One month from right now, and we will have just arrived in Africa.
It feels like we have been in this preparing stage and saying our goodbyes for so long now. We head to see James's family for Christmas and then when we return we will only have 2 weeks until we depart from the US. We will be spending a half week in London before we arrive into Zambia.
Our house is still for sale, so please continue to pray with us regarding that matter.
Our small shipment of things and books to set up a library are somewhere in the sea right now. Hoping to arrive in Dubai and then be shipped to Kenya and then trucked inland to Zambia. We will see if it arrives shortly after we do.
As I look around the house it is still a bit overwhelming at what there is left to do, but that will have to wait until we get home from our Christmas trip. My desire is the last week we are here, to be living out of our suitcases with everything else gone. It can happen...but a lot to do when we get home.
We have a farewell dinner at our church, the friday before we leave, and have and will have several other last dinners and lunches and get togethers with our closest friends. We have truly been blessed with a church family that loves us and cares for us. We will dearly miss them.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Shot Day
17 more for the family.
We had an appointment for the kids today at the International Travel Clinic downtown.We had gotten them up to date on their general immunizations and ones that the regular pediatricians office carries, Hep A and B. They were due for 2nd and 3rd doses of those as well as others more specific to Africa. Meningitis and Typhoid.
If you want more detailed drama of the day you can read on. if not, just know that they got some more shots...
So we arrived at 12:45, our appointment was for 1:00. We met the 2 nurses in the elevator on the way up. The one lady said, I think you follow us. 5 kids scheduled for shots, and I guess it was easy to figure out.
So once we arrived the lady asked where our forms were. They were supposed to have sent forms to fill out to have ready when we arrived.
I told her we never received them and I have been quite busy, we were doing well to get us all there for the appointment with their current immunization records.
So she gave me a couple clipboards and 3 pens and James, Sarah and I started filling out the forms and questionnaires. After going through all the questions James said what a blessing it is that our kids are healthy. It is fairly easy to answer all nos with one quick circle, but to think about how much of a blessing that is!
So we turned those in and then she realized that I too needed an updated form since I was getting a shot today as well.
So I filled it out and then we sat back down. A few minutes later a nurse came out and asked to weigh all the kids to have that information. So a few at a time we went into the room and weighed them and then went back into the waiting room.
Jackson was scared, because he knew we were going for shots since yesterday and told me a few times yesterday and today, "I don't want shots". So even just having him stand on the scale made him apprehensive.
Then they called me back for the "consultation". They give you a printed out paper of the country and all the risks and recommended immunizations for that area. So we went through each shot and then talked about the immunizations they needed and all that involved. It was quite the process, I was probably back there for almost an hour. At one point we realized that the kids records were showing that 2 of them did not get the HepA on the same day everyone else did ( at the PED office) and I remembered they did, so we had to call the office and have them check their charts.
They realized they did indeed get them even though they happened to forget to list that on their record.
So after all the paperwork and discussion we were finally ready to start the shots.
The lady went back to get mine and I started praying because I realized with 5 kids and 17 shots between us, I really wanted everything to be clear and not have any mishaps with the wrong kid getting the wrong shot or the wrong dosage.
The clinic is great but the more shots and forms and papers you are working with, I realized the potential.
Everything went smoothly. We called one kid in at a time starting with oldest and James stayed with the other kids in the waiting room.
All of the kids did great and were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.
The nurse said she used to work at Kosair Children's hopital and she was very quick and made the process go smoothly.
I was most concerned about Caleb and Jackson. I had taken them in to the PEDS office in August for their 2nd does of HEPB and Caleb went first and I guess I didn't prepare him and he totally flipped out, screaming and saying no, no! which then made Jackson start crying as he was watching his brother receive his shot first before him. It truly was awful. I had to hold him down and he was so worked up.
So I was leary of today and which is partly why I asked James to come with us.
I am so glad he was there because of the amount of time during the consultation so I could think clearly and the kids were out in the waiting room with him, but then I also didn't know if I would be dealing with screaming kids, and if so, I would definitely need him there for that. I was traumatized by the episode last time probably just as much as Caleb and Jackson were!
So the little guys wimpered and maybe cried out a tiny bit for one shot, but they did so well! The Lord was very good to us. I was so thankful!
Afterwards they got to pick out some candy and then we drove off.
Unfortunately Jackson doesn't know this but before we leave in January he will need 4more shots, that are routine at 4 years old. So he will get them a month early, which is allowable by the CDC but not recommended routinely by the PEDS until they actually are 4. Given the circumstances of living in Africa where those diseases are prevalent the CDC does recommend administering them early.
SO I hope this does not pose a problem at the PEDS office. I have a prescription type signed note from the travel clinic requesting that.
We went to Barnes and Noble after the Clinic.
