Week 19

Hi Family, 

Well, things don't always go as planned, and this week certainly seemed to go that way for us. Even our planned outing back to the Lviv Puppet Theater to see "Two Lions" was a disappointment that ended in tears ... when we arrived the teller said the tickets were gone because a school had come ... there is no advance planning or way to know if a school is coming or not, apparently ... you just have to show up and test your luck. It was a beautiful September day, so we went to the park, but everyone was less than happy.

For our Saturday family outing I thought it would be fun to go for a 'hike' to the top of a hill/ look-out area of Lviv (again, beautiful September day) - but alas half of Poland and Russia seemed to have the same idea because the place was packed with tourist and there was nothing peaceful about what could have been a pleasant outing.  

We had a few medical experiences this week too - that made us ever more anxious to back on U.S. soil. At our 20 week ultra-sound little baby girl was measuring a bit small, so they had us come back this week (week 26) for a follow-up. Baby is still weighing in at about half of what she should be for this time (more like 20 weeks) - and though we aren't ready to accept an IUGR diagnosis until we're back in America with competent medical care, it was less than inspiring news. We made friends with a non-denominational missionary family here from Texas this week - and she had prenatal care at the same facility we have our ultra-sounds at (went back to America for the birth) and she was telling me how, for her glucose test they told her to eat 4 boiled potatoes and 2 pieces of toast, and then drew-blood ... and so is the "high-end" Ukrainian prenatal care. 

The big deal in our medical saga struck yesterday when Mary woke with a swollen right eye. At first we thought it a bug bite, or allergic reaction, but as time went on, her eye got increasingly worse. By mid-afternoon it was swollen nearly completely shut - I took the attached picture to send to Benj (who was at Bubbles dealing with that drama that comes with 23 full-time Ukrainian employees). We are learning there are a couple different schools of thought with medical treatment in Ukraine. One is that if you are foreign, especially American, the doctor is NOT interested in seeing you - no matter what - too great a liability. The other is, if you are foreign (especially American) they are more than anxious to meet with you and charge you a comparative fortune and perform unnecessary procedures to rack up a bill ... comforting. There are, undoubtedly, skilled doctors too - but they don't work on Saturday nights, and they only work with people they 'know' - and we are not yet in the medical 'know.' Anyway, back to Mary's eye, my wealthy Russian neighbor friend gave us the phone number for a pediatrician she uses, who we called but is in the village until later next week ... and recommended a doctor at the children's hospital. Benj took Mary - where even Mary with her "blind eye" (as Ella and Anne now refer to her) could "see" competent care was not coming her way. 

The first doctor came out with a rusty metal tray of metal tools that were most definitely used (and re-used) on every strep-throat case kid in town - he tried to use the same instrument on Mary, at which point both Benj and Mary said "not a chance." Deflated he returned with a Popsicle stick in a sterile sealing, that he opened, used on Mary and then returned to the tray (did not throw away, like we do in America). Lovely. This doctor could find nothing wrong with her - so he got another. Doctor 2 tried to take Mary's temp with an old-fashioned thermometer under her arm-pit for five minutes ... Mary let him know that was not going to fly, so he consented by touching her forehead with his hand and declaring, "she doesn't have a fever " Which was really helpful since Anne had done the same thing about an hour earlier - so now that we've come to the same conclusion as a four-year old on the case ... ? Doctor 2 also declared he had no idea what was wrong with Mary or what to do with her. Hospital encounter = F-. 

So, they suggested Benj take Mary to the only Optometry office open on the weekends - a dark, dirty building, with two closed 'pharmacies' on the bottom floor - the 'clinic' was on the 9th floor - no lights on in the entire building - elevator (if you dare) was of course broken - so Benj proceeds up the stairs - that reek of urine and on each landing there are a group of people smoking! The only light again is coming in from the moon through infrequent windows ... he gets to the 9th floor, sick from the smell of smoke and body secretion, and there is a line over an hour long - and the doctor is in surgery and no one knows when he'll be available.  

Fortunately through skype Packa Lee Lee was able to give us far more direction than anyone in Lviv, and fortunately we brought the necessary antibiotics with us from the USA. So, while not properly diagnosed with orbital cellulitis, we took courage in the information we had (thank you mom for your knowledge, getting in touch with other doctors, and google for knowing far more about Mary's condition - complete with pictures - than the pediatric hospital) and started Mary on an aggressive treatment of vigamox, amoxicillin, and benadryl (and a Priesthood blessing). She slept well - her eye was still swollen shut this morning when she woke, but the swelling appears to be lessening and slowly her eye is opening. Ultimately we feel confident that Mary will make a quick and full recovery, and that the medical treatment (antibiotics, amoxicillin) would be the same if we had been in America ... but it is a little disconcerting to play Dr. Mom and not be told conclusively "this is what your child has, and this is how we will fix it."  

In other news ... Ella began praying this week for 'another' sister - as in beyond the one due the end of December. While sweet, I must admit I asked her if maybe we could hold off on that request until we get the fourth one here safe and sound. She agreed, but let me know that she fully expects to have more sisters than 'just' three! Our family focus for the week was love one another (John 15:12). Last Sunday Benj challenged the girls to pray for each sister by name in every prayer, write in their journey/surgery book at least one thing they love about each sister, and each evening at dinner to tell Daddy three things they did to show love to their family ... and the reward was a date with Dad to the toy store. They were each very cute about remembering, and reminding, one another that if they were nice, or shared, they got to go to the toy store with Dad on Saturday.  So, yesterday Ella got a new art set and stuffed grey penguin (to go with the pink penguin) and Anne got a stuffed frog and stuffed bird. 

By way of business, Bubbles is bubbling - with the regular mishaps and hick-ups of mixed up orders, equipment issues, personality conflicts, and such. We have 23 full-time employees, and though Benj spends considerable time with training and teaching meetings, we are consistently astonished (in a not good way) at some of the 'mistakes' that are made and re-made. Dexter's (our washer/dryer equipment company) "global marketing strategist" came to Lviv today to meet with Benj tomorrow about "Ukrainian market conditions." Benj, in good humor, concluded the meeting sounds like something a top business school would say is essential ... when in reality what would really be helpful is if Dexter sent out an engineer to give all the machines a good check-up. But alas, people and businesses are cumbered with mission statements, market conditions, and strategists ... all wanting to do minimal work and receive maximum pay:)!

We can't believe we only have one more full week left in Lviv before heading home next week ... in a way, time flies:)! Yesterday we started talking about food we're excited to eat ... Cafe Rio pulled-pork salad, The Pie Pizza, Mandarin's crab-puffs, a cheese-burger, cheddar cheese, dairy in general, desserts to numerous and delicious to name:) Disneyland! Family, friends, church, driving, stability, traffic laws, fitted sheets, maple syrup, shopping ... America is so great. We love and miss you and hope you are doing well.  

xoxo,

Meagan+