when it rains, it pours...

The past few days have been nuts. The last week of the month is my fullest as far as office work goes, but sometimes...seems like all the time now...life just doesn't cooperate with me and I have next to zero desk time. It's like, my cell phone is even dying I have so little time in my room to charge it and I use it constantly all day.

Yesterday at one point as I changed April schedules for the fourth time (I'm not kidding, and it's not even April yet!), a tia called from the doctor to say that Gabriel (1 1/2) needed to be admitted with bronchopneumonia, and I had Savannah out with another sick child, there was a visitor here helping with the other two triplets, I needed to go check on Victoria...and I got a call from the bridge asking me to come immediately and help with a couple crisis! And I also needed to find SOMEONE to donate blood ASAP, before Victoria is released and we are charged $100. Savannah wanted to but was getting sick, and the rest of us (office staff/volunteers) have given within the past three months so were not eligible. I actually fall into both categories... I, who never get sick, wore myself out so bad the end of last week that by Saturday night, I had the most acutely painful swollen lymph node under my chin EVER. This has never happened but it continued to get so huge and hard and painful, and I seemed to be running a fever, that I finally mentioned it to Savannah yesterday as she was making a doctor run. She brought us back antibiotics, only they were sulfa based so I had to search for an alternative (which of course had to be expensive, as far as meds here go), but I am sooo grateful for antibiotics right now and at least I feel human again today although I still have the painful easter eggs under my chin.

And then...we haven't even had a baby in the hospital in 1 1/2 years (and that was a jaundiced newborn who went straight from the hospital back to his mother) so it was a shock yesterday to all of a sudden have TWO admitted. I had hoped to keep Gabriel out and care for him at home, but I took one look at him, noticed the labored breathing, and immediately changed my mind. Right now Tia Luz is with him around the clock and Savannah and Elena have stepped in to fill her shoes. I hope to find out today if it's viral or bacterial (unfortunately I'm guessing the latter and that means 7 days in the hospital easy).

When I checked on Victoria last night, she looked wonderful! As we're not allowed to touch her, I started talking to her and she woke up and started crying, oops! I think she hears my voice and immediately thinks "MILK TIME!!!" haha. I took a picture with my cell phone, but alas, due to virus troubles we lost the program I used to download them and haven't had time to find it again. But her color is great, her abdomen is no longer distended, she's off the ventilator, oxygen, and feeding tube, and nothing is growing in the two cultures. Really odd. It seems like it "simply" might have been increasing her milk too quickly after the doctor visit last week and her little system couldn't handle it. I wondered that from the beginning but thought surely not, it must be a bacteria. Interestingly enough, the kids at the bridge (who are huge fans of the triplets by the way, always asking about them) told me they were sure it was too much milk too fast.

Then last night after traversing the city, visiting two hospitals three times, I dealt with the issue at the bridge till exactly midnight. He had run off with their baby and she was obviously upset, so I managed to track him and the baby down and get them together to talk. With this same couple, I had a wonderful meeting just the night before because they had been doing really well together for two whole weeks! Now I had to change my tune completely, which was sad, but I can't keep helping them get together when every Monday (minus the last) they greet me with new cuts, bruises, and gashes due to their Sunday night drinking fights. And they drag their 1 year old son along. Makes them sound like monsters, but this is the sweetest, most caring, likeable guy EVER when he is sane. And even though she is just 16, she is a quiet, calm, good mother (as far as it goes for street mothers)...until she decides she wants to drink the night away and no one can stand in her way. They are quite the pair, really!

It's a terribly complicated situation, as she's now kicked out from her family's house but doesn't want to be with him, because they have this vicious cycle of getting along well for a few days, drinking till the wee hours of the morning and fighting, being mad at each other for anywhere from a day to a week, then one goes looking for the other in the usual hang outs and they are back at it again.... And in the middle of all of this is an adorable 13 month old who cries during their fights and ends up with their blood staining his clothes - not to mention the irregular sleep/eating patterns due to this lifestyle. Last night I had to threaten them with everything so they understand that I will not continue to observe this without stepping in. They listened to me and promised everything, expressing their undying love, devotion, and gratitude for my help......but I'll believe it when I see it. :)

And just because I'm having withdrawal from taking triplet pictures, here are a couple I took for the Canada team with the teddies they brought:

Here's hoping for more triplet pictures soon...!!

PS - Just talked to the triplet's doctor (or one of them, shall I say), and he says we're good to go!! I'm leaving to pick her up right now. :) And now I'm hoping I don't faint at the sight of the bill....