souls of those ancestors not remembered and honored at this time.

Here is an example in my neighborhood:

They believe that burning these things will keep the ghosts happy so that the ghosts will leave them alone. They also believe it is a bad month to get married, move, remodel a house, travel, or swim.

At the end of Hungry Ghost month, people float paper boats and lanterns to guide lost souls to the underworld.

The Big Hurt

We are pretty used to the physical aspect of being parents of three boys. Bumps, scrapes, and bruises are daily occurrences at our house.

Yesterday stepped it up a notch.

Around 9 am we released the hounds, so to speak. We live in the Woodlands, an area of Singapore near the Singapore American School. As such, our neighborhood is large and filled with kids of all ages, genders, and ethnicities. It's fabulous. John has thrived with the busy play every day with friends.

So we let him outside Saturday morning to play. He went bike riding on our street with Joe and another friend, just around our house. I was upstairs getting dressed and talking to my sister on the phone when I heard the bloody scream. I immediately knew something bad had happened, and my heart dropped. Ever since we moved here my biggest fear are the cars and taxis and trucks that race around amidst all the crazy chaos of kids. I had a moment where I thought someone's child was finally hit. Thank God I was wrong.

But it was bloody screaming, and when my heart began beating again I realized the screaming was one of my own. I hung up on my highly entertaining brother-in-law and ran out into the street where John was on the ground clutching his leg. It was pretty easy to tell that he had most likely fractured something, but like a good mom I immediately (but calmly!) asked, "Where is your helmet? Were you riding your bike without a helmet?". This shocked him into a few seconds of silence.

We rushed him to the hospital. In the car, he was screaming bloody murder again in pain. At one point he got so upset he cried, "and this was my favorite leg!".

Long story short: John broke his tibia in two places. Here he is before the "procedure".

They had to call it a procedure because when they said surgery, I got a bit excited and not in a happy way. They had to put him under anesthesia to set his poor leg. We stayed for a few hours after the "procedure" and took him home. Here is the patient today. He wanted to pose for a picture to send to his cousin:

Although he has a smile on, he's been in a bit of pain today and refuses to sit up much or stand on the good leg at all. Bathroom breaks have been interesting. We go to see his doctor again on Friday. It looks like six weeks in the cast.

Never a dull moment with boys!

Back to School

Last week marked our return to the Singapore American School (SAS). This year we have two middle schoolers and one Primary. Jim and Joe reported back on Monday after a full day and were both a bit overwhelmed. By Friday it was business as usual. John enjoyed his first week of second grade. He is happy to have some familiar faces in his class this year.

Here they are on our front porch for John's first day:

In just a week, Joe will be leaving us for his Classroom Without Walls trip, two nights away with his 6th grade group. They are traveling to Malaysia this year, and we'll get more details this week at Parent night. Jim leaves for his CWW to Indonesia the week after Joe. They're getting so much older!

Packing up!

It's almost that time again. "Going back" time. Even though we leave in just over a week, I am already doing the pre-packing thing. Do you do this? I pack in my head. The suitcases are out, and in some cases, already filling, but I haven't packed a stitch of our clothing yet. I've packed it in my mind several times over. Luckily, it all fits!

Got more news from Singapore friends. Dear friend Leslee and family will not be returning this year. This was a shock to us (and to them!) and will be an adjustment for Jim as he is good friends with their son, David. I think John will miss one of his favorite girls as well. Yesterday I lamented and was really down again about the whole experience. It certainly doesn't seem to be living up to what I had hoped it to be. And yet, I do think we've gained so much by our short stint so far. I need to learn to give it up to God and ride that tandem bike. Right, Leslee? ;-) These ups and downs are doosies, though! I don't think I can take much more!

Is there a doctor in the house?

Really about ready to pull my hair out.  We are on week three of fevers in John.  

It started three weeks ago with a high fever and sore throat.  I took him in for a rapid strep which was positive.  7 days of antibiotics later and his fever was gone, he was back in school, but still not at 100%.

So then he spiked another fever.  I called in and spoke with his doctor.  We decided to add 3 more days of anti-biotics at a higher dose.  I only went forward with this because of the previous positive strep test.  What if it were reoccurring?

3 days later, it's Easter and we are all feeling good.  John comes down with a faint rash that doesn't look like Scarlet Fever to me.  It fades in a day or two.  We have his birthday.  Everyone seems healthy.  Then Thursday night he's coughing so much it wakes me up.  When did that start??  I go in to check him and he's hot again.  The thermometer confirms it with 101.  I give him Advil and keep him home again on Friday.

Today is Saturday and he is at 102.   Of course it would be the weekend.  We are monitoring him closely and will probably wait until Monday to take him in, IF he hasn't recovered.

Let's hope he recovers.  I don't think I'd look good in a wig.

This is frustrating!

Joe's Birthday adventure

April 17th~ Joe's Birthday!

We celebrated Joe's eleventh birthday in a new way:  Zovbing ("zorbing")

After school a group of  8 friends came to our house after school to pile into our cars to head out to Zovbing Singapore.  Zovbing is rolling down a hill ala hamster style in a large inflatable plastic ball.

The boys rode down, two in a ball, strapped in and when the ball stopped, they unhooked themselves and rolled the ball back up the hill hamster style.

Here are a few of them helping out friends going down the hill:

Happy Birthday Joe!