My Dad has started a tradition of giving all the grandkids a gift card to Barnes and Noble Bookstore for Christmas. He gave them out when we were with them at Thanksgiving and so it was a great day to go and use them. We got to see Mrs. Segura there and spent quite a while finding books for the kids.
So it was a nice way to end the day out in Lousiville. Thanks Dad! They got some good books. Jackson got 2 more of the 5 little monkeys.
5 little monkeys make a cake and 5 little monkeys with nothing to do. I love those books because I have 5 little monkeys! : )
We had an appointment for the kids today at the International Travel Clinic downtown.We had gotten them up to date on their general immunizations and ones that the regular pediatricians office carries, Hep A and B. They were due for 2nd and 3rd doses of those as well as others more specific to Africa. Meningitis and Typhoid.
If you want more detailed drama of the day you can read on. if not, just know that they got some more shots...
So we arrived at 12:45, our appointment was for 1:00. We met the 2 nurses in the elevator on the way up. The one lady said, I think you follow us. 5 kids scheduled for shots, and I guess it was easy to figure out.
So once we arrived the lady asked where our forms were. They were supposed to have sent forms to fill out to have ready when we arrived.
I told her we never received them and I have been quite busy, we were doing well to get us all there for the appointment with their current immunization records.
So she gave me a couple clipboards and 3 pens and James, Sarah and I started filling out the forms and questionnaires. After going through all the questions James said what a blessing it is that our kids are healthy. It is fairly easy to answer all nos with one quick circle, but to think about how much of a blessing that is!
So we turned those in and then she realized that I too needed an updated form since I was getting a shot today as well.
So I filled it out and then we sat back down. A few minutes later a nurse came out and asked to weigh all the kids to have that information. So a few at a time we went into the room and weighed them and then went back into the waiting room.
Jackson was scared, because he knew we were going for shots since yesterday and told me a few times yesterday and today, "I don't want shots". So even just having him stand on the scale made him apprehensive.
Then they called me back for the "consultation". They give you a printed out paper of the country and all the risks and recommended immunizations for that area. So we went through each shot and then talked about the immunizations they needed and all that involved. It was quite the process, I was probably back there for almost an hour. At one point we realized that the kids records were showing that 2 of them did not get the HepA on the same day everyone else did ( at the PED office) and I remembered they did, so we had to call the office and have them check their charts.
They realized they did indeed get them even though they happened to forget to list that on their record.
So after all the paperwork and discussion we were finally ready to start the shots.
The lady went back to get mine and I started praying because I realized with 5 kids and 17 shots between us, I really wanted everything to be clear and not have any mishaps with the wrong kid getting the wrong shot or the wrong dosage.
The clinic is great but the more shots and forms and papers you are working with, I realized the potential.
Everything went smoothly. We called one kid in at a time starting with oldest and James stayed with the other kids in the waiting room.
All of the kids did great and were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.
The nurse said she used to work at Kosair Children's hopital and she was very quick and made the process go smoothly.
I was most concerned about Caleb and Jackson. I had taken them in to the PEDS office in August for their 2nd does of HEPB and Caleb went first and I guess I didn't prepare him and he totally flipped out, screaming and saying no, no! which then made Jackson start crying as he was watching his brother receive his shot first before him. It truly was awful. I had to hold him down and he was so worked up.
So I was leary of today and which is partly why I asked James to come with us.
I am so glad he was there because of the amount of time during the consultation so I could think clearly and the kids were out in the waiting room with him, but then I also didn't know if I would be dealing with screaming kids, and if so, I would definitely need him there for that. I was traumatized by the episode last time probably just as much as Caleb and Jackson were!
So the little guys wimpered and maybe cried out a tiny bit for one shot, but they did so well! The Lord was very good to us. I was so thankful!
Afterwards they got to pick out some candy and then we drove off.
Unfortunately Jackson doesn't know this but before we leave in January he will need 4more shots, that are routine at 4 years old. So he will get them a month early, which is allowable by the CDC but not recommended routinely by the PEDS until they actually are 4. Given the circumstances of living in Africa where those diseases are prevalent the CDC does recommend administering them early.
SO I hope this does not pose a problem at the PEDS office. I have a prescription type signed note from the travel clinic requesting that.
We went to Barnes and Noble after the Clinic.
My Dad has started a tradition of giving all the grandkids a gift card to Barnes and Noble Bookstore for Christmas. He gave them out when we were with them at Thanksgiving and so it was a great day to go and use them. We got to see Mrs. Segura there and spent quite a while finding books for the kids.
So it was a nice way to end the day out in Lousiville. Thanks Dad! They got some good books. Jackson got 2 more of the 5 little monkeys.
5 little monkeys make a cake and 5 little monkeys with nothing to do. I love those books because I have 5 little monkeys! : )
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