Away

For the first time since we've been here, a friend at home is sick and it doesn't feel right to be so far away.  Andie has been friends with Dalton since she was barely walking.  They started preschool together when they were one.  They were the only two in the class who were there five days a week, so they were fast friends.    As a result, Warren and I also became fast friends with Dalton's parents.   It was one of the lucky times that you really click with your kid's friend's parents.  In the last six years there have been countless play dates, vacations, camping trips, sleepovers, parties, adult "play dates" without the kids, parades, long runs, holiday meals, going away parties and the birth of siblings between Dalton and Andie and our families.   Most recently, Dalton's parents (Tom and Allison) supported me immensely while Warren was already here in Fiji.   They fed our family and took us into their home when our electricity was out and once again in the crazy passport drama.  They played an integral role throughout the stress of the passport situation and throughout our lives in Atlanta.   They became family to us...our Atlanta family. 

I am so glad Andie has Dalton in her life.  How cool to have a close friend that's a boy..that you've grown up with.  He is funny, smart, and athletic.    He wins chess tournaments, runs 5ks, and always has a joke for you.  All this, and he's not even yet seven!

Last Monday Dalton got a small cut on his eye while playing in the playroom with a friend.   Tom cleaned the cut, applied neosporin and a band-aid and thought all was well.  The next day the cut was still slowly oozing blood so they took him to the doctor for glue stitches.  On Wednesday, he woke up with a 103 degree fever and what they thought was a stomach bug.   His face started swelling and his eyes were swollen shut.  The small cut had developed a bacterial infection (which they now know was a strep infection) which caused an infection in facial tissue.   Poor Dalton's eyes were swollen shut for 2 days.  Tom flew home from a business trip to be with him and Tom's parents came into town to take care of Dalton's little sister, Darcy.  Tom sent me a message through What's App (free international texting) filling me in on the situation.  I cannot stop thinking about it.  How scary for Dalton.  How horrible for Tom and Allison.   All I can think is how I want to be there.  I need to be there with them.  I know I wouldn't be allowed in the hospital, but it just seems like I should be in the area just in case they need me.  It feels wrong to be so far.   They have supported our family through so much and now we are too far away to really support them.   I wish Allison and I could go on a long run when all of this is done just to process the craziness of it all.  I wish Warren and Tom could go have a beer together to celebrate Dalton's health and I wish Andie could give Dalton a big, tight Andie hug.   But....for now, I will have to be ok with leaving voice mails. 

The great news is that Dalton is doing SOOOOO much better!  His eyes are now open.  His vision is clear.  He is off of the IV antibiotics and on to oral antibiotics targeted at the strep infection.  It looks like he will go home from the hospital on Monday (hopefully) and life can return to normal.  SUCH a relief!  I will have to wait until they come visit to get in my long runs, beer, and hugs...but you better believe when I do finally see them...I'm going to smother them with love!!

The other, completely selfish thing that I cannot get out of mind...is fear.  What if that happened to us, here???    There is no amazing children's hospital here.   Would we even have enough time to get on a plane to Austrailia?  What if we were stuck here and had no idea what was wrong?  I know it's far fetched that our family would go through the exact same thing...but, it completely freaks me out to think about some freak medical problem and how it would be handled.   Apparently infection is rampant here and can happen to even the smallest cuts.  The "what ifs" of medical problems could drive me crazy...so I'll try to just be prepared and not obsessive.  Easier said than done.

First outing together - East Atlanta's parade

Andie's second birthday party

Big kids now!

One of our last nights in Atlanta