I wish this were an April Fool's Joke

(But it wouldn't be a very nice one!)

I had to take Nataly (Triplet #3 and the next to smallest) into the hospital tonight and now she's admitted. Yeah.......the three are separated again. :(

Here's what happened: I got back to the Baby Home at 7:20pm and went right to work learning from Savannah everything to do with Victoria's 2 IV meds, since Savannah and Elena are hiking/camping out tonight with two Baby Home tias, something they have been planning to do for weeks now (tomorrow is a holiday, Viernes Santo). I first thought something was up when at 7:50, triplets 1 & 2 couldn't hold off anymore and I went ahead and gave them their milk, but triplet 3 wouldn't wake up for hers. As she often "wins" and gulps her milk down in just a few minutes flat, I found it odd. Then I nearly gasped to compare her coloring to the other two! She was white as a ghost compared to their rosy, almost red, cheeks. Those were the first two signs last Friday that something was wrong with Victoria: she went off milk and became very pale. I was really upset but was glad to see that she had no fever, was not vomiting, and I did finally get half the bottle down her after 50 minutes of work. I called their doctor and HE is sick, and another one is traveling, so after a few more minutes of agonizing and realizing that she was "complaining" a lot and her breathing wasn't quite right, I hurriedly told the night tias to keep an eye on the other two and ran her to the hospital.

So to bring everyone up to speed, Victoria (Triplet #2) was in the NICU from Friday evening until Tuesday morning, no clear diagnosis. Gabriel was in the pediatric hospital from Monday afternoon till Wednesday morning with viral bronchopneumonia. At least neither was in for extended amounts of time, but still, this is REALLY nuts. And that many of the staff and kids would be struggling with illness...it's tough. I'm grateful for several good nights of sleep in a row (besides the daily calls at daybreak) so that I'm not exhausted, but tomorrow might be a different story since I'm "on" tonight. Then tomorrow is packed from early on as I give Victoria IV meds at 6am and 7am, then begin the rounds of hospital visits* and street kid appointments I already had set, plus a church activity...although who knows what will actually get done now.

Staff member David asked the pediatrician a good question tonight as Nataly was admitted: if there's some way to head off this happening with Valentina. Although she definitely seems the strongest, they are falling one by one. The doctor said we could do some tests, but the problem is tomorrow is a holiday, then it's Saturday, then Sunday is voting day which means no transportation (although we have authorization for David's car). By the way, Tio David, our accountant but total jack-of-all-trades, stepped in and saved me when I was drowning - trying to be with Nataly in the ER and yet needing to get back for an IV med for Victoria, and then a feeding, and I was just really hungry because normally I finally have time to eat late but today things just intensified. He brought another tia to the hospital, ran back and forth as they asked for things, used a lot of phone credit in calling me to ask me questions from the doctors and nurses, and then parked my car while I finished up a feeding. I almost felt like my Dad was back! :)

David's birthday is on Saturday and we really wanted to do something big for him today, thinking that our only male staff member deserves it, but I'm sad to say it was just too hectic. We will try again on Saturday, because he will be here before going with me to a meeting (prep work for a huge team coming in July).

Thanks for ALL of your prayers!!

*We are in all sorts of clinics and hospitals frequently here, but this week has been an exaggeration, seriously! I've been to Los Olivos (triplets), Albina Patino Pediatric Hospital (Gabriel), German Urquidi Pediatric (Ana Maria), Clinica ProSalud (street friends), Caja Nacional de Salud (pregnant Tia Silvia, and tomorrow to visit Tia Sarin and her new baby, born today!), all but one of those multiple times, and now tomorrow will go to a new one for me, Clinica Cubano, to visit a street friend with other street friends. I love all the medical stuff, but would like it more if it didn't mean someone I know and love is sick or injured!